About paddle forward
Paddle Forward came from a pretty simple realization:
A lot of people are struggling -- and a lot of them are doing it alone.
I've been there.
This isn't therapy, and it's not meant to replace anything clinical.
It's just a different kind of space. A place where we can have real conversations with people who understand what it feels like to struggle -- without being judged, analyzed, told to watch a funny movie, or told to "just get over it."
The idea is:
Explore Outside. Heal Inside.
Getting outside doesn't solve everything, but it changes the environment. It makes it easier to think, to talk, be at peace, and to be honest about what's going on.
Mental health isn't one thing. It can be depression, anxiety, trauma, suicidal thoughts, addiction, or a combination of these items or others -- and it doesn't always look the way people expect.
Paddle Forward is about making those conversations easier to have -- and helping people feel like they're not the only ones going through it. Nobody deserves to suffer in silence. Nobody deserves to suffer alone.
About me, founder story
DARCY KINDRED
Founder, B.Comm.(Hons.), MBA
My name is Darcy Kindred, and I'm the founder of Paddle Forward.
After spending more than 30 years in business and finance, dealing with personal and professional issues, I experienced a significant decline in my mental health. Like many people, I carried more than showed - dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, and the cumulataive effects of stress over time.
That experience changed my direction. Professionally. And in life generally.
Last year, I set out on a fundraiser and awareness campaign, consisting of a sole kayaking trip through the Canadian wilderness. The goal of the campaign was to start more open conversations about mental health - including the most taboo topics, like suicide - not from a clinical perspective, but from lived experience.
Paddle Forward grew out of that decision.
Now I'm taking Paddle Forward further downstream in meeting its goals of trying to help those who are suffering alone by creating safe spaces online through a podcast and videos, a shared space recalling my kayak journey and rescue last summer, through one-on-one sessions in person, and public speaking engagements.
If what I'm doing resonates with you...please feel free to reach out.
FAST FACTS:
- AGE: 56
- UNIVERSITIES ATTENDED: BRANDON UNIVERSITY, UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA, THOMPSON RIVERS UNIVERSITY
- INDUSTRIES I WORKED IN: COMMERCIAL LENDING, EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT IN BROADCASTING, CABLE TELEVISION, RADIO, INTERNET SERVICE PROVISION, MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURING, MARKETING, AND MORE.
- MENTAL HEALTH CHALLENGES: DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, C-PTSD, SUICIDE IDEATION, ADHD