Story

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I’m Jordan. I help leaders find their unfair advantage by giving them the tools to share more of themselves.

Because the world needs more of the real you.

So let’s crush that fear in your mind that says, “If people see who I really am they won’t love me.” It’s not true, friend. And I can prove it to you.

Your unfair advantage for all things in your life — whether you’re an entrepreneur building a business, a leader looking for impact or a parent craving growth — is to be able to genuinely share your past in a way that pulls on the heartstrings of those around you

The trouble is that it doesn’t come naturally to most. It certainly didn’t for me. But if I could learn how, you can too. 

Over the past 13 years, I have worked with Fortune 1000 companies, top universities, global charities, startups and national governments to help them build psychological safety, belonging and engagement. But I am even more proud that I’ve worked with over 100,000 kids in the past year to help them build the confidence to share their unspoken struggles

I don’t fit into one box. So let me explain what I do and why I do it. 

I grew up in a small town north of Toronto, Canada with a small, loving family. We worked hard together. All of us pitched in to build my parent’s marketing agency, PharmAd, by helping stuff envelopes, count brochures, shrink-wrap product samples. We didn’t have much money, but my parents always had a way of prioritizing my brother and I over themselves. I was able to take up mountain biking and get involved in my community, both of which would ultimately lead me to being the youngest (or one of the youngest?) people to ever bike across Canada, raising six figures for the Stephen Lewis Foundation

The truth is that I only did it to get even with the kids that bullied me and to impress my high school girlfriend. (For the record, neither worked). 

Then, I went to the University of Ottawa and then the Royal Military College of Canada and studied Conflict Negotiation because I wanted to feel important. That didn’t quite cut it, so I studied Integrated Design Strategy at Bruce Mau’s Institute Without Boundaries and Rapid Prototyping at FactoryX, a think tank started by some of Google’s top executives.

During my time in the defence world, I researched how intimate branding could win the hearts and minds of local populations. This work led me to Oxford, Singapore, New York City and many places in between, and eventually landed me in real estate development where I spent three years working with global leaders in place branding and community building. 

But then, in a bizarre twist, my life was turned upside down in 2014 when I accidentally became the protagonist of the world’s most viral human interest story that somehow earned 4.5 billion media impressions over a year. During that experience, I learned about the extremities of social media and its impact on mental health. And even though the story created created billions of media impressions, millions of dollars in brand revenue and mobilized hundreds of thousands of people globally, I fell apart entirely by realizing that I had been living a lie for the previous 20 years

Appearing on Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, BBC, Today Show, Inside Edition, and hundreds of others crushed me. Because I broadcasted a narrative that I was in control, that I was happy, and that this media attention was a gift to pay it forward. When in reality, I was terrified. 

I learned that my own thirst for significance was rooted in the fact that growing up, I was bullied to the point where I hated myself immensely. All my motivations were to be special and different. All of this was really just a cry for help. And a breaking point that coincided with me smiling fraudulently on TV. 

Fortunately, I had some brilliantly selfless friends and family with me that helped me through this, see the patterns, and how, potentially, it could be used as a mirror to show the errs of our ways. What started as a talk to my elementary school about the downside of social media turned into a full-time speaking and coaching career. 

These days, I am the creator of The Unspeakable MethodTM, a framework that uses a series of exercises that unravels our pasts and gives us the tools to share our innermost pains with those around us. It’s led to the rapid rise of What’s Your Big Lie?, The Unspoken Workplace and my other interactive speeches and workshops.  In the past year, I’ve received well over 150,000 submissions in my programs as they travel to all parts of North America. 

I am also a Partner at The Shift Collab, an integrated mental health practice that delivers therapy, workshops and educational programs for companies and campuses.  Oh, and I’m the co-host of Impostercast, a podcast about faking it. Both of which I do with my partner, Megan

If you’re like me, you likely feel alone and hide a great deal of pain. My mission is to give you the opportunity to release it and feel better for it. Because the world needs more of the real you. I can promise you that. 

Thank you for taking a glimpse at my story. I’d like to hear yours sometime. 

Jordan

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