Meet Hailey Hechtman

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hailey Hechtman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Hailey , really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?

From as early as I can remember, I have had a fascination with people. The way that they interact with one another, where their beliefs and perspectives come from, what in their life has led them to the choices that they have made at different inflection points along the way.

When I was younger and asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I often said psychologist. I liked the ideas of being the confidant, the person that people could rely on for support, guidance and ultimately provide them with a safety to show up as themselves.

A psychology degree and a number of years working front-line in crisis lines later, I recognized that while I am drawn towards being a strong source of encouragement for others, I wanted to do something that had a larger reach.

While I know that there is an immense ripple effect from just one person working on their mental health (on their family, their partners, their colleagues etc..), I quickly came to the conclusion early in my career that building programs, empowering teams and creatively inspiring an organization to grow its impact, was where my passion truly aligned with my purpose.

Since then, I have spent over a decade as a social impact leader, in roles across the continuum of mental health from crisis lines, to neurodevelopmental disability to inclusive hiring, to advocacy and storytelling.

My purpose centers around fostering communities where people feel seen, embraced and ultimately encouraged to see the magic that lies within. I try every day to model this in my approach with my team, with the community and with all of the partners that I work with along the way.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I have been working in and around the mental health sector for over a decade. From crisis lines to developmental services to employment support to mental health advocacy, I have always been incredibly passionate about uplifting others and creating spaces for them to see all the strengths that so often go unnoticed.

On a personal note, I had spent the vast majority of my 20s struggling with an eating disorder, and when I started my recovery journey at 29, felt compelled to share my story in order to shine a light on a mental health challenge that often goes unrecognized and, scarily enough, congratulated, if someone doesn’t meet our preconceived notion for what this illness looks like.

In late 2022 a friend of mine mentioned Unsinkable and let me know that they were actively seeking stories of hope and resilience from those on their mental health journey. I eagerly connected and became a storyteller in early 2023.

And then, by fate, by magic or maybe as a result of the evermore in-tuned social media algorithm, I started to see Unsinkable everywhere. While scrolling on Instagram, while checking out Facebook, while browsing LinkedIn and then one day the Executive Director posting popped up on my LinkedIn recommended jobs page and I was struck by the alignment.

An opportunity to integrate my love for storytelling (I have been writing articles and short stories since I was a child), my deep passion for mental health and personal potential, and my desire to support organizational growth all collided in this once of a lifetime role.

I am so proud to be part of a team that not only brings creativity, thoughtfulness, generosity, and curiosity to their work every day but one that authentically models what they value. At Unsinkable are all storytellers, we are people on own mental health journey, on different points in a continuum and yet united and ignited by an overwhelming desire to create a more compassionate, informed and inclusive Canadian society where mental health is embraced, understood as an essential aspect of overall wellbeing and actively supported within community.

I spent years struggling with my relationship to food, exercise and my body. Yet, I didn’t fully grasp this. I knew something felt wrong, that there was a deep disconnection to myself that had formed over years and that I was slowly (or maybe not so slowly) unravelling.

It was until one day when I by chance listened to a podcast where this one human, who I related to, who I admired, who I trusted shared her story that the light of clarity turned on for me and a mirror from her narrative to my reality became magnified.

Something clicked for me that day, I had a name for the obsessive thoughts, for the anxiety, for battle within. Even though my inner voice had been screaming for months, maybe even years that I needed something to change, it wasn’t until someone else opened up that I was finally able to see myself.

This single story was a catalyzing moment for me and encouraged me to start a cascade of story seeking resulting in ultimately starting down my own path to recovery.

Without the vulnerability and openness, she shared, I do not know how much longer it would have taken for me to embark on my personal healing and so this is a message that I leave you with—your story, your life, your experiences matter. They have the power to encourage others, to make people feel seen in a way that can only be done through deeply resonating with the emotions and motions of someone else.

So, whether you tell your story on a platform like Unsinkable or to a group of friends over coffee, know that your voice can lead to immense change.

Together We Are Unsinkable.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

From my perspective there are 3 most important qualities that I feel that have been impactful for me along my journey as a leader in the social impact space:

Curiosity: I am someone that is able to see possibilities, ask big and small questions, be open to exploring avenues that do not feel obvious and be ready to dive head first into trial and error in order to find what will have the greatest impact on for my community. By being open and always learning I am be able to find supports, lessons learned and knowledge that can make a huge difference for my organization’s structure and direction.

Collaboration: I see others as an essential element of my journey, bringing in their feedback and perspectives to build something better. Without collaboration, I am only able to access as much creativity as I can individually possess. By working with others, whether within my organization by empowering team members to take on new projects or set their own objectives or including other nonprofits in the design of my deliverables, I am able to iterate so much more meaningfully. Diversity is key to growth.

Modelling: For me, modelling, whether it is how to communicate and support others, how to show up as a storyteller in community, how to embody a collaborative approach is key to my ability to constantly learn and evolve. Whether it is with the team or with partners, I model the values of my organization by showcasing compassion, vulnerability, collaboration and passion for the work that we do. I am driven by impact, always thinking about the “why” of what we are creating and how we can further center the people we serve in the design and delivery of our programming. I empower the team to be curious to take a strength-based approach, to show up as themselves. I admit to my mistakes, I take accountability for my choices and their reactions and above all else, I work every day to be a better version of myself in my work. While I still have so much to learn, for me it is this quality that will help me get there and continue to bring the best of me to a community that I am so immensely passionate about.

These 3 qualities are ones that I am by no means perfect at but that I try to work towards every day.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

As an organization that harnesses the power of storytelling to bridge the gap between those struggling with their mental health and steps towards mental wellbeing, we are always looking to connect with storytellers, changemakers and other organizations that share our vision to create a more compassionate, informed and inclusive society where mental health is embraced, understood as an essential aspect of overall wellbeing and actively supported within community.

There are a number of ways that we would welcome your voice as a contributor to our mental health movement:

Join us as a storyteller: While working with the Unsinkable team, people are encouraged, coached, and supported to share their stories of courage, resilience, bravery, transformation, recovery, and hope. We proudly offer a platform for young people, athletes, celebrities, and the amazing human beings who live next door to share their experiences and perspectives. If this is of interest, you can fill out our storyteller form: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/StorytellingForm

Become a Community Champion: Community Champions are the leaders of our mental health movement, and work towards educating, connecting, and empowering people. They have shown tremendous commitment in the field of mental health advocacy. We support Champs in accomplishing their mental well-being goals as ambassadors of the Unsinkable community. If you would like to join us, visit our champs page: https://www.weareunsinkable.com/community-champions

Share: Help us spread awareness by sharing Unsinkable stories and messages on your social media platforms. Your voice can inspire change. Follow us on IG @unsinkablestories

Volunteer: Become a part of our volunteer team and contribute your time and skills to make a difference in the lives of others. If you would like to bring your expertise to our team, check out: https://www.weareunsinkable.com/get-involved

Donate: Your generous donations enable us to continue our vital work and reach more individuals with our message of hope. Every contribution makes a difference. To help us grow our impact visit https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/unsinkable-ltd/

Partner: Collaborate with us as a corporate or community partner to amplify our impact and support mental health initiatives together. If you would like to explore a conversation about how our work interconnects and how we may be able together, amplify mental health conversations feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

We would love to have you become part of our Unsinkable ecosystem.

Together We Are Unsinkable.

Contact Info:

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