We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Matt Snyder a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Matt, sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
When I finished graduate school in June 2015, I was in quite a dark place that stemmed from many years of burnout in school, working my butt off to be a high performer, involved in all the things, and demonstrating to the world what I thought they wanted to see. School was my life for years. Rinse and repeat the same structured routine and reliability of go, learn, meet people, party, come home for the summer and enjoy time off. After graduating life felt even heavier with high amounts of student debt, smaller job market in Halifax with limited OT jobs (at that time), an unsuccessful relationship, starting off again alone in a new apartment and new non-OT role, smoking, recreational drug use and drinking, combined with heaps of anxiety and depression that I masked every day to show the world I was okay. That I was working. Making money. Living the life.
Life after graduating was a time where I thought that I knew myself, but didn’t have a clue. I started to isolate myself from friends and family, mainly spent time with my dog in my apartment after work, drinking or going out to bars on weekends. Starting to use dating apps that led nowhere. Work was hard to feel motivated in. Major depression set in over the dark winter nights, alone, with little self-esteem and self-worth. And over the Winter 2016, I had two suicide attempts in back-to-back months in my apartment.
How did I overcome and persist despite mental health challenges?
4 Words: Family. Support. Belief. Perseverance.
It wasn’t until a few months later when I told my parents about those nights. I went off work. Sought some mental health care that wasn’t the right fit. Felt my relationship with my dad feel the most complete it had been in years.
My family and friends’ support carried me over the first stage of hurdles and getting me back on my feet over several months of support, connection, and showing up for me. Once I was back to work, I had some really lovely people believe in me. The first was my wife. Who supported me and taught me skills of independence that felt overwhelming to me for so many years. She showed me love, consistency, and persevered through some really challenging times in the early stages of our relationship. The second, was the hiring committee at Dalhousie University’s Occupational Therapy department for believing what I said in my interview and sparking motivation, excitement and an opportunity to do something I loved, teaching. Connecting with students, faculty, community OT’s and organizations, learning the behind the scenes of a university department, and working around brilliant minds in a career I’m so passionate about. It led me to find my footing and connect to my purpose again.
In 2018, my wife and I moved to British Columbia, where I took a job in paediatric occupational therapy. I believed I could do it. I bet it all on me. My wife and I believed in ourselves and each other, that we could do it and that I’d have a chance to overcome some of my demons. I found a therapist who I’ve worked with to help me learn to reflect deeper, regulate my brain and body, challenge my beliefs, and push me to form new connections and find what serves me well in life. I’ve attended every single month since moving to BC ( sometimes 2x a month, aside from mat/pat leave). I’ve worked with amazing clients, families and businesses. Continued to advocate for others and learned to do it for myself. My wife and I developed an even stronger friendship and partnership by being alone and doing it by ourselves. We’ve made lifelong friends and feel connected to nature and the beauty around us. I started a mental health blog, called “The Bearded OT” to share my experiences with mental health to help others along their own journey. Last year, my wife birthed our beautiful baby boy who is so happy and healthy and my world these days. This past year, I started my own private practice doing what I love and running my own business, which was something I never believed I could do. I exercise as regularly as I can. I rarely drink alcohol anymore. I golf, mountain bike, and stay active. I’m regularly connected with friends close by and try to stay connected afar. I’ve learned most of my brain’s cues telling me when I’m feeling burnout, depression, or stress/anxiety. I know what serves me well in this life and what I can leave to the side. And I know despite what we might’ve gone through with work, friendships, family, and clients, that they have my back and support my passions in life.
One of the core values and foundations that my wife and I live by is that believing in ourselves, kickstarts perseverance. Perseverance is then built by failing repeatedly, continuing to push against the grain of life’s lessons, and learning from our mistakes to achieve what we want. If we believe in ourselves, trust our support networks, and surround ourselves with people who lift us up – we accomplish beautiful things – our goals, finding our purpose, finding meaning. That is how I’ve overcome and continued to persist despite challenges with mental illness.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
When I was in my masters program and working through student placements, I enjoyed the private sector and working with people in the community. I’ve been an occupational therapist for 10 years now, and have been working in paediatric OT for the past 7 years in British Columbia. I’ve dabbled in other areas of OT work within different industries, however I’ve consistently been drawn back to my passion of working with children and teens and helping them along their journey.
For years, I had these bold goals in the back of my mind of one day opening my own practice, however I frequently doubted myself and feared my abilities to manage money, and maintain stability in my life with relationships and friendships. I thought I’d fail as a business owner and not be able to fulfill the ideals that I thought others wanted me to do, or at least that perception itself dominated my mind for years. However, when I moved to BC I initially thought to myself, even if I don’t think I’m ready, I was going to observe, learn, and ask questions to the business owners I worked for and the leadership within them. I did this so that I could progress professionally, build my confidence, learn the background of running a private practice business, to maybe one day have the courage to continue following my dreams.
In 2024, I decided it was time to take that leap once again and believe in myself. I left my job. Bet it all on my skills, knowledge, the support network, and loyal clientele that I built over those 7 years. August 2024, I opened my own private practice, The Bearded OT – Occupational Therapy Services. August 2025 will mark one year of being open with a thriving practice, with plans to expand and build a team of therapists to continue providing quality occupational therapy to children and teens across the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. I’m incredibly grateful for how life has turned out, with my supportive family, friends, and colleagues and most importantly, my clients and their families that I get to work with every week.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Education, Empathy, Humour:
Education has always been a deeply engrained value and learning is something I really enjoy. Without the education and the mentorship I had in school, through sports and subject work, I doubt I’d be at where I am today career wise. I also recognize that for many people, continuing school after high school might not be desirable based on feasibility, affordability, motivations, or beliefs that are the same. Getting the opportunity to have as much education as I do is something I’m really grateful for and appreciate every day. So my advice for education and how to develop or improve in it is this: Find what you love doing in this world. If it requires additional education and that education is going to make you a good return on investment in the end by improving your quality of life emotionally, physically, mentally, or financially – and if you believe in yourself – then do it. But if you’re deciding to continue additional education beyond high school and it’s both not the right fit and you’re living it for someone else – don’t be afraid to make changes to meet your needs and goals. Education isn’t for everyone and financially burdening yourself for years with a career you hate. Life is too short to pursue endeavours, jobs, degrees that don’t align with our values or provide return for the hard work completed.
Empathy and Humour are two skills/qualities that have had the biggest impacts on my journey. Empathy is awareness. This quality comes from my Mom who was an ICU nurse for many years. Getting to visit with her coworkers, see her care for others after school, and lead my brother and I in life with seeing others for who they were, helping others when they needed it most, and connecting with people. When you have the capacity to employ it, empathy is really about taking the time to learn and listen about other’s experiences without judgement. Leading with compassion and showing that you care. It forms trust, connection in friendships and relationships. It saves lives. If you want to develop or improve empathy, there needs to be time, when others need help or an ear to hear them out, where listening with intent, sensitivity, and reflection are the priorities. And when we repeat this process when working with or talking to individuals, groups of minority, people from different areas of the world, and different beliefs, is where we can start to see improvements in our abilities to think before judging and putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes for a minute. While I am not perfect at this by any means, this is how I choose to lead my life and my relationships with the clients I work with.
And then we have humour. Laughing with family, friends, coworkers, students, mentors, etc. has been a central point of my growth in both my personal and professional life. Throughout my childhood, my Dad’s humour and style of story telling shined through and it’s something I’ve always loved being able to do is to make others laugh and laugh with them. For me, laughter is truly an antidote to feeling awful, so learning to integrate it when a friend is having a rough time, spending time with the people you love, or sitting in a room with a client who feels they’ve got nowhere to turn – laughter is the most helpful tool anyone can have in their toolkit.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
The women in my life.
From early days of being with my Mom and Grandmother as a child, reading, baking, exploring and learning. Resilience, hard work, compassion and kindness helped develop skills and values in me from an early age. My beautiful core group of girl friends who I love spending time with to this day showing me support, strength, laughter, and empathy. My most memorable teachers and coaches from kindergarten to graduating high school, all females, all passionate about teaching, guiding me to think critically, problem solve, and taught me what it looked like to lead with boundaries and respect.
In my early days of university, my professors and mentors who both empowered me to learn about myself and challenge myself to be better, supported me when I was struggling, and opened doors to new possibilities of careers, working with children, and feeling included. To learning to become an OT, a profession with many women, and few men. Supportive, smart and compassionate classmates, insightful, brilliant, and experienced faculty and mentors on placement to learn from.
To navigating the world of employment and finding my way through several bouts of major depression, burnout, heartbreak, and crippling anxiety. Insurance, homeless shelters and supportive housing. From teaching in post secondary education, to me working in private practice in paediatrics. All women led, all helped guide and push me to where I am today. It is the women in my life that I owe a great debt to, and am grateful for every day.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thebeardedot.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.beardedot/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-snyder-70429b126/
Image Credits
Tacye Joy Creative
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