Four suicide attempts. A father with schizophrenia. And the avocado that saved his life.
"Stop carrying masks — be comfortable with being naked."
"The only way to get rid of the chatter is to listen to it."
Gareth Stubbs grew up around suicide and mental illness before he had words for either. By eighteen he'd made his first attempt. Two more followed. Today he lives in southern Spain, running retreats and teaching what he calls the Avocado Philosophy — a blunt, often funny look at what's really underneath the mask.
What we explore:
Growing up around schizophrenia and suicide, and what it did and didn't teach him about mental health
The masks we wear to survive trauma, and why dropping them feels like being "naked"
Humour as a coping mechanism — and where it stops working
The Avocado Philosophy: what's actually underneath when you cut yourself open
Building a new life and a retreat business in Spain after three suicide attempts
I spent 25 years building a life that looked successful from the outside, but within, it was the opposite. Everything was falling apart, and I was throwing fuel on that fire. The joy of life had fallen away.
Late November 2018. I had to make a choice: live or die. I chose to live, and everything changed. I had to confront the pain I was carrying, look at the stories, and change. I built The Brave Man Project because there was nothing like this when I needed it.
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