Why Support Matters
I’ve always known how to look after people. What I didn’t know how to do was let someone look after me.
heart attack recovery
Men, Vulnerability, and Real Talk
Something changed after my heart attack that made it easier to talk about the hard stuff — and I don’t think it was courage.
One Year Stronger
A year ago I sat with my finger hovering over a button. Terrified, excited, no idea where it would lead. This is what happened between that moment and now — the fear, the growth, and the year that changed everything.
What I’d Tell My Younger Self
If I could sit down with the man running those hotels before any of this happened, I know exactly what I’d tell him. Not slow down. Not stop dreaming. Master the art of delegation.
Learning to Respond, Not React
I’ve always known it’s better to respond than react — behind a bar, in a busy kitchen. But it took a heart attack to teach me to turn that same skill inward, on myself.
A Different Kind of Strong
Before my heart attack, strength was physical — kegs, timber, chainsaws, never a second thought. After it, I thought that strength was gone for good. What I found instead was something completely different — and worth so much more.
Who Am I Now?
When I walked back through my front door after my heart attack, I found the cushions on the floor, the bucket, my towel — and looked across at my family photos thinking I’d seen them for the last time. This is about the question nobody prepares you for after surviving a cardiac event. Who am I now?
Helping Others Without Losing Yourself
When you’ve been honest about your own struggles, people start opening up to you. But there’s a line — and I crossed it before I saw it coming. This is about helping others without running yourself into the ground.
Saying Goodbye to the Life Before
There’s a part of recovery nobody prepares you for. Not the physical side — the quiet grief that comes with saying goodbye to the life you had before. There’s even a name for it: ambiguous loss. This is about mourning the old life, and finding room for the new one.
The Gap Between Knowing and Doing
Most men who’ve been through a heart attack know what they should be doing. But knowing something and actually doing it — when life, finances, and responsibility are pulling in the opposite direction — is a completely different thing. This week that gap caught me out.