An All Black Legend's Battle With Anxiety & Depression ft. Sir John Kirwan // VIDEO.

At the 1987 Rugby World Cup, All-Blacks legend John Kirwan scored a length of the field try & in turn, he inspired a generation of future all-blacks & rugby greats to follow their own dreams. On the surface, he was the fit & strapping superstar that every young man wanted to be, but below the surface, he was fighting the toughest battle of his life: anxiety & depression.

JK talks of his fear for speaking out at that troubling time. The fear that his career would be taken from him, that he would be labelled insane. It all came to a head in August, 1991, when on tour with the AB's in Argentina, he wanted to jump out of a 10-story hotel window. The kind words of a team mate saved JK's life that night.

Fast forward several years and JK is now widely recognised as one of ‘the faces’ of depression and anxiety in New Zealand. In 2012, he was knighted for his services to mental health, an honour he strives to live up to every day. He’s the founder of several mental wellbeing organisations including the Sir John Kirwan Foundation, Mitey, and most recently, Groov, a workplace mental wellbeing platform. He’s also the author of All Blacks Don’t Cry: A Story of Hope and Stand By Me: Helping Your Teen Through Tough Times. He is also an incredibly talented keynote speaker, coach & commentator.

Be sure to follow JK & I on socials: (Insta/TikTok) @bradleyjdryburgh & @johnkirwan14 @groovnow

To book JK or myself for a keynote, check the links below:

https://www.saxton.com.au/speakers/bradley-dryburgh

https://www.saxton.com.au/speakers/sir-john-kirwan

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Big love,

Brad xx

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