Standing at the Bottom of the Steps

I stood at the bottom of five steps outside an old house, knowing exactly why I was there. After years of going in circles, I had finally reached out for help. Now I had to take the first step.

What It Meant to Share My Story on A Podcast

Personal Transformation Podcast with Stewart Thompson & Jasmine Lam featuring Mike Allan

I recently appeared on the Personal Transformation podcast with Jasmine and Stewart. This post is a reflection on what it felt like to share more of my story publicly, and why healing often begins when we stop hiding.

How My Healing Journey Began

A man looks in the mirror at his reflection

The month of March has become a reformative one for me. It was 40 years ago, in March of 1986, that my healing journey began. It started with a moment I couldn’t shake. One morning I woke up, looked in the mirror, and saw my father staring back at me. I never wanted to become […]

I Think I’ve Been Hibernating

A sunlit path with melting snow

After weeks of staying close to home, I realized something: I think I’ve been hibernating. A reflection on winter, recovery milestones, and the quiet seasons that sometimes precede change.

The Boundary I Couldn’t Hold Before

A man sits with his head in his hands with imaginary boundaries around him.

I used to lose myself in one particular relationship. This weekend, I didn’t. What changed wasn’t the other person. It was my ability to hold a boundary without explaining it.

Why Man Enough to Heal Matters to Me

Why this panel conversation matters to me, what men often carry in silence, and what becomes possible when honesty is met with safety and structure.

Before I Knew I Needed Freedom

A meme of a U-Haul hauling U-Hauls sent me back to my early twenties, driving across Southern Alberta. What I didn’t realize then was that this job quietly planted my lifelong need for freedom.

Addiction Wasn’t My Original Problem

Addiction was not my original problem, it was my first attempt at relief. A reflection on childhood trauma, early addictions and why so many coping strategies start as survival before they become suffering.