The Hidden Cost of Carrying It Alone

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There are things many men carry that no one sees.

Grief. Trauma. Pressure to hold it together. The belief that if you slow down or speak up, you’ll fall apart or let someone else down.

In this episode, hosts Mike Cameron and Trevor Botkin sit down with former NHL player Bob Wilkie and filmmaker Shayne Putzlocher to talk about the documentary Sideways and the story behind it.

At 17, Bob survived the 1986 Swift Current Broncos bus crash that killed four of his teammates. What followed wasn’t just resilience. It was silence. Substance use. Suicidal thoughts. Years of trying to function while carrying more than he knew how to process.

The conversation moves beyond the crash. They unpack the belief that “caring” means worrying, stressing, and losing sleep. That if you’re not overwhelmed, you must not care enough. But when stress becomes constant, it doesn’t make you stronger, it just gets heavier.

Eventually, that weight shows up somewhere. In your health. In your relationships. In the way you move through your own life.

Inside this episode:

• Why silence can feel safer than telling the truth
• What unprocessed trauma can look like years later
• The difference between caring and carrying too much
• Practical language for setting boundaries without blowing up relationships
• How small moments of honesty reduce shame

This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about taking the pack off your back, even for a minute, so you don’t have to carry it alone.

 

Watch Sideways with CMHF

We’re proud to be a partner on this film and help bring this story to more Canadians.

Use the promo code CMHFSIDEWAYS to get $5 off the digital download and watch it at home.

https://sidewaysdocumentary.ca/

 

Follow Bob Wilkie

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/igotmind1/
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpqCxLbVCoY0ZyCVtgBzd4Q
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/igotmind
• LinkedIN - https://ca.linkedin.com/company/i-got-mind
• Website - https://igotmind.ca
• Podcast - Tear off the Tape - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tear-off-the-tape/id1836507415

Follow Shayne Putzlocher

• Website - https://trilight.ca/
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyyKGy5rwu6fbw7Swh9B6FQ
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sputzlocher/

Follow Canadian Men’s Health Foundation

• Website - https://menshealthfoundation.ca/
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/menshealthfdn/
• Facebook - https://facebook.com/menshealthfoundation

Follow Mike Cameron

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mikecameron.ca/
• Youtube - https://youtube.com/mikecameronspeaks 
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mikedavidcameron/
• X - Mike Cameron (@axiommike) / X 
• LinkedIn - https://linkedin.com/in/mikecameron
  Website - https://mikecameron.ca/
  TedX Talk - https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_cameron_redefining_badass_the_way_we_think_about_strong_is_wrong

 

Follow Trevor Botkin

• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/gsnscreative
• Muster Point IG - https://www.instagram.com/the_musterpoint
• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/gsnscreative
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/trevor-botkin-869ab5143/

Support Men & Their Familes: https://menshealthfoundation.ca/donate/

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