Darren Blanchard was born in Ontario’s nickel mining town of Sudbury, while things for Darren and his family were far from perfect, life was good. As a young boy growing into a teenager and then a man, he began understanding the subtleties of human nature and what it meant to be ‘normal’. Darren experienced bullying in his adolescence and felt like an outcast. It took him many years of self-reflection to realize that he was normal in his own way. He had been diagnosed with ADHD and experienced several mental health issues such as depression. Darren had grown up around others struggling with mental health, but he never felt capable of sharing his struggles. Darren only knew how to suppress his emotions, not confront them. Fortunately, he has grown to become his most authentic self, even if some view that as a misfit.
At 30 years old Darren had had his share of struggles but was yet to experience the toughest moments of his life. During this time, he was chasing his idea of success in the corporate world. The fantasy of riches and fame still appealed to his young mind that thought money was a solution for all of his problems, but this would soon change.
Darren was working hard in Toronto to bring his tech start-up to fruition. In the midst of this, Darren unexpectedly discovered he was soon to be a father. He was drawn into a painstaking custody battle for his newborn daughter and compelled to relocate to Prince Edward Island. This presented significant challenges to his goals as the young award-winning CEO of NIMTech, which at the time was considered the darling of the Canadian tech start-up community.
In 2013, after raising millions and securing mammoth contracts, his company faced legal intimidation and financial issues as a result. Naturally, Darren was overwhelmed and looking to his then-partner for emotional support. The relationship suddenly ended in a hurtful breakup. Darren was completely heartbroken and the following Christmas was the worst of his life. Darren spent the holiday accompanied only by his dog and his woes. Upon reaching such a significant low, he realized that he needed time to heal his emotional wounds and focus on himself.
Over time Darren began to see the results of his labors, losing 85 pounds and feeling physically and emotionally rejuvenated. He had returned to recruiting work, which he had been very successful at prior to his startup venture. Returning to this familiar career was satisfying initially, but Darren knew that entrepreneurship would lead him to his most fulfilled life. Therefore, he invested in a local sea salt company in 2015. Following some business agreements, Darren made Prince Edward Island Sea Salt Company a reality.
Around this time, Darren met local woman Anna Howard, dedicated to spreading positivity through her nonprofit Random Acts of Kindness PEI. Inspired by her work, Darren donated to one of her causes and the two became close friends, able to discuss their mental health struggles. They collaborated on what was to become a social enterprise named Salts of the Earth, but Anna unexpectedly took her life. Darren was devastated by this and her passing made him realize not only that he had been blind to the true depths of her troubles, but that he himself had been suffering with depression for years and needed help.
This led to Darren researching the resources available to those suffering from mental health issues and what could have been done to help his friend. Darren was shocked after conducting interviews with nurses across the country, who all shared the same pessimistic view regarding the funding and resources that the system as a whole is lacking.
Darren took on the mission of changing the face of mental health in his community, and Islanders Helping Islanders non-profit was born. Which sees profits from both his sea salt company (Prince Edward Island Sea Salt Company) and social enterprise (Salts of the Earth) specifically focused on local community mental health initiatives.
Several months later, Darren’s mother succumbed to a terminal illness and he felt like he was hitting rock bottom. Somehow, Darren pulled himself out of this emotional slump and focused his efforts on advocating for mental health. He boosted efforts at Salts of the Earth by recruiting people who were also fighting to overcome mental health complications.
Additionally, Darren launched the Best Friends Campaign to encourage “Breaking bread to break the silence”. This slogan represents the authentic conversations we can have when eating home-cooked meals and taking time to connect with our loved ones. These activities not only improve mental health outcomes, but also strengthen our communities overall. Darren used this campaign along with another project of building compact homes for the unhoused as a way to get closer to his goal of helping one million people. Currently, Darren is happily living on Prince Edward Island and continues his work within that community. He has more upcoming projects and anticipates more local volunteers joining.
“Salts of the Earth is trying to create jobs, opportunities, and hope for an authentic and caring community, while Islanders Helping Islanders is focused on making real change in the mental health landscape on Prince Edward Island. Whether that’s through mental health resources or simply having candid conversations. Authentic MisFits Club, Chapo and Charlie, and All for Smiles are my other social enterprises that were designed to bring more funds, programming and mental health support to our communities. While I’ve never pretended to be the perfect person or businessman, I know that my passion for supporting others can translate into fundamental change for people in need,” says Darren Blanchard.
Media Contact
Name: Darren C. Blanchard
Email: info@me2we.ca
Published by: Omar Hamdi