About Matt Keenan

I’ve been to the darkest place a man can go — and I came back stronger.

There was a time in my life when I honestly believed there was no way out.

It started with a diagnosis that didn’t fit. I was misdiagnosed with depression and put on medication. At first, I thought it would help. But as the doses got stronger, I didn’t feel better — I felt worse.

The stronger the medication got, the more I lost myself.
The physical side effects wore me down, but it was the emotional numbness that broke me. I couldn’t feel anything anymore.
Not happiness. Not love. Not even pain — just this empty, detached version of myself.

And while I was losing myself, I was destroying the relationships around me.

I pushed my wife away. I became a shadow of the man I wanted to be for my children.
Other relationships in my life, they fell apart beyond repair — and I own that.
I own every part of it, because only by owning it have I been able to learn from it.

The hardest part?
As a man, society tells you to "man up." To "get on with it."
But inside, you’re screaming for help — and no one can hear you.
Or worse, they hear you but don’t know what to do, so they look away.

I battled not just the weight of my own mental health, but the crushing pressure of social stigma. The belief that as a man, you’re supposed to carry it all silently, no matter how much it’s killing you inside.

And I nearly did.
It nearly killed me.

I got to the point where the thought of ending it all felt like the only relief left.

But somewhere, deep down, even in that place, there was a flicker of something else.
It wasn’t hope — not yet. But it was something.
A tiny thread that kept me holding on just long enough to find a way back.

The Turning Point

Through therapy, brutal honesty with myself, and learning how my mind actually works, I began to climb out of the hole.

But it wasn’t one thing that saved me — it was many.

That’s why today, I don’t rely on one method to help other men. I use three powerful, proven approaches together:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) — to untangle the destructive thoughts that fuel anxiety, fear, and hopelessness.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) — to rewire the internal conversations we have with ourselves, so we stop being our own worst enemy.

Strategic Life Coaching — to build a clear, actionable path forward, because without direction, we just drift.

Most coaches stick to one or maybe two of these tools.
But I know that when a man is on the brink, he doesn’t need one rope — he needs a whole ladder.

That’s what I build for the men I work with.

Why I Do This Work

Because I am that man.

I know exactly what it feels like to wear the mask, to pretend everything’s fine while inside you’re falling apart.
I know the shame. The fear of being judged. The feeling of being trapped with no way out.

But there is a way out.

That’s why I created The Resilient Men Network — a place for men who are tired of carrying it all alone.
It’s not a support group full of clichés. It’s a real community, built on real conversations, real tools, and real brotherhood.

Recognition That Matters

In 2024, I was proud and humbled to be named Person of the Year at the Endeavour Awards, for my work in suicide prevention and mental health support.

That award isn’t about me. It’s about every man out there fighting his silent battle.
It’s proof that the work we’re doing matters. That lives are being saved. That silence is being broken.

Matt Keenan
Founder, The Anxious Lad Coaching & Mentoring Ltd.
Certified Life Coach | CBT Practitioner | NLP Practitioner | Mental Health Advocate | Person of the Year 2024,