One Drop of Water with Jason McleanOne Drop of Water with Jason Mclean
The Elevate Experience
Jason Tyler McLean shares how a failed suicide attempt, heavy drinking and lockdown isolation pushed him to transform his life and write *One Drop of Water*. Through stories of discipline, fitness and mental self-defence, he explains how he moved from despair towards sobriety, clarity and purpose.
1:17:00•30 Nov 2021
One Drop of Water: Jason McLean on Mental Health, Sobriety and Cerebral Samurai Strength
Episode Overview
- A suicide attempt and years of depression, alcohol and painkillers pushed Jason to completely reassess his life and behaviour.
- Lockdown forced him to stop distracting himself socially and either fight for his life or collapse back into suicidal thinking.
- Building a strict morning routine of running, fasting, meditation, study and writing gave him structure and emotional stability.
- Jason links physical training with better brain chemistry, which then makes it easier to challenge negative thoughts and habits.
- Letting go of ego, status and possessions helped him value clarity, relationships and purpose over drinking and partying.
“I honestly believe that isolation and the lockdowns, as bad as it was for a lot of people’s state of mental health, mine was so poor already that it actually improved it, because I had to fight for my life or I was going to try and take it again.”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and self-destruction? This conversation with Canadian author and educator Jason Tyler McLean gives a raw, honest look at that turning point and what comes after. Jason shares how years of depression, heavy drinking, painkillers and suicidal thoughts led to a gun-in-mouth suicide attempt in 2019 that, thankfully, didn’t end his life.
Given that second chance, he "had to rip open" his life, face his past and design action plans to come back from the brink. Out of that process came his book *One Drop of Water*, a mental health self-help book he describes as dark, funny and brutally honest rather than sunshine and rainbows.
Angie Manson and Dallas Terrell steer the chat towards what actually helped Jason change: early-morning runs, ruthless self-discipline, and a daily routine that pushed him physically, mentally and emotionally. He explains his idea of being a "cerebral samurai" – using physical fitness to spark healthy brain chemistry, then using that clarity to challenge stuck thoughts and old habits.
You’ll also hear Jason’s reflections on ego, losing everything (right down to riding a mountain bike everywhere), and why he stopped drinking once stability and clarity started to matter more than nights out. His love of animals and nature runs through his story and his book, from frog-catching as a kid to sitting in frozen Canadian forests to calm his mind.
This one’s ideal if you’re into recovery, mental health, mindset shifts or just need proof that change is possible even from a very dark place. It might have you asking yourself: what’s the one drop of water that could start your own waterfall of change?
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