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Biographies
SHORT
Former barbershop owner turned endurance athlete and men's mental health advocate. After a catastrophic knee injury required a 2-year recovery and nearly cost him his life, Tony discovered movement as medicine. He now guides organisations to reach the 72% of men who won't seek traditional therapy through his Movement as Medicine workshops and keynote presentations.
MEDIUM
Former barbershop owner, martial artist, endurance athlete, and co-author of Start Over: Volume 4, Tony Haresign is a men's mental health advocate who transforms lives through movement. After a devastating karate injury requiring 2 years of recovery plunged him into severe depression, compounded a year later by pandemic lockdown Tony rebuilt himself through physical challenges, running The Big Ten mountain callenge in four days whilst raising over £5,000 for suicide prevention. He now works with organisations to support male employees through his Movement as Medicine methodology, proving that men who won't do therapy will climb mountains. Tony combines lived experience with evidence-based approaches to create meaningful workplace mental health solutions.
LONG
Former barbershop owner. Endurance athlete. Mental health advocate. Tony Haresign's journey from suicidal to summit climber defines his revolutionary approach to men's mental health.For just over 10 years, Tony ran a successful boutique barbershop in Anstruther, Fife. At 49, preparing to present at Salon International London, he returned to competitive karate. During the second bout of the tournament, a catastrophic knee injury began a gruelling 2-year recovery that would challenge everything he'd built his identity upon.A year into his recovery, COVID-19 lockdown forced his barbershop to close. Unable to work or provide for his family after two decades as the breadwinner, Tony spiralled into severe depression. When a close friend died by suicide, Tony faced his darkest moment—but found an unexpected lifeline.A desperate, unplanned run with his dog became the first step toward recovery. Tony discovered something profound: you can't think your way out of rock bottom, but you can move your way out. Working with adventure coach Ben Turner, he progressed from that first muddy run to completing a marathon, then running The Big Ten—summiting the UK's ten highest mountains in just four days.Now co-author of Start Over: Volume 4, Tony works with organisations through his Movement as Medicine workshops, helping companies reach the 72% of men who avoid traditional mental health support. His approach builds workplace peer support and emotional resilience through physical challenges that feel more like performance enhancement than therapy.Photo Gallery
Introduction Script
Please use this short script to introduce Tony to your audience
Our next speaker is a former barbershop owner turned mental heath advocate. He's a martial artist who returned to competitive karate at 49. He's an endurance athlete who ran The Big Ten, summiting the UK's ten highest mountains in just four days. He's a co-author of Start Over: Volume 4. And he's raised thousand of pounds for suicide prevention.He embodies movement as medicine by living, breathing and showing how physical challenges can unlock emotional resilience when traditional therapy falls short.He's going to share his unique and powerful story with us today and show us how we can harness movement to {insert your specific challenge here OR build mental resilience, support our teams, and create meaningful change}.Without further ado, please give a very warm welcome to author, endurance athlete, and mental health advocate: Tony Haresign.