From Chef to Funeral Director: My Mental Health Story

From Chef to Funeral Director: My Mental Health Story

People often ask me how I went from being a chef to becoming a funeral director.

On the surface, they are two very different professions. One celebrates life around the table; the other helps families say goodbye to the people they love.

Yet they have one thing in common.

Both demand resilience. Both involve caring for people. And both can place enormous pressure on those doing the job.

As a chef, I learned discipline, teamwork, and how to perform under relentless pressure. Long hours, constant deadlines, and the expectation that everything had to be right were simply part of the job.

As a funeral director, I discovered a different kind of responsibility. Every family deserves compassion, dignity, and someone they can rely on during one of the hardest moments of their lives.

What I didn't realise was that, while I was looking after everyone else, I wasn't looking after myself.

Mental illness doesn't announce itself. It builds quietly. You tell yourself you're just tired, stressed, or having a bad week. Then one day you realise you've been fighting a battle that has been growing for much longer than you admitted.

That happened to me.

I became seriously unwell, and my life changed dramatically. Recovery wasn't quick or easy, but it taught me something that I now believe is worth sharing.

Asking for help is one of the strongest things a person can do.

There is no shame in admitting you're struggling. Whether you work in a kitchen, a funeral home, an office, a factory, or anywhere else, your mental health matters just as much as your physical health.

Today, I speak openly about my experience because silence helps no one. If my story encourages one person to have an honest conversation, make an appointment with their GP, or simply tell a friend that they're not coping, then something positive has come from my own journey.

Life has taken me from the heat of the kitchen to the quiet of the funeral home. Both careers have taught me the value of people, compassion, and service.

My mental health journey has taught me one more lesson.

No matter who you are or what you do, you don't have to carry everything on your own.

Talk. Ask for help. Recovery is possible.

Michael P. Lennon Jr.

Chef. Funeral Director. Founder of Mindspire.

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