Jarek Tadla: Bringing Awareness to Men’s Mental Health Silent Epidemic 

Jarek Tadla, entrepreneur and author of Not Enoughness, has overcome many difficulties in his personal and working life. But one of the most complex struggles of his life has been dealing with depression and feelings of “not-enoughness.”  

In his new book, Tadla defines “not enoughness” as “a feeling that no matter how much success he achieved, it was never enough.” This feeling haunted him throughout his life. From his traumatic childhood in Poland during the Cold War to his success as an entrepreneur in the real estate market, no matter how much he achieved, persistent feelings of emptiness haunted him. 

Tadla’s difficult childhood instilled within him a desire to prove that he was ‘enough’ and worthy of success. He worked hard to escape his upbringing and prove his worth through the pursuit of financial success. Tadla built a real estate empire by borrowing money to invest in properties. He was doing very well when the Housing Crash in 2008 struck and saddled him with debt.  

Soon, his business associates were hounding him to pay off his debts, and his safety was threatened. A comment from his small daughter inspired him to take a different approach to resolving his debt issues. He refinanced his smaller properties to pay off millions in debt in just 40 days. He considers this a “testament to his business acumen and resilience. 

Though he was very successful in his business endeavours, his deep depression rooted in feelings of inadequacy never disappeared. The validation he sought to fill the emptiness he felt inside never materialized despite how wealthy he became. Eventually, those thoughts resulted in him contemplating taking his life, and the deep depression born out of these debilitating feelings left him bedridden for over forty days.  

Sadly, Tadla is not alone when it comes to thoughts of suicide. Nearly 79% of all suicide deaths in the United States are men, 3.7 times higher than that of women. Across the globe, men are three times more likely to take their own lives than their female counterparts. The numbers do change by country but are still very concerning.  

There is a worldwide stigma against seeking help for mental illnesses such as depression and a societal push for men to hide their feelings. Substance abuse among men is also higher in rates than women, with many men trying to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.  

Tadla’s fiance, Jessica, urged him to seek help and put him on a road to recovery.  

During Tadla’s healing journey, he recognized that his feelings of inadequacy started during his childhood in Poland. He started meditation and sought the help of life coaches to rediscover his life purpose. In Not Enoughness, Tadla is open and vulnerable in sharing his battles with depression, suicidal thoughts, and addiction. Additionally, he discusses how important it is to work on the inner self, as well as to ask for help and create a support system.  

“You can have as much money in the world but if you don’t have your internal peace you have nothing,” Tadla says. 

As a men’s mental health advocate, Tadla hopes to bring awareness to the silent epidemic haunting men across the globe. Through his book, blog, and podcast, Tadla strives to encourage men to recognize that they are enough and, if they are suffering from mental health issues, to seek help before it’s too late.