For a long time, I believed the world was a dangerous place—something to endure and survive rather than embrace. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and human trafficking as young man, my understanding of humanity was shaped by harm, by the feeling that people were capable of cruelty and that trust was a risk not worth taking.

It was a lonely way to exist, always bracing for impact, always expecting the worst.

My healing has been a journey of reclaiming trust—not just in others, but in myself and in life itself. A pivotal part of that journey was becoming a Weekends of Recovery alumnus with MenHealing. Sitting in a room full of other male survivors, I saw reflections of my own pain, but also a glimpse of something I never thought possible: the capacity to heal in community. It was there that I learned my story didn’t have to end in survival; it could continue into something fuller, something richer.

That was over 15 years ago - now, as MenHealing’s Creative Director, I carry that same ethos into my work—crafting narratives that challenge isolation and redefine what it means to heal. Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools we have. It allows us to see and be seen; connecting us across experiences, backgrounds, and borders.

Knowing that storytelling was the key to helping me heal, I picked up a camera.

At first, photography was just a way to document my travels—a way to prove to myself that I had made it somewhere new. But as I began turning my lens toward strangers, I realized I was doing something much deeper. With each portrait, I wasn’t just capturing faces; I was learning to see humanity through a different lens.

A Maasai man in Tanzania, standing tall beneath a wide-open sky, his eyes quietly reflecting strength. A geisha in Japan, embodying serenity and graceful resolve. A man in Morocco, his colorful hat framing a face that speaks of pride and quiet dignity. In these fleeting moments, I found something I didn’t expect—evidence that the world wasn’t just filled with harm, but also kindness, resilience, and beauty.

Portrait photography has become my way of witnessing the world with new eyes. Where I once expected hostility, I now find generosity. Where I once saw only pain, I now see shared resilience. Each face I photograph is a reminder that healing doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens in the quiet moments of recognition, in the unspoken understanding between strangers, in the stories we dare to tell.

I used to believe the world was determined to destroy me. But with MenHealing by my side, through my adventures in far off places, and through the faces of strangers who have allowed me to capture their stories—I have come to understand that the world is also capable of holding me.

And that, perhaps, is the most profound healing of all.