Brian Knowler | SpeakerHub

Personal Details

Bio

Veteran police officer. Retired lawyer. Global speaker. Amazon bestselling author.

Brian Knowler has been involved in the justice system since 1994, when he was one of the youngest students ever admitted to the University of Windsor Faculty of Law.

In 1999, Brian took his legal training to the world of law enforcement. In 2004 he was the lead investigator in a motor vehicle crash involving the death of a close friend, causing his life to spiral into depression, alcohol, and thoughts of suicide. He was finally diagnosed with, and began therapy for, job-related PTSD in 2012.

He is a Staff Sergeant in an 8000 member police service, currently on a special assignment as a Senior Policy Advisor on Mental Health to the Ontario Solicitor General’s office.

Brian has spoken to audiences around the world on issues related to trauma, mental health, workplace safety, and leadership. He is the creator the CAPITAL L Leadership training program, helping teach leaders to embrace mental health and wellness as part of modern professional leadership. Brian's CAPITAL L Leadership program received the 2019 Livewire Award for Excellence in Mental Health Support.

Brian has been a police Incident Commander for dozens of critical incidents, many of which have taken a toll on he and the teams he has led. The creation of the CAPITAL-L Leadership material was in part due to the impact of these critical incidents on Brian and both his home and work families.

Brian has published two books about his experiences with trauma and leadership: 'On the Other Side of Broken – One Cop's Battle With the Demons of PTSD', 2016, and 'Career Suicide is Overrated', 2021. In February 2023, Brian published his first novel, ‘Oathtaker Broken’, a fantasy novel dealing with themes of trauma, loss and grief, which instantly became an Amazon Bestseller.

Brian is a graduate of the Queen's University Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate program, a Mental Health First Aid facilitator, a certified leadership coach, a critical incident peer supporter, and a member of the International Institute for Mental Health Leadership.

Brian is married to Cathy, a mental health educator. They have two sons and three dogs who all live in an old farmhouse in Ontario, Canada.

Current position (2)

CEO and Lead Trainer

Knowler Consulting - The Change Co.

Senior Policy Advisor

Mental Health Secretariat - Ontario Solicitor General / OPP

Achievements (1)

Amazon Bestselling Author

Day 1 Bestseller status for fiction novel 'Oathtaker Broken' (written under pen name JB Knowles)

Degrees (1)

Law

University of Windsor

1994 to 1997

Presentations

Presentations (4)

Personal and Professional Growth Through Trauma - It's Possible!

In this presentation, Brian discusses the concept of post-traumatic growth and outlines the lessons he learned as he fought through, and then fought back, from trauma. While trauma and other mental health issues are extremely trying periods in a person's life, one can not only overcome these periods, but come through them a better, stronger, more empathetic and better parent, partner, spouse, child, and employee.

The CAPITAL-L Leader - Mental Health Leadership for Modern Professionals

Modern leadership must include an innate and empathetic understanding of mental health issues both large and small. Mental health concerns in society are growing in both scope and severity, and this trend will not be reversing itself anytime soon. The concept of CAPITAL L Leadership is built on enhancing, or, if necessary, developing, skills and traits that today’s leaders need to ensure that the mental well-being of those they lead is paramount. Ahead of profit margins, ahead of stock prices, ahead of the bottom line, the health and wellness of the team is the best barometer of how successful an organization is. During this session, Brian, the creator of the award-winning CAPITAL L system, will lead you through core elements that leaders need to ensure both themselves and their teams successfully navigate the many impacts that mental health issues, from routine stress to suicide, can have in today’s world.

No Leader Is An Island - Creating a Legacy Through Mentorship

In October 2004, Brian Knowler was a young police officer who thought he had his career and life nailed down. One cold night, however, he watched a friend die in his arms as a result of a fatal auto crash, helpless to do anything despite his training, ambition, and passion for the job. That friend's death led to a ten-year downward spiral of trauma, depression, alcohol use, isolation and thoughts of suicide. In this presentation, Brian discusses how strong leadership played a pivotal role in helping pull him up from the depths of his post-traumatic stress. In turn, Brian then began to understand how important offering this leadership back to others in need was, creating a constant cycle of learning and mentoring. It's never too late or too early to start creating your own legacy of mentorship, especially in the ever-growing and ever-changing fields of mental health, substance misuse, trauma, and stigma. Learning, growth and compassion are possible, even after trauma!

Rising From the Ashes - Surviving and Thriving as a Family After Trauma

In this presentation, which can be offered jointly with Brian's wife Cathy, Brian discusses how his battle with post-traumatic stress impacted his marriage and family. This includes a frank discussion of how immense a strain that a mental health issue can put on a marriage, what and how should children be told, and what are the tools that help repair a marriage and family when trust and regular routines are shattered. The goal is to leave the audience with an honest picture of a marriage under fire that was ultimately saved and rebuilt stronger and more durable after trauma.

Workshops (1)

The CAPITAL-L Leader - Facilitating Mental Health Leadership for Modern Professionals

Full day

THIS IS A FULL-DAY TRAINING VERSION OF THE 'CAPITAL-L' PRESENTATION DISCUSSED IN MY PRESENTATION SECTION

All (3)
Videos
Photos (1)
Slides (1)
Press information (1)

This speaker hasn't uploaded any videos yet.

Brian's Books

Principles of CAPITAL-L Leadership

This speaker hasn't uploaded any one sheet yet.

Career Suicide Is Overrated by Brian Knowler - Blue Line

Books & Articles (5)

On the Other Side of Broken - One Cop's Battle With the Demons of PTSD

Career Suicide is Overrated : Equipping Leaders With Mental Health Strategies for Their Teams and Themselves

Oathtaker Broken (writing as JB Knowles)

Pride Publishing,

Huffington Post Articles

Workplace Health Leadership Should Take Center Stage in 2021

Expertise (12)

Leadership

Health & Well-being

Clients

Chicago Fire Service / Firefighters Association

University of Windsor Faculty of Law

Canadian Mental Health Association

Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Ontario

Aecon Construction / Bruce Nuclear Power Shoreline Project

Public Service Association of Canada

Ontario Police College

Canadian Critical Incident Stress Foundation

Crisis Workers Society of Ontario

Chatham-Kent Health Alliance medical staff

Alberta Fire Chiefs Association

Association of Provincial Prosecutors

Ontario Electrical Safety Organization

Ontario Provincial Police

University of Windsor Criminology Department

Windsor-Essex County Health Unit

NPL Construction Canada

Enbridge Ontario

Edmonton Region Immigrant Council

Ontario Municipal Social Services Association

Thomson Reuters Publishing

Awards & certifications (4)

Excellence in Mental Health Programming for CAPITAL-L Leadership program

LIvewire Corporate Awards

2019

Mental Health First Aid Facilitator

Mental Health Commission of Canada

2022

Certificate in Workplace Mental Health Leadership

Queen's University

2021

Diploma Program - Facilitating Adult Learning, Conducting Conflict Resolution, Alternative Dispute Resolution

Udemy Learning Academy

2022

Reviews

Testimonials (1)

Brian spoke at one of our employee engagement groups on mentorship and he was great! Very personable and professional. Our staff walked away with valuable information. He was also gracious enough to answer more questions after the event so we could share with the audience. Highly recommended!
Cindy Webb
Verified