Walking Into the Storm: Our Story
Chad McLean knows all too well what it’s like to mask the pain. Growing up with an alcoholic father and a single mom raising three kids, he was known as the class clown—making others laugh instead of facing the hurt he felt inside.
At 18, he joined the military, where pain was the name of the game. A night jump gone wrong and an accident left him in the hurt locker with more pain than he could stand. When he woke up, he knew his life would never be the same.
The breaking point came in 2020. A suicide attempt. A 911 call. A moment that shattered everything — and somehow cracked the door open.
That night, Chad admitted what he'd been running from his entire life: he needed help.Not prescriptions that numbed him. Not therapy that felt like checking a box.Something radical — something that could reach the parts of him buried for decades.
From a Mental Health Battle
The injuries led him to the usual coping mechanisms: pain pills, alcohol, and social isolation. In a moment of desperation, he stole phone cards from the military (PX) Postal Exchange to try to call his mom for help- only to see his brothers, men who had once trusted him with their lives, turn on him.
He was brutally hazed, ultimately got kicked out, and felt too ashamed to tell his family and friends back home the truth of why he’d left.
After a string of bar fights and failed relationships, Chad met his wife, Cari, with whom he now has two sons. He was a father, a husband, and he was drowning… Their marriage dissolved into long silences as he struggled to communicate the hurt behind the façade.
He hit rock bottom when he put a gun to his head and nearly pulled the trigger if it weren’t for Cari, who called 911. That was enough for him to finally admit he needed help.
To Mental Health Victory
Chad finally found relief from the pain that had been haunting him since that tragic fall. He underwent ketamine therapy and began reliving those horrible memories he’d tried so desperately to forget.
Psychedelics and other plant-based medicines led him to a deeper understanding of his life and how the accident had derailed his life. He saw his life clearly for the first time since he was a boy, and he was finally able to breathe.
But this isn’t just Chad’s story—it's Cari’s too. While Chad was suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD in silence, she was struggling with her own fears, doubts, and emotional fatigue. Watching the man she loved live in pain is its own kind of suffering.
She felt alone as a parent and as his wife. As Chad experimented with alternative treatments, Cari realized that she needed to heal, too. She underwent psychedelic therapy, and together they started repairing their marriage and working through the issues that had kept them from seeing each other for who they are.
The Mental Joe Philosophy
Chad and Cari’s journey showed them the healing powers of ketamine and other alternative treatments. They went through hell, separately and together, and came out stronger and more open than ever before. But they knew they weren’t alone. Other people were suffering in silence just like they had.
The idea to start a mental health apparel brand came to Chad during a ketamine therapy session. It sounded absurd at first, but he eventually realized that most of the everyday Joes he knew weren’t likely to sign up for therapy or a healing retreat, so he had to meet people where they are. That’s why Chad decided to create an organization for other average Joes like him. The goal is to get his message out the only way he knows how: T-shirts. If there’s one thing every guy loves, it’s a good shirt.
The designs are made to start conversations around mental health and alternative healing methods. Wearing one can cut through the noise and break the ice around subjects that don’t usually come up in conversation, whether you’re on the golf course, riding the bus, or meeting up with your pals for the big game.
From Pain to Purpose
Chad and Cari have come a long way in their journey to becoming mental health ambassadors. Neither of them set out to be in this space. But their passion and experience drove them to help others by promoting community, understanding, and alternative therapies. Because any one of them just might change someone’s life. All it takes is a T-shirt and an open mind.
Every purchase helps fuel this mission. Every conversation helps break the stigma. Every person who wears Mental Joe becomes part of a community fighting to Conquer the Battle Within.
So grab a shirt. Start a conversation. Connect with trusted advisors ready to take on calls, give guidance, and point you in the right direction. And if you ever need someone to talk to, whether it’s a late-night DM, a Zoom call, or meeting up for coffee… We’ll be there. No guessing. Just straight-up help when you’re ready to do the work.
EVERY PURCHASE FUELS THE MISSION
Every purchase helps fuel this mission. Every conversation helps break the stigma.
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