A life uninterrupted: CEO of iconic Canadian retail chain opens up about being bipolar

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It’s 1997 and Gillian Stein is at home, but the day is weighing on her. She’s already called her mom, who assures her she’ll arrive the next day. It’s a relief, but that’s still hours away after what was the most traumatic experience of her 18-year life at that point.

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The details surrounding what happened at the airport earlier that day are hazy, but the shock sticks: Why did she think she was in Arizona when she was in Montreal? “I don’t remember very clearly the time after it or the time leading up to it. And that’s the part that’s hard to talk about,” Stein says. “Your mind has betrayed you, and that’s a very scary place to be.”

The episode led to Stein being diagnosed with bipolar disorder soon after. Mental illness wasn’t new to her family, since her father, formerly CEO of camera retail chain Henry’s Enterprises Inc., had previously been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It was something they talked about openly growing up, so when her mind seemed to trick her, she wasn’t afraid to call her mother. She knew it was more than just teenage anxiety. “It was normal in our house, because that’s how I grew up,” she says. “It was something that was always there.”

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Not everyone is so lucky. Twenty years later, the stigma surrounding mental illness remains despite some high-profile campaigns by corporations and governments alike. Mental illness claims lives every year, something Stein has seen first hand. Yet few want to talk about it personally, especially not the boss of an iconic Canadian retail chain.

Yet that’s exactly what Stein, now CEO of Henry’s, wanted to do after a family friend died by suicide. At the funeral, she noticed there was no mention of how the person died. “We realized, as a family, if we wanted to make a difference then we needed to be open about our own challenges,” she says. “If we didn’t share our story and open up, then we were only perpetuating the stigma.”

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Going public with her illness wasn’t an easy decision to make, but it’s something she’s announcing to her company’s employees this week. As of press time, Stein was the only Canadian CEO to announce she had a mental illness diagnosis — bipolar disorder or otherwise — according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto. Some political leaders, celebrities and former business leaders have done so in recent years, but there is still enough stigma surrounding mental illness that there is a risk of losing business by announcing you’re affected.

This remains true even though the pandemic and its fallout has opened up the floodgates to demands for mental health services and the recognition that it’s real. Social isolation, lockdowns and financial restraints have all fed into a decrease in positive mental health, says Dr. Ishrat Husain, a clinician scientist at CAMH. “What’s been positive is that we’ve been able to pivot mental health support to provide more accessible care,” he says.

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You’ve likely seen the statistics. About one in five Canadians experience a mental health crisis at any given point, according to Statistics Canada. That represents 20 per cent of the Canadian population, or about 7.6 million people — almost the size of the Greater Toronto Area’s population.

The numbers are smaller for bipolar disorder, but no less significant. About two per cent of the world has a bipolar disorder diagnosis, and this is slightly higher among younger Canadians between 15 and 35, Husain says. This correlates with the average onset of symptoms, which is usually when someone is around 20 years old. Those symptoms include prolonged periods of mania on both ends of the spectrum, according to CAMH’s description of bipolar disorder.

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People can experience hypomania, where the person feels more confident to take on tasks, to be impulsive and even irresponsible. Then they can stabilize, experiencing a tranquil mental state or mood, which is technically called euthymia. But, eventually, a major depressive episode hits, which can be extremely challenging to address. “People with bipolar disorder spend about a third of their life in the midst of a depressive episode,” Husain says.

Your mind has betrayed you, and that’s a very scary place to be

Gillian Stein

These symptoms can be devastating, but the hypomania is what has some referring to bipolar disorder as the “CEO disease.” Tesla Inc. founder Elon Musk, for example, has stated he believes he may have the disorder. But Stein believes these comments glorify a real illness. “When you have bipolar disorder, you don’t choose when you have a high, and when you have a low,” she says. “So while the mindset of an entrepreneur and a CEO requires an incredible balance between risk taking and risk management … it should not be confused with bipolar disorder.”

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Even though it may be true that anxiety and depression disorders have become more normalized, broader mental health issues still need to be addressed. Now, with support both medically and psychologically, Stein feels it’s the right time to discuss her own experience.

It helps that she is a prime example of not letting a bipolar disorder diagnosis hold her back — or her company. Stein’s grandfather opened Henry’s in 1909, and it has since become Canada’s leading camera store chain, according to the company’s website. Before the pandemic, it held the country’s largest market share in the camera sector, which also includes big-box behemoths such as Amazon and Best Buy.

Then the pandemic hit, and the 80 per cent of sales coming from retail locations suddenly dropped to zero. By May 2020, Stein was forced to file a Notice of Intention to Make a Proposal (NOI) to reorganize the business for “future success,” according to a statement. To ensure long-term success, management made the decision to close seven stores, while the other 22 remained temporarily closed under lockdown restrictions.

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“Given the current reality, we wanted to act swiftly and decisively to improve efficiencies across our business,” Stein said in the statement at the time. “We’re confident that Henry’s will emerge from this crisis a stronger, well-positioned business and able to save Canadian jobs and support Canada’s creative community.”

A year and a half later, Stein believes the company has done just that. In the past few months, with vaccination rates up and restrictions down, store sales have increased while e-commerce sales remain strong. During the past five years, Henry’s has doubled its online business.

Stein credits the company’s strategy for being flexible enough to survive. It focuses on not just selling cameras, but finding new ways to bring in stable revenue. This includes an online chat through Henry’s website with local Canadian experts. The company also launched a pilot podcast studio in Vancouver, and will soon launch one in Toronto for content creators. “We’ve been really excited about podcasting, because that is a wonderful, exciting, growing market,” she says. “It’s healthy, and there’s nobody out there serving that community well.” And Stein launched Henry’s Ventures Group, an innovation hub whose first offering was a subscription-based protection program that covers gear regardless of where it was purchased or the age of the item.

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As the company pivots from having to close several retail outlets to increasing investments in venture opportunities, Stein now has time to focus on her passion project: Henry’s Foundation, which develops strategies for mental health in the workplace, and provides funding for organizations such as Kids Help Phone, and Jack.org. It first opened in April 2020, and is run by her sister, Amy Stein, but it would have been easy to shelve it given the pandemic. But Stein also realized it was what Canadians needed, when they needed it.

Stein also launched the #uncapturedmoments campaign on social media networks to reduce the stigma around mental health online by showing that “people struggle everyday. And that’s OK.” Posts include photographers opening up about their own struggles with mental health, especially during the pandemic. “I’m no longer afraid of my depression,” one poster says, “and it took a pandemic to realize how important my mental health is.”

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Stein has brought Henry’s into the 21st century, but she continues to credit her father, Andrew, both professionally and personally. She’s continued his tradition of personally opening store locations across Canada, while keeping the conversation surrounding mental health alive. “(My father) really struggled when he was younger, but he has succeeded in so many ways,” she says. “My experience as a business leader is no different from any one else’s. Bipolar disorder can be well managed and doesn’t have to define you.”

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That can be true for any Canadian with a mental illness, Stein says. In her case, she is completely in tune now with her own mental health needs. After a road through therapy and medication, her bipolar disorder no longer affects her — at work, or otherwise.

It’s this conversation that Husain at CAMH believes is what Canadians need the most, both inside and outside the workplace. Finding someone you can talk to, whether that’s a supporter or through an employee assistance program, can be an excellent way to discuss your own mental health needs. But CEOs need to play a role as well.

“Society needs to be more receptive to these conversations, and if somebody in your workplace is reaching out to you and asking you for support, I think it’s really important that the individual feels validated and reassured,” Husain says. “Rather than feeling embarrassed, because that can lead to more isolation, it’s important to keep the conversation going.”

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Stein says she hopes by coming forward with her own early struggles that it will inspire other CEOs to come forward about their mental illnesses and for CEOs to recognize that they are also responsible for their employee’s health, whether physical or mental, to allow them to succeed.  “I’m telling my story so I can show … my community who I am in an effort to break down the stigma and the shame that exists around having a bipolar disorder (diagnosis) or any other mental illness,” she says. “Everyone has to do what’s right for them at the right time. But if you can, if you do have a platform, then use it.” FPM