How I Overcame Mental Illness to Become a Successful Entrepreneur
- Brainz Magazine
- Nov 20
- 3 min read
Written by Dylon O'Leary, Entrepreneur
Dylon O’Leary is the Founder of MyHealthcare Global, an award-winning Healthcare Training and Technology company based in the UK. MyHealthcare Global has developed the Diabetic Foot Assessment VR Video, a novel solution designed to help nurses and patients understand how to prevent amputations.
I wake up in a place and have no clue what happened. I look out the window and see a bright July day, with no recollection of what is coming or what had just occurred. It turns out I was in a Mental Health Hospital. I had jumped out of my own window, got lost in a thorny bush, and had been sectioned as a result. All of this happened on my 18th birthday. Fast forward 10 years, I have won two Innovate UK Grants, several Business Awards, and performed at music festivals and concerts.
What is my mental illness? How did it occur?
My illness is Psychosis. What is Psychosis? Psychosis is a mental state in which a person loses touch with reality. It typically involves hallucinations (seeing, hearing, or feeling things that aren’t real) and/or delusions (strongly held false beliefs that aren’t based in reality). I started going down the rabbit hole of a psychotic breakdown after the stress of my A-Levels really hit home. I couldn't relax. I couldn’t stop fidgeting. I kept rushing through random thoughts. I couldn’t sleep. I started thinking irrational thoughts. I began behaving strangely.
The combination of stress, lack of sleep, and previous trauma from exams began to take its toll. I lost my mind. I didn’t sleep for 7 days or had, at most, 30 minutes to 1 hour of sleep.
What kept me going? How did I survive?
I lay down under what seemed like an avalanche of thorny bushes. Death seemed imminent. Life seemed to be slipping away. All hope had been lost.
Then something amazing happened! A faith in my own strength, determination, and ambition took over! I could no longer let my illness destroy me! In that moment, I realized something profound, life really is worth living, despite the difficulties. Our illnesses and troubles create the ability within ourselves to overcome challenges. We either allow them to destroy us or create our success.
What did it take to recover?
I take medication every single day to prevent my condition from worsening. I spent 10 days at the hospital, where I relaxed and impressed the residents with my piano playing. Music is so soothing for people with mental health issues. I have used it to relax and improve my cognitive reasoning over the years. I also played racket sports regularly, which are very good for mental health because they provide an outlet for emotion, healthy thoughts, and humor.
After I left the hospital, I went to the University of Kent, where I ran for president of the university in my first year. I also judged some debates in Winchester, spoke at a university debate, and at a Model United Nations Conference in my second year. All of this improved my confidence and ability to speak in front of people.
How I became a successful entrepreneur
I take time to realize that despite all the difficulties I had before, everything was preparing me for the next stage.
I am joyous after winning my first Innovate UK Grant during the COVID-19 pandemic! How did I get there? I set up a company after university with my family to develop medical technologies and solutions to the problems the NHS faces. How did that happen? I attended a Virtual Reality conference in 2018 at what felt like the beginning of a technological revolution in VR. I met Anthony Karydis, the founder of Mativision, at the same conference, who showed me the wonders of VR technology.
My mom and I worked on an idea with Anthony Karydis to develop a Diabetes Foot VR video for nurses to learn about an assessment. This then became part of the Innovate UK Grant.
What can we learn?
Never give up! Use your difficulties as fuel! Use your difficulties as a war scar to drive you forward!
Read more from Dylon O'Leary
Dylon O'Leary, Entrepreneur
Dylon O'Leary founded an award-winning company in Healthcare Technology and Training despite facing mental health crises at the age of 18, which required him to take medication daily since 2015. He attended a Virtual Reality conference in London in 2018, where he met Anthony Karydis, the CEO of Mativision, who inspired him to start a business in Virtual Reality. He was motivated by the various innovations within the VR technology space and the opportunities available in the healthcare sector. Since then, he has secured two Innovate UK grants for VR videos and has received several awards for Virtual Reality Video Development.
