Adam Nowaczynski (he/him)
Founder & Facilitator
I created Connection Workshops as a way to share knowledge in a way that is approachable and builds capacity, so that it can be integrated into participants’ broader lives. I have a particular interest in discussing topics related to mental health and masculinity, and in helping men to embrace and be their true authentic selves. I am currently pursuing professional training in psychotherapy at the Toronto Institute for Relational Psychotherapy. My personal therapy is not only an integral component of my professional training and development, it has also been an immense source of personal growth which has helped me to understand and break away from narrow and limiting expectations of masculinity.
My professional experience is varied, and I bring the skills, knowledge, and experience I have learned and acquired to Connection Workshops. I have done advocacy work and facilitated workshops on preventing gender-based violence, specifically aimed at engaging men and boys, and led multiple youth-focused initiatives. For several years, I cooked professionally in restaurants, catering, and community organizations, in Ontario, Quebec, and PEI. I have also worked in the non-profit and management consulting sectors. I graduated with distinction from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, and with a French-language Diploma in Cuisine and Gastronomy from L’Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ).
I am a man of mixed South Asian and European ancestry. I was born and raised in Toronto, and I lived in Montreal for 6 years as a young adult. I am fluently bilingual in English and French. Outside of my work I enjoy playing and experiencing live music, learning languages, exploring the outdoors, strength training, and cooking at home for family and friends.
Why I do this work
I have personally struggled with limiting and narrow expectations of masculinity, and I have lived experience of being punished for breaking from traditional gender roles and conceptions of what it means to be a man. While I was fortunate to be raised in a home without strict gender roles, I was bullied at school as a boy for traits perceived as “feminine”; for my sensitivity, for crying easily, and for my naturally thin body. In response, I was socialized as a boy to repress my emotions.
Through my own therapy as a young man, I have re-learned to experience, identify, express, and embrace a healthy expression of a full range of emotions. I have learned to be my true authentic self, and experienced the freedom and liberation it creates. I have several close and reciprocal friendships with other men in which we are both able to fully and deeply express our emotions, be vulnerable with each other, and openly express our fears and insecurities. These friendships are very special and deeply healing of the wounds created by harmful gender roles and expectations of masculinity.
In addition to my own experiences, I have seen how all men are affected by these harmful influences. This inspires me to support other men as they explore, heal, and re-define healthy conceptions of masculinity, and work to embrace their true authentic selves.