Meet the Founders of Movember's newest partnership: From Us To You

After going through a challenging mental health journey, husband and wife duo Patrik and Jordan Laine started their company From Us To You with the goal of connecting people to mental healthcare and support systems. And now they're bringing that energy to this year's Movember, leading the Montréal Canadiens "Mo Habs Mo" Team. We spoke with Jordan and Patrik Laine to discuss their story and what led them to where they are today.

What inspired you both to take something as personal as what you experienced and turn it into a platform for others?

It's a topic that not enough people talk about enough and we noticed a lot of people are struggling with the same kinds of things in different ways. A lot of people think they're the only ones struggling with their issue and that people won't be able to understand. Even though no one's story is the exact same, there are parallels that people can find encouragement through and we wanted to create a space to show that. Even though Patrik is a professional athlete, people who aren't in the industry are still connecting and relating to his struggles and seeing "Oh we're not actually all that different in these ways."

What part of Movember’s work inspired you to partner with us?

Men's mental health is something in particular that we see go under the radar too often. In our own platform, we see that most of the From Us To You followers are men, but most of the submissions of the people sharing their stories openly are actually women. This disparity alone demonstrates the need that men have for resources, but the fear they often have of jumping into the mental health conversation.

Patrik, can you talk about the type of response you have got from other NHL players related to mental healthcare as you’ve launched this platform?

Other athletes have been pretty vocal about how important the work we're doing is and a few have offered to make videos to become part of the community themselves. I've gotten several messages from athletes and public figures since starting this organization sharing their own struggles. Something I've noticed is when you go through something like this, a lot of people want to support others going through the same stuff. From Us To You is a great way to take a bad experience and turn it into a positive thing. You never know who your story will resonate with.

Jordan, how has your work at NYU influenced your approach to the work being done at FUTY?

Through my master's degree in mental health counselling program I'm learning so much about the "why" behind From Us To You's success and ability to connect with people in the mental health space. One thing I learned that really stuck with me is that there are three ways to destigmatize an issue: protest, education and contact. Contact being "I know someone either directly or through someone else who is struggling with this issue" "Protest and education are great for changing people's minds about a topic, but contact—the idea that From Us To You is based around—is the thing that changes not only people's minds about mental health, but also their actions.

How do you define “support” when it comes to mental health?

Support can look different for everyone and that's important to realize when you see someone struggling. A lot of times we assume that other people want to be supported in the same way that we would want to be supported and that's not always the case. Something we'd advise people to do when they see someone struggling and want to help is to ask them "What do you need from me right now." If they're not sure, being a good listener and empathizing is a good place to start.

Learn more about how to start important conversations with Movember Conversations.

From Us To You focuses heavily on community. Are there any stories or moments that have stood out to you since launching?

Something that's been incredibly rewarding is meeting people in the hockey space and them telling us how FUTY has had an impact and helped them personally since we've launched. Fans have made us bracelets and set up their own personal fundraisers for the cause, which is amazing to see. Once we had a high-schooler in New York send us a photo of a fundraiser that he started for us because he said it helped him get through a difficult time. The school reached out and gave us a separate donation thanking us for helping this student as well. Knowing we're helping youth in particular get through mental health struggles really puts in perspective how important the work is that we're doing.

Jordan, you’re known as “the ultimate hype woman”, how do you balance your own mental health and limits when you put so much energy into supporting others?

I think it's a matter of knowing that you can't be everything to everyone and yourself all at once and learning to be okay with that. When someone I love is struggling, sometimes that means some things for myself need to go on the back burner and that's okay. On the other hand, when I feel like my personal battery is low I sometimes need to crank up my self care level and put other people's needs on the back burner, and that's okay too. I like to call it "harmonization" instead of balance. Just because you turn the dial down on something for a moment doesn't mean you can't turn it back up later.

Patrik, are there any lessons from the ice that you take with you into the mental health space?

I would say resilience, because on the ice the game is hard and life is hard too. You need to be patient with yourself and others in both situations. Sometimes your teammates aren't having the best day, but you know they're trying their best, and sometimes it's the other way around. At the end of the day you're all there to support each other and work toward a common goal.

What is one thing you learned about each other since starting From Us To You?

Jordan: The way that people look up to Patrik for his authenticity is super inspiring to me. He's so unapologetically himself and it makes him the perfect person to lead difficult conversations. You always know that what you're seeing with him is real and authentic and that combined with having a huge heart can make a huge impact both on and off the ice.

Patrik: I love seeing how good Jordan is at running things for something she's passionate about. She's so good with people and was honestly made for making a difference in the mental health space. 

What is your vision for the future of From Us To You?

So many people have asked us how they can get involved in From Us To You and we're in the process of planning an ambassador program to launch in early 2026. We're hitting a ceiling with how much we can do with our small team so we want to scale and open up the conversation to communities that stretch further and wider. Everyone has a story to tell and every one of them is important. We want to figure out how to share as many stories as possible with the people who need to hear them.

Support Patrik and Jordan’s fundraising efforts to help change the face of men’s health.