MEET THE FOUNDER STORY
MEET TIAGO.
AND WHY HE STARTED NOSHAME MOVEMENT.
Like many, Tiago Valente's youth was marked by struggle. School, social interactions, and family life presented constant challenges. Growing up in a home shadowed by his mother's severe depression, which saw her hospitalized multiple times from his early childhood into his teens, cast a long shadow over his happiest moments. His comfort lay in football and computers — worlds where he could momentarily escape the reality surrounding him (and luckily gained friends for life).
Despite these escapes, his mind was often elsewhere, burdened by the weight of family struggles. His journey into adulthood didn't lighten this load.
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By 36, amidst personal and professional dissatisfaction despite outward success in Dubai - and everyone around him congratulating him on his career, his life hit the lowest level. Encouraged and supported by his, now, ex-wife during a tumultuous period, he sought therapy. And, it was when the darkest reality came, that he had been diagnosed with (mild) depression and anxiety, a revelation that explained much, despite he didn't want to accept it.
" I was lucky enough that I had sports that helped me to escape and give me structure. Other people go with other darker paths. "
The dissolution of his marriage, the starting of a new chapter alone, and the distance from his son and family forced a hard reset on his life. In this period of isolation, He found, by chance, a new refuge: endurance sports, triathlon. Crossing the finish line of his first race reignited a long-lost joy, reminding him of his football days, and offering a glimmer of hope that people can be happy.
But that wasn't enough. Endurance sports, or triathlon, in this case, was just one tool of this recuperation. He had (and still today) been followed by a professional psychiatrist, together with frequent therapy. The combination of these three elements (the psychiatrist - with medication, the therapy sessions, and intense triathlon training) helped him to surpass the dark days of depression, being able now to look back and see from a different angle those days.
" I still have dark days, but when I look back I almost can't recognize myself. I was completely lost, desperate, stuck, sad, everything...and nobody noticed."
Yet, the ghost of depression is always present, not just for him but as a potential legacy for his son (since genetics are strong). With depression affecting his grandmother, mother, and now himself, he's determined to break this cycle.
Drawing on the concept of "active recovery" that he learned from triathlon, he aims to create awareness and tools to combat the stigma around depression among men, and surrounding male mental health, making a difference not just for his family but for anyone touched by this silent battle.
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That's how the NOSHAME Movement was born, because, like any other disease (e.g. diabetes), people are not embarrassed or stigmatized talking about it. Depression is just like any other disease, but it can lead to severe (and death) consequences, hence let's stop the antiquated concept of alpha males, and stop with the stigma about depression in men.
Get involved in this cause.
Go train with him.
Follow the journey.
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”
The moment you want to quit, is the moment you have to keep pushing.
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