From the outside, Allan Christian Dahlitz is athletic, sporty and confident – he looks as though he has it all.
You would never know that he has battled his own struggles with poor-self esteem and body image which he has overcome on his journey to help others.
The confidence coach’s journey to self-discovery began when he was a little boy. Having been born with an ear deformity called microtia – in which the visible part of the ear does not develop correctly – he struggled at primary school to make friends as he looked physically different.
Allan saw himself as the black sheep among a world of white sheep and as a result, developed poor self-esteem, feeling like he had no one to turn to because nobody he knew was going through the same thing.
An interest in psychology and mindset through his late teens and early 20s helped Allan overcome his own struggles, realising that the mind can be a barrier to personal happiness and goals.
He also decided other men shouldn’t have to feel the same way.
Allan wants to help other men just like him realise that you are the gatekeeper to their own happiness and that it is ok to ask for help. His key message: “It’s okay to be vulnerable, there are people out there that truly want to help you and get your life on track for the better”.
In January, the confidence coach put his words into action, launching The Confidence Code.
The Confidence Code is a program designed to help young men with their own ear deformity or internal struggles destroy low self-esteem, loneliness and insecurity and in its place build confidence to ultimately reach a place of self-acceptance.
The online program includes weekly learning modules to discover each person’s limitless potential by overcoming fear and an overwhelming mindset, realising happiness and finding freedom in the way they look at the world.
Everyone who signs up receives access to the online program, a Facebook community of other people on their own journey of discovery and one-on-one support from Allan though accountability messaging and video calls
“I created a program that I wish I had during the early stages of feeling like an outcast,” Allan said.
“It would have changed everything for me if I had something like this and that’s exactly why I do this, so other men currently going through it can learn to live with purpose and truly experience the curiosity and wonder of the world to its fullest.”
Over the next 12 months, Allan hopes to grow his online global community through group coaching, in-person retreats and intensives, and workshops.
According to data from Australian mental health charity Beyond Blue, one in eight men on average will experience depression and one in five men will experience anxiety at some stage of their lives. The rate of each is also higher among people with disabilities.
The number of men who die by suicide in Australia every year is nearly double the national
road toll, with men making up an average six out of every eight suicides every single day in Australia.
Allan wants to make sure other men don’t bottle up their feelings and learn how to deal with their own insecurities and take control of their futures.
“I truly believe that each and every person truly matters in the world. We all have a beautiful gift and message to share with the world to help heal the planet,” Allan said.
“Through deep-diving into ourselves, we can find who we truly are and what we have to offer.”
