Johnny Berba Has Died
It is a dark time in the pickup artist community following the death of Jonathan O’Halloran, also known as Johnny Berba, a dating coach and former pickup artist who coached men with anxiety, having dealt with anxiety himself.
Jonathan O’Halloran (Johnny Berba) sadly ended his life on Tuesday, 12 November 2024. He was an English dating coach based in London, producing many YouTube videos for more than 10 years, often covering severe inner game issues such as anxiety, depression and panic attacks.
He was respected for his kindness, his authenticity and his humility. Having suffered with depression, suicidal thoughts and severe anxiety himself, he found a passion in helping others who found themselves down the same dark path.
Johnny Berba Death: What We Know…
Jonathan O’Halloran’s death was announced on Facebook, specifying that he had ended his life on Tuesday, 12 November 2024.
According to a YouTube comment, Jonathan O’Halloran (Johnny Berba) ended his life by jumping in front of a train. Railway suicides account for approximately 4.4% of suicides in England, Scotland and Wales, according to Network Rail.
According to another YouTube comment, Jonathan O’Halloran’s friend also committed suicide by jumping in front of a train.
Jonathan O’Halloran’s Last Post
When looking across his YouTube channel, I noticed a chilling final post under his Community tab, where Jonathan O’Halloran (Johnny Berba) announces that he is facing serious financial struggles. This was posted no longer than a day before his death. It appears as though the financial struggles of Jonathan O’Halloran is no coincidence, meaning that it may have been a very significant factor contributing to his decision to end his life.
It is often those who help others who are the ones who need help the most.
I didn’t know Jonathan O’Halloran personally, but I knew of him. Sometimes I would see his videos recommended on YouTube, but never permitted myself the time to watch any of them. I perhaps saw a live stream pop up for a few moments on several occasions, but never engaged with his activities. If only I had paid a little more attention, I could have invited him to an episode of the Dating Coach Panel for a special episode on inner game, with the likes of Ross Jeffries, Michael Lee (Mr Silk) and Ryan Fowler.
It can be lonely when you’re trailblazing your own path as a dating coach, but staying in touch with others who do similar things can be a good way to have some strong, relatable support.
Why Do Many Pickup Artists Have Mental Health Problems?
This is not the first suicide in the pickup artist community. In December 2021, Welsh dating coach Tom Ralis (Tom Torero) committed suicide shortly after a defamatory and critical Newsweek article was published. The author of the article, Danya Hajjaji, attempted to cancel Tom Torero through any and all means, including financially. It is suspected that this was a significant factor at play when Tom Torero took his own life.
In the book The Game, Neil Strauss made no secret of the fact that Erik Von Markovik (Mystery), regarded the greatest pickup artist of all time, had a range of mental health issues.
Study About Mental Health In Pickup Artists
Just 2 weeks before Jonathan O’Halloran’s death, I interviewed Dr Robert Whitley, a professor at McGill University who specializes in men’s mental health. Dr Robert Whitley conducted a study from 2017-2018 on pickup artists from a mental health point of view.
The study was released in 2020, titled Clueless: An Ethnographic Study Of Young Men Who Participate In The Seduction Community With A Focus On Their Psychosocial Well-Being And Mental Health.
Dr Robert Whitley identified the trend that some pickup artists tend to turn to the game in order to deal with their loneliness and other mental health issues. Even cultural differences were identified.
Dr Robert Whitley made a distinction between how psychiatry should be conducted for men and for women. For women, talking about it helps. But for men, ‘shoulder-to-shoulder’ activities where there’s an end goal is an effective way men can deal with their mental health. Some examples of these activities include things like fishing, woodworking and team sport.
There is an aspect of evolutionary psychology to these ideas, whereby men, over thousands of years, would go hunting together, but wouldn’t be talkative because talking would alert the animals and scare them off. Thus, doing quiet activities with other men can be very connecting.
Depression Is My Enemy
I lost a close friend to depression back in 2015.
My good friend took his own life, having wandered into the woods and hanging himself by his favorite tree. I didn’t find out about what happened until a few days later because I was off the grid, but the news changed a lot of people’s lives. A mother had lost a son. A sister had lost a brother. Many people had lost a friend. But the entire world lost a creator. He had inspired millions of people while he was alive.
On the Internet, he was a legend. But at home, he was just a man, struggling to deal with his personal problems. My friend had his share of troubles, but he was very kind to me and to the others around him.
Months after his passing, I partnered up with his mom and became the cofounder of the charity in his memory. With this charity, it would be our mission to raise awareness and fight depression. We preserved his creations and made them accessible to people who wanted to discover them, or to those who wanted to experience the nostalgia from when they knew him.
In November 2021, an idea came to me in a dream. I envisioned a perfect way we could raise awareness and funds, so that we could build a nature sanctuary with its own lake. The idea is very complex, but essentially involves touring all of Canada, East to West, with a bus or camper.
13 months later, my wife was diagnosed with brain cancer, putting all the plans on hold and forcing my family into medical isolation. But I never lost sight of the purpose or the goal.
The Sense Of Purpose
Never have I considered myself to have had depression at any point in my life, but if there’s one thing I do know, it’s that having a purpose in life helps. I have always been strong-willed, driven by a strong sense of purpose. I have chased some vague idea of greatness for most of my life. At some point, I chased fame. But fame was a terrible and egotistical goal to have. Over time, my sense of purpose become clearer.
It’s not gonna be the same as yours, and it won’t necessarily be easy to discover. But realizing your sense of purpose is the ultimate key to leading your life.
Some people just get lost along the way. And I hate seeing it.
But never give up on yourself.
Find your purpose in life. You may not believe in yourself, but someone else will.
Rest in peace, Johnny Berba.
Get Help
Talk to someone.
The worst thing you can do is keep it to yourself.
The best thing you can do is talk about it and connect with others.
Hard times don’t last forever. Have the strength to outlive your enemies, especially depression.
