David Ian Giffen is not your typical entrepreneur.
A frontline mental health specialist, elite leadership coach, and unapologetic ginger, David founded Authentic Ginger Media as a refusal of the ordinary—a creative house built to empower, disrupt, and transform.
Born in Scotland and raised in Canada, David’s work is shaped by lived resilience. He spent years on the front lines as a First Responder and Mental Health Specialist with the Canadian Mental Health Association and Toronto’s Community Crisis Service, practicing crisis intervention grounded in empathy, dignity, and relationship—not enforcement.
He is the award-winning author of a raw, unflinching memoir that confronts stigma and exposes the human cost of silence. As a speaker, David doesn’t perform or posture—he provokes honest conversation, invites courage, and demands accountability.
At Authentic Ginger Media, all of this converges. Through storytelling, brand coaching, and media strategy, AGM champions individuality, builds platforms for bold and marginalized voices, and unapologetically confronts bullying, racism, and institutional silence.
This isn’t branding for attention.
It’s media with a spine.
“Leaders aren’t born... they’re forged in the fires of change.”
David’s worldview is shaped by time spent in Rome and Jerusalem, immersed in interfaith study and cross-cultural dialogue—experiences that continue to influence his work with diverse communities and global leaders.
He builds bridges across cultures and faiths—and across boardrooms, stages, and communities.
“We are all worthy of love. No matter what you have done; no matter what you are going to do… you are worthy of some form of love.”