

Affiliate Leader Focus: Chris Ryan, Co-Affiliate Leader of Helping Fathers Heal, Author of the Dads' book & Sean's Dad
Posted
-
- Jan
- 25
- 2025
by Elizabeth Boisson
Sean / Chris Ryan / Cyn Colip
Chris and his wife, Cyn Colip, live in Vista (North part of San Diego County). You may have heard about Chris...he's the one who collected 25 stories from fellow members of the Helping Fathers Heal affiliate group, and then published the book 'Helping Fathers Heal, Grief, Hope and Our Search For Connection' (available at Amazon.com and Kindle books) which was given away to all attendees at the 2024 HPH conference. Chris is also a co-leader of that affiliate group and credits it for helping him "keep the wheels on" as he's adjusting to a life without his only child, Sean. Sean passed from fentanyl poisoning on Sept. 7, 2021 at the age of 23. "That was the day my world stopped" says Chris. A new experience of life was about to begin.
Cyn was the one who found Helping Parents Heal and encouraged Chris to check out the dad's group. Reluctantly, he joined a Zoom call a few months after Sean's passing. Signing in to join a group of "strangers" you don't know and sharing the story that has ripped your heart open is difficult. It takes a level of courage...or just surrendering to the nudge. That's what Chris did. It's now the one day of the week where he has something to look forward to. And by being a co-leader of this affiliate group, it's given Chris a sense of purpose. After all, Helping Fathers Heal is all about HEALING FATHERS HELPING!
Looking ahead, the dad's group collectively wanted a way to get together in person in the off-year between conferences to build deeper relationships. So Chris and a few others are pulling together a dad's retreat this August at the Sheraton Grand Wild Horse Pass in Phoenix. If you want more information about that event, just look at the "events" tab on the Helping Fathers Heal Facebook page.
Sean is/was a music lover, and this is probably the place where the veil is thinnest for Chris as he tries to connect with Sean. He also looks for signs in the clouds and random-but-meaningful encounters with birds. Large birds!... like the pelicans that cruise the coastline of San Diego. Chris and Sean both had pelican tattoos, so this is considered a Spirit Animal for Chris.
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~Chris Ryan, Sean's Dad
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Chris Ryan Video
+1-760-410-4443
Chris was also one of our volunteer A/V techs at the third Helping Parents Heal Conference in 2026, and we are grateful for his expert help!
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