Welcome to episode 201 with Dr Martin Brunet, who has been an NHS GP for more than 20 years and is also well known for his social media channels and videos about different aspects of mental health.

In this episode I chat to Martin about his time in general practice and some of the changes he has seen in mental health over the years.

We also talk about his new book ‘Your Worry Makes Sense’ and how anxiety and burnout are logical and some ideas about what we can do to overcome these challenges.

We chat about worry and over thinking, about facing your fears and seeing your triggers as shortcuts to your emotions and we also talk about how to define and understand burnout and why there is a certain type of person that tends to go through it.

I’ve followed Martin on social media for a while and always get a lot from his video’s.  I was also lucky enough to get an early look at his upcoming book and I can highly recommend that too!

His book is due out in March and there is more info here: Your Worry Makes Sense | Jessica Kingsley Publishers - UK

Follow Martin on social media @doc_martin_gp

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

You can support the show and help me to keep it independent and ad free by buying a coffee at www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 200 with Professor Joanna Moncrieff who is a psychiatrist, author and researcher who is one of the founding members of the Critical Psychiatry Network.

In 2022, Joanna was the lead author of a study that explored the ‘chemical imbalance’ theory of depression and found that no clear evidence that serotonin levels or serotonin activity are responsible for depression.

The study became one of the 400 most shared of the 21 million papers that have ever been tracked and caused great debate throughout the mental health space.

In this episode I chat to Joanna about this research, what it involved and what the findings showed.

We chat about some of the response and criticism to this piece of work and how the chemical imbalance theory came to prominence in the first place.

We talk about some of the other’s factors that could be causing depression if it isn’t in fact serotonin as the research shows.

We also chat about depression, serotonin, anti-depressants, diagnosis and labels and what the future of mental health treatment and support could look like.

Medication is a very personal choice and the aim of this episode isn’t to debate or influence anyone on their views on anti-depressants, just simply to explore this aspect of the mental health conversation because I think that’s important.

Don’t make decisions about your own medication without discussing it with a medical professional.

You can find the original study here: The serotonin theory of depression: a systematic umbrella review of the evidence | Molecular Psychiatry

A summary of some of the responses and criticism here:  expert reaction to a review paper on the ‘serotonin theory of depression’ | Science Media Centre

And a response from Joanna to that specific criticism here:  Response to Criticism of Our Serotonin Paper - Mad In America

Joanna’s new book is called Chemically Imbalanced: the making and unmaking of the serotonin myth and it’s out now.

There is loads more information about Joanna’s work at her website https://joannamoncrieff.com

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 191 with Dave Lock, who is more commonly known as the running telephone.

For the last 25 consecutive years, Dave has ran the London Marathon to raise funds and awareness for the Samaritans charity and along the way he has become an iconic part of both the marathon and the mental health space.  This year he ran as team captain for the charity’s fundraisers.

In this episode I chat to Dave about the mental health challenges that he has faced and how they inspired him to start running in fancy dress.

We also chat about his relationship with The Samaritans who he credits with saving his life when he was at his lowest and we chat about how he has also worked for them as a volunteer on the phones.

We chat about running, the pressures of the corporate world, connecting with others and the emotional impact of this year’s marathon, his 25th in a row, but the first one without the support of his brother who took his own life last year.

Dave is a truly lovely man and it was a joy to chat to him about his special relationship with The Samaritans charity and some of the changes he has seen in the mental health space over the years.

You can call The Samaritans any time, day or night, on 116 123.

Learn more at www.samaritans.org

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 104 with Katy Georgiou who is a counsellor and psychotherapist.

Katy’s latest book is called How to Understand, and Deal with Stress and she joins me in this episode to chat all about it.

We talk specifically about stress and Katy guides me through some of the common causes, what happens to us when we start to feel the pressures of life building up and the impact that stress can have on mental health. 

We also chat about music and mental health and her podcast, Sound Affects, which has been featured in NME, and how her love of music and journalism inspired her to start the show.

Katy also tells me about her time as a Samaritan and supporting people on the helplines and she tells me a really lovely story about the time her Mum met Liam Gallagher.

You can connect with Katy via Twitter @SoundAffectsPod or Instagram @sound_affects_podcast

Her website is Counselling and Psychotherapy in Highgate | Counsellor near Hampstead Heath and Camden (kgcounsellor.com)

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

You can buy tickets for The Hope Conference at this link:

Hope Conference 2022 Tickets, Fri 11 Nov 2022 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

You can get any more information you need here: 

Hope Conference 2022 | Speakers Collective

And the code for a 10% discount on your ticket is propermental

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 103 with The Scary Guy, an educator and public speaker who has dedicated his life to teaching others his powerful, solution-based theories and concepts on human behaviour and communication.

Scary changed his name more than 24 years when a chance encounter forced him to look at his life and the way that he was choosing to live it.

Since then, he has travelled the world working with schools, police forces, the military and a host of

communities and corporate organisations to spread his message of kindness and working towards the elimination of hate.

Scary and I caught up to chat about his journey from a hard living, Harley driving, tattoo studio owner to becoming The Scary Guy and an advocate for kindness.

We chat about being kind and how the flow of negative energy impacts how we interact with the world around us.

And we chat about managing emotions, impacting the local community and achieving world peace in our lifetime.

You can learn more about Scary and his work at thescaryguy.com or connect with on social media

Instagram @realscaryguy and @thescaryguypodcast

Facebook @scaryguyofficial

Twitter @scaryguy

You can listen to The Scary Guy Podcast on all podcast platforms!

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

You can get tickets for The Hope Conference 2022 here:

Hope Conference 2022 Tickets, Fri 11 Nov 2022 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

Any more info you might need is right here:

Hope Conference 2022 | Speakers Collective

And for 10% off your ticket use the code propermental

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 101 with Hannah Hickinbotham who is an eating disorder advocate and the host of the Full of Beans podcast.  She also has an MSc in Eating Disorders and Clinical Nutrition.

Han in on a mission to reduce the stigma around eating disorders and increase ED awareness and she does this with her podcast and the wonderful community that’s she has built around it.

In this episode I chat to Han about her own experiences with Atypical Anorexia and Body Dysmorphia and how she was able to hide her illnesses in plain sight by throwing herself in to the world of fitness.

We chat about diet culture and how societies obsession with weight and food can impact mental health and we chat about recovery and what that looks like for Hannah.

I always feel inspired by Han and how she shows up for herself and her community on social media, so I knew this was going to be a powerful conversation.

We ended up going in really deep on this one and at times it gets quite emotional but in a really beautiful way.  I cannot thank Han enough for her openness and honesty about her own experiences!

I was lucky enough to be a guest on Full of Beans and you can listen to my episode and all the others here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5n4ajipSOEUBCi6glX3Wg7?si=th9aGy3hQ6GwEoT9_yCe4g

You can connect with Han and learn more about the Full of Beans Workshops and Community Blogs here: Eating Disorders | Full Of Beans (fullofbeansed.co.uk)

You can follow Hannah on all social media platforms @thefobpodcast

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

You can buy tickets for The Hope Conference at this link:

Hope Conference 2022 Tickets, Fri 11 Nov 2022 at 09:30 | Eventbrite

You can get any more information you need here: 

Hope Conference 2022 | Speakers Collective

And the code for a 10% discount on your ticket is propermental

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 101 with TJ Power, a neuroscientist, international speaker and educator.

TJ has spent many years deeply researching mental health, lecturing in psychology and speaking all over the world about the human brain.

In this episode TJ and I chat about the four key chemicals required to maintain biological harmony.

We chat about why we need these chemicals and how they help us and also how they are affected by things like social media, alcohol and junk food.

TJ also offers some solutions and ideas about simple ways that we can produce these chemical when we need them which really contribute towards improved mental health.

We chat about dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins and we chat exercise, nature, connection and diet.

These chemicals are the foundations of physical and mental wellbeing, and it is so important to have the basics in place when it comes to health.

I’ve personally taken a huge amount from this episode and TJ’s social media channels and actively use several of his methods daily and they have made a huge difference to my mental state in recent months.

You can connect with TJ on Instagram @tjpower or @neurify.io and learn more about his work via his YouTube channel Tj Power - YouTube

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 100 and this week I chat to Rosie Tressler OBE who is the CEO of Student Minds.

Student Minds is a student mental health charity that is working to empower members of the university community to look after their own mental health, support others and create change.

Rosie has worked in several different aspects of the charity sector and in 2019 she was awarded an OBE for services to Mental Health in Higher Education.

In this episode I chat to Rosie about Student Minds, the work that they do and the support that they offer.

We chat about Rosie’s route in to campaigning and all the different things that she has done in the mental health space and we chat about the sort of mental health problems that can typically affect students, people at universities and anyone who is involved in higher education in some way.

We also get in to the importance of collaboration and the need to speak to as many different people as possible and working together to spread awareness and work towards long term, meaningful policy change.

You can learn more about Student Minds via their website www.studentminds.org.uk or on all social media platforms @studentmindsorg

You can follow Rosie on Twitter @rosietressler

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 99 with Ian Winwood, an author and journalist who has spent over 30 years writing for Kerrang!, NME, the Daily Telegraph and countless other publications.

His time spent in and around the music has given him an incredible insight into the lives of musicians, bands and rock stars both on and off stage.

His recent book ‘Bodies’ explores the music industry and the rock n roll lifestyle and how this way of life impacts mental health.

In this episode, Ian and I chat about the world of music, the type of people it usually attracts and why it seems to be such a breeding ground for mental illness and addiction.

Ian tells me all about the bands he has met and written about over the years (Frank Turner, Biffy Clyro, Metallica, Yard Act, Green Day) how the different ways that working in music affects mental health and how bizarre behaviour and serious addiction issues are completely normalised and, more often than not, celebrated.

We chat about the process of setting out to write the book and what he discovered along the way and we also chat about Ian’s own experiences with mental ill health and how he was able to blend in perfectly within the dysfunctional world of rock and roll excess.

Bodies is one of the best books about music and mental health that I have ever read and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

It was such a pleasure to hear all about it from Ian who was incredibly engaging and generous with his time.  You can connect with him on social media @ianwinwood1.

You can read an extract from Bodies here : Read an exclusive extract from Ian Winwood's 'Bodies: Life And Death in Music' (rollingstone.co.uk)

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 98 with Sarah Callaghan, who is an award-winning comedian, spoken word artist and writer.

Sarah has been performing stand up for over a decade and has gigged all over the world.  She is also a respected spoken word artist, performing solo and with a band.

Sarah’s poetry is informed by personal experience and her work discusses childhood trauma, heart break and other aspects of everyday life.

Sarah and I caught up to chat about her own experiences with mental health and how it inspires her creative process.

We chat about living authentically and choosing your own path, the differences between writing comedy and poetry, and we chat about spirituality, self-belief and the challenges of living a creative life.

I knew going in to this conversation that it was going to be good and it did not disappoint!  It was awesome to hear first-hand about Sarah’s way of looking at her life and her work and I really got a lot out of speaking with her.

You can watch her performance on the BAFTA winning Sky TV Show ‘Arts & Rhymes’ here:

Life and Rhymes | Sarah Callaghan - Who Are You? on Vimeo

Her website is Home (sarahcallaghan.com) and you can connect with her on Instagram @sarahcallagh1

The track included on this episode is called ‘It’s Not That Deep’

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 97 with Stuart Ralph, who is a counsellor and psychotherapist for children and young people.

He is also the host of the OCD Stories podcast, a weekly podcast where he interviews some of the best minds in OCD recovery.

Stuart started to experience OCD at the age of 7 and his own journey of recovery would eventually inspire the OCD Stories podcast and his role as an advocate.

In 2018 he was awarded the Hero award by the International OCD Foundation and his podcast has over 4.5 million downloads and counting.

Stuart and I chat about OCD, all its forms and how it affects people.  We also chat about the different types of help, support and therapy that are available for people who suffer.

We talk about his own experience as a child with OCD and the impact it had on his life and we chat about his work as a psychotherapist and counsellor.

You can learn more about Stuart and his podcast via the website home - The OCD Stories and you can listen in all the usual places!

Connect with him on Twitter or Instagram @TheOCDStories or Facebook The OCD Stories | Facebook

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 96 with Ian Roullier and Leonie Schneider from PsyPAN.

The Psychedelic Participant Advocacy Network (PsyPAN) is a non-profit organisation created to connect and empower participants of psychedelic trials and anyone who has received psychedelic therapy.

Ian has suffered from depression and anxiety for most of his adult life and psilocybin has proven to be the most effective treatment for his mental health and to date he has taken part in two psychedelic trials.

Leonie was first diagnosed with depression in 1996 and had not found any long-term relief in almost continuous antidepressant medication or from conventional talking therapies in over 20 years. In November 2019, Leonie was a participant in the second Psilocybin for Depression clinical trial at Imperial College.

They started PsyPAN to ensure everyone gains the maximum potential benefit from the treatment they are being given and to give a collective voice to all participants and help improve participant safety and wellbeing.

In this episode I chat to Ian and Leonie about the mental health issues and lack of effective treatment that led them to participating in psychedelic trials and we talk about the process of signing up, the trial itself and what happened afterwards.

We also talk about the work they are doing with PsyPAN and why it’s so important for them to contribute towards a responsible, ethical and, most importantly, safe psychedelic sector.

Both Ian and Leonie have an incredible insight, not just in to psilocybin as a treatment option, but also of mental health advocacy in general and it wonderful to hear about their experiences and their work.

You can learn more about PsyPAN at their website PsyPAN - Psychedelic Participant Advocacy Network (psypanglobal.org) or via Instagram and Twitter @psypanglobal or Facebook @PsyPANglobal

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 95 with Samuel Jack, the musician and song writer behind the viral hit song, Feels Like Summer.

Samuel grew up in South Africa and is now based in London and before his music took off, he worked in high end hospitality to pay his way.

For years he juggled long, stressful shifts in kitchens with traveling for gigs and writing music and this would eventually catch up with him as his mental health declined to the point of breakdown.

In this episode Samuel and I chat about the pressures of working in hospitality and the particular lifestyle that comes with that line of work.

He takes me through his breakdown and everything that led to it and we talk about what happened as he moved out the other side and how he got well again.

We chat about his upbringing in Johannesburg and how it formed an early love of music, learning to write songs and the challenges of being a musician.

Of course, we chat about Feels Like Summer and how it feels to go viral and we chat about self-care, therapy, writing emotion driven songs and making music.

You can connect with Samuel via his website Samuel Jack | Official Website (samueljackofficial.com) or on Instagram @samueljackofficial and Twitter @samueljackmusic

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 190 with Philippa Dawson, who is a writer, producer and performer who is also the creator of Character Flaw, a show about her experiences with ADHD and how it’s impacted her throughout her life.

In this episode I chat to Pip about her show, about living with ADHD and how this has impacted her mental health over the years.

We chat about the before and after of diagnosis, her experiences with medication and how different aspects of her identity are wrapped up in her ADHD.

We also about Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, emotional dysregulation and hyper focus and we chat about dealing with depression, forgetting to eat and going to the Edinburgh Fringe.

It was wonderful to chat to Pip about all of this stuff.  Her life and experiences and ADHD all interact in both hilarious and challenging ways and I think a lot of people will relate to that.

Follow Pip on social media for updates, show dates and tickets @characterflawtheplay and @probablypip

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 94 with Kirsty Eaton, who is the founder of Reach Out for Mental Health,

Reach Out are a charity that supports individuals who experience suicidal thoughts and provides a safe, confidential and non-clinical space for you to talk to a trained volunteer about anything which may be troubling you.

She has her own lived experience of mental ill health and it was this combined with losing a friend to suicide that inspired Kirsty to start Reach Out in her local community.

On her journey to starting the charity Kirsty faced a huge amount of red tape and bad attitudes from some very unsupportive local health care organisations and really had to fight just to be able to support the people she knew needed it the most.

We caught up to chat about this process, the push back she got from people working in mental health care and what she did about it.

We also chat about Kirsty’s own mental health struggles, being a natural worrier and how it feels to come to the end of the therapeutic process.

Kirsty and her volunteers are doing incredible things and it was shocking to hear about the challenges she faced just trying to do something as important. 

She has specifically positioned Reach Out to support anyone who might fall through the cracks in the current system and it was awesome to chat about her plans for the future.

You can learn more about Reach Out for Mental Health here: Reach Out for Mental Health – Relief from suicidal thoughts and feelings (reachoutfmh.co.uk)

And follow them on social media on Twitter @reachoutfmh or Facebook @ReachOutFMH

You can listen to my episode on the Reach Out podcast here:  Push Fwd Network Platform | Podcast on Spotify

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 93 with The Wave Project founder, Joe Taylor.

The Wave Project is a surf charity that harnesses the power of the ocean to improve the mental health of children and young people.

The Wave Project started in September 2010 and at that time was the world’s first ‘surf therapy’ course funded by a government health service. 

They now have 32 beaches and locations across the U.K where they run surf therapy programmes.

In this episode I chat to Joe about how the charity got off the ground and how its grown over the years.

We chat all about surf therapy, how it works and who it helps and we chat about surfing, nature and supporting children and young people’s mental health.

The Wave Project is an incredible thing and surf therapy is now a growing global movement so it was awesome to learn more about it all.

You can learn more, donate or volunteer at The Wave Project | The Surf Therapy Charity : Wave Project

You can connect with them on social media @waveprojectuk on all platforms.

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 92 with Samantha Renke, an actress, presenter, disability activist, inclusion and equality consultant and keynote speaker.

She is a columnist for the Metro and often writes about what it is like to be disabled in a disabling word.

After finishing university Sam became a teacher before moving to London to pursue a career in media and is now a regular on TV and radio as well as winning the best actress award at the LA Diversity Film Festival.

Growing up with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Sam made a decision early on in life to not be restricted by the opinions of others and has always strived to live life on her own terms and in her own fabulous way.

We chat about the process of writing her new book and why she was determined to be completely open and honest about her life.

We chat about anxiety and mental health, dealing with ablism, the importance of embracing bad days and how her beloved sphinx cats have helped her in her darkest moments.

Sam has energy to spare and I think I laughed my way through the whole conversation.  It was an absolute pleasure to chat to her and I can’t wait for you to hear it!

You can follow Sam on Instagram @samantharenke or Twitter @SamanthaRenke

Her website is samantharenkeofficial.com – Samantha Renke and her book ‘Best Thing Since Sliced Bread’ is out now!

Here’s a link to this month’s Pod Bible featuring yours truly: 

PodBible022_KermodeMayo.pdf (podbiblemag.com)

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 91 with Chris Glasson & Stu Whiffin!

Chris & Stu are the hosts of Hardcore Listing, a weekly podcast where they get (trick) a huge variety of guests to pick their top 5’s on a chosen subject.

One thing that I love about their show is that, in amongst the insults, offensiveness and general stupidity, they regularly end up talking about some really challenging subjects and they do so in a really lovely and compassionate way.

And that’s exactly what they end up doing in this episode!  We chat about loneliness and the importance of environment and we chat about piss taking, friendship and showing vulnerability.

I had the pleasure of meeting these guys earlier in the year and it was really cool to catch and have a natter.  I really felt like I was chatting to a couple of mates and I laughed a lot during the conversation.

You can listen to Hardcore Listings in all the usual places but here’s a link to my episode on Spotify : https://open.spotify.com/episode/483HoPfIUTTHU1OgedSmqt?si=VlePj-_USg6rnxBxaxm8Ng

You can connect with the lads on social media @hardcorelisting @stuwhiffin @redshiftrebels

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Proper Mental was recently nominated at The British Podcast Awards!

This is the submission clip that I submitted to the judges and below is the description that went with it.

For a completely independent podcast like mine to even be nominated is incredible really and although I didn’t win, I did get to have a day out to London with my wife and on the whole, it was a positive experience and I’m really proud of the nomination.  I’m pretty sure I was the only mental health related podcast at the event which in itself is a wonderful thing!

Thanks for listening!  Enjoy!

“The aim of Proper Mental is to normalise open conversations about mental health and mental illness.  Some of these are lived experience, some focus on specific diagnosis or an aspect of mental wellbeing and some are just a chat.  

I work hard to include all aspects of mental ill health and additional factors that add to the stigma.  Inclusion and diversity are important to me and I believe that compassion for others and all aspects of mental health is key to the conversations that I have. 

I want to be relatable, to make people feel seen and less alone and I want to create a resource for people to learn about the complexities of mental health.  This isn’t a sad stories podcast and although I’m discussing challenging topics, I don’t want it to be challenging for the listener or the guest.  I always think about how the conversation is helping anyone who listens and I don’t dwell on the hard stuff just for the sake of it.  There is a strong focus on hope and recovery and I’m aware of what can be considered useful or triggering for my listeners. 

My role is simply to make the guest feel comfortable enough to talk.  Creating the space for them to fall into, that’s where the magic happens and I understand when to lean in and when to pull back.  Connecting through stories is a very human experience and having these big conversations, in a relaxed way, can be a powerful thing.”

0:00 – 01:55 Paul Mort is a bestselling author and 2 x Master Coach of the year.  I chat to him about his mental health breakdown that led to a viral video about suicide and the work he does now with men in the mental health space. 

TW: Suicide, substances, strong language.

01:59 – 06:39 Stevie Georgina is a YouTube Vlogger who began making videos about crochet and other arts and crafts as part of her recovery after being sectioned.  She suffered a breakdown due to undiagnosed Type 2 bipolar disorder.  We chat about the importance of creativity and self-expression and how arts and crafts can help us to heal.

06:35 – 10:50 Frank Turner is an English singer/song writer and mental health advocate who recently celebrated a number 1 album.  We chat about his own experience with mental ill health and substance abuse.

TW: Substance abuse

10:54 – 12:50 Brendan Geoghegan and Matthew Riley are the hosts of the LGBTQ+ podcast, Bottoming.  In this clip you can hear Brendan chatting to me about the additional mental health stigma faced by the LGBTQ+ community and the importance of connecting with your therapist.

12:54 – 14:30 Dr Emilia Thompson is a registered nutritionist and women’s coach and we chat about mindset and the role of positive self-talk and how these things impact mental wellbeing.

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 90 part 2 with Jay Wheeler, a former soldier and street artist who creates under the name Love Art Global.

After 15 years in the army and multiple tours overseas, Jay was medically discharged with a diagnosis of PTSD.

In part 2, Jay’s story carries on from where we left off in the previous episode.

We chat about Jay discovering art and how that started to bring him back to life.

Jay tells me about his now infamous LOVE tag, the meaning behind it and the effect it’s had on his life and the lives of others.

We chat about tagging around Europe, connecting with others, the importance of self-love and learning to be well again.

We also chat about Fudge, who is Jay’s dog and best friend, and the part that she plays in Jay’s recovery.  And we chat about Jay’s love of the A-Team and he tells me an amazing story about his hero Mr T!

Jay is an incredible man who has been to hell and back several times over but continues to spread love around the world with his art.

It was an honour and a privilege to hear him tell his story and I can’t thank him enough for his time and his friendship.

You can connect with Jay on all social media platforms @loveartglobal

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 90 part 1 with Jay Wheeler, a former soldier and street artist who creates under the name Love Art Global.

After 15 years in the army and multiple tours overseas, Jay was medically discharged with a diagnosis of PTSD.  In part 1 of this episode Jay takes me through his childhood in Wolverhampton and the traumatic upbringing that led him to joining the army.

We talk about his early years as a squaddie in Germany and what it was like to go to war.

Jay talks me through his time in Kosovo, training Iraqi soldiers in Iraq and the horrors of Afghanistan that led to his medical discharge.

Jay’s story then takes us back to Liverpool where suicide attempts become a regular occurrence and we talk about the darkest days of Jay’s mental health struggles.

Jay and I recorded this in person at his home in Liverpool where all of this took place.  He has an incredible story and an important story but it is not always easy to listen to so I’m putting it out in two parts so that you, the listener, can decide how and when you hear it.

If any of the content above might be too close to home or if today is not the best day to hear it then you can jump in at part 2, which picks up with art and recovery and works towards a happy ending.

It’s an incredibly moving conversation that I am immensely proud of and I can’t thank Jay enough for the faith and trust he has put in me to help him tell his story.

You can connect with Jay on all social platforms @loveartglobal

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 89 with Kitty & Alex Tait who are the owners of The Orange Bakery and the authors of Bread Song.

Kitty started to struggle with her mental health around the age 14 to the point where she had to stop going to school.

As well as contact with CAHMS, her family tried all sorts of things to support and distract her but nothing seemed to help until she watched her father, Alex, baking bread.

The process of preparing and baking bread started to bring Kitty comfort and have an incredible impact on her mental health and it wasn’t long before she was sleeping in the kitchen, borrowing oven space from the neighbours and making enough bread to feed the whole street.

This would lead to Alex leaving his job and working with Kitty to launch The Orange Bakery which instantly became a much-loved feature in the local community.

Kitty and Al joined me to chat about Kitty’s mental health struggles from both their perspectives.

We chat about baking and how it became so vital to Kitty’s mental health, we chat about the importance of having a creative outlet, being part of a community and doing nice things for other people.

You can connect with Kitty & Al on social media on any of the following

@the_orangebakery

@kittytaitbaker

@kittys.kits

@breadsong.bakes

Or via their website www.theorangebakery.org

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 88 with Daragh Fleming, a writer, poet and mental health advocate from Cork, Ireland.

Daragh started talking and writing about mental health after his own experiences with mental ill health.  He found that writing allowed him to process his thoughts and feelings in a positive way and this led to him setting up the award nominated blog Thoughts Too Big.

The roots of Daragh’s own mental health struggles started after his childhood best friend died by suicide and it was after he started to experience panic attacks that he decided to undergo therapy and start unpicking the grief around this tragic event.

Daragh and I caught up to talk about learning to actually feel feelings, about writing, grief and his love of travel.

We also chat about navigating the world as an introvert, getting triggered by social media and building good mental health routines.

Daragh and I have been Instagram pals for a while now, so it was awesome to meet properly and have a really good chat!

You can connect with Daragh on social media @daraghfleming or @thoughts2big or via his website www.thoughtstoobig.ie

His newest poetry collection Poems That Were Written On Trains, But Weren't Written About Trains is out now and you can get it here:  Poems That Were Written On Trains, But Weren't Written About Trains by Daragh Fleming | Waterstones

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 87 with Ben West who is a mental health activist, campaigner, speaker and author.

Ben was only 17 when he lost his younger brother to suicide.  This event has driven him to become one of the most active campaigners in the U.K.

He has raised thousands of pounds through his Walk to Talk project and regularly speaks at schools and events to raise awareness about mental health.

Most recently Ben has been calling for change in the way that the education system deals with the mental health of students.  He is working towards making mental health first aid training a compulsory part of teacher training and his petition is currently up to 300,000 signatures.

Earlier this year Ben published his first book titled ‘This Book Could Save Your Life’ which details his journey and everything he has learned about mental health along the way.

Ben and I chat about dealing with grief, the stigma around suicide, dealing with burnout and making changes in schools and universities.

You can connect with Ben on social media @iambenwest and read more about his activism and campaigning via his website Ben West - Mental Health Campaigner

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 189 with Alex Staniforth, who is an adventurer, speaker and the founder of Mind Over Mountains, a charity that brings together walking in nature, mindfulness & professional coaching and counselling in support of good mental health & wellbeing.

Alex was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of nine and this would be the catalyst for several years of bullying, anxiety, panic attacks and a lifelong stammer.

He found that time in nature, and more specifically time on hills and mountains, helped his mental health and he was just 14 when he set his sights on climbing Mount Everest.

His first attempt, aged 18, ended when an avalanche in the Khumbu Icefall killed 16 climbing Sherpas.

During his second attempt, base camp was hit by the Nepal earthquake which killed 3 Sherpas in Alex's team.

This led Alex to a long period of survivor’s guilt, depression and Alex also fell in to bulimia, which he was still dealing with when he set out to climb all of the highest peaks in the UK, in 72 days, with only a bicycle for transport.

We talk about all of that in this episode.

We also talk about dealing with failure, why it’s important to take on challenges and what we can learn from both these things and we chat about identity and what it was like for Alex when he was forced to step away from endurance challenges by long Covid and how he had to learn to do things differently.

Follow Alex on social media @alexstaniforth_ and @mindomountains

Learn more at www.alexstaniforth.com and https://mindovermountains.org.uk

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 86 with Jimmy Wightman, a meditation teacher and the founder of Delve Deep Meditation School.

He began his journey in to meditation while searching for something to help with chronic insomnia that he started to experience when his party lifestyle caught up with him.

This journey has taken him around the world to study meditation in many different forms and becoming a meditation teacher.

In this episode, Jimmy takes me through his experiences with insomnia and describes how finding meditation had a huge different to his ability to sleep.

We chat about the benefits of building a regular practice and the science and philosophies behind the four main types of meditation.

We also chat about the science behind meditation and how it can help our mental state and we chat about the true meaning of happiness and what it means to be truly happy in life.

Meditation is a big part of self-care and can be very beneficial to mental wellbeing so it was awesome to learn all about it from Jimmy and get some ideas on how to get started.

You can follow Jimmy on social media @that_meditation_guy and learn more about working with him via his website www.delvedeep.com.

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 85 with Maty Sene Carpenter who recently featured in the Channel 4 show, The Simpler Life.

The premise of the show was to see how 24 people would get on when they stepped out of their modern lives to spend 6 months living as a traditional Amish community.

Maty and the rest of the participants moved on to a 16 hectare farm in Devon, without gas or electricity, and farmed the land for food while all living and working together.

At the time of the show starting, Maty’s mental health was in a really bad place and she jumped at the chance to escape from the distractions of modern life.

We chat about her experiences on the farm and the process of stepping in to a more traditional, old fashioned way of life and everything this did for her mental health.

We chat about anxiety, connection, hard work and living as part of a community. 

We also chat about Maty’s decision to stop taking her medication while on the show and how she’s been adjusting back in the real world.

I really enjoyed The Simpler Life and following the ups and downs of the community so it was great to chat to Maty and hear about it in depth.

You can watch the show on 4 on Demand here: The Simpler Life - All 4 (channel4.com)

You can connect with Maty on social media @matysenecarpenter

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 84 with Chris Young, who is an author, podcaster and mental health advocate.

Chris spent many years working as a social worker but had to leave his dream job after his mental health declined to the point of crisis on more than one occasion.

During this time Chris would experience long periods of depression, disassociation, self-harm and suicidal thoughts.  He would eventually be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

Chris’ training gives him an incredible insight in to mental illness from the perspective of the patient and the support system and it was fascinating to chat him about both.

We talk about the additional stigma around BPD, the side effects of medication and the difficulties in getting a diagnosis. 

We also chat about the walk the Chris undertook in 2011 where he worked his way around the edge of the U.K, to raise aware about mental illness.

He chose the edge of the country to represent the edge of society where many people with mental health problems feel they are and he undertook his walk without any money and relying on the kindness of strangers.

Chris had some incredible adventures on his journey and his stories really do restore a little faith in how mental illness is viewed by others.

Chris has a podcast called Walk a Mile in My Shoes which is available on all platforms and you can joint the Facebook group here: Walk a Mile in My Shoes | Facebook

You can follow Chris on Twitter @walkamileuk and his book about his walk ‘Walk a Mile: Tales of a Wandering Loon is available in all good book shops!

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 83 with Marise Gaughan, an author and comedian extraordinaire.

Marise was 23 when her Dad died by suicide.  She dealt with his death, and everything that led to it, by leaving Dublin and heading to Amsterdam and then L.A, leaving a trail of self-destruction in her wake.

Her struggle with grief and mental ill health would eventually lead her to AA and a psych ward in California where she would started to unpack everything that happened and she ended up writing it all down in her recently published memoir, Trouble.

Marise and I chat about writing down her darkest moments and putting them out in to the world.  We chat about suicide, addiction, shame, sobriety and American hospitals.

Marise is well known for her honesty, no matter how challenging the subject, and that’s exactly what you get here.  We cover a lot of big topics!

When I read her book, I couldn’t put it down and got through it in just a few days so it was a real pleasure to hear Marise’s story first hand.

You can catch up on any tours or shows that Marise has coming up via her website here:

marise gaughan (comedian extraordinaire)

Or follow her on social media @marisegaughan and her book is available everywhere where books are available.

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 82 with Gary Mansfield who is an artist, curator and host of The Ministry of Arts podcast.

In his early twenties, Gary was sentenced to 14 years in prison after £4.2 million worth of heroin was planted in the boot of his car.

While serving his time Gary joined an art class and it would completely change the direction of his life.

He wrote to several high-profile artists while still inside, many of which wrote back and mentored him through the creative process and helped him to find his own style.

Gary started a fine art degree on the day he was released and is now a well-known and respected artist in his own right.

Gary’s work often centres around identity, Empathy and time and we chat about these themes.

We chat about how Gary wound up in prison and we chat mental health, the prison system and using art and creativity as an agent for change.

Gary’s passion for art is infectious and it was a real honour to hear him talk about his life and his work.

I also highly recommend his podcast, Ministry of Arts, where Gary chats to a who’s who from the art world and a few names you might recognise from this podcast too.

You can follow Gary on social media here @mizogart and via his podcast page here @ministryofartsorg

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 81 with Laura Belbin from Knee Deep in Life!

Laura is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and the woman you avoid eye contact with in the playground. 

She is also an author, blogger and the content creator behind Knee Deep in Life.

Laura uses her blog to talk about parenting, mental health, female empowerment and body acceptance all while showing what real life actually looks like and making people laugh.

She went through a very dark period of post-natal depression after the birth of her first child and then went through it all again after the birth of her second.

In this episode we chat about having kids and the pressures of modern life.  We chat about post-natal depression, therapy, and learning how to stop caring what anyone thinks.

Laura was amazing to chat to and we got on like a house on fire.  She nearly had to postpone as she was losing her voice and she showed up late after stopping to rescue a baby bird in the street which, if you follow her socials, is exactly the sort of thing you’d expect! 

It’s a wonderfully open and honest conversation and it was an absolute pleasure to hear all about Laura’s life.

You can follow Laura across all social media platforms @kneedeepinlife.

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 80 with SK Shlomo who is an award-winning beatboxer, DJ and theatre maker.                                                                                                                                                  

They are a classically trained percussionist who started drumming at the age of 8 and discovered the art of beatboxing in his teens.

They would go on to win countless competitions and awards and would become known for their ground-breaking, original techniques before crossing over to mainstream attention with a collaboration with Bjork in 2004.

Shlo spent years travelling the world, performing their own music, and working with the likes of Ed Sheeran, DJ Yoda, Jarvis Cocker and Rudimental.

It was only when they took a break from touring to work on a solo record that they started to experience issues with their mental health that would eventually lead to depression, suicidal thoughts and a diagnosis of PTSD.

Shlomo and I talk about distraction and how they learned to be quiet with themself.  We chat about acceptance, negative self-talk and positive affirmation and we talk about being vulnerable and living authentically.

Shlo is currently rehearsing Breathe, a play about their experiences with mental health, that becomes a celebratory rave and it just sounds incredible!

This is one of the deepest and most powerful conversations I’ve had to date.  We jump straight in to the big stuff from the off and listening to Shlomo talk about their journey of self-discovery and acceptance was inspiring and beautiful.

You can follow SK Shlomo on social media @SKShlomo and to get more information about Breathe and grab your tickets head to SK SHLOMO: BREATHE

You can watch Shlomo’s incredible Ted Talk here : How social media saved me from suicide | SK Shlomo | TEDxExeter - YouTube

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 79 with Dr Rosalind Watts, a clinical psychologist who was the clinical lead on the Depression Study, which compared Psilocybin with a standard anti-depressant medication.

The study was featured in the documentary ‘Magic Medicine’ which is currently streaming on Netflix.

Dr Watts has been named as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Psychedelics as well as one of the Top 16 Women Shaping the Future of Psychedelics.

Rosalind is also the founder of the ACER Integration community which aims to provide education and connectedness after psychedelic experiences and uses nature as a way of connecting deeply to the self and to others.

Ros and I chat about the trial process from selecting the patients, supporting them during the experience and what the data showed afterwards.

We chat about psychedelics in general, how they might work and where this area of mental health support is currently up to and we chat about mental health, environment, community and mother nature.

This is a wonderful episode and it feels like, not only one of the best but one of the most important episodes that I’ve recorded.

It’s certainly a personal highlight and Rosalind was just so lovely to chat to!

You can follow Dr Watts on social media @drrosalindwatts or @acerintegration.

You can learn more about her work via her website www.drrosalindwatts.com

You can watch her Ted Talk here: Can Magic Mushrooms Unlock Depression? | Rosalind Watts | TEDxOxford - YouTube

The BBC documentary about the trial is available on the iPlayer here: BBC Two - The Psychedelic Drug Trial

You can vote for Proper Mental at the MH Blog Awards on this link! 

MHBA'22 Online Voting | SurveyPlanet

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 78 with Jon Salmon, a mental health campaigner who’s working to make the world a more understanding and empathic place for anyone experiencing mental illness.

He has worked for Time to Change and Heads Together, he is a director of Speakers Collective, a trustee for Let’s Talk About Loss and the co-founder of Byte Entertainment.

Jon lost his father to suicide as a teenager and the repercussions of this would eventually lead Jon to having his own struggles with depression and in 1999, he was sectioned and admitted to hospital.

Due to the stigma around mental illness, Jon decided not to tell anyone about his experiences for nearly 20 years.

Jon was inspired to speak up after the suicide of a close friend and he has been campaigning and advocating for all aspects of mental health awareness ever since.

Jon and I caught up to chat about his journey and the incredible work he’s done over the years.  We talk awareness, stigma, suicide and loss and it was wonderful to chat all about mental health with one of the most well-respected advocates in the game!

You can follow Jon on Twitter @jonsalmon or Instagram @j0nsalmon.

You can learn more about his work via his website

 Jon Salmon Mental Health Campaigner (jon-salmon.com)

You can vote for Proper Mental at the MH Blog Awards on this link! 

MHBA'22 Online Voting | SurveyPlanet

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 77 with Bon Collins who is a strength and weightlifting coach, endurance athlete and body neutrality expert.

Bon spent the first 20 years of her life on some sort of diet but it was only when she started to address how she felt about herself that she able to make changes to her health.

She grew up in a cult and it was only after leaving at the age of 18 that she had to start dealing with everything that came with it.  She has had to live with chronic pain issues that, at one point, confined her to a wheelchair and in 2014 she had to learn to walk again.

Now she runs marathons, tackles endurance challenges and lifts weights.  She also empowers others to do the same.

Bon’s story is incredible but it’s her outlook and approach to life that I find truly inspiring!

We chat about her mental health journey from childhood to now, we chat about getting out of a wheel chair to run a marathon, lifting weights and how she learned to love herself.

You can connect with Bon on social media @bemorebon or via her website here:

 Fitness Trainer | Be More Bon (bemore-bon.com)

You can vote for Proper Mental at the MH Blog Awards on this link! 

MHBA'22 Online Voting | SurveyPlanet

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to episode 188 with Jaxon Feeley, who is a Life and Mindset Coach, motivational speaker and TV personality.

Jax served in the military as an RAF Corporal for 4 years, which included a tour of Iraq, before joining MHP Hindley as a prison officer.

Throughout his life, Jax had been through plenty of mental health struggles but had always managed to pull through and distract himself through his work.  Eventually things got to a point where he had to face these struggles head on and face some things that he had been ignoring since childhood.

Jax came out as transgender and made the decision to transition from female to male whilst still working at the prison.  He served 3 years as a female officer, and 3 years as Jaxon.

Since leaving the prison service, Jax has been on a mission to advocate for the trans community and demonstrate the sort of visibility that he needed to see all those years ago.

In this episode I chat to Jax about his time in the military, some of the mental health struggles he faced through this time and how they ultimately led him to start questioning his gender identity.

We chat about showing up and being vulnerable, asking yourself difficult questions, living authentically, learning how to be your true self and his recent appearance on Channel 4’s Hunted.

Jax has an incredible story and it would have been really easy to make this a whole episode about gender but we had so much more to talk about than that alone!

Follow Jax on social media @jaxryderfeeley

Learn more here: Professional Mindset Coach | Motivational Speaker | Jaxon Feeley

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 76 with UK Men’s Sheds!

UK Men’s Sheds provide support and guidance to individuals and groups across the UK in starting and managing Men’s Sheds.

They raise awareness of the social and health benefits of Men’s Sheds in reducing isolation, loneliness and in empowering local communities.

There are almost 600 community driven, member led venues in the UK under the ‘Sheds’ banner and for this episode I chat to Jon Paul Mountford who runs the shed in Penge.

We chat about his mental health journey that led him to the shed, we chat about working in the community, combatting isolation and loneliness and mental ill health.

I’m also joined by Volunteer and Community Development Manager Rachel Meadows and we chat about the association, the volunteers and some of the amazing projects happening in sheds up and down the country.

It was such a lovely experience to chat to Rachel and Jon Paul and hear all about the incredible work they are doing for mental health in the older generations.

You can learn more at Home - (menssheds.org.uk) or @ukmenssheds on social media.

You can learn more about Jon Paul’s shed here Men in Sheds Penge | Facebook

You can vote for Proper Mental at the MH Blog Awards on this link! 

MHBA'22 Online Voting | SurveyPlanet

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 75 with Satveer Nijjar, a self-harm expert and mental health advocate.

She is the founder of ‘Attention Seekers? Training’ and delivers self-harm awareness training nationally to professionals, parents, carers and students.

Self-harm is thought of as a scary term which makes people feel afraid to talk about it and Satveer’s work has a strong focus on removing the stigma and reducing the fear around the conversation.

In this episode, Satveer and I chat all about self-harm.  What it is, why people do it and what we can do to help.

It’s a really big topic that is massively misunderstood and it was wonderful to chat with Satveer and be guided through the more nuanced aspects of the conversation.

We also chat about Satveer’s own experiences, some common misconceptions about self-harm and some ideas about offering support to those who need it.

Satveer was so lovely to speak with!  This one is a big episode and there’s loads for you to take away from it.  I hope you get as much from it as I did!

You can learn more about Satveer and her work here: Attention Seekers? – Bespoke self-harm awareness training (satveernijjar.com)

Or follow her on twitter @­­­_satveernijjar or on Instagram @satveer_nijjar.

You can vote for Proper Mental at the MH Blog Awards on this link! 

MHBA'22 Online Voting | SurveyPlanet

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 74 Josh Connolly is a resilience coach, breath work facilitator and one of the U.K’s most influential mental health advocates.

Josh struggled with alcohol addiction from a young age but it was only once he gave up drinking that he started to struggle to the point of planning his own death.  A chance moment with his children turned him around and he started to rebuild from there.

His experiences took him on a journey of healing and transformation and he now passes his learnings on to others though coaching, speaking and training.

He now speaks regularly on BBC, ITV and Channel 5 news and runs resilience workshops all over the U.K.  He has spoken at the House of Commons, contributed to mental health policy and advised the scriptwriting team on Hollyoaks.

In this episode Josh and I talk about getting sober, the power of breathwork, feeling our feelings and the true meaning of resilience.

I’ve followed Josh on social media for a while and his content is both powerful and empowering and it was really cool to get to chat to him about his life and his work.

You can find out more about him on www.joshconnolly.co.uk and you can follow him on social media @josh_ffw.

You can get more information about his men’s groups and breath work at www.uncommonman.co.uk or @uncommonman_uk.

You can vote for Proper Mental at the MH Blog Awards on this link! 

MHBA'22 Online Voting | SurveyPlanet

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 73 with BAFTA winning documentary maker and TV personality Gail Porter!

Gail shot to fame in the 90’s through children’s TV shows including Live and Kicking, Fully Booked and Top of the Pops and she has been a regular feature in the media since then.

Throughout this time Gail struggled with her mental health and is now a well-known advocate and speaker.

In 2020 Gail won a BAFTA for her documentary ‘Being Gail Porter’ which documented her life long struggle with mental health issues whilst dealing with a life lived in the public eye.

Gail and I chat about mental health in the 90’s, having her phone hacked, being sectioned and not wanting a diagnosis.

We also chat about the process of making her film, everything that came with that process and what it’s like to win a BAFTA.

Gail is one of the warmest and most kind hearted people I have met through this podcast and it was absolutely lovely to chat to her!  She has been through so much and still manages to keep smiling and inspiring others to do the same and I can’t thank her enough for her time and her honesty.

You can follow Gail on Instagram @iamgailporter or Twitter @Gailporter.

You can watch her documentary here 2019_Being Gail Porter_FULL on Vimeo

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 71 with Jonny Benjamin, who is the CEO of Beyond, a young person’s charity that raises money and gives out grants to help other organisations and schools that are underfunded or underutilised.

He is also an award-winning mental health campaigner, speaker, author and vlogger and in 2017 was awarded an MBE.

Jonny is known for his book and documentary film, The Stranger on the Bridge, which fought to end stigma around talking about mental health, suicidal thoughts and schizoaffective disorder.

When his campaign to find the man who prevented him from taking his own life went viral, Jonny was one of a wave of new figures lifting the lid on mental health struggles.

You can watch his documentary here:

The Stranger on the Bridge - All 4 (channel4.com)

Jonny’s story is well documented and documented very well so I thought it would be more beneficial to focus on the now and the future and that’s where most of this conversation takes place.

His latest project, The Book of Hope, brings together people from all walks of life – actors, musicians, athletes, psychologists and activists – to share what gives them hope and aims to be a supportive hand to anyone looking to find light on a dark day and shows that, no matter what you may be going through, you are not alone.

Jonny and I chat about the process of putting all these wonderful essays together and the importance of hope through shared experience.

We also chat about the work he does with Beyond and their recent festival, the power of music, compassion-based therapy and how an absence of hope led him to the bridge back in 2008.

You can learn more about Beyond here:

Beyond – Beyond the shame and stigma of mental health (wearebeyond.org.uk)

And you can learn more about Jonny here:

Jonny Benjamin – Mental Health Campaigner

The Book of Hope: 101 voices on Overcoming Adversity is out now in your local bookshop!

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 70 with my guest Juliette Burton, an award-winning comedian who is also an ambassador for Rethink Mental Illness.

At one point in her life, Juliette was diagnosed with 13 different mental health conditions and over the years she has battled OCD, anxiety disorder, depression, bipolar disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, separation anxiety disorder, anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder.

She has been in and out of therapy for 20 years and doing a lot of self-work has given her an incredible understanding of her brain, her thoughts, emotions and her actions.

Juliette’s new show is called No Brainer and is all about neuroscience and why her brain sometimes makes her behave in a way that’s against her values and principles.  She has done an incredible amount of research in to this and it was fascinating to hear all about it.

We also chat about diagnosis, the therapeutic process, doing the work and trying to deal with regrets.  It’s a deep dive and I enjoyed it immensely!

You can grab tickets and check dates for Juliette’s new and future shows via her website

Juliette Burton | Comedian, Writer, Speaker, Actor

As mentioned in the intro I’m going to the Mach Fest show and if you would like to join me the ticket link is here:

Machynlleth Comedy Festival | Juliette Burton - No Brainer (Work in Progress) (machcomedyfest.co.uk)

And connect with her via social media @juliette_burton on Instagram or @JulietteBurton on Twitter.

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 69 with Gavin Thorpe and Ben Akers from Talk Club!

Talk Club is a talking and listening club for men that is also described as a behaviour-changing movement.

It all started after one of the Founders, Ben Akers, lost his childhood best friend to suicide in 2014.  Struggling to process his grief, Ben set out to make ‘Steve’, a documentary about male mental health.

Talk Club came from the process of making the film and everything that Ben learned along the way about men’s mental health.

For this episode I chat to Ben and fellow co-founder Gavin about making the documentary and how it led to the formation of Talk Club.

Talk Club sessions are based around the question ‘How are you, out of 10?’ and then explaining why.  Gav and Ben chat about the importance of this leading question and how what they do works.

We also chat about men’s mental health in general and the terrible suicide statistics that come with it and we chat about keeping mentally fit, finding the words to talk and learning how to listen and support other men.

Talk Club have a big fundraising project coming up next month called Miles for Miles and if that is something you’d like to get involved in then all the details are on Home – Talk Club (wetalkclub.com) and you can get all the latest news via social media @talkclubuk

You can watch Ben’s incredible documentary ‘Steve’ here STEVE DOCUMENTARY

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 68 with Ben Coomber who is a nutritionist, speaker and coach.

He has worked in the fitness industry for 14 years as a personal trainer, coach and nutritionist as well as hosting the Ben Coomber Radio Podcast.

I reached out to Ben after reading one of his social media posts about his experience with depression as a result of long Covid which, at the time of recording, he was just coming out of after 18 months.

Ben is used to being both physically and mentally healthy and it was a big adjustment for him to slow down life in order to heal and recover fully.  Ben has done an incredible amount of research and experimentation in to recovery from long Covid and I think anyone who listens will get a lot out of his experience.

We also chat about his journey in to fitness, learning to slow down, working on the inner stuff as well as the outer stuff and why the gym is not your therapy.

It was brilliant to chat to Ben, there doesn’t seem to be a great deal of conversation around long Covid and how it affects Serotonin levels or the actual recovery process and what’s involved.

You can follow ben on social media @bencoomber and find out more about him at www.bencoomber.com.

If you would like to work with Ben you can do so at www.btn.academy and for more about his supplement company go to www.awesomesupplements.co.uk

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com  or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 67 and I’m joined by Sanisha Wynter, a mental health advocate and Tedx Speaker and Inclusion Consultant who works in the charity sector and advocates for marginalised people in the workplace.

Sanisha and I chat about her diagnosis of BPD and how she had to learn to talk about it, we chat about how mental health is viewed in different communities and we chat about the extra stigma in the mental health conversation with regards to race, sexuality and gender.

The role that identity plays in mental health is at the forefront of this conversation and it was incredible to hear about Sanisha’s lived experience and route to recovery.

In 2021 Sanisha delivered her Tedx Talk, Vulnerability is Your Superpower, which to date has had over 38,000 views and we talk about everything that comes with advocacy on that scale.

You can watch it here: Vulnerability is your superpower | Sanisha Wynter | TEDxUniversityofBristol - YouTube

It was an absolute pleasure to speak with Sanisha about her life and her work, it’s a deep conversation that covers a lot of important ground and I can’t wait for you to hear it!

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental.

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!

Enjoy!

Welcome to episode 187 with Chris Baker, who is a mentor, coach and public speaker.

Chris got in to crime at a young age and spent a long time bouncing in and out of prison.  He ended up losing an arm in a motorbike crash while being chased by police and this sent him in to a spiral of depression and self-loathing and he was also sentenced to longer stretch inside.

Chris decided that he didn’t want to keep repeating this cycle and set out to make some changes.  He started reading, working on himself and exploring Adverse Childhood Experiences studies and the links between childhood trauma and repeat offenders.

Now Chris works with prisons, schools and business’ delivering talks about his own experiences to promote resilience and inspire hope.

In this episode I chat to Chris about his early years growing up and how he started to get in to trouble.

We chat about going to prison, why so many people can’t get out or stay out and what needs to change in the prison system, particularly with regards to mental health.

And we chat about losing an arm, losing identity, building resilience, lessons from fitness and making big changes.

You can learn more about Chris and his work at chrisbakerspeaker and follow him on social media @chris_baker_

If you would like to watch this episode or any of the others, you can do so by joining the Patreon community at www.patreon.com/propermentalpodcast.  For £3 a month you’ll get early access to any and all episodes that aren’t available to watch anywhere else and you can submit questions for upcoming guests!  You’ll also be helping to support the show and keep it fully independent and ad free.

You can connect with me on social media @propermentalpodcast or via www.propermentalpodcast.com.

Another great way to support the show and spread the word is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from.

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk

Thanks for listening!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 66, my guest this week is Joseph Bates, the co-founder and CEO of Halen, an app that is working to change how people view mental health and wellbeing.

Joe lost his father at a young age which led him to join the military as a sniper.  This would take him on back-to-back tours of Afghanistan with UK Special Forces.

By his mid-twenties he was working in The City in a fasted paced job and running on adrenaline and late nights and it was at this point that his emotions started to catch up with him and his mental health started to rapidly deteriorate.

Both therapy and coaching played a big part in his recovery journey and that’s where the idea for Halen was born.

Halen is an app that offers access to therapy and other forms of coaching and gives users the opportunity to pick who they want to work with in an easy and accessible way.

It was incredible to hear about Joe’s journey and the impact it had on his mental health and we cover a lot of ground in this episode!

You can learn more about Halen here:

Halen Strength

You can connect with them via social media @halenstrength and download for yourself wherever you get your apps from.

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental.

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 65 with Natasha Devon MBE!

Natasha is a writer, campaigner and broadcaster who has dedicated her life to promoting positive mental health, body image, gender & social equality.

She tours schools, colleges, universities and events throughout the world, delivering talks as well as conducting research on mental health, body image, gender and social equality.

Natasha is intrinsically linked to the topic of mental health through her work in schools, her writing and her work with charities and organisations and she was appointed MBE in 2015 for her services to young people.

It was incredibly to get to chat to her about mental health and life in general and we really got in to a lot of different topics!

We chat about her work in schools and the role she plays in young person’s mental health by communicating with pupils, teachers and parents.

We chat about advocacy and changes in the mental health conversation, about being ‘woke’, public speaking and anxiety.

You can learn all about Natasha and her work at www.natashadevon.com and connect with her on social media @_natashadevon.

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental.

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 64 with Andy Chambers, the founder of Born Human, a holistic mental health consultancy that is working to improve paternal mental health in the workplace.

Andy has personally experienced the impact of Post Natal Depression and has a background in the corporate environment and these combined helped him to realise that there is more needed to be done to support parents and their mental health at work.

Andy and the team at Born Human help parents to be prepared and keep mentally fit to be productive at home and work with the aim of tackling issues proactively, before they become a reality.

The podcast of the same name hosts a series of down to earth conversations with inspiring individuals, who have faced the challenges of parenthood in all its forms.

In this episode, Andy and I chat about the power of shared experience and the importance of open and honest conversations.  We also chat about being parents and the challenges of modern-day parenting and how this can impact mental health.

Andy and I also chat about supporting a loved one through a period of mental ill health which is a real stand out podcasting moment for me which I think you’ll find incredibly moving.

You can learn more about Born Human here: BORN HUMAN

You can connect with Andy on social media @we_are_born_human and @bornhumanpodcast

The Born Human podcast is available on all podcast platforms!

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental.

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!

Enjoy!

Welcome to Proper Mental episode 63, this week’s guest is Susie Weaver, a campaigner, advocate and blogger.

Susie is a passionate advocate for young people’s mental health, in 2019 she launched the S.H.I.T. Tee campaign, with the main message for young people being that it’s ok to feel shit, but it’s a lot more ok if you don’t feel alone.

100% profit from every single sale goes to Young Minds, raising an incredible £35,000 so far and still going strong.

Susie and I caught up to chat about her own experience with depression while at university, the idea behind the S.H.I.T campaign and how celebrities getting on board has helped to spread the positive message further than she ever imagined.

We also chat about learning to love yourself, the positives and negatives of social media and being an ambassador for My Black Dog and the amazing work they do.

You can purchase your own S.H.I.T Tee and join the cause here:  So Happy In Town | S.H.I.T. –

You can follow Susie on social media @sohappyintown

You can learn more about the My Black Dog charity here: My Black Dog | Free Online Mental Health Chat Support

You can catch up with me at www.propermentalpodcast.com or connect with me via social media @propermentalpodcast.

If you would like to support Proper Mental by buying me a virtual coffee, please go to www.buymeacoffee.com/propermental.

Another way to support is to rate, review and subscribe on whatever platform you get your podcasts from!

If you or anyone you know needs to find support in your local area, please go to www.hubofhope.co.uk.

Thanks for listening!

Enjoy!