Between The Waves

Advocates, allies and champions - what are they? Do all these words really mean the same thing and how do we become one? Join us as we answer these questions and give practical tips for being a good advocate / ally / champion at both an organisational and at an individual level. Hannah is a champion of mental health awareness and a self-published author. Writing became an anchor for Hannah as she experienced her own mental breakdown back in 2018. Channelling her feelings and reflections onto paper, she soon made her diary into a book - ‘100 Days’ - an honest and thought-provoking account, full of practical tips and insights on mental health. Motivated by her own experience and determined to bring a step-change to mental health awareness in the workplace, Hannah set up her own charity ‘The Mental Health Community’ in 2019. The charity is dedicated to making work a safe place for people with a mental health condition. Her focus is the impactful ‘Community Headspace’ programme which she has successfully delivered among a variety of organisations, all dedicated to ensuring that their working culture is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Hannah lives with her family in Devon. A big fan of the power of sea air, as time allows, she also loves to catch the odd wave. Drew was raised in the north east of England and now residing on the local coastline, Drew has lived with mental ill health for over 20 years, first emerging as a teenager. Using his lived experiences of body dysmorphia, health anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour, he champions acceptance, understanding and affirmative action. He is passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding men's mental health and the intersectional prejudices faces by the LGBTQIA+ community.

In this episode we're talking about working from home as a tool for supporting our mental health. We cover our very different introductions to and experiences of working from home, our thoughts on a person-centred approach, blurry boundaries and of course, we each choose a 'change one thing' to work on!Drew was raised in the north east of England and now residing on the local coastline, Drew has lived with mental ill health for over 20 years, first emerging as a teenager. Using his lived experiences of body dysmorphia, health anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour, he champions acceptance, understanding and affirmative action. He is passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding men's mental health and the intersectional prejudices faces by the LGBTQIA+ community.Hannah is a champion of mental health awareness and a self-published author. Writing became an anchor for Hannah as she experienced her own mental breakdown back in 2018. Channelling her feelings and reflections onto paper, she soon made her diary into a book - ‘100 Days’ - an honest and thought-provoking account, full of practical tips and insights on mental health. Motivated by her own experience and determined to bring a step-change to mental health awareness in the workplace, Hannah set up her own charity ‘The Mental Health Community’ in 2019. The charity is dedicated to making work a safe place for people with a mental health condition. Her focus is the impactful ‘Community Headspace’ programme which she has successfully delivered among a variety of organisations, all dedicated to ensuring that their working culture is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Hannah lives with her family in Devon. A big fan of the power of sea air, as time allows, she also loves to catch the odd wave. 

We're talking today about how to seek help without always asking, guilt over needing help and how to be vulnerable to allow others to feel safe to do so.Hannah is a champion of mental health awareness and a self-published author. Writing became an anchor for Hannah as she experienced her own mental breakdown back in 2018. Channelling her feelings and reflections onto paper, she soon made her diary into a book - ‘100 Days’ - an honest and thought-provoking account, full of practical tips and insights on mental health. Motivated by her own experience and determined to bring a step-change to mental health awareness in the workplace, Hannah set up her own charity ‘The Mental Health Community’ in 2019. The charity is dedicated to making work a safe place for people with a mental health condition. Her focus is the impactful ‘Community Headspace’ programme which she has successfully delivered among a variety of organisations, all dedicated to ensuring that their working culture is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Hannah lives with her family in Devon. A big fan of the power of sea air, as time allows, she also loves to catch the odd wave. Drew was raised in the north east of England and now residing on the local coastline, Drew has lived with mental ill health for over 20 years, first emerging as a teenager. Using his lived experiences of body dysmorphia, health anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour, he champions acceptance, understanding and affirmative action. He is passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding men's mental health and the intersectional prejudices faces by the LGBTQIA+ community.

In this episode we're talking about the intersectionality between mental health and being LGBT+. There's real crossover with needing to create feelings of safety and belonging, and the benefits of shared lived experience.Drew was raised in the north east of England and now residing on the local coastline, Drew has lived with mental ill health for over 20 years, first emerging as a teenager. Using his lived experiences of body dysmorphia, health anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour, he champions acceptance, understanding and affirmative action. He is passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding men's mental health and the intersectional prejudices faces by the LGBTQIA+ community. Hannah is a champion of mental health awareness and a self-published author. Writing became an anchor for Hannah as she experienced her own mental breakdown back in 2018. Channelling her feelings and reflections onto paper, she soon made her diary into a book - ‘100 Days’ - an honest and thought-provoking account, full of practical tips and insights on mental health. Motivated by her own experience and determined to bring a step-change to mental health awareness in the workplace, Hannah set up her own charity ‘The Mental Health Community’ in 2019. The charity is dedicated to making work a safe place for people with a mental health condition. Her focus is the impactful ‘Community Headspace’ programme which she has successfully delivered among a variety of organisations, all dedicated to ensuring that their working culture is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Hannah lives with her family in Devon. A big fan of the power of sea air, as time allows, she also loves to catch the odd wave. 

Today we're talking about what happens when we've plucked up all our courage to ask for help...and it doesn't go well. We talk about the importance of acceptance, boundaries and how indicate we need help without sharing everything.Hannah is a champion of mental health awareness and a self-published author. Writing became an anchor for Hannah as she experienced her own mental breakdown back in 2018. Channelling her feelings and reflections onto paper, she soon made her diary into a book - ‘100 Days’ - an honest and thought-provoking account, full of practical tips and insights on mental health. Motivated by her own experience and determined to bring a step-change to mental health awareness in the workplace, Hannah set up her own charity ‘The Mental Health Community’ in 2019. The charity is dedicated to making work a safe place for people with a mental health condition. Her focus is the impactful ‘Community Headspace’ programme which she has successfully delivered among a variety of organisations, all dedicated to ensuring that their working culture is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Hannah lives with her family in Devon. A big fan of the power of sea air, as time allows, she also loves to catch the odd wave. Drew was raised in the north east of England and now residing on the local coastline, Drew has lived with mental ill health for over 20 years, first emerging as a teenager. Using his lived experiences of body dysmorphia, health anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour, he champions acceptance, understanding and affirmative action. He is passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding men's mental health and the intersectional prejudices faces by the LGBTQIA+ community.

On this episode we're talking about how we can each be the reason someone else has a good day or gets through a tough time. We're not talking huge superhero moments here, more those teeny moments that are easy to gloss over but can make a difference every day.Drew was raised in the north east of England and now residing on the local coastline, Drew has lived with mental ill health for over 20 years, first emerging as a teenager. Using his lived experiences of body dysmorphia, health anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour, he champions acceptance, understanding and affirmative action. He is passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding men's mental health and the intersectional prejudices faces by the LGBTQIA+ community. Hannah is a champion of mental health awareness and a self-published author. Writing became an anchor for Hannah as she experienced her own mental breakdown back in 2018. Channelling her feelings and reflections onto paper, she soon made her diary into a book - ‘100 Days’ - an honest and thought-provoking account, full of practical tips and insights on mental health. Motivated by her own experience and determined to bring a step-change to mental health awareness in the workplace, Hannah set up her own charity ‘The Mental Health Community’ in 2019. The charity is dedicated to making work a safe place for people with a mental health condition. Her focus is the impactful ‘Community Headspace’ programme which she has successfully delivered among a variety of organisations, all dedicated to ensuring that their working culture is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Hannah lives with her family in Devon. A big fan of the power of sea air, as time allows, she also loves to catch the odd wave. 

A new season and new format...Hannah is joined by cohost Drew as we delve into what it's like to live with a mental health condition, the similarities and differences in our experiences and what you can do to improve support for yourself and others.We recorded this episode in a hotel on Halloween...creaky stairs and doors abound so apologies for the impact on sound quality. Drew and I live at opposite ends of the country so us being in the same place to record was too good an opportunity to miss!In this one we talk about the holidays and how it impacts us and others living with a mental health condition. We cover everything from mandatory fun and emotional energy through feeling worthy of enjoying things your way and of course, a change one thing from us both!Hannah is a champion of mental health awareness and a self-published author. Writing became an anchor for Hannah as she experienced her own mental breakdown back in 2018. Channelling her feelings and reflections onto paper, she soon made her diary into a book - ‘100 Days’ - an honest and thought-provoking account, full of practical tips and insights on mental health. Motivated by her own experience and determined to bring a step-change to mental health awareness in the workplace, Hannah set up her own charity ‘The Mental Health Community’ in 2019. The charity is dedicated to making work a safe place for people with a mental health condition. Her focus is the impactful ‘Community Headspace’ programme which she has successfully delivered among a variety of organisations, all dedicated to ensuring that their working culture is as accessible and inclusive as possible. Hannah lives with her family in Devon. A big fan of the power of sea air, as time allows, she also loves to catch the odd wave. Drew joins Between The Waves as cohost in 2024. Raised in the north east of England and now residing on the local coastline, Drew has lived with mental ill health for over 20 years, first emerging as a teenager. Using his lived experiences of body dysmorphia, health anxiety and obsessive compulsive behaviour, he champions acceptance, understanding and affirmative action. He is passionate about challenging the stigma surrounding men's mental health and the intersectional prejudices faces by the LGBTQIA+ community.

Today I'm joined by Katie Phillips: Katie is a burnout expert, business mentor and crumpet lover. She burned out 3.5 times during a 15-year career in communication and project management - the last of which led to chronic anxiety and depression that left her sick for a year. Since recovering she has dedicated herself to helping ambitious but overwhelmed humans and businesses to balance professional success and wellbeing. She does this with 1:1 coaching, group workshops and corporate training. She's also a qualified Mental Health First Aider that has helped hundreds of people to manage stress, improve their productivity and feel healthier and happier at work.She describes herself as "the caring but firm friend that will help you find gentler, smarter ways of working that are right for you."She and her work have been featured in The Independent, The Telegraph, EuroNews and more…You can find out more on www.kdp.coach or www.instagram.com/katiephillYou can find more about this podcast, the charity or my book at Home (thementalhealthcommunity.co.uk)LinkedIn: The Mental Health Community or follow me: Hannah Sturland