WEBVTT 00:00:00.010 --> 00:00:03.069 Welcome to The Pink Persuader on Mental Health, 00:00:03.229 --> 00:00:06.410 a podcast exploring mental health through honest 00:00:06.410 --> 00:00:11.550 conversations and lived insights. Guys, welcome 00:00:11.550 --> 00:00:16.410 back. This is episode two of The Pink Persuader 00:00:16.410 --> 00:00:20.750 on Mental Health. I am your host, Dan, also known 00:00:20.750 --> 00:00:24.989 as The Pink Persuader. So if you're joining us 00:00:24.989 --> 00:00:28.429 after episode one, I am so glad to have you back. 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:31.940 And if this is your first time tuning in, I encourage 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:35.219 you to pause this episode and go back and listen 00:00:35.219 --> 00:00:38.460 to episode one. It lays the groundwork for my 00:00:38.460 --> 00:00:41.280 journey from a man who struggled to talk about 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:43.859 his mental health and becoming a mental health 00:00:43.859 --> 00:00:50.460 advocate and TikTok creator. And actually starting 00:00:50.460 --> 00:00:54.939 this podcast, which has been a journey for me 00:00:54.939 --> 00:00:58.979 and... I'm absolutely loving the response I've 00:00:58.979 --> 00:01:00.799 had so far from you guys that have listened. 00:01:00.979 --> 00:01:07.379 So thank you so much. My mission is to help reduce 00:01:07.379 --> 00:01:12.200 the stigma surrounding mental health discussions. 00:01:13.840 --> 00:01:17.150 Something that... I've experienced firsthand 00:01:17.150 --> 00:01:21.709 that struggle of trying to talk about your emotions, 00:01:21.870 --> 00:01:25.409 trying to talk about depression, anxiety, and 00:01:25.409 --> 00:01:29.890 actually having those honest conversations with 00:01:29.890 --> 00:01:36.450 people to feel better about yourself. So today 00:01:36.450 --> 00:01:42.120 I wanted to dive in. go a little bit deeper into 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:46.640 the organization organize this there you go there's 00:01:46.640 --> 00:01:50.260 my messing my big words up again guys um yeah 00:01:50.260 --> 00:01:52.859 we're going to dive deeper into the organization 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:56.900 that played a pivotal role in my journey this 00:01:56.900 --> 00:01:59.260 organization is dedicated to helping men across 00:01:59.260 --> 00:02:03.400 the uk openly discuss their mental health it's 00:02:03.400 --> 00:02:10.990 also um it's gone from being A small organization 00:02:10.990 --> 00:02:14.110 down here in Cornwall is now going UK wide. So 00:02:14.110 --> 00:02:16.729 there are more meetings available throughout 00:02:16.729 --> 00:02:20.849 the country. So it's starting to help a lot more 00:02:20.849 --> 00:02:25.870 people. I'm also going to share some valuable 00:02:25.870 --> 00:02:28.550 lessons I've learned along the way that I hope 00:02:28.550 --> 00:02:32.849 you will resonate with. So let's get started, 00:02:32.849 --> 00:02:35.969 shall we? I hope you're sitting comfortably. 00:02:37.370 --> 00:02:40.490 And if not, if you're listening to this podcast 00:02:40.490 --> 00:02:43.009 while you're out and about, then I hope you're 00:02:43.009 --> 00:02:45.030 not sitting comfortably because otherwise you're 00:02:45.030 --> 00:02:50.289 going to be sat on the floor. So who are Man 00:02:50.289 --> 00:02:54.169 Down, you may ask? Well, that is a fantastic 00:02:54.169 --> 00:02:58.710 question. Well, they are an organization, an 00:02:58.710 --> 00:03:03.629 amazing organization. Man Down is a non -profit 00:03:03.629 --> 00:03:06.050 community interest company that was founded down 00:03:06.050 --> 00:03:08.330 here in Cornwall and they are doing some really 00:03:08.330 --> 00:03:11.490 important work Man Down is all about supporting 00:03:11.490 --> 00:03:14.569 men who are navigating mental health challenges 00:03:14.569 --> 00:03:18.729 they run informal talking groups that are peer 00:03:18.729 --> 00:03:21.590 -led across Cornwall and are now targeting the 00:03:21.590 --> 00:03:25.830 rest of the UK as an attendee let me tell you 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:29.280 These groups provide a safe and judgment -free 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:32.280 space for men to come together and share their 00:03:32.280 --> 00:03:35.259 struggles and connect with others who really 00:03:35.259 --> 00:03:38.680 get what they're going through. I think we can 00:03:38.680 --> 00:03:41.340 all agree that talking about mental health can 00:03:41.340 --> 00:03:45.819 be tough, but especially for men. There's a lot 00:03:45.819 --> 00:03:48.659 of stigma out there, and that can make it hard 00:03:48.659 --> 00:03:52.639 to open up. But by fostering these open conversations, 00:03:53.360 --> 00:03:56.199 Man Down aims to break the stigma and tackle 00:03:56.199 --> 00:04:00.039 some of the serious issues, like reducing the 00:04:00.039 --> 00:04:04.780 number of male suicides, which are astronomical 00:04:04.780 --> 00:04:11.460 numbers that 75 % of all suicides are men. And 00:04:11.460 --> 00:04:16.699 that is a staggering statistic. So I'm going 00:04:16.699 --> 00:04:21.019 to talk a bit about what... I found through Man 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:24.819 Down, my personal experiences, how I felt going 00:04:24.819 --> 00:04:30.639 to meetings, the camaraderie, the ability to 00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:34.019 now talk about my mental health, the brotherhood 00:04:34.019 --> 00:04:36.879 and what it has taught me. So we're going to 00:04:36.879 --> 00:04:41.040 dive into it and just talk honestly and openly 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:45.170 with you all. So I touched last time in episode 00:04:45.170 --> 00:04:47.629 one about the first time I went to a Man Down 00:04:47.629 --> 00:04:49.750 meeting. And I'm going to go into that a bit 00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:51.509 more because actually I think it's such an important 00:04:51.509 --> 00:04:55.470 conversation to have, especially around going 00:04:55.470 --> 00:04:58.610 to your first Man Down meeting. If anyone in 00:04:58.610 --> 00:05:04.490 this audience or listeners is about to attend 00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:07.509 their first meeting for anything like this, it's 00:05:07.509 --> 00:05:09.790 a scary experience and walking through the door 00:05:09.790 --> 00:05:15.120 is the hardest thing. so my first time i was 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:18.720 suffering with a massive amount of depression 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:23.420 and anxiety after the birth of my my second child 00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:28.040 and um i was really struggling at the time and 00:05:28.040 --> 00:05:30.819 it was recommended to me to give man down a try 00:05:30.819 --> 00:05:34.639 um i'd done some research i was skeptical because 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:38.839 i was not a big idea of like group therapy was 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:43.720 my first first thought so um But I said I'd give 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:47.319 it a go to try and help me. I needed something 00:05:47.319 --> 00:05:51.639 at the time that wasn't just medication. So I 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:57.500 found the location and I drove over there. The 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:01.319 parking was down the road, probably a good 100 00:06:01.319 --> 00:06:04.540 metres, 200 metres down the road. And I got out 00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:07.459 of the car and I'm all psyched up. I'm psyching 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:09.860 myself up, ready to go. And I'm walking up the 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:12.240 road and I'm feeling anxious. And I'm turning 00:06:12.240 --> 00:06:15.379 around and I'm like, no, I can't do this. But 00:06:15.379 --> 00:06:18.040 I did. And I probably had this conversation with 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:21.459 myself three times going up and down the road. 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:25.160 Eventually I walked into the reception of the 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.480 location, which at the time was a hotel. So imagine 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:32.480 my anxiety walking into a hotel to go up to a 00:06:32.480 --> 00:06:35.800 reception and go, Excuse me, where's the men's 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:40.240 mental health meeting? Thankfully, they were 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.339 lovely people. And I went in and settled into 00:06:43.339 --> 00:06:49.980 a room full of men who were just like me, of 00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:56.680 different age groups, different... like you know 00:06:56.680 --> 00:07:00.399 social styles and everyone was different but 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:02.360 we were all the same we were all there for the 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:09.480 same reason so i was greeted by a lovely chap 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:11.839 who has become a very good friend of mine uh 00:07:11.839 --> 00:07:16.420 who is the who was the facilitator um for this 00:07:16.420 --> 00:07:20.899 group and um he made me feel so welcome and when 00:07:20.899 --> 00:07:23.019 he started the meeting he sat there and he went 00:07:23.019 --> 00:07:27.850 who would like to start today And everyone was 00:07:27.850 --> 00:07:34.069 quiet. And I looked around and I just said, go 00:07:34.069 --> 00:07:38.649 on, I'll go. And I started talking and I started 00:07:38.649 --> 00:07:41.689 explaining why I was there and what I was feeling 00:07:41.689 --> 00:07:46.670 and the way I'd been for months and covering 00:07:46.670 --> 00:07:50.310 a lot of the issues that I hadn't ever really 00:07:50.310 --> 00:07:56.920 opened up about to anyone. and I tell you what 00:07:56.920 --> 00:08:01.959 it felt great people listened people offered 00:08:01.959 --> 00:08:05.160 me advice people offered me coping tools people 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:08.000 spoke to me like I was a human being I wasn't 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:12.079 some weirdo who was broken I was spoken to like 00:08:12.079 --> 00:08:15.720 a human being and I tell you what it felt amazing 00:08:18.569 --> 00:08:21.350 I couldn't believe the difference and the buzz 00:08:21.350 --> 00:08:23.589 I felt walking away from that meeting that night 00:08:23.589 --> 00:08:26.569 having spent two hours among other men who had 00:08:26.569 --> 00:08:28.569 been struggling with their mental health and 00:08:28.569 --> 00:08:33.750 had helped me and I can't remember if I managed 00:08:33.750 --> 00:08:36.870 to help anyone else that night but it was an 00:08:36.870 --> 00:08:39.950 amazing experience and actually from then on 00:08:39.950 --> 00:08:42.970 it became my two weekly routine to make sure 00:08:42.970 --> 00:08:49.470 I attended a meeting. And it was fantastic, the 00:08:49.470 --> 00:08:53.690 support I made. And that leads me on to the friendships 00:08:53.690 --> 00:08:56.769 that formed, especially in the first group I 00:08:56.769 --> 00:09:04.450 went to, which was in Newquay. Due to confidentiality, 00:09:04.450 --> 00:09:08.289 I will not mention any names or anything personal 00:09:08.289 --> 00:09:14.409 to anyone else. These are all my stories. along 00:09:14.409 --> 00:09:17.970 this journey of i think it was three years with 00:09:17.970 --> 00:09:23.190 the with the group in nuki um i made some absolutely 00:09:23.190 --> 00:09:27.409 amazing friends friends who i i class as brothers 00:09:27.409 --> 00:09:30.269 because actually we went through something and 00:09:30.269 --> 00:09:34.169 we've got a shared experience that no one else 00:09:34.169 --> 00:09:37.120 had you know can understand because actually 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:41.419 we had gone into this this room of men and we 00:09:41.419 --> 00:09:44.419 just talked and we knew things that actually 00:09:44.419 --> 00:09:46.639 probably some of our closest friends and families 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:50.759 didn't know about us we had shared that with 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:56.470 each other in a safe space no one judged us no 00:09:56.470 --> 00:09:59.090 there was no one to judge you there was no one 00:09:59.090 --> 00:10:02.629 to sit there and say you're a weirdo because 00:10:02.629 --> 00:10:05.669 you feel this way you're not man enough because 00:10:05.669 --> 00:10:09.450 you're crying you're not man enough because you 00:10:09.450 --> 00:10:13.909 feel this way and honestly those friendships 00:10:13.909 --> 00:10:17.269 I've still got those friendships years down the 00:10:17.269 --> 00:10:21.090 line I still talk to the guys that I don't see 00:10:21.090 --> 00:10:23.309 every week now because I go to a different group 00:10:24.429 --> 00:10:27.230 But I've then made friends at a different group 00:10:27.230 --> 00:10:30.289 because of my timings and my schedules. I've 00:10:30.289 --> 00:10:33.330 now made friends that are going to stay with 00:10:33.330 --> 00:10:37.909 me for probably my whole life because, again, 00:10:38.190 --> 00:10:43.330 we all have that shared life experience. We haven't 00:10:43.330 --> 00:10:45.610 exactly all been through exactly the same thing, 00:10:45.669 --> 00:10:49.529 but we've all suffered and we've all shared that 00:10:49.529 --> 00:10:53.710 detail and that suffering with. each other and 00:10:53.710 --> 00:10:55.730 we've been there and supported each other through 00:10:55.730 --> 00:11:01.129 the tears the the anger and everything and honestly 00:11:01.129 --> 00:11:06.529 it's i've made some amazing friends and i can't 00:11:06.529 --> 00:11:09.429 thank the guys enough that i've met and i can't 00:11:09.429 --> 00:11:15.909 thank man down enough because actually what man 00:11:15.909 --> 00:11:21.039 down has done for me It's given me the ability 00:11:21.039 --> 00:11:25.080 to talk about my mental health. Not just the 00:11:25.080 --> 00:11:27.600 friendships I've made, the people I've met, the 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:29.639 people I've supported, the people who've supported 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:33.759 me. It's given me the ability to talk to other 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:36.759 people about my mental health. And do you know 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:39.799 what? I've struggled with my mental health and 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:42.139 I've struggled with talking about it at different 00:11:42.139 --> 00:11:46.580 points in my life. But now, honestly, if it hadn't 00:11:46.580 --> 00:11:49.899 been for Man Down... Would I be a content creator, 00:11:50.139 --> 00:11:52.879 creating content about mental health, talking 00:11:52.879 --> 00:11:54.879 about my own mental health and trying to support 00:11:54.879 --> 00:12:00.399 other people? I don't think I would. I wouldn't 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.379 have that confidence to talk about my mental 00:12:03.379 --> 00:12:08.320 health in such an open way because actually it's 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:13.120 a scary thing to do, guys. And I never thought 00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:17.990 for... four and a half years five uh no hang 00:12:17.990 --> 00:12:20.409 on must be yeah about nearly coming up for five 00:12:20.409 --> 00:12:24.889 years ago when I first walked into a mental health 00:12:24.889 --> 00:12:29.450 my my first man down meeting did I think that 00:12:29.450 --> 00:12:32.309 I would be on a podcast talking about my mental 00:12:32.309 --> 00:12:36.710 health to god knows how many strangers or friends 00:12:36.710 --> 00:12:40.690 that listen to this podcast the whole internet 00:12:40.690 --> 00:12:43.149 can hear me at the moment I wouldn't have had 00:12:43.149 --> 00:12:46.129 that conversation If it wasn't for Man Down, 00:12:46.269 --> 00:12:49.269 I couldn't do this. If it wasn't for the confidence 00:12:49.269 --> 00:12:51.950 I'd found talking about my mental health through 00:12:51.950 --> 00:12:56.950 Man Down. And it's something that I think is 00:12:56.950 --> 00:13:03.110 the main goal of Man Down is to reduce male suicides 00:13:03.110 --> 00:13:06.690 throughout the UK, which is fantastic. And I 00:13:06.690 --> 00:13:09.110 think they are making great headways in that. 00:13:09.309 --> 00:13:12.769 But for me... The ability to talk about my mental 00:13:12.769 --> 00:13:15.789 health has changed the way I view things, the 00:13:15.789 --> 00:13:20.389 way I look at my life, the things I can do. You 00:13:20.389 --> 00:13:26.470 know, I've gone from being an engineer since 00:13:26.470 --> 00:13:29.330 I went to Man Down to now being a support worker, 00:13:29.409 --> 00:13:34.490 working with young people. And I'm trying to 00:13:34.490 --> 00:13:37.600 help them now. And actually, would I have done 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.500 that if I hadn't gone to Man Down and supported 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:43.460 other men? I don't think I would have. Because 00:13:43.460 --> 00:13:47.379 actually, I didn't get that feeling of helping 00:13:47.379 --> 00:13:52.059 others until I started going there. And it really 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:54.379 opened my eyes to what I wanted to do with my 00:13:54.379 --> 00:14:01.960 life. It's crazy that just two hours every two 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:06.129 weeks sitting in a room. talking to other people 00:14:06.129 --> 00:14:12.590 that are just like you but not like you can really 00:14:12.590 --> 00:14:17.929 just help change your life so much you know i 00:14:17.929 --> 00:14:22.309 can't can't say much more like it's actually 00:14:22.309 --> 00:14:26.990 i i i am so thankful for for what man down has 00:14:26.990 --> 00:14:30.149 given me for what he's given men of cornwall 00:14:30.149 --> 00:14:34.419 and now the uk And I always recommend Man Down 00:14:34.419 --> 00:14:39.559 to men that are struggling, which I think is 00:14:39.559 --> 00:14:43.320 a fantastic opportunity. If you've got a group 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:46.379 near you, please try it out. Because actually, 00:14:46.519 --> 00:14:53.000 it's a brotherhood. It's amazing what you can 00:14:53.000 --> 00:14:59.179 find through these groups is that you find brothers 00:14:59.179 --> 00:15:03.600 in arms. will be with you that will support you 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:12.620 without judgment without any sort of um like 00:15:12.620 --> 00:15:19.320 i yeah i i can't even think think of the word 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:22.419 sometimes so yeah but there's just there's no 00:15:22.419 --> 00:15:27.220 judgment you know they just listen and they help 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:32.429 in you know I've learned so much through the 00:15:32.429 --> 00:15:35.809 years of going to Man Down. Some of the coping 00:15:35.809 --> 00:15:41.190 strategies that I've learned, you know, talking, 00:15:41.289 --> 00:15:46.029 talking, you know, actually talking about things 00:15:46.029 --> 00:15:50.809 is a coping strategy. And I've never been so 00:15:50.809 --> 00:15:54.929 open about my mental health until now. And honestly, 00:15:55.090 --> 00:15:58.129 I think I am the most open I have ever been at 00:15:58.129 --> 00:16:02.330 this very point of recording this podcast. It's 00:16:02.330 --> 00:16:08.350 crazy, I think, to be thinking that I'm talking 00:16:08.350 --> 00:16:14.750 about moments in my life that were dark. I'm 00:16:14.750 --> 00:16:18.850 not ashamed to say that Man Down has saved me. 00:16:20.549 --> 00:16:25.399 There have been days... weeks and months where 00:16:25.399 --> 00:16:28.120 the black dog of depression has come down on 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:32.639 me i have self -harmed i have wanted to take 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:37.240 my own life i didn't want to be here anymore 00:16:37.240 --> 00:16:44.379 and if it wasn't for man down i don't think i 00:16:44.379 --> 00:16:49.330 would be here And that's the real crux of this, 00:16:49.429 --> 00:16:53.690 guys, is that this is not just a group of people 00:16:53.690 --> 00:17:00.450 coming together and talking. It's saving lives 00:17:00.450 --> 00:17:06.670 because actually what I've found is a brotherhood 00:17:06.670 --> 00:17:11.910 of men and warriors and people that have come 00:17:11.910 --> 00:17:15.680 together. to support people that actually they 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:18.380 don't know, that they may never have met in their 00:17:18.380 --> 00:17:20.980 life, but they still go there and they help. 00:17:21.460 --> 00:17:23.519 And they will sit there and they'll listen and 00:17:23.519 --> 00:17:28.079 go, yeah, dude, I'm here with you. I've got your 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:33.420 back. And how amazing can that feel just from 00:17:33.420 --> 00:17:42.200 a complete stranger? And yeah, I feel I can feel 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:49.019 myself. choking up a little bit and feeling a 00:17:49.019 --> 00:17:53.500 little bit heavy on this situation. But that's 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:57.279 only because of the amazing things that I think 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:00.539 of Man Down and the things I've achieved because 00:18:00.539 --> 00:18:06.799 of this amazing organisation. The fact that I 00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:10.460 have sat here and spoke about them for the last 00:18:10.460 --> 00:18:19.289 18 minutes. I think that's a testament to how 00:18:19.289 --> 00:18:25.750 I feel and everything that has gone on. For me, 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:32.670 Man Down has changed my life. And I sound like 00:18:32.670 --> 00:18:39.349 a broken record. But hopefully, I have spoken 00:18:39.349 --> 00:18:45.750 to a few other members of the groups. a couple 00:18:45.750 --> 00:18:48.750 of facilitators have offered to come and speak 00:18:48.750 --> 00:18:52.369 to me on this podcast, which will be amazing, 00:18:52.430 --> 00:18:58.190 to have some great men who volunteer their time. 00:18:58.390 --> 00:19:02.650 And let me say this now. All the facilitators 00:19:02.650 --> 00:19:06.349 at Man Down are volunteers. They are not trained 00:19:06.349 --> 00:19:09.410 therapists. They are not doctors. They are just 00:19:09.410 --> 00:19:13.339 other men that have been through... their mental 00:19:13.339 --> 00:19:17.960 illness and they want to help others with theirs 00:19:17.960 --> 00:19:21.200 so i think each and every one of them is an amazing 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:25.160 person each facilitator each volunteer each man 00:19:25.160 --> 00:19:28.619 that has raised money or organized his stuff 00:19:28.619 --> 00:19:32.200 for man down you know helped keep the whole thing 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:36.599 going you know they are absolutely amazing um 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:40.240 amazing people and yeah hopefully we can have 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:44.519 Some guys here to chat to us soon, which will 00:19:44.519 --> 00:19:46.500 be absolutely fantastic. I really look forward 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:53.500 to that. But what can I say? I think I've covered 00:19:53.500 --> 00:20:02.599 as much as probably I could in this 25, 30 minutes 00:20:02.599 --> 00:20:09.529 of podcast that I am trying to cover. Some of 00:20:09.529 --> 00:20:12.549 you may notice that actually, as much as this 00:20:12.549 --> 00:20:15.009 is a monthly podcast, I'm actually a little bit 00:20:15.009 --> 00:20:19.769 early releasing this. And that is because a friend 00:20:19.769 --> 00:20:27.730 of mine, actually, he's running the London Marathon 00:20:27.730 --> 00:20:30.990 this year. And actually, I'm recording this on... 00:20:33.519 --> 00:20:36.299 On Wednesday, he will be doing it in about four 00:20:36.299 --> 00:20:38.119 or five days' time on the Sunday, whatever it 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:41.099 is. So Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, four 00:20:41.099 --> 00:20:43.819 days. So four days away, he's running the Plymouth 00:20:43.819 --> 00:20:49.640 Deep. No. I'm getting all flustered. He's running 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.819 the London Marathon, actually raising money for 00:20:52.819 --> 00:20:56.940 a great organisation called We Are With You, 00:20:57.119 --> 00:21:03.180 who help with rehabilitation. with addiction 00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:09.480 so um fantastic fantastic guy great cause um 00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:11.740 and I want to wish him the best of luck because 00:21:11.740 --> 00:21:13.140 he actually said he was going to listen to this 00:21:13.140 --> 00:21:17.539 podcast during the the marathon so Ross I want 00:21:17.539 --> 00:21:20.299 to wish you all the best of luck and I hope that 00:21:20.299 --> 00:21:27.220 my um my ramblings I want to call them um my 00:21:27.220 --> 00:21:31.019 views my my opinions. I hope that they have got 00:21:31.019 --> 00:21:37.000 you through, um, 20, 30 minutes of pain that 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:39.420 you're probably going through at the time. Um, 00:21:39.720 --> 00:21:47.079 so that is a big shout out to Ross. So, um, so 00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:51.200 really as we come to the end of episode two, 00:21:51.400 --> 00:21:57.279 um, if you know someone out there and a man that, 00:21:59.039 --> 00:22:01.740 could do with a little support maybe they need 00:22:01.740 --> 00:22:05.799 someone to to help them talk through their problems 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:12.700 help them start vocalizing some of the issues 00:22:12.700 --> 00:22:14.559 that they're going through rather than bottling 00:22:14.559 --> 00:22:20.380 them up then maybe have a look for the man down 00:22:20.380 --> 00:22:24.799 website you can google man down supporting men's 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.880 mental health and you'll find the website and 00:22:26.880 --> 00:22:29.880 on there is a list of dates and locations please 00:22:29.880 --> 00:22:32.680 check out if there's a location near you if not 00:22:32.680 --> 00:22:35.559 if there's not a location near you maybe maybe 00:22:35.559 --> 00:22:40.039 you know a man that would be great to help to 00:22:40.039 --> 00:22:43.099 maybe start a group in your local area that would 00:22:43.099 --> 00:22:49.319 be amazing so let's hope that we can get a a 00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:56.289 man down meeting in every city in the uk let's 00:22:56.289 --> 00:22:59.390 make man down accessible to the men of the uk 00:22:59.390 --> 00:23:03.029 and let's hope that it can help other men like 00:23:03.029 --> 00:23:05.750 it's helped me like it's helped countless men 00:23:05.750 --> 00:23:12.390 in the uk um it's been a hell of a journey and 00:23:12.390 --> 00:23:17.150 as we sit right now um I will be running the 00:23:17.150 --> 00:23:20.769 Plymouth Half Marathon in about two and a half 00:23:20.769 --> 00:23:23.690 weeks to raise money for Man Down. Currently, 00:23:23.690 --> 00:23:29.269 that fundraiser is sat at £1 ,222. And that is 00:23:29.269 --> 00:23:31.170 a phenomenal amount and that's going to help 00:23:31.170 --> 00:23:34.750 massively. So anyone that is listening to this 00:23:34.750 --> 00:23:37.849 podcast that has donated to my fundraiser or 00:23:37.849 --> 00:23:40.130 has listened to me on TikTok and given me a gift 00:23:40.130 --> 00:23:43.009 on TikTok, you've helped with that and you are 00:23:43.009 --> 00:23:45.490 helping men's mental health in a massive way. 00:23:45.480 --> 00:23:52.420 way um and as always guys i just want to remind 00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:54.559 you you are not alone if you are listening to 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:59.299 this podcast right now you are not alone together 00:23:59.299 --> 00:24:03.099 we can end the silence around mental health and 00:24:03.099 --> 00:24:07.720 save lives it's all about creating that community 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:14.130 and connection so That is that for this month's 00:24:14.130 --> 00:24:19.269 podcast, guys. I'm thankful that you've come 00:24:19.269 --> 00:24:22.130 back. I'm thankful for anyone that is downloading 00:24:22.130 --> 00:24:25.250 this podcast and listening to my ramblings. I 00:24:25.250 --> 00:24:29.710 appreciate each and every one of you. But hopefully 00:24:29.710 --> 00:24:34.289 next, well, not hopefully, next month, we will 00:24:34.289 --> 00:24:38.730 be bringing in our very first guest to the Pink 00:24:38.730 --> 00:24:43.140 Persuader on mental health. So we will be welcoming 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:48.380 my best friend, Dennis Levy, who is a double 00:24:48.380 --> 00:24:51.900 amputee who has suffered with PTSD. He's also 00:24:51.900 --> 00:24:55.339 autistic and ADHD. So we are going to have a 00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:57.440 great conversation around some of the coping 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:00.779 strategies he's learned, some of the ways he 00:25:00.779 --> 00:25:03.279 has coped with his mental health. And we're going 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:08.500 to learn a different perspective to mine. So 00:25:08.500 --> 00:25:13.859 please join me for that. And as always, guys, 00:25:14.140 --> 00:25:20.440 I just want to say much love and be more kind. 00:25:20.539 --> 00:25:23.099 Be more kind to yourselves and be more kind to 00:25:23.099 --> 00:25:29.119 everyone else. And stay pink and stay positive. 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:30.960 See you next time.