The Proper Mental Podcast

Gary Mansfield

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!

Laura Belbin

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!

SK Shlomo

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!

Dr Rosalind Watts

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!

Jon Salmon

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!

Bon Collins

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!

Men’s Sheds

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!

Satveer Nijjar

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!

Josh Connolly

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!

Gail Porter

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!