The Proper Mental Podcast

Kunt & The Gang

Welcome to episode 159 with Kunt, who is a sometime comedy songwriter turned major irritant who records and performs as Kunt & The Gang!

At Christmas 2020, his other band The K*nts, had an unexpected top 5 hit single with their protest song Boris Johnson is a F**king C**t.  Since then, they have had top 20 hits with Boris Johnson is STILL a F**king C**t, F** The Tories and Scrap The Monarchy despite having no record company, no management, no PR company and no financial backing.

In this episode I chat to Mr K about his about his extensive career on the cold, outer fringes of show business and the mental impact of trying to live a creative lifestyle and go against the grain.

We chat about being skint, the state of the nation and the importance of community and protest.
We also chat about why he's not doing a Xmas single this year and has chosen to support a mystery, Bansky style musical outfit called The Krackpots who are releasing 'Proper Christmas' under very mysterious circumstances on 8th of December.

This is a much lovelier and profound chat than you’ll be expecting and I really enjoyed being part of it!  I’ve loved what Mr K has done to the Christmas charts over the last few years and I will always cheer for the independent artists and the underdogs who are trying to do something different. 

Get all the info about The Krackpots – Proper Christmas at www.properchristmas.info

Connect with Kunt on social media @kuntandthegang or katg.info

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

A 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!

Christmas For CAMHS

Welcome to episode 158 with Ro Bevan from Christmas For CAMHS, a registered charity who provides special Christmas gifts every year for children and young people who are inpatients in child and adolescent mental health (CAMHS) wards across the UK over the Christmas holiday period.

Dr Ro Bevan got things started after working on CAMHS wards at Christmas and noticing a huge disparity in the way CAMHS units were treated over the festive period compared to other NHS services for children and young people.

Now Christmas for CAMHS aim to make children and young people who are inpatients over the festive season feel thought-about, special and included

In this episode I chat to Ro about how the charity came to be and the wonderful work that they are doing for young people on mental health wards at Christmas.

We chat about where the idea came from and how it got started and we chat about the logistics of organising and delivering gifts all over the UK and the wonderful volunteers that make this happen.

I think what Ro and the team are doing is incredible!  Please go and see what they are up to and get involved if you can!

Instagram @christmasforcamhs

Twitter @Xmas4CAMHS

Facebook @ChristmasForCAMHS

www.christmasforcahms.org.uk and Donate Here Christmas For CAMHS - JustGiving

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!

Reed Amber

Welcome to episode 157 with Reed Amber, who is a proud sex worker, educator, anti-shamer and activist.  She is also co-founder of ComeCurious, a leading channel about sex and relationships and co-host of the award-winning F**ks Given podcast. 

Reed describes herself as an anxious child and she became aware of her mental health from a young age.  In this episode Reed guides me through her early experiences that led to her being diagnosed with OCD.

We chat about the different ways that OCD has affected Reed over the years and all the things she’s tried to manage it.

We talk about being addicted to drugs and phones, body image, resisting medication, different types of therapy, breakdowns and break throughs.

We also chat about sex and Reed’s work around anti-shaming.  Shame and guilt are both words that are far too often associated with both sex and mental illness and it was wonderful to explore this complicated topic with Reed.

I loved chatting to Reed!  She was a lot of fun and has some fascinating insights to s*x and mental illness.

You can connect with reed on social media @reedamberx and subscribe to her Only Fans here: Reed OnlyFans

You can find Come Curious here Come Curious - YouTube and follow @comecurious

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

An 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!

Bonus: Mental Wealth Festival 2023 Live Panel

Welcome to this bonus episode which was recorded live at this year’s Mental Wealth Festival in October 2023.

The Mental Wealth Festival is an annual event, hosted by City Lit, and offers free or low-fee events, including in person and online workshops, talks, discussions, exhibitions, and other activities.

I was honoured to be asked to join a panel for experts and campaigners to chat about men's mental health in contemporary society, the possible factors that impact men's wellbeing, and explore the ways in which authentic social connection and creative activity can support psychological health and healing.

The event was hosted by Ian Tucknott, who is an educator, cultural theorist, creative practitioner, and trainee art psychotherapist, with 15 years’ experience of teaching & managing in the areas of contemporary art, critical & cultural theory, and art history.

Joining me as part of the panel were Yashoda Rodgers, who is Public Programmes Manager at 64 Million Artists and they work to explore the impact of how our individual and collective creativity can make positive change in our lives and the world around us

Jon Salmon, an award-winning video producer, a digital pioneer and Co-CEO of the Speakers Collective who are challenging stigma and facilitating important conversations with lived experience speakers.

Stu Mills is Founder and Director of The Noisy Brain, a global Social Enterprise that aims to help people with mental health issues and up-and-coming musicians through lyrics, music and social connection.

Luke Ambler who is a former professional rugby player, dad, storyteller, the founder of ANDYSMANCLUB, 3 x Ironman, and an award-winning mental health campaigner.

This bonus episode is the audio from the evening that was recorded live over Zoom.  You can watch the video recording by joining the Patreon community.

It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates and everything goes towards keeping the show independent and ad free.

Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon

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!

Top 5 Songs for your Mental Health with Chris & Stu from Hardcore Listing

Welcome to episode 156, where I’m joined by Chris & Stu from Hardcore Listings for a men’s mental health awareness month special!

I reached out to the lads to borrow the Hardcore Listings format and do a Top 5 and they chose to do songs that are good for your mental health.

I also really love how comfortable both Chris & Stu are talking about things like mental health and emotions and all the things that men are always told they don’t speak about.

I also love the way they talk about this stuff, with humour and compassion.

These deeper conversations can be fun as well, it doesn’t always have to be serious and official and I wanted to show that with this episode.

We chat about sadness, grief, mental health and bad days and we chat about happy memories, good times and great songs.

We chat about The Bee Gees, Kae Tempest, Reef, Royal Blood, Sage Francis and the Grease soundtrack and we also chat about feeling your feelings and why music can feel like a hug when you need one.

You can check out all the songs from this episode on this Spotify playlist!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6ZqjlJF07aCNBqD4mZab1c?si=3876a98af9cd4c99

I love hanging out with these two idiots!

Follow them @hardcorelisting

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

A 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!

Sammy Trotman

Welcome to episode 155 with Sammy Trotman, who is the writer and creator of ‘That’s Not My Name’ a show about mental illness, labels and trauma.

Sammy started writing the show while she was in a psychiatric hospital and the reasons why she ended up in hospital are what the show is based around.

In this episode I chat to Sammy about writing the show and about open up conversations through performance, stories and humour.

We talk about the impact that society has on mental welling being and just trying to be a good person, getting by in life can be so difficult in a world that doesn’t necessarily value those qualities.

We talk about Borderline Personality Disorder, rejecting labels, being creative and rebelling against social norms.

This is a wonderful chat and I loved hanging out with Sammy.  We could have talked all day and we really explored a lot of different aspects of mental illness.  It was great to talk freely and dig in to these things with the nuance and compassion that they deserve.

Connect with Sammy and keep an eye out for tour dates here:

@thatsnotmynameofficial

@sammytrotman

@coveredinjam

www.coveredinjam.info

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

A 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!

Mark Richardson

Welcome to episode 154 with Mark Richardson, who is the drummer in Skunk Anansie and has previously played drums in Little Angels and Feeder.

As a child Mark found that playing drums was the only that kept him from bouncing off the walls and he eventually moved to London to join Little Angels before joining Skunk Anansie after he met the band at the Kerrang! awards.

Mark struggled with addiction for many years before getting sober in 2003 and in this episode, I chat to him about the role that drink and drugs have played in his life, the events that led him to get help and the 3 years it took him to finally stop.

We chat about identity, wearing masks, going to AA and the realities of the so-called rock and roll lifestyle.

Mark is one of the co-founders of the Music Support charity that is a non-profit collective of volunteers and professionals providing help and support for individuals in any area of the music industry and we chat about how they got started and the incredible work that they do.

Mark has also been involved in to lots of research about the positive impact of playing drums on wellbeing. Neurodiversity and dementia and that’s a fascinating part of this conversation.

Here is everything you need to connect with Mark and learn more about Music Support:

@markrichdrums

@musicsupport_uk

@officialskunkannansie

http://musicsupport.org

http://skunkanansie.com

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

A 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!

Vanessa Cornell

Welcome to episode 153 with Vanessa Cornell, who is a surfer, writer, teacher a messy mum of 5 and the founder of Nushu, an organisation that holds a safe space and creates a supportive environment for those seeking to live authentic, inspired, and joyful lives through the power of true community.

At one point in time, Vanessa had everything that she thought she was supposed to.  She had the perfect family and the perfect life and no idea who she really was. 

This disconnection pushed her to a dark place and she was forced to look at her life, and herself, to work out how to reconnect with herself and the people in her life.

In this episode I chat to Vanessa about the breakdown and the breakthrough that forced her to really look at herself.

We chat about living authentically, showing up, holding space and getting better and we chat about what these things actually mean and how to get started.

I’ve followed Vanessa on social media for some time and her content often gives me pause for thought, so it was wonderful to spend some time with her and learn more about her work and why she does it.

You can follow Vanessa on Instagram @vanessacornell and @nushu.

Her website can be found at https://nushu.com

You can support Proper Mental by signing up to the Patreon community!  It’s £5 a month for early access to episodes as soon as the recording is finished, a monthly Zoom hangout and loads of other behind the scenes updates.

Sign up here: Proper Mental Podcast | Normalising open and honest conversations about mental health! | Patreon

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!

Kieran Cunningham

Welcome to episode 152 with Kieran Cunningham, who is an author, climber and mountaineer.

After being diagnosed with Bipolar 1 while at university, Kieran spent a decade travelling around the world trying to figure out what he wanted to do and how he was going to live with this diagnosis.

Along the way he found that climbing was the perfect way for him to find peace and manage his illness.

Eventually he landed in Italy where the mountains and local climbing community helped him to keep well but that changed when Covid hit and Italy became one of the first countries to lock down.

In Kieran’s book ‘Climbing the Walls’ he writes about what it was like to be trapped inside, away from the mountains, on his own and feeling his mental state drift towards mania while rapidly running out of medication.

In this episode I chat to Kieran about being diagnosed with a mental illness, at a young age and at a time when no one was talking about bipolar.

We chat about how bipolar has impacted him throughout his life, his love of climbing and how it helps his mental state and we chat about his time in Italy that led to him writing the book.

We chat about shame, stigma, nature, travel and all sorts of other stuff.

Climbing the Walls is available in all good book shops and you can follow Kieran on Instagram @kieranjamescunningham.

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!

Kim Davies

Welcome to episode 151 with Kim Davies!

My wife Kim and I originally recorded and released this episode in April 2021.

At that time, we were both quite nervous about putting our story out there so I just slipped it out as a bonus with very little promotion.  It had such a wonderful response and is still one of the episodes that I get the most feedback from.

I can’t tell my story without Kim telling hers so I wanted to give it a proper release alongside episode 150 which is also out today and is me being interviewed on the Full of Beans podcast.

At that time Proper Mental was only a few episodes in and I was still very much learning on the job.

We put the kids to bed, set a mic on the table, put the kettle on and just had a chat in the kitchen.

It’s scruffy and loose and really quite beautiful to listen back to it now.

A lot came out in the conversation that neither of us were expecting and it was moving for me to get Kim’s side of the story.

We actually tried to do a follow up but it didn’t work and it just felt like there was nothing left to say.

This episode says it all.

Depression can be all consuming and as much as the person struggling feels like they are drowning, they can also be pulling the people around them under. 

This chat is a real insight in to watching someone you love suffer.

We chat about what it’s like to live with someone who is struggling, why it’s important to talk and how Kim navigated the ups and downs of my mental health.

We also chat about how my problems brought us closer together and by nearly ruining our marriage, actually made it stronger.

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!