I’ve been running Beers With Mates for three years now and when we went through the process of creating the logo and slogan, a few mates and I put our heads together and came up with Solid Chat: Stronger Contact. Now, what this means for me is that, as you start to open up to your mates about what’s really happening in your life, they’re given the opportunity to step up as mates to support you.

At the same time, once you open up, it opens the door for them to do the same and you’re able to now become more honest with one another which forges a much stronger friendship. I’ve been pretty open about my struggles with depression and I’ve shared that story previously but, if I’m really honest, that’s not my key struggle when it comes to mental health and some of my close mates will know that.

Today, I’d like to walk you through the full story of what’s been happening with me because:

1, I’m lucky to now be in a secure job where my boss knows the story and is open with me sharing it; and

2. In learning to better manage my mental health, it was these stories from people with shared experience that really helped me, so I hope to be able to do the same.