The Fellowman Podcast

**Warning - This episode talks in some detail about topics including fertility treatment, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancies so please consider this if you are triggered by any of these.**

If you’ve listened to any previous episodes of the pod, you’ll know that breaking the stigma around men’s mental health and getting more men talking about this stuff is something that I believe is incredibly important. While, in general I think we’re doing a better job talking about men’s mental health there are still some topics related to men’s health & wellness in general that are not talked about.

One of these is the whole area of having kids, and specifically what happens when this does not happen naturally. Topics such as infertility (in both men and women) IVF, adoption and surrogacy are impacting more and more couples these days, but if my own experience is anything to go by, most men find themselves navigating these challenges with little in the way of support from other men who have been through it before.

I’ve been conscious of wanting to talk about this for a while on the podcast, but it's taken a while to find the right time and person to explore this with. Well, I’m really pleased that the time is now right, both as my wife and I have reached the happy conclusion of our own fertility journey, and I found the right co-host to explore this in more detail along with his own story. I’m joined by Anthony Palmer, who while not related shares a passion for men’s mental health & wellness through his Wake, Dad, Drink Repeat podcast, so we decided to team up for this episode that will go out on both feeds.

So, have a listen as we dig into both of our experiences with IVF, adoption & surrogacy and most importantly share this episode with a Fellowman who may be going through something similar and needs support.

Connect with me on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Listen on iTunes here.

In this episode of the Fellowman Podcast I’m joined by leadership coach turned former athlete mentor Jeff Murray. 

Like me you’re probably wondering what a former athlete mentor does, which is exactly why I wanted to get Jeff on the pod to dig into this in more detail…

What’s most fascinating about this chat with Jeff is not just his own unique story of how he got into working with former athletes, but how he works with former athletes helping them navigate specific challenges once their sporting career is over.

For any of us who have struggled to cope when something we identify with as strongly as sports, a job, or a relationship suddenly ends, then this episode is well worth a listen to understand how to navigate challenging life transitions.

Links to resources mentioned during this episode:

Jeff on LinkedIn 

https://athletesafterlife.com/ 

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/athletes-afterlife-with-jeff-murray/id1653783548 

Book - The Mindful Athlete 

Book - Untethered Soul

https://www.instagram.com/samsons_strength/?hl=en

If you’ve listened to any of my previous podcasts you’ll know I love exploring the intersection of sports, mental health and performance. So when I come across experts in this space I’m always keen to get them on the podcast for a chat.

My guest on this episode is a fellow USA based Brit, Lee Povey, a former elite track cycling coach turned leadership coach who works with startup founders and CEO’s to help them maximise their potential.

What’s most interesting about this chat with Lee is how he transitioned from working with elite athletes on the cycling track to the world of business coaching and how his experience developing the mental aspects of performance in athletes helps develop a winning mindset in entrepreneurs.

Lee is also a fellow devotee and believer in men’s work so we also dig into his experience with men’s groups, healthy masculinity and much more.

Stay tuned for a Part 2 with Lee where we take one of my own questions / challenges I brought up in this episode and explore it in more detail in a live coaching session. So, if you are keen to explore exactly what Lee does and how he works with clients keep a look out for this.

Welcome to the first official episode under the new FELLOWMAN banner! I'm joined by another great fellow man, Mr Andrew Newton. Andrew is a mental health champion and men’s coach who I met recently through a regular Thursday morning workout / men's group here in Austin called the MPOWERED Brotherhood.

Aside from how similar our interests, history and approach to mental health are, what I love most about this conversation with Andrew is the way in which he shares his own mental health journey and specifically the role that men’s work has played in this.

We get into some detail on mental health diagnoses, the complex area of psychiatric medications, taking ownership of your lifestyle and much more. 

You can follow Andrew here on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/iamandrewnewton/

Links to other resources mentioned in this episode:

My interview with Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Cecelia Howard.

You’re most likely listening to this as you’d previously subscribed to what was The Blackdog Cast, so I wanted to take a few minutes to explain why I’ve decided to change the name and focus of the podcast.

When I started the podcast, Blackdog was a project that was born out of mine and one of my best friends struggles with depression and Bipolar. The name itself refers to what Winston Churchill used to call his own very serious bouts of depression.

Since then, I’ve learned alot about my own mental health, talked to a lot of people, some of whom have been featured on previous episodes of the podcast, and while my own mental health issues are certainly not fixed, they are a lot better.

So it feels like a good moment to put the Blackdog to rest and focus on a more positive outlook going forward and also a slightly wider context looking at both mental, physical and spiritual health for men. 

That’s where Fellowman comes in; a curated source of knowledge, inspiration and storytelling for men looking to improve their mental, physical and spiritual health. Throughout my own journey, I’ve learned alot about my own health and wellness, mostly from some of the many people I’ve met along the way who are far more knowledgeable than I am on these matters.

So, stay tuned over the coming months for some great episodes with coaches, experts, entrepreneurs, scientists who have all got stories or knowledge that can help our Fellowman. 

In this episode i’m joined by award winning Neuroscientist Dr Scott Frey. Scott has spent the last 30 years in academic research into neuroscience, psychology and how they impact human performance. He’s recently made the shift into the world of business as a mindset coach and mentor, using his experience in neuroscience to help individuals and companies achieve increased performance and improved quality of life.

We dig into some of the neuroscience around mental health and developing a healthy mindset, what we can do minimise stress and other lifestyle factors that contribute to a healthy brain. As a fellow cyclist, Scott and I also talk in detail about balancing the pressures of being an amateur athlete, how too much data might be a bad thing, and how pro cyclists are impacted by the latest developments in neuroscience, mindset and psychology.

If you like what you hear please give this episode a rating on iTunes and share it with a friend.

You can connect with Scott and find out more about his work via his website, LinkedIn or directly via email; [email protected]

In another episode tackling the tricky subject of layoffs I'm joined by fellow bike industry exec and all round good chap Rhys Howell who like me was impacted by the layoffs sweeping many industries in the past months.

We chat about how Rhys has been handling the situation and dig into some of the detail around what's happening in the bike industry right now which has lead to this sort of thing. 

We also just have a good catch up and talk about life in Berlin, pro bike racing, Remco's lack of banter, will G win the Giro (alas he didn't).. and how Rhys became the most famous welshman in Berlin thanks to a gorilla marketing sticker campaign. Tune in to find out more...

You can connect with Rhys on Insta or LinkedIn.

I'll be honest, this episode started out about layoffs, specifically mine, and wanting to dig a little deeper into the current state of the mental health start-up landscape and why we're seeing something of a harsh re-adjustment in recent months.

But, it proved to be a way more interesting and uplifting chat with journalist Chris Larson from Behavioral Health business on the wider mental health business landscape in the US. We dig into the explosion of VC funding into mental health start-ups in recent years, what fueled this, and ultimately what has caused the recent blip.

We also dig into the psychedelic side of the business in particular and look at some of the challenges specifically with Ketamine based start-ups right now.

Most importantly we end things on a positive note with a reminder that despite these challenges the future looks bright for many of these companies who are offering much needed services to folks that need mental health help.

You can follow Chris here on the following platforms:

LinkedIn.

Getting #laidoff sucks in a big way. It happened to me back in February and after laying low for a few months and licking my wounds I decided to get back in action by talking about it with some of the many, many folks in my LinkedIn feed in the last few months who are in the same boat.

First up is Jimmy Mouton, our paths crossed briefly in my agency days when he worked at Nike and he popped up in my feed a few weeks ago with his "Laid Off And Learning" content series. Just the sort of positive spin on getting laid off I was looking for!

So in this chat we talk about Jimmy's career in sports and the burgeoning Web3 / NFT space and what he's done since getting laid off... 

You can connect with Jimmy on the following platforms:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmymouton/

If you like what you hear please share this with someone and give it a rating / comment on iTunes.

As part of my wife Gretchen's new podcast, Leading with Pleasure we turned the tables and I got to interview her and talk about her recent work in conscious leadership.. which includes;

• Mental health & well-being at work