The banking and mortgage broking business got here collectively for a strong occasion known as MANtalk, the place 5 outstanding males bravely shared their private experiences with psychological well being struggles, isolation, and suicide.

This exceptional show of vulnerability and assist raised $6,000 for psychological well being charity Past Blue, which was matched by occasion sponsor AMP Financial institution bringing the overall quantity to $12,000.

Justin Brooker, a 34-year-old mortgage dealer from MoneyQuest Australia, mentioned MANtalk was “one of the highly effective days” of his life after discussing his struggles with suicidal ideas.

“I confronted a number of hundred individuals and disclosed my critical psychological well being struggles final 12 months and my current ADHD prognosis,” Brooker mentioned. “It was additionally well timed as immediately marks the sixth anniversary of my Kind 1 diabetes prognosis.”

MANtalk: 5 males’s psychological well being tales of success

The occasion, held on-line and on the AMP Financial institution occasion area in Melbourne on December 8, opened with occasion organiser Tripti Goyal mentioning some details from Past Blue:

• Males are much less prone to search psychological well being assist than ladies
• One in seven males will expertise despair of their lifetime – equating to over 3.four million males or 13.2% of the Australian inhabitants
• One in 5 males expertise an anxiousness situation like OCD, PTSD, or generalised anxiousness dysfunction
• Males are thrice extra prone to die from suicide than ladies with 3,455 males taking their very own lives in 2022 – or six males a day

From there, the occasion delved right into a panel dialogue hosted by dealer mentor Therese O’Neill and that includes:

• Justin Brooker, MoneyQuest mortgage dealer;
• Paul Herbert, head of middleman distribution & finance, AMP Financial institution;
• Kerry Kalendra, dealer & 2023 VIC/TAS Wellness Advocate of the Yr;
• Anthony Wick, Nationwide Mortgage Brokers (nMB) partnerships supervisor & 2023 Australian Wellness Advocate of the Yr and
• Chris Foster-Ramsay, mortgage dealer at Foster Ramsay Finance.

Eradicating the masks on psychological well being battles

For Foster-Ramsay, speaking about his expertise was “personally uncomfortable” regardless of his expertise as a media commentator.

“I believed my story was greatest stored personal,” Foster-Ramsay mentioned. “However what I discovered yesterday was that by bringing it out within the open and discussing it as a part of a panel, it introduced it to the forefront of dialogue. My message lastly meant one thing to me and was valued by others.”

“Males’s psychological well being is a matter that wants the masks taken off and put within the open for open dialogue. Actually, presently of 12 months, it will get worse.”

Foster-Ramsay talked concerning the loneliness of working a small enterprise, having to ‘slot in’ over the festive season to please others and concern over controlling money stream in a time of the excessive price of dwelling can all snowball to a crushing degree in some.

“To those that can relate to this, I completely sympathise, and I promise I’m right here for you,” Foster-Ramsay mentioned.

“There’s a neighborhood of brokers and small enterprise house owners who’ve been by way of the darkish tunnel earlier than you and emerged. There are untapped sources that may be accessed – simply by selecting up the cellphone.”

MANtalk: The significance of connection

After the panel, psychological well being clinician Kim Graham and suicide prevention officer Breanna Campbell talked by way of the indicators of suicide and what actions it is best to take in the event you or somebody you understand are experiencing signs.

This was adopted by a speech by Bronwyn Penhaligon, a strategic psychotherapist specialist in anxiousness, who offered an in-depth evaluation of tension and sensible instruments to beat computerized damaging ideas and overthinking.

“Sincere conversations about vulnerability are disruptive,” Penahaligon mentioned. “They shine mild in darkish corners and pressure us to take a look at what lays hidden. And generally, that reveal adjustments every thing. I used to be honoured to listen to 5 very completely different, extremely highly effective tales of survival yesterday.”

“These 5 brave males shared their full experiences of ‘lower than superior’ psychological well being – every detailing the build-up, the ‘occasion’, the therapeutic … as I listened to their actual, uncooked truths, a strong underlying theme tied all of them collectively – the significance of connection.”

The occasion concluded by offering sources, due to Past Blue and AMP Financial institution, to assist attendees on the occasion in addition to afterwards with a comply with up electronic mail containing info on native psychological well being clinics, assist teams, and different sources.

Amongst people who attended the occasion had been (pictured above left to proper), Anthony Wick, Justin Brooker, Kerry Kalendra, Chris Foster-Ramsay, Kim Graham, Paul Herbert, Tripti Goyal, Therese O’Neill, Bronwyn Penhaligon and Breeanna Campbell.

To get assist immediately, name a Past Blue counsellor on 1300 22 4636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14