The Mental Health Advocate Who Started with a 3KM Run He Couldn't Finish

In this episode of The Student Guide, Jeffrey sits down with Raj, founder of Open Talk, mental health advocate, and psychology graduate, for a powerful conversation about breaking stigma, self-love, and navigating mental health within culture and community.

Raj shares:
- Why he launched Open Talk during lockdown
- How TikTok and podcasting became tools for mental health advocacy
- The importance of opening up and having honest conversations
- The impact of culture, generational trauma, and stigma
- Why self-awareness and self-love matter more than ever

From discussing Tamil mental health and generational trauma to creating safe spaces online, this episode is packed with insight, vulnerability, and practical life advice.

If you’ve ever struggled in silence, felt judged, or wondered how to start difficult conversations, this episode is for you.

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Transcript

I was worried about getting judged for some of the content I put out. Like, even recently, like I said, that I'm trying to make links with mental health and everything. Mm. So I started doing skits- Mm ... as, like, a fun way to deliver mental health messages. 

Yeah. 

At first I thought I was gonna get clowned.

Like, "What is this guy doing?" But then the love I received from it was surprising. Right. Like, it was very surprising to see, like, um, a lot of people reaching out saying, "Yeah," like, "this was a really good video. The message is really good." Mm. And that's what matters. Mm. As long as you're doing something with positivity behind it, I don't see how someone could judge your hustle for it.

Hello, everyone. Hope you're doing well. Hope you're looking after yourselves. Welcome to another episode of the Student Guide. Uh, we know it's been a bit of a minute since, uh, we've had an episode come out, but we've had a very busy March, and we didn't wanna burn out. So, uh, and it links to the theme of this episode-

'cause we will be talking about mental health. Uh, but yeah, we hope you're well, hope you're looking after yourselves. Um, we are back with another episode, another chapter of this incredible book. Uh, but yes, we're gonna get started with an introduction to our guest. As you know, I don't like doing introductions.

I think it's best for us to hear from these incredible people. So instead I'm gonna hand over to today's guest speaker. Thank you for coming. Can we know a bit more about you and what you do? 

Um, hi, guys, my name is Rajivan, Raj for short. Um, I'm a, basically a mental health advocate. I've been running my own page called Open Talk since 2021, something I started during lockdown.

And only, uh, last year I started venturing into TikTok and the world of TikTok. Um, my content, especially around mental health, is tailored to my community, the Tamil Eelam community, but I feel like my content is relatable to all sorts of community in itself. Mm. And the message is simple- Mm ... to talk about mental health, get people to open up about their problems, and just to show how powerful it is.

Yeah, man. I really appreciate that. And, uh, if you're a avid, uh, viewer of all of our content, um, Raj came recommended from Jivana- Yes ... um, who runs, uh, the, phew, her business name just literally- 

Uh, Scientica. 

Thank you so much. It, it literally slips out my, my... But Scientica News. Um, so yes, so you're not only getting an amazing guest speaker, you're getting one that's recommended-

by someone else who's been on the podcast and enjoyed it. Um, as you know, we don't go, we don't start an episode without our world famous, uh, 44 questions by the incredible Amanda from 44 Words. Uh, and she has picked a question- Okay ... to ask you, Raj. Uh, it's, it's, it's a big one- It is a big one. Okay, okay

especially 

given, given everything that's currently going on in the world. Okay. Um, how can we be happier as humans? 

Ooh. How can we be happier as humans? I think happiness, everyone has their own definition of happiness. Mm. Um, it's very a subjective term in my opinion. Mm. Um, if I was to give my input of how we can be happier as humans is doing what we love.

Mm-hmm. 

I think that's the most important thing about happiness, and also living life for yourself. I think through w- seeing other people and my own personal experience. So another thing about me is I work as a teaching assistant at a secondary school, so- I'm seeing kids go through that change- Mm ... the hormonal changes, the emotional changes, friendship problems, relationship problems.

And I think, uh, something that I've seen for other people and myself is that we try and please others. Mm. We care too much about what others think, and I think you need to take a step back and start caring more about what you think. 

Mm. 

Prioritize your own be- uh, your own needs. And self-love is something I always preach- Mm

um, on my page, and I think love yourself and happiness will come through that, I think. 

Beautiful. Thank you, man. Thank you. Um, well, I think there's no better place to start than the beginning. Yeah. So let's talk about, um, OpenTalk. Yes. So this started while you were studying psychology. 

Yes. 

What gap did you see that made you think, "People need this"?

Yes. 

And what was your first in- uh, first real intention behind the page? 

So to be honest, I wanna take it back to probably when I was, like, 11 or 

12. 

Mm. And, um, I think mental health is something I realized that was always around me. Um, I have a family with mental health history, uh, supporting my family members with mental health and supporting friends with mental health, um, growing up, and seeing what they went through was really eye-opening.

Mm. And I think the first insight and knowledge I got was probably when I decided to take psychology, uh, for GCSEs. Mm. So luckily my school, my secondary school, uh, it's called The Pirate School, shout out, um, they did GCSE psychology, which is very rare- Mm ... in the current education system. 

Mm. 

And that gave me a proper eye-opener, and it made me understand a bit about the brain- 

Mm

the way we think and, like, why it is people go through certain things. And then I was like, "This is something I wanna pursue a career 

in." 

Mm. And then, so I did it for GCSEs, I did it for A-levels, and then, uh, during A-level I went through some personal issues that made it very difficult for me to do my exams.

But then I managed to get through that hurdle, and I went to Kingston University to do my undergrad in psychology. 

Mm. 

And with first year, I absolutely loved it. My... Normally first year is like the unserious year. Like- ... people do uni, not university. 

Yeah. 

Um, I, I guess I had a balance of having my own fun first year and also taking uni seriously.

Mm. And I remember my attendance was, like, 90-something percent. All 

right. 

I was, I got a first class on my first year. I was proper proud. I was proper proud of myself, and I was like, "You know what? I wanna do more." 

Mm. 

And then lockdown happened. Mm. And then obviously if you know, if you live in the UK, you know the job market is terrible.

Mm. 

So I wanted to do my own work to show how passionate I am in the future when it comes to psychology and mental health. Mm. So then I remember I just had this idea that I wanted to do a mental health helpline. Mm. 'Cause growing up I felt like I always gave advice to my friends, to my family around mental health, and- I just thought, "You know what?

I feel like I could do this as a job." 

Mm. 

So I just had this brief idea one day. Uh, I think it was around November 2020. It just came to mind. Why don't I run my own mental health page, mental health helpline? 

Mm. 

But then I just sat on the idea. I was being lazy, and it's during lockdown as well, so I was just like, "Yeah, whatever."

And then I think it was February 2021 where I hit a very low point mentally. Mm. Um, very low point, especially with lockdown, some personal issues. I hit a very low point and, uh, there was a day where it felt like it was like a make or break day for me. Mm. Do I let everything that's pressuring me break me, or should I use my pain to my strengths?

Mm-hmm. 

So I think it was, like, one night I was just looking at some motivational quotes and then this one quote that stuck by me to this day is, "There's two things that define you in life: your determination when you have nothing and your attitude when you have everything." 

Mm. 

So the way I took that quote was in that moment I felt like I had nothing.

Yeah. 

And then there's been times in the past where I felt like I've had everything. 

Mm. 

So I think in that moment I was like, "I feel like I have nothing. Let me show how determined I am." 

Mm. 

So the next morning, I don't know what I was thinking, I tried to go on a run, and these days I was very unfit. I was, like, 95 kg to 100 kg.

Um, never done running before. I hated running, especially growing up. 

Mm. 

So I tried to do a five-kilometer run because some of my housemates at the time were doing it. And I remember I went for a run. Three kilometers in, I was like, "I can't do this. I literally can't do this." I needed the toilet. 

Mm. 

I lost my house keys on the way and I was like, "Maybe this is a sign from God that I shouldn't run."

Yeah. 

So I walked back home. I found my keys luckily, and then I was like, "You know what? I'm not gonna give up here." Yeah. "I wanna try this again." 

Mm. 

So the next day I told myself I'll do five kilometers even if I end up walking- Mm ... end up having to stitch or whatever. Did five com- uh, five kilometers. It took me, like, somewhere between 46 to 50-something minutes.

I was like, "Okay, like, this is now my target." Mm. "I wanna work towards this." And it, what I really wanted to push was my mental drive- 

Mm ... 

using mental strength. So every day after that I started running five kilometers until I managed to one day, after, like, two, three weeks of consistent running, I managed to narrow it down to half an hour.

Wow. 

And 

I was like, "Wow, okay." And then I continued and I hit 27 minutes. Wow. And then I all of a sudden during this period, it was, like, Feb- What was the date? Like, Feb 11, Feb 14, 2021. I was like, "Oh, yeah, that mental health page idea." Mm. "Let me make some notes." 

Mm. 

So then I came up with the name Open Talk. 

Mm.

I think it's very self-explanatory. Mm. Openly open up about your problems, and at that time, I was opening up to my housemates- Mm ... my sisters, and that really helped me. So that was the inspiration behind the name. Mm. Uh, at the time, I made a website for it because I wanted an interactive website where people can reach out as well.

Mm. 

I'm not qualified. I made it clear I wasn't qualified at the time. But I was someone with knowledge- Mm ... someone with experience, and I said- The whole point of the helpline service was to direct them towards the help they need. Mm. 'Cause sometimes people get lost, and sometimes people haven't got those type of people to open up to.

Mm-hmm. 

So I thought, "Let me open up a website where they can email me their problems, and I can speak to them anonymously- Mm ... and I can direct them." Maybe if someone is feeling depressed, then I'll be like- Mm ... "Go to your GP." Mm-hmm. And then they will get a GP referral. 

Mm-hmm. 

So I made the website, and then I opened a Instagram page with it.

And the love and support I received from my friends from back home, my family, it was immense. Like, they really liked it. And then, so I started talking about various topics, like I spoke about lockdown- 

Mm ... 

drugs, 'cause that's something growing up I've seen how it's affected people mentally, physically, socially.

And then I started diving into mental health disorders, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a topic I'm very passionate about 'cause, um, if you do A-level psychology, there's a whole topic dedicated to it. Mm. And, uh, I've seen, uh, people with schizophrenia and how it's affected them. Uh, bipolar, like the severe mental health disorders, I think those are the most stigmatized ones.

Mm-hmm. So I was very passionate about it, speaking up. And then, uh, my page was recognized by someone in America. Oh, wow. Um, his name is Jake Dante, big up. He was the first podcast I did. Um, he ran a Brazilian jujitsu page, but then he was also very passionate about mental health, and he got me. And then that was my first ever experience of speaking in public.

Mm. And I remember I kept on saying, "Yeah, yeah," like... A- I learned so much through that podcast- Mm ... but it really kickstarted this whole idea of me wanting to speak more about mental 

health. Mm. 

So throughout the years, I was doing an Instagram, and I mainly put out slides just talking about mental health topics and whatnot.

And then I had people reaching out to me. Mainly it would be, like, friends of friends from back home. So where I grew up, um, it wasn't really a ethnically diverse area. I grew up in Hertfordshire. Yeah. So there wasn't many people like me. Mm-hmm. So I remember growing up, growing up, I was, like, one of the only brown kids in my year group.

Mm. 

So I wasn't very within my culture growing up- Mm ... I'll be completely honest. I think the changing point for me was when I moved to Kingston for uni, and I met a lot more ethnically diverse people, a lot more people like me, and it made me want to get to know my culture more. Mm. And then through Open Talk, like I said, it first started off with friends of friends.

Mm-hmm. 

And then it started reaching out wider to the wider communities. And then, like I said, I'm Tamil, I'm from Tamil Eelam, and I had people reaching out, um, from, uh, who were Tamil, from Tamil background. Mm. And there was one person who reached out to me, and it always stuck by me because it came, it reinforced the idea of the stigma and misinformation in certain communities- Mm

and culture about mental health. So this one girl reached out to me with her problem. It involved very severe trauma. And when she wanted to speak up about trauma, her family shut it down. Oh. And it reminds that idea of how people are judged when they open up about mental health. And I drew the links with my own experiences- Mm

the community, and that girl's experience. Mm. And I was like, "You know what?" I wanna speak up about for every community- Mm ... but especially to a community that I, I relate a lot growing up. 

Of course. 

Even though I wasn't in touch with it as much, I wanna r- reconnect to my roots. 

Mm-hmm. 

So then I started speaking up more for my community, so I started making posts about misconceptions about Tamil mental health- 

Mm

uh, how boys experience it differently, girls experience it differently. And I got a lot of love from my community, and I will always appreciate that. Mm. Um, and then, so I graduated luckily even for during lockdown, all the chaos that was happening, and then I did my master's in psychology as well. Mm. And for my master's I did my dissertation in Tamil mental health.

So how, how does culture affect mental health? Mm. 'Cause, like again, you'll know it's very well known that culture, the way different cultures view it, whether you're from South Asia or whether you're from Africa- Mm ... uh, even Eastern European and America- Mm ... et cetera, et cetera, they all have different views of mental health- Mm

and it makes it harder for you to access the help that you need. So I wanted to do it through my community lens. Unfortunately, my university, Kingston University, can't lie, pretty bad. Um , the tutor wasn't the best, but I did what I could do. And when I did a lot of research, um, it linked back to the Sri Lankan Civil War, so the armed struggle- Mm

of Tamil Eelam, and that's when I first started educating myself properly on my background and roots. And I realized, um, from a community that experienced a genocide and a community that experienced so much hardship growing up and how mental health has affected them throughout the years, especially like generational trauma and stuff.

So I got very interested in the whole idea of like generational trauma and mental health, so I started doing a lot of research on that. Uh, luckily, I didn't get to... Uh, luckily, unfortunately, I didn't get to do my dissertation how I wanted, but I managed to get it through the line, and I managed to get my master's.

Cool. And then after posting slides last year, I hit another barrier where it was like I wanna do something different, I wanna do something for myself. Mm. And I started uploading on TikTok. Mm. And then in TikTok I started making videos where I'm speaking about these things 'cause I feel like it, it's harder when there's someone speaking about these topics.

And so I started speaking about it, and I got a lot of love again from the community and the wider communities who was able to relate to it. Mm. And then I had the idea of doing like mini-interview style podcast. Um, I first did it with two of my cousins- Uh, two of my cousin- one of my cousins and one of my c- best mates, Subash and Saravan, big up to them.

Um, so we just sat in my room, and I was like, "Let's talk about mental health." 

Mm. 

And we tried to do that thing where we planned the questions beforehand, and we tried to record it. But then that wasn't, like, the best- Mm ... 'cause, like, we were just laughing, and we weren't taking it seriously. But then it's also to show that mental health doesn't always have to be serious.

Mm. 

It could just be that casual conversation that you have with your friends. Of 

course. 

It can be anything. 

Of course. 

And I got a lot through that, and then people started reaching out through TikTok saying they want to come and talk about- 

Nice ... 

mental health. So I was like, "This is amazing." Mm. 'Cause then I could talk about so many different topics with so many different people.

And what I wanna show for people on social media and the upcoming generation- Mm ... 'cause I believe, like, the next generation needs to be informed so they can carry that torch. Mm. Sorry. To carry that torch, uh, was that, um, no matter what type of content creator you are, whether you do gym, whether you're someone who makes skits- 

Mm

whether you're someone who make educational videos, whether you're someone that makes cooking videos, they all have a mental health purpose. Of 

course. 

And within my community, there are so many amazing people that do amazing different things like DJ, musicians. Mm. So I wanted to get them on and talk about what they do, why they do that, and you'll see the mental health links.

They're everywhere. Mental health is around us every day. 

Mm. 

So that is my journey with Open Talk, and last year I was lucky enough to be invited to do mental health talk. Okay. I did my first mental health talk to, uh, Kingston, uh, College London Tamil Society. 

Mm. 

They were a amazing bunch of people. They invited me, very welcoming.

Mm. And I got really good feedback. And then also had the pleasure of doing about... So with, uh, with Tamil genocide, we have a day dedicated to it called- Yeah ... it's called Maaveerar Naal, which is where we, uh, dedicate a day for the soldiers who fought for our freedom. Mm. And I had the absolute pleasure of being invited to do a talk in front of a load of people for that.

There was a lot of pressure. 'Cause like I said, I wasn't really in touch with my roots. Like, I remember watching documentaries. I heard stories from my parents. So then over the years, I used my education and stuff to link it to mental health. Mm. And I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity to do that, so thank you to KCL Kings for that.

And yeah, it was amazing that I was able to do that, and it's something that I realized, yeah, I wanna do more mental health talks. 

Mm. 

Just put out mental health, any links I can. So on my TikTok you'll see I make the most randomest content. I will link it to mental health somehow. So yeah, that's my journey with Open Talk from beginning to end, really.

Well, 

I appreciate that, man. And I think there's a few things that, uh, that I could unpick, but I think one thing that's key is I like how you've been flexible throughout your journey. Yeah. Like, you've not limited yourself to be like, "Oh, I need to, like, focus on this specifically." Yeah. You've been like, "Look, let's see where things go.

Let's see how things evolve." 

Yeah. 

Um, I think two things that you touched on that I want to highlight was, one of them was, um- Uh, what was it? One of them was, as you mentioned, like, working on something, like, when you're at uni. So like you said, you know, you had this whole idea of potentially doing something.

Yeah. You wanted to create your own page. 'Cause I think for a lot of uni students, they're like, or, like, anyone really, they're like, "Oh, I don't wanna, like, create that space- Yeah ... or have this discussion. Like, I'm just speaking to a void. Uh, but like you said, you never know, like, who's gonna connect with your content- Exactly

and, like, be aware of, like, how inspirational this is. 100%. Um, and the second thing that I really like is the fact that you, like, you took a, you took the leap. Um, because I think for a lot of people, like, whether it's, you know, people are just like, oh, I wanna start, like, a vlog, or I wanna do a podcast, or I wanna- Yeah

get on a, like, a YouTube channel. Uh, and then they're like, "Oh, but you know, what if..." Um, there's a, so one of the people we just reviewed this podcast with, um, called Buzzsprout, they did a video about, like, how encouraging people who wanna get into podcasting and, like- Yeah ... tips. And they said there's this big misconception that they said for podcasting, but it works for anyone who creates content.

Yeah, 

yeah, yeah. 

Um, you're always like, oh, um, you know that person from secondary school? They're gonna see it, and they're gonna be like, "Oh, this is cringe," or, "This is this- ... or this is that." 

Yeah. 

Um, but, but here's like, they're probably like, if they do say it, then you know that they're not- 

They, they, they're gonna break the hustle.

Exactly. That's something I realized as well. Yeah. I was worried about getting judged for some of the content I put out. Like, even recently, like I said, that I'm trying to make links with mental health, everything. Mm. So I started doing skits- Mm ... as, like, a fun way to deliver mental health messages. Right.

At first I thought I was gonna get clowned. Mm. Like, "What is this guy doing?" But then the love I received from it was surprising. Right. Like, it was very surprising to see, like, um, a lot of people reaching out saying, "Yeah, like, this was a really good video. The message- Mm ... is really good." And that's what matters.

Mm. As long as you're doing something with positivity behind it, I don't see how someone could judge your hustle for it. 

No, 100%. And I think, like you said, like, people ultimately respect it. Like, the, like, like you said with the, like to set up a camera- 

Yeah ... 

record it, then you're editing it, then you've gotta think about your caption.

Like, to put all the effort and energy into that, like, not everyone does that. 

Yeah. 

Not everyone has the capacity. And, and not 

a lot of people see that. 

Exactly. And I feel like people will respect someone who's like, "Oh yeah, like, I do this regularly." Yeah. Like, I've said, um, I know for, like, bigger creators, maybe they're not doing it- Yeah

all themselves anymore, but, like, for creators who are, like, pumping out content, like, regularly, like, I'm just like, "Wow." 

Like- Like- The 

hustle 

is crazy ... 

the hustle is crazy. Yeah. But like you said, people respect it. You may not necessarily like all of these creators, but you'll be like, "Hey, like, so and so's pumped out, like, 14 videos across, like, three days."

Yeah. Um, and they're, like, interesting, they're engaging, they use good hooks, they're continuations. Whatever the format is- Yeah ... they're still really, like, informative and useful. Um, so yeah, so thank you very much for that. No, 

of course. 

Um, we can come to the second question, which, uh, you've kind of, you know, t- spoken about how there, there is that lens, or there is that link, sorry, between, like, culture and stigmas- Yes

especially when it comes to mental health. And, uh, you personally have written about how culture and stigma can keep people silent 

Yes 

So what does it actually take to move a community from we don't talk about that, so that, that can be anything, so whether it's mental health or a specific part of mental health- Yeah

um, to it being a place of, like, honor, support? 

I think the number one thing is to stand up for what you believe. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So, like, breaking the stigma, raising awareness and education. So if I was to talk about, like, my own community- Mm-hmm ... um, I think a lot of people would say within the Tamil community, um, the older generation, um, they have a lack of knowledge around mental health.

Mm-hmm. 

So this idea of generational trauma comes from, like, if you have parents that is coming from a war-driven country, um, they probably have severe trauma, PTSD that never got addressed, but they don't have the education and knowledge- 

Mm-hmm ... 

to know that they might have PTSD or trauma- Mm-hmm ... and they might have not seeked that help.

Mm-hmm. 

So this is where the current generation and the next gen comes in, they educate them. 

Mm-hmm. 

Just having that conversation or to speaking about what they went through, and then maybe breaking it down to them, and then also then mentioning, "Do you know about PTSD? Do you know about trauma?" 

Mm-hmm. 

I think that is what helps shift a narrative from what you said, like, shifting that narrative from we can't speak about this- Mm-hmm

to then we can speak about this. 

Mm-hmm. 

And everyone being on the same page about it, I think is very important. 

Mm-hmm. 

And also, I think judgment is another thing. Mm-hmm. I think a lot of people in the modern world, without knowing, accidentally judge, whether that's verbally- Mm-hmm ... or non-verbally. 

Mm-hmm.

So I think, I think this, the world that we're in today, I think a lot of people, um, look into body language. Mm-hmm. I definitely agree. 

Mm-hmm. 

So, like, so, like, for example, girls, I'm, I'm using girls, sorry, don't take it personally. So, like, girls, if they're telling a story and someone side eyes them- Mm-hmm

they feel like they're being judged. 

Mm-hmm. 

And then that kind of silences them. 

Mm-hmm. 

I'll be honest, even with me, if someone side eyes me or looks at me a funny way- Mm-hmm ... I'll be like, "Okay, maybe I should just stop 

talking." Mm-hmm. 

And I think we need to be more self-aware. Mm-hmm. Self-awareness is key when it comes to stuff like this, being aware of our j- our actions and the way how we might accidentally come across as judgemental.

And another thing as well, um, the most important thing is opening up. Mm-hmm. I think shifting that narrative, the key thing is opening up. Being that person is- it's not an easy step. No. It's a big leap, 100%. Uh, but the people around me, especially, like, my boys will know, taking that leap to open up opened so many doors- Mm-hmm

that you never think it would open. Mm-hmm. It changes who you are as a person, and it changes relationships and connections as well. 

Mm-hmm. 

Um, like I said, I wanna give a shout-out to my friends because I felt like opening up to them- Mm-hmm ... not has only made us closer- Mm-hmm ... but has also helped me change as a person- Mm-hmm

and also helped me understand myself a bit more- Yeah ... especially more recently, I'd say as well. So I think- Like, to answer your question, there's many things that can be done. I think the key thing is awareness- 

Mm-hmm ... 

education- Mm-hmm ... opening up, and being self-aware- Mm ... essentially. 

Yeah. I love that. Um, and I'm not gonna add any more to it.

Uh, we've now come to, uh, our section in the middle, uh, which is Treasure Talks, where essentially, um, you will get to showcase to the audience- Yes ... and myself, uh, the item that you've brought. Uh, now, I don't need an item in advance, so I will say if you don't want to physically show it, you, you don't have to.

I'll, I'll show it, but- You'll show? ... I won't actually like- 

No, open it. Open it. Yeah. You will understand why I said that- ... if you, if you're just like, "

What is James talking about?" Um, so the item I wanted to bring, it was very hard when you said it. Mm. There's so many things I could have brought. I could have brought my Naruto Funko Pops.

Mm. 'Cause that's my favorite anime. There's a lot of mental health correlation with that. Um, I could have brought my Xbox controller. There's so many things I could have brought, but to link it with the stuff I do, I brought my journals. Mm. I've got two journals. Uh, both of them were gifted to me, by the way.

Mm. Uh, one is a gift from a very close person. The other one is from a student. 

Mm. 

Because the student that I worked with, uh, especially last year, they were in year 11, um, I ha- I got them to start writing down... I gave them a journal. 

Yeah. 

But then they would write it down, and then they would rip it, and then give me an empty journal in return.

I was like, "Great." And then as before they left, it was very touching, they gave me a journal, and then they wrote, "Oh, I owe you a new journal." Wow. Um, so I have two. Great. I have two. So this one has-- So this one I do a bit differently. I have photos. 

Mm-hmm. 

And I annotate around the photos. 

Mm. 

But then I also, I like doing this thing where I write from the back.

I don't know whether that's 'cause I read manga. But, um, so I like write from the back, and I don't know, it just feels a bit different. Mm. I don't know why. It's like, yeah, I, I don't know the purpose behind it, but like- Mm. Um, and then this one, um, it's a more recent one. I've, I've added... This is more like personal goals and targets, but then at the back I started using it to just write down loads of things as well.

Mm. And I'm gonna continue writing things down as well. And the reason why I brought the journal is because if you're someone that struggles to open up, I think writing down your emotions- Mm ... is very powerful, that feeling of writing down. So if you're someone that's at uni and you're revising- 

Mm ... 

I don't get this, I don't know about you- Mm

but I don't get people who like type or like write on an iPad. 

Mm. '

Cause I feel like you actually don't learn anything doing that. Mm-hmm. And it doesn't go to your brain. Mm-hmm. I feel like, so what I used to do at uni, especially 'cause my lecturers were useless- When I used to attend a lecture- Yeah ... I used to have the PowerPoint up.

Mm-hmm. And then I would write the notes down. 

Mm-hmm. 

And then my revision was basically I'd do flashcards. I'd write, I'd physically write flashcards. Mm. 'Cause I know now there's like an app where you can make your own flashcards. But I'd physically write it down. Mm. And I'd do it again and again until the information gets into my head, and I find that more useful.

100%. 

So then with writing down, so back in the day I used to use my notes, but then when I started using the journal, there was more of a emotional connection with the pen and paper And it, I'll write it down, and then I'll look back at it, and I was able to, like, see my own behaviors. 

Mm. 

And it was like an evidence of my progress.

Yeah. 

Evidence of my progress. And I can get very technical with it or sound so nerdy, but, like- No, go ahead ... it's like your h- your handwriting progression- Mm ... over the years. Like, if you're feeling low, your handwriting's gonna be bad. 

Mm. 

But then if you look at a page with your handwriting and it's sick, like- Mm

there's nothing better than seeing a nice, neat handwriting. Mm-hmm. And, like, it shows your progress, and it's like, in my opinion, a journal is like a visual graph of your life. 

Mm. 

You can literally, as you read, you'll see a graph going like this. 

Mm. 

And it's, that's, and it's to show, like, it's okay for your graph to look like that.

Mm-hmm. 'Cause some people just expect it to look like this. Mm. Some people think, "Oh, it's just gonna be down," or some people might think it's like that. But part of life is your life is gonna be like this. Mm. And I think a journal represents that. 

Mm. 

And yeah, I think with a journal, it he- it helps you answers questions that you might be scratching your head over.

Mm. And it will help understand your thought process and whatnot, and I think, especially, like, throughout the last year for me, I think writing this journal and including the photo one that was a gift from a very close person, it's very powerful for me- Mm ... 'cause it includes happy memories, and it's something that I can easily look back at.

And also, I'm kind of getting sick of looking at my phone. So it's nice to sometimes look at a paper and look at these, I guess... I feel like paper has more value- 

Mm ... 

than, like, your phone. So yeah, so I think writing down your emotions, if you're someone that struggle to opening up, is so powerful, and I highly recommend it.

Yeah. 

And yeah. 

Yeah. 

That's what I would say about that. I 

appreciate it. Um, I was, like, so tempted, when you said first of all that Naruto is your favorite anime, I was like, "A kindred spirit." It's, I've been watching 

it- Really? I, I'm, I'm gonna save that talk for later- ... 'cause it's one of my questions, so I'll save it for 

later.

Right. And also, when you mentioned Xbox, I was like, "I, I need to keep myself allowed so I can turn it to a whole gaming podcast as well." 

Let's do it. Save 

it for 

later. 

But no, I agree with you. I feel like the... I, 'cause two things. One, I agree with you that writing stuff down is always better. 

Yeah. 

Um, both from, like, a, like, reflection period, but also for me personally, I use it whenever I'm doing, um, like, if I'm working on business stuff.

Yeah. 

So I've got, like, a business notepad. So, like, if there's stuff I think of on the mic, I'll write it, whether it's like, you know, I attend a workshop- Yeah, yeah ... or I wanna... You know, maybe I'm at work, and I'm like, "Oh, actually, this is something that, like, I should think about doing when I think about the mic."

Yeah. I like to write it out 'cause I feel like it's, like you said, it's a much, it's much, like, there's a way to connect. 

Yeah. 

Um, also, there's science that proves once you write something down, it is nice 'cause you're literally, like, getting it from head to paper- Yeah ... and it's almost like you're taking, especially if it's something super stressful, you're taking yourself almost out of it, so you can then actually have the space to think about whatever's going on.

Yeah. Um, and I think the final thing I wanted to say on what you said was I think it's really key to remember that, like... So I've used- This is my opinion, our preference by saying, so if you wanna argue this in the comments, sure. Okay. But I've used, like, the, like, wellbeing apps- Ah, yeah ... where it's like, oh, track your emotions, whatever.

And like you, I was using it in COVID, and to me personally, like you said, it just felt like this. 

This, 

yeah. Like, it was just like, "Oh, how are you feeling?" Yeah. "Are you feeling happy, sad, chill?" Yeah, it 

doesn't hit the same. It just 

doesn't. It really doesn't. Um, and I feel like people think that, like, they have to buy a specific jou- And, like, it's funny that you mention this, 'cause someone, uh, it was either on the end of last year's podcast- Yeah

or early this year's podcast, or w- or this season's podcast, sorry. Um, they basically mentioned, like we ended... I think they had a journal too, and we were talking about this, and everyone was just like, "Oh, there's this misconception that you need to buy, like, specific journals to do, to write out stuff." And, like, I got given a journal, I think, I wanna say 2019 or 2020, um, just before lockdown, and that journal, while it was useful, when I tried to find, like, another one to continue the conversation around, like, mindset stuff- Yeah

I personally didn't stick to it. I didn't enjoy it. It wasn't really great. 

Yeah. 

But what I now do is I just have a notepad where I just journal. Journal, yeah. And I feel like that's so much better. Yeah. Because sometimes I might be like, I've got paragraphs upon paragraphs to, like, unreal. 

Exactly. 

Um, some days it might just be a couple of sentences, and that's okay.

Um, but I agree with you. It just lets, like, I feel like writing it down is more b- Yeah ... and, like, the tracking app, like, I mean, I j- I've kept it because there's stuff that, you know, like achievements or fun- Yeah ... moments that, like, are still there, so I can still have the app. Yeah. But I personally don't use it anymore 'cause it was the most ridiculous thing, 'cause I was just like, especially during COVID- Yeah, yeah

I was like, "What, what do you want me to say?" Like, we're, we're in lockdown. I can't go out. Like, yeah, I can meet friends and have a good time. 

It's very, um- 

Yeah ... 

what's the term? Like, r- not r- kind of robotic, I guess. 

Mm. 

It's like, it's not natural. 

100%. It's not 

natural. Like, I, I've used wellbeing apps, and it's just like, rate yourself from 1 to 10.

Like, you know what I mean? Like, it's controlling you- Mm ... whereas you wanna control how y- what you write- 100% ... what you think- 100% ... and that's the better way to go about it. 

100%. 

If, like you said, some days it might just be couple sentences. Mm. Some days it might be paragraphs. Mm. 

And 

it's better to keep it like that.

Mm. 

And I think that that's, like, nice, 'cause I think that's why I prefer having the notepad than, like, a journal that tells me, like, what to write. Yeah. Because I feel like when you have the journal, you're like, "Oh, snap," like, "If I didn't write enough," like, "Did I write enough for this? If I didn't write enough for this, is this good?

Is this bad?" But I feel like when you've got a notepad, it's like, it's up to your discretion. Yeah. So you can be like- 

You're in control- 

Exactly ... 

and that's 

what you want. 100%. Um, we're gonna go on to the next question. Mm-hmm. So your bio says that your DMs are open. 

Yes. 

How do you support people ethically online without becoming their therapist?

Yes. 

And what boundaries, uh, do you put in place to protect your own mental health? Of 

course. So I remember when I first started this, I actually, before I started the whole thing- Mm ... I actually reached out to a couple therapists- Mm ... and I was like, "I'm not a qualified therapist." Mm. "I'm someone who's still doing my undergrad and whatnot.

How can I go about this in an ethical way?" Yeah. And then they were like- Some people scared me. They were like, "My advice is for you not to do it because there might be some people who will be over the top- 

Yeah ... 

um, too much for you to handle or this and that." Then some people were like, um, "I, I, I love what you do.

Just make sure you put that boundary in place first." Mm. So when people reach out to me, I make it very clear I'm not qualified. Mm. 

I'm 

not qualified, and I tell them I'm not a professional. I'd rather you speak to me- Mm ... like I'm a friend. 

Mm. 

Pretend I'm a friend. 

Mm. 

Just pretend I'm a friend. Speak to me that way, how you speak to your friends- Mm-hmm

to your brothers, sister, whoever. Speak to me like that and I'll give you advice from that type of perspective, not a professional perspective- Of course ... 'cause I think some people obviously get scared when they're reached, when they speak to a professional- Mm-hmm ... 'cause it, they feel like the whole...

There's this idea that you speak to a professional to get a diagnosis. 

Mm. 

And that's not what I'm here for. Mm. I'm here for you to open up- 

Mm-hmm ... 

to be a, to be an ear for you. 

Mm-hmm. 

Just to listen, no judgment whatsoever. And I say that to them at the beginning, and then I think they get thrown back 'cause they think my page is laid out very professionally at the beginning.

Mm. So they think I'm doing this for, like, work experience or something like that. I don't know. But that's not the case. Yeah. I make it very clear beforehand. And to be honest, luckily, I've never had a point where I thought, "Oh, this is too much." Mm. "I can't do this." Mm. Um, like literally they'll reach out to me, I'll be an, a ear.

I think sometimes some people are like, "I don't know where to get help 

from." 

Mm. And I remember this one person, they stopped by me. It's just, well, it's relevant, and I'll ask, I'll say it anyway. Um, they s- they, they reached out to me and they wanted help, and I recommended from what they were experiencing, maybe talking to a helpline like Samaritans.

Wow. 

So they actually did it. 

Mm. 

They actually did it even though they were very hesitant. 

Mm. 

They did it. I said, "It's anonymous." Mm. 

Mm. "

They don't know who you are. Try it." They tried it, and they were saying their problems, and then the person on the other end goes to them, "Uh, oh, I'm sorry. Um, I'm gonna have to come back to you."

Mm. 

And then I think this completely put off this person- Mm ... reaching out for help at all. And I was surprised when they sent me a screenshot 'cause I was like, "These are helplines." Mm. You know what I mean? Like the fact that they've dismissed this person's problem, which was kind of severe at the time as well.

Mm. 

And I think when doing this as well, your own emotional awareness is very key. 

100%. 

You need to protect your own wellbeing 'cause it's not easy to emotionally support someone else if you're not emotionally supported yourself. Mm. You know what I mean? Yeah, 

of 

course. You need to look after your wellbeing.

And I think at the time, um, I was very, I was very aware of that. Mm-hmm. So I always protected myself, uh, emotions, my wellbeing, et cetera, when I'm helping these people. And then with this said person, once I realized Samaritans didn't offer the help that they wanted- 

Mm-hmm ... 

I decided to t- tell them to get a GP referral.

And they were first like, "Oh my God," like, "I don't want to do that." Like, "Oh my God, this and that." But then I said, "You will never know until you try." 

Mm. 

I said that and- The wait, we know about the NHS, we know about the wait times. It is absolutely shocking, s- sometimes couple months to a year to get the help you need.

But I told them, "Just do it and see how you feel." And then luckily they did it, and I think as they were doing it, something must have clicked into them. 

Mm-hmm. 

And then they were, like, grateful that I gave a suggestion. And then for some- somehow they decided to take matters into their own hands afterwards.

Mm-hmm. 

They just made those little changes, um, about how they look after themselves, and they were in a happier place. 

That's incredible. 

So it's just, like, those little steps, um, are very meaningful. So like I said, in terms of keeping that boundary, I think it's first important when doing stuff like that- 

Mm-hmm

you address that beforehand, um, not after, definitely not. Mm-hmm. Uh, address that beforehand, and like I said, I told them, "I'm just an ear that you feel like you haven't got." Mm-hmm. 'Cause that's why most of these people reach out- 

Mm ... '

cause they don't feel like there's someone that they can listen to.

Mm-hmm. Or they just want a third person's opinion. Of course. And I'll be like, "Of course," um, as someone who's not close to them, that won't give them a biased view- Mm ... I'ma happily listen to them. And I think that's very helpful sometimes- Mm ... to get a third-person point in life. 

Mm. 

So yeah, that's how I go about things when my famous DMs are 

open.

Mm, that's incredible. And I think, like you said there, that, like, sometimes, like, sometimes people just need, like, a person to talk to- Yeah, of course ... who are not involved in the situation. Yeah. A person they won't argue 

with. It, it helps a lot, trust me. 

Yeah. It's just like- And it's just, like, so, it's so comforting, 'cause I think that, like you said, there's, everyone's got misconceptions or even whether it's culture, society, whatever you wanna put it, of stuff.

It's nice to have these space, like, just literally having someone that you can just be like, "Hey, look, like, this is something that I'm going through." Yeah. "I just want your thoughts and opinions." Um, 'cause even, like, I mean, th- this was something I heard this week, and this was very much, like, more businessy, but the, the principles still apply.

Um, the person was basically saying, like, oh, um, she was talking about, like, if you're doing, if you're working on, like, a pitch- Yeah ... for your business, you're trying to get money, uh, or even if you're running a business and you've got ideas. So she has family, and she was like, "Personally, in my opinion, family and best friends are not always the best people to talk to about what you wanna do."

Oh, 

yeah. 

Um, 'cause she was just like, "I'm gonna be so real with you. They are way too close to it." And then she was just like, "Whether it is an idea that you wanna do and you're just like, 'Hmm, like, what do you guys think? Like, you know my business. Does this make sense?'" Um, or whether it's like you wanna pivot, you wanna do something different.

Yeah. 

Um, she was just like, "They will not, they will not necessarily be able to remove themselves from the fact that they know you." Yeah, 

yeah, 

yeah. Um, so she was saying, you know, "If you're gonna work on a pitch or you're gonna want, um, you're gonna wanna do something different with your business," like, aside from, like, the obvious thing that everyone says is like, "Go to your customers."

But she was saying, like, "Go to someone who's either a friend or friend of a friend who knows you but doesn't necessarily know the intricate details of what you do." Um, for me personally, I always like the outreach that I do to people to be on the podcast- Yeah, of course ... or to collaborate in other ways- Yeah

on LinkedIn. It's always interesting 'cause I'm like, "Cool, we do this," and then we're thinking about doing this new thing. Um- 'cause that's good. 'Cause literally most of the time, the first time I reach out to someone and we book a call to talk, that's the first time the person may have heard of me or seen me.

So I'm like, "Oh, you may be my target customer- Yeah ... or you might be someone I wanna work with. Let's see what you think about like this. Like does this make sense?" So I think for me, I agree with you. It's like having that third person to- Of course ... talk to. It's just so much easier. 

And it's interesting you mentioned that story 'cause it reminded me of the saying that I've been trying to like preach a bit more is- Yeah

don't mix business with pleasure. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It, it definitely links into that. Yeah. Yeah. And if you're going to the business side of things, I think a lot of businessmen would say the 

same . No, that's 100%. Like, I think the biggest... Like everyone's got their opinions on like whether you should go into business with like friends or family.

I personally don't have an issue with any of that. Of course. I think you can go into business with both of those groups. Oh, yeah. But I think it's like understanding that like, like I, and like I... There's, uh, someone ... She's actually ... So I can talk about my own experience, but I think it's fair. Well, I'll talk about someone else and then briefly mine.

Yeah. Uh, there's someone who was on... Was she on this podcast? I don't think she was on this one. She might've been on our business one. Yeah. But her name's Alida. She runs, uh, an e- uh, an app called Exhibitions. She runs a business called Exhi- uh, sorry, it's called Exhibits. They highlight exhi- exhibitions across London.

So it's the whole idea of sometimes there are big exhibitions that you might miss, but usually the small intricate ones that you might be interested in, they're pretty niche. Yeah. Um, you'll see it. You might see a post on social media or a campaign ad. You'll be like, "Wow, this is great. I'm gonna go. I'm gonna find time."

Next thing you know, it's closed. 

Mm. 

She works with... She worked on, on developing this with her sister, and one of the questions I asked her was like, "Cool," like everyone has their own o- literally the biz- people have opinions about going to business with family. "What's your thoughts? Like how has it been with your sister?"

Yeah. And she was like, "You know, sometimes it can be difficult." Mm-hmm. "But for the most part, we both know that like at the end of the day we want this business to grow." Yeah. "And we keep the bus- Like if I'm annoyed with you and it's a business thing, I'll have that professional conversation with you- Yeah

as co-founders. If I'm annoyed with you as my sister, that's a different thing." 

Then, yeah. Yeah. "

That's personal." Um, and I agree with you. Like that's the thing. Like the businesses that, um, you know, whether they're friends and then they split for whatever reason, um, or they're like spouse, partners, whatever, it's just like when those lines don't blur, like...

And the final thing I'll say about it is, um, yeah, I'm trying to think. What's the nicest quote I can say 'cause there's a few, but once- ... some of them sound quite rude. But, um- Yeah, 

yeah ... 

ess- essentially, like the one that keeps just coming to mind, which I'll say, is essentially like don't like... It's not this, this is the PG version saying it, but it's like don't pee where you...

Like for some people it's like don't pee where you work. 

Oh, yeah, 

yeah. Like, um- Yeah ... if you're gonna be, if you're gonna be like... If you, if you're like, "Hey, I want to..." Whether it's like, I don't know, there's someone who is within your team. Yeah. Whether this is whether you're working or you're running a business and you're like, oh, maybe you wanna go on a date with them or you're like, "Oh, my co-founder- Yeah, yeah

we wanna..." Like, "Oh, my co-founder, I'm now in love with them," whatever. Yeah, yeah. Or family, you're like, "Oh, we wanna do this business together." Like- Keep those, understand, like, what you're going in with- Yeah ... and the person- Have 

professional boundaries 

in place. 100%. And even if it's, like, cool. So, um, if things get heated between us, uh, so I know...

Ah, I've forgotten which couple it is, but there's a couple that they were just like, um, if things get heated, like we say, like we say a word, and that's the word of, like, cool. We, like- Cool. Yeah, we gotta stop ... the argument stops here. Yeah, 

yeah. 

Um, like- 

Key word that. 

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So they're like, if, uh, it's agreed, like what- whenever this word is said in an argument, especially if it comes, like, whether it's business or pleasure, when that argument is, when that word is said, argument needs to cease.

Everyone will go to their separate spaces for a bit. Mm-hmm. But then the argument is, like, after a set amount of time, they will come back and just, like, just- Cool ... not necessarily ignore it, but they'll just be like, "Look, let's just try, try and have a calm conversation about this." Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, because- 

I love that.

That's, that's- 

Yeah, yeah. 

I haven't heard that. You know, that, that might be, like, a good thing to take- 

Yeah ... you know- 'Cause I feel like- ... to, to 

drop in. 

No, 100%, 'cause I feel like the biggest, like having that, like being like cool, like with a friend, if we're doing business stuff and I'm annoyed at you because you haven't done X, like I might still be your friend, but like stuff still needs to be done for the business- Of course.

Yeah, yeah ... if we want it to make 

money. 

Um, and yeah, I know I've been grateful to not necessarily have, uh, I've had friends who've helped out with Pick Up The Mic, but I've never had, like, conflicts with them- With them. Yeah ... within it. Um, but I know that that's not the case for everyone. Yeah. I know, like, people who their co-founder was their close friend, and they've had to shut down that business, or that co-founder then- Yeah

has taken it in a different direction. Um, but my recommendation to people is whatever you're doing, have that separate. Like, know if this person is your best friend and you're going into business with them, you need to both be very clear that, like, we're best friends, but like- Yeah ... we will not let this relationship be ruined by the business.

Of course. 

Um, 

so- That's very important. 

100%. Uh, we come to the final question before I hand over f- to you to ask some questions. And I think the, so before we go into the question, we will do our, uh, mic check. There's an interesting fact or stat which is relevant to the conversation. Um, and there, this stat is that in England, the proportion of students disclosing a mental health condition to their university has risen from under 1% in two thou- between 2010 and '11, so that academic year, to 5.8 point, 5.8% as of 2022 to 2023 academic year.

Mm-hmm. 

Which essentially showcases how much of a demand there has grown for real accessible support. 

Yeah. 

I know you don't specifically work with university students, but you still work with young people. 

Yeah. 

Um, and you're working particularly with young people in SEN or SEMH settings. 

Yes. 

So working with these young people, what are the early signs of struggle you wish more people would recognize?

And one's one, what's there? And what's one practical response that helps in the moment? 

Um, so in an educational setting, um, something that I've realized over the years that is very important is something called early help. 

Mm. 

So like you said, it's picking up those early signs early on- Mm ... whether that's a kid that is withdrawing from lessons, a kid that's avoiding school.

Q- quote unquote, they're, they're claiming they're ill and they're- Mm ... not coming into school. Um, socially they're withdrawing themselves. Um, you try and pick up these early signs. The beautiful thing about my job, 'cause I'm not a teacher and I'm a TA- Mm ... um, we have the saying where we are the expert of the people- Mm

whereas, like, a teacher is expert of their subject, we're the expert of the pupils. And I've had the pleasure of building really good positive relationships over the year. Um, uh, for me, uh... Well, I shouldn't say that I don't take my job seriously. I take it seriously, but I think the best way to build relationships is being yourself.

100%. 

And 'cause, like, in the educational setting I am in, I'm one of the youngest. Um, I'm 24. Mm. And like, so when I first started the job I was, like, 20, 21. Mm. I think I was 20 actually. 

Mm. 

And, like, the year group I first worked with was, like, year nines and year 10s. Mm. So the age gap between us is only seven years.

Mm. 

So they're- I'm in the same generation as them, which- Yeah. ... is weird thinking about. But, like, they were able to connect easier, and we were able to relate so much- Mm ... that when you build that positive relationship, uh, with pupils, you'll start seeing a side to them that teachers might not see- Mm ... or other people won't see, other adults won't see.

And over the years, especially, like, the kids that are be- uh, labeled as the naughty ones, you see behind that behavior- Mm-hmm ... what leads to them being like that. 

100%. 

And I think those are the type of things you need to pick up on when it comes to making sure they get that help. And that stat you included- Mm

is very interesting, 'cause like you said, there's more demand, uh, for university students to get help. Mm. And that, there's many factors like you said- Mm ... COVID. Mm-hmm. COVID's a big factor. Obviously we know how much it affected mental health. 100%. And the, just the way society works and all the mental health stresses in the world, there are the biggest mental health stresses for university students, um, 'cause I did a research the other day, it's, like, relationships- Mm

um, finance. 

Mm-hmm. 

With the current economy, oh my God, I've... Even SFE ain't serving students nowadays. Mm. Uh, so relationship, finance, friendships- 

Mm-hmm ... 

um, especially, uh, career. So a lot of university students are doing degrees. Mm. They don't know what the end goal is. Yeah. That is a big stress for them themselves.

So yeah. And, um, like I said, picking up on their behaviors- 

Mm-hmm ... 

and even, um, just having that conversation in that educational setting is what's key. So when I work with young people, if someone misbehaves, if there's a kid being... that's annoying and you're like, "Oh my God, I don't wanna deal with it"- Instead have that conversation, try and get to know them.

And once you get to know them- 

Mm-hmm ... 

that kid you once labeled as, "Oh, he just misbehaves, he's a naughty one- Mm ... he's the kid that's gonna get kicked out eventually," you will realize there's a story behind that behavior. 

Mm. 

Mm. And, yeah, I think that is very key when it comes to early help. And- Of course

'cause you mentioned uni student, I actually have a story of a uni student- Yeah ... that I could share- Yeah, please do ... 'cause I, I, I've shared it before many times. Yeah. But I think it'll be nice to share it 'cause... Let me get it up on my notes. 

No, that's- 

Somewhere here. 

Um, while you do that, I will say, actually, one thing, when you mentioned about university services, so this is actually something, um, I was...

I didn't... Well, again, this is one of the reasons why this whole thing exists was because people don't know about resources available to them. Yeah. So when I was at Brunel, um, I found out through someone who worked there that you... So Brunel has a, like, one, it has free therapy. 

Oh, yeah. 

It had free ther- free therapy for students.

Yeah. 

Um, but also it had free diagnosis for any, like, um, learning difficulties or mental health conditions as a part of it. Now, all's well and is, I didn't know this, and, like, I only found out about this because the person who had been, like, the person who told me, she'd been working at the university for over 20 years.

Yeah. So she was like, "Oh, I know the person who does this, so if there's anyone that you think would be benefit... like, this would be beneficial for, this would be really great." But I was like, "This is wild that, like, this is, like, like, like you said," especially, like, the time it was happening- Yeah ... and this was during COVID.

Now I understand, I don't remember how things worked when, like, things were online, but I was like, "Oh, well, like, students should be aware that they could go to this service and get this support." 

Yeah. 

Um, but yeah, no, it's wild to... And unfortunately, like, due to, like, budget cuts and stuff, uh, the last I heard, that service has been cut.

Um- Oh, wow ... 

which was wild to hear. That's a shame. Which is really a huge shame. That's a shame. Because I was just like, I've told people, like, "There's so many things when you're at uni that once you leave, like, you're paying, like, exorbitant prices." Um- 

Oh, 

my God. 

Trust me. 

Yeah ... and you need to be aware that, like, while you're at uni, like, whether you wanna stay on to do a master's or whatever, that's cool, but, like, I've told people, like, "Make the most."

Like- 

Yeah, yeah, 

yeah ... use every service, e- even if you're like- 100% ... "I don't even know if I nec- necessarily, like, definitely need this," if you think you might, just do it the most. You'll find that, like- Yeah ... everything's good. Or, like, you don't need, and, like, you don't need any more support. Yeah. But at the end of, like, what's the worst that could happen if you use it?

Yeah, of course. So- And, like, again, free therapy- 

Mm ... 

amazing in itself. Mm. And, like, bearing in mind, like I said, the NHS wait times- Mm ... 'cause I work with CAMHS a lot, so, like, if a pupil needs a referral for- Mm ... a EHCP plan, um, in school, the waiting time is two to four years. Wow. So imagine there's a kid in year 

10.

Mm. 

Let's say year 10, and they've picked up... Say they moved to a school, and this school has straightaway picked up, they have mi- maybe, like, ADHD or ASD traits. Mm. Mm. Um, and then they make a ref... And then they help parents support with a referral. And say it takes two to four years. That means they don't get support during their GCSEs.

Mm. Uh, A-levels, if they wait during A-levels, or college and whatever. So that's- A crucial part of their life that go unsupported because of wait times. But anyways, um, but like I said, university-- the fact that Runo University offered that, and there won't be much of a wait time at all- Mm. Yeah, yeah, yeah ...with that at all.

It'll 

be structured, uh, weekly therapy sessions, I'm guessing. 

Yeah. 

And yeah, it's a... Honestly, it's heartbreaking to hear that it got stopped- Mm ...'cause it's, it's, it's amazing- Mm ...um, service, I'd say. So yeah. 

Yeah. Mm. 

But, um, so the story I have- Mm-hmm ...um, this individual, uh, this is during, uh, uni. I think this was maybe during their second year.

Mm-hmm. Uh, so they were in a relationship. Like I said, it is a data-driven factor that one of the biggest stressors of uni students- Mm-hmm ...are relationships. 'Cause you go to uni, you might move out of home, you wanna live young, free- Mm ...and then you might be like, "I wanna be single." And then all of a sudden you find the love of your life, get in a relationship, whatnot.

Right. 

So this person, um, they were in a relationship on and off with someone for one and a half years. Their relationship was on and off due to different factors that led to constantly breaking up and getting back together. 

Mm-hmm. 

Uh, factors such as COVID, religion, family, and it was an unhealthy and toxic relationship.

Mm-hmm. 

Uh, one day, one day the person broke up with me, and I accepted it, but then something didn't feel right as I wasn't given closure, and this time it was for good. I wasn't expecting any of this, and it was all a big shock after a while, as I realized this was it. Uh, to get the closure I needed, I tried to get answers, but the person wouldn't give me a proper reason to why they wanted to completely end it.

Mm. I kept on trying to get hold of them, which probably was not the best thing to do. Mm. But I found it difficult to accept it, and it was all too sudden. So this person didn't get closure. Mm. They were chasing closure. 

Mm. 

And they tried, and this was about three days, and it consisted of me crying and isolating myself.

After isolating myself, I decided the best thing to do was to be around people who could help me get my mind off things. One day when I tried calling them, someone else answered, claiming they were the person's new partner. So this led to the person having a panic attack, and they didn't know how to react.

They was crying nonstop. 

Mm. 

They didn't, uh, I just didn't think... So this is the person's words: "I didn't think between them and this person would end things like this." Mm. Luckily, when this was happening, they had people around them who talked to them- Mm ...and helped me calm-- helped them calm down. Mm. Made me realize I got to...

Sorry, it's, it's- No, it's all right. It's all right ...this person, so I'll keep it edited out there. So I'll just read how this person's written it. Mm-hmm. "I got to live for myself from that moment and make myself a better person." Mm-hmm. "This helped me mentally much more than I can imagine, as the next morning I felt like a new person."

Mm. "

I spent a few days afterwards focusing on myself, and it made me a much better person." 

Mm. "

This was all in my second year, whilst having to apply for extensions due to my mental health being bad." Mm. "I picked myself back up. Uh, but then during my third year, a lot of relationships and friendship issues followed me."

Mm. "A series of traumatic events took place, but I didn't let any of it break, um, me like the first incident did." Mm. "I kept my head down, picked myself back up, started following a structure and routine work-" Uh, and routine, worked full-time alongside my third year final research project and graduated with a 2.1- Wow

even though I struggled to deal with academic stre- uh, stress and all the numerous problems going on around me. 

Mm. 

And then this person said, "Thanks to those people I was able to open up that day. I am in a much better place, and I haven't had a breakdown since- Mm ... as I know the value of myself." Um, on my Instagram, I actually have a few people's story that allowed me to share anonymously.

Mm-hmm. And this is a uni student- Mm ... who shared their story to me, and it was very powerful 'cause you can see there's some... As well as the main trigger being relationship- 

Mm-hmm ... 

there was a lot of academic stress. They had to apply for special circumstances. They had friendship issues. And whilst dealing with that, they said the thing that helped them the most was the people around them- Mm

opening up and, like I said, open talk. That's what we're here for. Yeah. And, um, and luckily they managed to graduate- That's amazing ... whilst working on the side as well, which is amazing. Mm. So yeah, so for uni students, I guess the takeaway from that is opening up is powerful. Mm. I love that you mentioned, uh, how Brunel Uni had that- Mm

uh, free service. I'm hoping there are still unis out there- Mm ... with that service. So definitely make sure and check whatever uni you're from- Mm ... if they do have that service. 

Mm. 

And trust me, I know there's a lot of stigma with getting help and professional help, but it can be life-changing- 100% ... because they can help you to escalate that help- Mm

to a much bigger need that you might have, that you might not even be aware of. Mm. 'Cause there's so many stories of people who just, they might be curious 'cause they don't know i- if they're experiencing something. So they might- Mm ... be like, "Oh, I wanna go to a therapy session." Mm. And then they go to that therapy session.

They're like, "Wow," like, "I actually have this much issues that I never addressed." Mm. And then they might be like, "Okay, so now that I know that it needs to be addressed," they might take the next steps. So as a uni student, your mental health is very key- Of course ... 'cause getting a degree, I think, is something that should be celebrated.

Mm. It's a big achievement. Mm-hmm. It's something important Mm-hmm And I know a lot, uh, for some people, uni might not be their thing, and that's fine. But for those who do go to uni, your mental health is very important. It can be very vulnerable doing this three years, and each year- Yeah ... it will get more and more vulnerable.

So my advice to people who go to uni, make sure the help that they need is open up. Even opening up to a friend- 

Mm-hmm ... 

or, like, online services and whatnot is very powerful. Mm. But, um, yeah. Okay. That's what I say about that. That's 

perfect. Um, well, yeah, now this is the opportunity, uh, known as Passing the Mic.

So- 

Yes ... 

uh, let me read the questions- Okay ... if 

I could for some words to 

discuss. Um, 

so my first question is- Mm-hmm ... just briefly is what made you want to start podcasting? Mm. 'Cause I believe there's always a purpose behind it. Of course. And like I said, everything has a mental purpose or whatnot. Mm-hmm.

But what was your purpose for starting a podcast? 

Yeah. So, um, this, uh, similar to you, start of lockdown. So 2020, I wanna say October. 

Yeah. 

Um, they were doing, uh, student union elections, uh, and they had open elections to, for the BME officer at the student union. 

Yes. Uh, '

cause no one basically had nominated themselves, so they extended it.

And, uh, there was someone there who was just like, "Hey, I think you should apply." Uh, I'd previously applied for, like, another student union position, so the person knew, uh, what I would do and all of this stuff. Yeah. She was like, "Oh, cool. Like, I think you should do this. You could do it while you're studying."

And I was like, "So, sure. Like, why not?" Um, so I kind of like... The issue, issue was, obviously it was during lockdown, so like you couldn't go out and campaign in person, so it was mainly like DM-ing people, messaging WhatsApp groups, like messaging people who follow the student union- Yeah ... or different societies I was a part of.

Uh, my friends helped me out as well. But one of the things we like, uh, so one of the things on my manifesto, aside from like wanting to like really focus on supporting like Black students, uh, but specifically Black students 'cause of what 2020 was like. But, um, I was also just like, there's a lot of resources, again, like I mentioned before, that the university tells that they don't know.

So I was talking to students, uh, and they were just like, "Oh, yeah." So I was like, "Oh," there was like they wanna start a business. Yeah. I was like, "Well, do you know that our, like, entrepreneur team run a yearly competition?" Mm. "There's usually like a pot of 15,000 pounds, and they will then divide the money or like it depending on like how many are good," like it sounds harsh to say good, but like- Yeah

"how many ideas there are, they will divide the money accordingly." 

Mm. 

So I think the year that I told this person or the following year, they divided it five, 5K each for three winners. 

Oh, 

wow. Yeah. Uh, the year that I applied and I got shortlisted, uh, they divided I think the top prize was 5K. Then they did two prizes of I think 2.5K, and then I think they did three one, I wanna say f- I want to say

Anyway, they divided it more, amongst more people Yeah And then even when, uh, so the year that I got shortlisted but didn't win, I came back 'cause they were just like, "Do you want to judge it?" And I was like, "Sure." I came back and judged it, and even then they were like, "Yeah, cool, we can find a way to make the money split even more."

Um, but yeah, Student was just like, "I didn't know this existed." I was like, "Yeah, you can apply, like, while you're a student. But if you're about to graduate, don't worry, you can apply three years after graduating." 

Okay. 

And they was like, "Oh, I didn't know this." I was like, "Yeah, like, most universities have an entrepreneurial team that usually run some form of competition."

Um, I was like, "The money's equity-free." It's- Yeah. I've told people- Oh, wow ... that pitch is the nicest pitch you'll probably ever get to do. Um, it's a lot of money. They're, they're very supportive. Um, they, they bring someone from Santander as a judge. Um- Wow ... an alumni usually who runs a business comes, as well as them as, uh, like, as a team judging your idea.

Yeah. 

But I was like all these people are doing, like, such incredible things or, and there's different teams working on different stuff. Why aren't people aware that, like, that exists, the mental health exists, the diagnosis exists? Um, so yeah, I didn't get the BME officer role. No. Um- Yeah ... but I was like, "I've had these conversation with people.

It doesn't feel right to just be like, because I wasn't elected, I'm gonna just let this go." Let ... 

Yeah. 

Um, so I was like, "Cool. Instead I'm gonna just focus on developing whatever this thing is." So Pick Our Mic was gonna just be like an online Zoom ser- Basically it was essentially a podcast, but- Yeah ... I didn't know.

But it was gonna be a Zoom series. I would invite people to join. They would be in the room. They would be on mute, then they could ask the ... And it was like a live podcast of sorts. Oh, okay. Um, but then we saw that there was, there wasn't a lot of sign up, and I don't necessarily think it was because the idea was bad.

I think basically I, like, my explanation was everyone was just tired of Zoom. 

Yeah. Um, like- 

Yeah ... everyone was on Zoom. Everyone was online, yeah ... people were doing lectures, family catch-ups, all of this stuff. And I was like, "I personally feel it makes more sense if we do..." So, like, I don't know, I believe the idea was mine, but it could have been one of my friends.

But, like, I was like, "Cool. Why don't we just do it as a podcast?" Because I was like, if I miss a lecture and it's, like, an online lecture, I'm never gonna, I'm never watching it again. Yeah. Like, I might think to myself I will. I won't. But I was like, a podcast is designed that whether you are watching it as soon as it's released or three weeks later, in your mind you're like, "Okay, cool.

This is something I'm gonna check in with at some point." Um, so we were just like, "Why don't we just create this as a thing?" Um, so we recorded, like, one episode. So the first episode, uh, people think I led on. I did not. It was my friend Samuel. 

Yeah. 

Um, and his, the first topic, uh, was actually of this podcast, was, um, how to follow your passion in a difficult world.

So it was all around the idea that, like, you're at uni. You might be interested in different things, you know, developing your career. You might be doing a degree, like you said, that isn't necessarily one you want to do. But how do you follow your passion in a world that was difficult? And we were talking about, like, COVID and how, you know, the job market probably feels difficult if you're just about to graduate.

Yeah. 

Um, but yeah, he led on it. He did all this research, all of this stuff, um, which was way more than, like, I was, like, I m- I just came up with the topic idea, and he was like, "I feel like this is the best that I can do." So if you've enjoyed that first episode, that's, that's his, all him, not me. 

Yeah. 

Um, and then yeah, we did 10 episodes of that.

Um, and then it went really well. We saw like a little good traction, and then I reached out to my student union, and was like, "Cool, so we do this podcast thing. Um, I'm currently... Like, we're kind of doing it for free on this platform, but we wanna upload more content." 

Yeah. 

Um, and to keep the content up, this comes at a cost.

So we were like, "Cool, would you be interested in potentially, like, paying for this to be up on- Yeah ... uh, to, to pay for this?" We were like, "Look, like, we're all Brunel students." Um, we, at the time, like, it was just like friends and family or people that we knew that we were inviting. Yeah. So we were like, "Look, there's a lot...

There's most likely gonna be a lot of Brunel people on this. Um, but if you're interested in, like, supporting us, we'd love that." They were like, "Yeah, sure. We'll give you... We'll cover the cost of you distributing it." Um, they didn't even have f- Like, they were just like, "Oh, if we think of anyone, we'll recommend them."

But they were never like, "Oh," like, "Jeffrey, you need to have..." That's why I said, like, it was the nicest relationship ever. Like, that's good. And it lasted, like... Yeah, it lasted until I graduated, I think- Oh, wow ... to be fair. 

Okay. 

Yeah. Um, so they were just like, "Yeah, this is great." Like, you know, "We'll, we'll give you...

Like, just send us the info. We'll cover the... We'll reimburse you for the cost of this." Um, and yeah, it was really great. And then as we kept on doing it, it just kept on building. We added new stuff, new podcasts, all of this. But essentially it just came from the fact that, like, there's so much information and, like, tools and resources out there- Yeah

that people don't know about- Of course ... and aren't aware that, like, those all... You can like, especially there's uni w- cut-off dates. Mm-hmm. There's, um, when you're 25 cut-off dates. 

Yeah. 

When you're 30 cut-off dates. Um, some of them are now pushing to 35. Oh, yeah. So it's like if you're, if you're not aware of...

'Cause I've also told people as well, like, um, finally what I'm saying is like, you may be... Like, even if you have a business idea, there are a lot of business accelerators for particularly 18 to 25, but there are a lot for 18 to 30. 

Yeah. 

And I was like, "Whatever you go on this accelerator for, you may not necessarily have a business idea."

But my recommendation to people is it's best that you go in and you learn even the basics, so once you've graduated from the program, you can then be like, "Okay, cool. I'm gonna think about, like, this business thing." Yeah. Like, "I'm gonna use the learnings for this to build a business." Then, like, you hit 29, and then you realize, "Great, now I need to, like, learn all this stuff- Yeah

but I don't have it, and I've got, like, what? A year to apply for all these programs. I'm putting so much pressure." You need... 

In, in this modern world, you need to have knowledge around that. I'm telling you. 100%. I'm telling you. Once you hit adulthood, I'm telling to, like, like, kids in school, kids at u- uh, people at uni- Mm

who are not kids, um, once you hit adulthood, you need to know these things. Mm. Mm-hmm. And this is where, like, what you're doing- Mm ... is so important, 'cause if you don't have the knowledge around it, you're gonna struggle in the real world. 

No, 100%, man. But yeah, I... That's basically it. That's 

what the whole- Yeah.

Wow. Yeah. It's, it's always amazing to see, like, a story behind the screen. Mm. Like, people just see two people doing a podcast without knowing why. 

Mm. 

So that story in itself is powerful. It's so, like... It started off as you running for a post, an election post- Mm ... and then the way it's been led up, the support you've had- Mm

it's amazing. 

No. Thank you. 

Um, my second question to you- Yes ... uh, mental health connected- Mm-hmm ... is- not, maybe not biggest is the right term, uh, a mental health stigma that you, uh, know about, you're aware of- Mm ... that you're kind of passionate about? 

Mm. Um, one thing I will say, I didn't mention in the last question, um, I don't have podcasting experience prior to this.

Oh, wow. 

Uh, like, and I barely have video editing s- prior to this. That's interesting. So people- Learnt it 

on the job. 

Exactly. Like, people think, like, "Oh, he must have studied, like, AV or audio engineering." No, like I studied, like, the sciences. Mm. I have a science background from my masters and undergrad. So I tell people, like, all of this stuff, like, is not because, like, I'm, like- 

Into 

it

into it. I've learnt it so I could be able to upgrade and- Of course ... produce my work. Um, one, a stigma that I think is bad is, I think we kinda touched on it, is, uh, I think people have misconceptions with therapy. Mm. Um, and feel like therapy is a really bad thing, or if you go to therapy that means that your, you know, your mental health is, like, really bad- Yeah

or like you must be- No ... like, you know, super depressed or whatever. Uh, and the reason why I say that's passionate to me is 'cause, so funnily enough, the only reason why I started going to therapy... So I, I also, I have my own opinion. The, my therapy route is interesting. Um, so I started going to therapy from, so there's an organization, I think they're still around, called the Gen Z Club.

Wow. 

And they do, so they would do, they do, like, workshops and stuff, um, and, like, events for essentially Gen Z. 

Yeah. 

Um, and I, the first, the only event I've been to theirs, uh, was one with someone that I was connected, uh, like followed on LinkedIn, and I saw they were gonna speak at this, so I was like, "Cool, I'm gonna go to this event."

And it was all about, like, dating as a Gen, like in, as a Gen Z. 

Yeah. 

Um, so like how do you navigate that? How do you deal with stuff? This and this. Wow, okay. And I was like, so I came to the event, and I was attending it, and I was, like, listening to what they were talking about, and one key thing that stuck out was, uh, both, uh, so it was, like, a couple that, that spoke.

Um, I shout 'em out a few times in this, Hayley and Sterling Record. But, um, they basically were talking about their journey, and they both mentioned that, uh, one thing that they did separately but then also together is they went into therapy. 

Wow, okay. '

Cause they were just like, "We, we feel like..." So they both had interesting experiences.

They've dealt with a lot of stuff. They've all got a whole podcast that talks about it. Wow. It's called A New Record if you wanna learn. So I won't go over it here, but, um, they were just like, "Yeah, we, I felt like we need to..." Like, they individually wanted to go to therapy to deal with their stuff but also wanted to go through some of that together through couples therapy.

And I think I was like, "Oh, that's interesting," because, not because, like, they went to therapy and then, I don't know, suddenly, like, everything was fixed, they're now, like, a amazing couple. It was like, they were like, "Oh, cool, like, to be the best versions of ourselves, we've got all this, like, baggage and stuff we haven't really, like, settled."

Yeah. "We should settle this before we, like, go forward with a relationship." I think for me I was just like, "Hmm, somebody can, like, turn around and be like, 'Cool, I'm gonna go into therapy because I feel like I want to...' Like, not repair my life, but, like, I want to, like, really just reflect." 

Right. And understand yourself a bit better.

Exactly. Yeah. Um, so I remember on the way back I was just like, "You know what? Um- I was like the only like therapy thing that I knew was, um, BetterHelp. So I signed up for BetterHelp, and I did that, and then I had one therapist where I was like, like with BetterHelp you put criteria, do all of this stuff.

Um, this, like also people may know the... Anyways, there's a whole thing. I'm not promoting BetterHelp. Yeah, yeah. I've also stopped using the, like we have affiliates with them, but that's a whole other conversation- Oh, okay ... that I would prefer to- ... have off camera why we don't do that anymore. Yeah, yeah. Um, but yeah, I, so I was using BetterHelp for a long period of time.

Um, and then I had like different therapists on that. There were some, like the fir- the first therapist I had, I thought was really good, and then it just got to a stage where like I felt like she was, not projecting, but she was saying things that I was... And I think that's one thing about therapy. I think sometimes people assume the therapist is always right, but the therapist goes off the inform- There was like a thing that I said, I went on a date with someone, and I felt like there wasn't necessarily a connection.

The person really enjoyed it. And I was like, "Oh, I just feel like there wasn't necessarily a connection here." Um, and like things just like, there were just like weird things happening on that date, and I was just like, "Oh yeah, I don't really feel like I wanna pursue that." 

Yeah, yeah. 

The therapist was like, "Oh, I feel like you're like self-projecting.

Like you're kinda like hating on yourself. You're like, no, like you don't think you're ready for a relationship." I was like, "No." No, that's- I'm like, this is like, I can see, I can- Yeah, yeah ... like yeah, that's a fair point if it was. I'll put my hands up for that. But I'm like, if there's certain stuff that you're like, "Oh no," like I would, if, if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't be doing that to you.

Yeah. 

Um, I'm like, that's not a, I'm self-deprecating or like I'm self- Yeah, no, no, no ... like sabotaging myself. That's a, no, this was a weird interaction, and I don't think that I should continue anything with this person. 

Yeah. 

Um, so yeah, so then I changed therapist, and then the other one that I had, again, like the difficulty with their app when like changing therapist was it was like you're back to square one, so you have to redo everything.

So eventually I got to a point where I was also just like, BetterHelp is quite expensive, so I was just like- Yeah, yeah, 

yeah ... 

I'm gonna just stop it. 

Bet. 

Um, and then funnily enough, someone who went to my uni who we met, um, I think we met at one of... So um, the entrepreneur team at my university every January do like a entrepreneurs networking event where biz- they have a panel, but then they also will get people to pitch their businesses and stuff.

Yeah. 

So I met an alumni from my uni, and I then found out she, uh, through her business offers therapy. Uh, it's Priscilla if you're interested. Uh, she w- so she, um, she's a licensed therapist. She came on a podcast, spoke about her journey, and then after the session I was like, "Oh, I didn't know that you offer like, like therapy sessions."

Yeah. So I was like, "Well, I'm looking for a therapist." I've like been out of therapy for a bit. I was using BetterHelp. She was the reason why like you no longer see the BetterHelp promotions, uh, in at least these current videos. I will, I can't be bothered to remove the ones from previous. Um, but she was just like, "Yeah," like that's the reason why, um she was like, "Yeah, if you're interested, like just let me know.

We'll book a call." Yeah. So I've had, uh, I wanna say for the past- two years, three, a year or two Yeah Um, I've had sessions with her, and I found it beneficial. Now- Yeah, 

of course ... 

I love the way her sessions are run. It's like you basically will pay for 10 sessions. It's based on your salary band, so it's, um...

And you can do like Klarna and other stuff if you can't afford it, like right off the bat. 

Yeah. 

Um, but what I really like is there's no... 'Cause I think the thing with BetterHelp, it just felt like if, 'cause you're paying so much, you have to have at least one session a week, and if you wanted a follow-up, you would be basically paying more money.

Yeah. Whereas with, um, uh, like, uh, this, uh, Priscilla, um, she was like, "Oh, cool, so you basically pay for 10 sessions," and she was like, "If you wanna have these 10 sessions, like across 10 weeks, that, sure." Yeah. "If you wanna have it whenever you feel like it, sure. If you wanna have it, like five, work on yourself, have another five, sure."

Wow. And I just like that 'cause- It's 

flexible. 

Yeah ... it's flexible. 'Cause sometimes you're like, "I don't need, like, I don't need..." Like, I feel like I haven't either worked on what you've said before, or I don't feel that like if we had a conversation now, it would be the most useful for me. 

Yeah. 

Um, which I like 'cause like, like we, we, I think, like the last time I saw her before, like earlier this year was like maybe October or November.

Yeah. And I was... Or even probably, maybe September. And I was like, "Oh yeah, the reason why I didn't book anything was life just got super busy." Yeah. And I didn't wanna like rush- 

Yeah. Yeah. 

Yeah ... doing 

this. 

Um, but yeah, so that's my thing. I think that like if like whether you think your, like your mental health is amazing or not, um, therapy is not a bad thing, right?

Yeah. I would say go to therapy. Um, find a therapist that works for you. 

Of course. 

Um, and yeah, I think that most important thing is that. Like, if, if you feel like internal- like, obviously, like be aware of your own emotions and whatever. 

100%. 

But yeah, if, if a therapist is telling you something that you're like, "This is not true about me at all-" True.

Yeah, yeah ... 

like" 

Then you know. 

Yeah. 

So it's interesting 'cause the first therapist that you went to- Mm ... compared to the last one you went to- Mm ... um, there's a clear difference, and the clear difference is as a therapist, especially if you're a therapist in training or whatnot- Mm ... one thing you shouldn't do is you control the narrative.

Mm. 

So that's what the first therapist did. Mm. They tried controlling the narrative, whereas if you go to therapy, the therapist should al- should allow you to control the narrative. Mm. They're just guiding you- 100% ... which is what your most recent therapist done, and that is very key, and that's when you know you found the right therapist.

100%. 

Um, my next question, it was kinda linked with that, but I'm gonna change it a bit different. Okay. Um, not linked to the stigma you just provided. What is one mental health a- uh, one, one mental health advice you would give to the people? 

Um, mm, that's a good question. Uh, one that I need to incorporate more myself- Mm

but I don't, um, is it's... So I got this from a podcast, uh, that I recommend. Uh, I'm a big fan of Trevor Noah's. He's got a- Oh, yeah ... podcast called The Now, um, on Spotify, so feel free to check it out. Um, but his podcast, he has an episode with, like two people that he c- um, sometimes co-hosts it with, but they usually, like, basically he's usually the main host, and he'll have, like a bit of a background section where he talks with them about the guest.

Uh, and then you hear that for the first maybe two or three minutes- Yeah ... and then he'll do the main episode with the guest. Um, but he did an episode where it was just, like him and his two co-hosts that he usually talks with, and it was like, "Okay, if there's one thing in the world that you'd implement," um, and it was like a universal rule that everyone would have to follow, what would it be?

Um, so I think Trevor Noah was just like, "Social media should be banned for everyone under the age of 16." Um, I've forgotten the other two people's names, but uh, one of them was like... Uh, what did she say? What did she say? Uh, oh, "Schools should be a lottery." So she sh- she was just like, "Private schools, public schools, it should all be a lottery."

So essentially, whether you're rich or poor, you don't know what school your child's going to. Um, and her argument for that, I mean, the Trevor Noah social media thing I think is self-explanatory. If you're young and, and you're using social media, that's a whole experience. Um, with, uh, the school lottery one, her argument was, well, schools universally would improve if rich people didn't know what ch- what school their child's gonna end up in.

Um, and it would get rid of this thing of like, oh, you know, um, my child may be like the most ridiculous person in the world, but I, you know, as a teacher you may feel like you can't reprimand them because their parent is like a massive donor. Yeah. It's like, cool, like now, now this child has no connection.

Their family hasn't been going to this school for like 20 or 30 years. Yeah. It's like, cool, this child's wrong, I can correct them, stuff like that. Yeah, 

yeah, 

yeah. Um, the other person, which is the rule that I r- uh, links the rule that I, or like my advice that I would say, was his was, um... So he's, he, he grew up Jewish, and he was like, "In Judaism, um, they, uh, have a, they have a Sabbath practice," which is, uh, for 24 hours, usually from sunset on Friday to...

Yeah, is it sunset? Yeah, I think it's sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday. 

Yeah. 

So essentially for 24 hours, no, no work. So depends on if they're like Orthodox or not, some people will take it very seriously, so it's like, no like turning... So they'll use like candles and stuff- Yeah ... 'cause they can't turn off light switches.

Um, they can't... So they'll pre-cook their Friday meal. Meal. Maybe their Saturday- Yeah ... breakfast. Oh, 

wow, okay. 

Uh, Saturday meal as well, because they're like, "I can't turn on the cooker. I can't do this. I can't do that." Um, it's supposed to be like a whole, like there's, uh, a c- like there's a religious element to it, but it's also supposed to reflect like you are...

Essentially the religious ac- um, element is you're taking... You work six days in the week, you take that time to pause, reflect, and remember what God's done for you. 

Yeah. 

And he was saying, um, he's not necessarily like, like follows that all the time. He's not necessarily considering himself a practicing, uh, like Jew, but he was like, "Oh, I feel like culturally there is something about being like for 24 hours I will not work on something- 

Mm

and stepping back is super important." 

Wow, yeah. 

Um, his, to be fair, was the only idea that was between the three of them was universe- like the two, like two out of three agreed on it. Um, and I feel like that is something that whether you are a business person, whether you are a uni student, whether you are like- a graduate, you're employed, whatever Yeah

I think having like 24 hour- and it doesn't need to be a Saturday, you can work around your schedule Yeah ... having a day of rest, I think to me is really important 

Very key. 

Um, because I feel like you're always like, uh, like one thing my dad always says is, "You're always gonna be busy." Like, there's always gonna be something to do, whether it's you need to tidy your room- 

Yeah

uh, you need to send the emails to, to whoever. Um, you feel stressed because you've got like work in the back of your mind, so you wanna schedule some emails when you get home. Yeah, yeah, 

yeah. 

But you also need to understand that if you keep on doing that, you're just gonna burn out. Of 

course. 

So- 

Rest is key

rest is so key. So I think that would be my advice is it may not start off with 24 hours and you may not take it to the extreme that you're not gonna cook- 

Yeah ... 

do anything like that. But it could start off with, okay cool, so um, you- if you work, your lunch hours are your like, it's a blocked out time.

Yeah. So no one, no one can book meetings. Um, and in theory, no employer can like legally say you can't have a lunch break. Yeah, yeah. So you can book out whatever time you usually take lunch and be like, "Cool, every work day, um, that lunch break is when I will not work on my laptop. I will move away from my desk and maybe I'll go eat in the cafeteria."

Yeah. "I might eat outside if it's sunny. Um, I might go to a park, I might do whatever. I might eat with colleagues, I might eat with myself." But you could be like, "My lunch hour is just away from work and I'm focusing on like," either looking after yourself or connecting with others. Mm. Um, alternatively as well, like if it's your lunch break you could be like, "That's my time with no tech."

Yeah. So it's, "I'm reading a book. I'm writing in a notepad. Um, I'm..." Uh, like my mom has like really gotten into like, um, cryptic crosswords- Yeah ... and like all of this stuff. So- 

Just something you normally don't do. 

Exactly, and it's, it's like quite fun because you'll then be like, "Oh cool," like um, right, very...

I'll wrap up with this. Like one thing, so I, I started doing similar things. So I was like, "Cool, in my lunch breaks I wanna read a book." Yeah. Um, so that was one of the reasons why like I was able to finish like Atomic Habits. Wow. Um, and one of the things it talks about in that book is you may have a goal of like you want to read X number of books or you wanna read a book within- Yeah

2026 for example. But you're never finding the time to dedicate to read to this book. Yeah. And that's okay. What you can do though is you could say, "Actually, you know what? Five minutes before I go to bed I'm gonna read 10 pages of a book every day for the next couple like-" 

Wow. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah ... all the time.

And even, uh, the person who wrote At- Atomic Habits was like, "The reason why it's called Atomic Habits and it's these small change steps lead to big changes is because if you read five to 10 pages of a book every day, you're gonna finish that book." 

Yeah. "

And now you've read a book." And then you can be like, "Okay cool, well every day I'm gonna set aside a chapter to like it's...

I'm gonna read a chapter in a book," whether it's during your lunch hours or before you sleep. Um, and then you'll just get to a point where like you'll then up it and it'll be like two page- or two chapters, three chapters, four chapters, whatever. 

Yeah. 

Um, and it's not nec- And it could be like, "Oh cool, so um, I'll read a book," and like depends on what the book is, but like if it's like a, um, if it's a fictional book, uh, you may be like, "Okay, I'm gonna read-" One...

No, tell a lie, I meant nonfiction. But essentially, you'll read a chapter- Yeah ... and then you'll be like, "I've read this chapter, now I'm gonna..." Or like, "I've read my 10 pages." Like you said about writing- 

Yeah ... 

can I write on one, like in three bullet points, the key takeaways that I've gotten- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

from reading these 10 pages? Uh, some books are nice, they give you a wrap-up summary anyway, so you can just literally copy and paste that. Um, but you could do it like that. And then if you wanna make it super fun, you know, if you've got a work colleague or a friend, um, friend, family- Yeah ... um, tell them like, "Every time I tell, like I'm gonna read a chapter of a book every day."

Yeah. "Before the end of the day, I need to send you a message with what are the- Of course ... three key bullet points that I've learned from reading this book." 

Yeah. 

So. 

It's amazing. And just on that topic- Mm ... of taking a rest, two things that I preach is do something new- Mm ... a new challenge every time, and release your inner child.

Mm. Um, something that I've been trying to practice a lot, doing things that you missed out on- 

Mm ... 

when you were as a kid, I think that is very important. Mm. So yeah. And I've got one more question for you. 

No, go 

ahead. Uh, completely unrelated to anything- ... we've spoke about, and obviously I mentioned Narita earlier.

Yeah. 

Say, say. 

I wanted to ask you your top three anime in order, starting from third, second, first. 

Ooh. Ooh. I've never been... I've been asked, uh, top three, but never in order. Um- 

I want it in order. I need to hear this. I need to hear this. Uh, 

I also, well, I will preface by saying we do have an anime podcast, which is funny- Yeah, yeah, yeah

because I am not- 

I, I knew, that's 

why I picked- You knew? That's why ... 

that's why I picked this question then. 

Um, I need to... So I will preface by saying like, I'm not, I don't watch as much anime as I used to. Yeah. But I'm trying to get back into it. Mm. Um, I will say, off the bat, One Piece is an incredible anime.

I have not... I'm literally still early days. That- 

Yeah, okay, fair. Yeah, yeah, 

yeah ... an- that anime is... I personally love it. Uh, but yeah, man. 

I- Out of curiosity, like how many episodes are you in? 'Cause I'll be honest- I'll be honest ... like I got 30-something episodes and I couldn't be arsed . 

I'll be honest, it's exactly the same.

Oh, 

really? Okay. Um, yeah. Like I... It's, uh... So I, I told a friend of mine, sh- uh, she didn't know this, but like the... So BBC i- I don't know how they got agreed, but BBC iPlayer have like I think the first two... Well, they've now increased it, so I think it's like 600 episodes. 

Oh, 

okay. Yeah. The original One Piece. Um, so I was like, "Cool."

I saw it on there and I was like, "I don't have anything else to watch. Let me just watch it." Yeah. I've been always thinking about starting One Piece, and I think this was before the live action was like released, so I was like, "Cool, maybe I can like at least watch a couple of stuff, so if I do watch the live action, I'll be able to be like, 'Oh, cool, this is what's different.'"

Yeah. I 

started it, I was like, "Anime in the '90s was completely 

different." Oh, mate, yeah. 

It's like... 'Cause I think that's one of the reasons why I like, as a creative, I like One Piece because you literally see how anime across like time- Yeah ... has changed. 

Definitely. 

Um, 'cause my thing is if you're someone who's like watched a lot of like more modern, even, even arguably I'd say comparing it to Narita, if you've watched like modern...

Let's say you've watched like, I don't know, like JJK. You've watched JJK- Yeah ... and you're like, "Oh, JJK's sick, I love it." If you go back and watch like the f- those early episodes of- Yeah ... of, um- One Piece ... One Piece, you'll be like- Wow, man, this is ... 'Cause I've, I've said- We've 

come a long way ... 

we've come a long way.

'Cause the way it was before, it was like, okay, cool, so we're gonna start off with, um, so, like, every episode would be, like, a short, like, recap of what happened- Yeah ... in the last one. Then it's, like- It's two minute battle ... two minute theme song. 

Yeah. 

Then it's like- 

So dumbed down ... 

five to seven minutes of actual action.

Yeah. 

Then it's, like, potentially on some of them, a teaser of what's coming in the next episode. 

Yeah. 

And then it's, like, a three minute song at the end. 

Yeah. 

So essentially every episode you're only seeing, like, five minute- A 

minute, yeah ... 

and you're, so, like, when, um, when Usopp gets recruited, I was like- 

Oh, that, you know, that's, I think that's what put me 

off.

That's what put you off. Because I watched it and I was like, "Oh, cool, so we're gonna see," um, I've forgotten even what this pirate's called, but the pirate that they, the big pirate that they fight when they get there. I was like, "Cool, we're gonna see this," like, you know. And then I was just, like, watching episodes and I was like, "This is dragging on."

So then I, so I exited and I was like, "Okay, let me just scroll through the titles." 

Yeah. 

And I was like, "So they don't even beat him for like another, like, five or six episodes?" Yeah. I was like, "What's going on here?" This is, like, and, and if you look at modern day, modern day anime, even if, like, for someone to not be beaten that quickly, that's not your, like, entry-level bad guy.

Yeah. This is someone who's like, but, like, Naruto's a better example. Yeah. How long did it take them to beat ... Even in the end, they didn't even beat Madara. 

Yeah. 

But how long did it take? Like, Madara was on there for time. 

Time. 

But it was understandable. That guy was like a, he was a big boss. He- He 

was- One of the coldest villains 

in anime history

one of the coldest 

villains. 

Um, so yeah, my, so with that aside, um, my preference would be for sentimental values and the fact that also my sisters, like, aren't big anime fans but they loved it, um, so, uh, Spy x Family is- 

Okay. I- ... I haven't watched that one. I've heard a lot of things about that. 

It's good. Um, I recommend it to people because it's, it knows how to, like, blend, like, it's never, like, super serious and, like, deep.

It's not like your, like, Attack on Titan, but it's like, I think the premise is interesting and funny. 

Yeah. 

And I think the characters are u- Like, it's, the interactions between the characters are great, so- 

Okay ... 

you've got, um, do you know anything about 

it? Not really, I'll be honest. No. Okay. I've just heard things like, "Oh, it's really good."

Yeah. 

That's all I've heard. 

So essentially the way it works is, um, so the child, Anya, she is a telepath. 

Okay. S- 

uh, her dad is a spy, so it's kind of set around, like, they make it, they try- they try and make it seem like it's set in, like, some far away, it's basically, like, Cold War. You've got East Berlin and West Berlin.

Oh, okay. 

Um, but it's like s- they gave out, like, fake names. They're two different, like, countries, all of this stuff. So the guy who's from the west, he's been sent to infiltrate the east 'cause they've heard that there's this, like, big plot that's gonna happen and- Yeah ... the attack's supposed to happen. Um, so the anime's interesting 'cause the dad's a spy.

The dad realizes that the way he needs to connect with this main bad guy is he needs to basically have a, a child. Um, so he goes to this, like, adoption agency. He finds this girl. The girl is a telepath, so she knows he's a spy. 

Yeah. 

He doesn't know that she's a telepath, so she's, like, "Oh- He was like, "Oh, like she's not really smart.

I'm not gonna pick her." And he, she sees that she's got like this newspaper, so he's solving the crosswords- Yeah ... and these are like sophisticated stuff. So she's sol- she's reading his mind to solve it, and he's like- Wow, okay ... "Wow, she's super smart." 

Yeah. "

I'm bringing her on board." Yeah. "She's gonna be my child.

She's gonna help me." So she, in theory, knows the mission. Yeah. He doesn't know that she knows that. 

Wow, okay. 

The, the- It's a 

good basis, yeah. 

It's a good basis. Later on, the mother that gets introduced, she's an assassin, but the husband doesn't know that she's an assassin. 

Oh. 

The daughter knows that she...

knows both of them- Yeah ... and it's just like the interaction between the two of them- 

Yeah. Yeah ... 

um, because like she'll be like the most ridiculous things will happen. So he might come back late. Um, there was even one ti- like it's in the episode, and it's not really a spoiler, it's just like ridiculous, where he...

So he, as I s- like did his spy mission, the bad guys basically tracked him, followed him. Yeah. He went on a date with, um, with his like wife to basic- 'cause she thought like, "Oh, he's gonna leave me," because, you know, she basically almost forced his hand to pretend that they were married. Yeah. Um, 'cause it like she was just like, "If I don't marry someone, the s- the secret police are gonna basically arrest me."

So she was like, "Cool, I'll pretend that I've been married." Um, and he, so sh- so they're like going on a date. He's b- he's essentially, at the end of this date, is now being attacked, and then he's bas- she's just like, "Oh, my days," like, "Who's this person attacking us?" Do you know what I'm saying? Yeah. This brother's like, "Oh, you won't believe it."

Uh, so he, he, his day job is he's a psychologist. 

Yeah. 

So he's like, "Oh, this is one of my patients. I need to give him immersion therapy." 

Yeah. 

So he, he's like, "He's got violent tendencies, so I basically need to act like a spy to beat this guy up." She's like- Okay ... "Oh, sick." Like- ... "Yeah, totally. I, I fully agree."

Yeah, yeah, 

yeah. 

Um, so it's just like the most ridiculous things. It is. 

Like, yeah, that's, that's a very unique plot. I've definitely gotta add that to my 

list. 100%. 100%. And the more characters they bring us, like her brother works for the secret police. Wow, okay. The husband realizes that he works for the secret police.

The sister doesn't know. The brother hates, uh, the husband because he's like, "Oh," you know. Like he was very protective of his sister. Yeah, yeah. So he was like, "Oh, now she's m- apparently married this guy out of the blue. She didn't tell me. I don't trust him." Yeah. This, that, there. Um, but the daughter knows all of this, so it's funny 'cause like she's like interacting with all of them, and it's just ultimately ridiculous.

Wow, I like that. Um, so yeah, that's why I like it. I, I think it's an interesting premise. I think also the author could have gone in like any direction. He could have made this like super serious, dark- Yeah ... and gritty. But it's like there's still a deep message, but it's also like very low-key and chill.

Yeah. 

Um, the other two that I would say is, uh, for recency bias, but also I, I will say I am, I've been r- I've been supporting this anime since it came out, is My Hero Academia. 

Okay, 

right. Because, uh, as a comic book fan, it is a perfect combination of anime and comic books- Yeah ... because of the world that it's set in.

Yeah. Uh, but I've also, the reason why I have to preface that is because I remember when I used to tell people like, "Oh, yeah, I, I love, I love My Hero," people- Yeah ... would be like, "Oh, so you like Kirishima Deku, you like this, you like that?" And I was like When that final scene of the season came out, everyone was like, "Oh, my days, My Hero Academia is, like, one of the greatest animes.

It's like the greatest one." Yeah. "Da, da, da." And I was just like, "But like when this thing started, you were all just like, 'This anime sucks.' Like, 'It's the worst of new-gen anime.'" 

It's a, it's a different feeling when you're there from day one- 

When you're there from day one, everyone's 

like- ... and then to the end

it's- And then you've seen people hate on it, but you're the one that stuck through to the end. 

It's, you see what I mean? And it's even wild, 'cause I remember when the manga ended, and they released the ending, and people just like, "Oh, I'm so annoyed with the author." People were sending him letters, all of this.

They did the exact same ending in the anime, and it's the same thing that happened with Attack on Titan. Yeah. It's the exact same thing. Everyone's like, "Wow, this is amazing." Yeah. Like, they, they... This, like, the author knew what he was doing. It's... And I was just like, "But you were all complaining, like, months ago when the author ended the anime, and you weren't happy with it."

Yeah. So yeah, MHA is up there, um, second only because, uh, my first choice, which is Naruto, is Naruto is the anime- 

The 

GOATed ... is the GOAT anime. It 

is 

the GOATed. Um, I've said I enjoy, like, One Piece fans, I get what you... I get it. Yeah. You love the interaction of the Straw Hats. Mm. You love, like... Their live action, amazing.

Yeah. One Piece, I've said as an anime, is one that's translated well in like everything that it's been in. 

Yeah. 

So whether it's manga, anime, uh, now live action, like it's done really, it's done really well. And as a concept, it's easy to understand, it's easy for people to connect. 

Yeah. 

I've said, though, there is nothing more m- I'm telling you, I, I have it on my gym playlist.

Yeah. I have it on my motivational playlist. 

It's a 

soundtrack. There is nothing harder than, you know, the, I'm I'm not gonna sing it, but you know the, the Naruto, like the, the Yeah. The original 

theme. Yeah, yeah, 

yeah. There is nothing harder than that playing, and I tell you, when that thing can move me to be motive- That's also why MHA is also second because MHA is the You Say Run.

Yeah. 

I listen, when preparing for like stuff, I'm trying to get in the right mindset. Even if I'm doing, like I'm on the treadmill, there's nothing that will motivate me more to, to just go the extra mile- Yeah ... than hearing some of these soundtracks. But for me, Naruto, if you hear some of the soundtracks- Oh

that just slaps. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, but f- for me personally, it's a great story. Yes. Um, it has chara- like you learn, there's so many amazing char- like I think that's also why I like it. It's not, even though, yes, it's called Naruto, the main focus is obviously Naruto. 

Yeah. 

The characters around- The characters

are amazing. Oh my God, the characters are so well-written. My favorite character, I don't know about you- Mm ... Sasuke. Sasuke. Sasuke is my favorite character 'cause I, I resonate with him very well. Mm. And, um, like the villains as well. Mm. Like, I don't see them as villains. They are fallen heroes in a way. 100%.

100%. They each have their own story, and the, obviously as someone who's into mental health psychology- Mm ... and the emot- the emotional connection and the stories that each character have, the villains- Mm ... the background characters, like Shikamaru, I think, perfect example. Perfect example. Perfect example. Rock Lee, like- Every single character story is so perfectly written- Mm-hmm

so unique, and the way you connect with it, um... I was saying this to one of my boys the other day. Um, so pain, for example- Mm. I actually use pain- Mm ... well, me and my best mate Arvin. Arvin came up with it. I stole it off him. Um, we, uh, what is it? We promote empathy a lot. Mm. I think empathy is the biggest life skill.

And to kids in, like, year seven and year eight who might not understand the- Mm ... difference between empathy and sympathy, we use pain as an example. Wow. And the- obviously, a lot of the kids have watched Naruto, so they connect with it straight away. Mm. And oh my God, like yeah, to know pain, you have to feel pain.

Mm. That idea, you know what I mean? But Naruto, oh my God, like all, all in all, 700 episodes, it's worth it. 

And I've said, like, if you watch the, like, the- for that, for that anime podcast specifically- 

Yeah ... 

there was a friend of mine who she came onto the anime podcast, and we're talk- So she's also a massive Naruto fan.

And she was saying like there's nothing, there was nothing better than seeing this man, like, achieve his dreams- Oh, yeah ... of being Hokage. When that epi- Oh, oof, when that episode aired, I was like, "This is, this, this is what it means by- It's 

so 

emotional ... fulfilling your..." Like- So 

emotional ... 

and I've said, like, I love, I love it because you see as a character, this man was like, "Oh, cool, like you all may hate me."

Yeah. Or you all may be like, "Oh, this dream doesn't make any sense. It's stupid. It's ridiculous. It's this. It's that." But he's like, "I'm gonna do it." Yeah. "I'm gonna be the big guy. I'm gonna get like... I'm gonna become Hokage." And I like that he never, like that, he never faltered away from his mission. 

Yeah. 

And I know everyone has the whole thing about like talk no jutsu and all of this.

Yeah. 

But I also do like that, like, he was just like, sometimes you don't need hands to beat your enemies. Yeah. Sometimes you literally just need, like you said- Talk ... you just need to talk and understand them. 

Talk. Talk. 

Um- 

Such a powerful 

answer ... 100%. I've said, look, everyone, like, like I saw... Was it in COVID?

I can't remember what it was, but someone was, I think I saw it on, I think someone started on Instagram, and was like, "Oh, which fictional character would you go to war with if they were, like, motivating you?" And it was just like, oh, some people were just like, "If I hear a Optimus Prime speech, I'm ready to like-" Yeah, yeah, 

yeah.

get out there." Some people were like Captain America. Um, I feel like Naruto, this man was like- Yeah ... he's a guy that's like, look- 

What he went through ... 

what he went through. And, and to, and I've said, for all the things he went through to still be like, "I, I love my, I love my home, and I'm gonna do everything to protect it."

Yeah. 

Um, 

there's nothing more beautiful than that. 

So that's why Naruto is my, my top anime of all time. 

Yeah. 

Um, I will not, like, we can debate this in the comments again, um, but I will not stand for the... Like, I don't hate One Piece. I don't hate Dragon Ball. Yeah. I don't hate Attack on Titan. But for me personally, there is nothing, like as an anime, and yes, I get it's a long slog.

Yeah. There are fill episodes that feel long, but there is nothing more... And also people have their opinions because Boruto- 

Yeah ... took a 

different direction. 

From whatever. But that's, that's its own separate 

anime entirely. That's 

its own 

separate thing, 100%. Um, so I feel like there is nothing more, there's nothing more beautiful than, than Naruto as an anime.

There's nothing more beautiful than just watching that. And even, 'cause I agree, like we said before, like the way it ended, like how to beat Madara. I know some people are just like, "Oh, the twist is kind of like whack. It's this, it's that." 

Yeah. 

But I was like, look, man, this guy is like, as, as an author, there's only so much you can do.

You've made this person be almost like as OP as can be. 

Yeah. 

Um, how else are you ex- like are you expecting like- Exactly ... I was like, you've gotta give him some grace. He's- Yeah ... he, he, he wrecked that. Like, fans are gonna be like, "Oh, I need to..." He needs to be defeated in the best way possible. This man- Yeah

has been like the big... essentially was the big bad behind everything- Yeah ... that's happened, impacted so many lives, all of this stuff. To then just be like, "Oh, yeah, cool, we're just gonna like give him a one-shot," like he's done. I d- 

Yeah ... I'm sure it's- Him and Akatsuki- Mm ... best villains in anime in my opinion.

Ah, 100, 100% agree. 100% agree. There you go. There you go. Um, any other questions? 

Uh, no, 

I think 

that's it. That's it? 

That's it. Perfect. Um, we're gonna go on to MC of the Month- ... so an organization or individual that, um, we would like to spotlight. And today, uh, if I get the questions up, we would like to support, or we would like to, sorry, not support, uh, highlight, uh, Student Minds.

Uh, so they are a UK... They are the UK's univ- the UK's university student mental health charity. Um, and they're focused on ensuring that stu- no student is held back by their mental health and are pushing for whole, uh, university approaches to wellbeing. Um, so whether this is through, like we mentioned, like therapy, whether this is through hosting workshops, whether this is through just being a space that students can go out to and reach out to, um, they do incredible work.

So my recommendation is if you're at uni, definitely check them out. Um, I also know that sometimes we have people who engage with our content who aren't at uni, so I will spotlight them as someone who's used them. And again, this isn't paid promotion, and they're always in our newsletters because I know how beneficial they are, um, is, uh, Viv- Vi- Vivify therapy.

I'll include a link in the description. Um, but they-- that's the company that I was saying that, um, Priscilla runs. Um, and yeah, they offer a wide range of services. They have flexible pricing. They have Klarna or like, um, like payback schemes if you can't afford their prices off the bat. It is based on your salary, which is even better.

Um, but yeah, I would say check it out because you may like... I-- both of them, um, because you may find the support that you've been looking for. Um, but yeah, we're coming to the end, uh, or we're just before the end. Uh, we're coming to the takeaway section. Um, so we've spoken about a lot of stuff. Uh, it's been a great episode and I've enjoyed it a lot.

But there's one message with that I really want 

people to take away. Very plain and simple. Like I said, I ran a platform called Open Talk. I want you guys to take away the fact opening up is not a weakness. It's a strength. It is a big step, but it's one of the most important steps you'll take for your mental health and your overall wellbeing.

Your mental health is your physical, social wellbeing and your life. It might be one

of the only 

things you have left. So yeah, take that with you. Thank you all for watching. Um, I 

hope 

this has been an empowering episode. Thank you very 

much. But, um Yeah, we've now come to the end of the episode. It's been an absolute pleasure speaking to you. Thank you. And thank you very much, um, for coming on the show.

Yeah. Uh, I think one thing before I- so we also have, this is an opportunity for you to plug yourself, all the cool stuff that you're doing. Yeah. How people can connect. But before I do that, I do want to preface by saying that it is incredible that at 24 you are doing all of this stuff. Um, because, yeah, like you said, um, I mean, we've had a lot of people who are young and doing a lot of cool stuff.

I'm not saying that- Yeah, yeah ... they're, they're not, they're not doing well. Uh, and none of you come to me. But essentially, I think it's really great to see that, like, you're having, like, open conversations on mental health. 

Yeah. 

And even like you said, like, the- you're a 24-year-old who said, "Hey, look, like, I'm, I'm o- my DMs are open."

Like- Yeah ... "Reach out to me if you need, like, someone to just bounce ideas off of-" Yeah, yeah ... or to chat to. Um, because I know, for example, there may be people who are older than you that are just like, "I actually now, like, I need to t- talk to you-" Mm ... "because I've actually been thinking about this thing and I've not had anyone to talk to.

And because of my age-" Yeah ... "I'm concerned." And this and that. So it is great to see a platform like yours that is- No, thank you. Thank you ... having that conversation. 

Yeah. 

Um, but yes, this is your opportunity to plug yourself. So how can people connect with you? If you have, um, anything coming up over the next couple of weeks, months, people should keep an eye out, whether it's an event, content, um, anything like that, this is your opportunity to 

plug yourself.

Um, I guess I'll plug obviously my socials. So Open Talk, uh, it's _opentalk on Instagram, and I post a lot of content there. I mainly post on TikTok. Um, my TikTok is just my name, Rajeet Msinna. Um, I post mental health t- uh, content for my community, but also I think even though I'm talking about a community that I relate to, I think any other community can relate it.

Mm-hmm. And like I said, the message is simple. I just spread mental health. So please check it out obviously. And yeah, like I said, on my Instagram, my DMs are open. Mm. And yeah, that's it. Uh, in terms of events, um, I'm planning to do some mental health talks here and there, so make sure you check my socials to see them.

Mm. And yeah, th- that's it. Thank you very much. It's been an absolute honor. Thank you. I love what you do. You have so many different people coming on, speaking about... It's like life advice. 

Mm. 

And I think that's amazing. 

I really appreciate 

it. People need it. So yeah. 

Thank you very much. Um, and thank you to you, our audience.

Uh, if you liked this episode, like, comment, and subscribe. It's always appreciated. If you wanna make sure you don't miss other episodes of the Student Guide or anything you wanna pick up on my YouTube channel, uh, please do make sure you subscribe to our, uh, our YouTube channel via the link, uh, button below.

Um, if you wanna receive, uh, some cool merch at a discounted rate, or you want to receive some other benefits, uh, you can support us in three ways. So you can either join YouTube membership, uh, you can join our Patreon membership, or you can donate, uh, a c- at the price of a coffee on Buy Me a Coffee. Um, so it's the price of a coffee on all three of those platforms, whether you...

Buy Me a Coffee lets you do one-off donations, but you can also do, um- like monthly donations on that platform as well as the others as well so if you want to support us in that way always appreciated and then um two final things to just mention uh is one if you uh if you want us to check out the other content as we kind of discussed it we do gaming we have a gaming youtube channel called pick up the controller we have a sci-fi and fantasy one called the two maesters we have a um anime one called ascendants of anime um if you want to check out those again you will see an image pop up or video pop up here um where you can find them they're literally just under the for you bit if you head to the main development youtube page and you can subscribe to all of those hit the notification bell so you don't miss any of those content uh we will be going to some more anime events um so we are going to post some videos from ones we've been to already but we will be going to more anime gaming stuff uh over the next couple weeks and we will be talking more about your favorite um sci-fi and fantasy stuff so keep an eye out on that space very soon support the 

cause guys support the 

cause please do please do um and finally actually linked to that um i'm saying it here uh so if you're watching this uh we may have already announced it but if not you'll be the first ones to hear it uh i mentioned i think at the start of the year we're doing a five-year event as you've seen we're currently recording in april i haven't mentioned anything about this yet we've had to push things back due to um well one capacity but also just to not out like stretch ourselves too much um and funnily enough yeah almost to the day which is interesting uh yesterday was when we did our four-year event and saturday was uh the 11th was when we did our three-year event uh so it makes sense that on the ninth i am saying that on the fourth of june uh that's a thursday from the hours of 6 to 10 p.m we will be running our five-year event again at somerset house uh again there's some fun stuff happening with that uh i won't share the details just yet but that's more of a date for your diaries um so keep an eye out on the space if you do want to be aware of when that's happening please do either sign up to one of our mailing lists so either through our website um or through linkedin uh you can also sign up to our whatsapp group so i will um post a link to that in the show notes um and then yeah we're excited to have you at the event um it's gonna be a great time there is a big announcement that we're gonna be doing about the future because we've got we've got five years in the bag we've got five more well plenty more years coming so long may it 

continue 

amen amen um so yeah please do keep come along um it's gonna be fun it's gonna be great to celebrate with all of you um but yeah we want to be most importantly we want you there um but yeah that's a bye from us here we're gonna close this chapter of the student guide it's been a pleasure speaking to you all pleasure speaking to you raj thank you and we'll see you all in the next chapter of the student guide so bye from us and have a wonderful day 

bye guys