Part of the series: 30 Founders Shaping the Future of Mental Health in 2025
Mental health is no longer a conversation confined to the shadows. Around the world, bold individuals are breaking stigmas, pioneering innovative solutions, and reimagining what it means to care for the mind. This article highlights 30 mental health visionaries—therapists, entrepreneurs, researchers, advocates, and creators—who are redefining the landscape of mental well-being.
Whether through groundbreaking technology, community-driven care, or personal storytelling, each of these changemakers is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Their work is not only transforming individual lives but also building a more compassionate, accessible, and resilient future for mental health.
Kanu Batra, Founder of Speek Health
Kanu Batra is the Co-Founder and CEO of Speek Health, a London-based digital health startup dedicated to breaking the cycle of teenage self-harm. With over 15 years of experience in MedTech, business intelligence, and sustainable development, she brings a multidisciplinary approach to mental health innovation.
1. What was the original spark behind Speek, and how has the vision evolved since launch?
Speek was inspired by my lived experience. I’ve seen firsthand how profoundly a young person’s mental illness can impact an entire family.
With a professional background in healthcare, I knew I had both the motivation and the skillset to address a critical gap in the system. In the UK, 1 in 5 adolescents self-harm, and the recommended treatment is expensive, specialist care that many families simply can’t access.
Since our launch, we’ve been focused on making gold-standard care truly accessible and affordable. The leading evidence-based treatment for adolescent self-harm is DBT-A (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Adolescents), but it’s highly specialised and out of reach for many. For families unable to pay privately, NHS wait times can stretch to two or even three years. Meanwhile, the self-harm continues, mental health deteriorates, and the risk increases that the condition will crystallise into something long-term. That’s simply not acceptable.
2. How did you decide to focus on self harm and DBT-A?
Great question. We knew from the start that we wanted to focus on conditions where there is both a strong evidence base for an effective intervention and a clear, underserved need. Self harm and DBT-A fits that criteria exactly. Self-harm is one of the most distressing and isolating experiences a family can go through, and it’s increasingly common, particularly among neurodivergent, minority and marginalized young people.
Self harm is also transdiagnostic with significant overlap with various other conditions, such as ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and more. Through our work in self harm, we gain valuable insights into the needs of patients with these overlapping conditions.
Looking ahead, we’re next expanding our services to support neurodiverse young people, particularly those with behavioural challenges, and their families. In fact, over half of our current self-harm patients are neurodivergent, so this is a natural extension for us.
3. Why is it so important for families to be involved in youth mental health treatment?
We never want families to feel blamed for the situation they’re in. Instead, we want them to understand that they are one of the most important influences in their child’s recovery. In many cases, parents may also be struggling themselves. In fact, research shows that over 70% of children who self-harm have a parent who has sought treatment for their own mental health.
Young people spend 95%+ of their time outside the therapy room, and much of that time is with family. Mental health challenges like emotional dysregulation can run intergenerationally. Speek is here to empower families with skills, support, and understanding to break these ingrained cycles and help families heal together.
Katherine Mengardon, Founder of Neurochicks
Katherine is a trauma-informed neurodiversity coach, author, and consultant who specializes in supporting neurodivergent adults, with a focus on women and girls with ADHD. With a deep understanding of trauma’s connection to neurodivergence, Katherine’s coaching approach integrates trauma-informed care, body work, and tailored strategies to help clients thrive, while letting go of guilt and shame.
Founder of Neurochicks, a female-led community that embraces neurodivergence with unapologetic authenticity, Katherine, along with her partner Lex, leads the charge with their “A to hell yeah” guide to neurodivergence. Their motto? “Won’t take shit but will talk shit.” The community offers a space for irreverence, support, and connection, with group coaching, webinars, courses and guides to neurodivergence, and more to come.
1. What inspired you to create Neurochicks, and how does the community support neurodivergent women and girls in embracing their authenticity?
Neurochicks was born out of a shared “WTF” moment between me and my co-founder and partner-in-AuDHD Lex Harvey-Bryn. We know that coaching is incredible—but not always doable for everyone. Between £££ barriers, fear of feeling “broken,” or just not knowing where to start, we saw a need for something different. We were craving a space that felt like both a hug and a high-five—where neurodivergent peeps of all kinds could gather, swear, laugh, learn, and actually be themselves. No filters required.
We wanted to bridge the gap between the heavy academic stuff and the glitter-dusted chaos of TikTok. So, Neurochicks became our lovechild: a no-nonsense, science-meets-sisterhood community that’s all about radical kindness, play, honesty, and deep-down support. We’re not here to “fix” you—we’re here to help you unmask and flourish.
With guides, webinars, live sessions, and offerings to suit every budget, we’re creating a home for the full-fat neurodivergent experience. Because healing and thriving don’t have to look clinical—they can look like moments of connection, honesty and vulnerability between new found friends. And some big rolling laughs in between.
2. How does your trauma-informed approach to coaching differ from more traditional models, especially when working with ADHD and neurodivergent clients?
Traditional coaching can feel like trying to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions—or worse, with instructions written for someone else’s brain entirely. It often focuses on performance and productivity, which doesn’t always land well if you’ve spent your life masking, second-guessing yourself, or living in a chronic state of "too much and not enough".
My trauma-informed approach starts with safety and radical kindness. It acknowledges that most if not all neurodivergent folks carry a backlog of guilt, shame, and exhaustion. We don’t leap into action plans. We build awareness, self-trust, and strategies that actually fit the shape of your life—not the one others expect of you. I blend coaching with tools from polyvagal theory, nervous system regulation and breathwork, but also play theory as an enabling and powerful learning tool, so we’re not just making to-do lists—we’re healing, reclaiming, and playing our way into something more sustainable.
3. You’ve written both educational and creative books—how do storytelling and literature play a role in shifting the narrative around neurodivergence?
Stories are powerful and at the heart of everything in our world, especially for those of us who’ve grown up feeling like we’re side characters in someone else’s plot. My writing, whether for kids or grown-ups, is about re-authoring and owning those internal narratives and how we present to the world. With the Little Inventors books, for instance, I got to show children that their ideas—even the wild, bendy, impossible ones—matter. That their creativity isn’t just valid, it’s vital. And that they don’t have to wait for a ‘when I’m a grown up moment’ to share their wisdom. In fact, I think it’s humbling for adults to see how much we could benefit from listening to kids more. When we treat them with respect, as PEOPLE, they shine and we all benefit. That’s huge.
As an author, illustrator, and now a YA novelist-in-progress, I use storytelling to open doors. Neurodivergent representation matters, not just as diagnosis or struggle, but as joy, invention, and possibility. We deserve to see ourselves as the heroes, the adventurers, the deeply strange protagonists of our own beautifully wired lives, where difference is not a hindrance but lets us carve our own path.
Chris Baréz-Brown, Founder of Talk It Out
In a world overwhelmed by constant demands and digital noise, clarity can feel out of reach. Yet sometimes, the most powerful solutions are the simplest. Talk It Out wasn’t born from a grand plan—it emerged through a happy accident, rooted in a desire to help people think better. What started as a tool to unlock innovation and creativity soon revealed a deeper, more profound impact: people not only generated better ideas, they felt significantly better too.
Talk It Out’s approach is refreshingly simple: walk, talk, and let the subconscious speak. By reconnecting with our own thoughts in motion, it offers a natural, self-directed way to reduce anxiety, boost productivity, and process emotions. It’s not just a mental health tool—it’s a modern ritual for mental clarity in a chaotic world.
1. What inspired you to create Talk It Out, and what makes its approach to focus and mental wellbeing unique?
Talk It Out was created through a happy accident.
Most of my career I’ve helped large organizations innovate better and I invented Talk It Out to help people have better insights and ideas by walking and talking to access their subconscious.
After training thousands of people in this technique, I was struck by how many people came back not just with amazing creative breakthroughs, but also saying they felt better too.
When you dig underneath it, you understand it because what we think is what we feel; but as 95% of our processing is subconscious - most people have no idea why they feel the way they do. When they Talk It Out, they get clarity about what’s going on in their heads and what they can do to solve unresolved issues.
We’re all bombarded with so many demands on our attention every day, often leaving us feeling confused and overwhelmed. When you use Talk It Out everything becomes clear and as a result we feel so much better about who we are and the lives we lead.
2. Could you share an example of how Talk It Out has helped individuals improve their focus and mental clarity?
Unilever ran some research for us with the NHS and we found that by using Talk It Out for just 10 days, productivity went up 39% and anxiety dropped 37%.
Roche also did some fantastic testing where they got people to use it on a Friday afternoon to download their week so that they wouldn’t be thinking about work over the weekend. In doing so people can discharge their nervous systems and de-stress, whilst enjoying their time off. Just 10 minutes of Talk It Out a week for four weeks and those with low well-being dropped by 94%.
But for me, it’s the personal stories that really strike the most beautiful chord. People who’ve experienced a terrible trauma that’s stopped them living life to the full. Within a few weeks of using Talk It Out, they start to process things that were hidden away for so many years so they can start living life again. In some cases, it really is as if they’ve been reborn.
3. How do you envision Talk It Out contributing to long-term positive changes in individuals' mental well-being and productivity?
This world is getting more complicated and more dynamic every day. We just aren’t designed for it. Talk It Out helps people to make sense of these complexities so they can focus on what counts for them and stop ruminating about the things that often overload our systems.
We’ll never be able to solve tomorrow’s problems with yesterday’s approaches, but by blending modern psychology with the ancient power of walking and talking, Talk It Out can help people to unlock clarity, sharpen their thinking and feel in control of their wellbeing.
It's a self-directed source of clarity that helps us to look after our heads a bit like going to the gym and eating well looks after our bodies.
You can find out more & give it a go at www.talkitout.app
Breindy R Kohn, Founder of Masterful Streaks
Breindy R Kohn earned her Master's in Social Work from Touro University, and in her internship, she served as a therapist at a mental health clinic. She wears different hats, though, one of which is business, another is helping people, and finally, she is an aquatics professional. In her business initiatives, she launched Masterful Streaks Inc., which has helped many businesses and non-profits successfully launch or restructure. She participated in Touro's Moonshot Scholars Program, an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset class, and the NYSED business plan completion. She took a computer programming BootCamp to best assist businesses with their IT needs. Most recently, she's been awarded a Business Leadership Excellence Award at the CXO 2.0 Conference, an international conference bringing together innovators in areas of business, technology, education, and healthcare. In her desire to help people, and after years of teaching experience with every age and gender, she plans to open a school that will revolutionize education. This is to be run as part of Keylom, a community-based initiative to break the status quo for females in education, personal growth, and economic participation. To meet her ambitions, she has supplemented her training with a trip to Albany and training in Part 146-approved Basic Mediation. Finally, as an aquatic professional, she has trained countless people to swim and saved many lives. She is licensed as a certified pool operator and uses her business capacity to influence better water care in her community. Finally, she loves being part of a local artistic swimming team with internationally recognized members.
1. How has your background in social work and mental health shaped the way you approach leadership and entrepreneurship?
What has changed since I trained as a social worker is that I am more focused on my client’s needs and less chatty. I also have more skills to dig into people’s vulnerabilities without hurting their feelings. I am also better at summarizing and wrapping up, leaving work for next time. Lastly, I am very attuned not to pressure anyone and thereby negate their right to self-determination. People are pleased when I acknowledge their weakness and how it serves them. They like to be understood and recognized. I have also been trained in the process of change, so I will first create readiness for change before making a demand for change or even hinting at a subtle threat if they don’t make change fast. Counterintuitively, people are shifting fast within the safe space that I create.
2. You’re involved in both community development and education—how do you see mental health support playing a role in those spaces?
What I love about schools is that it is an environment in which everyone participates. Changes in that environment can create changes for entire communities. Also, there is no stigma when a teacher navigates everyday discipline with grace. On the contrary, feeling safe in school helps productivity. Productivity and contribution not only boost self-esteem but also enable belonging. That can result in a school being a powerful venue for growing into adulthood, with graduates ready to take on the world by its horns. It is cheaper to improve the system than to repair disenfranchised teens. I hope to use my research class information to track success and share it with others so they can slowly shift their school into greater effectiveness. Macro changes are at the heart of social work.
3. What are some practical ways you believe we can better integrate mental health awareness into everyday life, especially for young women?
I believe that podcasts, social media, and general media are tools to create engagement about topics that can support young women’s life choices. Stories about role models, books on life wisdom, and the opportunity for mentorship really make a difference. I was so inspired by books that depicted people who did great things within my religious background. One book taught me about someone who never feared about having enough time or money. If he thought it was worth doing, he did it. I have since become fearless of my energy capacity and other human limitations, and I find that life always accommodates me, my needs, and my schedule. I hope to be a character that students of my school can feel proud of. I wouldn’t encourage being anyone’s duplicate, but learning from them to follow dreams fearlessly.
Bridgette Becker, Therapist at Walk Intuit
Bridgette Becker is a seasoned holistic health practitioner and functional nutritionist with over 25 years of experience supporting individuals on their journeys toward mind-body-spirit wellness. As the founder of Taproot Energetics and a key team member at Walk Intuit, a nonprofit trauma healing center, she integrates modalities such as somatic, experiential and equine work, yoga, energy healing, and nutrition to create deeply personalized, trauma-informed care. Bridgette’s work is rooted in empathy, curiosity, and a commitment to helping clients reconnect with their inner wisdom and resilience. Her approach reflects a lifelong dedication to healing that honors both science and spirit.
1. What motivated you to build a healing space that prioritizes holistic, trauma-informed care?
I am a part of an incredible team with Walk Intuit which is a trauma-oriented site. With my background in yoga, mindfulness, and nutrition prior to mental health, I had witnessed often the impact of one's physical health on their ability to navigate mental health issues, and vice versa. In my experience working with people, everything is connected and so it makes sense to create a supportive space for that with every client.
2. How do you ensure your services remain accessible and inclusive across such a wide range of therapies?
At Walk Intuit, several insurances are accepted which does make services more accessible. In addition, the team is LGBTQIA allied, and culturally sensitive and informed.
3. What impact have you seen from combining somatic, creative, and community-based approaches to trauma healing?
In two words, significant healing. I have seen people have breakthroughs and profound insights that had been difficult to access through strictly talk therapy. I have also had clients express improved relationships and communication, self-acceptance and self-esteem, and greater agency.
Katie Mobed & Remi Mobed, Founders of The Prime Clinic
What happens when two world-class professionals—one a psychologist, the other a physiotherapist—decide to bring the lessons of elite sport and high-performance teams to everyday healthcare? The result is The Prime Clinic, a multidisciplinary space built on science, soul, and a shared belief in human potential.
Founded by Katie and Remi Mobed, The Prime Clinic in Leamington Spa is redefining what it means to support health and recovery. With decades of experience working with Olympic athletes, global businesses, and iconic teams like Cirque du Soleil and England Football, Katie and Remi are bringing the same level of care to their local community.
1. What inspired you to establish The Prime Clinic, and how do your backgrounds in psychology and physiotherapy influence the clinic’s approach to client care?
The Prime Clinic was born out of a shared belief – my husband and I both saw that when people are supported in a joined-up way, across mind and body, their outcomes are not just better, but more sustainable. He’s a physiotherapist with a background in elite sport and complex rehab, and I’m a psychologist who’s spent two decades working with Olympic athletes, leaders, and high-performing teams. Between us, we’ve worked in some of the best teams in the world – from Cirque du Soleil to England Football, England Rugby to INEOS Grenadiers. We wanted to bring that level of care and attention to the general public – not just fixing symptoms, but helping people understand the root causes and build long-term resilience.
Our work is deeply human. Whether someone is recovering from injury or navigating burnout, we try to always take the time to listen, understand, and design a plan that fits the whole person. We blend science with soul – evidence-based approaches alongside curiosity, compassion, and a real belief in people’s potential.
2. How do you integrate your experiences with high-performance clients, such as Olympic athletes and international businesses, into the services offered at The Prime Clinic?
Working in high-performance sport and business teaches you a lot about pressure, recovery, and what helps people grow – especially when the stakes are high. At The Prime Clinic, we translate that insight into everyday tools for everyday lives. You don’t need to be an Olympian to benefit from the same psychological skills or rehab frameworks – in fact, they’re often even more powerful when applied to real-world challenges like pain, confidence, purpose, or parenting.
We also draw on what we’ve learned about culture and collaboration. High-performing environments work best when people feel safe, supported, and stretched – and that’s what we aim to create at The Prime Clinic, whether you're coming in for physio, psychology, or a more integrated plan. The ethos is the same: help people become more in tune with themselves, more confident in their recovery, and more intentional in how they move forward.
That same commitment to accessibility and impact is also what drives The Moonshot Series – a separate initiative close to my heart. Through our SPARK course, we're delivering psychological skills training in schools across the UK, helping young people build resilience, emotional literacy, and belief in what they’re capable of. We also support teachers, recognising the critical role they play in shaping healthy, high-performing environments. It’s part of our mission to make psychological education available to everyone – not just those already at the top, but those just starting out too.
3. What challenges have you faced in building a multidisciplinary clinic, and how have you addressed them to ensure the clinic’s success and growth?
One of the biggest challenges has been time – trying to grow something special while staying present for our young family and holding onto the values we care about most. It takes time to find experts to join our team who also share our values. In a world that often rewards speed and scale, we’ve chosen a slower, more intentional path. We’ve grown through word of mouth and trust, focusing on quality over quantity.
Another challenge is creating genuine integration across disciplines. It’s easy to say you offer a multidisciplinary service – it’s harder to make that seamless and meaningful for the client. That’s why we work so closely together, continually learning from each other, and meeting regularly as a team with our associates too, to reflect and refine. We also strive to look after ourselves and our practitioners, not just our clients – because you can’t deliver great care if you’re running on empty yourself.
Ultimately, we’ve built The Prime Clinic with care, craft, and a deep belief in the power of human connection. That’s what holds it all together and we feel fortunate to be working with members of our local community in Leamington Spa alongside elite athletes and teams from across the world.
If you’d like to be in touch, you can reach us here:
https://www.theprimeclinic.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/kt_discovery/
https://www.instagram.com/theprime_clinic/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-mobed-nee-warriner-604a9910/
Kerry Nortcliffe, Founder of Full Beam
Kerry Nortcliffe is a BACP-registered psychotherapeutic counsellor and the founder of Full Beam, a UK-based organization dedicated to enhancing mental health and workplace wellbeing. With over two decades of experience in sales and marketing across startups and large corporations, Kerry brings a unique perspective to her therapeutic practice. She offers individual and couples therapy, as well as workplace wellbeing programs that address communication, emotional awareness, stress management, and psychological safety. Kerry is particularly passionate about reducing the stigma surrounding menstrual health in professional settings, exemplified by her “Menstrual Cycle to Work” workshop. Her integrative approach combines clinical expertise with real-world business insights to foster supportive and inclusive environments.
1. How has your background in sales and marketing shaped your approach to mental health support and workplace wellbeing programs?
Working in Sales and Marketing in a variety of start ups and large corporations means that I have a first hand understanding of the stresses that employees can feel at work. I've seen how workplace support can make a real difference not only to wellbeing but also to performance. I've also seen the negative effect a lack of support can result in. Companies who make positive strides to improve workplace wellbeing culture can make real changes. Increasing retention rates, encouraging improved collaboration and decreasing absences. Working in Sales and Marketing means I also understand the pressure that businesses are under to deliver results and the difficult decisions they often have to make.During the last 5 years of my Sales and Marketing career I was training to be a therapist and that's when I really started to see how what I was learning could really be applied to improving company environments. It helped me design wellbeing programs that support employees whilst helping them improve their performance.
2. What inspired the creation of the “Menstrual Cycle to Work” program, and how has it been received by both employees and employers?
I went through early menopause and found that talking about menopause was seen as awkward or taboo. I was having so many symptoms that were affecting my day to day work but I didn't feel my workplace was equipped to support or understand. It wasn't because they didn't care but it was because they hadn't been educated about menopause or felt embarrassed talking about it. It's totally understandable to feel embarrassed. Society, family attitudes, culture and education can all have influence on this. We need to make sure that this embarrassment is not stopping anyone getting or giving support. When I started talking about my experiences at work I learned that many colleagues had suffered with menstrual health issues such as endometriosis, PCOS, Fibroids, Adenomyosis etc and had not felt that they could talk about it. My Menstrual Cycle to Work program sets out to educate all genders about the wide variety of menstrual health issues in order to reduce the stigma of discussing issues at work. Helping people feel comfortable with being uncomfortable and taking the shame out of these discussions. The program has been received really well. It's lead to employees feeling empowered to share their experiences and seek the support they need and it's encouraged employers to make positive changes to their support methods and their policies.
3. In your experience, what are the most common gaps in workplace wellbeing support, and how does Full Beam aim to fill them?
As well as menstrual health workshops, I do workshops on Communication, Emotional Awareness, Stress and Change Management and Leading with Empathy. Workplaces have to balance reaching their targets and also looking after their employees. How much positive impact support of employees can have on performance can be overlooked. Often teaching what is seen as 'hard skills' is prioritised over 'soft skills' . Soft skills such as empathy and emotional awareness can lead to better performance, increased staff retention and better communication with both internal and external stakeholders. With my Menstrual Cycle to Work presentation I set out to ensure people get the support they need and that people feel empowered to offer support in the workplace. With 23% of people going through menopause considering leaving the workplace and 1 in 10 of those going through menopause leaving, it's vital for something to be done to prevent this talent being lost. Budgets in wellbeing end up getting cut to save money but the long term effects of doing this cost companies more money in the long run due to decreased performance and staff leaving the business. Full Beam is on a mission to make workplaces more empathetic places with better communication, increased support and reduced stress through a series of therapist-led programs and workshops.
Stephanie Hicks, Founder of Stephanie Hicks Co.
In a world where spiritual identity and mental health often exist in separate conversations, Stephanie Hicks is building a bridge. Through her work at Stephanie Hicks Co., she creates safe, sacred spaces for women of faith to navigate the complexities of church trauma, emotional healing, and personal growth—without having to abandon their beliefs. Rooted in her own journey of deconstruction and rediscovery, Stephanie’s approach is both deeply personal and profoundly transformative. In this Q&A, she shares how her experiences led to the founding of her coaching practice, how she helps women heal while holding onto their faith, and why integrating theology and therapy is more critical than ever.
1. What led you to start Stephanie Hicks Co., and how did your personal journey shape the work you do today?
Stephanie Hicks Co. was born out of my own experience with church hurt and spiritual trauma. For a long time, I was doing all the “right things”, checking all the boxes, yet silently crumbling inside. I was showing up to church every week, but leaving with more questions than peace. What really cracked things open for me was the realization that I could no longer pretend that my faith was thriving in an environment that didn’t make space for my full humanity, especially as a woman, a deep-feeler, and someone who asked lots of questions for clarity and understanding.
Starting Stephanie Hicks Co. was my way of creating the kind of space I wish I’d had; a space where women of faith could be honest about their doubts, their wounds, and their desire to know God beyond the performance. My personal journey with deconstructing harmful beliefs, confronting church trauma, and rediscovering a loving and spacious God is what fuels my work today. This isn’t just coaching to me, it’s deeply personal, soul-level work.
2. How do you help women begin healing from church hurt while still honoring their faith and spiritual identity?
The first thing I tell my clients is: You’re not crazy, dramatic, or rebellious for asking questions. The church may have tried to silence your voice or shame your doubts, but that doesn’t mean God has. My approach centers on three pillars: Awareness, Acceptance, and Alignment. Healing starts with getting honest about where you are, extending compassion to that version of you, and slowly rebuilding from a place of truth and trust.
I help women unpack the beliefs they inherited, sort through what still serves their spiritual journey, and gently release what doesn’t. We don’t throw the whole faith away, we sift through the rubble to find what’s real and meaningful. Whether it’s through trauma-informed care or spiritual practices that feel safe again, I walk with women as they reclaim their relationship with God without the pressure to perform or conform.
3. What does it mean to you to bridge the gap between faith and mental health, and why is that so important right now?
To me, bridging that gap means saying, “You can love Jesus and still go to therapy.” It means validating both spiritual experiences and emotional realities. For too long, people were told to “just pray it away” or to have more faith, and meanwhile, they were quietly suffering with depression, anxiety, trauma, and deep grief. That disconnection has caused harm, especially for Black women of faith who are expected to be strong and silent all the time.
Right now, we need more honest conversations, not just in clinical offices or church pews, but in the spaces where real life happens. We need leaders who aren’t afraid to say, “God is not offended by your emotions.” My work is about creating those spaces where theology and therapy can sit at the same table, where sacredness and struggle can coexist, and where people can be fully seen as both spiritual and human. That’s the future of healing, and I’m honored to be part of shaping it.
Steve Whittle, Founder of Tough to Talk
Steve Whittle is the founder of Tough To Talk, a UK-based charity dedicated to breaking the silence around men’s mental health and reducing male suicide. Drawing from his own lived experience with mental health struggles, Steve established the organization to provide men with a safe space to open up without fear of judgment. His work emphasizes the importance of early intervention, community engagement, and challenging outdated societal norms that discourage men from seeking help. In addition to his advocacy, Steve is the author and curator of the ‘ManUp Tough To Talk’ book, which aims to destigmatize conversations about men’s mental health . Through his leadership, Tough To Talk has become a leading voice in promoting mental well-being among men in the UK .
1. What inspired the creation of "Tough to Talk", and how do you ensure they connect with men across different industries and backgrounds?
I created "Tough To Talk" after facing my challenges, including thoughts of suicide. From the outside, I had what looked like the perfect life: a good job, a loving partner, friends, and hobbies. But behind this mask, I battled years of depression, CPTSD, and ADHD, feeling crushed under society's expectations for men to be strong, providers, and, above all, silent.
After my third suicide attempt, I finally spoke out and was overwhelmed by the support available. However, I learned most men feel the same way about opening up, and many die by suicide without seeking help.
I saw a massive disconnect between men struggling in silence and the incredible support networks. Telling men to "speak up" isn't enough when societal biases and cultural pressures silence them. "Tough To Talk" exists to bridge that gap, transform male-centric spaces, and save lives by creating spaces and fostering open, judgment-free conversations.
2. How do you measure the impact of your workplace partnerships on reducing stigma and improving men's mental health outcomes?
We measure the impact of our workplace partnerships through several key metrics. The first is the number of partnerships and men we engage with directly in male-centric spaces like construction, manufacturing, infrastructure, youth, and uniformed services. These connections allow us to identify and address men's unique challenges in these environments.
Another critical measure is the number of interventions we conduct as a direct result of these sessions, which showcases tangible outcomes for men in crisis.
Additionally, we're building an "army" of Tough Talkers through our suicide intervention and prevention training. Their organisations carefully choose These role models to lead by example, blending masculinity and vulnerability. With the support of their communities and workplaces, they actively engage with other men to create safe spaces. Our top-down, bottom-up approach transforms workplace cultures, reducing stigma and fostering an environment where men feel empowered to speak openly and seek help.
3. With the upcoming launch of the Tough Talkers App, what role does technology play in building long-term peer support networks for men?
The upcoming Tough Talkers App will be a game-changer in strengthening peer support networks for men. Technology is incredible for bringing people together, and this app will empower our Tough Talkers army to make a real difference. It provides quick access to suicide safety plans because we know training notes aren't always on hand when you need them most. The app also features a forum where Tough Talkers can ask for peer-led advice, share best practices, and connect directly with Tough To Talk resources.
The app, updated with the latest industry knowledge, ensures users stay informed and prepared. It also allows Tough Talkers to share their impact within their communities or workplaces, encouraging best practices and supporting wider culture change. Crucially, they can report anonymously interventions and difficult conversations, providing valuable data to prove our mission's success and shape policies that direct support to the right places for maximum impact.
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