In the lead up to Men’s Health Week, 2021, we’ll hear a lot of statistics, outcomes, intentions and ideas around things men should be doing to improve their health and wellbeing. I decided to kick off with something a little more up close and personal – actually spending a day in the life of a man - truckie, @Chris Smith of Redpath Carriers. He generously invited me to jockey and chat whilst hauling 24,960 kg's of hard Australian wheat, up Victoria’s picturesque @Western Highway in his 1999 Kenworth104 Areodyne, to the historic, gold mining town of Ballarat. Starting at the @Port of Melbourne we yacked about how happiness, far outweighs money, physical exercise and diet on the road are important – plus and including 17 minutes of waffle that contains some beautiful gems. Hopefully this little piece will inspire people to wonder about what’s on a truck, where it’s going, who it’s serving and why … not to mention the person behind the wheel. Unscripted and rough as guts, please share this simple, but ever so special adventure with Chris and I. #trucking #truckinglife #truckingindustry #lovewhatwedo #happinessmatters #ballarat #australiangrown #menshealth #mensmentalhealth #menshealthweek #nutritionmatters #ontheroad #kenworthtrucks Kenworth Truck Co. Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds Australian Trucking Association

Much loved and acclaimed actor, Steve Bastoni is well known as a leading man on Aussie telly productions such as Police Rescue and Neighbours – not to mention a string of impressive movie credits including Emmy award winner, On the Beach, Matrix Reloaded and The Water Diviner. Since then, Steve has played one of his most important roles as an outspoken advocate in the mental health space - contributing largely through his personal experiences, to inspire a much needed call to action. Steve also continues to bring joy and connection through his creative artistry - juggling three film festivals and the Peninsula Film Office that produced the massively award-winning short film "The Gift" - spotlighting an unexpected act of kindness which changed a man’s trajectory. https://vimeo.com/channels/1073282/158266545. Steve is joined me, live at the 94.1FM 3WBC studios, in April, when we compared notes about mental health and men’s health - spinning some yarns about his own experiences, insights and road to recovery. Not surprisingly, he’s quite the storyteller.

Many people around the world love nothing more than fanatically spectating professional sport - on and off the field - where players are idolised and honoured. Ever read a fan page that celebrates umpires? Well, this cohort is ridiculously overlooked, in relation to their occupational stressors and vulnerability like, negative stereotyping, lack of respect, abuse from innumerable participants, criticism from the media - all of which can contribute to poor mental health and a compromise of their decision-making abilities. Entering his 18th season, legend VFL/AFL umpire, Ray “Razor” Chamberlain has a lot to say about his career trajectory and how the game has impacted his wellbeing - positively and otherwise. Razor Ray joined my live to talk about what it feels like, being the “other Ray” on the panel and also share reasons behind his mental health charity, the CHAMBERLAIN FOUNDATION.

Way back, on 24 July 24 2015, I was pretty jazzed to share a stage with David Burroughs, world-renowned psychologist and strategist at the Sydney Safety Symposium, talking about creating environments that support good mental health. Mind blown by his presentation – as he was with mine :-), we’ve come a long way in our friendship and collaboration. To this day, Dave continues to hold his own, making massive waves in workplace mental health and, like me, embraces the extension of men’s health. Most recently, Dave co-founded Mantle, a men’s health service that provides specialist, confidential, virtual mental health support, addressing the stigma surrounding barriers men experience in seeking and engaging with support. This ties into what International best practice tells us, that one of the key ways to improve men's access to healthcare is by developing male-friendly services, which was acknowledged in Australia’s first National Male Health Strategy https://lnkd.in/dq5gzNi