Karl Lokko grew up on a south London estate where gang violence was all around him. He saw friends killed and became involved in crime himself, until he managed to turn his life around. Now he’s a mentor, campaigner and poet. Karl says he knew little about mental health when he was younger and that […]
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Former Gang leader turned Campaigner & Poet, Karl Lokko
Author, Journalist & social media influencer, Scarlett Curtis
Scarlett Curtis is a writer, podcaster and activist. Her new book, It’s not OK to feel blue (and other lies), is a collection of writings on mental health from high-profile figures. Scarlett tells us about how she gets through some of her own dark times — they’re less frequent now, fortunately, but still affect her […]
Paws for thought, Professor Jo Williams (and Boomer)
An estimated 10% of youngsters in the UK have had an official diagnosis of a mental health condition. “The complexities of modern life add further cognitive strain and we are seeing a rise in these diagnoses,” says Professor Jo Williams from the University of Edinburgh. She has been researching the impact of pets on the […]
Labour MP, Jess Phillips MP
The Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips, says that she often wakes up anxious about the day ahead. Some of her anxieties are all too real as she is often the target of vicious online abuse and has experienced the effects of terrorist attacks. But as Jess says, having gone through eating disorders and […]
Psychotherapist, Lou Lebentz
Lou Lebentz is a therapist and trauma specialist. She came to her work through her own experiences of trauma, addiction and eventually psychosis. Lou says that years of trauma are like a shaken-up bottle of fizzy drink — at some point it will explode. She sees her role as helping clients to open the bottle […]
Psychotherapist & Former Mental Health Nurse Lead, Owen O’Kane
Owen O’Kane is a psychotherapist with a medical background. He’s the author of Ten to Zen, a guide to meditation and mindfulness that he says anyone can use to calm their mind. Owen grew up amid the Troubles in Northern Ireland and has seen how anxiety affects a place and its people. He has also […]
Globally recognised teacher of Science-Based Mindfulness, Dr Reena Kotecha
While Dr Reena Kotecha was working in the health service, she began to realise she was burnt out. She learned that she had to look after herself in order to help her patients. When Dr Reena took time out with anxiety and depression, she studied meditation, mindfulness and the traditional Indian medicine, Ayurveda. Now she […]
Falling down the rabbit hole, Claire Eastham
Claire Eastham is a mental health blogger who writes about her experiences of social anxiety and panic disorder. Although she had experienced social anxiety as a child, it wasn’t until Claire had a breakdown at 24 that she was diagnosed. Since then, she has tried many methods to deal with her conditions including medication, therapies and exercise. Dogs and humour help too!
A map to find your way through life, Justine Hardy
Justine Hardy is a trauma therapist who works with people in conflict zones and other desperate circumstances. But she says that the devastation of feeling lost in a dark place in your life can happen to anyone, without an obvious reason. Trying to find a way out, Justine says, is the most important thing. When working with refugees, Justine tries to find […]
Former Metropolitan Police Commander, John Sutherland
John Sutherland was a police officer for more than 20 years, rising to become a Borough Commander in London. He was overcome by exhaustion, anxiety and then depression that ‘broke him into a thousand tiny pieces’. The stress of a job that brought him constantly into ‘the hurting places of life’ such as crime scenes and […]
Sophrology Expert, Dominique Antiglio
When Dominique Antiglio arrived in the UK, she was surprised to find that Sophrology wasn’t widely known. Elsewhere in Europe, it’s a popular technique for relieving stress and is used in hospitals and schools. Dominique used it herself to overcome illness as a teenager. She now teaches others its combination of breathing, relaxation, movement and visualisation as […]
Sunday Times Journalist, Podcaster & Author ‘Spokesperson for the Internet Generation’, Emma Gannon
Emma Gannon is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster. She’s the author of ‘The Multi-Hyphen Method’ about the new world of work. Emma loves her work but she also deals with anxiety that sometimes makes her feel a ‘wasp in a jam jar’ is trapped inside. She says we live in a world with so much information and […]