Former professional rugby player Ed Jackson broke his neck and was paralysed from the neck down in 2017 after diving into a pool. Classified as quadriplegic, he was determined to prove science wrong: from wiggling his toes after a week to climbing Mount Snowdon. “I’m a walking quadriplegic – and I’m quite proud of that. […]
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Former pro rugby player, Ed Jackson
Former Olympic Hockey Gold Medallist, Helen Richardson-Walsh
Olympic gold medal-winning hockey player Helen Richardson-Walsh first felt that something was wrong in 2008, and the team doctor suggested she might have depression. “In that moment, where I was mentally and emotionally, it was a relief to learn I could take control.” A long spell away from the game through injury led to a […]
Journalist and Author of The Shift, Sam Baker
Journalist and author Sam Baker noticed an escalation in her anxiety, crashes in self-confidence, and depression in her 40s. “I felt like I had lost sight of myself.” When she was researching her book, The Shift, she realised those feelings weren’t uncommon in women – and they weren’t being discussed. Midway through HRT, she was […]
International Music Conductor, Charles Hazlewood
Conductor Charles Hazlewood created the Paraorchestra for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, as a way to enable virtuoso disabled magicians to share their musical gifts. But music has played a greater role than that in Charles’ life: it has helped through the recovery from deep-buried sexual abuse when he was young. “The trauma that […]
Reclaiming myself after addiction, Talitha Fosh
Psychotherapist Talitha Fosh is an addict. “The way that my mind works is what makes me an addict,” she says. It started with an eating disorder when she was 14, comparing herself to others, and it spiralled out of control quickly. Then Tally found alcohol and drugs. “I didn’t like who I was when I […]
Music lifts me up, Emma Conybeare
DJ and presenter Emma Conybeare didn’t expect her mental health to deteriorate over the years, but two years ago she had a breakdown. She turned to the NHS for therapy, finding support through CBT. This year has been the best she has felt for years, staying positive and motivated. Music has the power to change […]
Depression doesn’t define me, Oliver Chittenden
Two years after Head Talks’ launch, we turn to founder Oliver Chittenden to hear his own story of his mental health struggles. Now meditation is key, especially the discipline of making it a part of a daily routine, adding that 10 day silent retreats have been a game-changer. Oliver is also a fan of cold-water […]
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 […]
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Charlie Cannon and his sister only just survived a car crash: he fell asleep at the wheel. It took Charlie a long time to come to terms with the accident and the terrible mistake he had made. Now he works as a coach and an expert in resilience who teaches others how to overcome their […]
Paralympic Surfer, Bruno Hansen
Surfing Champion “You’re paralysed and you’ll never walk again.” Those were the words Bruno Hansen heard after his spine was snapped. A broken shell of a human being, Bruno tried to drown himself before a wave hit him and, as he says, “the joy kicked in”. Bruno is now three-time ISA World Adaptive Surfing Champion. […]
Explorer & Round the World Record Holder, Sarah Outen
Adventurer Sarah Outen is an adventurer by land and sea. Her recent expeditions have included an attempt to travel around the northern hemisphere solely by human power. Sarah says she’s never been fearless. Sometimes she’s found that the most dangerous part of any journey is not the physical danger she’s found herself in, but what […]
Fitness & Health Influencer, Steph Elswood
Steph Elswood trained as a dancer from a young age. She felt under pressure to compete with her peers and wanted to be the ‘skinny girl’. But seeing food as the enemy left her ill and suffering from panic attacks. Counselling and learning to cook creative and healthy food has brought her a new attitude […]