January 19, 2025 • 23 mins
In this heartfelt episode, Lachlan Stuart sits down with Wesley Vasile, co-founder of the Mental Awareness Foundation, to discuss the power of community, mental health advocacy, and turning pain into purpose. Wesley opens up about the loss of two close friends to suicide and how it inspired him to create the Walk for Awareness, a movement dedicated to preserving lives by empowering individuals. Together, they explore the importance of vulnerability, building a support network, and fostering positive mental health practices. Whether you’re seeking inspiration or practical tools to support your journey, this episode is a must-listen.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the man that.
Can we have a very cool episode, someone that is a very
familiar face for the long-timelisteners, wesley, welcome back
on the show, mate, welcome.
Thank you, mate, thank you.
I think this is like the fourthtime on the podcast and it
actually has been genuinely acouple of years, because the
last time I spoke we talkedabout that meditation retreat.
(00:21):
Yeah, that was actually nearlythree years ago.
That is crazy how quicklythat's gone.
Time does its thing, but thisis probably the most beautiful
scene we've had for it, right?
I actually think this is thebest podcast set that you've
ever had.
So that I'm aware of Highbudget, high budget.
Today I'm very excited with the58 Marathons.
(00:42):
The charity of choice is theMental Awareness Foundation and
Wes is the founder of that,co-founder of that, and one of
the reasons before we dive intowhat it's all about the mission
and everything like that one ofthe reasons why I wanted to
partner with MAF and we'vepartnered a number of times over
the years is because they'relocal and because I have a great
relationship with Wes.
(01:02):
He literally wears his heart onhis sleeve.
I know he has a great level ofintegrity what he does and it
does and it is something thatyou are very passionate about.
You founded 15 years ago 14, 15years ago, yeah and you created
such an incredible communityevent the walk for awareness and
for me, one of the mostimportant things that has
(01:23):
transformed my life has beencommunity.
So being able to tap into youknow what you guys have created
and have your support on this aswell, means a lot.
So I know together we're goingto do great things.
We're going to raise over ahundred thousand dollars, we're
well on the way and we're goingto continue changing people's
lives.
So thank you, no thank.
Actually, I was preparing forthis this morning and I was
(01:45):
actually watching one of yourreels on YouTube, because you're
famous now and, mate, one thingthat stood out was paying to
purpose your comment and I wasjust like, oh my, my god.
It resonated with me so much,particularly just which I'll
(02:07):
share with everyone, whichyou're going through at the
moment.
But obviously, 14, 15 years ago, I lost two mates to suicide
three months apart and obviouslylosing one person is tragic,
but losing someone three monthslater is just absolutely
mind-numbing, mind-blowing.
It causes a lot of pain andfrom that pain and dealing with
(02:32):
that pain, I guess, revealed apurpose and that purpose was one
to give back to the community,but two to, I guess, go down the
rabbit hole of mental healthand learning about mental health
and discovering mental healthand why is mental health so
important.
And that has led us to where weare today and from that pain
(02:52):
has brought purpose and I knowthat purpose has brought our
relationship together and ourfriendship together.
And I think, obviously on thepart of your program, there is a
purpose in there that we wantto give back to the people that
are involved with us but alsogive part of your program.
There is a purpose in therethat we want to give back to the
people that are involved withus but also give back to the
world and our organization.
Even though it's local, ourmessage is worldwide and our
(03:15):
message is wanting to just helppeople and get the best out of
people and our mission at MATHis preserving lives by
empowering individuals.
So we want to obviously liftsomeone or encourage someone to
either speak up or speak toabout mental health.
So thank you, mate, you'redefinitely doing a great job of
that.
So over the last 14, 15 yearswith the Walk for Awareness,
(03:37):
you've had thousands of peopleattend that and it's probably
hard to quantify just the impactthat that's had on people, the
friendships that have beencreated off the back of that,
and for me, that's one of thereasons that the 58 Marathons
exists.
As much as I'm very excited tosee the landscapes and have some
great experiences that I'mdoing with some great friends,
(03:58):
but we're going to meet so manypeople along this journey and be
able to invite them into ourcommunity as well, because
unfortunately, not everyone hasa place where they feel valued,
where they feel seen and heard.
And by doing this, by inspiringpeople, I'm aiming to inspire
people to demand more fromthemselves that maybe they you
know they would on an averageday, uh, to get out there and
(04:21):
also be around people who are upwith them and are already
positive, positive and welcomingthem into the community, which,
I think you know an extendedhand saves lives every day of
the week.
And thank you, and I guess youknow this journey that started,
you know, 15 years ago, wantingto, I guess, pay tribute to my
mates.
(04:42):
One thing that I've learnedthrough the journey of mental
health is that community andparticipation with people that
inspire you, uplift you, loveyou, has revealed itself to be
super important for us asindividuals.
Right, and I guess you know wehear these words community, and
(05:04):
we hear this come in andparticipate, but until you
actually get affected or untilwe actually perhaps, uh, I guess
we, we go through our years ofgrowing.
You know, it's probably sincemy 30s and 40s that I've
realized how important communityis, and I really mean it.
Just even like I rememberliving in Byron Bay and Byron
(05:26):
Bay is beautiful, but it's justfull of rentals, right, it's
just all Airbnbs, and we wereliving there and we had no one
around us because everyone wasjust transparent, right.
And then when COVID forced usto actually move up to Gold
Coast, but people were livingthere full time and we realized,
oh my God, just a neighborhoodcommunity, how important that is
(05:48):
right.
And then, obviously, as I'vegone through life, I've realized
that having the community thatwe have here at Function World,
which is how we have met, havingthat gym community why is that
gym community important?
Because exercise is superimportant.
It's important for your mentalhealth and those days that
you're not feeling it, yourmates they're going come on,
(06:08):
let's go.
Or you know just that, justthat bum tap on a big bum tap
with men, uh, of course, uh,stewie law, as we call them.
Uh, stewie law is famouscricketer back in the day.
Uh, to those that areinternational, they have no idea
what cricket is.
But, um, yeah, just thatencouragement that that comes
with our community.
And then, obviously, being inthe mental health community
(06:30):
working with people likeyourself that want to lift
people up, right, that we wantto get the best out of people,
which then exposes me to thepeople within your group that
we're all here to try and helpeach other, and that community
itself.
And then your work community,just working with people that
you like.
It's really hard and I'm surethere's toxic environments out
(06:52):
there and you've got to bereally careful of that.
But it's so nice when you havea nice work community, right,
because that uplifts you.
And then, obviously, yoursocial community who are your
friends?
Are your friends bringing youdown or are your friends, you
know?
Are your friends, you know,bringing you down or are you
friends lifting you up?
And I've just learned that it'sreally nice when you have a
(07:13):
group of mates that actuallywant to see the best out of you
but want to inspire you by doinggood things and, like you are,
it's being successful, right,just just being in your presence
, it's like, yeah, I want tomodel that, I want to be that
guy.
Okay, what are you doing?
Okay, you're looking after yourmental health, you're
exercising, you're drinking lotsof water, you're sober at the
(07:36):
moment, and I'm sober too, liketaking a break from alcohol.
How good is that?
So, mate, thank you forcreating those communities that
we have.
It's a big thing Community weobviously met at Function Well.
Function Well.
You know we've been veryfortunate to get a number of
incredible sponsors that,without them, this probably
wouldn't have been possible tokeep my feet on the ground and
(07:57):
then, obviously, spread themessage of the Mental Awareness
Foundation and raising awarenessfor positive mental health.
And, as you mentioned, you're apart of the man at Can group and
you've always been someone thatI've aspired to be like through
the idea of.
In business, you're verysuccessful, and that's one thing
that I would love to do as well.
However, you have great socialcircles.
(08:19):
You never neglect your health,you're always in the gym doing
things, and you have great Isaid social but also really show
people that you care about them, and for me, as a man, that's
what I aspire to be, because youdo have this you.
You have the ability to betough when you need to be tough,
but you also are genuinely sucha kind, caring person that
people gravitate to.
(08:40):
So for me, having you part ofour, our group, and part of my
community and my social sphere,it's like okay, this is awesome,
but recently you've been goingthrough and sharing a lot more
of your struggles.
And I said to you just off air,when I don't want this to come
across badly, but I was likeit's nice to see that you're
dealing with some.
You're human, because, eventhough you've always dealt with
(09:00):
stuff over the years, this isprobably the first time where
I've really not just heard aboutit.
I've been been there whileyou're going through it and I
see it, yeah, and I feel thefact that you're sharing that is
a huge lesson for so manypeople, because quite often, the
people that we aspire to belike or meet along the way, we
always see the art that you knowthis is how I achieve this,
(09:23):
this or this, and I be like, oh,you wouldn't have really gone
through that, but in fact you do, and how you've conducted
yourself once again is a greattestament to the character of a
man who aren't.
For me and for those who don'tknow, Wes yeah, he's dealing and
he'll share in a second, buthow he's conducting himself he's
still hitting the gym.
(09:44):
He's actually cut out alcoholrather than become dependent on
it.
He's doubled down on hisquality of relationships and how
it really gives time to, andfor me, that's just like okay,
well, through adversity.
That's still the kind of blokeyou are.
You aren't just.
You don't just have thispersona, facade or persona.
When things are going wellwhich is easy to do You're
(10:04):
genuinely that low even whenshit's hitting the fan.
So for me, that's a message thatI want to pass along to people.
One, surround yourself withpeople who are actually like
that, because it's only makingme want to be better, because
I'm watching you charge into thestorm and I'm like what a
weapon.
But also it then hashighlighted things that I need
to work on.
Even though they're nottroublesome in my life just yet,
(10:26):
I'm still growth-minded enoughto go okay.
I want to be able to do similarshould I ever find myself in a
situation like that.
Yeah, and thank you, andobviously so I've got beautiful
tools in the toolbox and onething that I've learned through
this mental health journey oflosing uh mates to suicide.
(10:47):
Is that being vulnerable andtalking about your issues?
That, uh, that we're goingthrough is super important?
Why?
Because obviously I guess it'sgood to bet, right, it's good to
get out, uh, but also, you'renot bottling it up, and when we
bottle things up or we try tosuppress them, they just build
(11:07):
up, right, and then obviously wehave those big explosions, and
that's where heavy people cantake certain steps that they're
quite drastic, right, but uh, Ijust yeah, to give you some
background, I am genuinely goingthrough probably the hardest
period of my life, uh, and I'mI'm going through some
(11:27):
significant for not financial,uh stress, like, however, you
know I've signed up for it, Itake on the responsibility of
this, I know that.
You know I'm going to have somesignificant losses, uh, and when
that reveals itself, it puts alot of pressure on you, right,
and because, all of a sudden,you're going from, I guess, a
(11:47):
place of elation to a place ofdepression, and it's significant
numbers, it's millions ofdollars.
And it's hard because obviouslyyou've done all this work to
get to a certain point and nowyou're going back to zero and
negative, right?
However, the one thing that I,when this challenge obviously
(12:08):
revealed itself, I realized thatI have to go into this with a
clear mind, because the pressureis not going to relieve itself.
It's probably another threemonths away before I get on the
other side of this, anotherthree months away before I get
on the other side of this.
But what can I do, or what arethose things that I can control,
where it can make me feelbetter about myself?
And one significant thing thatrevealed itself was I have to
(12:33):
actually particularly cominginto Christmas period.
We're in December 24 here andit's what we call the festive
season.
There's lots of lunches andChristmas parties and stuff like
that, and I just knew I neededa clear sound of mind and so I
just went.
I'm going sober and I am tellingyou this if you are going
through any significant pressurefinancially or emotionally or
(12:57):
relationship getting off alcoholparticularly has been a game
changer.
Why the fine chatterluckyalready is turned up.
The volume is prettysignificant.
You know, beating myself upbecause I've got myself into
this position.
The last thing I need is tothen like turn the volume up,
(13:17):
even extra, of going out and,yeah, sure, at the time, like it
may, inverted commas take yourtroubles away because you're out
having a good time.
But, gee, that next day, thatnext morning, when you wake up
and your problems are stillthere, and then all of a sudden
an email comes through, or thisis overdue, and everything like
that, and you're like, oh my God, how am I meant to deal with
(13:38):
this when I'm already hung overand I'm already going through
this pressure?
And just by cutting that out,just my world has I call it the
fog.
The fog has just slightlylifted.
And then what can I do?
You've seen, which I've sharedis get to the gym.
I'm meditating more, I'm doingthose things that just make me
(14:02):
feel better about going throughthis difficult situation.
And there was a period there,lockie, a couple of weeks ago,
which I shared with the team,like I was going through a
really dark day, mate, like itwas.
And there was a period therewhere I went, oh my God, I can
see how people just are like, no, I'm bad now the pressure, and
(14:27):
just like, holy shit, this isintense and this is real.
And oh my God, and you know,the thing that I did when I went
through that really dark daywas actually just acknowledge it
and I went oh my God, this is areally horrible day and I just
breathed.
(14:47):
I just breathed through thatpressure and it was amazing, not
that the pressure left, it'sjust that the pressure of my
bowel released and the thoughtlifted and I just got through
that day and I went.
Wow, I felt so blessed that Iwent through such a heavy day
that I survived.
And you know, that evening Ishared with uh, with the group,
(15:07):
and I shared with my partner.
And then the next day came andI'm like I've got to face this
challenge again and lucky I, Iit was a mantra that I heard or
someone shared with.
I'll share with the group lovethe fight, fall in love with the
challenge, fall in love withthe fight that I've got ahead of
me and that's particularly thislast sort of 10 days.
(15:29):
I've been doing it everymorning, going okay, today's
going to be a tough day, butI've got to fall in love with
this fight, that I've got to dothis deal and negotiate this and
speak with my business partnerabout that and support him.
And, you know, find this amountof money here and just fall in
love with that becauseeventually it will dissipate.
And then when you get throughthat I guess the beauty will
reveal itself and that we'restill here and we're still
(15:52):
fighting massively, a thing thatI'd love to touch on as well.
You've had these practices for anumber of years as well, and
you said your tool belt, and notevery time the same tool works.
So it's important to have thattool belt, but the key that I
feel is like learning that whentimes are good, it's quite often
when we hit the crisis pointthat people act.
(16:13):
That's when a lot of peoplereach out to me, which is
awesome that they're reachingout, but for me, I would love
for positive mental health,because they have.
You know, a lot of the researchis now showing so many other
factors outside of mentalillness impact mental health,
like it could be going through adivorce, financial pressures
you've mentioned feeling foggyor groggy um challenges with
(16:35):
alcohol and drug use.
So if we're aware of that, weshould start building tools.
When life's good, like for meright now, I'm in a good
position, but I'm stillcontinuing to learn and practice
the things that help me whenI'm struggling or I feel will
help me, because life's full ofseasons.
I'm in summer right now.
Winter will come it always does, yes, and when winter comes.
(16:56):
I want to know that I've gottools, that I've been practicing
and I've got readily availableto help me through those times.
And that's as you've said.
You've said, breathing For mecommunity, having friends that
you can count on.
I'm always pulling my buddies.
Most of the time we're talkingshit, but every now and then
we'll have those conversationswhen we need it.
It could be getting in the gym.
Sunlight, there's so many toolsand you can find resources on
(17:27):
the website as well, which I'mexcited about.
But that would be just onething.
If you're if life's awesome foryou at the moment still start
practicing and investing inthose tools.
Still invest in yourrelationship and your health,
all of those things, becausethey're gonna you know they're
gonna be a great asset in thefuture.
Just just add to it so guys winthe morning and girls win the
morning, win the day.
Find that routine, because Ithink obviously me getting
through this challenge, it'sjust a compound effect of what
(17:48):
I've started 10 or 13 years ago.
13 years ago, I just startedpersonal development and I went
through a path where obviouslylearning about the positives and
the negatives, and thenobviously mental health and
losing my suicidal reports ofexercise, all that Since that
it's just compounded to get towhere I am today, and today like
I'm going through my wintermoment, but the great thing is
(18:10):
is that I've got these skillsthat will get me through.
I've got the jacket, I've gotthe gloves and everything.
Well, from a metaphoricalperspective and no, not that I'm
fruiting through it, but I'm ina really good place and having
people and to finish on this,having people like yourself,
good people in your life, thatyou feel safe, that you can talk
(18:33):
to about this super cool,definitely.
And I guess, just one finalthing the funds that we raise
how does that help you guys inyour mission?
Yeah, so how?
And thank you, if you do hearthis message and you do donate,
I want to say thank you.
Gratitude brings abundance, soobviously it supports us as a
(18:55):
charity, so we are a charity.
The Mental Awareness Foundationso we're all about suicide
prevention, so we have a strongmessage out there.
So obviously, uh, supporting ushelps talk a message of getting
out there and supporting othersand preserving lives.
Uh also helps us put on thewalk for awareness.
Uh, but what we do as a charityor something that we uh, we have
(19:18):
uh been a little bit differentis we actually support other
mental health charities.
So we're not a service provider.
We don't do counsellingservices or face-to-face
services.
However, lockheed, there'sactually amazing organisations
out there that do right.
So, for example, there's anorganisation I spoke to Ken
(19:40):
yesterday in Sunlight Centre.
He actually does crisiscounselling out there that do
right.
So, for example, there's anorganisation I spoke to Ken
yesterday, the Sunlight Centre.
He actually does crisiscounselling.
He mainly focuses with teens,but he'll see anyone, but he'll
actually sit there.
So if someone's suicidal, likeliterally in a really bad place,
he will sit with you for freeand help work through this.
There's another organisationthat we've supported in the past
called Suicide PreventionPathways.
(20:02):
They're counselors.
They will either do FaceTime,they'll do phone or they'll sit
down with you face-to-face.
There's no charge for theirservice and what they do is they
are the gap.
So they fill the gap from, Iguess, getting a mental health
plan to seeing a psychologist.
Now, unfortunately, there's await time of over three months,
(20:22):
right?
So you know you can imaginelike a week is long enough.
Three months is a long time,particularly someone themselves.
So they fill that gap.
So they're counsellors thatsupport you.
What they tend to do is theybuild up a network like a web to
catch you if you fall through,right.
So they're fantastic as well.
(20:42):
And there's another greatorganization, uh, called mates.
Uh, mates in construction.
They help, uh, fortunately,within the construction industry
here in australia uh, it'swhere the high suicide rate
exists, that's just a fact, uh.
But they actually train peopleon site to listen out for
markers.
So you know, let's say,johnny's doing it tough at home
or having some issuesfinancially, they train people
(21:05):
to have the courage or have theskills to go up and talk to
Johnny and say, hey, mate,what's going on?
Or hey, are you thinking aboutsuicide?
Like, just get straight to thepoint.
So we actually support othercharities that are out there
that are doing the brave work onthe front line and, because
we're mental health blogging,it's about supporting each other
(21:25):
.
So obviously we want to supportour message, but we actually
also want to support otherpeople's messages.
I love that, mate, and I thinkit's awesome because there are,
as you said, so many greatcharities out there doing things
in their own way and they'reall greatly needed.
There's so many wait lists forvarious things around the place.
So, guys, if you want tosupport this mission and
obviously even support me.
(21:46):
A lot of people are asking howyou can support me.
The best way you can support meis by helping us support Mental
Awareness Foundation, who arethen helping the people in the
front line, because one in twoAustralians are impacted by it,
whether it's directly or throughfriends and family.
So I think it's very importantthat we all continue, one,
raising awareness, but also, two, doing things to implement
(22:08):
change, and that starts with you.
It starts by getting thosebuilding that toolkit out for
yourself, reestablishing anddeepening the relationships that
you have with the people thatyou care about most.
So I'm very excited to raiseover $100,000 for you guys,
because I know it's going to begoing to a good place and we're
going to be changing lives as aresult of that, and you guys can
(22:29):
be part of that too, and ifyou're listening to this, you
already are part of it becauseyou've supported me.
So, thank you guys.
Yeah, please.
And, most importantly, like andshare.
Yeah, share, yeah.
So, if you've got this, uh, ifyou're seeing this message but I
(22:50):
just want to finish with thislocky um, take time, take time
for yourself.
Uh, encourage your loved onesto take time, because being able
to just step away from the, thechaos that exists within our
lives.
Um, it's really nice.
Just perhaps get outside, situnder a tree, have a cup of tea.
Just do something for yourself,right?
Because if you look afteryourself, you can look after
others, and being able to lookafter others brings a better
world, and that's what we want.
(23:10):
Awesome.
So jump on Google search MentalAwareness Foundation and you'll
see a link to donate there.
Thank you, guys for listening.
As Wes said, like share,subscribe and buckle up for the
next 58 days.
It's going to be a wild one.
Welcome back to the man that.
Can we have a very cool episode, someone that is a very
familiar face for the long-timelisteners, wesley, welcome back
on the show, mate, welcome.
Thank you, mate, thank you.
I think this is like the fourthtime on the podcast and it
actually has been genuinely acouple of years, because the
last time I spoke we talkedabout that meditation retreat.
(00:21):
Yeah, that was actually nearlythree years ago.
That is crazy how quicklythat's gone.
Time does its thing, but thisis probably the most beautiful
scene we've had for it, right?
I actually think this is thebest podcast set that you've
ever had.
So that I'm aware of Highbudget, high budget.
Today I'm very excited with the58 Marathons.
(00:42):
The charity of choice is theMental Awareness Foundation and
Wes is the founder of that,co-founder of that, and one of
the reasons before we dive intowhat it's all about the mission
and everything like that one ofthe reasons why I wanted to
partner with MAF and we'vepartnered a number of times over
the years is because they'relocal and because I have a great
relationship with Wes.
(01:02):
He literally wears his heart onhis sleeve.
I know he has a great level ofintegrity what he does and it
does and it is something thatyou are very passionate about.
You founded 15 years ago 14, 15years ago, yeah and you created
such an incredible communityevent the walk for awareness and
for me, one of the mostimportant things that has
(01:23):
transformed my life has beencommunity.
So being able to tap into youknow what you guys have created
and have your support on this aswell, means a lot.
So I know together we're goingto do great things.
We're going to raise over ahundred thousand dollars, we're
well on the way and we're goingto continue changing people's
lives.
So thank you, no thank.
Actually, I was preparing forthis this morning and I was
(01:45):
actually watching one of yourreels on YouTube, because you're
famous now and, mate, one thingthat stood out was paying to
purpose your comment and I wasjust like, oh my, my god.
It resonated with me so much,particularly just which I'll
(02:07):
share with everyone, whichyou're going through at the
moment.
But obviously, 14, 15 years ago, I lost two mates to suicide
three months apart and obviouslylosing one person is tragic,
but losing someone three monthslater is just absolutely
mind-numbing, mind-blowing.
It causes a lot of pain andfrom that pain and dealing with
(02:32):
that pain, I guess, revealed apurpose and that purpose was one
to give back to the community,but two to, I guess, go down the
rabbit hole of mental healthand learning about mental health
and discovering mental healthand why is mental health so
important.
And that has led us to where weare today and from that pain
(02:52):
has brought purpose and I knowthat purpose has brought our
relationship together and ourfriendship together.
And I think, obviously on thepart of your program, there is a
purpose in there that we wantto give back to the people that
are involved with us but alsogive part of your program.
There is a purpose in therethat we want to give back to the
people that are involved withus but also give back to the
world and our organization.
Even though it's local, ourmessage is worldwide and our
(03:15):
message is wanting to just helppeople and get the best out of
people and our mission at MATHis preserving lives by
empowering individuals.
So we want to obviously liftsomeone or encourage someone to
either speak up or speak toabout mental health.
So thank you, mate, you'redefinitely doing a great job of
that.
So over the last 14, 15 yearswith the Walk for Awareness,
(03:37):
you've had thousands of peopleattend that and it's probably
hard to quantify just the impactthat that's had on people, the
friendships that have beencreated off the back of that,
and for me, that's one of thereasons that the 58 Marathons
exists.
As much as I'm very excited tosee the landscapes and have some
great experiences that I'mdoing with some great friends,
(03:58):
but we're going to meet so manypeople along this journey and be
able to invite them into ourcommunity as well, because
unfortunately, not everyone hasa place where they feel valued,
where they feel seen and heard.
And by doing this, by inspiringpeople, I'm aiming to inspire
people to demand more fromthemselves that maybe they you
know they would on an averageday, uh, to get out there and
(04:21):
also be around people who are upwith them and are already
positive, positive and welcomingthem into the community, which,
I think you know an extendedhand saves lives every day of
the week.
And thank you, and I guess youknow this journey that started,
you know, 15 years ago, wantingto, I guess, pay tribute to my
mates.
(04:42):
One thing that I've learnedthrough the journey of mental
health is that community andparticipation with people that
inspire you, uplift you, loveyou, has revealed itself to be
super important for us asindividuals.
Right, and I guess you know wehear these words community, and
(05:04):
we hear this come in andparticipate, but until you
actually get affected or untilwe actually perhaps, uh, I guess
we, we go through our years ofgrowing.
You know, it's probably sincemy 30s and 40s that I've
realized how important communityis, and I really mean it.
Just even like I rememberliving in Byron Bay and Byron
(05:26):
Bay is beautiful, but it's justfull of rentals, right, it's
just all Airbnbs, and we wereliving there and we had no one
around us because everyone wasjust transparent, right.
And then when COVID forced usto actually move up to Gold
Coast, but people were livingthere full time and we realized,
oh my God, just a neighborhoodcommunity, how important that is
(05:48):
right.
And then, obviously, as I'vegone through life, I've realized
that having the community thatwe have here at Function World,
which is how we have met, havingthat gym community why is that
gym community important?
Because exercise is superimportant.
It's important for your mentalhealth and those days that
you're not feeling it, yourmates they're going come on,
(06:08):
let's go.
Or you know just that, justthat bum tap on a big bum tap
with men, uh, of course, uh,stewie law, as we call them.
Uh, stewie law is famouscricketer back in the day.
Uh, to those that areinternational, they have no idea
what cricket is.
But, um, yeah, just thatencouragement that that comes
with our community.
And then, obviously, being inthe mental health community
(06:30):
working with people likeyourself that want to lift
people up, right, that we wantto get the best out of people,
which then exposes me to thepeople within your group that
we're all here to try and helpeach other, and that community
itself.
And then your work community,just working with people that
you like.
It's really hard and I'm surethere's toxic environments out
(06:52):
there and you've got to bereally careful of that.
But it's so nice when you havea nice work community, right,
because that uplifts you.
And then, obviously, yoursocial community who are your
friends?
Are your friends bringing youdown or are your friends, you
know?
Are your friends, you know,bringing you down or are you
friends lifting you up?
And I've just learned that it'sreally nice when you have a
(07:13):
group of mates that actuallywant to see the best out of you
but want to inspire you by doinggood things and, like you are,
it's being successful, right,just just being in your presence
, it's like, yeah, I want tomodel that, I want to be that
guy.
Okay, what are you doing?
Okay, you're looking after yourmental health, you're
exercising, you're drinking lotsof water, you're sober at the
(07:36):
moment, and I'm sober too, liketaking a break from alcohol.
How good is that?
So, mate, thank you forcreating those communities that
we have.
It's a big thing Community weobviously met at Function Well.
Function Well.
You know we've been veryfortunate to get a number of
incredible sponsors that,without them, this probably
wouldn't have been possible tokeep my feet on the ground and
(07:57):
then, obviously, spread themessage of the Mental Awareness
Foundation and raising awarenessfor positive mental health.
And, as you mentioned, you're apart of the man at Can group and
you've always been someone thatI've aspired to be like through
the idea of.
In business, you're verysuccessful, and that's one thing
that I would love to do as well.
However, you have great socialcircles.
(08:19):
You never neglect your health,you're always in the gym doing
things, and you have great Isaid social but also really show
people that you care about them, and for me, as a man, that's
what I aspire to be, because youdo have this you.
You have the ability to betough when you need to be tough,
but you also are genuinely sucha kind, caring person that
people gravitate to.
(08:40):
So for me, having you part ofour, our group, and part of my
community and my social sphere,it's like okay, this is awesome,
but recently you've been goingthrough and sharing a lot more
of your struggles.
And I said to you just off air,when I don't want this to come
across badly, but I was likeit's nice to see that you're
dealing with some.
You're human, because, eventhough you've always dealt with
(09:00):
stuff over the years, this isprobably the first time where
I've really not just heard aboutit.
I've been been there whileyou're going through it and I
see it, yeah, and I feel thefact that you're sharing that is
a huge lesson for so manypeople, because quite often, the
people that we aspire to belike or meet along the way, we
always see the art that you knowthis is how I achieve this,
(09:23):
this or this, and I be like, oh,you wouldn't have really gone
through that, but in fact you do, and how you've conducted
yourself once again is a greattestament to the character of a
man who aren't.
For me and for those who don'tknow, Wes yeah, he's dealing and
he'll share in a second, buthow he's conducting himself he's
still hitting the gym.
(09:44):
He's actually cut out alcoholrather than become dependent on
it.
He's doubled down on hisquality of relationships and how
it really gives time to, andfor me, that's just like okay,
well, through adversity.
That's still the kind of blokeyou are.
You aren't just.
You don't just have thispersona, facade or persona.
When things are going wellwhich is easy to do You're
(10:04):
genuinely that low even whenshit's hitting the fan.
So for me, that's a message thatI want to pass along to people.
One, surround yourself withpeople who are actually like
that, because it's only makingme want to be better, because
I'm watching you charge into thestorm and I'm like what a
weapon.
But also it then hashighlighted things that I need
to work on.
Even though they're nottroublesome in my life just yet,
(10:26):
I'm still growth-minded enoughto go okay.
I want to be able to do similarshould I ever find myself in a
situation like that.
Yeah, and thank you, andobviously so I've got beautiful
tools in the toolbox and onething that I've learned through
this mental health journey oflosing uh mates to suicide.
(10:47):
Is that being vulnerable andtalking about your issues?
That, uh, that we're goingthrough is super important?
Why?
Because obviously I guess it'sgood to bet, right, it's good to
get out, uh, but also, you'renot bottling it up, and when we
bottle things up or we try tosuppress them, they just build
(11:07):
up, right, and then obviously wehave those big explosions, and
that's where heavy people cantake certain steps that they're
quite drastic, right, but uh, Ijust yeah, to give you some
background, I am genuinely goingthrough probably the hardest
period of my life, uh, and I'mI'm going through some
(11:27):
significant for not financial,uh stress, like, however, you
know I've signed up for it, Itake on the responsibility of
this, I know that.
You know I'm going to have somesignificant losses, uh, and when
that reveals itself, it puts alot of pressure on you, right,
and because, all of a sudden,you're going from, I guess, a
(11:47):
place of elation to a place ofdepression, and it's significant
numbers, it's millions ofdollars.
And it's hard because obviouslyyou've done all this work to
get to a certain point and nowyou're going back to zero and
negative, right?
However, the one thing that I,when this challenge obviously
(12:08):
revealed itself, I realized thatI have to go into this with a
clear mind, because the pressureis not going to relieve itself.
It's probably another threemonths away before I get on the
other side of this, anotherthree months away before I get
on the other side of this.
But what can I do, or what arethose things that I can control,
where it can make me feelbetter about myself?
And one significant thing thatrevealed itself was I have to
(12:33):
actually particularly cominginto Christmas period.
We're in December 24 here andit's what we call the festive
season.
There's lots of lunches andChristmas parties and stuff like
that, and I just knew I neededa clear sound of mind and so I
just went.
I'm going sober and I am tellingyou this if you are going
through any significant pressurefinancially or emotionally or
(12:57):
relationship getting off alcoholparticularly has been a game
changer.
Why the fine chatterluckyalready is turned up.
The volume is prettysignificant.
You know, beating myself upbecause I've got myself into
this position.
The last thing I need is tothen like turn the volume up,
(13:17):
even extra, of going out and,yeah, sure, at the time, like it
may, inverted commas take yourtroubles away because you're out
having a good time.
But, gee, that next day, thatnext morning, when you wake up
and your problems are stillthere, and then all of a sudden
an email comes through, or thisis overdue, and everything like
that, and you're like, oh my God, how am I meant to deal with
(13:38):
this when I'm already hung overand I'm already going through
this pressure?
And just by cutting that out,just my world has I call it the
fog.
The fog has just slightlylifted.
And then what can I do?
You've seen, which I've sharedis get to the gym.
I'm meditating more, I'm doingthose things that just make me
(14:02):
feel better about going throughthis difficult situation.
And there was a period there,lockie, a couple of weeks ago,
which I shared with the team,like I was going through a
really dark day, mate, like itwas.
And there was a period therewhere I went, oh my God, I can
see how people just are like, no, I'm bad now the pressure, and
(14:27):
just like, holy shit, this isintense and this is real.
And oh my God, and you know,the thing that I did when I went
through that really dark daywas actually just acknowledge it
and I went oh my God, this is areally horrible day and I just
breathed.
(14:47):
I just breathed through thatpressure and it was amazing, not
that the pressure left, it'sjust that the pressure of my
bowel released and the thoughtlifted and I just got through
that day and I went.
Wow, I felt so blessed that Iwent through such a heavy day
that I survived.
And you know, that evening Ishared with uh, with the group,
(15:07):
and I shared with my partner.
And then the next day came andI'm like I've got to face this
challenge again and lucky I, Iit was a mantra that I heard or
someone shared with.
I'll share with the group lovethe fight, fall in love with the
challenge, fall in love withthe fight that I've got ahead of
me and that's particularly thislast sort of 10 days.
(15:29):
I've been doing it everymorning, going okay, today's
going to be a tough day, butI've got to fall in love with
this fight, that I've got to dothis deal and negotiate this and
speak with my business partnerabout that and support him.
And, you know, find this amountof money here and just fall in
love with that becauseeventually it will dissipate.
And then when you get throughthat I guess the beauty will
reveal itself and that we'restill here and we're still
(15:52):
fighting massively, a thing thatI'd love to touch on as well.
You've had these practices for anumber of years as well, and
you said your tool belt, and notevery time the same tool works.
So it's important to have thattool belt, but the key that I
feel is like learning that whentimes are good, it's quite often
when we hit the crisis pointthat people act.
(16:13):
That's when a lot of peoplereach out to me, which is
awesome that they're reachingout, but for me, I would love
for positive mental health,because they have.
You know, a lot of the researchis now showing so many other
factors outside of mentalillness impact mental health,
like it could be going through adivorce, financial pressures
you've mentioned feeling foggyor groggy um challenges with
(16:35):
alcohol and drug use.
So if we're aware of that, weshould start building tools.
When life's good, like for meright now, I'm in a good
position, but I'm stillcontinuing to learn and practice
the things that help me whenI'm struggling or I feel will
help me, because life's full ofseasons.
I'm in summer right now.
Winter will come it always does, yes, and when winter comes.
(16:56):
I want to know that I've gottools, that I've been practicing
and I've got readily availableto help me through those times.
And that's as you've said.
You've said, breathing For mecommunity, having friends that
you can count on.
I'm always pulling my buddies.
Most of the time we're talkingshit, but every now and then
we'll have those conversationswhen we need it.
It could be getting in the gym.
Sunlight, there's so many toolsand you can find resources on
(17:27):
the website as well, which I'mexcited about.
But that would be just onething.
If you're if life's awesome foryou at the moment still start
practicing and investing inthose tools.
Still invest in yourrelationship and your health,
all of those things, becausethey're gonna you know they're
gonna be a great asset in thefuture.
Just just add to it so guys winthe morning and girls win the
morning, win the day.
Find that routine, because Ithink obviously me getting
through this challenge, it'sjust a compound effect of what
(17:48):
I've started 10 or 13 years ago.
13 years ago, I just startedpersonal development and I went
through a path where obviouslylearning about the positives and
the negatives, and thenobviously mental health and
losing my suicidal reports ofexercise, all that Since that
it's just compounded to get towhere I am today, and today like
I'm going through my wintermoment, but the great thing is
(18:10):
is that I've got these skillsthat will get me through.
I've got the jacket, I've gotthe gloves and everything.
Well, from a metaphoricalperspective and no, not that I'm
fruiting through it, but I'm ina really good place and having
people and to finish on this,having people like yourself,
good people in your life, thatyou feel safe, that you can talk
(18:33):
to about this super cool,definitely.
And I guess, just one finalthing the funds that we raise
how does that help you guys inyour mission?
Yeah, so how?
And thank you, if you do hearthis message and you do donate,
I want to say thank you.
Gratitude brings abundance, soobviously it supports us as a
(18:55):
charity, so we are a charity.
The Mental Awareness Foundationso we're all about suicide
prevention, so we have a strongmessage out there.
So obviously, uh, supporting ushelps talk a message of getting
out there and supporting othersand preserving lives.
Uh also helps us put on thewalk for awareness.
Uh, but what we do as a charityor something that we uh, we have
(19:18):
uh been a little bit differentis we actually support other
mental health charities.
So we're not a service provider.
We don't do counsellingservices or face-to-face
services.
However, lockheed, there'sactually amazing organisations
out there that do right.
So, for example, there's anorganisation I spoke to Ken
(19:40):
yesterday in Sunlight Centre.
He actually does crisiscounselling out there that do
right.
So, for example, there's anorganisation I spoke to Ken
yesterday, the Sunlight Centre.
He actually does crisiscounselling.
He mainly focuses with teens,but he'll see anyone, but he'll
actually sit there.
So if someone's suicidal, likeliterally in a really bad place,
he will sit with you for freeand help work through this.
There's another organisationthat we've supported in the past
called Suicide PreventionPathways.
(20:02):
They're counselors.
They will either do FaceTime,they'll do phone or they'll sit
down with you face-to-face.
There's no charge for theirservice and what they do is they
are the gap.
So they fill the gap from, Iguess, getting a mental health
plan to seeing a psychologist.
Now, unfortunately, there's await time of over three months,
(20:22):
right?
So you know you can imaginelike a week is long enough.
Three months is a long time,particularly someone themselves.
So they fill that gap.
So they're counsellors thatsupport you.
What they tend to do is theybuild up a network like a web to
catch you if you fall through,right.
So they're fantastic as well.
(20:42):
And there's another greatorganization, uh, called mates.
Uh, mates in construction.
They help, uh, fortunately,within the construction industry
here in australia uh, it'swhere the high suicide rate
exists, that's just a fact, uh.
But they actually train peopleon site to listen out for
markers.
So you know, let's say,johnny's doing it tough at home
or having some issuesfinancially, they train people
(21:05):
to have the courage or have theskills to go up and talk to
Johnny and say, hey, mate,what's going on?
Or hey, are you thinking aboutsuicide?
Like, just get straight to thepoint.
So we actually support othercharities that are out there
that are doing the brave work onthe front line and, because
we're mental health blogging,it's about supporting each other
(21:25):
.
So obviously we want to supportour message, but we actually
also want to support otherpeople's messages.
I love that, mate, and I thinkit's awesome because there are,
as you said, so many greatcharities out there doing things
in their own way and they'reall greatly needed.
There's so many wait lists forvarious things around the place.
So, guys, if you want tosupport this mission and
obviously even support me.
(21:46):
A lot of people are asking howyou can support me.
The best way you can support meis by helping us support Mental
Awareness Foundation, who arethen helping the people in the
front line, because one in twoAustralians are impacted by it,
whether it's directly or throughfriends and family.
So I think it's very importantthat we all continue, one,
raising awareness, but also, two, doing things to implement
(22:08):
change, and that starts with you.
It starts by getting thosebuilding that toolkit out for
yourself, reestablishing anddeepening the relationships that
you have with the people thatyou care about most.
So I'm very excited to raiseover $100,000 for you guys,
because I know it's going to begoing to a good place and we're
going to be changing lives as aresult of that, and you guys can
(22:29):
be part of that too, and ifyou're listening to this, you
already are part of it becauseyou've supported me.
So, thank you guys.
Yeah, please.
And, most importantly, like andshare.
Yeah, share, yeah.
So, if you've got this, uh, ifyou're seeing this message but I
(22:50):
just want to finish with thislocky um, take time, take time
for yourself.
Uh, encourage your loved onesto take time, because being able
to just step away from the, thechaos that exists within our
lives.
Um, it's really nice.
Just perhaps get outside, situnder a tree, have a cup of tea.
Just do something for yourself,right?
Because if you look afteryourself, you can look after
others, and being able to lookafter others brings a better
world, and that's what we want.
(23:10):
Awesome.
So jump on Google search MentalAwareness Foundation and you'll
see a link to donate there.
Thank you, guys for listening.
As Wes said, like share,subscribe and buckle up for the
next 58 days.
It's going to be a wild one.
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