Talk Club: Embracing mental fitness, with Ben Akers

How it feels to have panic attacks, with Jordan Japal

Jordan Japal talks about his struggles with anxiety and the impact that panic attacks have had on his life. He talks about the stigma around mental health, especially for men in the male-dominated world of sales, and how therapy and medication are helping him to manage his mental fitness. We cover the role of childhood in shaping his experience, the pressure of work and masculinity, and the trial-and-error process of finding support that actually worked for him. Here are the timestamps for the main questions: 00:00 Introduction 03:43 Why are you here today talking about your lived experiences of mental health? 08:23 How has your last week been? 11:15 How has your mental health journey evolved? 35:29 What were the lightbulb moments? 58:18 What’s the most important thing someone can do if they’re not sure where to start? Visit GoodEnoughChats.com [http://GoodEnoughChats.com] for more information. Support the show via Buy Me a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/goodenoughchats]. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HLWTL0FVY9K73UWK

How a bipolar 2 diagnosis helped me, with Paul Lenihan

Paul Lenihan talks about living with bipolar 2 disorder, and how long-term burnout, sleep deprivation, and unresolved childhood experiences shaped his mental health.  He explains how those patterns showed up later in adulthood, fatherhood, and relationships, and how the diagnosis finally gave him clarity.  We talk about how he’s managing bipolar now, what changed once he started the right treatment, and how he’s learning to respond differently to stress, work, and family life. Here are the timestamps for the main questions: 00:00 Intro 08:05 Why are you here today talking about your lived experiences of mental health? 13:21 How’s your last week been? 23:37 Where do you trace your first experiences of feeling low or more manic? 35:13 What were the lightbulb moments? 66:17 What’s the most important thing someone can do if they’re not sure where to start? Visit GoodEnoughChats.com [http://GoodEnoughChats.com] for more information. Support the show via Buy Me a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/goodenoughchats]. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HLWTL0FVY9K73UWK

Parenting and relationships after childhood pain, with Shaun McGrory

Shaun McGrory talks about how burnout and unresolved childhood experiences shaped his mental health, and how those patterns later showed up in adulthood, parenthood, and relationships. Despite starting and leading a grassroots mental health support initiative at work, he explains how he still struggles with the feeling that he needs to carry the weight for others, and what changed once he began the work to help himself. We talk about how he’s managing his mental fitness now, and how it's changed in how he's responded to more recent challenges. Here [http://work.Here] are the timestamps for the main questions: 00:00 Intro 05:29 Why are you here today talking about your lived experiences of mental health? 10:17 How's your last week been? 33:35 How has your relationship with your mental health evolved? 45:51 What have been some of the lightbulb moments? 56:41 What are the most important things someone can do if they’re not sure where to start? Visit GoodEnoughChats.com [http://GoodEnoughChats.com] for more information. Support the show via Buy Me a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/goodenoughchats]. Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HLWTL0FVY9K73UWK

Experiencing a mental health crisis and the journey back, with Howard Martin

In this episode, Howard Martin talks about how burnout crept up on him and took him into a state of crisis with his mental health, following the death of his Mum. He explains how he hid the extent of his difficulties from loved ones, looked for ways to make himself busier to distract himself from the thoughts going through his head, and how it felt when he hit rock bottom. He shares the recovery journey he's been on, what he's learned, and how he's mamaging his mental fitness differently because of it. Here are the timestamps for the main questions: 00:00 Intro 05:29 Why are you here today talking about your lived experiences of mental health? 07:33 How's your last week been? 10:34 How has your relationship with your mental health evolved? 30:11 Have there been any lightbulb moments for you? 44:08 What's the most important thing someone going through this can do? Visit GoodEnoughChats.com [https://goodenoughchats.com] for more information. Support the show via Buy Me a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/goodenoughchats].

Limb-loss and struggling in post-army life, with Ryan Higgins

Ryan Higgins struggled with his mental health after serving in the army, spending time in prison, and suffering an injury that led to him losing his left leg. In this episode, he talks candidly about the impact these things have had on his life, the dark places it’s taken him, and the things he does today to help keep his mental and physical fitness on track. You can follow Ryan here: https://www.instagram.com/ryansarmyofficial/ [https://www.instagram.com/ryansarmyofficial/] Learn more about Blesma here: https://www.blesma.org/ [https://www.blesma.org/] Visit Good Enough Chats [https://goodenoughchats.com/] for more information. Support the show via Buy Me a Coffee [https://buymeacoffee.com/goodenoughchats] Chapters: * 00:00 Intro * 04:15 Why are you here today talking about your lived experiences of mental health? * 09:13 How's your last week been? * 17:41 How has your relationship with your mental health evolved? * 42:06 Have there been any lightbulb moments for you? * 61:45 What's the most important thing someone going through this can do?