Over the past decade of running Mental Health Movement, I’ve learned that workplace mental health leadership isn’t about titles, polish or having all the answers. It’s about showing up, doing the work and staying in it when things get uncomfortable. Leadership, just as mental health, is lived not performed.
Here are my top 10 learnings from the last ten years. The real ones. The hard ones.
1. Leadership isn’t about titles, it’s about toil:
I’ve always been a worker. When I played footy, my role was to graft, to grind, to do the hard yards. Leading a business has been no different except now the responsibility is for people’s lives and livelihoods, not just the scoreboard.
2. Imposter syndrome is a constant companion:
There have been countless times I’ve questioned myself, our work, and whether I even belong in the rooms I’m in. What I’ve learned is that imposter syndrome isn’t a weakness it’s a sign I’m still stretching, still growing.
3. The climate is tough, but so am I:
Running a business, raising young kids, being a husband, a mate, a boss it’s heavy. The current climate doesn’t make it easier. But leadership is often about staying in the fight, when it would be easier to throw in the towel.
4. Mental illness doesn’t make me less it makes me real:
I live with type 2 bipolar disorder. Some days I wish I could just take the mask off and not have to “pretend” I don’t have a mental illness. But I’ve come to see that this doesn’t make me weaker as a leader it makes me authentic, human, and someone who truly understands struggle.
5. The trauma lens is real:
Growing up in domestic violence and chaos shaped me. That lens can distort things, but it also sharpened my empathy and drive to create safe spaces for others. Trauma gave me scars, but it also gave me purpose.
6. Fear of failure vs. fear of success:
I’ve wrestled with both. Fear of failing the people who rely on me and myself. Fear of succeeding and being “found out.” The lesson? Fear shows up either way. Courage is moving forward regardless.
7. Self-care isn’t selfish, it’s survival:
With my history of substance use, the temptation to escape is always there. I’ve had to learn that looking after myself isn’t optional it’s the only way I can be the father, husband, and leader my family and team deserve.
8. When you do good, you feel good:
When I’ve neglected my own health, everyone around me pays for it. The team, the business, my family. Leadership taught me that honestly, looking after myself with what I know is good for me isn’t selfish it’s responsibility. This is something we don’t talk about enough in workplace mental health leadership, looking after yourself isn’t a luxury. It’s part of the responsibility you carry for others.
9. Leadership is lonely, but it doesn’t have to be isolating.
There are days it feels like no one gets the weight you carry. But I’ve learned the power of leaning on others, asking for help, and building a tribe who remind you that you don’t have to do it all alone.
10. The scars are the story:
For a long time, I thought my past disqualified me. The violence, the drugs, the mental illness. Now I know it’s exactly those scars that connect me to people. That’s where trust is built. That’s where leadership lives.
I believe that leadership isn’t about being perfect, polished, or bulletproof. It’s about showing up flawed, tired, doubting, but still showing up.
That’s where impact comes from.
