When vulnerability is a strength

Aaron’s inspiration came from himself being overwhelmed by a mental health problem.  Without warning, whilst crossing the street one day, Aaron suffered the first of what would turn into almost daily panic attacks. 

Aaron recounts, “It was like an extreme amount of fear, but for no reason.  I was in a cold sweat and felt like I was having a heart attack.  They would last for 15 or 20 minutes.  And one was so bad when I was home alone in the shower, I thought I was going to pass out.”

These events starkly exposed his total lack of understanding of his state of mind, and what measures were needed to deal with his sudden predicament.

Aaron describes his audience for his service as ‘anybody’, his observation being that no-one close to him had any level of knowledge or understanding during his own episode.  And he believes that critical to his platform’s ability in connecting people to resources, is its relatability in the way it communicates.

“I knew from training I’d received in my previous career, that if you’re relatable you’ll get an audience.  And how do you become relatable?  By being vulnerable.  Because if someone is willing to open up and talk in a way that makes sense to me, that relatability opens up a channel of trust,” explains Aaron.

Building on this trust, Aaron and his team have implemented multiple programmes across both companies and schools around the city, encouraging people to start talking, and when required, seek help from existing resources that previously were unknown to them.

Aaron strongly believes that mental health should be designed into the educational curriculum, prevention being a significantly more desirable option than cure. 

“Forewarned is forearmed,” he explains.