On 28 August, I’ll be joining Sue Baker (Changing Minds Globally) and Fiona Costello (eMHIC) for a fireside chat on Leveraging Digital Mental Health Innovations to End Stigma and Cultivate a Future of Acceptance. Together we’ll explore how digital tools, storytelling, and community-led approaches are reshaping how we experience mental health. 

I am the co-founder of Byte Entertainment, a digital agency creating social impact campaigns with organisations ranging from FIFA to NHS England. I am also the Co-CEO of Speakers Collective, a non-profit supporting over 200 lived-experience speakers who share their stories to create change in schools, workplaces, and communities.

But my path into this work is deeply personal. I lost my father to suicide as a teenager. In my early twenties I was sectioned after a psychotic episode due to stress at work, and throughout my life I’ve navigated the world as a dyslexic thinker.

It was in 2016 when I sadly lost a close friend who had postnatal depression and that set me firmly on the road of campaigning with the aim of doing what I can to reduce the stigma associated with mental health. 

It is these experiences that fuel my commitment to build inclusive communities, both online and offline, that give people the space to speak openly and seek support without judgement.

Changing the Conversation in the UK

The UK has seen several anti-stigma campaigns over the years that have helped reshape the public conversation.

I was fortunate to be part of the Heads Together campaign back in 2017, launched by The Royal Foundation with The Prince and Princess of Wales that brought together a coalition of mental health charities under the simple but powerful message: “We all have mental health.” This national campaign helped shift the tone of the conversation, making it easier for many to talk more openly without shame.

Time to Change, led by Sue Baker in partnership with Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, also played a huge role in challenging prejudice and encouraging openness.

While these national campaigns laid vital groundwork, much of today’s progress I see is coming from community-led initiatives and peer-support movements both online and in physical spaces.

One example close to my heart is The Snug, a warm, non-clinical hub for mental health and wellbeing support in Walthamstow, East London. The Snug brings people together through creative art, writing workshops, yoga, peer-led groups, singing, and simple tea and toast drop-in sessions. It’s also a space where you can get free IT support and help accessing online digital services. 

I know that if a space like this had existed when I was trying to get back on my feet after my mental illness it would have made my recovery so much quicker.

Why Lived Experience and Creativity Matter

Stories change minds. I’ve seen this time and again through Speakers Collective, where people share their personal experiences. These stories break silence, spark empathy, and create openings for honest conversations and real change.

But sharing our lived experience doesn’t always have to be an online talk or lunch and learn. Sometimes creativity is the most powerful tool for change. 

That’s why I’ve also been involved with What’s Going On In Your Head?, a live event series exploring the secret inner workings of the mind through performance, music and poetry. During covid we had to switch to streaming our events and we went from a room of 100s to an online audience of thousands joining us from around the world watching our stigma busting shows. 

Putting on these events showed me how we can reduce stigma using more than just words and the power of art, music and performance.

For the last year I have been working with NHS England to create new digital training resources on preventing suicide within the NHS workforce. There is already strong evidence that some healthcare professions are at a higher risk of suicide than other professional groups. We have worked closely with NHS staff to co-design all elements of the training and I will be able to talk more about it when it launches later this year.

The Challenge Ahead

While stigma continues to be deeply entrenched in some communities, many initiatives also face the instability of short-term funding and making it difficult to build sustainable change. I truly believe that we can only fully tackle these issues with collaboration across local councils, governments, NGOs, healthcare providers, charities and commercial innovators.

From my work, I’ve seen the organisations making the most impact are those that truly co-design with lived experience at the heart, treating them as equal partners rather than token voices. 

It has been said before that stigma is one of the greatest public health challenges but it is also one of the greatest opportunities where we can all build a future where everyone feels seen, supported, and accepted. 

I hope you’ll join the upcoming fireside chat on 28 August [Link to Register] to explore these ideas further together.