Yes.Me. is my passion project aiming to breakdown the stigma surrounding mental illness and treatment seeking. Specifically Yes.Me. challenges leaders to step up to the leadership challenge of sharing their own experience with mental illness and, particularly, the ways that their experience and the traits that leave them vulnerable to mental illness has actually made them better at their role. For example, people with anxiety will often be extremely high performing, in part due to their perfectionist streak. The project aims to challenge the perception that people with mental illness will not amount to anything. In fact, given that Beyond Blue tell us that 45% of people will suffer with a mental illness - the reality is that the person with mental illness is just as likely to be the CEO of our biggest corporation or the coach at our local footy club. People who are hugely successful leaders - it just so happens that they have had a mental illness. It's time that we, as leaders, have a real chat about mental illness and to lead by example in sharing our own stories. This will pave the way for those who come next.

As part of the Yes.Me. program, I am starting a podcast to interview leaders about their experience of mental illness per the above. I have already had 4 leaders who are prepared to tell their story in podcast format. To that end, I am currently doing a course on podcasting at my own expense and approaching leaders who are prepared to tell their story.