Movember, Mental Health and Wellness - practical tips on how to get involved

Podcast episodes
2 minute read 19 Nov 2024
Movember is an annual movement, where we can dial up awareness and raise funds for men’s mental health. This year, we had a conversation with Head of Learning and Development at GSK on how to get involved with Movember, look after, and speak to others about your mental health. 

“I’ve always challenged the notion that men can’t talk about their feelings and worries”

In this episode Carlo talks about his personal experience with mental health and the things he does to look after himself and his team from his love of the outdoors, and the experience of taking a sabbatical, to getting involved in Movember and The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride.

Movements like these are trying to take the stigma away from having these conversations with things like their four-step guide (Ask, Listen, Encourage Action, and Check In) as well as a chat bot to put this into practice.

“We might have that feeling that we want to check in on someone, but are afraid or worried that we might be getting into territory that’s quite uncomfortable or difficult to deal with”

These conversations with friends and colleagues are important, and more workplaces are investing in a healthy workplace. Some workplaces like GSK have a whole floor dedicated to wellbeing in their London offices, while Broadsword, a remote workplace, have an app that rewards employees for completing wellbeing activities. Most companies have benefits and services available like an employee assistance programme, which provides access to counselling. Creating an environment where employees can access support is key.

Listen below or on Spotify.

About the guest

Carlo José was born and raised in the Philippines and is now based in the UK. After almost two decades in financial services, Carlo is now Global Head of Learning and Development at GSK, where he is passionate about enabling others to achieve success in work and life.Outside of work he is passionate about motorcycles, travel, and the outdoors, recently reigniting an interest in running. Throughout the year Carlo gets involved in creating awareness and having conversations about men’s mental and physical health. Between Movember, and The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, he has raised almost eight thousand pounds in donations for the cause over the years.