Michael Stephens
Mental Health and Wellbeing
 |
|---|
hello, you. let's talk?
Who am I?
Hello, I'm Michael. I spent over 10 years working for some of the world’s most respected British brands - including i-D Magazine, Vice Media, Liberty London, Ted Baker and Virgin Atlantic. After a series of life changing events, I diverted from this creative career path to become a mental health and wellbeing advocate. I now promote the importance and value of prioritising self-care, predominantly within the creative and lgbtq+ communities. I do this through my own channels, orchestrating relevant conversations and partnerships, as well as through We Create Space, a global community-led Diversity & Inclusion consultancy.
“I battled with mental and physical health challenges throughout my entire career, working through periods of complete exhaustion, often in silence. I'm so thankful that I was eventually able to address these issues."
How can I help?
I'm open to any partnership that feels relevant and aligned with my ambition and values of promoting the importance of wellbeing and self-care. Depending on availability, I am able to collaborate either in-person or virtually. I am equally as happy to work on internal projects as I am external. These are examples of partnerships I've done in the past, but please get in touch with any other ideas!
Panel guest or host.
Bespoke workshop or retreat facilitation.
"It's so important that we create safe spaces to have these discussions - before they become life-threatening. Opening up about mental health is really the only way we will learn how to navigate and communicate our feelings."
What could we talk about?
I am by no means a certified ‘expert’ on the following topics, but I confidently talk into each one from personal and lived experience. As an official MQ Mental Health Ambassador, I tend to tell my story, while giving some wider general context and perspective. I am also totally open to having discussions too. Perhaps look at this as an opportunity to start or continue a conversation. It's worth mentioning that I don't provide medical or psychological advice, but further support will be sign-posted or referred to as required.
-
Mental health in the workplace.
-
Mental illness at work.
-
What is ‘well-being’?
-
The importance of ‘self-care'.
-
How do we 'reset'?
-
Mental health and creativity.
-
Achieving work-life balance.
-
Stress and burnout.
-
Healthy coping strategies.
-
LGBTQ+ mental health.
-
Holistic practices.
“Self-care is so important. It's allowed me to overcome challenging periods of personal growth, expand on my creative capabilities and redefine my professional life. I now have the ambition to share that knowledge, passion and energy with others.”
Bespoke Retreats and Workshops.
Create Space is a global retreat and workshop planning service, based in the UK. We organise bespoke retreats, workshops and well-being experiences for teams, businesses and execs - both in person, and virtually. Our unique virtual programmes focus on connecting health and wellbeing with creativity.
lgbtq+ leadership programme.
'Who am i?' is a peer-to-peer learning and personal development programme for lgbtq+ leaders. This is a facilitated space to openly share and learn from each others past experiences. It's an opportunity to acquire the necessary tools and understanding for growth, and to develop resilience in the face of adversity.
wecreatespace.co
We Create Space is a global community-led organisation providing varying levels of DEI consultancy and support to 100+ businesses across a range of services - from more education and awareness-based learning and training, to producing bespoke digital content, research and trauma-informed leadership development programmes. All designed through an intersectional lens and delivered by our global collective of 250 queer change-makers.
