Mental health trainer / Grief counsellor / Funeral Celebrant

For over 20 years, I thrived as a strategist in the marketing and advertising world, working with big brands like McDonald’s, Vodafone, and Microsoft. My job was to understand why people buy—and get them to buy more. I thought I was on top of the world.

Then, everything changed. When I was made redundant, my sense of self crumbled. My job had defined me, and without it, I felt lost. My thoughts spiralled, and eventually, I was diagnosed with depression.

On the surface, my life looked great—successful career, good salary, strong friendships, and no family history of mental illness. I believed poor mental health was something that happened to other people.

But the truth is, it can happen to anyone. One in four people experience mental health challenges, and sometimes, all it takes is one life-altering event. No one is immune.

At my wife’s suggestion, I took a Mental Health First Aid training course—and something clicked. I soaked up everything I could, from understanding risk factors to learning how to protect mental well-being. It resonated so deeply that I decided to take it further, becoming a mental health trainer to raise awareness and help others.

But I didn’t stop there. The more I learned, the stronger my desire grew to support people struggling with their mental health—not just by signposting them to help, but by being someone who could truly make a difference. That passion led me to embark on a four-year journey to qualify as a psychotherapist, turning my own experience into a way to help others heal.

Through my own experience, I came to understand just how deeply loss can shape us. Grief isn’t something to simply “get over”—it changes you. But within that change, there’s also the possibility of finding meaning.

That’s what drew me to my work as a funeral celebrant. I wanted to help people honour their loved ones in a way that truly reflects their life, their values, and the impact they had. A funeral isn’t just about saying goodbye; it’s about remembering, celebrating, and finding a way forward.

Every life is unique, and so is every farewell. My role is to listen, to understand, and to craft a ceremony that brings comfort, connection, and even a sense of peace. Because in the midst of loss, finding meaning can be one of the most powerful ways to heal.