As a Beyond Blue Ambassador, Brad McEwan talks openly about his family’s experience of mental health issues, and the impact of losing his father and brother to suicide some 30 years ago.
He is committed to breaking down the barriers and addressing the stigma still attached to depression and anxiety.
“Losing a family member to suicide is something you never, ever get over. The scars always stay with you, even though others can’t see them.
“I remember feeling dumbfounded by the attitudes around mental health and being frustrated that there were so few people I felt I could talk to, which I needed to do to get better.
“I was 17 when I lost my brother. He had been struggling for some time and received some psychiatric help but took his own life at age 19. His death rocked our family and this feeling was compounded 18 months later when my father also took his own life under different circumstances.
“This stigma has reduced dramatically over the past 20 years, thanks to people who’ve publicly shared how they’ve been affected by depression or anxiety, but we still have a long way to go in making mental health and wellbeing part of our everyday conversations. I became a Beyond Blue Ambassador in 2010 because I felt I really needed to help this effort in some way.”
As a former Network TEN presenter with more than 20 years of experience reporting and presenting the latest in sport, Brad ensured viewers didn’t miss a moment of the action.
Brad’s career highlights include attending the FIFA World Cup in South Africa; being part of TEN’s Commonwealth Games team in Delhi, India in 2010; and the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia in 2014.
He is now focused on a new goal; providing workshops, presentations, mentoring and strategy that focus on workplace mental health and wellbeing. Above all, Brad’s work is about leading and working with kindness.
“In undertaking a new challenge, being able to share my experience interacting with some of the greatest storytellers and leaders in the world of politics, sports, and media means I am able to assist those in the world of business and everyday leadership; with their profiles, communication, and ability to make a positive mental difference in the world. I see kindness is key to success and make that the foundation of all the work that I do.”