Steve Jackson joins Dan to talks about fluctuations in his mental health throughout his life, from feeling suicidal in his 40s, dealing with addiction, grief and the challenge of changing relationships.

Now in his late 60s, Steve's an accomplished drummer who has toured and recorded with major artists in his career. Throughout this conversation he reflects on the lessons he's learned - and continues to learn every day - about managing his mental well-being.

As part of this, he talks about the non-profit, A Band of Brothers, which he joined as a volunteer mentor and regional publicist in 2022. The charity was born out of concern at the continuing escalation of self-destructive and anti-social behaviour among young men, and you can tell from the way he speaks about it how much he values what the organisation is doing for its clients AND its own people.

Here are the timestamps for when each of our core questions is discussed, so you can fast-track to Steve's answers:

0:00 Introduction to GoodEnoughChats and Steve

3:13 Why are you sharing your mental health experiences with us today?

11:35 How has your last week been?

17:38 How has your relationship with your mental health evolved?

29:27 What have been the lightbulb moments for you?

38:18 If someone facing a similar problem came to you today, what's the most important thing they can do?

If you'd like to chat with Steve about his experiences, reach out to him via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-jackson-silver-drummer/

For more information about A Band of Brothers, visit: https://abandofbrothers.org.uk/

If you're interested in sharing your mental health story to help others who might be going through something similar, you can connect with Dan on LinkedIn too: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danbowsher/

Find the show on your favourite podcast platform and follow us on all our socials via this link: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/goodenoughchats⁠⁠

Why is GoodEnoughChats a thing?

There is a mental health crisis for men aged between their mid-thirties and early fifties, and one of the things we know can make a positive difference is encouraging men to open up about what's on their minds.

Each episode of GoodEnoughChats features a new guest who has volunteered to share their experiences to help destigmatise mental health amongst men.

The discussions are all centred on the same five questions, but each one tells a unique story that might be useful for someone else to hear. We want to build a bank of these chats so they are there for people when they need them.

If you have been affected by some of the issues addressed in this conversation, please know that you are not alone and there are some fantastic places you can turn to for help, including (but by no means limited to):

NHS, https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), https://www.thecalmzone.net/

Samaritans, https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

Mind, https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-mental-health-problem/where-to-start/