Contents:

 

• Overview
• The History of R U OK? Day
• How to ask if someone’s ok
• R U OK? Day Keynote Speakers 2023

 

With anxiety and depression on the rise globally (and the added stress of a global pandemic that isn’t going away anytime soon) it’s more important than ever to talk about mental health. Yet somehow we still struggle as a society to have genuine, open conversations about life’s ups and downs. Even a simple ‘How are you?’, especially in a space like the workplace, is almost expected to be answered with a thoughtless ‘Good thanks’. R U OK? Day 2023 is fast approaching – this year falling on Thursday 14th September – and with it, comes the chance to take another step forward in positively shifting how we talk (or more accurately, don’t talk enough!) about mental health.

The History of R U OK? Day

In 2009, fourteen years after losing his own father to suicide, Gavin Larkin decided something needed to be done to try and make a difference to this landscape of tight-lipped toleration. He didn’t want anyone else to go through the suffering his family had been through. So Gavin and his team created the annual R U OK? Day in the hope to inspire people to open up more about mental health. The aim is to empower us all to lend support when someone around us is struggling, and perhaps even be honest the next time somebody tries to ask us how our day is going! At the centre of all of this, is the not-for-profit’s power message: ‘a conversation could change your life’. If we can work as a community to create space for as many of these conversations as possible, R U OK has a vision that we can shape a world where we are all connected and supported to take control of our mental health.

How to (genuinely) ask if someone’s ok

We all play a role in changing the way we talk about mental health. Building resilience and creating space for important conversations is a community effort. While simply asking ‘Are you ok?’ is a great start, there are a few more key steps in the process that will help us to make a real difference in someone else’s life. These are:

● Ensure you are ready to ask the question and have picked a good moment
● Ask questions to help them open up, for example ‘What has been going on?’
● Actively listen to and engage with what the person is going through
● Encourage positive action
● Continue to check in with them so that person can feel supported and connected in a meaningful way

 

Making sure everybody in our community is protected from suicide depends on us all continuing to support each other as a network. We can all make a positive difference simply by making time to properly listen to those around us!

R U OK? Day Keynote Speakers 2023

Beyond having individual conversations, it’s also important to spread the mission of R U OK? Day in our community, schools and workplaces. Listening to an expert with both personal and professional experiences with mental health is an invaluable way to create better mental health awareness within your organisation, as well as empower more individuals with the tools to start their own conversations.

 

Tom Boyd Tom is pure courage, on and off the field. A star AFL premiership player and former number 1 AFL draft pick at the age of 18, Tom walked away from a lucrative $2 million contract the Western Bulldogs. And he never looked back. See More

John Brogden AM Today John is an outstanding advocate for mental illness. He shares his own journey of suicide and depression with honesty and bravery and challenges the common misunderstandings of living and working with a mental illness. See More

Georgie Dent Georgie Dent is an inspiring and engaging communicator who speaks candidly about the nervous breakdown she suffered at age 25 and subsequent memoir Breaking Badly. See More

Clare Desira As we navigate uncertainty, your audience isn’t looking for aspirational Everest-climbing motivation, but tools they can actually use to feel less stressed, more focused and in control of something right now. See More

Jelena Dokic A former world number 4, popular tennis commentator and best-selling author of her autobiography ‘Unbreakable’, Jelena Dokic’s story of survival is nothing short of remarkable, both on and off the court. See More

Leanne Faulkner Leanne works at the intersection of small business ownership and wellbeing. She understands the people who work well in small business produce a business that will also work well. Leanne Faulkner was the founder of the skincare brand Billie Goat Soap. See More

Ray Good Is your team match fit for work? How are you helping them make the transition back into the workplace mindfully? What tools do they have to manage stress, be more productive, regain balance, and live a happier life? So many questions, one exceptionally good solution…Ray Good. See More

Greg Hunt Professor, The Honourable Greg Hunt was appointed Honorary Enterprise Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Services and the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Melbourne in December 2022. Greg is also the inaugural Chair of the Advisory Council for the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University. He advises a wide range of businesses and not for profits in the areas of innovation, leadership, strategic planning, health and the environment. See More

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson OAM is more than just an Australian actor known for his work on the small screen, Samuel has received nation-wide acknowledgement for his dedication to raising awareness to the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. See More

The Hon. Jeff Kennett AC The Hon Jeff Kennett is a former Victorian Premier and former founding chairman of the highly successful national depression initiative beyondblue. Jeff Kennett is an icon and a leader, who is well known for his passion. See More

Kath Koschel Kath Koschel is the founder of Kindness Factory, a global not for profit organisation and movement which inspires ordinary people to do extra ordinary things. See More

Rachael Lynch OLY Veteran Hockeyroo, dual Olympian, dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and World Cup silver medalist, Rachael Lynch OLY has played in over 230 games for Australia. Off the field Lynch works as a registered nurse, runs STOMP Goalkeeping and is very active in the mental health space as an ambassador for RUOK? Day. See More

Dr Kerry Maberly Dr Kerry Maberly is a cognitive and behavioural science specialist, enabling people to understand and utilise the strengths and quirks of their brains. She is passionate about understanding why people do what they do – and, importantly, guiding others to consciously and subconsciously influence behavioural changes they value in themselves and others. She specialises in applying cognitive, organisational and positive psychology principles combined with behavioural economics insights. See More

Glenn Manton Glenn Manton has been engaging audiences for over 20 years with his unique blend of education and entertainment. A dynamic storyteller Glenn Manton is able to draw upon his vast life experience to move audiences of all ages and backgrounds. See More

Emma Murray Emma Murray is renowned as one of Australia’s leading high performance mind coaches. Emma Murray is considered the ‘secret weapon’ behind Richmond Football Club’s three most recent AFL premierships and Scott McLaughlin’s three Supercars Championship titles, his 2019 Bathurst win and his IndyCar debut. See More

Wayne Schwass We know that talking about mental health can be difficult. We also know it doesn’t have to be. Creating a safe worksplace environment where talking about mental health is not only okay but actively encouraged is crucial to your team’s wellbeing. See More

Rachel Tomlinson Rachel is a sought after subject matter expert for journalists and the media on a variety of topics including; child development, relationships, leadership, resilience, and more. See More

Rhiannon Tracey While many may let a life-changing injury hold them back from living their dreams, Rhiannon Tracey has used it as further motivation to create a life she loves, helping and inspiring thousands along the way. See More

Fergus Watts Fergus Watts is an entrepreneur and business leader with businesses across Australia, the United States and London. See More

Kendall Whyte Kendall Whyte is the 2022 Young Australian of the Year for Western Australia, and founder of Blue Tree Project, a grass-roots charity, making an impact across Australia. The mission of Blue Tree Project is to help spark difficult conversations and break down the stigma of mental health, by giving dead trees ‘a blue lease on life’. See More

For this year’s R U OK? Day, we hope we can all work together to create space for important conversations around mental health. Together we can build a new culture of openness and resilience. You can browse our full range of R U OK? Day speakers here, but if you’d like a more personal touch you should get in contact with us.

 

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