Mental health advocate helps colleagues with podcast

A lawyer who has dealt with his own mental health issues has launched an in-house podcast to open discussions around emotional wellbeing.

Jeremy Fletcher, Of Counsel at the Sheffield office of international firm CMS, records the episodes for staff at his firm and invites guests to talk about how they tackle mental health issues in their professional lives.

Fletcher was diagnosed with PTSD 10 years ago and admitted he would not have felt comfortable being open at work about his condition back then. ‘I was embarrassed at getting the diagnosis and thought if I told anybody at work I would lose my job,’ he said. ‘People felt you were weak if you brought up mental health and there was a culture of keeping quiet. It is amazing how much the conversation has moved on and now how open and supportive the work environment is.’

Supported by colleagues Vanessa Whitman and Rachel Czernobay, who lead on wellbeing at CMS, he was encouraged to find a way to help others feel comfortable about speaking out. The podcast was the result, and Fletcher said he has been excited by the response. ‘There’s still plenty to do in terms of normalising discussions about mental health, particularly for men,' he said.