ASKING FOR A MATE ASKING FOR A MATE

What would you do if you discovered in your early twenties, when everything is still about partying and being young at heart, that your actual heart wasn't functioning optimally? What is the life of a musician who spends most of his time on tour when you have to take care of your health first? Oly Sherman is an incredible artist who got fitted with a pacemaker early in his career. Listen to his great story and our discussion on mental health in the music industry as well as masculinity stereotypes that don't always match with being a sensitive artist.

When Jake experienced a near-death experience, he realised that his life wasn't what he deserved. Everything changed from this point onwards. Listen to his incredible story, from training to become a professional soccer player to climbing the corporate ladder before one faithful day in the mountains...

Did you ever notice that we usually describe ourselves by explaining what we do for a living? So, let me ask you, what do you tell yourself when you look in the mirror?

Now, what if you decide to step out of your business? What happens when you don't do the one thing that you thought defined yourself?

Who are you then? What do you say when someone asks you "what do you do"?

Those are the kind of questions that Andrew had when he decided to leave the social enterprise that he passionately funded and grew along with his 3 business partners for over 4 years.

An identity crisis is what unfolded.

Listen to this candid conversation between Andrew and Cécile where they go beyond the small talk around the theme of identity.

During the episode, Andrew mentioned 'The Wheel Of Life' by Lorraine Murphy which helped him understand where the imbalances in his life were. You can find it here: https://lorrainemurphy.com.au/worksheets/wheel-of-life/

'Asking For A Mate' is the feel-good podcast that asks guys to go beyond the small talk.

Our mission is to break down stereotypes of Aussie masculinity and improve the mental health of men by letting guys know that it's ok to let your guard down and have frank and honest conversations.

Each episode, Cécile gets the chance to ask Aussie guys what’s really going on beneath their thick skin in the hope that it will encourage more meaningful relationships between friends and those around us.

Have you recently checked your nuts 🥜? Yes, I'm talking about the ones down under! Feeling good & normal?👌 Well, if you still haven't checked them out, Hugo's story might motivate you to do it next time you are under a hot shower 🚿

Listen to this episode to find out why you should check your nuts out regularly! This episode was recorded in support of Men's Health Week (more info below).

Still reading? Ok, here is more about my guest, Hugo Toovey.

At 21, with 6 months left of Army training, Hugo felt a little lump on one of his testicles but decided that 'she'll be 'right' and avoided going to the GP. Many months later, when his dad suggested that he should go have it checked out, he discovered that he had testicular cancer. Yes, that's possible at 21, even when you are as fit and healthy as Hugo was!

Waiting more than 6 months gave cancer a chance to spread and Hugo had to undergo extensive surgery, intense chemo and many months of recovery.

So why did Hugo wait so long? Like many Aussie guys, going to the doctor is not high on their priority list. Guys in the land down under are taught to 'not whinge about the small stuff', that 'she'll be right mate', and that a real man 'just gets on with things'.

But when you look at the medical gender gap we have in Oz and other male health stats, going to the doctors once in a while should be as normal as driving your car in for a service even when it's still running fine.

And that's something that Hugo learned the hard way. But, the next time that something didn't feel right, Hugo didn't wait and went straight to the doctor. Today he says that his rapid response probably saved his life and it might be because he had testicular cancer in the first place.

Ok, no more teaser! Simply listen to this great episode to find out why Hugo thinks that this nasty cancer saved his life!

Thanks again Hugo for your time and for sharing your incredible message with us!

ABOUT HUGO:
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/hugotoovey/
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7dTQKYK1uf5RevlmKXIoWR
25 Stay Alive: https://www.25stayalive.com/
Jodi Lee Foundation Ambassador: https://jodileefoundation.org.au/
Movember Ambassador: https://au.movember.com/
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ABOUT MEN'S HEALTH WEEK

Men's Health Week, celebrated annually during the week preceding and including Father's Day, honors the importance of men's health and wellness.

Meanwhile, men are less frequent visitors to general practitioners, and the perception is that they don't care about health or that health services are not well-prepared to interact with men effectively.

Observing Men's Health Week is meant to educate the public about what can be done to improve the state of men's health and provide free and convenient health services to men who wouldn't otherwise receive such care.

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ABOUT ASKING FOR A MATE

The feel-good podcast that asks guys to go beyond the small talk.
This is a podcast that celebrates guys talking frankly and freely about subjects they wouldn’t usually talk about.

Each episode, Cécile gets the chance to ask Aussie guys what’s really going on beneath their thick skin, in the hope that it will inspire others to do the same.

If you enjoyed this episode of Asking for a mate, please don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, it helps other people know that we exist.

And if you would like to come on the podcast or know someone whose story would help others, please reach out to me on Instagram
@askingforamate.podcast or through the website www.askingforamate.org/

Rob (aka Prof. Robert Harcourt) has been a marine biologist for 36 years. He has worked all around the globe, lived on his own amongst colonies of wild animals and joined 11 expeditions to Antarctica.

Together we talked about his life of incredible adventures and the many wild animals he has encountered 🦭🐋🐬🦈🐧.

When it comes to climate change, Rob has seen the impact humans have had on our planet and the oceans but he still manages to keep a positive outlook.

We also had a chat about the latest controversial Netflix documentary, Seaspiracy. Rob debunked some of the key points covered in the documentary which have been raised by the international scientific community.

Big thanks to Rob for a great chat about an important subject!

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**About 'Asking for a mate'**

The feel-good podcast that asks guys to go beyond the small talk.
This is a podcast that celebrates guys talking frankly and freely about subjects they wouldn’t usually talk about.

Each episode, Cécile gets the chance to ask Aussie guys what’s really going on beneath their thick skin, in the hope that it will inspire others to do the same.

If you enjoyed this episode of Asking for a mate, please don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, it helps other people know that we exist.

And if you would like to come on the podcast or know someone whose story would help others, please reach out to me on Instagram
@askingforamate.podcast or through the website www.askingforamate.org/

For this episode, our host, Cécile, is joined by Scott to talk about mental health in the workplace 👨‍💻👩‍💻

As always, we focus on our guest's point of view and lived experience to explore an important and trending topic - Can you have a successful career and stay away from burnouts? 🤑

Scott knows a thing or two about being overly ambitious and multifaceted which can sometimes take a toll on your mental health. He started his career as a TV host, launched his own media production company and moved to the US. But his passion for mental health & wellbeing led him to enrol in a masters degree in psychology. He recently decided to use his new expertise to launch a tech start-up called Euda, a corporate wellbeing software 🙌

Listen to this episode to find out how Scott stays on top of his mental health and makes sure to stay grounded whilst not taking himself too seriously.

Find out more about Euda: https://www.euda.co/ or Scott's production company Mead Media: https://meadmedia.com.au/

_______________________________________________________

**About 'Asking for a mate'**

The feel-good podcast that asks guys to go beyond the small talk.
This is a podcast that celebrates guys talking frankly and freely about subjects they wouldn’t usually talk about.

Each episode, Cécile gets the chance to ask Aussie guys what’s really going on beneath their thick skin, in the hope that it will inspire others to do the same.

If you enjoyed this episode of Asking for a mate, please don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, it helps other people know that we exist.

And if you would like to come on the podcast or know someone whose story would help others, please reach out to me on Instagram
@askingforamate.podcast or through the website https://www.askingforamate.org/