154. Coming out and the new normal with Matthew Clements Adversity to Advantage

“When I came out…..I had completely unconditional support and love and I realised that’s sadly not the case for everyone”



I feel very privileged to interview Matthew Clements. Matthew is the Senior diversity and inclusion advisor at Herbert Smith Freehills and i have had the pleasure of working with him through the partnership between Medigold  and PVL where i have been supporting the Mental Health strategy and training of HSF.

We discuss Mental health and his Matthew goes deep on his own experience of mental health and coming out to his family and friends.

We cover other topics such as:


Challenges of mental health in the workplace

HSF Thrive Strategy

The evolution of how businesses understand mental health

Promoting an inclusive culture

Mental health champions

Adapting to needs during the pandemic

The build up to coming out to family and friends

No longer being able to hide / the loss of control

The benefits of coming out

Looking back on yourself with kindness

The ripple effects of shared stories & experiences

Creating impact through authenticity

Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace

The mental health silver lining in the pandemic

The need for organisations to step up mental health strategy

Agile & remote working

Non-negotiables around self-care



Connect with Matthew on Linkedin and hear more about our mental health work at Petra Velzeboer Ltd.