My Mental Health Journey
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FROM CRISIS TO RECOVERY
​​Welcome to Mental Health and Me 999. I’m Julian Raithby, and I deliver powerful, honest mental health talks based on real lived experience.
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I’ve been through some of life’s darkest moments – including anxiety, panic attacks, psychosis, addiction, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. Today, I share my story to raise awareness, challenge stigma, and help others feel less alone.​
WHY I SPEAK OUT
Through my talks, I help businesses, teams, and frontline organisations understand what it’s really like to face a mental health crisis – and how we can support each other through it.
These sessions are ideal for:
✅ Corporate wellbeing programmes
✅ safety stand downs
✅ Mental health awareness days
✅ construction sector, high pressure teams
✅ Staff and manager development​
TRUSTED BY NATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
I’ve delivered sessions for:
✅ West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
​✅ Amey
✅ EDF Energy
✅ Nuclear Decommissioning Authority
✅ NRS (Nuclear Restoration Services)
…with feedback consistently describing the talk as:
“Powerful, essential, unlike anything we’ve heard before.”
Topics I cover In My Talks
My mental health journey has taken me through some of life’s toughest challenges. These are the topics I speak on with honesty, compassion, and lived experience:
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Mental health crisis – what it really feels like
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Medication side effects, and the fear of losing control
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Addiction and alcohol dependence – without going through AA
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Insomnia, psychosis and the collapse of daily life
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Family strain, shame, and the guilt no one talks about
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Recovery, therapy, and building emotional resilience
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How colleagues, managers and friends can spot the signs early​​
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Each talk is tailored to the audience — whether it's a corporate team, frontline workers, or public sector workplace.
Why Book Me for Your Next Mental Health Event?
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✅ I’ve lived it
This isn’t a lecture. It’s a raw, honest story of surviving anxiety, addiction, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts — and how recovery is always possible.
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✅ I speak from the heart
My talk connects with people of all ages and backgrounds — from boardrooms to boots-on-the-ground workers.
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✅ I’ve delivered talks across the UK
From nuclear power stations to peer support groups and corporate teams — the feedback is consistent: “More powerful than any mental health training we’ve had.”
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✅ I tailor the talk to your audience
Emergency services, corporate staff, field teams, or leadership — I make the content relevant, human, and hopeful.
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🟢 Booking is easy — just hit the Contact Us button or email: mentalhealthandme999@gmail.com
Client Testimonials
'Julian delivered his ‘mental health and me’ talk to our workforce as part of our National Inclusion Week celebrations. His story, while sometimes hard to hear, is a raw and honest account of his darkest days and how he survived. The journey he took us through to his recovery demonstrated his resilience and determination to survive. Not only does Julian share a very personal account of his recovery, he also signposts to relevant support and provides a toolkit of strategies and tips. No doubt this has given some of the attendees the courage to seek help when struggling with mental health issues'.
Gill Cockburn, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.
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'I have had the privilege of working with Julian in training sessions. His own talk is engaging, honest and authentic. Julian reflects the challenges that many people face in the context of poor mental health and the power of recovery. He embodies the words of a much more eloquent person than me who said 'you are not your illness. You have an individual story to tell.'
Michael Boaden, Chief Operating Officer of Carlisle Eden MIND.
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'Julian was the guest speaker at our Mental Health Buddy Network Meeting in August this year. His talk is about his mental health decline and journey of recovery was open, honest and a real eye opener; definitely food for thought for anyone who might think 'this couldn't happen to me.'
​Justine Goff, Mental Health Programme Lead at EDF Energy, Hinkley Point C
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'A big thank you for coming to site and sharing your journey with us all. We had great attendance and received some great feedback, a very worthwhile talk'.
​Kelly Fellowes, Industrial Safety Engineer, EDF Energy, Sizewell B Nuclear Power station.
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“Julian recently provided our company with a talk on mental health and his own real life, lived experiences. The feedback we have received from our staff has been brilliant with several reaching out and opening up about their own experiences and struggles. The talk was informative, very relatable, and very good value for money. I would highly recommend Julian to any business that may be considering this.”
​Jack Battersby, Director at Wilkie May & Tuckwood
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​“It was refreshing and helpful to hear someone talk so openly about their experiences. Julian helps to break down barriers.
He is a much-needed mental health ambassador and I highly recommend listening
to what he has to say.”
Jim Morgan, Professor of Organisational Psychology, Leeds Beckett University.