This episode features founder of the Lung Club Ed Jennings. Ed is an endurance runner who has used his passion for running to create the lung club community. The group meets regularly to walk or run together as a way of improving mental and physical health.

Ed is a big mental health advocate and much of the works he does is around increasing awareness around the topic.

The episode discusses the benefits of exercise on the brain, the dark side of being addicted to exercise the power of community, resiliency and of course Eds on take on mental health.

The lads hit the half way mark of their inaugural season of These Lads Are Mental podcast. A show about normalising the topic of mental health in a light hearted fashion, with expert guests, everyday people and some laughs along the way. Sure isn't that what life is all about?

Hopefully, one day in the not too distant future, we can talk about mental health just like we would anything else in our everyday lives. That's our goal.

Today’s episode is the unique, incredible story of Joe Williams.

Joe is an Australian sportsman who played rugby league and boxed professionally. His football career spanned from 2004 to 2008 but apart from being involved with professional sport for over 15 years, Joe, a suicide survivor, and mental health advocate, now spends his time working to inspire youth through motivational speaking workshops here in Australia and across the globe.

On this week’s show we have Ben Evans, former international Wales rugby union player. A prop, he has played for Ospreys, Cardiff Blues and Calvisano. He has played for Jersey and Moseley RFC and, Dan Parks, a.k.a. “Compass”, the Australian-born former Scotland international rugby union player and now coach.

This show is packed with laughs, insights into the highs and lows of elite performance and the boys personal mental health stories.

Paul McVeigh is a former professional and international footballer, with 20 caps for his country Northern Ireland, as well as 273 professional appearances with clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, Burnley and Luton Town. In 2010, he won his second league title with Norwich helping them gain promotion back to the Championship before calling a day on his professional career later that year.