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.

“The only reason why I haven’t been attacked yet is because I can run fast in a pair of heels,” said Verushka during the episode. This comment had the biggest laugh on the episode but it was not with its harrowing undertone of what she has to go through in her working life.

In today's episode, Neil and Gary talk mental health with award winning film director Genevieve Bailey. Her documentary film 'Happy Sad Man' follows the lives of five Australian men over a seven-year period which provides plenty of talking points throughout the episode.

In today's episode we speak to Psychologist, Author, Speaker and Founder of the Indigo Project, Mary Hoang.

With a cool, modern and progressive approach to psychology, Mary discusses her guide to personal transformation & dealing with life’s messiness.

Neil and Gary welcome batyr (small 'b' yes) CEO, Nic Brown to this week's show. batyr is a charity that specialises in helping our youth have more positive conversations regarding their mental health. In this episode you'll laugh, learn and understand how to make 'macro changes with micro moves' as Nic calls it and how they're giving a voice to the elephant in the room.

Today's discussion around mental health includes Neil and Gary being joined by wellness coach and breathwork specialist, Rory Warnock. Join us to find out how Rory managed to overcome his own mental health problems and transform his life after being introduced to the power of breathwork and its benefits for physical and mental health.

Hosts Neil and Gary welcome listeners to the pilot show of @theseladsaremental with plenty of laughs as they explain why they felt a podcast about normalising mental health was needed. In this episode they share their own personal experience with the topic and what mental health means to them.