Rethinking masculinity—while confronting PTSD

Stuart had always been the stereotypical burly police officer. When he wasn’t busy breaking up fights in the town centre, he was tackling his rugby teammates on the pitch. He was steadfast, reliable. He was superman.

Then one day he was called to deal with a serious road traffic accident. For a while afterwards, he thought he was keeping it together—but the harrowing experience became a ticking time bomb for his mental health. When the emotions finally reached the surface, guilt, self-doubt, and anxiety clouded his thoughts. He needed support.

You’ll hear how Stuart finally opened up about his own mental health challenges, how he came to terms with his diagnoses of severe PTSD, depression, and anxiety, and Stuart’s advice for self-confessed blokes uncertain about seeking support.

Heads up for listeners: this episode features discussion of a serious road traffic accident.

Stuart Thorburn is People Experience Lead at Learnerbly. Having started out in HR, Stuart spent several years with the police before returning to the office, giving him a broad understanding of the challenges facing the UK workforce. He’s previously held roles at Origami and the University of Cambridge.

Oliva is the employee mental wellbeing partner for companies that want to take decisive action to support & keep their best people.

By indexing & specialising in the top wellbeing challenges your people face—specific to your industry and your business—we help employees & managers respond to tough situations, foster sustainable company cultures, and ultimately slow staff turnover.