Lachlan first discovered the Spacecubed community at Perth Podcast Week, where he was a panel speaker, discussing the human side of podcasting. Following this week long event, and further discussions about his mission, Lachlan was invited to apply for our Intensify Scholarship, for his work as the founder of Open Up Group (a men's program designed to remove the stigma around mental health) which he was awarded.
Beginning his startup journey on a 4:1 FIFO roster, Lachlan saw first hand the impact on men during their time away, and following two of his colleagues taking their own life, the Open Up Podcast was born. “The mental health podcast I started was for people just like me, and those guys who took their lives, who were suffering in isolation. The whole idea was to create content that would help them, which they could consume without anyone knowing,” Lachlan shared.
“Over the course of 1.5 years, doing this purely as a passion project in my spare time, I was frequently asked to speak at businesses, mine sites and mental health events. These speaking engagements then turned into being asked to provide mental health workshops, and from there it really has snowballed.”
Now an active member at Riff, Lachlan has been putting together the first ever FIFO Mental Health Summit, launching here in Perth and most recently, Brisbane. “The idea behind it was to have the leaders of the mining industry, in one room, to connect them to the tools, people, products and services that will help them create a mentally healthy fifo culture. We were fortunate enough to have CEOs, and GMs of the biggest mining companies attend our events.”
Off the back of the summits, Open Up Group picked up contracts with oil and gas companies, as well as offshore vessel companies. “We've just delivered workshops to 300+ staff at Karratha Gas Plant, with 1,200+ to go across their onshore and offshore assets. We're also now in the process of implementing our mental health strategy, which will help mining companies create community and trust, through vulnerability, which for the most part is severely lacking.”
With a lofty goal for 2020, Lachlan’s mission is to fill Marvel Stadium with 50,000 men for the world’s largest men’s mental health event. If you’d like to get involved, or show your support, reach out to Lachlan via LinkedIn here, or on their website.
If you’d like to learn more about our Intensify Scholarship, and how you can apply, click here. Successful applicants will receive six months of 24/7 coworking, access to our one day Plus Eight Leap bootcamp, access to a community of 800+ members, opportunities to attend events and all the perks of being a Spacecubed member. Applicants must be early stage, a freelancer, small business, NFP, social enterprise or startup. Applications are ongoing all year round - apply here.
