114: Gus Worland: How To Increase Mental Fitness & Gotcha 4 Life

A sense of connectedness and good, solid, positive relationships are absolutely key to wellbeing, happiness and mental health. In fact, it can literally save a life.

And, during COVID-19 you may be surprised by how these relationships and friendships will evolve. Some that were already close may become even closer because you might start checking in with each other more and when you do, chat about things on a much deeper level. Other close friends who you love spending time with, may turn out to be not the type that you can lean on in times of struggle and open up to. And then you may even find that there are friends on the periphery or people you didn’t know so well, that really step up and into your life because they are now able to show how caring, empathetic and supportive they are.

And, because of this, today’s guest, Gus Worland, is on a mission to ensuring all Australian's have what he calls their GOTCHA4LIFE mate.

This chat gets pretty deep and there may be some triggers as we discuss topics to do with suicide, so if you are effected in any way, please call lifeline’s national 24/7 counselling service on 13 11 14, that’s 13 11 14. You can also find them online at www.lifeline.org.au.
And, for our listeners outside of Australia please contact your local crisis centre or your family doctor. Remember, you are never alone.

Gus is an Australian radio host, TV personality and award winning Toshiba salesman back in the day. But more than all that, Gus is a compassionate mate, still as close to his school mates as he ever has been, wearing his heart on his sleeve. That heart was broken when his mentor in life died bu suicide. A man who seemingly had all the wonderful things in life to cherish - a beautiful family and home, a great job, and the respect and friendship of many. Yet he never confided in a soul about his inner worries.
In 2016, Gus hosted the TV documentary series on ABC, Man Up. Man Up exposed the issues of stoicism and isolation in society that can lead to significant mental health issues. You will often hear Gus say, “suicide is the death of isolation”, and research now provides evidence to support this statement, as loneliness increases the likelihood of early mortality by 26%.* (Holt-Lunstad study, 2010)
At the end of this journey of discovery, Gus decided to set up a Foundation, to proactively encourage Aussies to speak up, express their emotions and ensure they all have a close friend in life that they can go to when times are tough. Gus simply does not accept the alarming statistics surrounding suicide and that eight beautiful people take their life every day.
And so, Gotcha4life was born.

Gus shares with you:

• increasing mental fitness
• how being on the Man Up series changed him and his relationships
• the power of vulnerability
• what it really mean to be a man
• the power of not caring what others think
• his biggest words of advice for anyone struggling
• how and why to not worry alone
• Gus’ tips for building emotional fitness

I know you’ll get a lot out of this chat. His energy and passion is infectious, and his vulnerability and openness is inspiring.

Make sure you share this with someone you know will get a lot out of this episode. And share this on social media and tag me @davejorne and Gus Worland @gusworland. Take a photo of what you are doing or looking at while you are listening and share that too.

You can follow me on Instagram at [@davejorna](www.instagram.com/davejorna) and [@dolifebetterpodcast](www.instagram.com/dolifebetterpodcast). To contact us about retreats, leadership training and workshops visit www.projecthatch.com.au or email us at hello@projecthatch.com.au.

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Now, go out there and do your life even better.