From Outcast to Outgoing: Beating Depression and Anxiety | Men’s Mental Health
Download MP3At 13, Adam Cook stopped fitting in. By his mid-20s, depression and anxiety had taken over his life and the help on offer kept falling short.
NLP helped a bit. Counselling didn't. His GP offered tablets he didn't want. Most people would have stopped there. Adam didn't.
In this episode of Inspired Men Talk, Gary Johannes and Peter Ely sit down with Adam to hear how a quiet, introverted lad who couldn't hold a conversation became the man who now chats to everyone in an office of thousands – and why, 13 years after his last hypnotherapy session, the change has lasted.
We talk about:
• How depression and anxiety can start in your teens, and why you think you'll "grow out of it"
• Self-medicating with alcohol, and why it always makes things worse
• What to do when a therapy doesn't work (hint: it doesn't mean you can't be helped)
• Why Adam turned to hypnotherapy, and what changed
• Road cycling, solitude vs loneliness, and riding out the low days
• Why mental health education needs to start in schools
Adam's message is simple: you don't have to just live with it. Keep trying. There is always a way back.
⏱ CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome to Inspired Men Talk
01:15 Adam's story: depression and anxiety from age 13
05:00 Where it started: Year 9 and not fitting in
09:30 Overthinking, introversion and the snowball effect
10:45 The moment he said "enough is enough"
12:45 How he actually asked for help
14:50 Why mental health support from GPs needs a rethink
18:00 Losing people to suicide, and why men need to talk
19:30 What kept him going when therapies didn't work
22:00 Why he tried hypnotherapy
24:30 Self-medicating with alcohol
27:30 13 years on: from introvert to talking to everyone
31:00 Road cycling, solitude and clearing your head
34:15 Who is Adam in 2026?
35:30 The big takeaway: keep trying
36:00 Getting the message into schools
40:00 Where to find Adam
📲 FOLLOW ADAM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamc2785/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1543078163
🎧 ABOUT INSPIRED MEN TALK
Real men. Real stories. Men's mental health, talked about the way real life actually sounds. Hosted by Gary Johannes and Peter Ely of Inspired To Change.
Find a therapist near you: https://inspiredtochange.biz/
If you're struggling, please talk to someone. In the UK, Samaritans are free and available 24/7 on 116 123. You can also contact your GP or call 111.
#MensMentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety
NLP helped a bit. Counselling didn't. His GP offered tablets he didn't want. Most people would have stopped there. Adam didn't.
In this episode of Inspired Men Talk, Gary Johannes and Peter Ely sit down with Adam to hear how a quiet, introverted lad who couldn't hold a conversation became the man who now chats to everyone in an office of thousands – and why, 13 years after his last hypnotherapy session, the change has lasted.
We talk about:
• How depression and anxiety can start in your teens, and why you think you'll "grow out of it"
• Self-medicating with alcohol, and why it always makes things worse
• What to do when a therapy doesn't work (hint: it doesn't mean you can't be helped)
• Why Adam turned to hypnotherapy, and what changed
• Road cycling, solitude vs loneliness, and riding out the low days
• Why mental health education needs to start in schools
Adam's message is simple: you don't have to just live with it. Keep trying. There is always a way back.
⏱ CHAPTERS
00:00 Welcome to Inspired Men Talk
01:15 Adam's story: depression and anxiety from age 13
05:00 Where it started: Year 9 and not fitting in
09:30 Overthinking, introversion and the snowball effect
10:45 The moment he said "enough is enough"
12:45 How he actually asked for help
14:50 Why mental health support from GPs needs a rethink
18:00 Losing people to suicide, and why men need to talk
19:30 What kept him going when therapies didn't work
22:00 Why he tried hypnotherapy
24:30 Self-medicating with alcohol
27:30 13 years on: from introvert to talking to everyone
31:00 Road cycling, solitude and clearing your head
34:15 Who is Adam in 2026?
35:30 The big takeaway: keep trying
36:00 Getting the message into schools
40:00 Where to find Adam
📲 FOLLOW ADAM
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamc2785/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1543078163
🎧 ABOUT INSPIRED MEN TALK
Real men. Real stories. Men's mental health, talked about the way real life actually sounds. Hosted by Gary Johannes and Peter Ely of Inspired To Change.
Find a therapist near you: https://inspiredtochange.biz/
If you're struggling, please talk to someone. In the UK, Samaritans are free and available 24/7 on 116 123. You can also contact your GP or call 111.
#MensMentalHealth #Depression #Anxiety
