State of Us: Growing our network to create better mental health for the comms industry
It’s World Mental Health Day, the point in the annual calendar where we see businesses and people across the globe mobilise efforts in support of mental health.
At State of Us this is a topic we think about the year round, and over the summer we’ve been considering how we expand and build to ensure we can deliver greater benefit and support to our industry.
Since we launched State of Us in October 2022 we’ve garnered the attention and support of in-house and agency comms and marketing professionals. We’ve worked with Coleman Parkes to conduct research into the state of mental health in our industry - and tackled topics ranging from better working relationships between clients and agencies, to male mental health. We’ve also launched a sector-wide database of mental health first aiders.
In short, we’ve started the process of creating a community - but have more to do. We’re eager to build on our work to date, establishing a larger community that is more deeply engaged, so our impact can be felt further across our industry.
What does State of Us 2.0 look like?
From conversations we’ve been having over the last twelve months, it’s been clear that there is a huge desire across all sections of our industry to support and be part of our network. It became clear to us that it’s people more than anything that will really enable State of Us to thrive.
We want to create as big a community as possible, where all feel welcome, and have a team that is robust enough to ensure we have the sufficient resources and mix of skills to match our ambition. Which led us to a refreshed version of State of Us.
State of Us 2.0 will continue to be led by our three co-founders: VIcki DeBlasi, Mary Paslawski and Katie de Cozar, but supported by an appointed steering committee who come together to create a powerful coalition of the willing. A group of individuals who genuinely, and authentically support our purpose, which remains unchanged:
Educate
We hope to increase understanding of the common issues our industry faces
Support
We aim to provide relevant paths for support and grow this over time
Change
We want to spark positive shifts from within the industry
We’re thrilled to introduce that new team today:
Introducing the new State of Us team
Co-Founders
Vicki DeBlasi, founder, Innovate Comms
A passionate mental health advocate committed to destigmatising mental health conditions. Vicki lives with an eating disorder and anxiety and speaks openly about her own experiences. She is a qualified mental health first aider, volunteers with mental health charity My Black Dog and is one of the co-founders of State of Us.
Mary Paslawski, Client Services & Development Director, Innovate Comms
Having experienced burnout and anxiety, Mary is passionate about driving working practices and agency/client relationships that are supportive of each others' challenges and mental health. She completed her mental health first aid training in 2019 and is one of the co-founders of State of Us.
Katie de Cozar, Head of Communications, Checkout.com
Katie wants to see mental health on a level playing field as physical health in the workplace, and is committing to building cultures which enable people to be their best possible selves. She has completed her mental health first aid training and is one of the co-founders of State of Us.
Steering Committee
Jo Jamieson, Co-founder, Brightside Digital Engagement
Jo spent 17 years in agencies but struggled to balance PR and family life after having two children. She set up a LinkedIn training consultancy alongside her husband in 2020. She wants to use her platform and encourage others to find their voice on social media to help destigmatise mental health challenges and promote good health. Jo is a qualified MHFA England Youth first aider.
Will is founder of tech PR agency, 393, and has worked with some of the world’s largest brands over the past two decades. As a mental health first aider, Will looks to be pragmatic and realistic about creating a sustainable working environment where people can thrive and prioritise their collective health and wellbeing.
Ellie Bennett, Co-founder, Delphi
Ellie has worked within the comms industry for over 20 years, leading client relationships, account teams and agencies as well as coaching in that time. She is guided by a core belief that empathy should sit at the heart of our professional lives and relationships. She is passionate about encouraging the kind of dialogue, honesty, momentum and collaboration that drives lasting change, and playing an active role in what she sees as the collective responsibility across all the stakeholders in the industry to maintain the mental health and wellbeing of everyone who works within it.
George Blizzard, Co-founder, The PR Network
George has recently trained to become a Mental Health First Aider and has been a mentor for the People Like Us, the not-for-profit that celebrates and supports journalism, marketing and comms professionals from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and minority ethnic backgrounds. Alongside her business partner and friend Nicky, she also ran the Women in PR mentoring scheme and is passionate about mentoring and helping our industry be more supportive and inclusive. George is also a mother of three girls, two of whom have ASD and ADHD and GAD. She continues to learn every day what it's like to navigate education and the working world as someone with neurodiversity, through the eyes of her girls. She is keen to lend her voice, support and advocacy to others in the industry.
Nicky Regazzoni, Co-founder, The PR Network
Nicky co-founded The PR Network with George in 2005 with the express aim of offering a different working culture - one that is diverse, inclusive and innovative.The vision is still in laser focus today and she is vocal in supporting those who want to try new ways of working without compromising on their ambition and career. She is a proud supporter of Socially Mobile and The Taylor Bennett Foundation and keen to support the State of US team in their mission to offer a safe space to those in our industry who are navigating mental health challenges.
Shanil Nayee, Account Director
As a qualified mental health first aider, Shanil is a passionate wellbeing advocate who fosters a culture of openness and transparency, while providing support to those in need. Shanil has spoken openly about his personal journey and previously developed workplace mental health strategies. He has worked in agencies for over eight years.
Sarah Wilson, EMEA Communications Manager, Okta
Sarah is the EMEA Comms Manager at Okta covering UK, French, NL and Swedish markets as well as Security and Partner PR across EMEA. She has a passion for tech, having worked both on the agency side and now client. Sarah is open about her mental health, sharing what she have been through, what helped and didn't to support others, and truly believes that you can do your best work without compromising your mental and physical health.
Don Ferguson, Deputy Managing Director, Hope&Glory PR
Don is passionate about promoting open discussion of mental health in the creative industries both professionally and through work around suicide prevention in the UK via The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) and as the Mental Health Champion at Hope&Glory. Personally, he has faced his own mental health struggles over the years and wants to help effect real change and create ongoing and open discussions about mental health within the PR industry.
Jo Bromilow, Director of Social & Influencer, MSL UK
Jo has worked in social and digital comms for the last fifteen years and in that time has seen and heard stories from similar professionals who find the relentless pace of online communications to be taking its toll on their mental wellbeing and ability to switch off. Compounded by the impact of work stress on a physical ailment she has, she wants organisations to have a better understanding of the relationship between physical and mental wellbeing and their responsibility for both. Just don’t utter the words ‘free yoga’…
Lucy Maitre-Smith, Freelance Senior Creative, Art Director & Designer
A creative who’s passionate about the education and support available surrounding mental health, and has supported State of Us from its inception.
Hannah Devoy, Creative Director
Hannah is a passionate mental health champion. As someone living with anxiety and depression, she understands how difficult it can be to strike the right balance between work and personal life. She is committed to helping others find that balance and to improving the PR industry as a whole by opening up conversation and finding better ways of working.
Jazz Gandhi, Co-founder, Duet London
With 20 years in the PR and comms industry, Jazz’s early years saw her being othered and ignored by homogenous agencies who weren't inclusive, particularly to elements of her culture, languages, interests and socioeconomic challenges she faced which gravely impacted my mental health. The inequality she experienced astounded her as a Punjabi woman, especially given her Sikh culture is super inclusive and generous in time and spirit, as well as relationship building. It's being true to Jazz’s Sikh core that drove her to find her own path outside of toxic workplaces that still exist in PR today. As a Punjabi Sikh Warrior, it's in Jazz’s DNA to be authentic, optimistic, collaborative, brave and generous in her time and spirit, no matter what, and she believes that gives you the resilience you need to build your career on your own merit whilst helping others.
Lucas Betés, Director of Digital Marketing, Cisco
Whilst starting his career in start-up land, Lucas has now worked most of him time in large corporates, hand-in-hand with agency partners. This has opened his eyes to the state of mental health and the focus often given (or not) to the people who need it in our industries. His main focus is around Men’s mental health and helping the often neglected needs for this high-risk group. Lucas here to help State of Us get the message out to those that need it however he can.
Safak Sameen, Senior Account Executive, Ranieri
As someone who has struggled massively with poor mental health and is in the process of getting diagnosed with ADHD, mental health and wellbeing has always been important to Saf and at the core of everything she does. She believes that understanding how neurodivergence affects individuals at work can help them unlock true confidence.
This new model will enable us to be more inclusive, more representative of the different perspectives in our industry, and better equipped to deliver a constant voice and rallying cry for our sector and the need to drive for better mental health, for all of us.
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And if you have an idea for an event or would like to discuss how you can support State of Us, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line at hello@stateofus.co.uk.
