I recently attended an event where former All Black Keven Mealamu spoke about mental wellbeing, leadership, and handling pressure. His reflections really resonated with me, so in honour of Mental Health Awareness Week this week, I wanted to share some of my own thoughts as well as my top 3 takeaways from the event.
1. Mental health is a team effort
The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is Top Up Together, a reminder that mental wellbeing isn’t an individual effort, but something we build through connection and support.
This was also a strong message, where Keven spoke about the vital role his family, teammates, and the wider All Blacks community played in keeping him grounded under the intense pressure of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. That support system helped him stay positive and perform at his best when the stakes were highest. But Keven made it clear that this support wasn’t just about performance on the field, it was fundamental to protecting his mental health off it too.
It’s the same in our workplace: we can’t look after our mental health in isolation, we need to connect with those around us – friends, colleagues, and managers. Sometimes it means leaning on others, and sometimes it’s about noticing when someone else needs support.
For me, training as a Mental Health First Responder (an opportunity offered by Madison’s parent company, Accordant Group) gave me practical ways to recognise when someone might be struggling and the confidence to start conversations that can make a difference. I’d recommend organisations look into providing this training for their team – it’s a great programme delivered by a company called CoLiberate.
2. Be prepared – build resilience
Under the spotlight at a World Cup, with literally millions of eyes on you, one misstep can feel magnified. Keven spoke about how mental preparation was just as critical as physical training. Being prepared gave him the capacity to stay calm and focus on the challenge immediately in front of him, instead of being overwhelmed by the entire situation.
Resilience is the foundation that allows us to cope when setbacks or stress inevitably come our way. Without it, even small challenges can feel unmanageable. With it, we can adapt, recover, and keep moving forward.
Building resilience might look like practising self-care, building healthy routines, or creating mental “toolkits” to help you reset during intense periods. For employers, it could be ensuring your teams have resources, training, and opportunities to connect. Again, I’d really recommend the Mental Health First Responders Programme.
3. It’s okay to make mistakes
As part of a high-performing team on the global stage, Keven played under enormous pressure. Mistakes were inevitable, and with the weight of an entire country’s hopes and expectations on your shoulders, it would be easy to drown in self-doubt and fear of failing.
But he didn’t let his mistakes define him. He treated them as learning moments – not setbacks to dwell on. His approach was learn, reset, and move on.
This mindset is just as important in everyday work life. Whether you’re a candidate navigating job interviews or an employer leading a team through uncertainty, mistakes will happen. What matters is how we respond.
When a project fails or a decision doesn’t pan out, hanging onto guilt or shame only drags us down. For individuals, it’s about self-compassion. That means recognising that setbacks are part of growth. For organisations, it’s about creating a culture where people feel safe to fail, share learnings, and try again. This not only supports mental wellbeing but also fosters innovation and continuous improvement.
Topping up together
Keven’s stories from the 2011 World Cup weren’t just “sport talk”, they were lessons in mental strategy, team support, and personal resilience under pressure. I’m not saying that elite sport and workplace stress are the same, but the human experience is similar.
Whether you’re under the bright lights of a stadium or facing challenges in day-to-day life, let’s embrace Mental Health Awareness Week together.
If you’d like ideas for applying these learnings in your team or recruitment strategy, I’m happy to help brainstorm – feel free to reach out!
