Nicole Gibson: a personal message for Mental Health Week

“One of my biggest passions is people actually stepping up and taking personal ownership and responsibility for not only their mental health but the community’s mental health,” says Nicole Gibson.

After overcoming mental health challenges as a young person, in particular anorexia nervosa, Nicole is channelling her energy into motivating other young people to be the best they can be.

Having positive interactions “is such a simple ingredient that all of us can be responsible for, that I feel is going to make the biggest impact in creating a really mentally healthy community”.

“How we interact with ourselves, how willing we are to hold space for one another, how willing we are to accept difference and how we actually get to understand to hold space for other people … [is] something we can all give to one another away from policy, away from anything political, away from any of our services … [to] have the biggest impact on Australia’s mental health and your own.”

Nicole established The Rogue & Rouge Foundation to reverse the stigmatisation of mental health, body image and self-esteem issues in Australia’s young people in 2011.