It’s Okay Not to Be Okay Was Never the Destination

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay

For local entrepreneur Marcus Matthews, founder of The Mind Mentor, the next phase of mental health and personal development is not simply offering more support, but empowering people with greater understanding, informed choices, and access to different options when life or business becomes difficult.

While “it’s okay not to be okay” started an essential conversation, Marcus believes it was never meant to be the end goal. The critical question remains: what happens next?

A Personal Catalyst

In 2018, Marcus was a serving police officer relied upon by others during their worst moments. Behind the uniform, he was struggling to the point of considering taking his own life. When he sought help, including talking therapy, the support did not create the change he needed and made things worse.

Talk therapy undoubtedly helps many, but figures highlight a clear distinction:

NHS England figures (March 2026) show 48.4% of people receiving NHS Talking Therapies achieved “reliable recovery”.
51.6% did not recover.

For Marcus, these statistics aren’t an argument against existing services, but proof of the need for informed choice. “People cannot make an informed choice about an option they don’t know exists,” he notes, a realisation that inspired The Mind Mentor.

The Invisible Struggle in the Workplace

Despite rising mental health awareness, the workplace impact across Britain remains significant:

964,000 workers experienced work-related stress, depression, or anxiety in 2024/25, causing an estimated 22.1 million lost working days (HSE figures).
Poor mental health costs UK employers around £51 billion annually (Deloitte), with £24 billion lost to presenteeism—people continuing to work while unwell.
Anxiety, stress, and depression accounted for over a quarter of Shropshire Council’s workforce absences in 2024/25.

Beyond statistics, many struggling individuals never show up in absence records. They continue running businesses, managing teams, meeting deadlines, caring for families, and telling everyone they are fine, just as Marcus once did.

When Coping Becomes the Destination

Marcus works with individuals from all walks of life, showing that one approach does not fit everyone:

Kerry Katona (UK Celebrity): Worked with Marcus in 2022 after publicly sharing her struggles with anxiety and fear. She was actively managing her issue through medical help and various self-support methods.
Charlotte Fisher (Business owner, endurance athlete, SAS: Who Dares Wins contestant): Tried therapy, medication, self-help, and ultra-marathons. Despite extreme physical endurance, she experienced a panic attack during the show and withdrew.

Capable people often respond to struggle by pushing harder, achieving more, and mastering coping mechanisms until coping itself becomes the goal.

Local Experience: Rethinking the Cause

This pattern is equally visible locally in Oswestry. Oswestry Life editor Victoria McKenna sought Marcus’s support for severe anxiety and post-birth depression. While motherhood seemed the obvious cause, working together helped her see her experience differently, connecting it to something deeper and unrelated to having a baby.

Reframing her perspective led to significant change. Vikki described feeling as though something heavy had been removed (echoing Kerry Katona’s statement: “I feel like I have been Reborn”), renewing her motivation and business drive. Her experience highlights why having distinct choices matters.

From Mental Health to Mental Fitness

Marcus’s focus is not to replace mental health services, stop people talking, or promise a stress-free life. Instead, The Mind Mentor encourages curiosity over assuming the initial response is the problem.

Rather than asking:

“How do I manage this?”

He encourages asking:

“What is happening here, why might it be happening, and what choices do I have?”

This shift moves individuals from basic mental health management toward mental fitness, understanding how one’s own mind works to navigate challenges with perspective and confidence.

Strong Economies Require Strong People

Investing in local business, jobs, infrastructure, and innovation relies entirely on people. Therefore, investing in their mental fitness directly builds a stronger economy. Deloitte research shows employers receive an average return of £4.70 in improved productivity for every £1 invested in employee wellbeing.

Locally, investment also means visibility:

Oswestry already possesses independent businesses, practitioners, charities, and entrepreneurs with deep expertise.
The key challenge is connecting them so local services don’t remain invisible.
Initiatives like Invest in Oswestry are crucial for discovering, connecting, and utilising existing local talent.

No single practitioner, employer, or charity holds every answer. Connecting local resources ensures that when someone asks for help, they are met with options rather than a single door.

Investing in Each Other

Marcus envisions a broader local movement linking healthier people, stronger businesses, and thriving communities. Investment extends beyond money to sharing knowledge, making introductions, collaborating, and championing local options.

Healthier people build stronger businesses.
Stronger businesses create opportunities.
Connected businesses build stronger communities.

Join the Conversation

Marcus is looking to connect with local business owners, employers, wellbeing professionals, and community organisations who want to prioritise mental fitness, informed choice, and local collaboration in Oswestry’s future. The next great innovation may simply start by connecting the expertise already here.

Guest Writer

This article was written by Marcus Matthews, Founder and Director of The Mind Mentor.

Share this article:

Support Invest in Oswestry

If our platform has helped promote your business, helped you discover a great local spot, or kept you in the loop with what’s happening in Oswestry, buying us a coffee is a brilliant, hassle-free way to show your support and back our work!

“It’s Okay Not to Be Okay” Was Never the Destination

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay Was Never the Destination