Sam Thomas

(he/him)

Sam Thomas

You Alright Mate?

Founder

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Sam Thomas is Founder of You Alright Mate?, with a mission to help people see success differently and support better conversations around mental health, particularly among men and entrepreneurs. He is a passionate entrepreneur, podcast host and community builder, with experience across FirmBalls, County Business Clubs, Different Hats Podcast and Sussex Business Times. Through FirmBalls, Sam brings professionals together through sport, while his wider work focuses on storytelling, connection and challenging conventional ideas of success. Across his businesses and platforms, he creates spaces where people can share more honest stories and build meaningful relationships.

Sessions

Oly Newton

Sam Thomas

Max Marshall

Tanya Marwaha

The Power of Storytelling: The Voices We Needed When We Were Younger

Oly Newton will open the session by sharing his personal story, a journey shaped by early warning signs from the age of 7, living with severe OCD, battling anxiety and depression, navigating ADHD, and reflecting on losing over a decade of his adult life to mental illness. Four years ago, he set out to put himself in the most uncomfortable position possible, standing on stage and sharing his story in the hope it would help him regain control of his life. Since then, he has shared his story with some of the world’s largest organisations. One thing Oly did differently from the start was build a model with purpose. Every time a corporate booked him for a keynote, he asked them to sponsor a school. Through his own journey, he knows early intervention is vital, and that real stories can create the conversations that so often go untold. Through this approach, he has delivered sponsored talks and programmes to over 80,000 young people across 190 schools in the UK. He will then be joined on stage by a panel of changemakers, including Tanya Marwaha, a multi-award-winning lived experience practitioner, strategist and international speaker specialising in youth mental health, equity, cultural competency and inclusive leadership, Sam Thomas, entrepreneur, podcast host and founder of You Alright Mate?, and Max, all united by a shared mission to impact 1 million young people by 2030.

Oly Newton

Sam Thomas

Max Marshall

Tanya Marwaha

The Power of Storytelling: The Voices We Needed When We Were Younger

Oly Newton will open the session by sharing his personal story, a journey shaped by early warning signs from the age of 7, living with severe OCD, battling anxiety and depression, navigating ADHD, and reflecting on losing over a decade of his adult life to mental illness. Four years ago, he set out to put himself in the most uncomfortable position possible, standing on stage and sharing his story in the hope it would help him regain control of his life. Since then, he has shared his story with some of the world’s largest organisations. One thing Oly did differently from the start was build a model with purpose. Every time a corporate booked him for a keynote, he asked them to sponsor a school. Through his own journey, he knows early intervention is vital, and that real stories can create the conversations that so often go untold. Through this approach, he has delivered sponsored talks and programmes to over 80,000 young people across 190 schools in the UK. He will then be joined on stage by a panel of changemakers, including Tanya Marwaha, a multi-award-winning lived experience practitioner, strategist and international speaker specialising in youth mental health, equity, cultural competency and inclusive leadership, Sam Thomas, entrepreneur, podcast host and founder of You Alright Mate?, and Max, all united by a shared mission to impact 1 million young people by 2030.