Episode 40: Looking After Your Mental Health With Tim Hoopmann

In episode 40 of the Professional Builders Secrets podcast, we’re joined by Tim Hoopmann, volunteer speaker for Beyond Blue, a national organisation that works to raise awareness about anxiety and depression, reduce the associated stigma and encourage people to get help. Throughout this episode, Tim delves into why it is essential to look after your mental health.

During this episode, Tim discusses how the last few years have affected overall mental health, the pandemics' impact on the building industry and the ripple effects it’s had, as well as many of the misconceptions people have surrounding mental health.

Tim also goes into some emerging trends in mental health and the building industry and outlines how the challenges in this generation compare to previous generations.

Listen to the full episode to learn more about how to take care of your mental health, and discover Tim's #1 strategy for resetting his mindset.

 

Key Points For Business Owners - Beyond Blue NewAccess

• NewAccess for Small Business Owners is a mental health coaching program for small business owners
• It is completely free and confidential
• It is available over the phone or online between the hours of 8 am and 8 pm Monday to Friday
• It offers 6 structured coaching sessions that are each approx. 30 minutes long
• The program uses a cognitive behavioural therapy method
• All the coaches have come from a small business background themselves
• We have seen over 2,000 small business owners come through the program since March 2021
• Over 90% of those who complete the program state that they would recommend it to another small business owner
• The recovery rate for the program is approx. 70%
• The program is receiving many enquiries from small business owners in the Construction sector
• The wait time to speak to a coach is currently approx. 5 working days
• The contact number to call (or pass on to a friend or loved one who may need support) to access the program is 1300 921 535

 

Tim Hoopmann - Speaker For Beyond Blue

Tim became a Beyond Blue speaker because as a small business owner he
struggled with anxiety and depression. He learnt ways to manage this and
wants to share his stories of hope. Also, being brave enough to come out, he
wants to help others struggling in similar situations. 

Connect with Tim

 

Timeline

1:44 About Tim and Beyond Blue.

3:22 How the last few years have impacted mental health.

5:45 How the pandemic has impacted the building industry.

9:07 What everyone needs to know about mental health.

12:02 Common misconceptions around mental health.

15:31 The toolkit for taking care of your mental health.

23:33 Available support building company owners.

26:27 The role of building company owners in supporting their staff when it comes to mental health.

28:47 'Fixing' mental health.

31:52 Mental health initiatives to empower the building company owners.

36:27 How to manage day-to-day challenges.

38:36 Reframing mental health conversations.

40:40 How Tim discovered his purpose in his role at Beyond Blue.

42:40 Some emerging trends in mental health and the building industry.

45:02 How the challenges in this generation compare to previous generations.

47:04 Tim's #1 strategy for resetting his mindset.

 

Links, Resources & More

Beyond Blue NewAccess

Beyond Blue NASBO Group

Data Presentation

APB Website

APB on Instagram

APB on Facebook
APB on YouTube

Join the Professional Builders Secrets Facebook group for builders & connect with professional builders world-wide.

Tim Hoopmann:

Around 21 to 25% of construction workers have had a mental health condition. That's really high. Suicide risk is incredibly high in the building industry and that's so sad. Mental health is not a weakness. We cannot outsource it.

Bosco Anthony:

Tell me more.

Tim Hoopmann:

Looking after your mental health is not a selfish act.

Bosco Anthony:

You don't have to struggle in silence.

Tim Hoopmann:

How can you be in a situation of supporting others when you're not looking after yourself?

Bosco Anthony:

Hello and welcome to the Professional Builders Secrets Podcast, a podcast by the Association of Professional Builders (APB) for building company owners, general managers, VPs and emerging leaders. Here, we discuss all things running a professional building company from sales processes to financials, operations and marketing. Hello and welcome. I'm joined today by Tim Hoopmann, speaker for Beyond Blue. Tim, thanks for being here today.

Tim Hoopmann:

Thanks very much, Bosco. Always a pleasure.

Bosco Anthony:

Well, Tim, let's start off with a little bit about your role with Beyond Blue and a little bit about the organisation for our listeners out there.

Tim Hoopmann:

I joined Beyond Blue on their speaker network about four and a half years ago. I've done a lot of great things in my life, and this is up there with them. Talking about mental health, helping people think differently and take care of themselves, perhaps remove some stigma, all of those things are great outcomes of talking about better mental health. I've been very fortunate to get to do that on wonderful sessions like today, but also in very different situations for organisations, small business in particular, which I think we'll be talking a lot about today. That's been a great joy for me in the last four and a half years. Beyond Blue is just an amazing organisation.

Tim Hoopmann:

There are lots of organisations that talk about mental health and have great resources and do some great work. I've obviously spent a lot of time with Beyond Blue, and I can say absolutely that it’s one of the nicest organisations I've dealt with in my career. They have wonderful, genuine people there. They care about everything they do, and they're working tirelessly to help people become aware of things such as depression, anxiety and suicide prevention, and really offer them resources and information that can help each and every one of us every day take care of ourselves better.

Bosco Anthony:

I can hear the pride and passion for what you do through you introducing a little bit about the role and the organisation. How have the last few years impacted mental health for everyone in the workforce? We've obviously had so much going on. Tell me a little bit about your perspective on how the workforce has been impacted by this.

Tim Hoopmann:

I'd probably start off with the word, ‘WOW!’ Who would've thought even at the beginning of 2020 that the following two years would've been like they were? For so many people, they've probably never seen anything like this in terms of disruption, in terms of change, in terms of things like uncertainty, fear and in some cases, anger. You look back on it now and it's just about unbelievable to comprehend. If someone had said to you or me four years ago, “In two years this is going to happen,” we probably would've said, “Yeah, okay, that's going to be put in that conspiracy theory box,” but certainly it's had a dramatic effect on people.

Tim Hoopmann:

I think there's a couple of things around the impact. One is, for each and every person it's been obviously similar, but completely different. I think that's one of the main things that I've learnt from the last two years. Everybody's journey or reaction or impact from the last two years with the Coronavirus has been different. It's really important to remember that in every conversation we have with someone.

Tim Hoopmann:

It's what I've seen first-hand, doing a lot of talks for Beyond Blue. A lot of people have been impacted dramatically. Many people have had upheaval in their work; I've talked a bit about fear and anger and all of those sorts of emotions that came out for people. It’s been really tough for a lot of people. A lot of people felt a complete lack of control. Control through planning and organising is something that's really important to me. So, when someone takes the control away, it becomes quite challenging, and I think for most people we've seen that in the past two years.

Bosco Anthony:

What have you observed specifically in the building industry or the residential building industry? We've seen the news from around the world and there were workforces disrupted, there were different sides of the coin and perspectives about the choice of how to live through this pandemic age. In turn that also impacted a lot of residential business owners. What was your key observation around that area?

Tim Hoopmann:

One of the things that I've been able to do in conjunction with Beyond Blue is work with different industries and different channels. So we're now today talking about the building industry, but if you think about the travel industry, or you think about hospitality, each and every one of those industries has been impacted very differently to the others. Some industries have done incredibly well, and others have been impacted catastrophically. Interestingly, with the building industry, maybe some people if you were to ask them would say they should have been okay, they were allowed to open, they were allowed to operate.

Tim Hoopmann:

They should be okay, but as I said before, I've watched many industries be impacted very differently. I think from the building industry's perspective, again there's been a lot of uncertainty. There's been a lot of global impacts that have had dramatic effects. Supply chain, materials, people, large building companies in financial trouble – that has a flow on effect right through the industry down to the small individual sole trader operator.

Tim Hoopmann:

So, just because someone could look at an industry such as building and say, “They got to operate,” it doesn't mean that operation was successful. I've heard them talk a little bit in that industry about the profitless boom. I have first-hand seen operators, business owners, struggle to share with their customers the dramatic changes in prices. Materials I can't get for you, delays, the cost is going up. All of those things are not the fault of the individual operator, just the impact in this case of the Coronavirus. And often they're having to bear that burden and pass that information on. And it's really challenging.

Tim Hoopmann:

I think on the outside it might seem that they've been okay, but then when you dig a little deeper and you think about the last two years, and then you think about prior to that, the fires, post that the floods, they have been attacked from many angles. And I think, again going back to what I was saying before about it, each individual in each industry's been impacted differently; we need to be very mindful of that whenever we're having conversations with people.

Bosco Anthony:

Yeah. And it sounds like it really toughens you up as well because there are so many different entities that you're dealing with, and you're trying to run a business in this time of uncertainty. It definitely leaves a lot of conversations that you're having internally, internal dialogues as well. Like you, I've shared the stage and we're both speakers. I've also lived across a few different continents, but I think it's safe to say that in my time of living on this planet, the topic and the conversation around mental health has really been at the forefront in the last few years.

Bosco Anthony:

This has been going on for years, but there's a bigger conversation out there. With your passion for speaking, one of the things is bringing awareness to an audience. I am just curious, what does everyone need to know about mental health? What is the message that you take when you are informing an audience on a global stage and on a national stage as well? What is the one thing that you would like people to know about mental health?

Tim Hoopmann:

I think you've really highlighted the fact that in the past number of years, five, maybe a little more, there's been a great focus on mental health and there's been a lot of discussion. That discussion has gone on everywhere: governments, media, corporations, sporting institutes. So it's great to see it top of mind and people openly talking about it. I think that's the first thing. Therefore, that opened up opportunities for Beyond Blue and everybody associated with that organisation and me as a speaker to be able to stand and have great opportunity to talk.

Tim Hoopmann:

Probably if you thought about maybe 10 years ago, I don't know whether there would've been even webinars like this or discussions around this as prolific as there are now, so I think that's a really positive move forward. What does everybody need to know about mental health? I think for me personally, one of the key things that I have learnt is that like our physical health, we need to take care of our mental health and we need to do it consistently. That consistently, in my view, is daily.

Tim Hoopmann:

A lot of people have gym memberships, or they're in sporting clubs. They do all sorts of physical things. They'll spend time and effort and money and all sorts of wonderful things to look after their physical health. But you ask them, “What have you done today about your mental health?” and they'll say, “What do you mean by that?” Some might say, “Well, I'm looking after my physical health, so that helps my mental health.” Tick. I absolutely agree with that. And we'll probably get to talk a little bit about that throughout our session this morning, but we need to take care of our mental health. It's paramount.

Tim Hoopmann:

It can't be just left to the day when you are really not feeling well. The stress levels have built up immensely and you are struggling. That's not the day to start thinking about your mental health. The day to start thinking about your mental health is today. Today might be a great day, and today you might be feeling really good. Just like your physical health, you still go to the gym even when you're really fit, or you still run in that running club even when you’re really fit, because you probably want to get a bit fitter. So think about your mental health as something that you need to deal with every single day and put it up there with your focus on other key, important things in your life.

Bosco Anthony:

Being a speaker, you probably get to meet some incredible people from all walks of life, and you get to travel around and stand for a really important and meaningful cause. Are there any common misconceptions around mental health that people need to be aware of? Or is there something that you have to constantly demystify or break some of those myths around mental health?

Tim Hoopmann:

One of the things I really love doing and demystifying or talking about mental health is when we talk about the fact that our mental health is not a static state. Ten years ago, if someone asked me about mental health, I would've said probably a couple of different things. I would've said, “That's okay, everything's fine. I'm not someone who's going to struggle with mental health issues. I'm in control and I'm fit and healthy, and I'm mentally healthy.” But what I've learnt is that it's not a static state. I'm not mentally healthy today, and maybe down the track mentally not healthy. It's not a static state. We move.

Tim Hoopmann:

There's a mental health continuum slide that Beyond Blue uses. If you want to find it, it would be on their website. It talks about the continuum, and it talks about the fact that it's not a static state and every day we can feel a little different. We might wake up, we might be flourishing, we might be really engaged, we might be feeling great, we might be healthy, we can work really well, we feel great at home, we're out doing some exercise, and we're really in a great space, but then other days we may not.

Tim Hoopmann:

There's a couple of things that I've learnt. One is that because it's not a static state, every day doesn't have to be, “Well, I'm feeling really fantastic today.” Some days we can have an off day. And that's okay. And don't punish yourself if you do because you're probably moving around. I can tell you now in the past two years, I have moved along the mental health continuum more than I have probably the previous three, because of everything that was impacting us. In particular, I’ve seen the pandemic and the fear around that. “My God, are we all going to live or are we all going to not live or what's going to happen? Are we all going to be stuck in our house for extended period of time? Can we not see our family and friends?”

Tim Hoopmann:

There were a lot of challenges and fear around that. So I moved along that continuum more than I did previously. But one of the things that I've learnt is not to punish myself when I do, but to keep monitoring and keep checking in on myself. So when you're moving along that, there might be more stress in your life. You might start to move along; you might be heading towards being a little bit at risk or struggling. If it's happening for a continual period of time, then for some people they'll need to go and get help.

Tim Hoopmann:

The other end of the continuum is severe impact, where you really need help immediately. And that's not a failure either. As you move on this continuum, it's really important to keep monitoring how you're feeling. Don't punish yourself, understand that we do move, but do some things in your life. We talked about physical health and our mental health: do some things in your life that help keep you in check. However, if things get a little tough, if you are moving along that scale for a longer period of time and you are struggling, then perhaps it's time to get help. And that's not a failure either.

Bosco Anthony:

Is there a toolkit or roadmap to taking care of mental health? Why is self-care so important today for the workforce and for the builders who are listening to this podcast?

Tim Hoopmann:

I'm laughing a little bit because a lot of the talks I do for Beyond Blue when they introduce me, they say, “Tim loves to talk about his mental health toolkit.” It's something that I've developed over time through learning from other people. I didn't come up with it myself, but I believe that self-care is really important. Small business owners have many challenges, so, more than anyone, they need to look after themselves. And developing resilience is important. It’s important to be able to cope at times when our stress levels increase, because stress is a part of every day for everyone, and we need to learn how to deal with that.

Tim Hoopmann:

When that stress, as I said before, becomes too much, then it's time to get help. However, in most cases, if we're building resilience, if we understand what our stressor triggers are in our lives, then we can easily go about building a mental health toolkit. I think that's something that I've learnt to do, and in particular over the last year, I've gone back to. So yes, it's very important. Would you like me just to touch briefly on the mental health toolkit?

Bosco Anthony:

Yes, please.

Tim Hoopmann:

I talk about it in terms of four areas: lifestyle, exercise, sleep and diet. Doesn't get much more simple than that. We've talked about physical health. Exercise for me is really important, that whole lifestyle. So making sure that exercise, sleep and diet, things like hobbies are all part of your every day. Now, some people might say, “Well, that's pretty basic.” It is really basic, but a lot of people forget about it. You talk to people and when the things get tough, they don't go to that sport club, they don't go to the gym. They make time for other things, and they sacrifice the exercise. They're not sleeping well or they're not eating right.

Tim Hoopmann:

Some of those basic things have really high impact on our mental health. So, I really love saying, “Exercise, sleep and diet. Let's get into that and let's make that part of our everyday.” Then when it comes to social, what we've seen over the past couple of years is that a lot of that social has been removed and it's had high impact on us. We are social creatures. Whether we spend a little time or a lot of time with other people, we are social people. Most people get energised from being around others. That social connection is really important. Being out, connecting with people, that could be again in a work environment, it could be in a social environment, but it could also be through your sport or clubs or hobbies or volunteering or whatever it is you do. Socialising is really important.

Tim Hoopmann:

One of the things I always say to people is, when you're out and about, thank people for what they do and see how much joy it brings you, but also how much joy it brings them. With thoughts, doing our best to keep our thoughts as positive as possible is really important. Now, that's not about saying, “Tim's incredibly optimistic.” It's about Tim thinking positively about most things. It's about going into any situation and trying to do my best to look for the good in it or the better in it, not focusing on the negative. That's been hard again over the last two years with everything that's been going on. I found myself falling into somewhat negative thinking: fear and anger, and wondering “Will there ever be an end? And why is this happening to me? And that's not fair.”

Tim Hoopmann:

All of those are real, but how do we change that around? One of the great things to do is gratitude. I would encourage everyone to try that every day. I've told people, how I practice gratitude is I often say it out loud. Probably not in the middle of the supermarket when everyone can hear me. But I do it at other times. In the morning I love to swim. I swim year-round in the cold water because I love it. It's good for my mental health; it's good for my immune system. At the end of that, I just look out at the ocean or into the sky and I just sometimes talk loudly about what I'm grateful for or I think it through. But sometimes saying it out loud brings a real presence to it. It has a profound effect, and I would encourage people to give it a try.

Tim Hoopmann:

It really helps me and I'm sure it'll help other people, but you've got to, again, do it consistently. Finally, with work, one of the key things there is boundaries. As small business owners, we could work 10, 12, 15 hours a day, but who is that really serving? Is that really making your business more successful? Is it the best thing for you? I think those work boundaries in particular are really important. We've seen over the past two years that a lot of people have burnt themselves out, feeling guilty for situations or trying harder or trying to fix something that has broken. While it's important to focus on things, it's also important to have those boundaries around work so that you can then go and focus on your lifestyle, your social and self-care.

Bosco Anthony:

So you've got the lifestyle, the social, the thoughts and the boundaries. They’re parts of that toolkit.

Tim Hoopmann:

Yeah. So for me, I go to different things. I'll give you a quick little example. Coming out of a really bizarre thing, when we were coming out of lockdown in Sydney last year after I think it was 10 or 12 weeks, and we knew when it was going to happen, I started to feel really uncomfortable, and I wasn't really happy. I said to myself, ”Get a hold of yourself, Tim. We're coming out of that.” But those feelings were real for me, and I didn't understand why.

Tim Hoopmann:

I was at home, I was working, and I thought, “Okay, I've got a choice now. This is all really confusing for me. I should be really happy, but I'm not. What's going on?” So instead of punishing myself, I stopped. I was coming up to lunchtime, I stopped. I ride a little Vesper. I got on that. I went and bought some lunch, and I went and sat down by the ocean, and I just took some time to be present. Oceans are a very important place for me because they’re very calming for me. So I just sat there, and I ate my lunch, and I just took some time and I sat out. Then I went back home, and I felt a lot better.

Tim Hoopmann:

Now, I had a choice. I could continue working, I could have said, “Those feelings are rubbish, Tim. How ungrateful are you because we’re coming out of lockdown?” I could have punished myself or I could have stepped away from the situation. Going to my mental health toolkit and asking, “What are one or two things that I could do now that might help me?” Getting on my scooter, getting some lunch and going and sitting by the ocean is one of them. I had a choice, and I chose. And guess what? I started to feel better.

Bosco Anthony:

It’s amazing you talk about the outdoors too. I remember when we were going through lockdown as well and there were a few moments where I actually had the opportunity to get onto the beach. It just changed my perspective, my demeanour. I’ve actually had the luxury of walking down Bondi Beach and passing through the Bondi Icebergs as well. You have some of the most incredible sunsets around there as well. So I can see how that can have an impact as well for you. Beyond Blue is an organisation for Australians, I guess; it’s on a national level.

Bosco Anthony:

I’m sure for our builders out there in the US and New Zealand and all the other parts of the world, there’s an emergence of so many amazing organisations out there. I think sometimes people often feel like there’s not a lot of support, or they’re not aware of a lot of support. Sometimes that support can be from a friend or a neighbour. In your opinion, what support is there for building companies, their workforces, building owners, the people who work on the front lines? What support do they have? Or where should they look for support is probably the better question.

Tim Hoopmann:

One of the things that I’ve learnt in the past four and a half years with Beyond Blue is that there is a myriad of resources; there’s a myriad of support for people. But sometimes it’s quite hard finding that. “Where do I go? What do I do?” I think that Beyond Blue has done an amazing job in particular over the last few years in bringing to the fore, in a lot of cases through social media, what resources they have. So I’ll touch on a couple.

Tim Hoopmann:

No matter where you are, you can still access these. One is, they had developed a coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au website. That spoke specifically about challenges during coronavirus. A lot of those were around working from home and how we deal with that and then for your employees, but also for yourself. How do you deal with the fear, the social anxiety that’s around? There’s a whole lot of really great stuff.

Tim Hoopmann:

They also have online chats and forums. So different people like to get their support or their help in different ways. Some people like to pick up the phone and talk to somebody, some people like to go to a friend, some people like read, some people might like an open forum or a chat room. So I think that what’s really good is there’s lots of variety, so people can choose something that they’re most comfortable with. The other one that I discovered a number of years ago was headsup.org.au. That’s a website done in conjunction with Beyond Blue, and it has unbelievable resources for business owners. Stuff about you as a leader.

Tim Hoopmann:

Also, there’s a lot of things about your employees and if you’ve got team leaders. Sometimes it’s a great spot to send your employees to research or have a look at something that they’re feeling challenged about. So the coronavirus website’s great and the headsup.org.au. In Australia, Beyond Blue over the last couple of years has produced a program called NewAccess for Small Business. I think we’re going to talk a little bit about that a bit further, but that is only in Australia, and it is only for small business owners. If you have under 20 staff, it is an amazing program.

Tim Hoopmann:

I think we’ll get to touch on that soon. First and foremost everybody, remember that support is available. It comes in very many different forms. No matter where you are in the world, you can access the Beyond Blue resources. Take a little bit of time to perhaps have a look at that coronavirus.beyondblue.org.au website or the headsup.org.au website, because sometimes when you’re in a situation and you know about a resource, suggesting to someone that they could read about it or access that can be a great thing to do.

Bosco Anthony:

Is there a role for residential building company owners to play, to support their staff and their workforces when it comes to mental health?

Tim Hoopmann:

Absolutely. And guess where it starts? It starts with you.

Bosco Anthony:

Yeah.

Tim Hoopmann:

Sorry. I need to take a breath because what often we all forget, and I’ve done this as a small business owner in my time, is we think about everybody else but ourselves. So how do we support our staff, our suppliers, our clients? How do we take care of other people? We do that by taking care of ourselves first. Self-care, looking after your own mental health, is not a selfish act. It is not you being selfish to other people because you’re looking after yourself first.

Tim Hoopmann:

How can you be in a situation of supporting others when you’re not looking after yourself? Just think about the building industry. If I’m a builder and I have staff working for me, and I don’t know how to build, then when one of them comes to me and asks me how to build or how to do this join or whatever it is in the industry, how can I help them if I don’t know what I’m doing myself? Some people might say, well, you don’t need to. I can get somebody else who’s more professional. Fine. I think with mental health, there’s no way out other than self-care and to look after yourself first.

Tim Hoopmann:

When you look after yourself, when you do some of the things that we talked about in terms of the mental health toolkit, when you’re understanding the mental health continuum, and when you’re looking after yourself, and when you are thinking about you as being a really important person in your life, in your family’s life, in your business life, and you are looking after you, you can then be in the best frame of mind to help people around you. But not only help them and support them, but also be aware when something might be changing for your team or someone important to you.

Bosco Anthony:

There’s this observation where people sometimes feel like they must fix things around mental health, and sometimes there are different opinions and thoughts around that statement. Is there a healthier version or alternative to fixing mental health in your opinion?

Tim Hoopmann:

I think that’s a really valid point. I’ve spoken to a number of people who have a fear around bringing up the subject of mental health, be that in a work environment or in a social or even in a family environment. But if you think about a business, sometimes as business owners, what’s our job every day? We fix things. People bring us problems. We fix the problem. So often then when we’re in a situation where we might find that somebody in our team is struggling, we might not know exactly what it's for. It might be predominantly stress that's led to perhaps some mental health conditions, but we're not really sure. Of course, we’re not sure because we’re not clinical psychologists, we’re not medical practitioners.

Tim Hoopmann:

So, there’s a couple of things there. One is that in my view, it’s not my job to fix somebody. But my job to do if I see a work colleague or someone who’s struggling is to support them. So you can support them in a couple of really key ways: acknowledging and talking to them and asking them some questions and checking in with them. “Are you okay? And I’ve noticed that you seem a little absent lately,” or whatever it is that you’ve noticed about them that is genuine. That’s often the best place to start.

Tim Hoopmann:

They may open up to you and want help. Already this morning I’ve talked about resources and access to information and the mental health continuum and a few of the other things. The more we as individuals understand mental health, understand some of the signs and symptoms, understand what resources are available, then when somebody like that perhaps in our team is struggling, when we may feel confident to have a conversation with them, they might open up. Then one of the best things we can help them with is perhaps suggest that there are some great resources and support out there.

Tim Hoopmann:

This is one approach that I’ve heard about. “I heard a guy from Beyond Blue talk about X, Y, and Z the other day,” the mental health continuum or his mental health toolkit or headsup.org.au. “I’ve had a look on there. There’s a couple of things that might be helpful for you.” Or simply, “Have you checked in with your GP lately?” But also remember that often we want to fix things, but if somebody is saying to you, “I’m okay,” then that’s their answer, no matter what you think. No matter what you feel might be going on, that’s okay. Then what you can do is say, “I’m here for you if you ever need to talk.”

Bosco Anthony:

Beyond Blue is one of those amazing organisations for the workforce, for builders, for small businesses in Australia, as there are so many organisations around the world. What are some of the initiatives coming up that are really helping to empower the building industry here in Australia and that you’re really proud of?

Tim Hoopmann:

In the last two years, Beyond Blue has developed a program called NewAccess for Small Business Owners. Sometimes it’s called NASBO. That new access program started from the beginning of 2021. I was very fortunate along with another lot of key small business owners to be part of the stakeholder group, helping them develop it. I certainly don’t run it. They’ve got some great coaches who do that. But what I’ve seen developed is an unbelievably powerful program aimed directly at small business owners. Just earlier on, I was talking about the fact that often as small business owners, we try and fix and help everybody else and we often leave ourselves till last.

Tim Hoopmann:

We’re often very good. If a business hits a bit of a rough patch the business owner will be on their phone to their accountant, they’ve got their bookkeeper, they might have a coach, they’ve got some great resources around them, some great support. But when an individual business owner maybe hits a rough patch, they say, “I don’t have time for that. I’ve got to focus on the business, get the accountant on board. What are we doing? I’ve got to help the team. I’ve got to bring in sales.” A lot of it is so much focus on everybody else.

Tim Hoopmann:

So here is a program that recognises that sometimes we as small business owners hit a rough patch and we need help. Getting help is the best thing we can do when things are tough. I have been in situations in the past where I have said to myself, “Suck it up, Tim. Get on with it; you’re a bloke. Just ignore that and get on with it.” This is a big mistake; a really big mistake. And I learnt the hard way. So that’s why I love talking about how people should take care of themselves and get support early.

Tim Hoopmann:

If you feel like you’re in a situation like that, this great program’s available in Australia. You need to be a small business owner. So it must be you. You can’t give it to your staff because they’re struggling a bit. One of the really key things about it is that it’s free. That’s just amazing, again, for small business owners, because sometimes things are a bit tight; cash flow might be tough. You say, “I can’t afford to do that.” So, it’s specifically developed for small business owners. It started running last year and it runs to the end of December 2022.

Tim Hoopmann:

Their coaches are professional people who have a small business background and expertise. They’re not clinical psychologists or anything like that. It’s 100% confidential and there’s no doctor’s referral required. And again, I’ve seen first-hand people in small business not wanting to go to their doctor about an issue because they’re afraid of the impact for insurance or all sorts of things in their business. So you don’t need a referral. 

Tim Hoopmann:

It’s clinically backed and the great thing about it is you apply, you go through a program, they discuss things with you, they do an assessment, and they set about six coaching sessions just for you. They’re available from 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday. It does take into recognition that sometimes business owners need to do it after hours. And it has had incredible success. People feel empowered, they feel supported and they feel safe. They feel like they can pick themselves up now. I’ve heard people say after even a couple of sessions, they’re feeling like they’re starting to get back on track.

Tim Hoopmann:

Now again, you may go through this program, and you might need help. That’s not a weakness, but the program’s great. If you Googled Beyond Blue NewAccess for Small Business, it would pop up. You can phone them, email them, I think maybe through their website. It is amazing. I have heard from coaches, and I've heard from people who have been through the program, and the reports are awesome.

Bosco Anthony:

That's really incredible and amazing to hear that there's that support. I'm hoping that this support also exists in other countries through other amazing organisations and initiatives as well. Let's take the conversation to your perspective on the industry and where we are right now in the world. In a world of so much uncertainty, we're still in that phase of uncertainty. How do we manage and navigate ourselves through the day-to-day challenges that life throws at us?

Tim Hoopmann:

We build resilience.

Bosco Anthony:

Tell me more.

Tim Hoopmann:

I did a talk just recently for an organisation, and one of the things that I was really clear on is I couldn't fix their problems. I didn't come to the talk with some superpower that could change their industry or their issues or their challenges, but what I could do is I could talk to them about the fact that we all have stress in our lives, we all need to navigate daily challenges. We can best do that by building resilience, taking care of ourselves, and making sure that we know what the key triggers are in our lives that increase our stress.

Tim Hoopmann:

So for Tim, they are very different to the next business owner or the next person. What impacts me will be different to what impacts other people. We might have similarities. So understanding and digging deep and knowing in particular in your small business, what are your stressors? What are the triggers that really increase your stress level or anxiety? Once you know that, then you can build around that activities and things to do – back to the mental health toolkit – that will help you build resilience.

Tim Hoopmann:

So, when those tough times come, and they will come and they will continue to come, that will help you build resilience. I don't need to tell any of the listeners out there who are small business owners that it can be tough, and it can be challenging, because we are in it. We've all experienced it, but we love running our own businesses. So that far outweighs the challenges that come, but we need to build that resilience. We need to understand what the triggers are in our lives, and we need to know what's in our mental health toolkits that we can go to that will just help us get through a day or a week. That's really challenging.

Bosco Anthony:

How do you see us reframing the narrative around the mental health conversation? And where does it begin? Is it a conversation that needs to be had in school, at home, at the dinner table?

Tim Hoopmann:

I think it's a conversation that needs to be had everywhere. The one thing that is happening is that it is becoming a conversation in many places that it hasn't before. Prior, I talked about in government, in corporations, in sport and also in schools. There's a lot of work being done around that in schools, which I think is great. It really is that mental health is not a weakness, that I can be struggling with anxiety or depression, I can live a good life, I can build resilience, I can have a mental health toolkit that I go to, and I know what to do, but if things get too tough, I also know where to go to for support.

Tim Hoopmann:

Again, the whole conversation for me and the whole narrative starts with self-care, if we all acknowledge that we need to take care of our mental health and if we all acknowledge that it starts with us. The other thing that I'm a big believer in is that we need to take personal responsibility. We cannot outsource it. All of those things that I've talked to you about today, we can't outsource.

Tim Hoopmann:

The only thing we can outsource is we can go to the NewAccess for Small Business program and ask a coach to help us, but we still take personal responsibility because we are going to go through that program and we're going to do the best. So we have personal responsibility, and it should be openly talked about without fear. That fear can be, “What if they react negatively? What if they think that I think that they're mad?” When you go into something with empathy and genuineness, people in most cases react positively to that genuine care and concern.

Bosco Anthony:

You're a speaker and ambassador for Beyond Blue. Why does this cause mean so much to you? It sounds like you're living your purpose right now, but if so, how did you go about discovering that purpose as well?

Tim Hoopmann:

I'm definitely living my purpose. As I say to a lot of people, if you can find the circle in which you wish to stand, that brings you purpose and joy, then you're very lucky. I've found that. My circle is talking about mental health and Beyond Blue. I'm incredibly grateful for that. It has helped me immensely. I love to talk about the fact that volunteering is another great thing for our mental health, but I suppose it means so much to me for a couple of reasons.

Tim Hoopmann:

One is that when I had my small business back in about 2000 and a long time ago now, around 2005 or 06 or 07, I struggled with anxiety, and I didn't know what was going on and I had no idea. But if you think back to that period, there wasn't as much discussion in the media. I talked about this before, I said, “Suck it up Tim, you're a bloke. Just ignore that. I don't have a mental health condition. Keep that away from me.” I look back now, and I think, “That's very naive.” But I learnt from it and I now live an incredibly great life. There's no stigma around it for me anymore. There was.

Tim Hoopmann:

So when I sold my business, I started doing some other things around consulting and helping other small businesses. Then I really started to look for what else I wanted to do in my life. I thought, “Beyond Blue is a great organisation. I've done a little bit of work for them. How about I step into their speaker network?” So, I had to apply and go through a whole process. And again, it's been one of the great joys in my life, but I can now share stories of hope. I can share, I can talk on sessions like this and share with people the great things that you can do to take care of yourself.

Bosco Anthony:

What are some of the trends you're currently seeing in the mental health space? And perhaps some trends around the building industry as well?

Tim Hoopmann:

I believe Beyond Blue reported over the last two years that they have a call centre that's manned 24/7. So you can call Beyond Blue. It's manned by clinical staff. It had upwards of a 60% increase in calls during the height of the pandemic. That's just one statistic. We've seen that for small business owners, over 25% have reported a high level of physical distress. If you're a sole trader, that can sometimes rise to 36%.

Tim Hoopmann:

We all understand as small business owners that there's stress and there's a lot of challenges. Those sorts of statistics are incredibly high. In the construction industry, around 21 to 25% of construction workers have had a mental health condition. That's really high. Unfortunately, and I won't step into this too hard because sometimes it's quite challenging for people, suicide risk is incredibly high in the building industry. That's so sad to hear. It's two times more likely for people in construction to die by suicide than in the wider community. That's really sad.

Bosco Anthony:

That's really sad.

Tim Hoopmann:

That's tough, but it’s good knowing those statistics and then being able to come and talk on a program like this, and I've also talked in other situations with the construction industry. Again, that's one small thing that I can do that. I go away from a talk thinking, “If one or two people do one or two things that I've said, and it changes their situation or their life, that's a great result for me, for that outcome.”

Tim Hoopmann:

If there's more, then that's a massive bonus. But the more we talk about it and the more I get to share these stories, the more that we understand these statistics. The more that we are open in talking about them and not hiding away from them, the better it is for everybody, in particular those small business owners.

Bosco Anthony:

Does our generation have it harder than previous generations? It's a tricky question, but I mean, I think we've all lived around the era of storytelling, and how does that storytelling change our perspective? But looking back at previous generations, what are your thoughts about where we are in the world?

Tim Hoopmann:

If I talk to my mother, she would say going through the depression and world wars was really challenging. I talked to my grandparents; they had other challenges. If I talk to people my own age, some of them think that we've probably skated through pretty well, but if I talked to some younger people, they are finding the burden of responsibility put on them by governments and associations, all sorts of things, quite challenging. I suppose in this world, where we live in 24/7 connectivity, that can be quite a burden.

Tim Hoopmann:

I'm not really sure that any generation has it better or worse than another. I think we all have what's delivered to us in the situation that we are. Some people might say, “Well, no one's had it as bad as it's been over the last two years,” but again, they should talk to people who have been through the depression or some of the other challenges. So, I suppose I'm always just grateful for the life that I've got here. Even when the challenges come, I never try and think, “Well, they had it better and I had it worse, or I had it better and they had it worse.”

Tim Hoopmann:

I don't really think about that, but I do agree with you that storytelling is a great medium and a great way to change someone's perspective. I hope what I've been able to do through this is share a few of those stories and give a little bit of an insight and be a little bit vulnerable and share a little bit of information and tell a little story along the way that people can think, “That might resonate with me.” Sometimes with storytelling, it's not what we take immediately, it's what we take in the coming days or weeks.

Bosco Anthony:

I could talk to you for hours, Tim, over a bunch of different topics. It's been an absolute pleasure having you on our podcast today, but I want to ask my final question. And thank you for inspiring accountability through this conversation, but what is a personal thing that you do when you feel you're steering away from maintaining a healthy state of mind? Is there anything that brings you back to that happier and better place?

Tim Hoopmann:

That's a really great final question, because I find no matter how much I know about mental health, no matter how good I am with my mental toolkit, at times I don't put myself first and it steers me along a different path. But here's the thing, it's taken me a while, but I now understand that I need to get back on track relatively quickly. I can understand those triggers that I talked about, and I can understand when I'm not doing the things that take care of my mental health. The best thing that I do is I jump in the ocean and swim, and that resets me.

Bosco Anthony:

Right.

Tim Hoopmann:

Also when I talk about it, I say that whatever that is in terms of exercise or time for you or something that you're really happy with is what it is, you don't have to jump in the water. My husband still thinks I'm mad doing that. It's too cold, but it resets me, and it puts me back on par. Today I wanted to be in a great frame of mind for this conversation, so I made sure that I was down at sunrise, swimming in the ocean and doing a bit of gratitude, because I knew that would set me up and I knew that it resets me and it puts me in the best frame of mind to deal with whatever challenge comes to me during that day.

Tim Hoopmann:

That's how I reset myself, but I want to thank you very much for this conversation. I think we could talk for ages. And I thank you for the opportunity to talk about mental health, the opportunity to focus in particular around the construction industry that has had and will continue to have many challenges. So it's a real credit. I always love stepping into these discussions, so thank you.

Bosco Anthony:

For our listeners out there, it's just another reminder about the fact that you don't have to struggle in silence. That's a really big takeaway for me today and also just the importance of accountability. Tim, thanks once again for your energy, for your mindset, for your generosity with your thought process, and also for coming in with that relaxed mind frame and mindset today as well. I appreciate you being here with us today as well.

Tim Hoopmann:

Thanks very much.

Bosco Anthony:

Cheers.

Bosco Anthony:

Thank you for listening. Remember to subscribe to Professional Builders Secrets on your favourite podcast platform and leave a review. To learn more about how the systems at APB can help you grow your building company, visit associationofprofessionalbuilders.com. See you next time.