This week’s episode of the Secret Leaders podcast hosted by Dan Murray-Serter welcomes WeTransfer co-founder Damian Bradfield and Matt ‘Mills’ Miller, co-founder of Ustwo.
WeTransfer is the highly successful computer file transfer service and Ustwo is a leading digital, design, technology, games, and venture company.
The episode, which is available from tomorrow (Tuesday 3 November), was recorded last year with a live audience of 200 people on World Mental Health Day before the pandemic hit London and they discuss mental health and entrepreneurship.
During conversation, Mills shares his own experiences with mental health disorders, and how they manifested over time, he says: “I don’t think I was aware at all to begin with. I spent 15 years building what my wife says was my ‘first love’.
“I was lucky enough to build a company with my best mate, and I put everything into it. I’ve learnt recently that all of my energy was at the detriment of my relationship, and my kids – my love was to try and build something that I thought was incredibly special.
“I’m aware now why I wanted it to be so special – growing up I was dyslexic, and I had ADHD which I wasn’t aware of at the time.
“As the company began to perform consistently well I craved success, and thought that success would solve everything. That’s when my depression started as I just became drained from constantly chasing this feeling of wanting to be successful all the time.”
Damian recognises that a lot of people still suffer with mental health disorders and don’t speak about it: “My mum has always suffered from depression, and it was always quite a big deal in our family, but it was never labelled as such,” he admits, “I think in a similar vein to you Mills, only realizing later that you had ADHD, my brother suffered from dyslexia, and dyslexia wasn’t diagnosed until around 1989.
“I remember when my brother was diagnosed it was quite a big deal, but I think to this very day my family are still in denial about the fact that my mum suffers from depression. Once you pin point depression, and understand it, you realise that so many people are suffering from it,” he says.
Secret Leaders podcast is available on Apple, Spotify and all major podcast platforms, launching 3 November.
