Testimonials
Alycia Vasilangos, Principal Industrial Officer, Local Government Engineers’ Association, NSW:
”We invited Dean to our AGM to talk to members about Mental Health in the workplace, and the importance of disconnecting from work outside of working hours. Dean was an exceptional speaker, sharing his story and experiences in such a thoughtful and generous way that it encouraged many of our members to share their own stories of workplace stress. Dean was engaging, warm and authentic, and really connected with participants in a meaningful way. Dean’s presentation was the highlight for many, and we look forward to working with him again in the future so we can share his gift of storytelling with many more members.”
Kim Brice, co-founder of The Self-Investigation Media Foundation, Europe
Dean’s credibility and value lies in his knowledge about the topics but even more from his lived experience both with trauma and trying to shift organizational culture around mental health. His uniqueness lies in the stories he shares, how he transmits them as well as his capacity to listen to what participants have to say and to the questions they ask with curiosity and compassion. He is respectful and flexible as a trainer and is able to tune into and shift to what participants need, at any moment. He is collaborative and challenging at the same time which makes him a valuable colleague. He is always willing to go the extra mile because of his dedication and passion for what he does .
Phil Beeston, General Manager, S. Group, Launceston
"We (S. Group) invited Dean to come and share his journey with our team - the format was perfect - it was relaxed, authentic, and engaging. Through his gift of storytelling Dean opened our eyes, minds, and hearts to the reality of the mental health crisis in our community, to the role that we all can play in supporting those around us, and how to better care for our own mental health."
Beth Rad, Coordinator Suicide Prevention, Relationships Tasmania.
“I was fortunate enough to have someone recommend Dean to me and I am delighted I reached out. Dean's keynote presentation at the (2023) Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Forum was insightful and engaging, and his passion for reducing the stigma associated with suicidality was evident from start to finish. What impressed me the most about Dean was his ability to connect with the audience and deliver his message in a relatable and impactful way. His personal experiences and stories were powerful and moving, and helped to break down the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide. His expertise, compassion, and dedication to the cause are truly inspiring, and I have no doubt his message will resonate with anyone who has the privilege of hearing him speak”
Jamie Watson, CEO, Mindarma
Dean understands workplace mental health inside-out. Through his lived experience and decades of journalistic experience, he has come to investigate this topic from all angles, diving into the research, connecting with experts and exploring what makes a real difference in the workplace. A natural fit in hosting the Mindarma podcast, Dean is not only a seasoned presenter, he also brings unique insight, insatiable curiosity and a true passion for the topic.
Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters, UK.
“I have worked as a correspondent, bureau chief and editor in Reuters for the last three decades, and it is no exaggeration to say that Dean put mental welfare on our agenda like nobody before or after him, driving positive change within the organisation, personally helping numerous people including myself, providing a wealth of materials and help for our several thousand journalists, and starting long-overdue conversations on previously seldom-spoken subjects within the company. Dean’s openness about the impact of his own experiences in Iraq and elsewhere inspired many of us to be more open too and to address long-neglected problems, from the trauma of conflict zones to the grinding burnout of over-pressured newsrooms. Had it not been for Dean’s work when I was more than 20 years into my career and barrelling through big stories in Latin America day-after-day while also managing a sizeable team, I would probably still be languishing somewhere in silence with acute burnout. As well as providing much-needed help to over-stressed journalists in Reuters offices around the world, Dean also healthily challenged the editorial hierarchy to adjust policies to the permanent benefit of personal welfare. He is a passionate and kind man with a compelling combination of harnessing personal experience, developing great expertise in his subject, and spearheading necessary corporate change”.
Kristin Neubauer, Reuters, Washington DC.
“I ran the Reuters’ Peer Support Network when Dean served as head of journalist mental health, and we couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Dean worked seamlessly with the Peer Network, motivating us, inspiring us, and advancing the conversation on mental health in the newsroom. With his passion, courage and drive, Dean did more than anyone to chip away at the stigma and begin to shift the newsroom culture towards one of openness around mental health, which was no easy feat. Reuters benefitted greatly from Dean’s work and any other company would be wise to include him in their development of mental health awareness”.
Angela Driver, CEO, Tasmania Leaders Inc
“Dean is a thoughtful, empathetic and high impact speaker. Combining his real life experience with his gift for storytelling and knowledge of mental health, Dean is at all times professional, well-spoken and a great listener. This enables him to read his audience, tailor the session to their needs and answer questions with empathy and care. Through his own traumatic experience, Dean has found purpose and meaning in helping others. I highly recommend Dean as an inspiring speaker, impactful facilitator and knowledgeable mental health expert for large and small audiences as well as for individuals, teams and organisations”.
Natalie Whish-Wilson, director/physiotherapist, In-Balance, Launceston.
“We engaged Dean as a speaker at our quarterly in-house team huddle. Dean showed us some video and then spoke about his personal story through his lens as a journalist but also as a husband and father. Dean's insight, experience and recommendations for resources helped us develop a strategy for supporting mental health within our workplace. I would definitely recommend Dean as a public speaker or a guest speaker for your business. The feedback from our team was 100% positive. Dean's demonstrated vulnerability allowed us to engage in subsequent team conversations with empathy and sensitivity”.
Peter Griffiths, vice president communications, Moody’s Corporation, London.
“Dean is a compelling speaker who really connects with the audience. He was kind enough to agree to talk to my company's mental health and veterans' employee groups. He spoke with passion and insight about his work as a war reporter and the toll it took on his mental health. He took questions and gave authentic responses. The feedback was very positive - many said it was one of the best events we've had. A great speaker and a nice guy too. Thanks Dean!”.
Michael Halloran, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, SC Group-Global, Sydney.
“We engaged Dean as the keynote speaker at our annual dinner. He has a compelling story to tell and uses his journalistic skills to tell it well. Dean's story helped many of us think about mental health in our own work places and what we needed to do to support our teams through their own challenges. Dean has a unique set of skills and life experiences that allows him to talk about mental health issues in corporate settings. I highly recommend engaging him to support your business”.
Alastair Macdonald, former Reuters bureau chief Baghdad, Jerusalem and Brussels, senior correspondent Moscow, Paris and London.
“Dean has distinguished himself in some of the toughest jobs in journalism, from reporting on the ground at scenes of atrocity to managing multinational, multimedia teams, large and small, in dangerous and hostile environments. As a colleague, I saw how, from Bali to Baghdad, his integrity, lucidity and empathy shone through in every assignment. I’ve seen those qualities, too, in more recent years, as Dean responded when those years of pressure caught up with him by turning his extraordinary energies to healing, and to caring for others. As an advocate and service provider for mental health among media workers, Dean brings personal values and hard-won experience that few can match”.
Mark Thomas, Code 9 Foundation, Melbourne.
“I am the founder and president of the Code 9 Foundation, a registered charity that supports Victorian first responders who live with PTSD, depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses sustained through their service to the community. As part of the foundation’s work, we have group catch ups in Melbourne to provide peer support. Occasionally we get speakers in. One night we welcomed Dean, who shared his experiences from Iraq and the heavy personal toll this took on him. What was so interesting about Dean’s story, which he conveyed with incredible clarity, was his moral injury. This is different to what first responders are typically diagnosed with. I’d read about moral injury so to hear Dean speak about it in such detail was truly fascinating and gave me a greater understanding. Dean’s passion for mental health cannot be understated. He has an exceptional ability to talk about his own experiences to give people hope as well as educating those who are well to give themselves the best chance of remaining that way. I have the utmost respect for Dean, someone who has flipped his incredibly negative experience into such a positive one and for me what is important is that he does this for the right reasons because he is a good human being”.
Rob King, CEO Kingthing Marketing, Launceston.
“Dean is a natural storyteller. He communicates with passion and authority and when sharing his personal experience it is heartfelt, truthful and real. Dean’s craft is well honed from years as a journalist and he is one of those rare communicators who uses words economically, yet is still impactful. We invited Dean to speak to our staff about how we can support each other's mental health and he used his own experience which was both insightful and practical”.