“Michael Weston was our inaugural Guest Speaker at our Ambitious Leaders Network held in Perth. Michael moved and inspired our audience with his life-changing and engaging speech “Head Above Water”. 

“An Important message for every Ambitious Leader”.

“Having witnessed firsthand how much Pain & Heartbreak this ABI has caused Michael, Donna and their family, I was proud of the way in which Michael took the courage to stand up in front of a crowd of strangers and tell his story. This in itself was a huge accomplishment.

I personally do not think I would have been so restrained and would of found it hard to control my emotions. Michael as he always has been, showed just how professional he is.

Sadly, I still see similar situations where people are put under a lot of stress, working long hours etc. but because of Michael, I go out of my way and relay his story and encourage them to look at their own life/work style.

Unfortunately I do not think this is enough, as people will and are getting missed and end up going through what Michael has.

Congratulations Michael for your Courage and your positive attitude. I hope this will help in your ongoing rehabilitation.

Let us all, take something out of Michaels story and improve first of all, our own and families life, but also all our work colleagues & mates”

“Compelling listening, thought provoking and a revelation on what is actually important in life.”

“A story that tugged at you from all angles, it touched the heart and soul and made us ask the question – who is in control?”

“A very real perspective”

“Michaels story is very thought provoking and a wake up call to many of us, not only how we manage our own work/life balance , stresses and pressures that come with them but also serves as a reminder to actively consider the health and well being of the people we work with, those who work for us and those we work for. Our actions and influences can impact both positively and negatively”

“Thank you for the timely reminder Michael, much appreciated”

“Thanks for the opportunity to hear from someone who has experienced it first hand. It really makes you think what is important in life. Your story is truly amazing and I take my hat off to you for having the courage to share it with all of us”

“I had the privilege to work with Michael in the time leading up to his injury. He was a professional, driven, technically capable and inspirational people leader – refreshing to see within a cut throat industry at the time. Following his injury I asked him to return to the workplace to speak with my team and I can honestly say his story changed lives – mine for one. Audiences relate to him and his journey and he has an ability to engage people in self-reflection on many levels. To this day I use “Michaels Story” very regularly to remind people of what’s truly important in life”

“Mate, thanks for joining us today, we all got a lot out of your presentation. Your story touched us deeply, and has given us a lot to consider about the way we deal with stress and pressure, and looking out for each other.“

“Thank you, hearing a lived experience is definitely the best way for a message to cut through.”

“Honest, succinct, related professionally, knowing a lot of effort went to string together, a worthy performance with a smile”

“I really appreciate your willingness to share your experiences and talk about difficult subjects. It helps to know that confronting people who might need some assistance is a useful thing to do. Thank you”

“The speaker raised my awareness to evaluate what the value of hard work with relation to personal health and wellbeing”

“I came out of this session feeling I’d learned something about myself and my work/life balance. It has made me re-evaluate how I work. I think its the best HSE presentation I have ever been to. Thank you Michael for sharing your story”

“Would highly recommend Michael’s presentations / talks to any businesses that work under high demand and pressure”

“The real thank you should be bestowed on you Michael. It takes a lot of guts to stand in front of a big group of strangers and tell your lived story. We salute you for taking the lead in this often taboo subject to hopefully save others from a similar fate. Thank you very much and please convey our thanks to your wife Donna as well”

“Michael’s story was perfect to set the scene for the future where Hatch focusses on our peoples health and wellbeing. Some employees were so impressed that there is talk of getting Michael back to tell his story to our board (from Canada) which meets in February ’19. Thanks Michael and Donna for your continuous efforts to raise awareness of the risks of NOT looking after your health and wellbeing. We at Hatch took notice!”

“Really appreciate the discussions and learnings shared”

“Really fantastic and would highly recommend to others. Very relatable and easy to apply key take-aways”

“Was a fantastic talk. Really got me thinking of what is important to me. Very inspiring”

“Everything resinated with my personal experience that I couldn’t pin down. You have probably prevented me experiencing your incident by giving me an avenue to research and prevent. Thank you!”

“Amazing presentation to take with me through life”

“This was very inspiring. A lot of the content resonated within myself. Thank you for this opportunity”

“Fantastic! Very interesting and knowledgable. It was great to hear Michael discuss quite personal information. Really enjoyed listening”

“Thankyou for speaking from the heart and being so frank. Well worth it, would recommend this to friends”

“Michael, thank you for sharing your experience. I felt I could relate in some aspects and has prompted me to not only think about Work/Life Balance but also take action and make changes for the sake of my children, my health and my well-being. Also, I wanted to say you have an amazing wife!”

“Thought provoking and timely for my own personal decision making. Thanks Michael”

“Thank you for your time and sharing your story with us. I will start meditation classes tonight!”

“Thank you Michael for sharing your story with us. Having spoke to the group that was present, it has really changed the way they see their priorities. We look forward to seeing your story spread and your personal touch and drive to raise awareness of Work/ Life balance, depression and anxiety is commendable”

“Fabulous, heart warming and informative. Thank you for sharing”

“I am so impressed with your courage to stand up and speak about this and your open language from you and your wife Donna, Thank you”

“Extremely informative! Just amazing! You are a legend!”

“It was an interesting subject and something I hadn’t expected or even knew could happen. Thanks for sharing”

“Michael was very good at speaking of his experience and made it enjoyable with knowledge and awareness”

“Good value from the session. Well worth it!”

“Excellent Session, very informative”

“Good content from a personal perspective, makes an impact”

“Thank you very much for your talk. Shines a light in a dark place”

“We wanted to celebrate International Volunteer Day today (5th December 2018) by taking this opportunity to recognise all of our wonderful Ambassadors and Speakers”
“Above all, we want to say a massive thank you”
“By volunteering your time as frontline voices of Beyond Blue, and sharing your stories with bravery, honesty and transparency, you help raise awareness, start those very much needed conversations within communities, and reduce associated stigma”
“We really wanted to include the below quote as it certainly resonated with the team”
“Thank you again for your time and effort and we hope today is a great reflection on the amazing volunteer work you do not just for Beyond Blue, but for your wider community”

“Warm regards”

“Michael and Donna Weston showed poise, compassion and real ability to share a life experience based on real events. The ripple effects shared gave tremendous insights to how injury touches all near and far, also what tools may be encountoured and encouraged in managing the outcomes of these types of injuries”

“Definately recommend to colleagues”
“Thanks Michael & Donna Weston”

“Michael’s story is too familiar for many People Managers. The outcome for Michael is life altering and powerful for all those that hear it. It presents an opportunity to identify those signs and symptoms and prioritise our physical and mental health so that we can be the best version of ourselves both inside and outside of work.”
“Thanks Michael for sharing your story”

“Michael shared his personal story with our team in a measured, compelling manner. He discussed the events leading-up to his incident and what he does differently now to manage his mental-health. It was great to have him talk about personal accountability and his reflections on how he manages his work and life differently now, not just because of the ABI, but because of his belief in getting the balance right, asking for help and listening to his wife and children”

“Michael, thanks for your great talk at Coogee. Its been a topic of interest for me for some years but never heard such a frank and harrowing story as yours. With people like you inspiring us, the leaders, to have more courage around this crucial topic, we will make the workplace a safer and happier place for all”

“Thank you”

“Thanks again for today. Your talk was very impactful with lots of positive feedback.”

“Great Job!”

“Coming from similar industries, Michaels message relates directly to many of us. Numerous comments from attendees have come through around similar experiences, it has triggered a lot of discussion around work / life balance and mental health.”

“Loved it!

“I just wanted to say thank you for giving up your time yesterday & for your honesty in telling us your story. You certainly are an inspiration & Im sure we all got something out of listening to you. You spoke so well Michael & I can fully understand why you have made this your career & you travel round talking to people in all walks of life”

” I also loved the way you just welcomed the boys as they arrived & didn’t bother…even if they arrived late”

“Thank you Mick. Powerful real life experience that the support officers totally relate to. Thank you for the share. Lots of positive conversation regarding the Head Above Water session”

“Thank you Mick. Always wanted to attend one of your sessions. Took away a lot of info that can assist in my role but also in my personal life. Was really great to see you.”

“The talk was an absolute success – Michael is a fantastic speaker! Fantastic presentation! Well received by all employees… Michael’s talk was very interesting and engaging”

“The audience feel more aware of the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety in themselves or others and that they were made more aware of where they could seek help if they were experiencing signs of depression or anxiety”

“Thank you for all your passion and hard work”

“I came into the session with an open mind. The session made me re-evaluate my life seriously”

“We can easily forget about our own health and focus on the job. This made me go home and have a chat with my husband too”

“Furthermore, it highlighted the importance of paying attention to ourselves and our co-workers or love ones, to notice and pick up on the change and help them before it is too late”

“Very raw and heartfelt talk. Fantastic that you are sharing your own story to help and benefit others”

“Listening to Michael made me take another look and reset my work life balance, Michael is such a inspirational speaker and I thank him from the heart for sharing his story”

“He has made me take another look at my health and well being and making sure that I actually stop to take a break”

“Michael Weston’s experience echoes in today’s society. It takes someone like Michael to make us all think about what is important to us, and to take time out for ourselves and the ones we love”

“I highly recommend Michael!!”

“Very friendly and born to be a motivational speaker. We loved his talk and shared experiences. Thank you”

“I have received great feedback about you from Dept of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety”

“DMIRS also indicated that you did a great job helping the audience feel more aware of the signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety in themselves or others and that they were made more of where they could seek help if they were experiencing signs of depression or anxiety”

“Thank you for all your passion and hard work”

“Michael captivated the audience by coming from a background and region that we all live and work in. His real life experience showed that he is a person who can openly talk about his journey and show that there is more to life than this event”

“His personalisation of the presentation to suit the group was nothing short of amazing”

“Michael delivered a very moving and relatable story of his personal journey which promoted all of us in the room to re-evaluate our attitude towards work-life balance”

“We could all see ourselves in Michael’s situation as this was not a story of traumatic experience but a very familiar scenario of work overwhelming an individual”

“Michael is a real-life mental health survivor who is very inspiring to hear his story how he survived and can share his experiences to save other people lives”

“Awesome share Michael, really enjoyed listening to your personal experience”

“Great talk and I will be reaching out to schedule a session for my leaders”

“Michael, we really enjoyed your visit. The guys responded well and has been a lot of positive talking”

“Michael Weston you are one of the strongest souls I know. Proud to have worked with you”

“Keep going strong and I know from a phone call this afternoon with one of my Supervisors you have made an impact. Thank you”

“Mental Health, Workaholic, words we have all heard before, but we dismiss them as not something that relates to us. Michael Weston helps to dispel that myth in a candid account of his life’s journey, laced with both humour and his now philosophical approach to life. Michael helps to remove the stigma that is mental health and makes you realise it can happen and will happen if you fall into the trap of all work and no play”

“His story shows even through adversity he has come out the other side a stronger individual with the loving support of his family and at the same time continuing to face the demons of mental health head on. A true inspiration”