Behind Might and Mane stands Gabrielle and Kate, two zesty best mates with a passion for shaking the stigma around mental health. The name itself was inspired by the old English saying 'might and main' meaning with all your effort and great strength. The "Mane" being...well, hopefully you see the hair pun there!
In 2009 Gab lost her close cousin Jess to mental illness. We lost a good friend Sharpie in our second year of university, and last year Gab lost her Dad the same way. However, we all in our daily lives whether closely or not have been affected by mental health in some way.
Today Australia will also lose 8 people to suicide. 6 of those will be men. Men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women, even though more men suffer from anxiety and depression. Only 1 out of 3 Aussie men will seek help if they’re feeling low.
Our solution? Let’s get men checking on their mental health as regularly as they get their haircut!
Young men come and pay for a haircut knowing they’re supporting men’s mental health, they chat to a barber who’s trained to refer them onto existing services if they need help, and they walk away with a publication full of inspirational stories from men with a lived experience of mental illness.
Barbers who join the Might & Mane community will undertake a short training program provided by us, be sent our publication to stock and be advertised on our website as a Might & Mane affiliated barber. By joining us at our pop-ups they’re able to promote their business and attract new customers.
Inspired by all who have struggled with their mental health, Might and Mane aims to positively disrupt the silence in men - educating and empowering men to speak up when struggling, all in the safety net of a barbershop.
Locations of pop up stores: At this early stage we will begin in our city Sydney, but with your help we can spread near and far to different capital cities and rural towns too!
YOU would be contributing to this emerging community greatly, no matter how small your donation!