Brent Pope is a former New Zealand international rugby player, professional sports coach and well known Irish media personality. Brent is an award winning author including a series of children’s books, and two bestselling books on mental health titled ‘If You Really Knew Me’ and “Win”. He has a successful fashion brand called POPE, and is a fully qualified psychotherapist.  Brent has been a mental health advocate for over 20 years, and has been awarded many prestigious I lifetime awards for services to mental health. Brent has been a mental wellness ambassador for many high profile companies and charities including St Patricks Hospital, Pieta House, Samaritans, Shine, Cycle Against Suicide and I am here. In 2023 Brent founded the “Elephant in The Room Movement” a global initiative bringing greater awareness to mental health issues. Brent’s powerful and often emotional talks combine a life lived through mental health illness, his journey to recovery and his take on how people need to make mental health a priority. He is currently one of the most sought after speakers in this area in Ireland and the UK, and has worked closely in male dominated areas of employment like the construction industry, where his message of vulnerability and not being weak to speak resonates.