My Story

My name is Russell Hagan, I was sexually abused by a neighbour when I was only 8 years old. At the start I didn’t tell anyone because I was scared of not being believed. As I got older I held onto the secret so it would not damage my pride and reputation. From the trauma I developed the ability to push the bad things that happen in my life to the side . It seemed like I could physically remove any bad thought , circumstance or memory from my mind and put it to the side as if it was not reality. As you could imagine that caused me many problems later in life when I had kids a mortgage and other responsibilities.

It took me 30 years to finally tell someone. My Wife. I had come to a point where I tried to take my own life

What helped me really turn the corner was the day I called my mate Scott Evennett and said I needed to chat. I told him everything and I mean everything. I had never talked to a mate like this before, it was a huge relief. He understood. Scott had served as a commando and also suffered from PTSD, although from different trauma. When I told Scott that day I still remember his initial response, “ Shit Russ I thought you were as solid as a rock”. That’s the thing, you see a lot of blokes walking the streets that look like they have it all together, but we all have our own problems. From that day on Scott and I would train together once a week and afterwards have a chat. It was the best therapy ever and inspired me to come up with this service.

Since that day I have had professional help, I have researched and studied on mindset and how the brain works, I have become a strong enough person to never contemplate ever doing that again.

I came up with “Been There, Done That, Let’s Chat” so I can help other men get through this as well.

I am passionate about trying to improve the state of mental health in men by sharing my knowledge and experiences.

I truly believe I can make a difference.