Joel Clapham was a young man on the rise, who in late 2013, seemingly had it all… 

Then aged 31, married with three healthy children and a home in suburban Melbourne, Joel was appointed the youngest senior executive in the financial services industry, and went on to win multiple awards for marketing and community-building campaigns.

But below the surface, Joel was disintegrating.

In mid-2016, a perfect storm of crises saw him nearly lose it all. Including himself.

Desperate to avoid the same fate as his father, who died by suicide when Joel was 16, he actively chose to be open and accept the help he needed.

In 2019 Joel established Hearten Up, a mental health training business. He is a mental health training specialist and consultant, a Principal Master Instructor in Mental Health First Aid, who is also doing postgraduate study in psychology.

Joel is an award-winning writer and performer with national tours of two solo shows, Humpty Dumpty Daddy, and Loves Me, Loves Me Not,  both of which looked at mental health, identity and masculinity and have been performed to critical success at comedy and fringe festivals around Australia.