Mental Wellness Mastery: Mental Health Expert Jamie Frew Of Carepatron On Everyday Life Hacks For Optimal Mental Wellness
An Interview With Eden Gold
Make connections. People often isolate themselves when they’re not feeling their best. The cause is rooted in valid reasons like fear of being rejected, of being seen as a burden, of being ignored, and so much more. However, with the right people, this is never the case. Seek connections with people whom you feel the safest and the most at ease to be vulnerable with. It’s not an exciting nor an easy prospect, but being open to the idea daily opens a lot of opportunities in making it happen.
In our modern, fast-paced society, mental wellness is a crucial aspect of leading a fulfilling life. However, for many people, achieving and maintaining good mental health can be a challenging task, with obstacles such as stress, anxiety, depression, and more. That’s why it’s essential to have practical and accessible strategies for mental wellness that can help build resilience, emotional intelligence, and overall well-being. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jamie Frew.
Jamie Frew is Carepatron’s co-founder and CEO. He graduated with a dual degree in Psychology and Business Management from the University of Waikato. These, along with his experience and passion for innovative technology and accessible healthcare, fueled his vision for a healthcare Operating System that democratizes access to healthcare tools, resources, and software for 1 billion people. Through Carepatron, Jamie is committed to enabling technology as a force for good, ensuring that high-quality care is equally achievable and efficient for healthcare practitioners and patients alike.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about cultural sensitivity, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Before launching Carepatron in late 2021, my career spanned significant roles in healthcare technology and strategic leadership across some of the world’s leading organizations like Telstra and ANZ. My experience leading change and scaling performance within these organizations laid the groundwork for my entrepreneurial leap into the healthcare sector.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I think the most interesting thing is the leap from the various roles I had mentioned previously, to actually creating Carepatron with my co-founder and Carepatron CTO David Pene. Before I did corporate and tech consulting, I pursued clinical psychology, which has always tied me to healthcare in a way. Finding my way back to it and leading a team of like-minded individuals equally as passionate about making a difference in the healthcare space is truly one of the most fulfilling moments in my career to date.
You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Thank you for that. It’s always weird to talk about oneself as successful, especially since I’m also just navigating my way through life daily, dealing with personal and professional struggles like any other person. That said, I’ll share three traits I try to embody each day to work towards small and significant wins both in the short and long term, not just for myself but for the people around me.
First, I enjoy diversity. I love meeting and working with people from different cultures, backgrounds, and industries, and it reflects the work we do in Carepatron. We are a fully 100% remote team, located in various parts of the world. While we all share the same goal in the work that we do, embracing diversity helps remind me every day that there’s more to life than just one approach — and that applies to both my personal life and my professional work.
Next, being passionate. It might be cliche but my passion drove me to where I am today. This passion allows me to be more open-minded, collaborative, and innovative in my approach to what we’re doing at Carepatron, and it’s my motivation to keep doing what I’m doing even when the going gets rough at times.
Lastly, just an unwavering pursuit of excellence. I believe it’s part of human nature to want something better or greater. But working hard to satisfy that innate craving for what’s best is a different conversation. I always treat each day as an opportunity to do something that will make tomorrow a little bit better than it was yesterday.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about mental wellness mastery. What is one often-overlooked daily habit that can significantly improve one’s mental wellness?
Acknowledging that even on days when you feel like you’re at 10%, 50% or 95%, you’re still actually functioning at 100%
Tricky concept, isn’t it?
Think of it this way: people tend to be less forgiving of themselves when they’re not functioning at full capacity. We judge ourselves harshly during these days because we know we can do better.
However, accepting that we are allowed to have low moments and patting ourselves on the back for still trying to push through the day should be more of a common practice. It’s not mediocrity unless it becomes habitual. Allowing ourselves to surrender to these unproductive, slow, lingering moments, saying, “It is what it is for now, but I’ll bounce back better than ever,” will definitely change the way we approach heavier days and will improve our mental, emotional, and even physical health in the long run.
How do you recommend individuals recalibrate their mental wellness after experiencing a significant setback or failure?
Take time before taking action. Strong emotions often lead us to act rashly, especially when we’re dealing with setbacks. Step back from the situation, take time to just live day by day, and give yourself a deadline to revisit the situation. Through this, you’ll have time to rest, time to detach yourself from the negativity, and see the situation with a fresh perspective once you circle back to it. This process will allow you to plan out your next steps with a clearer mindset.
In your experience, what is a common misconception about mental health that hinders people from seeking help or improving their wellness?
That you need to feel your lowest low to need mental health intervention. Even the healthiest, happiest, and most productive person in the world still needs someone to check up on them, to watch out for their welfare, and to remind them to take care of their mental health — among other things.
The notion that someone must be dealing with heavy emotions or having dark thoughts in order to think about mental health must stop. Such beliefs add to the stigma that mental health is a niche concern that only applies to a select group of people.
Once we open up to the idea that mental health care is as normal as physical health care and is a part of who we are and what we need as people, as a society, and as members of humanity, then that’s one bit of progress towards improvement.
Can you share a transformative moment or client story highlighting the power of a specific mental wellness strategy?
Early in the development of Carepatron, I spoke with a practitioner who spent his evenings doing hours of repetitive admin work, like booking appointments and billings. We reduced his time on this by two hours every night, giving him back time to spend with his family.
A seemingly small change resulted in a massive difference. He was more productive, enthusiastic about work, and most importantly, more mentally and emotionally healthy. It was a delight to witness.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Everyday Life Hacks For Optimal Mental Wellness?”
1 . Define ‘self-care’ and plot it on your calendar. To start your mental wellness journey, you must know what ‘self-care’ means to you. It shouldn’t be based on someone else’s notion of self-care but something that makes you feel the most relaxed, at ease, at peace. It should be a specific activity (i.e. sleeping, spending time with my family), not a vague idea (i.e. making people happy, feeling fulfilled). It should be actionable. Once you determine what self-care means to you, plot it on your calendar and commit to it. Just like the rest of the essential aspects of your life, making time to ground yourself and touch base with your physical, mental, and emotional health also takes top priority.
2 . Make connections. People often isolate themselves when they’re not feeling their best. The cause is rooted in valid reasons like fear of being rejected, of being seen as a burden, of being ignored, and so much more. However, with the right people, this is never the case. Seek connections with people whom you feel the safest and the most at ease to be vulnerable with. It’s not an exciting nor an easy prospect, but being open to the idea daily opens a lot of opportunities in making it happen.
3 . Create a morning routine. Negative feelings tend to amplify when we feel unstable or lost or feel a lack of control. One easy way to steady oneself (and to develop good habits while at it) is to create and stick to a morning routine. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it can be as simple as opening your window/curtains to let the sun in, then making your bed, and drinking coffee before starting your day. This gives you something familiar to do to center yourself as you gear up for the day ahead.
4 . Talk a walk. A better advice would be to engage in some form of exercise but, if we’re being honest, not everyone has the privilege to commit to an active lifestyle. Still, walking away — literally — from your day-to-day routine even for a little while is also beneficial to your mental wellness. It doesn’t have to be a complicated walk either. Do a roundabout along your street. Walk in circles around your house without doing anything else. Just stand up and let your feet take you somewhere while thinking mindlessly for a bit.
5 . Exercise gratitude, but not toxic positivity. Being thankful for even the simplest things is one way to uplift your mental health. However, it’s different from toxic positivity which comes off as overly privileged or blind to the circumstances of others. Exercising gratitude means being able to appreciate the good amidst the bad and using it as motivation to challenge the day ahead. It means thanking yourself for making an effort and trying your best, instead of antagonizing yourself for not doing any better.
What role does technology play in mental wellness today, and how can individuals leverage it positively without exacerbating mental health issues?
Nowadays, social media allows for a more open and inclusive community when discussing several topics for awareness, including mental health.
On the positive side, this paves the way for further normalizing talking about mental health in a raw, relatable, and realistic manner with which people on a more significant level can connect. However, oversharing or trauma dumping can also instigate self-diagnosing, with the possibility of people turning more to SNS to ‘solve’ their trauma or mental health concerns than seeking actual professional help, which is also not encouraged. This is because opinions on social media might lead to even more misguided measures that may not be so helpful to the person expressing their concern.
This is where resources come in. There are many free and accessible tools online such as the ones we provide via Carepatron to help assist on such matters. Still, these are advised to be partnered with actual professional help.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Democratize access to healthcare tools and ensuring every healthcare practitioner has access to the right software and resources to achieve better client outcomes. Access to quality healthcare tooling should not be determined by socioeconomic status, location, or other arbitrary factors. It is a basic need for all practitioners, regardless of profession or circumstances. Achieving true healthcare accessibility requires deep partnerships between health technologists and clinicians to develop affordability, scale, and inclusive systems.
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can connect with me, Jamie Frew, on LinkedIn and support our mission for accessible, affordable, and global healthcare by checking out Carepatron.com.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold
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