"We were delighted that David agreed to speak at our Mental Health Awareness Day, David talked to our members about his experience of mental health as a counsellor as well as his own personal experiences of panic attacks. David's talk was authentic, engaging and thought provoking, the interactive nature of the talk allowed members to ask questions and share concerns on a topic that can often be difficult to talk about." Richard DeNetto, Chairman of Cambridge CIPD

I met David this Monday at the CIPD Mental Health Day when I was representing Illuminate Charity. He gave an open and inspiring talk about anxiety and what it's like to experience a panic attack. He talked frankly, in detail about his experience and how it has effected his work and his private life. When I first met him I would never have guessed the story he was to tell and that's the point I think. 'Unseen' illnesses are extremely tough to deal with (and that's an understatement) and the illness can force a sense of isolation upon sufferers. David's story is one we should all hear in my humble opinion. He has a noble quest to raise awareness of mental health illnesses amongst employers and help felllow sufferers feel the relief he clearly experiences now. I wish you every success David in your new venture and look forward to introducing you to our Illuminators.
Tracy Wilkinson, Illuminate Charity
Thank you for sharing your personal story with me, your success despite your challenges with anxiety have made me think about things differently.
I know that your goal was to truly connect with just a few people today but I’m positive that you have touched many many more.
Your session has inspired me more than you can ever imagine, I am going to seek professional help for the first time ever in my life.
I thought the session was brilliant! It was so inspiring how you shared something so personal and reached out to others who may be going through something similar or know someone who is.  It’s such a difficult subject to talk about, particularly something so personal.  It was inspiring listening to you.
Just wanted to say a thank you for giving your talk on mental health. I’m lucky enough never to have suffered with any of those issues but I think it was really important for me to understand what other people could be going through. It’s brilliant that you are making such a big difference in this area. We are clearly very lucky to have you listened to you today.
Thank you so much for sharing what you did today. I’ve suffered with anxiety for most of my life and I’ve never thought of it as being a mental health issue before. I have felt all of the feelings that you discussed today. I also remember vividly the first time I choked in front of an audience and I think about it every time I need to present. I DREAD presenting in front of people. I’ve had sleepless nights about it too. I end up working myself up until even I can’t make sense of what I’m trying to say. Thanks for raising the subject, it highlighted to me that I should do more research into how I overcome it rather than letting it hold me back. Your session was extremely engaging today.
That was incredibly inspirational.  Thank you for sharing, I can’t even imagine how difficult that was for you. In years to come, even when Auto Trader might be a distant memory, I won’t forget this morning’s talk. I think you’re incredibly brave and you are going to inspire many people with the career path you have chosen to go down.
I wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk through your experiences with us, I know this can’t have been easy, but I wanted to let you know that this was extremely beneficial and I feel, we are all guilty of never finding the right time for ourselves when we need help. I found myself totally touched from your meeting and will hopefully go a long way to help me think differently in the future. Speaking form my own experience of dealing with family members that have mental illness and understanding that I should also allow time for myself. Once again thank you for sharing with us truly inspiration. One of the best meetings I’ve attended.
A huge thank you for the session today. I am struggling with my daughter who has social anxiety and the need to find work. It’s such a taboo subject and of course it shouldn’t be. I feel privileged to have attended. Thank you again.
I just wanted to say thank you so much for holding the session today. I am so glad I signed up to listen to your personal story. You’re an inspiration. I went through EAP last year and referred myself for some counselling following a personal trauma and I must admit, it took a lot for me to finally find the strength to do it. I think it’s great you’re creating the awareness. If I hadn’t already started on my journey by this point, that session would have given me great guidance.
Just wanted say how awesome and moving today was for me. I know that your goal was to affect even just a couple of people but I'm positive you have touched many many more. Truly inspirational and affected me more than most will know. So thank you for being so brave and delivering the way you did.