Meet new Wayahead Chair – Ryan McGlaughlin

Tell us a little about your background, and what drew you to the board position at Wayahead?

My career started in the Royal Australian Navy, where I started as a medic and finished eight years later in the recruiting office in Perth. After leaving the Navy I did nursing at Bunbury Regional Hospital before travelling overseas picking up random nursing agency work when I needed some funds.

My not-for-profit career started in Scotland as an event fundraiser and on an advocacy committee for a local HIV/AIDS charity. I held event fundraising roles when I came back to Australia in HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ+ rights, international development and the environment fields.

I was the executive leader for two peak advocacy organisations, Positive Life NSW and Suicide Prevention Australia. I was then the Executive Director of SMART Recovery Australia, a service delivery organisation for people living with problematic addictive behaviours. I led the establishment of SMART Recovery International to oversee the consistency and expansion of the program worldwide.

Later in life I completed a Master in Not-for-Profit and Social Enterprise Management and undertook a couple of extra post-graduate subjects of advocacy and social change. Last year, I completed a Certificate in Advanced Leadership for Community Chairs. Recently I have been researching stigma and discrimination and scoping reduction initiatives nationally and globally.

I was invited to nominate for the Wayahead Board by a former CEO of Wayahead and was privileged to be voted onto the Board at the 2021 AGM. Having been a member of Collective Purpose through my previous workplace since 2017, I was impressed how the Wayahead team strived hard to be true to the organisation’s values – something I hold true within my own work ethic. Wayahead is an established organisation, however at the time I nominated for the Board it was wrestling with change. I was confident there was something I could contribute.

I was drawn to Wayahead because of my own lived and living experiences of the mental health challenge of achieving mental wellbeing. This includes acute anxiety, psychogenic tremors and harm OCD. I have direct experience of witnessing family members with more serious mental health and trauma conditions, as well as the impacts of experiencing stigma and discrimination.

What have been Wayahead’s biggest achievements since you’ve been on the board?

This is a big question, as there have been so many achievements over the last few years. In every area of the business there has been continual improvement which has become a part of the Wayahead DNA.

The completion of the new strategic plan 2024-2027 was a large undertaking and an important roadmap for the organisation.

The employment of Sharon Grocott as the CEO has meant the organisation’s future is in good hands that will lift Wayahead’s ability to have impact. This includes empowering the staff and volunteers to thrive, as well as strongly representing Wayahead with major stakeholders and through effective advocacy. Through Sharon’s leadership we have seen improved retention of talented and committed staff making Wayahead a place to want to work. The organisational culture was rated the highest in the recent review of the Board performance.

Our new governance practices are evolving and Wayahead is an organisation that embraces diversity and respects the important voices of all our lived and living experiences. There is a strong sense that we all share one vision and purpose.

Other highlights include:

● Honour to participate at Wayahead’s 90th celebration at NSW Parliament House

● Witnessing Mental Health Month going from strength to strength

● Small Steps becoming a New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA) recognised Professional Development provider

● The re-branding of Wayahead Workplaces to Wayahead Sharespace

● The Board’s Income Generation Skills building workshop and strategic sessions.

What do you see as the most important priorities for Wayahead over the next year ?

Wayahead is just finishing the first year of a three-year strategic plan and much has been done to consolidate and strengthen the organisation’s foundations for future success. Wayahead is on a quest to scale up and continue to improve key projects and initiatives. It will do this through acting on project evaluations and thoughtful research into best practice in the sector. Wayahead has begun to identify sector gaps in mental health promotion and stigma and discrimination reduction, giving Wayahead further opportunity to demonstrate leadership.

A priority is to further strengthen the voices of people with lived and living experience, including First Nations peoples. Expanding Wayahead’s work in stigma and discrimination reduction is another strategic priority for the year, which will see new initiatives being implemented in 2025.

Last year much strategic focus was on income generation. Wayahead has begun a journey to diversify income generation. This will be a priority area in order for Wayahead to achieve further growth, and therefore impact.

Would you like to say anything about Sharyn McGee, the immediate past Chairperson?

Sharyn has made an enormous contribution as Chair, and on the Board more broadly. The reason Sharyn McGee has stepped down from the role is that it is a constitutional requirement to do so after 5 years.

I would like to congratulate Sharyn on her time as Chair of Wayahead, and much longer as a Wayahead Director and member of the Anxiety Disorders Advisory Committee. Sharon has led Wayahead during a stormy period that included Covid, dissolving Collective Purpose and the retirement of long-time CEO. Not all of that stormy time was a bad thing, and the organisation is stronger and more resilient due to those challenges. The fact that Wayahead is thriving is a testament to the strength of Sharyn’s leadership.

I have observed and therefore learnt from her consultative leadership. She has done this with integrity, kindness, and when needed, gracious assertiveness.

It is a privileged being on not-for-profit Boards, but personal sacrifices are made, and her over 18 years of volunteer service to Wayahead can only have our highest respect.

I know we are all thankful that Sharyn has decided to remain on the Board to continue to share her wisdom, offer continuity and maintain a strength in our collective mental health knowledge and skills.

What is a happy place for you?

Long nature walks with my partner Peter, especially along creeks, beaches and waterfalls. Wherever we travel in the world a walk in a national park or garden is always on the itinerary. Some of my favourite waterfalls are Gullfoss Falls in Iceland, Iguazu Falls in South America, Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia and Multnomah Falls, Oregon, USA. Manning Valley Falls and Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park, NSW are a couple of my favourites in Australia. I love waterfalls so much that it is in my will that my ashes are dispersed over a waterfall!

A good long walk in nature can take me into a totally meditative trance and totally being in the present, mostly freeing my mind from the past and future. Having Pete walk with me is a treat watching his curiosity in nature, but also my safety net from getting lost and coming across certain wildlife, such as snakes, that I admit to being afraid of.