In an innovative step towards addressing men’s mental health, Bear Grylls, a name synonymous with adventure and resilience, has recently launched Mettle, a groundbreaking meditation app. This venture is particularly noteworthy for its direct focus on men’s mental well-being, a demographic often overlooked in the mindfulness sphere.
The Concept Behind Mettle
Mettle is more than just another entry in the burgeoning mindfulness app market. Its creation stems from a collaboration between Bear Grylls and a team of mental health experts, including renowned names like mindhack coach Paul McKenna, Calm’s Chibs Okereke, UK Youth Ambassador for Mental Health Dr. Alex George, and breathwork expert Jamie Clements from The Breath Space. This high-caliber team has infused the app with a diverse array of insights and practices.
What sets Mettle apart is its ‘unapologetically male focus.’ Bear Grylls himself highlights the need for such an initiative, noting the lack of mental health resources tailored specifically for men. Mettle’s design aims to fill this gap, providing a platform where men can address issues like stress management, improved sleep, and enhanced focus. This initiative is especially relevant considering that men constitute 75% of suicides in the UK and 40% of them are uncomfortable discussing their mental health.
Development and Funding
The development of Mettle is a result of a joint effort with Imperial College London and the NHS Foundation Trust South London and Maudsley. The app’s content is backed by scientific research, incorporating meditations, breathing exercises, and mind-hacking techniques. The launch was propelled by a significant £2.5 million seed funding, primarily from Elbow Beach Capital, venture capital funds, and angel investors, setting the pre-money valuation of Mettle at £10 million.
Features and Impact
Mettle promises a holistic approach to mental well-being, covering aspects ranging from managing anxiety to strengthening relationships and improving sexual health. Its evidence-based approach integrates the latest research in psychology, neuroscience, and performance optimisation.
Despite the crowded market of mindfulness apps, with major players like Headspace and Calm, Mettle distinguishes itself with its unique focus on men. Grylls emphasises this point in an interview with the Independent, stating that while many mental health apps exist, they often cater to a broader or female-oriented audience. Mettle aims to be a “toolkit” for men as he describes it and address the issues men face due to societal expectations of invulnerability, which can lead to mental health challenges. Grylls believes that men “think it’s an admission of weakness. We’re trying to change that into an admission of battle.”
Accessibility and Outreach
Mettle is not just for those who can afford it. In a nod to mindfulness’s Buddhist origins and its ethos of inclusivity, the team behind Mettle invites those who cannot afford the app but feel they would benefit from it to reach out. This gesture ensures that the app remains accessible to a wider audience, aligning with Grylls’ belief that “if men are better, the world is better.”
Creating a Focus on Men’s Mental Health
Bear Grylls’ Mettle marks a significant and much-needed addition to the field of mental health resources. By focusing specifically on men’s mental health and leveraging a team of experts and scientific research, Mettle aims to empower men to take charge of their mental well-being. In a society where mental health is becoming a central concern, Mettle emerges as a beacon of hope, especially for men who have long needed a platform tailored to their specific needs.
Partnership with Movember
Recently, we covered Movember’s declining volume in branded search, but searches for men’s mental was on the rise. We commented that Movember need to rejuvenate the brand as participation rates were also in decline. At first glimpse, Mettle and the celebrity endorsement of Bear Grylls seems a perfect fit. So, it will be interesting to see if Movember continue developing similar collaborations and the effect it will have on branded search and participation rates.
