LinkedIn Killed Mental Health

And I think Substack will save it.

In 2022, I wrote a post on LinkedIn that went insanely viral.

It wasn’t an ego-stroking “I’m happy to announce” post. It wasn’t a cheat sheet on how to grow your account to a billion followers. It wasn’t a rant about how much my life pales in comparison to whoever was trending the most at the time.

It was about UFC Fighter, Paddy Pimblett, and the words he said hours after he lost one of his mates to suicide:

“I’d rather have a mate cry on my shoulder, than go to his funeral next week… so men, start talking!”

No one on LinkedIn sees numbers like this anymore.

The post wasn’t anything special. It was just… honest.

I included the main quote, shared my thoughts on it, and included a powerful video clip that circulated like wildfire. This was just one of several posts I wrote that kicked off my LinkedIn and made me kind of a thought leader in the mental health space.

I could relate deeply to this man as someone who’s struggled with suicidal thoughts, Bipolar Disorder Type 2, and ADHD. I used to plunge myself into such a deep, dark hole that nothing felt like it would work. I’ve put people I love through a lot to be where I am today.

Writing about it on LinkedIn helped me overcome those challenges, process the internal fights I was facing, and help others do the same. I wanted to highlight the truth of what founders—men, specifically—faced behind the scenes. I wanted to normalize this on LinkedIn and use my platform for good.

And, I did. For a long time. I wrote about my experience with medication. I wrote about the highs, the lows, the stuff no one liked to talk about. I was open, honest, and let every story tell itself.

I wasn’t worried about the algorithm. I didn’t care. I only wanted to help others who could relate to my story and find some kind of solace, or a light to look for.

Over 25,000 followers later, I felt like I had created a real community based off of these foundations. People who felt similarly to me and needed that permission to tell their real stories. Founders, dads, and others who could relate to each other, not just me.

I was really proud of it. So proud that I never imagined the platform that built such an amazing community around me would plummet face-first into the depths of tortured irrelevance, frustration, and algorithm bullshit.

My posts helping others navigate their mental health struggles? They no longer performed.

I wasn’t changing anything substantial. I was sharing my personal experiences, talking about other journeys, and watching the topic of mental health completely waste away into a shell of what it was.

It hurts to see how LinkedIn has handled mental health as not only a topic, but a community magnet. It’ll push top-of-funnel content about how to build a “personal brand,” but won’t spotlight posts talking about serious behind-the-scenes struggles.

I was really, really tired of it. Trying to write content that used to help others in such a genuine way was now getting flushed down the toilet before it even had a chance.

Then, I found Substack.

LinkedIn Killed Mental Health… But Substack Will Bring it Back to Life

I wasn’t expecting to land on Substack. I’d heard of it, of course. It’s growing in popularity and it’s getting more attention than it ever has.

Still, I didn’t give it much thought. But after exploring what the platform was capable of, I started to notice something interesting…

This platform was built for deep thinkers. Change-makers. People who cared deeply about the stuff they were writing about and wanted others to feel invited to each newsletter, Note, or whatever they were posting.

When Jamie Harford and I talked about Decelerate, we knew it would flourish on here. It had so much potential to reach the right readers. People who were craving authenticity and a space to really talk about sustainable entrepreneurship and the struggles founders face every day—without being judged.

I started to get that “itch.” That feeling that maybe we found something amazing here.

I started publishing Notes. Nothing too crazy. Just throwing things out into the ether that I felt aligned with what my community would want to feel, or see. Substack’s Notes feel like the new X with the combined social media/newsletter experience.

Then something happened that made me really see the long-term potential of this platform for the first time.

One of my first Notes gained some traction.

It didn’t go viral. But, 200 likes and 100 comments are nothing to sneeze at. No, it wasn’t thousands, but it didn’t need to be. It showed me that people I wanted to connect with were still there. They were still around. I was just looking for them in the wrong place.

I started posting more Notes. I wrote more newsletters for Decelerate. I published whatever came to mind and didn’t think too much. Every piece Jamie and I share on this publication gained some traction. But not just random traction—real eyes that we cared about. I can’t deny the impact of that and how damn good it feels to finally connect with my ideal community after feeling so lost.

We’re on a mission to make Decelerate the go-to publication for founders and builders to share the real behind-the-scenes stories. Thoughts, experiences, and lessons no one wants to talk about, but everyone should hear.

I believe LinkedIn has potential for certain topics. Mental health has just become so minuscule in comparison to other more “educational” content. I don’t miss that daily fight. Losing sleep over what to post on LinkedIn because what you’re passionate about sharing isn’t growing anymore… yeah, it’s not a good feeling.

LinkedIn showed me what mental health can do as a community.

Substack is showing me that mental health will never die as a movement. It’s only getting started.

And I firmly believe the future of mental health—the hard topics, the struggles, the pitfalls and the wins, the hard things and the beautiful times—might just be in Substack’s hands.

For the first time in months, I’m stoked to see what the content we write on mental health will bring for the community we’re building.

If you’re a part of that mission, or if you’ve found me through LinkedIn…

Thank you for being a part of this.

Think this is the beginning of something truly remarkable.

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This is "Decelerate," where we talk about making life changes that support your mental health rather than just managing around it. Sometimes the biggest business decision you can make is about your wellbeing, not your company.