Professor John Randal, who teaches Statistics and Econometrics at the Wellington School of Business and Government (WSBG), recently celebrated 30 years at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. One of the threads of that discussion around his time at the University, as both a student and then a teacher, was his mental health – a journey of self-discovery that has resulted in John not only personally fundraising more than $25,000 for the Mental Health Foundation, but also enabling many rewarding conversations as he shared his story and became a trusted ear for both teaching staff and students.
Reflecting on his 30 years, John was quick to point to 2018’s decision to cycle the Tour de France a day ahead of the pros as a major personal and professional highlight; the most impactful thing he had done in his time at the University. For more than any personal fulfilment as a keen cyclist (“it’s long been my mental health antidote”) and a passionate fundraiser, it was this decision that created a ‘coming out’ of sorts for his mental health. It was the first time he “went public”.
He believes this “was a real contribution”, and it felt like that immediately. He had a sense that engaging with that personal opportunity would “shine a light on what we do as a university to support one another”, adding that it was that platform that gave him the license to “step up, and say ‘I’m depressed’”. He knew this would be making an impact beyond his individual classrooms and work interactions with colleagues.
The significance of sharing something about yourself that has been true for a long time, in John’s case, around 15 years, and that is potentially an admission that could cause social or professional risk was not lost on him. And though he says he was never truly ashamed, the chance to speak openly (“to hell with the consequences”) made him realise right away that “sharing with someone a weakness is an incredibly strong act”.
He wonders if you can be stigmatised if you refuse to be.
“If you so openly own some aspect of yourself and say ‘look, I’m okay with it’, does it actually matter what anyone else thinks?”
He says he very quickly “didn’t feel stink” about anyone knowing. “Once it was said, it didn’t feel like it was something that anyone could use against me”.
“I’ve not had a single interaction with anyone at the University since, staff and students, where I have regretted it, where I’ve wished the genie was back in the bottle. On the contrary, I have had many, many experiences and conversations where I have been so glad, realising the conversation would not have happened if I hadn’t been so open about my story”.
Far from it being any professional hindrance, John has been rewarded with more responsibility, heightened trust and a range of academic and administrative posts and pathways, from Associate Dean (Academic Programmes) and Director of Teaching Intensive Academic Career Pathway to, previously, Acting Dean (Students), Acting Vice Provost (Academic) and he is regularly called on to be Acting Dean of the WSBG faculty to cover leave.
John says a year after returning from France, he had become very comfortable talking about mental health with colleagues and students, to the point he was getting weekly disclosures. There is still a long way to go to “normalise what is in fact statistically normal”. And John has become a face and voice of trust on many issues – but most of all around mental health.
The full documentary about the Tour de France ride is available to watch on YouTube.