Sir John Kirwan - Co-founder @ Mentemia
About Sir John Kirwan
Humbled and honoured – they’re two words Sir John Kirwan (known to most as JK) often uses to describe how he feels about his contribution to a campaign to raise awareness about depression, but they’re also the same words he uses to describe his knighthood. The former All Black and 1987 Rugby World Cup winner became a “Sir” in 2012, joining a list that includes other well-known former All Blacks. However, unlike his fellow All Blacks, Kirwan was recognised as much, if not more, for his contribution outside of rugby; for services to Mental Health, having been for several years at the forefront of the campaign to heighten public awareness of depression, an illness he has suffered from himself.
JK’s willingness to share his mental wellbeing story from surviving to thriving has gone a long way to removing the stigma that surrounds mental health here in New Zealand.
This energy and commitment to share his story has led him to create the mental wellbeing app Mentemia. Originally developed as a workplace wellbeing app to tackle everyday stress and anxiety in the workplace, a free version of Mentemia has been specially adapted to help Kiwis and Australians through the COVID-19 pandemic, with the support of Kiwibank and Westpac in New Zealand, and AIA Vitality in Australia.
What keeps JK thriving today is found in the Mentemia app, along with world class, evidence based tools and techniques from leading clinicians.