If you’ve been following Zeal in any way over the last year, you would have probably seen Beth go without sleep, take freezing showers, and eat lemons – all in the name of mental health. In Live For Tomorrow‘s project, Your Beth Friend (featured on Upworthy) tests out advice on improving mental health to see what works, and what, well… doesn’t.
As we gear up to launch Season 2, we had some yarns with Christine and Beth (the team behind the videos) to see what they’ve got in store for us. Check out their new vid below!
Last season’s focus was about testing various self-care techniques to see if they worked. What can we expect to see this season?
Christine: Our first series was so much fun and we got a great response from it! Series 2 will be all about building on this momentum, and bringing in a general wellbeing theme throughout (since it all goes hand-in-hand). We’ve been lucky enough to team up with the Health Promotion Agency for this series, so we’ll be touching on thought-provoking subjects like smoking, drinking and even sun safety… You gotta slip, slop, slap around here, right? If you’re seeking a little inspiration when it comes to your general health and happiness, then this is a series you don’t want to miss!Where do you get your ideas for episodes from?
Christine: A lot of the time, ideas come from researching mental health, but there have been times where someone will say “I heard that ______ is supposed to help when you’re stressed out,” so we’ll put it to the test. We want to raise awareness of mental health in general, along with doing experiments that you could try yourself. If we can make you laugh along the way, that’s a bonus!What does a typical day working on the GMHX look like?
Christine We’ve been blessed with an awesome team for this series. A typical shoot day consists of driving around to locations and ensuring everything runs smoothly, Nathan (our videographer) getting the perfect shots and not missing a beat, and Beth (@itsyourbethfriend, the one in front of the camera – come on guys) doing her thing and being incredibly real and raw as she experiences and experiments. Planning, shooting, editing, going live and getting it out there – it’s a full time job, isn’t it? Luckily we have the right team to pull it all together, and we have fun doing it. In fact, our first episode (filmed at a trampoline park) saw Nathan multi-tasking with his first go at ‘jump-filming’.
What was your favourite episode you did from last season and why? What are you excited to do this season?
Beth: I think my favourite episode from Series 1 would have been animal therapy. Hanging out with those cats was a real blessing! It was fun to go out there and have some cuddles, and also see the amazing work the SPCA does and support the adoption of those guys. CUTE! My favourite one to watch, however, was the running one because it was fun to watch myself struggling. Horrible during the time of filming, but a good laugh now… I still don’t like running. This season, I’m excited about three things1. Exploring some wider topics around wellbeing, and how I think it’s important to acknowledge that wellbeing is much more than just your mental health.
2. Really excited to meet new mates to learn from and collab with, and
3. Building the online community through this project. I love making connections with my audience!
Christine: Our first episode is about connecting with friends. The second will be focused on physical activity – Beth trying out her hand with Martial Arts. As mentioned above, we’ll be tackling issues including smoking and drinking, so expect to see something quite different there. Regardless, if these first two episodes are anything to go by, the other eight are going to be insane! New episodes of The Great Mental Health Experiment will be dropping fortnightly. If you want to keep in the loop with all things It’s Your Beth Friend, subscribe to her on YouTube, follow her on Instagram, and keep checking back on the Live for Tomorrow site for updates!
What TV shows are you watching at the moment?
Beth: Soooooo many! Just been re-watching Orange Is The New Black in the lead up to the new season. A bit of Rick and Morty (another goodie), and also American Horror Story. Covering quite a few genres there.What topics do you have coming up over the next few weeks?
Christine: Our first episode is about connecting with friends. The second will be focused on physical activity – Beth trying out her hand with Martial Arts. As mentioned above, we’ll be tackling issues including smoking and drinking, so expect to see something quite different there. Regardless, if these first two episodes are anything to go by, the other eight are going to be insane! New episodes of The Great Mental Health Experiment will be dropping fortnightly. If you want to keep in the loop with all things It’s Your Beth Friend, subscribe to her on YouTube, follow her on Instagram, and keep checking back on the Live for Tomorrow site for updates!
