The Bristol-Based Social Passion Project that Supports Mental Health Throughout the UK

Discover Your Bounce is a company that offers workshops and events to help tackle the stress epidemic that faces many people and businesses today. It was founded, in 2013, by Nicky Marshall, an award-winning international author and speaker, who has trained in a range of holistic therapies and stress management. Nicky is supported by her Director of Business, Sharon Critchlow, who joined in 2016.

In April 2019, they added a social enterprise, focusing on mental health, known as The Social Passion Project. They started with a Mental Health Hackathon, in Bristol, where 60 people came together to offer their views on the mental health needs of the community, realising one of the most vital needs being to remove stigma surrounding mental health via education. Furthermore, they discovered that an emphasis on collaborating with the community would be integral to the solution. This was the start of their Social Passion Project.

When the COVID pandemic struck, both Nicky and Sharon realised the impact the virus would have on mental health and wellbeing. The importance of The Social Passion Project was starkly obvious, as was the fact that many individuals and organisations would be desperate for support. Nicky and Sharon started working with companies over Zoom both nationally and internationally over lockdown with the aim of being the 'go to' company for organisations wanting to support their staff through the mental, physical, emotional and cultural changes that the pandemic has brought.

Throughout 2020 they devoted time to their Facebook community, which grew from 30 to 550 members.

The Discover Your Bounce team wanted to support people throughout the lockdown and every day during the first four months of the pandemic, they would host Facebook Live events offering advice on maintaining wellbeing as well as actively monitoring and supporting their Facebook group, offering a range of resources and group activities.

Nicky and Sharon explain,

“We are a heart centred business and so our efforts were placed into building and supporting the Discover Your Bounce Community on Facebook and which has grown from a handful of people to over 550 in less than 12 months. We have gone live on Facebook with wellbeing tips and techniques for around 75 hours in total and provided over 24 hours of free wellbeing workshops which are open to all, to keep everyone focussing on the good stuff in life.”

In February 2020, Discover Your Bounce celebrated the launch of their first community book, The Bounce Back Journey, a collaborative book written by 24 people who came forward and shared their stories of overcoming adversity and bouncing back. A further two books were launched, The Bounce Back Journey of Women’s Health, released in line with World Menopause Day on October 18th which included 26 personal stories, and The Bounce Back Journey of Men’s Health, including 20 stories, launched on November 19th, International Men’s Day. These books help fund The Social Passion Project activities and 63 people have shared their stories to help support and inspire those who are struggling in 2020.    

Nicky and Sharon have also gone on to talk about the experience themselves:

“We have seen a positive impact first-hand when one of our contributing authors gave his book to a sibling who then opened up to him for the first time about her mental health struggles. It gives us the fuzzies! We  believe that sharing stories is an important part of eliminating stigma and demonstrating that it is possible to come back from the worst of situations. It also gives a feeling of connection which is important to everyone's mental health. The profits from these publications and our three new Bounce Back Journey books for 2021 support our social enterprise arm  - The Social Passion Project - which in turn supports mental health projects in Bristol. “

A number of people have reached out to Nicky and Sharon to express their support and love of the work that they’ve been doing throughout the lockdown.

“I’ve been fortunate that Discover Your Bounce moved online with the arrival of the pandemic in the UK as it meant that my location (Scotland) wasn’t an issue and I’ve been able to participate in some fantastic workshops. (I hadn’t actually realised that the online offering was new until some weeks in, as it was so polished and professional.). – Liz Blackburn”

“The My Wellbeing Club courses and workshops are an important part of my wellbeing routine.  It’s great to have a structure and tools to help maintain a positive mindset, especially during these challenging times.” Ruth Bruce

“It’s like having a lovely friend in the kitchen with me, keeping me going and helping me connect with others. a burst of positivity that is very much needed to keep me going.” - Jo Chesterman

The team is working on two more books for the upcoming year to maintain their hard work with continuous support to those who need it through to the end of the pandemic.