HOPE AFTER HEARTBREAK 'I'M HELPING MEN REACH OUT'

Life coach Cassandra Hogan is shining a light on mental health

- Hayley Barnett

Cassandra Hogan has always felt she relates more to men. In high school, she had a tight-knit group of male friends she felt at ease around and they in turn felt comfortable enough to open up to her.

"As they navigated their lives, they'd come to me with different problems," she smiles. "I just became that person for them."

It's hardly surprising. Softly spoken, with a gentle demeanour, Cassandra, 36, exudes a nonjudgemental warmth. As she talks about her busy life looking after her small family and running a life-coaching practice out of her home, it's hard to imagine how she finds time to organise a huge initiative aimed at improving men's mental health - especially since she's struggled with anxiety and depression herself. But that's exactly what she's doing.

Cassandra has created "he.", a series of speaking events aimed at providing a community of Kiwi men where everyone feels seen, heard and supported on their journey toward mental wellbeing.

She says it was after she left high school that she realised even the strongest men could be fighting a silent battle.

After moving to Perth, a close friend of hers got in touch saying he was in town and wanted to meet up. "He was always the life of the party and an incredible guy - someone everyone loved," she says fondly.