Birmingham alumnus and CEO of the wellbeing app Calm, Michael Acton Smith OBE joins Prof Matthew Broome, Professor of Psychiatry and Youth Mental Health, for a discussion around mental health and wellbeing.
Michael speaks about his inspiration for creating the Calm app and his journey to mental fitness. He will offer his insights on looking after your mental health, keeping ‘true to yourself’ and dealing with the pressures of work and life.

Books recommended by Michael:
Shoe Dog (Phil Knight): Great book on the founding of Nike and the beginning of the physical fitness revolution.
10% Happier (Dan Harris): Entertaining and light-hearted journey of a newsreader who turns from meditation cynic to convert.
Search Inside Yourself (Chade-Meng Tan): Mindfulness book written by a Google engineer
Man’s Search for Meaning (Viktor E Frankl): Powerful but uplifting story of one man’s life within a concentration camp. Helps put our modern challenges in perspective
Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker): Scientific dive into why sleep is vital for every part of our health and well-being.
Lost Connections (Johann Hari): A thoughtful exploration of why depression is so prevalent in society