![Beau Baddock and Jamie Stedman are providing mental health workshops to help the community. Picture by Riley Krause. Beau Baddock and Jamie Stedman are providing mental health workshops to help the community. Picture by Riley Krause.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/YN4FA67iw2pXwXjwm2vmnJ/64b1b418-d47a-4c3a-b4b4-cde2ab7772a6.JPG/r0_376_4032_2643_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Jamie Stedman and Beau Baddock both know what it's like to lose someone they love to suicide.
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For Mr Baddock, it was a younger brother and for Mr Stedman, it was a close friend just a few weeks ago.
"That hit me different. That was something I'd never felt before and I never understood it and I didn't understand how to cope," Mr Baddock said.
"I was talking to someone about going to a meeting that was held with Lifeline at the time and I dragged myself out of bed, but I wasn't going to go because I didn't feel comfortable. I had the mentality that I was a big, strong man so I could deal with it and suck it up."
Mr Stedman has had a slightly different route that led him to this point.
He has been a mindset mental health coach for the past few years, working with different individuals and groups around the area. During that time, he and Mr Baddock have been tossing around ideas about what they can collectively do to help stem the mental health crisis that is spreading around Orange and the Central West.
Then came 'Beyond the Bullshit', a mental health program that will deliver four sessions to help change the mindset of people who need it the most.
"It is literally about challenging everyone to go a bit deeper and prepare to be vulnerable and be vulnerable about opening up and being able to listen," Mr Stedman said.
"I've got an idea of how I want the night to go, but the room will ultimately decide how it goes."
The sessions will be held at The Agrestic Grocer, for which Mr Baddock owns and operates, with the first talk taking place on October 9.
So while the initial interest has been high, Mr Stedman is making sure to manage his expectations.
"The deeper I go into this stuff, the lower I set my desire for an outcome. If I can encourage just one person to think a little bit differently, I have completely achieved my goal," he said.
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"I literally don't want the expectation to high. I'm not here to save the world, but if I can just get someone to challenge their thought process then I'll have achieved everything as far as I'm concerned.
"I was sick and tired of everyone saying 'we've got to do something' so we went and did something."
The first few sessions will be for men only, but Mr Stedman said they were keen to eventually open it up to women as well.
"We've been blown away by the response from females which is great and so many of them asking if they can bring their little fella. It shows that there is a massive need," he added.
"This one was just targeted at the boys, because the statistics tell us that's where it is needed. We're all struggling, so if we can provide a space to help with that and I'd be more than proud to open that space up."
Tickets are $15 per session with finger food provided and tickets can be purchased from The Agrestic Grocer website.
Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; Mensline 1300 789 978; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.