A man from Tavistock is using his experience with grief to support others through a podcast called ‘Trying to Adult’.

Adam Williams was only a few weeks into his university course at UWE when his mother Keryn passed away due to cancer in 2016.

Thrown into the depths of grief as well as living away from home for the first time, Adam struggled for a number of years with his mental health but eventually found solace by talking to his mates about his experience at university.

Adam, 27, said: “During this time at university I came away with new perspectives of the world and often found myself having meaningful conversations with my friends about what I’ve been through. A lot of people seemed really interested in my story so it became a running joke that I should start a podcast.

“I’m really passionate about supporting mental health and helping my peers in topics they were struggling with so I started the Purposeful Pursuit Podcast where I interviewed financial advisors and other mental health advocates.”

Adam worked on his podcast tirelessly but as Covid hit he had to put the project on hold and began to focus on his full-time job in London.

Adam missed working on the podcast ever since its finale so decided to start a new one four months ago. Called ‘Trying to Adult’, which follows similar themes of mental health support and interviewing guests on their life experiences.

Recently, Adam interviewed Harlequins rugby player and fellow classmate Luke Northmore on his journey from Tavistock to professional rugby, how he handles the the pressures of performing at an elite level and the importance of showing vulnerability.

Adam continued: “I think the biggest thing I learnt from creating Trying to Adult was that the more vulnerable I was on the podcast, the more I had listeners telling me they that I described feelings that they had never been able to articulate. That’s why it was so great to have Luke come on the podcast because when you think of the Harlequins rugby team, you think of big muscly men lifting weights and not necessarily an environment where mental health is talked about openly. So we discussed what it’s like going to a group of men and telling them that you’re struggling with poor mental health.”

With over 150,000 impressions on social media in 90 days, ‘Trying to Adult’ is only growing bigger and reaching more listeners who also want to unpack the overwhelm of adult life.

Adam’s goal is to expand the brand to become a tool to help even more people seek support and he will be taking the project oversees when he moves to Australia in a few months’ time.

When he reaches Sydney, Adam’s hoping to vlog his experience and take up podcasting full-time.

“I’m so excited for this next step, I feel like i’m standing at the bottom of a tall mountain and I want to get to the top,” he said. “I think if I didn’t take this leap i’d regret it for the rest of my life.”