Callum Lea

After suffering mental health issues as a result of sporting setbacks, Callum realised the limited access to professional mental healthcare in the UK for athletes. In 2020, he founded Sporting Wellness, offering private mental healthcare to competitive athletes across all sports. Now in his early 20s and the charity into its fourth year, Sporting Wellness has supported over 2,000 athletes across 115 sports, from Premier League footballers to school athletes, striving to make mental healthcare equally accessible for all UK sportspeople.

Despite numerous obstacles that threatened the existence of the charity, Sporting Wellness has a strong and crucial social media presence, boasting a huge following and vocal support from prominent figures including Paul Scholes, Dame Kelly Holmes, and Louis Rees-Zammit. Callum advocates for a proactive and preventative mindset towards mental health, even being invited to meet Prime Ministers and senior government ministers to discuss the direction of the wider mental health sector.

Callum’s passions of mental health and entrepreneurship have intertwined perfectly through Sporting Wellness. He relates amazingly to a wide range of audiences, offering relatable talks covering the whole mental health spectrum, sharing his personal struggles and giving insights on how you don't have to be an expert to support your own mental health and the well-being of others. Callum also provides practical advice for keen entrepreneurs who want to start a business or charity, encouraging individuals to believe they can take matters into their own hands and create the change they want to see.