“Together we founded The Gay Happiness Project, a not-for-profit wellbeing programme in response to our own experiences of poor mental wellbeing services in the gay community. We’ve decided to share the most effective positive wellbeing & happiness interventions we’ve experienced.”
Robert Hutchinson
Co-FOUNDER & LIFE COACH
My core belief is that falling in love with being human is the key to creating a life that works better in the future. As a transformational coach and mindfulness teacher I help people switch off their ‘autopilot’ and develop the courage to live the life they want to lead. I love being a gay man, however I’ve experienced both the highs and the lows of growing up from a gay child with confused reference points into a reasonably secure gay adult (it'll always be a work in progress!) It was my own experience of exploring how I really wanted to live as a gay man rather than going along with other people's expectations, and witnessing friends getting into problems with mental health and addiction that led to the creation of the Gay Happiness Project with Chris.
Christopher Samsa
Co-FOUNDER & POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGIST
About ten years ago, I had “an enforced opportunity”. It was an opportunity because it gave me time to sit back and reflect on my life. A theme of change quickly emerged. What makes some change easy to deal with and others more challenging? This time helped me to better understand my own mental health and allowed me to explore my own experience of being a gay man. As a Positive Psychologist I truly believe that we can all be happier and that understanding ourselves is key. Self compassion is at the centre of this understanding for me and I have found that Mindfulness helps develop compassion for the self and others as well as acceptance, gratitude and an ability to enjoy life in the here and now. Collaborating on The Gay Happiness Project has been one of the best experiences of my life.
