Durham Man Launches UK's First Mental Health App Built Specifically for Men — Just Days Before Mental Health Awareness Week

Steven Jackson, Founder, Ora Life Coaching Ltd

Steven Jackson, founder of Ora Life Coaching Ltd, is launching You Define You on 5th May 2026 — a men's mental health and mindset app built around the You Define You Mindset Method.

As the UK prepares to mark Mental Health Awareness Week (11–17 May), the launch comes at a moment when male mental health has never been more urgent.

At a time when poor mental health costs UK employers £56 billion a year, and when men remain the least likely group to seek help, a Durham-based life coach and mindset expert is launching what he believes is the first app of its kind: a structured, practical mental health programme built entirely for men.

You Define You, developed by Steven Jackson under his company Ora Life Coaching Ltd, is a web-based app that takes men through a fully personalised programme covering anxiety, burnout, and overwhelm. It is built around the You Define You Mindset Method — a structured approach that starts with personal profiling and moves through four foundation exercises before unlocking seven sequential weekly tools.

The app launches on 5th May 2026, six days before Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 — which carries the theme of 'Action'. For Steven Jackson, the timing is not coincidental.

"Most men don't need more awareness. They need a practical way in — something that meets them where they are, speaks their language, and doesn't ask them to be something they're not. You Define You is that. It's not therapy. It's not a helpline. It's a method that works."

— Steven Jackson, Founder, Ora Life Coaching Ltd

Steven spent years working in the male-dominated motor trade before training as a life coach and developing the You Define You Mindset Method. His own experience of carrying anxiety, burnout, and limiting beliefs — and the absence of any support that felt relevant to men — drove him to build the programme from the ground up.

The method begins with a five-question profiling process that identifies whether the user is dealing primarily with anxiety, burnout, or overwhelm — and builds a personalised programme from that point. Users then complete four structured foundation exercises before progressing through seven sequential weekly tools including Self Enquiry, Unwire The Thought, Reframing, Problem Solving, and a daily Thought Diary.

The app is currently in active development with a North East developer team and is on track for its late May launch.

THE SCALE OF THE PROBLEM

You Define You launches against a backdrop of deepening crisis in male mental health:

• Poor mental health costs UK employers £56 billion a year in lost productivity, absenteeism, and staff turnover

• 77% of men experience symptoms of anxiety, stress, or depression — but most never say a word about it

• Only 36% of NHS therapy referrals are male — men are being systematically missed by mainstream support

• 40% of men won't talk to anyone about their mental health — not friends, not family, not a GP

• Suicide remains the single leading cause of death for men under 50 in the UK

• 63% of UK employees are showing signs of burnout in 2026 — up from 51% two years ago

Steven Jackson believes the reason men don't engage with existing mental health support is not reluctance — it's relevance.

"The support that exists was not built for men. It was built for people willing to sit in a room and talk about how they feel. Most men aren't wired that way — and that's not a flaw, it's just how it is. You Define You gives men a way in that respects how they think and what they actually need."

— Steven Jackson, Founder, Ora Life Coaching Ltd

THE LAUNCH EVENT

The official You Define You launch will take place on 5th May 2026 at Hideaway, Darlington — six days before Mental Health Awareness Week begins. The evening will bring together business leaders, HR directors, corporate partners, press, and media from across the North East and beyond.

• Date: Tuesday 5th May 2026

• Time: 6pm — 9pm

• Venue: Hideaway, Darlington

• Format: Formal launch presentation followed by networking drinks

• Expected attendance: Minimum 100 guests

Media and press are welcome to attend. To register interest in attending or to request a press briefing, please contact Steven Jackson directly.

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

Alongside individual subscriptions, You Define You is actively seeking corporate partners — businesses that want to offer the programme to their male workforce. Steven is currently in conversations with HR directors and business leaders across Durham and the wider North East.

For every £1 invested in employee mental health, Deloitte research shows employers receive on average £4.70 back in improved productivity.

You Define You is also believed to be the first men's mental health app to target the UK motor trade — an industry that is almost entirely male-dominated and carries one of the highest rates of workplace stress and burnout.