15: Being the voice of GenZ mental health and using TikTok fame to be vulnerable about depression & anxiety. | Zach Dereniowski (@MDmotivator)

Zachery Dereniowski known on Instagram and tiktok as @mdmotivator. He’s studying Medicine at The University of Sydney. Not only is he a brilliant doctor to be, he’s gained an extremely large platform on Instagram and TikTok having started with guiding med students to focusing on mental illness. Zachery often advocates for those with depression, anxiety and related life struggles to not only speak up but assures his community that life does go on beyond any mental anguish. Zachery shares his story with us, which you will hear him tell at the beginning of the episode and how he channeled it to becoming the success he is today. Zachery believes it’s about giving mental health a voice and letting people be heard – this past year has been a really tough year for people with mental health issues. Today, Zachery has become one of TikTok’s top mental health advocates, with over 1.2 million followers. He is changing lives daily with his content. He is also a co-founder of the mental health movement. Zachery believes life is about the impact it leaves on bettering the lives of others. And he wants to use his personal experiences to do just that. His formula is “vulnerability = relatability = empowerment.” Zach truly embodies “motivation” and we’re lucky to call him our friend.