An Interview with Tina McGuff

May 26, 2025

Tina McGuff – Author of the critically acclaimed memoir Seconds to Snap, Storyteller & Trainer at TLC Lions, Mental Health First Aid Trainer, and Motivational Public Speaker – visited the Dover Fueling Solutions^® (DFS) Dundee site to deliver mental wellbeing sessions, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month.

We sat down with Tina to learn more about her mental health tour, what continue to drive her forward, why she partners with organisations like DFS, and what can be done to make a tangible difference when it comes to raising awareness and destigmatising mental health in the workplace.

Tina, what inspired this campaign, and how did the idea for this tour come about?

About a year ago, I got an email from a mother of an eight-year-old who was struggling with an eating disorder. She was just about to get a diagnosis with anorexia. I’ve worked with lots of different people and families over the years and the average age, I would say, is 12, 13, not 8. I just couldn’t sleep thinking about this, and I thought, what can I do because I work full time at student Support Services, and every other weekend or on my holidays I do mental health training, mental health awareness talks globally, things like that. So, I thought whilst I’ve got the energy and the determination and the passion, I’m going to see if I can take a sabbatical and try to get as many schools or as in front of as many kinds as I can in Scotland.

But how am I going to do it, right? Because when you’re on a sabbatical, you don’t get paid. How am I going to financially do this? So, I approached my bosses first and said would this work? Could I possibly do this? They said, absolutely, 100%, do it. I then approached different businesses that I worked with, or families that know my work, and maybe I’ve worked with them for in some capacity. I said look, I’m thinking of doing this, and they were a 100% - they wanted to do whatever they could to help.

So how I came up with the idea, and how I’ve managed to formulate it, has been incredible. I started on the 13th of September last year (2024) and It was meant to finish mid-April, but I’ve extended it to the end of May, so yeah, it’s all going good so far.

Why was it important for you to partner with organisations like DFS in bringing mental health education to schools?

Well, I used to work here (DFS Dundee) and I had such a great experience while working here – I made some brilliant memories and I also loved the way DFS worked. I always wanted to come back in some capacity. I also know so many people and understood their policies and why they really took mental health quite seriously. A lot of businesses don’t really do that, they say they do or have a tick box against mental health services, but they don’t actively do anything for mental health. I knew Denise McHugh and Kath McKenzie, and a lot of staff at DFS, do care, so I approached them and asked if they wanted to get involved. They were immediately on board, of course, because they know who I am. They know my work and I trust them. I also know how they work and think, and our values aligned, so that meant a lot to me. The values and the dignity and respect between us all.

Is the hope with this tour in Scottish schools, to raise awareness of mental health and know children can get the support they need to mould the workplace of the future?

The reason I did it was to protect young people, because a lot of them are struggling. Obviously, there’s a bit of a COVID lag as well and things like that. No one wants to struggle, and I want young people to be empowered coming into any workplace they will be working in one day. You want them to have as many tools and tips as possible and have normalised conversations where they can talk about mental health without fear. I want them not to worry about being fired or sacked or whatever it might be. I would love for the Scottish government to say, Tina, you’ve spoken to all these kids, now what? Now, what can we do to enhance the well-being of our kids? I have lots of ideas and I could go around different schools forever, I don’t have an issue with that, but as long as I’m helping in some capacity, whether in the community or in a workplace or school, as long as I’m managing to make some sort of tangible difference that’s all that matters to me. The kids have been so kind and so receptive and so respectful they’ve been participatory. It’s okay for people to realise that it’s okay to be vulnerable, we’re all humans.

At DFS, we believe in preparing future generations not just for the workplace, but for life. How does your message to students help equip them for both personal and professional success?

That is a great question. I have a slide with all the logos of all of the businesses who have supported my tour, including DFS, and I say to the kid, you might end up working in an organisation like this one day, or your family might already work with them, but what’s important is you are our future generation, so we need to give you as much information and resilience and health and determination to show you how great you are. How capable you are, as young people, to walk with confidence into workplaces, and they want you to know two things. One – it’s okay to make mistakes. Two – It’s important to know that when they walk into a workplace, they’re walking in a place that cares not only physically looking after them, but also psychologically.

Try be the greatest student you want, if that’s what you think you need, but you don’t, you can fail, make mistakes, as long as you learn and move forward because that’s what you need to become successful.

As a Mental Health First Aid Trainer and speaker, how do you think businesses can continue to create psychologically safe environments? Are there any key takeaways for our Mental Health First Aid Trainers?

There are 12 mental health staff here, which is impressive and commendable on its own. I don’t know any other organisation in Dundee that has 12. To be honest, I’m really impressed by that and what’s more impressive is that they are used. For me, it’s important always to look into what’s current, what’s new, new statistics etc. Things change. How do we ask certain questions, so I’d say mental health first aid trainers need to make sure they’re current with their mental health framework and know what’s happening in the world, especially in our own areas and things like that.

But also, when you have someone in front of you, I would suggest to always trust your own judgment. That’s the biggest thing for me, regardless if you see someone and you’re concerned about them, always trust your gut. You’ll know a difference in that person’s behaviour, either short or long term, or the more you attune to those around you the more you’ll notice the difference. So yeah, trust your judgment on everything. That’s my opinion. That’s my feedback to the mental health first aid trainers at DFS Dundee. Also, thanks… because that’s such a privileged position to be in, and I’m grateful for people to offer to do that, because it’s not easy.

How do you see corporate involvement, like that of DFS, making a tangible difference in awareness and de-stigmatisation efforts?

What I see from this week alone, is the fact you have these dedicated awareness days, the fact I’m here, the fact you have DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion). All these things… DFS are destigmatising all of them by having them there. Having these open and honest conversations, that is the tangible impact you’ll have is because you’ll have people that are going to come to work, knowing that they’re in a safe place. They are also part of that conversation. It’s not just a one-way conversation. With the HR team you’ve got and occupational health, people know they can approach any of those people if they’re feeling distressed and it’s creating a trusting environment. So, for me, you’re creating an environment that is basically a psychological safe place for them and that’s important.

You have been working with DFS for a while, what is the current plan for the partnership and DFS staff?

If I had in my way, I would work here every week. I would be in here every week doing my best to support all the staff in any way I could. They would be a goal of mine. However, that’s highly unlikely and that’s just not how things work. I don’t know what the long-term view of the current partnership is, but I know that I’m always available to DFS in any capacity they need, which is why I’m here for the whole week and I’m doing one-to-one meetings at the end of the week as well. I’ll always hold a special place in my heart for DFS. Whatever we can do in the future, I’m here for that.

Are you doing something similar with other businesses locally?

No, yours is much more bespoke. DFS is the only business I’m working with that is doing this much work with their staff. DFS committed to a full week with me – they’ve really gone elbows up as they say in ice hockey. So, I’m impressed. Very impressed by that commitment.