09 Oct 2026
It’s OK To Say founder and CEO Stacey Turner marks a milestone anniversary for the mental health charity…
There are some dates that make you stop and take a moment. For me, October 10 is one of those dates. It is World Mental Health Day, a day that encourages us to pause and think about our own mental health and the mental health of those around us. But it is also the birthday of It’s OK To Say, and this year we are eight.
Eight years. Sometimes I look at that number and think, where has the time gone? And then I think about everything that has happened in those eight years: the people I have met, the conversations I have had, the stories I have heard, the tears, the laughter, the challenges, the little victories and the moments when someone has simply needed somewhere to go.
I created It’s OK To Say because I wanted to create safe spaces where people could have meaningful conversations about mental health. I wanted somewhere that felt welcoming, human and accessible; somewhere you could come and talk about the big things, the little things and sometimes the things you don’t really know how to put into words yet.
I also wanted it to be somewhere you didn’t necessarily have to arrive with a label or a diagnosis.
Sometimes, you just need an informal chat. Sometimes you need somebody to listen. Sometimes you need a little help to work out what you are feeling or what might come next. And sometimes you need more structured therapeutic support.
I wanted there to be room for all of that.
At the heart of It’s OK To Say has always been my belief in people and in our community, and in the possibility of change. I wanted to use my energy to believe, create, love, grow, manifest and heal, and to build something where those things could sit alongside professional therapeutic support.
Perhaps that sounds a little idealistic, but I think I have always been a little idealistic when it comes to people.
I didn’t want people to feel as though they had to fit themselves into a particular service or tick the right boxes before they could be helped. I wanted us to be able to see the person in front of us and ask, “What would be helpful for you?” Eight years on, that is still very much how we work.
We operate in a bespoke way because people are bespoke. There isn’t one route into support and there certainly isn’t one solution that works for everyone. Today, It’s OK To Say offers individual therapeutic sessions, family support, small groups, workshops, practical wellbeing support and psychology programmes, alongside different ways for people to access support depending on their circumstances and where they are in their lives.
We work with individuals and families, children and young people, parents, carers and guardians, and with schools and educational settings.
And I love that we have grown into something that I could perhaps see in my mind eight years ago, but couldn’t have fully imagined.
I have seen people walk through our doors carrying things they have sometimes carried for years.
I’ve had people turn up at our door crying, sometimes not really knowing what they need or even what they are trying to say.
And that is OK.
They have made it through the door, and sometimes that is the first step.
Actually, that moment is a big part of why I created It’s OK To Say in the first place.
I wanted to create somewhere compassionate and safe enough for people to arrive exactly as they are. You shouldn’t have to have the right words, know what support you need or have everything neatly worked out before you can ask for help.
Sometimes you simply need somebody to say, “It’s OK, you’re here. Let’s start there.”
I have seen conversations turn into connections, connections turn into support, and support create the space for people to begin to heal, live and thrive. I have watched people find words for feelings they couldn’t previously express, families understand each other a little differently and young people begin to recognise their own strengths.
I have also seen how important it can be to simply have somewhere to go and someone to talk to
without feeling that you have to explain everything perfectly.
That is one of the things I still love most about the words It’s OK To Say.
They don’t tell you what you have to say. They simply give you permission to begin.
It’s OK to say, “I’m not OK.”
It’s OK to say, “I’m worried.”
It’s OK to say, “I don’t know what to do.”
It’s OK to say, “I’m lonely,” “I’m angry,” “I’m scared,” or even, “I’m actually doing OK today.”
Every one of those conversations matters.
World Mental Health Day is an important reminder of all of this, but mental health doesn’t belong to one day of the year. It is part of our everyday lives. It is there in our families, friendships, schools, workplaces and communities, in the conversations we have over the kitchen table, on a walk, in the car or perhaps sitting quietly alongside someone we care about.
Sometimes the most meaningful conversations aren’t planned at all.
And this year, I want to open another little door.
If the thought of saying something out loud feels too much, you can write to us.
Take a pen and put it to paper. Open your laptop and tap away at the keyboard. Tell us what is on your mind, tell us your story, tell us what you are finding difficult, or simply write whatever needs to come out.
You don’t have to be a writer and you don’t have to know where your words are going. Just start.
Writing can be incredibly cathartic. And while keeping a journal can be wonderful for some people, it isn’t for everyone. Perhaps you don’t want to write privately into a notebook that nobody will ever read.
Perhaps what you really need is to know that someone is on the other side of those words.
So write to us. We will read it, and we will write back, so make sure there is a return address!
It might sound like a small thing, but I think there is something quite powerful about it. Putting your thoughts into words can be a way of making sense of them, and sending those words to someone else can be a way of saying, “This is what is happening for me.”
It’s a little bit like being at the door.
You don’t have to walk straight into the room. You don’t have to know what happens next. You can simply arrive, put your thoughts into words and let us meet you there.
As I look at It’s OK To Say today, I feel incredibly proud of what we have created. I also feel excited about where we are going.
There is still so much more to create, so many conversations to have, so many people to support and so many ways we can continue to make mental health support feel more human and more accessible, even as we expand and grow.
Eight years feels like a milestone, but it also feels like another beginning.
And I think that is what I love about birthdays. They give us a reason to look back, but they also make us think about what comes next.
So, on October 10, I will be celebrating two things that mean an enormous amount to me. I will be celebrating World Mental Health Day and I will be celebrating eight years of It’s OK To Say.
I will be celebrating our wonderful team, our clinicians, volunteers, students, partners and supporters, and every person who has trusted us with their story or simply walked through our door for a conversation.
Most of all, I will be celebrating the power of people and the power of community.
The courage it takes to speak. The kindness it takes to listen. And the difference we can make when we create spaces where people feel safe enough to be themselves.
And perhaps, as we celebrate our eighth birthday, it is time for a little evolution too.
Our name says It’s OK To Say.
Now I think we know what we want to say next:
“It’s OK, you’re here. Let’s start there”.
Because you don’t need to know exactly what you need before you walk through our door. You don’t need to have the right words. You don’t need to have it all figured out.
You just need to arrive.
Eight years on, I still believe in people. I believe in our community. I believe that a conversation can be the beginning of something really important.
I still believe in creating spaces where people can feel safe, supported and understood.
And I still believe that people deserve the opportunity to heal, live and thrive.
So, happy World Mental Health Day.
And happy 8th birthday to It’s OK To Say.
Here’s to everything we have created so far, and everything still to come.
It’s OK, you’re here. Let’s start there.
