Niall Breslin, better known as Bressie, is a man of many talents. He's the frontman of Irish platinum album selling band The Blizzards, a former Westmeath Gaelic footballer, a former Leinster Rugby player, a children's book author, a mental health advocate and, now, a podcaster.
Where is my Mind is the 38-year-old's latest project, but that's not all he's working on as he has also become an ambassador for Toyota's FaceItDown campaign, which aims to encourage and rewards drivers in Ireland for putting their phones down while driving.
We sat down with the musician to discuss the benefits of putting our phones down, both physically and mentally.
In association with the Road Safety Authority, the campaign has seen over 12 million kilometers logged on the accompanying app. This is the equivalent to 3,799 trips around the whole of Ireland's coastline.
"You accumulate points for every kilometre that you drive", Bressie explained while describing the app. The points you receive can then be redeemed in Circle K as well as getting €50 euro off your car insurance with FBD. And, to quote the ambassador, "there's nothing people love more in this country than free stuff".
Breslin is a huge advocate for this campaign and says that he hopes it will raise awareness because, as he says, "I don't think people realize how dangerous it is which is probably half the problem".
Ironically, Bressie's podcast is also of the same theme - the dangers of technology in our world today. The difference being, of course, that he is discussing it from a mental health point of view.
And here is @acast link https://t.co/ICcz7vFZGs pic.twitter.com/lzcNntYsXS
— Niall Breslin (@nbrez) August 12, 2019
Calling it the most exciting medium on the media at the moment, he says that podcasting takes away the "suffocating feeling I've had of not being able to speak about these things that I'm very passionate about".
Explaining that a full episode of a podcast allows the host to delve into a topic fully and without interruption or distraction: "It's a layered approach to quite a sensitive area."
Speaking on his podcast, along with doctors, professors and researchers, Bressie discusses the importance of communicating face-to-face and not through social media.
This 13-part podcast offers not only advice on how society needs to change in terms of its communication and pace, but it also covers meditation which promotes a less-stress approach to everyday life. According to Bressie, this is helpful due to the fact that we live in a culture that demands we're always switched on.
"That isn't good for our heads", he explained. "You don't have to keep up, it's okay to stop".
Learning to put the phone down is important, especially when you're on the road. For more information, click here.
