In this episode of Movember Radio, I chat to two new dads about the highlights and challenges they face in fatherhood. Justin Baldoni, actor, director, filmmaker and star of hit TV show “Jane the Virgin” where he also happens to play a new dad similar to his role in real life. He’s also joined by Stuart Holden, Sports Commentator who recently retired from professional soccer having played for the Bolton Wanderers, Houston Dynamo and the US National Team.
Knowing when it’s time to go
After 13 years as CEO of the Movember Foundation I’ve decided it’s time to stand down. I’m not leaving the organization, rather I’m going to spend this next chapter at Movember doing what I’m most passionate about, creating and building new fundraising products and as the chief advocate for men’s health.
Co-founding and leading the Movember Foundation has been an intensely personal experience. Throughout the journey there has been no separation between business and personal life - work is life and life is work. You are surrounded and intertwined in a mix of stories from men tragically succumbing to suicide, to men being diagnosed and battling cancer.
Unlike most entrepreneurs we didn’t start Movember to become wealthy, there is no equity, no bonus, no payout. We started the Movember Foundation to have an impact and to leave a legacy.
Given what we have built and the personal investment made, standing down as CEO and relinquishing control has been the biggest decision of my career.
But I know it’s time.
As the organization has matured, so too has the role of CEO. It has become more corporate and managerially focused on financials, HR, risk, putting out fires, and stakeholder management. It’s a very demanding role and over time (13 years) it does wear you out.
As an entrepreneur I’m most passionate and happy when I’m creating and building new products and challenging the status quo. I know I can deliver far more value to the organization and to the state of men’s health in this capacity.
The other thing that has made this decision easy is knowing and having worked with my successor, who I’m proud to announce is Owen Sharp. I know Owen will do an amazing job as CEO which gives me the confidence to focus on my new role.
So you’ll now find me working on new fundraising products and advocating for men’s health. On the advocacy front, it’s time we took the power of our grassroots movement to governments and health organizations highlighting that we are losing the battle with male suicide. The male suicide rate continues to increase, eclipsing road deaths, cancer and heart disease for young and middle aged men - we must act now!
In many ways I feel as though I’m getting back in the trenches doing what I’m most passionate about – fighting the good fight!
FORBES: Your Moustache Could Cure Prostate Cancer: An Interview With Movember CEO Adam Garone
Perhaps you have noticed more mustachioed men in your vicinity lately, particularly around the month of November, and were wondering why the moustache was again all the rage. Inquire no more: those hairy faces are part of a worldwide movement to raise awareness for prostate and testicular cancer. But “Movember” is more than just a month-long awareness campaign; it’s a movement.
The monk who got testicular cancer
In this episode of Movember Radio, I chat to Andy Puddicombe, a meditation and mindfulness expert and founder of the hugely popular mindfulness app “Headspace”. In 2013, Andy was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Mindfulness has helped him to cope with the physical, emotional and mental impact of the illness. Prior to this, Andy undertook a ten-year journey, which took him around the world, culminating with ordination as a Tibetan Buddhist monk in Northern India.
From cancer fighter to survivor to philanthropist
In this episode of Movember Radio, I chat to Jonny Imerman, the founder of Imerman Angels and a testicular cancer survivor who was diagnosed at the age of 26. Jonny talks openly about the challenges he faced going through surgery and chemotherapy and the support he received on his journey from family and friends, but never met anyone his age that was a cancer survivor. He decided to set up Imerman Angels to introduce each cancer fighter to one survivor who can inspire them to know that they can overcome their cancer.
From humble beginnings to cult brand status, 3 lessons from the Foundation
Back in 2003 when we started Movember we had no idea where it would take us. Looking back we were just a couple of guys wanting to do good and have some fun along the way. To be honoured last week by The Gathering marketing summit as the first charity to receive Cult Brand status is a testament to the power of the moustache, and how a passionate community can truly make a difference.
We’ve learned a lot over the past 13 years. Big lessons that shaped who we are today as a community and as a brand. Of all the lessons, these are the three that taught us the most:
Be Significant
If there’s one thing that defines Movember it’s being disruptive. In 2003 we started with a simple idea, matching the growing of a moustache with prostate cancer. Silly some thought, but we stuck with it because we knew that there was nothing else like it. We set our vision, changing the face of men’s health, and created a model that redefined the charity space.
Take risks
You can never be completely sure if the next move you’re going to make is the right one. This past Movember we took a risk and introduced MOVE as a new way for men and women to participate and show their support. The challenge, MOVE every day of Movember – 30 MOVEs in 30 days. We saw an opportunity to diversify our brand, and inspire our community to continue forward in the journey with us. It was a risk we were willing and excited to take, and was proven to be the right one as we saw thousands of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas from around the world run with it.
Be accountable
We’ve learnt it’s as hard to effectively spend the funds as it is to raise that When we looked at how prostate cancer research was being done it became obvious that hundreds of researchers around the world weren’t sharing their successes and failures. We saw an opportunity and created the Global Action Plan (GAP) as a way of bringing researchers together, and with that redefined that way prostate cancer research is being conducted globally, and accelerating outcomes.
Together with our passionate community of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas we’ve created a foundation that IS changing the face of men’s health. Everyday we are working towards a world where men can live happier, healthier, and longer lives.
We've got testicular cancer by the balls!
In this episode of Movember Radio, I chat to Sam Gledhill, Testicular Cancer Programs Lead at the Movember Foundation. Sam explains why its important for every guy to get to know what’s normal because early detection is key to curing the disease. Sam also shares the progress of the testicular cancer programs funded by the Foundation.
There are no borders with cancer; nor should there be with research
February 4 is World Cancer Day – a day that will sadly have meaning for almost everyone.
As CEO for a global organization funding prostate and testicular cancer research and care, my vision is to help build a world where no man dies of these cancers. Up until the mid-1940s there were no treatments for cancer and no survival rate. Viewed from this perspective, cancer treatment has come a long way, but the fact remains that 4.6 million men are still dying every year (1).
Cancer research takes a long time to come to fruition. Although I understand the reasons why that is, it’s always a source of frustration. In a society where efficiency and quick delivery are prized, investing millions in research can seem like it produces very poor returns, very slowly. In the US alone, $28 billion is spent each year on basic biomedical research that cannot be reproduced (2). Another study showed that only about 25% of published preclinical studies could be validated to the point at which projects could continue (3).
I constantly question myself – is the way in which we’re tackling research correct? There is obviously a lot at stake and I want to be sure we’re working smartly. Through my work at the Movember Foundation, there are two key points that have shaped my view on how we should approach cancer research, globally.
The first thing is that research is very often unsuccessful. The experiment is set up; the clinical trial is run; it doesn’t work but it still costs a lot of money and takes a very long time. Was that research or trial in vain? No. Everything provides part of the ultimate answer however we need to change the culture of cancer research, make it ok to fail, fail faster and share what didn’t work to the same extent that a breakthrough is shared.
The second key learning is that research is often incremental. Small developments build understanding that then lead to significant advances and discoveries. Never does a “Eureka” moment occur without insights and teachings learnt from previous work.
Taking the above two points, it’s clear to me that there is one obvious thing that needs to happen, globally and without exception – collaboration, between charities, governments, institutions and researchers.
Collaboration itself is not a new word, but for the world of cancer research it’s an innovative approach. My view is that we need to collaborate to maximize investment and increase research capabilities. Personal interests such as profit, competition, rivalry, or recognition need to be put aside.
Through team-based research, performed across borders and with a strong collaborative mindset, we will avoid duplication of work and deliver innovation and knowledge sharing. This in turn leads to an acceleration of results that will positively impact and benefit men diagnosed and living with cancer.
It frustrates me, as I know it does others in the cancer world, to think of the duplication of work that has happened due to a lack of communication, collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Well-intentioned research funded by people or organizations who believed in its potential to be a breakthrough or a cure, when in fact that research had already occurred and been concluded. Valuable time and money spent on already disproved theories.
For the sake of scientific progress, collaboration needs to be the binding theme that unites and drives research communities forward. It’s starting to happen, but we need widespread acknowledgement that it’s the smartest way to work going forward.
It’s true that global collaboration is a significant challenge and in many ways the charity sector who funds much of the initial research is not structured to facilitate this. The majority of cancer charities are nationally focused, many have names that include their country of origin thereby branding them as nationally focused, in many countries the charity regulations require the funds raised in a country to stay in that country. The result is that charities don’t end up funding the most promising research in the world no matter where it is.
To beat cancer, we need to be thinking at a global level. The Movember Foundation is uniquely placed to operate at a global level as we have campaigns in 21 countries and are the major funders of prostate and testicular cancer research. This reach and influence has enabled us to develop global prostate and testicular cancer research strategies which all research must feed into, it has enabled us to form global teams working on specific projects, it has enable us to facilitate collaboration and require sharing of data and outcomes be that progress or dead ends.
I often get asked – ‘what does collaboration look like?’ It’s pretty basic, we connect the smartest minds in the world working on the same challenges, we facilitate conferences, teleconferences, we provide technology platforms to share data, and most importantly we provide funding. But it doesn’t stop there we hold these teams accountable for sharing information and for making progress.
Some researchers don’t like our open approach, that’s fine, they just don’t get our funding.
The commitment I’m making today, World Cancer Day 2016, is that the Movember Foundation will continue to only fund research on the condition that those involved agree to openly share their successes and failures. Ultimately this will enable groundbreaking discoveries to develop into reproducible and reputable treatments and services accessed by millions of men living with cancer worldwide. That’s our vision, for World Cancer Day and beyond.
Adam Garone, CEO and Co-founder, Movember Foundation