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Andrew Spurrier-Dawes of Wavemaker Talks Mental Health and Workplace Dedication in Candid Conversation with Digital Marketing CEO

The fast paced world of digital marketing has many companies scrambling to fill the many roles which come with the work.  Often many will wear multiple hats.  They could even be deemed “Jack of All Trades.”  That title however can come with a price if you’re not careful.  Thankfully we have people like Andrew Spurrier-Dawes to help catch us before we fall.  

Meet Andrew, one of the the insightful minds behind media agency giant, Wavemaker.  He recently engaged in a conversation with Digital Marketing CEO to discuss all things mental health in the workplace.  

In this candid discourse Andrew delves into the crucial topic of mental health, shedding light on the challenges faced by individuals tirelessly contributing to the workplace. 

As someone who has dedicated much time to researching this very topic, Andrew offers a new perspective perspective carrying valuable insights to help with the well-being of those dedicated to their professional endeavors, making the conversation a beacon of understanding and support in the fast-paced world of digital marketing.


Andrew Spurrier Dawes from Wavemaker
Andrew Spurrier-Dawes, Head of Digital Planning at Wavemaker speaking in Bratislava

Can you explain your role at Wavemaker? Are you in management?

I am the EMEA Head of Digital Planning and Senior Partner in Global Activation. If you have a question on anything digital, data or tech, I will help you out, from strategy to activation. There is a lot of pitch work, client work on specific challenges and then help build products our clients need for the agencies.

So many talk about work life balance. Yet so many in today’s hurried 24/7 environment are afraid of getting behind if they take time away from work. What do you suggest they do?

The first thing to do is to accept there is no such thing as work life balance, which then makes your approach more a focus on your priorities rather than the person you are trying to be. If you spend more time in your job than with your family, it is because your job is more important to you than your family. It’s a difficult truth and we can tell ourselves we are doing it for our family, but your family would rather have you around than see you get promoted and be able to go on a slightly more expensive holiday next year. It is not hard to understand, but it is uncomfortable to accept.

We also have to remember, a job is just a job, you weren’t known before you started and you will be forgotten after you leave. There will be a time when you leave work altogether and if your identity is wrapped up in your job, you will be left with a massive gap in your personality and mental health – and a ton of regrets.

Do you have any tips to use in order to stay calm when dealing with difficult clients or colleagues? 

There will always be difficult people in life and in these moments I like to remember what the poet Kae Tempest says:

‘Next time I’m about to cast a harsh judgement on a stranger who offends me, can I allow myself instead to see them as the flawed and complex human that they are? Full of heartbreak, loss, ambition and disappointment, walking a volatile path of all the things they’ve ever failed at? What about next time I’m about to judge my nearest and dearest harshly for hurting my feelings in one way or another? Can I do the same for them?

Cast them as the protagonist in their own story, rather than as an accessory to mine?’

In the moment, we can react like they are-  full of hurt, anxiety and emotion. But if we remain calm, appreciate they know they are being horrible and are powerless to stop it due to their insecurities and instead focus on what matters – controlling what we can, aim for the right goal and remain professional.

The alternative is to raise up, get angry back, which will hurt you, make you anxious, make them react and put progress back.

That said, sometimes you need to go to a gym and just hit something too.

There are so many “morning routines” people say will make you successful. From a mental health perspective, what would you say is a good morning routine?

I leaned into the Tim-Ferris-4-hour-work-week-Jocko-Willinck-Discipline-equals-freedom-Ryan-Holiday-Ego-is-the-enemy style of having a super optimised morning routine where I got up at 5, meditated, journalled to start my day, exercised and then started the rest of the day with my family but it just left me tired and anxious that I wasn’t the model of person these people are pushing.

Having a process and a routine is great, but it has to be balanced with compassion for yourself. For me, getting up early gives me peace and quiet before the kids wake up. I plan my exercise a week ahead based on school and nursery drop offs, if I am WFH or in the office, meetings etc and so sometimes I go to the gym or run first thing, sometimes it is a little later. I try not to eat until 12 but cereal is my favourite food, so sometimes I need that burst of energy if I am feeling tired. My habits are more spread throughout the day so I can have a bit of necessary flexibility in when I do them and also reduce the anxiety of missing tight, unreasonably rigid timeslots.

Do you believe it’s important to take a set digital detox or work it into your every day of time where you are without your devices?

Absolutely, but I believe what you do with that time is equally as important. It is less about reducing screen time and more about prioritising healthier habits. Being present with my family, exercise, drawing, cooking, being still etc. What are the digital screens blocking? It turns out they stop a lot of what it is to be human and what is needed to be human.

A lot of workers find themselves in a ton of meetings during their day and can’t get their work done. What advice would you give people to cutting down overall meeting times?

It took me years to understand that you just have to say no. You can do this by setting standards like ‘before we have a meeting, there needs to be a strict agenda and a pre-read, and we agree on what we want the outcomes to be before we get in’. If one of these doesn’t happen, the meeting isn’t important enough to happen in the first place.

Remember, there are people who do the work and there are people whose job it is to monitor those who do the work. For the monitors, meetings are their job and it makes them look and feel busy. For those who do the work, 90% of meetings can be an email and the remaining 10% can largely be 5 minutes covering any questions from a pre-read.

You can also block out days, for example I don’t have meetings on Fridays unless they are urgent. There will be times where your boss or clients requires that you are in meetings, but if you have set up a culture of ‘only if they are necessary and I am explicitly needed’, then there will be fewer meetings in the first place.


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