From soldier to singer

By Prince’s Trust Australia

Gold Coast local Ben Tenison has gone from soldier to singer, finding a passion for promoting mental health along the way.

The former Australian Army officer is now an artist and music producer who this year successfully launched a debut song, ‘Be Your Own King’, and a growing business, Roxley Music.

His song highlights ending the self-hate cycle and championing yourself, something he has lived and encourages in others.

Ben joined the Army in 2014 and, despite realising the military wasn’t his calling, saw out his minimum service period.

‘(It was) probably one of the most challenging things that I've had to do, to stick it out and to continue to show up every day even though I knew my heart wasn't in it,’ he says. ‘But I'm really glad that I did because I learnt a lot about commitment and sacrifice.’

Ben said that in those years, he worked out his true passion and decided to establish himself as a music producer.

The 30-year-old hung up his uniform at the start of 2021 and jumped straight into being a small business owner.  

‘I was terrified,’ he said. ‘I thought it was going to be rocky and … I was going to stuff everything up, but it's been really smooth actually.’

Ben credits Prince’s Trust Australia’s Enterprise Online program with helping him find his business feet.

The program supports serving and ex-serving ADF members and their spouses in becoming entrepreneurs and business owners. 

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Studio portrait of young man wearing a hat

Ben says the Enterprise Online workshops boosted his confidence in his ideas and gave him business skills and knowledge.

‘It's quite easy to feel a bit alone and isolated in this thing that you're starting,’ he said. ‘It was really good to share my ideas with people and have people be like, “Yeah, that's a great idea, that sounds viable”.’ And “let's work out how to do that and have a bit of an action plan for it as well rather than just a great idea”.’

And while growing professionally Ben was also working on his mental health through men’s retreats and focusing on his own needs.

Ben’s mental health journey inspired 'Be Your Own King'.

‘I wanted to let people know it’s okay to [put yourself first], because in my mind it was kind of not okay. I felt like it was a selfish thing,’ he says.

‘But by looking after yourself, you're actually creating the capacity…to fill your own cup so that you can support and fill up other people's cups as well.’

Ben said he would continue to focus on promoting mental health awareness, especially for men.

‘I don't think there's a lot of jumping-off points for men to get into this sort of space. I never really knew about men's work or being a part of a men's circle before. That men-supporting-men kind of kind of thing. If I can be someone's exposure to that, then I think that would be awesome.’

Prince's Trust Australia is a national charity that helps young people prepare for the rapidly changing world of work, inspires veterans and their families into entrepreneurship and self-employment, and champions resilient sustainable communities.

Download the music:  https://roxley.hearnow.com/

Visit the Prince’s Trust Australia website and register for the Prince’s Trust Australia Enterprise program:

This article was written for The Trust by an Australian Defence Force spouse, freelance copywriter, and Enterprise program alumna Courtney Snowden.

Please be aware that articles in ESO News have been submitted by ex-service and related organisations. The articles do not necessarily represent the views of DVA. ESOs are welcome to submit stories for publication by emailing vetaffairs [at] dva.gov.au.
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Close up photo of hands playing a guitar

 

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