Welcome to Facing it, we’re so glad you’re here. 

On today’s episode we had the pleasure of interviewing Emily Staples.

Emily is a registered nurse who has worked in multiple major hospitals across Sydney in her career - and loves the pace and intensity of the critical care profession.

In 2019, Emily was on a skiing holiday in New Zealand where she had an accident - resulting in a femur broken in four places. A long way from home and in an unfamiliar place, Emily found herself on the other side of the critical care story.

In this episode Emily talks about the impact of significant physical trauma on her mental health, her family and friends and her sense of identity. She shares incredibly raw insights into her recovery process, teaching us so much about the inner dialogue of a person recovering from physical trauma - and how we can better understand the toll it takes on a person’s emotional and mental wellbeing.

In this episode we discuss suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. If you or someone you know needs assistance or further advice please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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For further information on trauma and stressor related disorders visit the Head to Health page:

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Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

Welcome to Facing it, we’re so glad you’re here! 

On today’s episode we had the delight of a chat with Kobe Herring. Kobe is a landscaper based in Canberra, originally from Gundagai in South-Western NSW.

Kobe was brilliantly raw and vulnerable with us in telling his story about his lived experience with mental ill-health - from his partying days in his early 20s through to his life changing conversations with his psychologist. Kobe spoke from the heart, and offered incredible advice on how we can have that tough conversation - the one that comes after someone answers ‘ Are you ok?’ with a ‘no’.

In today’s episode we discuss suicidal thoughts, depression and anxiety. If you are someone you know need further help or advice please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or suicide callback service on 1300 659 467.

**Language warning for the contents of this episode**

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For further information on depressive disorders visit the Head to Health page:

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Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

Today’s episode is a little bit different to our usual format, and when we introduce our guest you will likely understand why.

You most likely know Honourable Minister Greg Hunt MP as the man who has fronted the response to Covid-19 during 2020 as the Federal Minister for Health and Sport. You would have seen him standing alongside the Prime Minister and Chief Medical Officer for countless media briefings, announcements for funding and responses to the unprecedented challenges that a global pandemic has presented Australia.

What you may not know about Minister Hunt is that he has a deep lived experience with mental ill-health, which he speaks about with us in this episode - his mother was diagnosed with a form of bi-polar disorder during his youth. He talks with us today about his recollections and memories of this time, in a time when mental ill-health was certainly not spoken about and understood like it is today. 

Minister Hunt shared with us his experiences and how they have remained in his memory, but also how these experiences have informed the person he is today - both personally and professionally. He talks about an appreciation of suffering, and how that challenge motivates him to do his job each and every day.

In this episode, we discuss bipolar disorder, mental health institutions, and psychiatric care. If you or anyone you know needs help or advice please contact SANE Australia on 1800 18 72 63 or Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4663 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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For further information on bipolar and related disorders visit the Head to Health page:

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Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

Welcome to Facing it! We’re so glad you’re here. 

On today’s episode, we had an opportunity to speak with and learn from the lived experience of an incredible young man, Taylor Johnstone. 

Taylor is currently completing an osteopathy degree, whilst also being part of the Youth Research Council for Orygen - the National centre of excellence in youth mental health. Taylor is also a board member for Youth Live4Life - a health promotion charity that empowers rural Victorian communities to support, improve and invest in young people’s mental health and wellbeing.

In this episode, we discuss depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviours. If you or someone you love need help please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide callback service on 1300 659 467 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.

We learnt so much about self-stigma and the life long journey with managing your mental wellbeing from Taylor, we hope that you get to take away some of his wisdom as well.

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For further information on suicidal thoughts visit the Head to Health page:

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Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

Welcome to Facing it, we’re so glad you’re here!

We would like to acknowledge and pay our respects to the traditional owners and custodians of the lands in which we live and work, and particularly those we were part of in recording this episode.

On today’s episode, we have Part 1 of our conversation with Joe Williams.

Joe is a proud Wiradjuri/Wolgalu First Nations man. Joe played in the National Rugby League for several years before switching to professional boxing in 2009. Joe also has a lifetime of experience with suicidal thoughts and bipolar disorder, something he speaks so passionately about in his work with his company ‘The Enemy Within’.

At the time we recorded this episode, the world was a very turbulent place, particularly for people of colour. In this episode we started talking about mental ill-health and Joe’s experiences, and we quickly turned to the conversation around race relations - and how the identity associated with First Nations culture has been instrumental in Joe’s mental health journey.

In this episode, we discuss First Nations people, intergenerational trauma and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you love need help please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Suicide callback service on 1300 659 467.

We all have so much we can learn from Joe and his fellow First Nations people - please enjoy!

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Joe Williams' blog:

Joe Williams' book, Defying the Enemy Within, available here:

For further information on supporting yourself visit the Head to Health page:

// Credits

Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

In this episode, we spoke with Vivien Thomson AFSM. 

Viv is a published author, and a recipient of the Australian Fire Service Medal. Viv was also named in the top 100 women in Australian agribusiness in 2014, and has an impressive resume in leadership both in her profession and her personal life. 

Viv spoke with us today about her experiences with trauma in her more than 30 years service within the rural fire industry. She speaks passionately about the collective pain that is experienced by firefighters, the strength of the bond in the firies community and how that has helped her understand and process her experiences and better manage her mental wellbeing. 

Viv sees postvention for fire-affected communities as a  major path to recovery, and talks about the work she’s doing in this space. In this episode we discuss trauma, specifically related to bushfire incidents. 

If you or someone you know needs help or advice please contact Beyondblue on 1300 22 46 36 or Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14. 

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Vivien's book, Ashes of the Firefighters, is available here:

For further information on trauma related distress visit the Head to Health page:

// Credits

Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

Hello! Welcome to Episode 2 of Facing it, we’re so pleased you're here! 

On today’s episode, we had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Lisa Sweeney. Lisa is an immensely passionate mental health advocate who uses her lived experiences to inform amazing work in the mental health space:

Lisa was also part of the Australian Mental Health Leaders Fellowship which is where we had the pleasure of crossing paths with her and experiencing first hand her passion for mental health advocacy, not to mention her never fading cheerful nature. 

In today’s episode, we discuss anxiety and mental ill-health caring responsibilities. If you or someone you know needs help or advice please contact Beyondblue on 1300 22 46 36 or Mental Health Carers Australia on 1300 554 660.

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Australians for Mental health website:

SANE Australia website:

For further information on supporting a loved one visit the Head to Health page:

// Credits

Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

Hello, welcome to Facing It! We’re so pleased you’re here. 

On today’s episode we had the privilege of interviewing Brett Saunders, who is a team leader in beverage manufacturing. Brett has also been a part of the National Mental Health Commission’s Australian Mental Health Leaders Fellowship - which is where we met him - through which he has been influential in raising the profile of men’s mental health and how community activity can better support the breakdown of stigma. 

In this episode he talks about his long history with anxiety and panic attacks, and how he has regained control of his mental health some 30 years on from his first panic attack at the age of 12. Brett is passionate about sharing his story to encourage and offer hope to those who are afflicted by mental ill-health. In this episode we discuss details of anxiety and mental ill-health related distress. 

If you or someone you know needs advice please contact Men’s Line on 1300 78 99 78 or Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

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For more information on anxiety disorders visit the Head to Health page:

// Credits

Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com

Hello, welcome to Facing It! We’re so pleased you’re here.

If you or someone you know needs mental health advice please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

// Credits

Music: Matthew Wykniet

Editing: Nocturnal Hub Cap

Website: www.facingitpodcast.com