Don't Let The Old Man In

When Stuart O'Neill stood at the edge of ending his life, one thought stopped him. That moment became Just One Reason, a 10-minute book that has since reached over 50,000 people across 20 countries and been adopted by Lifeline, health professionals, and emergency services worldwide.

In this episode, we explore:

• The making of “Just One Reason” — how a moment of despair led to a global message of hope.
• Mental health myths — why depression and suicidal thoughts are not always long-term or predictable.
• The psychology of survival — how asking the right question can stop a fatal impulse.
• The role of family and intergenerational trauma — including the extraordinary story of Stuart’s mother, whose honesty helped heal their bond.
• Bringing help to rural Australia — from flying books into drought-stricken communities to sitting at kitchen tables with families in crisis.
• The ‘mental health pub’ experiment — how Stuart turned the Deepwater Hotel into a community hub for connection, kindness, and conversation.
• Why men need new spaces to talk — and how a long table, a good meal, and a listening ear can sometimes save a life.
• The importance of failure and purpose — and why Stuart sees his own mental health as a source of energy, not weakness.
• The wisdom of the storm — his advice that no matter how bad it feels, “every storm passes — you just have to wait it out.”

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In this episode, we explore:

• What GLP-1 medications are and how they work
• Why our metabolism slows with age—and what we can do about it
• The concept of the body weight set point and why diets often fail
• How “food noise” hijacks our attention, and what life feels like when it’s gone
• The emotional roots of our relationship with food
• The overlap between food cravings, addiction, and mood
• Why perimenopausal women are often misdiagnosed or misunderstood
• The science—and self-awareness—behind sustainable weight management
• How Angela’s journey from rural GP to online entrepreneur reflects courage, purpose, and reinvention

Dr. Kwong also shares her vision for a “midlife MOT”—an annual health check that includes waist circumference, fasting insulin, and mental health screening. Her practical wisdom reframes aging as an opportunity to optimize our “health span,” not just our lifespan.

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Today we discuss:

• the idea of curiosity driving experimentation and learning

• the notion of ‘identity diversification’

• how to begin new projects or joining new associations

• what men can do to stop giving advice (in a world where AI can give better advice every time) and get better at listening to the core needs of the other person

• What he does to stay happily married to Marcella after 30 years, especially, given he travels the world for long periods of a time

• how as an entrepreneur he handed over the reins of his business to a CEO and stepped away

• how selling millions of copies of “The Coaching Habit”, changed his life

• the power of journalling in midlife

• how he stays creative

• being in the sandwich generation, i.e. taking care of elderly parents and why his brothers and he are hoping they, together, will eventually be as good as one competent daughter

• why training now for the last decade will prevent a world of pain

In a landscape too often dominated by platitudes, generic thinking and, as Billy Connoly once said, the colour beige, Michael’s willingness to vulnerably and often hilariously share his own struggles and his relentless drive to create positive change make him a uniquely valuable voice.

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Listen to host Pod O’Sullivan share what this podcast is about, who it is for, who will be interviewed, what to expect, and why Clint Eastwood is such a legend!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.