Kieran grew up the 10th of 12 kids in a rough and resource scarce environment where humour, solitude and strong sibling bonds became survival tools. That foundation shaped the man who went on to serve 14 years in the Australian Army, deploying five times as a combat engineer and draftsman before being unfairly dismissed amid the Defence email culture controversy. He shares how the reputational fallout damaged relationships and pushed him toward suicide, and how he rebuilt himself through Stoic philosophy, meditation and disciplined daily habits. We discuss trauma and mental health through a neuroscience lens, challenging why “just talk about it” does not work for everyone, particularly hyper masculine cohorts. Kieran unpacks how many mental health frameworks cherry pick psychology while overlooking biology and social context. Today, he researches institutional abuse at Flinders University, using qualitative interviews to identify themes such as betrayal and leadership abuse to help inform policy change.

🎧Spotify – YouTube - Apple

https://www.highpl.com.au/podcast

Kieran Toohey

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ktoohey/

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