In this final episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with psychologist Anna Friis and psychiatrist Dr Tony Fernando.

Both Anna and Tony take a compassionate approach towards mental health and medicine. They discuss what self-care is really all about, what it means to be kind to yourself, whether mindfulness is all it’s cracked up to be, and how to be a compassionate friend to someone going through a tough time.

They also challenge stereotypes about mental health and where the gaps are in New Zealand’s mental health system.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with Newstalk ZB newsreader and marathon runner Niva Retimanu and how she learnt to live with depression.

Niva says she never dealt with the death of her parents in her early 20s, which resulted in depression. She had a ‘lightbulb moment’ about her health when one day she couldn’t tie her shoelaces. That moment propelled her into taking positive action to improve both her physical and mental health.

She’s now a passionate advocate for talk therapy (and will tell anyone who will listen), being open about her journey and encouraging others to do the same.

Her personal trainer Alex Flint, who’s helped train her to complete marathons all over the world, joins Juliette at the end of this podcast about his role as Niva’s support person.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with sexual abuse survivor Tamara Waugh and her experience with post traumatic stress disorder, and dealing with multiple mental health diagnoses. Tamara is also the creator of the gratitude movement called ‘The Happiness Experiment.’

Tamara explains how PTSD can affect a person’s daily life, the pros and cons of hypervigilance, dealing with trust issues after abuse and the difficulties of navigating a sexual relationship when one party has trauma in their history. She also talks about how she used meditation and gratitude to transform her life after a drug overdose.

Tamara’s friend, psychologist Dr Paul Wood joins Juliette at the end of this podcast to talk about how he offers support to Tamara, why we need to stop trying to ‘fix’ a person when they’re struggling, and what to say (or not say) instead.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks to Auckland man Mathew Nuttall about living with anxiety.

Mathew says at worst, he lost eight kilograms in two weeks due to his mental distress. He couldn’t concentrate, was throwing up and experienced an intense self-loathing.

He initially kept his struggles quiet, but has since learned that opening up to friends, employers and his personal trainer, is the best thing to help him on his path to recovery, as well as fighting the stigma around mental illness.

His trainer Mark Shaw is now one of his key support people. Mark speaks to Juliette at the end of this podcast about the benefits of showing vulnerability.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with entrepreneur Philip McDonald about his journey with depression.

Philip was working in a high-pressure job in the finance industry when stress began to take a toll on his mental health, especially during the Global Financial Crisis of 2007- 2008.

But it took some time for him and his partner to understand what he was going through, admitting his behaviour may have come across as grumpiness, rather than depression.

His partner Kate joins host Juliette at the end of this podcast to share her experience, how her personal understanding of mental distress has now changed, and shares some tips on being a support person.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with Samantha Adams about navigating her life through grief, a bipolar diagnosis, depression, drug abuse and psychosis.

Her journey began after watching her father’s health deteriorate due to cancer, and the unresolved grief that followed after his death.

Samantha wants to share her story so others don’t feel so alone in their journey, and show that with the right support, a personal in serious distress can learn to flourish and be well.

Her husband Chris joins Juliette in the latter part of the interview with what he does to ensure he’s being a good support person, while maintaining his own mental health and wellbeing.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with nutritionist Francesca Eldridge about living with and recovering from obsessive compulsive disorder, and how to support a partner with OCD.

To an outsider, Francesca’s excessive cleaning rituals at the height of her distress could have been interpreted as someone who had an intense phobia of dirt.

The 39-year-old has lived most of her life with metaphysical contamination OCD.

But as Francesca explains in this podcast, her OCD was an anxiety-driven response that wasn’t about a fear of dirt or germs, but a feeling of mental contamination.

Juliette also speaks with Francesca’s ex-husband Glenn, to hear the lessons he learnt from being a support person.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just Listen is a seven-part mental health podcast series, exploring how to support a person in serious and ongoing mental distress.

Six New Zealanders and their support people share their mental health journey and challenges with journalist and host Juliette Sivertsen, with the final episode featuring an expert panel to discuss kindness, boundaries, mindfulness and self-care.

These candid conversations aim to get people comfortable talking about mental health, to share stories of people living with a mental illness, and to discuss some of the helpful and not-so-helpful things some of us do and say when trying to help a person in distress.

Together, we can work to better support people in our communities, and learn to just listen.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.