Content note: this episode discusses suicide, mental health and grief. Please listen when you're in the right space, and come back later if today isn't the day. Support is below.

When Jason King received a letter telling him he was a father, his daughter Jordan was already 18 months old. The first time he saw her, at Melbourne Airport, he looked into her eyes and thought: oh, there you are. It was love at first sight.

This is the journey of Jordan, told by her dad: long-distance parenting across two states, fighting through family court for time together, and Jordan moving to Broken Hill at 15 after a suicide attempt, right as COVID lockdowns and a family cancer diagnosis created a perfect storm. Jordan died by suicide in March 2023, aged 18.

Jason shares her story from a place of love, focused on legacy rather than tragedy alone: the signs he sees now in hindsight, the bedroom door he wishes he'd knocked on, and the message he carries to every parent: if you're worried about your child and you can have the conversation today, have it today. Don't wait until tomorrow.

Why this episode is called The Best Is Yet to Come: they are Jordan's own words. After she passed, her family found a gratitude journal with just one page filled in. In the space marked quote of the day, written only a month or two before she died, Jordan had written: the best is yet to come. Those five words are now her legacy, the tagline of The Jordan Liberty Project, and Jason's message to anyone struggling: it's true. Stay for it.

Her legacy lives on through The Jordan Liberty Project: a documentary following Jason and Jordan's closest friends carrying her ashes from Broken Hill home to Alice Springs, partnered with the Royal Flying Doctor Service and endorsed by Suicide Prevention Australia. Be kind, to yourself and others.

DONATE TO JORDAN'S LEGACY (tax-deductible over $2):https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/jordan-liberty/

Timestamps:0:00 Trailer: the journey of Jordan1:05 How to listen to this episode1:59 Welcome Jason King2:34 From Australia's oldest milk bar to filmmaking7:03 Legacy, not just tragedy8:40 A breathing tool anyone can use10:01 The letter: learning he was a dad12:24 Meeting Jordan at Melbourne Airport16:07 Long-distance parenting and family court22:57 Jordan moves to Broken Hill at 1524:13 The perfect storm: COVID and a cancer diagnosis26:21 Coping and being honest about it28:55 Living with Jordan through the ups and downs31:25 Why teens struggle to show how bad it is35:35 The signs Jason sees in hindsight37:47 Have the conversation today39:41 The door he wishes he'd knocked on41:04 Sobriety, self-kindness and healing45:10 The Jordan Liberty Project49:14 The best is yet to come: Jordan's words51:52 The invisible backpack53:58 How to support the documentary

The Jordan Liberty Project:Website → https://jordanliberty.orgInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/jordanlibertyprojectFacebook → The Jordan Liberty Project

Jason King:Website → https://jasonking.net.auLinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-king-aab41617/

Connect with me:Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafieldTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@jacinthafieldYouTube → https://www.youtube.com/rawwithj

Happy Souls Kids:Website → https://www.happysoulskids.comInstagram → https://www.instagram.com/happysoulskidsTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@happysoulskids

If this brings anything up, support is available:Lifeline 13 11 14 | Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 | Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800If life is in danger, call 000.

RAW with J is hosted by Jacintha Field, family and child counsellor, art therapist and founder of Happy Souls Kids: happysoulskids.com

You are not broken. You are rebuilding. And what if the loneliest, hardest season of your life is the very thing that hands you your purpose?

In this episode of Raw with J, I do something I have never done before. No guest, no co-host, just me, straight to the camera, telling bits of my story for the first time.

I am Jacintha, though most people call me J. I am a family and child counsellor, art therapist, play therapist and kids yoga teacher, and the founder of Happy Souls Kids. But before any of that, I was a little girl who stopped smiling, a woman who spent fifteen years in an abusive relationship, and a single mum who hit rock bottom and then went lower. This is the story of how I found my way back to myself.

Together, I take you through the moments that shaped me: the secret meditation teacher who handed me a pencil when I had no words, the decision to get sober that no one around me understood, the brutal separation during COVID, the thousands of people who walked away, and the offhand moment ("LeBron James meditates") that became Happy Souls Kids.

In this episode I cover:

How turning to sugar and then alcohol became the way I suppressed emotions I was never taught to feel. What fifteen years in an abusive relationship taught me about self-worth and the questions I had been asking all wrong. The day my body said, "This isn't you anymore", ten years of sobriety began. Why separation, divorce and single motherhood are impossible to understand until you live them, and how little support single parents really receive. Why I trained as a child counsellor and art therapist, and how I used every modality on my own son. The birth of Happy Souls Kids and the mission to give kids the tools we were never given. Friendship circles, the people who vanish when you can no longer be useful to them, and learning that there is no greater power than standing on your own two feet. How to actually show up for someone in trauma, even when you are not good with the feelings.

Connect with me:Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafieldTikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/jacinthafield

YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/rawwithj

Linkedin →⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacinthafield/

Connect with Happy Souls Kids:Instagram → ⁠https://www.instagram.com/happysoulskids⁠TikTok → ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/happysoulskids

YouTube →⁠ https://www.youtube.com/happysoulskids

Linkedin →⁠⁠⁠ ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/happysoulskids

RAW with J is the podcast that has the conversations that matter. Real, raw and honest conversations about parenting, children's wellbeing, education and everything in between. If this episode made you feel seen, hit follow so you never miss a conversation.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Given to someone else on a silver platter

00:25 My first-ever solo episode

00:56 The girl who stopped smiling

01:13 Sugar, suppression and "you'll be right"

01:42 15 years in an abusive relationship

02:23 The meditation teacher who told me to draw

02:56 Brené Brown, Oprah and the start of healing

03:18 Pregnancy as an unexpected gift

04:53 The night my body said "this isn't you"

05:52 10 years sober

06:49 Separation, COVID and rock bottom

08:03 Glennon Doyle and painting the house

08:44 Pulled over with nowhere to live

09:21 Healing at the beach

10:21 Fighting for what I wanted

12:05 Four years of solo driving

12:45 Thousands of people walking away

14:12 Why I trained as a child counsellor

15:48 The slime lady

16:49 "LeBron James meditates": the birth of Happy Souls Kids

19:40 Betrayal in the wellness industry

20:02 My real gift: the repair

22:56 Chasing stability

24:12 Fired after two weeks for being a single mum

25:21 What single parents carry

26:40 Friendship circles: who belongs

29:50 The friends who vanish

31:46 How to show up for someone in trauma

33:07 What do YOU need?

33:52 Happy Souls Kids and sign-off

LLG,

Jxo

You are not failing your child. And your child is not a bad kid. What if the behaviour that is driving you to your absolute limit is actually your child's way of telling you something they do not yet have the words for?

In this episode of Raw With J, I sit down with Karen Young, psychologist, children's author and the brilliant mind behind Hey Sigmund, to have one of the warmest and most practically useful conversations I have ever had on this podcast.

Karen has spent her career helping children, parents and schools understand anxiety, big feelings and behaviour in a way that is deeply human, completely accessible and immediately actionable. Her books including Hey Warrior, But We Are Not Lions and Dear You: Love From Your Brain have helped millions of families around the world navigate some of the hardest moments of childhood.

Together we unpack why your child's behaviour is never about you, what anxiety in children really is and how the smallest shifts in the way we show up for our children can change absolutely everything.

In this episode we cover:

• Why child behaviour is always communication and what your child is really trying to tell you

• How mindful parenting and conscious parenting starts with being radically compassionate with yourself

• What anxiety in children actually is and why we need to stop treating it like something to fix

• Practical parenting tips for helping anxious kids feel bigger than their anxiety

• Why child psychology tells us co-regulation is the only way children truly learn to self regulate

• How child development and early experiences shape the way we show up as parents for our own children

• What teen mental health really needs and why shared family spaces matter more than we realise

• Why parenting strategies like repair and accountability are more powerful than getting it right every time

Connect with me: 

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield 

Happy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Karen Young: 

Website & Books → https://heysigmund.com/shop/ 

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/karenyoung_heysigmund/

Raw with J is the podcast that has the conversations that matter. Real, raw and honest conversations about parenting, children's wellbeing, education and everything in between. If this episode made you feel seen as a parent, hit follow so you never miss a conversation.

What if someone had already invented the technology to keep your kids safe online and nobody in power was listening?

In this episode of Raw With J, I talk to Ric Richardson, the extraordinary Australian inventor known as the man who sued Microsoft and won, to have one of the most important and urgent conversations I have ever recorded.

If you are a parent trying to navigate the digital world with your children, trying to understand what is really happening on platforms like Roblox, Instagram and Snapchat, or wondering why the Australian government still hasn't done enough to protect our kids online, this episode is for you.  

Ric invented software activation technology in 1992, the system now used by every major software company in the world. His patent was worth half a billion dollars by 2012. He is now turning that same brilliant inventor's mind to the most urgent problem facing families today and he already has the solution. The question is why is nobody implementing it.

This is not just a conversation about technology. This is a call to action for every parent, every government and every social media platform that is currently failing our children.

In this episode we cover:

• How Ric invented software activation technology in 1992 and took on Microsoft and won

• What digital safety actually looks like in practice and why current measures are failing our kids

• What SafeGen is and how it definitively solves the problem of online grooming and protecting kids online

• Why Roblox predators and online predators are a far bigger problem than most parents realise

• Why social media regulation in Australia is stuck in a cycle of blame shifting and inaction

• What online grooming actually looks like and how predators are targeting children right now

• What the Australian government needs to do right now to protect child safety online

• Why kids and social media is one of the most urgent conversations parents need to be having

• How kids screen time and online safety are connected 

If this episode made you angry, made you emotional or made you more determined to fight for our kids please subscribe, like and share it with every parent you know. It helps more families find conversations like this.

Connect with me: 

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield 

Happy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Ric & SafeGen: 

SafeGen Website → https://www.safegen.com.au/ 

SafeGen Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/safegen123/ 

Ric's Website → https://ricrichardson.com/

What if everything you were told about yourself was wrong? And what if the way you show up in your relationships, your patterns, your people pleasing and your self doubt all lead back to one place: your childhood?

In this episode of Raw With J, I sit down with Dr Nicole LePera, world renowned psychologist and the mastermind behind The Holistic Psychologist, to have one of the most profound and personal conversations I have ever had on this podcast.

Together we go deep into the wounds that childhood leaves behind, why your nervous system is still running patterns that were formed before you even had language, and what it actually takes to come home to yourself after years of gaslighting, enmeshment and emotional survival.

This conversation is raw, deeply personal and at times confronting. But it is also one of the most healing and empowering episodes I have ever recorded. If you have ever doubted yourself, struggled to set boundaries, wondered why you keep repeating the same patterns or felt like you were never truly seen,  this one is for you.

In this episode we cover:

• What inner child healing actually means and why reparenting inner child is the foundation of all emotional healing and trauma healing

• How childhood trauma and healing childhood trauma explains people pleasing, overachieving and emotional shutdown in adulthood

• What attachment styles really are, the difference between anxious attachment and avoidant attachment and why we repeat the same patterns in every relationship

• What an enmeshed family is and why setting boundaries in a toxic relationship feels so impossibly hard

• Why setting boundaries is so often met with accusations of abandonment and what your nervous system healing journey actually looks like

• Smear campaign narcissist, covert narcissism and psychology of narcissism explained — why the person often genuinely believes their version of events

• Gaslighting explained — what it really is, how emotional dysregulation and manipulation destroy self trust over time

• Narcissistic abuse recovery and why your self healing journey requires more than just awareness to create real change

• What limerence is and how childhood trauma and trauma response follow us into our adult toxic relationships

• The difference between intuition and a trauma response and how nervous system regulation helps you learn to trust yourself again

• How reparenting yourself and nervous system healing through emotional healing can help you reclaim your sense of self

Connect with me: 

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield 

Happy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Dr Nicole LePera: 

Website & all social media platforms → https://theholisticpsychologist.com/ 

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/the.holistic.psychologist/ 

Self Healer Circle → https://www.selfhealercircle.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

• Reparenting the Inner Child by Dr Nicole LePera: https://theholisticpsychologist.com/books/reparenting-the-inner-child/

Raw with J is the podcast that has the conversations that matter. Real, raw and honest conversations about parenting, children's wellbeing, relationships and everything in between. If this episode resonated with you, hit follow so you never miss a conversation.

What if the moments your child struggles, fails or falls apart are actually the moments their brain is growing the most?

In this episode of Raw With J, I chat  with Alexandra Eidens, founder of Big Life Journal, the children's growth mindset journal that has reached over 2 million families worldwide. Alexandra is warm, wise and deeply passionate about raising children who believe in themselves, embrace mistakes and grow into confident, resilient human beings.

If you are a parent who wants to raise a child who doesn't give up, who handles big emotions with grace and who knows deep down that they are capable of anything, this conversation will stay with you long after you finish listening.

Together we explore what it really means to raise children with a growth mindset, why our job as parents is not to fix our kids but to connect with them, and how the smallest shifts in the way we speak and show up can change everything for our children.

This conversation is warm, honest and full of practical tools you can use today. It is a reminder that you do not have to be a perfect parent to raise an incredible child.

In this episode we cover:

• What growth mindset actually means and why it is the most important child development tool every parent needs to know about

• Parenting tips for anxious or perfectionist kids and why positive parenting and gentle parenting means connecting rather than fixing

• How mindful parenting and modeling imperfection is one of the most powerful parenting tips Australia families are embracing right now

• The one word that transforms kids mental health and children's wellbeing and gives children hope when they feel like giving up

• Why the kids journal approach of Big Life Journal works for all types of learners and why Big Life Journal has reached over 2 million families worldwide

• How kids affirmations and gratitude practice create lasting change in family life and support kids emotional regulation

• Why connection is the foundation of emotional intelligence kids need to thrive and how to build it every single day

• The difference between fixed mindset vs growth mindset and what it means for raising confident kids who believe in themselves

• How Big Life Journal's kids podcast with over 12 million downloads is changing children's wellbeing and kids mental health worldwide

• What is coming next from Big Life Journal and Growth Minded including new kids podcast content and school curriculum

Connect with me: 

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield 

Happy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Alexandra: 

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/biglifejournal/ 

Website → https://biglifejournal.com/

Mentioned in this episode:

• Big Life Journal by Alexandra Eidens

• Growth Mindset by Dr Carol Dweck

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

• Big Life Journal Kids Podcast — over 12 million downloads

• Growth Minded — sister brand and school curriculum platform

Raw with J is the podcast that has the conversations that matter. Real, raw and honest conversations about parenting, children's wellbeing, education and everything in between. If this episode lit you up, hit follow so you never miss a conversation.

Separation is brutal. The grief is real. But what happens to your children while you are in the middle of it all could affect them for the rest of their lives.

In this episode of Raw With J, I sit down with Gabriella Pomare, a family lawyer, author and co-parenting expert who has not only guided countless families through separation and divorce but has lived it herself. Together we get brutally honest about what the legal system gets wrong, what co-parenting really looks like in practice and how to put your kids first even when everything feels impossible.

We cover:

• Why the family court system is failing separated families

• What parenting orders can and can't actually do

• How to co-parent with a difficult or absent ex

• Why speaking negatively about your ex is hurting your kids

• The four pillars of collaborative co-parenting

• What relocation laws in Australia actually mean for parents

• How to find yourself again after separation and divorce

• Why it is never too late to reset your co-parenting relationship

Connect with me:

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield

Happy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Gabriella:

Website → https://thecollaborativeco-parent.com.au/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/thegabriellapomare

Mentioned in this episode:

• Gabriella's book: The Collaborative Co-Parent by Gabriella Pomare

• Conscious Uncoupling by Katherine Woodward Thomas

• The Pursuit of Happyness (film)

Raw with J is the platform for conversations that matter. Real, raw and honest conversations about parenting, children's wellbeing, relationships and everything in between. If this episode resonated with you, hit follow so you never miss a conversation.

Is Australia's social media ban actually protecting our kids or are we completely missing the point?

In this episode of Raw With J, Jacinta sits down with Dr Ger Graus, one of the world's leading early childhood education experts with over 45 years of experience, to unpack why the social media ban won't work, what is really failing our children and what we should be doing instead.

Dr Ger Graus is an educator, author and global advisor to KidZania. He has dedicated his life to placing children at the centre of everything and his perspective will change how you think about raising kids in a digital world.

In this episode we cover:

• Why the social media ban in Australia is missing the mark

• How Meta and TikTok are failing our children

• Why early childhood education holds the answers

• The role parents play as co-educators

• How KidZania is changing child development

• What adults consistently get wrong about children

• The one thing Dr Ger Graus would change about how we speak to children

Connect with me:

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafieldHappy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Dr Ger Graus:

Website → https://www.gergraus.com/ 

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-dr-ger-graus-obe-335bb6115/ 

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Dr Ger’s book: Through a Different Lens by Dr Ger Graus 

• KidZania: Cities Built for Children https://kidzania.com/en 

Raw with J is the podcast that has the conversations that matter. Real, raw and honest conversations about parenting, children's wellbeing, education and everything in between. If this is your kind of conversation, hit follow so you never miss an episode.

If you know what to do (set boundaries, stay calm, stop procrastinating) but cannot seem to do it, this is why.

In this episode of Raw With J, Dr Chris Lee and I unpack why setting boundaries feels hard, why anxiety leads to avoidance, how phone addiction hijacks focus, and what actually builds mental resilience. We explore emotional intelligence through the lens of regulation, trauma responses, and the patterns we unknowingly pass down to our kids.

This conversation moves beyond surface-level advice and into what genuinely changes behaviour, so you can respond with clarity instead of reacting from stress.

Connect with J

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield

Happy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Dr Chris Lee

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/drchrislee/ 

Website → https://www.drchrislee.com/

In this episode, we cover:

• Nervous system regulation and how it underpins emotional intelligence and self regulation

• Why setting boundaries feels hard when your nervous system is dysregulated

• Anxiety, avoidance, trauma responses, and how to regulate emotions

• Imposter syndrome, self sabotage, and nervous system dysregulation

• Mental resilience and how nervous system regulation builds emotional intelligence

• Breathwork for anxiety and practical nervous system regulation tools

• Phone addiction, overstimulation, and their impact on the autonomic nervous system

• Self awareness, emotional regulation, and reparenting yourself to heal childhood trauma

If this episode resonated, follow RAW With J and leave a review. It helps more people find grounded, science-based conversations about nervous system regulation, boundaries, and emotional growth.

The most powerful driver of your emotions has never been measured before. Until now.

In this episode, Nic Gibson and I unpack the nervous system, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence and why so much of our behaviour is driven beneath the surface.

If we want to change our patterns and strengthen connection, we need to understand the autonomic nervous system and how it quietly shapes everyday life.

Connect with me

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/jacinthafield

Happy Souls Kids → https://www.happysoulskids.com/

Connect with Nic

Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/nicgibson_/ Website → https://nicolegibson.com/

Podcast → https://open.spotify.com/show/5jNfLArZc2ilTkp8Mn6Bql?si=227f6cff91584a30 In this episode, we cover:

• What nervous system regulation actually means

• Why 90% of behaviour is driven by autonomic responses

• The link between emotional regulation and emotional intelligence

• How fight or flight responses impact connection

• Cognitive dissonance and why change feels uncomfortable

• Why vulnerability is essential for real emotional growth

• How understanding your nervous system can shift behaviour patterns

⚠️Content warning: this episode discusses eating disorders. Please take care while listening or opt-out of this one if you need to. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, please head here or contact the Butterfly Foundation on (02) 9412 4499 

If you enjoyed this episode, follow Raw with J and leave a review. It helps more people find grounded, science-based conversations about emotional regulation, connection, and conscious change.