The Minds Changing Lives

Content warning: This episode discusses mental health and suicide.

Every day in Australia, an average of seven men will die by suicide. For years, the conversation about men’s mental health has followed a similar pattern: Men don’t talk. They don’t seek help. They’re too stoic and closed off. But what if the problem isn’t with men?

University of Newcastle researcher Dr Myles Young and lived experience advocate Elliot Waters are rethinking men's mental health - and the need for support pathways as diverse as men themselves. Together, they’re exploring innovative, evidence-based alternatives that could help more men access the type of support they need before they reach crisis point.

From Walk-and-Talk therapy and SMS4Dads, to the power of lived experience and storytelling, this episode is an important conversation about struggle, connection and the road to recovery.

If you’re interested in learning more about the team’s research, visit www.goodtalklab.com.

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This episode tackles one of the biggest environmental and public health challenges of our time: PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals”. They’re found in everything from non-stick cookware to firefighting foam. When PFAS contamination was discovered around the Royal Australian Air Force base near Newcastle, residents like Lindsay Clout were left searching for answers about what the chemicals meant for their health, livelihoods and future. Through Lindsay’s powerful firsthand account, we explore the impact of living in a contamination zone and the long fight for recognition and action. Host Shahni Wellington also speaks with University of Newcastle experts Professor Ravi Naidu and Dr Jacinta Martin about the science behind PFAS, the risks they pose, and groundbreaking research aimed at removing PFAS from contaminated soil, water and even our bodies. From community advocacy to scientific advances, this is a story of resilience, discovery and those fighting against an enemy we cannot see.

This episode includes personal experiences and views from a community member affected by PFAS contamination. Those views are their own. Discussion of PFAS and potential health impacts reflects current scientific understanding available at the time of recording.

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What happens when a common ear condition in kids goes untreated for months, or even years, because the right care is out of reach? For Indigenous children, and those living in rural and remote communities, delayed treatment doesn’t just affect hearing. It impacts learning, confidence and connection.

In this episode, we talk with Professor Kelvin Kong – Australia’s first Indigenous ear, nose and throat specialist – about the disproportionate impact of ear disease on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. We meet Marlie Matthews, who provides a touching, first-hand account of what delayed treatment meant for her son Marcus. And we hear from Yeena Thompson, who’s leading the charge to ensure Indigenous communities are finally heard.

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Coal has powered the Hunter Valley for decades. Now the region faces a defining question: what comes next and who gets to decide? As some mines approach closure – and proposals to extend other operations are debated – communities are grappling with what the future looks like. In this episode, we explore the economic, environmental and cultural voids that will be left from open-cut coal mining. Through the voices of Dr Hedda Askland, fourth-generation farmer Sophie Nichols and Wonnarua woman Kerri-Ann Taggart, we uncover the hopes, fears and aspirations shaping the region's future. This is a story about transition, connection and resilience – and the people trying to create a new future against the backdrop of uncertainty.

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When a stroke strikes, every minute matters. Science has traditionally approached stroke as a race against time. But rather than racing faster, what if we could instead slow the damage down? Join host Shahni Wellington as she explores groundbreaking research aimed at buying more time for stroke patients, particularly those in rural and regional communities. In this episode, she talks with Dr Daniel Beard, who shares how a chance discovery led to an international collaboration with Harvard University and a biotechnology company that hopes to give more patients access to life-saving care. Stroke survivor Amy Thompson also shares her personal story and the long journey to treatment and recovery. This episode is a story of innovation, persistence and a game-changing approach for stroke patients around the world.

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For decades, health and medical research was built largely around men, with women’s experiences – and women’s needs – largely dismissed. That's decades of missed understandings. Decades of data that didn’t include women. Decades of questions that no one had thought to ask. The Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health has spent 30 years closing that gap, surveying tens of thousands of women to reshape research, policy and practice on a range of issues like endometriosis and domestic violence. It’s now the largest and longest-running study of its kind in Australia. Join host Shahni Wellington as she speaks with study leaders, Professor Deb Loxton and Professor Gita Mishra, about how the research began and what it’s uncovered. Lived experience panel member Sarah Lukeman also shares her personal experiences navigating the health system.

Please be advised this episode discusses domestic and sexual violence, which some listeners may find distressing.

If you’re interested in being involved in the study as a participant, the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health is recruiting. Head to alswh.org.au/join to see if you qualify and register your interest.

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Every year, more than 1000 Australian women lose their lives to ovarian cancer, and countless others receive the devastating diagnosis of endometrial cancer. Professor Pradeep Tanwar, Director of the Global Centre for Gynaecological Diseases, is at the forefront of raising awareness and making significant strides in this field. In a conversation with host Shahni Wellington, he shares exciting developments concerning innovative blood tests capable of detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers at a time when they’re still highly treatable. Dr Rachel O'Sullivan also provides valuable insights into these diseases and their associated risk factors of which Pradeep and his team have recently made some breakthrough discoveries. We’re also joined by Brian Schloeffel, who tragically lost his beloved wife Nola to ovarian cancer. He is now dedicated to preventing other families from enduring the same unbearable loss and advocates for improved detection methods, such as those pioneered by Pradeep and his team.

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Kathleen Folbigg, widely now regarded as the victim of Australia's most egregious miscarriage of justice, was pardoned in 2023. However, a decade earlier, students at the University of Newcastle's Legal Centre, alongside experts and solicitors, would conduct analysis and research that would be of help in paving the way towards an eventual pardon. One of those students, Kate Wielinga, discusses her involvement in the case with host Shahni Wellington. Now a practising solicitor, she shares the life-changing impact of the experience on her professionally and personally. Associate Professor Shaun McCarthy, director of the Legal Centre, discusses the centre’s long-standing history with public interest advocacy and the priceless skills students gain working on real-life cases. Kathleen's Barrister, Robert Cavanagh, also joins the discussion, highlighting the pivotal role played by these dedicated students in advancing Kathleen's cause. Plus, Associate Professor Xanthe Mallett, criminologist and forensic scientist, breaks down the evidence presented in the case and how students with experience in social justice could help create a fairer and more equitable legal system for all.

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Drought in Australia presents a multifaceted challenge shaped by a diverse interplay of climatic, geographical, meteorological, and societal factors. According to Associate Professor Anthony Kiem, Hydroclimatologist and Director of the Centre for Water, Climate and Land, it needs a multifaceted solution too. Talking to host Shahni Wellington, Anthony discusses the Employability and Wellbeing Toolkit the Centre is developing with the University of Southern Queensland as part of the Southern Queensland and Northern New South Wales (SQNNSW) Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub. Dr. Emma Austin further explores the links between employability and wellbeing, shedding light on the toolkit's co-designed approach to enhance mental resilience and diversify income during drought. Dr. Priscilla Tremain, a Chemical Engineer from the University of Newcastle's Priority Research Centre for Frontier Energy Technologies and Utilisation, breaks down the science behind the Hydro Harvester, a technology capable of generating clean, safe drinking water from the atmosphere. Plus, Southern Downs Regional Councillor Cynthia McDonald shares the sobering reality of drought in regional communities and emphasises the critical need for holistic, community-driven solutions to address this pervasive problem.

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Despite the increase in public awareness around young people's use of violence, many community youth programs fail to address the issue at its core. The Name. Narrate. Navigate program (Triple N) is the first of it's kind, harnessing the neuroscience of trauma and Aboriginal knowledge and practices to understand and address the context that's led young people to use violence – putting all the young people who come through the program at the center of their own narratives. Founder of the program, Associate Professor Dr Tamara Blakemore, tells host Shahni Wellington of the program's beginning and the innovative activities grounded in dialectical behaviour therapy, mindfulness and creative methodologies. Aunty Elsie Randall, Triple N's Aboriginal Practice Lead, shares the importance of embedding Aboriginal ways of knowing and doing into youth programs with all young people who use and experience violence - the cornerstone of the Triple N program. We also meet Triple N's Program manager, Louise Rak, whose PhD examining the experiences of young women in the program has shed light on the often-unspoken realities that drive young women toward violence. Plus, we meet Daniel Ebbin, Program Brand Lead, who emphasises the critical significance of training service providers in trauma-informed, culturally sensitive care—a commitment that the Triple N program wholeheartedly embraces.

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