What if the moment that changed your life wasn’t a success story... but a 15-year-old boy dying with his feet planted on the ground, reminding you not to waste yours?

In this raw, joyful, and deeply moving conversation, I talk with Tommy Herschell – former Queensland primary school teacher, founder of ‘Find Ya Feet’, and one of the most genuinely human people I’ve had the privilege of knowing.

This conversation is about the moment Tommy hit rock bottom. It’s about what it really means to find your feet – to stop, think about where you are, and think about the best person you can actually be. And it’s about the extraordinary ripple effect that happens when blokes – young and old – are finally given permission to feel.

We explore:

• Bastien Madrill – the 15-year-old whose final days completely changed Tommy’s life
• Why Tommy calls his work “mental mechanics” and why that reframe matters for boys
• The pit crew theory – how to choose the mates who will actually change your tyres
• People pleasing, self-worth, and the real reason we’re always the last to leave the pub
• What a session with one boy who stayed seated after a workshop taught him about the power of being heard
• The red truck theory of teenage behaviour – and what it means for every parent listening

I’ve known Tommy for a while now, and every single time I’m around him I leave feeling like the world is going to be okay. Not because everything’s easy – but because people like Tommy are out there in schools every single day, making space for the conversations that save lives.

[Recorded remotely, October 2025]

About Tommy Herschell:

Tommy Herschell is a former Queensland primary school teacher and the founder of Find Ya Feet – a not-for-profit organisation delivering mental health workshops to men and boys aged 10 to 70 in schools, sporting clubs and corporate settings across Australia. Tommy calls his work “mental mechanics” rather than mental health, and describes himself as a story farmer – creating spaces where vulnerability is modelled and blokes learn that speaking up isn’t weakness. His work is supported by ambassadors including Mitch Marsh and Nicho Hines, and the organisation is about to release its first children’s book, Timmy and the Wonky Fence.

Connect with Tommy:

• Instagram: @FindYaFeet
• Website: findyafeet.org

—

Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.