Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health

Imagine one minute you're sitting down chatting to your mates, and the next you're knocked unconscious by someone you've never met... That's what happened to Blake on a night out in 2012, and it's had a life-changing impact on the now 32 year old. 

Blake's ordeal put him through the ringer physically and mentally, and recently becoming a father himself has given him another perspective on just how devastating that attack could've been for his family and community. 

His desire to be a role model for other coward punch survivors and young men is the motivation behind his current attempt to break the world record for Most Consecutive Days completing an indoor triathlon; which stands at 77. 

This isn't just a story about a senseless assault, it's about valuing your life and making the most of it. 

This is Blake Manwaring's story. 

A comedian, turned artist, turned comedic artist; this guy's story is truly out of the box…

He quit stand-up comedy after a decade on the local circuit and unsure what to do with himself, made the unusual decision to hire out a warehouse and start painting…

Living on three hours sleep for 6 months, letting his imagination run wild and trying to make his dreams manifest on canvas, Sam Kissajukian had no idea he was living in an extended manic episode...

Diagnosed with bi-polar disorder soon after, Sam went from never having painted before, to completing 300 paintings illustrating the lens through which he was seeing the world. 

He went on to create a unique mental health comedy show built around trying to explain those paintings to the audience, literally putting all his flawed thinking on display to show the funny side and connect.

Sam lives with a mental illness, but his story is proof that it's not all bad; and that you don't have to be afraid to share who you really are with the world. In fact, people might just love you for it. 

This is Sam Kissajukian's story.

Jack Brown's world was flipped upside down when his cousin Matty died by suicide. The tragedy leaving him devastated, confused and desperate for a way to numb the pain.  Fortunately, with the love of his friends and family and a drastic change in life direction, he was able to turn it around.  Since 2018, Jack's been one of the people running the trailblazing nationwide mental health charity #talk2mebro.

Scroll back to May 2022 in our podcast library for the full story.

The local barbershop is a place you'll often find men opening up about what's really going on in their lives. Sure, we go for a skin fade and a shave, but many of us also go for a chat; and a barber you'll keep going back to is one who knows how to listen...
Grant is one such barber, using the chairs at his shop not just to make a living, but as a safe place for blokes to talk.
Grant's personal experience includes a period of suicidality after being catfished.
He faced a major uncertainty moving from London to Australia; and now juggles the challenge of being a first time dad while running a business.
He's also the son of a recovered drug addict, who's been helping people overcome addiction for more than 3 decades.
All this has got Grant inspired, and on April 14 he's going to be cranking out haircuts for 24 hours straight to raise money for mental health through The Shaka Project.
Hit the link to donate: https://www.gofundme.com/f/24-hour-haircut?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer
This is Grant Freedman's story...

Glenn's relationship with gambling and drugs started at a young age and exploded in his twenties.

He pumped hundreds of thousands through the pokies, once winning a 50k jackpot, only to lose it all in a matter of months. For more than a decade he lived pay cheque to pay cheque chasing cheap highs, and desperately lacked love and purpose in his life.
It was a road that was leading to a sad end, but fortunately for Glenn, he found a strong enough reason to change and pulled himself out of a tailspin.
You can scroll all the way back to August 2020 in our podcast library for the full story, There's More to Life Than Drugs & Gambling | Glenn Draper

It's been 18 months since the last solo episode, and it feels like high time to check-in!

In this pod, I rant at length answering all the listener questions sent in to our @youngbloodmensmentalhealth Instagram. Some serious, some not so serious, and overall, hopefully worth your time. Even producer Rory makes a special cameo appearance! Thanks to everyone who got involved and all of you who follow the show! We're all in this together.

Raised by a mother who battled severe illness throughout her life and a dad who was her carer, the pressure took a toll that split up Dale's family, and eventually left him looking after both parents.
In recent years he's endured the loss of not only his mother and father, but also a son...stillborn at 28 weeks.

Battling with overwhelming stress and anxiety, Dale's done everything he can to process his pain and forge a healthy path forward - standing resolutely alongside his wife no matter what comes.

This is Dale Rush's story.

For years, South Australian local legend Marc Ryan aka The Beautiful Bogan, has been using stand-up comedy as a vehicle to open up conversations around mental health in a very special way.

Marc is himself a survivor of childhood abuse and battles the black dog day in and day out. He's a dedicated dad, a man who loves and downright Aussie battler who loves nothing more than putting smiles on the faces of others.

Scroll back to April 2021 for the full story - Childhood Trauma Is No Joke | Marc Ryan

“When sailors were coming home from a stint on the ocean, they would put their anchor upside down on the front of their boat and that would tell all other ships, get out of our way, we’re going home to our families.”

Jesse grew up with an absent father and mother who was a slave to alcoholism and drug abuse. It was a scary and confusing environment to grow up in and has resulted in him spending most of his life feeling on edge, waiting for something to go wrong…
While plenty has gone wrong, he’s done everything in his power to make sure even more goes right and today is proudly the devoted parent he never had.

This week's Memorable Moment is a follow up from last week's main episode with Sean Phillip, Founder of The Shaka Project.

This clip takes you back to 2021, when Sean was first on the podcast, to share his intense and inspiring origin story, which includes drugs, violence, trouble with the law and miraculously surviving a suicide attempt to go on and do great things.

Imagine making four separate phone calls to offer an ear and support to people who've just lost a loved one to suicide...

That's all in a day's work for Sean, the young founder of The Shaka Project, a national mental health charity that evolved out of his own close call with suicide and recognising Australia's need for a louder mental health conversation.

For more than a decade, Luke McLean was controlled by a gambling addiction he couldn't escape.

He was 17 when he got hooked after his first win at the TAB and went on to spend just every cent he ever earned on online sports betting.

The habit made him hate himself and very nearly claimed his life. Fortunately he found a way to finally break free before it was too late.

Go back to June 2021 in our podcast library to listen to Luke's full story titled, Gamble (Ir)responsibly | Luke McLean

It wasn't long after Kian started his law career interstate that his mental health started imploding.

Pride and embarrassment stopped him going to his family for help, even though he knew they'd be supportive. He felt like it was on him to solve the problem alone, because he didn't want to burden anyone.

Construction has some of the highest suicide rates of any industry and as psychologist and former construction worker Simon Tyler will tell you, that's partly down to the hyper masculine culture that exists on work sites.

Simo’s good mate Richie Welch has been in the construction game for more than two decades and there was a time both men were saved by a single conversation, so they know as well as anyone the power of speaking up and being heard.

After enduring a multitude of suicides within their tight knit community, they decided enough is enough and have since gone above and beyond to create their own mental health charity, 'The Next Step Australia' - a volunteer service that's been helping to save lives for years, acting as a first port of call for blokes who need help.

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Scroll back through our podcast library to June 2020 for the full podcast titled, 'Mental Health In Construction | Simon Tyler and Richie Welch

That’s Nathan Schulz, he’s a mountain of a man who was scary to watch flying into fits of rage when he was living with uncontrollable anger and didn’t know why… 

With a history of being severely bullied during his school days, Nathan fell into a depressive slump for many years and had no idea what was behind it; the distress only increasing his feelings of inadequacy and shame.
It all came to a head in 2020 when he made an attempt on his life. Thankfully he survived and has since been able to find the tools he needs to live a fulfilled life, be a loving father and help his mates while he’s at it.

It took coming close to death for Nathan to realise he wanted to live…
Luckily he still had the chance and since then he’s been making the most of it.

Young Blood creator and host Callum MacPherson joins ABC radio for Mental Health Month, to share the Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcast origin story and talk men's mental health with host Sonya Feldhoff.

Charles Brice's life changed forever when a motorbike accident shattered his spine and left him a quadriplegic. He was 19 when he was told he'd never walk again. His isn't a story of a miracle recovery, but it is one of incredible grit and heart. Having adapted to his restrictions and rehabilitated himself to the point of independence, Charles is now striving for more.

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Scroll back through our podcast library to November 2019 for the full story titled, 'The Reality Of Life As A Quadriplegic | Charles Brice'

Suicide is the #1 killer of young people aged 15-44 and accounts for three times as many deaths in men as it does women.

As a society we can’t allow these appalling statistics to continue and that means making changes.

Our mental health revolution requires a cultural shift and creating open dialogue about a range of difficult topics we typically don’t talk about is a major piece of the puzzle.

This is about inspiring each other to take pride in our personal journeys as men, speak up and stand together.

Toby Whittle is a personal trainer and on the surface, a confident, easy-going dude. But on the inside it's not all smooth sailing. In fact throughout his life Toby's increasingly struggled with anxiety that eventually manifested in frequent panic attacks. And in 2020 a combination of social isolation, stress and confusion threatened to drive him over the edge, Toby's brother's also gone through his own struggles with mental health and that hit Toby hard too. He's learned a lot over the years about how to manage himself and be there for others. Now he's an ambassador for The Shaka Project, pushing the messages that've helped him get through. --------------- You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth Produced at PodBooth

When Toby first started having panic attacks he had no idea what was happening or what he could do to stop it. He kept it all to himself, but that only made it worse.

Angus Wood is a 25 year old knock about bloke from Melbourne, who not too long ago didn't think he'd still be here at all; let alone creating the positive change he is now. Gus has struggled intensely with his mental health since his late teens, going down a dark path of drug and gambling addiction. By the age of 23, it was either going to be the end or a new beginning - thankfully everything started to change when Gus sent a txt to a mate asking for help. Now nearly 2 years sober, Gus is running his own mental health movement 'The Lost and Found Project' and sharing his story to show others a better life is possible if you make it happen.

--------------- You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth Produced at PodBooth ------------ If you’re looking for a simpler and cost-effective supplement routine, AG1 is giving you a FREE 1 year supply of Vitamin D AND 5 FREE TRAVEL PACKS with your first purchase. Go to ⁠⁠⁠drinkAG1.com/youngblood⁠

“There’s been days where I wanted to quit, there’s been days where I cried, there’s been days where I thought I was gonna relapse, there’s been days where I’ve gone to the gym and just let all the anger out… But I’M HERE, I’m alive and I’m showin’ the people how to live a better life with addictions and mental health. I’ve been there, I’ve thought there was no hope, I’ve thought of taking my own life, I’ve thought of never being on planet earth again… But I reached out, I got the help and now I am living proof to people what can be done. Now I can speak from the heart and say I was there, but no look where I am…why can’t you?” - Angus Wood

From the age of 14, Edan suffered repeated sexual abuse at the hands of a convicted serial paedophile and spent seven years hiding the truth of what happened from everyone he knew.

Finally telling his family was a giant first step in his recovery.

West Auckland native Zane Munro never met his birth father and grew up putting on the tough guy front as he struggled to define his identity. Charging into young adulthood, Zane moved away from everyone he knew and found himself very much alone. He rapidly developed addictions to drugs and gambling in an attempt to fill the hole. It led him down a dangerous path that he believes would've been the end of him if he hadn't crashed so hard into rock bottom and met the woman who made him want to be a better man.

Zane started a movement to help other men going through their own adversities. 'For All The Brothers' now has a huge following on Instagram and has become an incredible community for tens of thousands of men to look after themselves and support each other.

If you want to hear Zane's full story, scroll back through our podcast library to episode #25 - Vulnerability Saved My Life, published on May 5 2020.

(Dave) Porter is a very different man today to the lost boy he used to be...Porter’s had a colourful life to put it mildly, finding himself stuck on a lonely, confusing path from a young age. It led him to live under a dark cloud of drug addiction and chronic depression for a decade; spurred on by crippling low self-esteem. His quest to understand himself took him half-way across the world to Peru, where his experiences deep in the jungle would leave him forever changed. Now in his mid 30s, Porter spends his days building custom Harley Davidson's and living the kind of life he never thought possible; a fulfilled one. --------------- You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth Produced at PodBooth

Matt Kovatchis went through school, college and most of his 20s as a closeted bi-sexual, only coming out around a year ago. An athlete raised in a hyper masculine and sometimes homophobic environment, Matt lived with deeply ingrained guilt and shame which he projected onto others, as a bully. For the longest time, he couldn't accept and love who he really was, so he did all he could to be someone else. Pushed to breaking point, Matt finally came out to his sisters and has worked hard in therapy to evolve into the much happier man he is now. --------------- You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth Produced at PodBooth

For so many years, Matt denied his sexuality to himself and the world. He was so terrified of accepting who he really is, that he thought it would be better to just live a lie and it turned him into someone he hated.

There's a misconception that people only get depression when something terrible happens.
But for some, depression slowly takes hold for no obvious reason at all.
What would you do if all the experiences and people that have always brought you joy suddenly didn't anymore?
Luke is a proud survivor of the darkest chapter in his life that no one ever saw coming and now that he's on the other side, he's never been more grateful to be alive.

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You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh

Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth

Produced at PodBooth

Chris Blowes is one of the very few people on earth to literally escape the jaws of death... In 2015 Chris was surfing at Fishery Bay in Port Lincoln, South Australia when he came face to face with every surfers worst nightmare, a great white shark. Surviving the horrific attack defied near impossible odds that to this day Chris still can’t fully comprehend. The ordeal deeply affected his mates, his family and everyone who helped save his life that day - not to mention the impact on Chris.

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You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh

Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth

Produced at PodBooth

Cancer doesn’t care that you have your whole life ahead of you. It affects everyone and can target anyone. Harry Malcolm was just your average easy going bloke cruising along in life when out of nowhere he had a seizure at work. From then on, Harry endured seizure after seizure, with the culprit soon revealed as a brain tumour the size of a golf ball...Fortunately the surgery to remove the tumour was a success; but Harry now has to live with the fact it could return...In the face of this frightening possibility, Harry's making the most of each day and staying positive. He's even going above and beyond to help others as an ambassador for New South Wales cancer treatment centre, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse. You can support Harry's 'Go The Distance' fundraising challenge here: https://www.gothedistance.org.au/fundraisers/HarryMalcolm/go-the-distance-2023 --------------- You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth Produced at PodBooth

Harry's a 22 year old go-getter living a full and active life. He's also got a slow growing brain tumour he can't get rid of.

Ben Hirst; on the 12th of July he'll be climbing twice the height of Mount Everest, by trekking up and down the slopes of Mount Wellington in Hobart. It's the latest in a long line of ultra endurance challenges that he's been pumping out over the past 8 years to raise awareness and funds for mental health. His passion comes from living through his own struggles, which've included a drinking problem, lack of purpose and suicidality. At his lowest, Ben made the split second decision to end his life; when he happened to see a bumper sticker that stopped him. A decade on, he's a fulfilled father of two, working in suicide prevention for the Tassie charity, Speak Up! Stay ChatTY.  You can support Ben's campaign here: https://lnkd.in/gWTh4tBF --------------- You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth Produced at PodBooth

Take a look back at a Young Blood moment that'll stay with you...

Episode 36 - The Conversation That Saved A Convicted Ex-Cop with Matt Newlands

Matt Newlands is a former police officer turned mental health worker, community leader and podcast host.

During his decade in the force, Matt was confronted by distress and violence on a daily basis and the more he became the uniform, the more he lost touch with who he was outside of work. It was an intense experience of depersonalisation that ultimately lead to some very dark days and a conversation that saved his life.

Scroll back to September 2020 in our podcast library for the full episode. ---------------

You can find all Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcasts here: https://linktr.ee/youngbloodmmh

Join us on socials! IG: @youngbloodmensmentalhealth TikTok: @youngbloodmentalhealth

Produced at PodBooth