Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health
Cal MacPherson
Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health is the award-winning volunteer podcast dedicated to young men's mental health.
This life-changing archive of lived experience exists to share authentic stories of hardship, resilience and recovery, told by men under 40 and their loved ones from all walks of life; proving that no matter what you're going through, you're not alone!
Jump in and let host, Cal MacPherson guide you on a journey that goes right to the heart of being human, with relatable guests who will leave you feeling inspired and informed.
Bipolar Almost Broke Me | Chris Fraser
The suicide rate for people living with bipolar is between 10 and 30 times higher than the general population, accounting for up to a quarter of all suicides in Australia.
Research shows up to 60% of those with the condition will make at least one attempt on their life. Father of three, Chris Fraser is one of them.
He experienced multiple extended bi-polar episodes in his early and mid-thirties, when months of mania were followed by even longer periods of severe depression – throwing his life in
Being Gay Doesn't Define Me | Mark Cawdron-White
Mark suspected he was gay from the time he was a young boy and had it confirmed by the time he made it to high school.
Raised in a conservative, religious household, he was conditioned to believe that being gay was wrong and that belief, coupled with fear of his parents’ reaction kept him in the closet till he was 28.
When he did come out, those fears were realised. His parents weren’t supportive and the most difficult time in his life followed; but he was finally free to be himself.
A succes
Not Your Average Psychologist | Dr Simon Tyler
Imagine if your psychologist was that rough looking bloke you met down the pub who gave surprisingly solid advice - that's the kind of vibe you get from Simon Tyler.
Simo's a clinical psych and a mentally healthy workplace consultant, he also cuts his own hair and does an awful job of it...
His therapy style's shaped by his early career in construction and a lifetime of his own mental health struggles.
He's straight up, pragmatic and stands right alongside his clients as someone who's been the
Life Before and After Prison | James Culley
When we think of a typical drug addict, we think of someone who turned to drugs in an attempt to cope with trauma and often childhood abuse. That wasn't the case for Culley.
He describes having the perfect childhood, growing up with great parents who gave him all the love he could've asked for; but that didn't stop him getting on the ice and every other drug you can think of - choosing a life of chaos.
Dealing to feed his addiction and his ego, believing himself untouchable, Culley lived that li
If I Don't Take A Break, I'm Not Going to Survive | Memorable Moments
Over the Christmas holiday period we're taking you back to some of our most memorable moments from our most popular episodes.
Kian Rafie is a junior lawyer who got what he thought was the dream start to the career he'd always wanted, when a mental health crisis threatened to derail it.
Scroll back in our podcast library for the full episode:
Legal Battle: A Junior Lawyer's Mental Health Recovery | Kian Rafie
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We’re grateful to be producing our latest series in partnership with Credit Union S
I Couldn't Understand Why I Was Like That | Memorable Moments
Over the Christmas holiday period we're taking you back to some of our most memorable moments from our most popular episodes.
For many years, Nathan hated the man staring back at him in the mirror. Deeply sad and angry, with no clue what was at the core of his distress, it took doing the hardest thing he'd ever done to start making progress - asking for help.
Scroll back in our podcast library for the full episode:
The Tornado Within | Nathan Schulz
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We’re grateful to be producing our late
It Was Either Get Help, or I'm Going to Lose My Life | Memorable Moments
Over the Christmas holiday period we're taking you back to some of our most memorable moments from our most popular episodes.
Addicted to drugs and gambling in his late teens and early twenties, Angus eventually came to a fork in the road that was life or death...
Scroll back in our podcast library for the full episode:
The Trifecta: Quitting Drinking, Cocaine & the Punt | Angus Wood
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We’re grateful to be producing our latest series in partnership with Credit Union SA – a proudly local team
Is Men's Mental Health Getting Better or Worse? | Dr Ian Zajac & Dr Michael Billows
It’s an unstable time to be a young man right now…
The world is rapidly evolving around us, job markets are changing, traditional gender roles are shifting; polarising content served by our algorithms is pushing us ever deeper into echo chambers of opinion and the social discourse that men are the problem looms in the background.
With me today to chat about various trending topics that intersect with men’s mental health are not one but two clinical psychologists, Dr Ian Zajac and Dr Michael Bil
How Growing Up on Shaky Ground Made Me | Brad Ordway
Raised by a mother with Borderline Personality Disorder, Brad was always walking on eggshells, living in fear of the next violent outburst and unable to count on anything except the future being unpredictable…
Growing up with all that instability and unmet need had a major impact on Brad’s emotional development: permeating his adult relationships and looming in the background of his own marriage breakdown.
Just 28, Brad speaks like a man who’s been around a lot longer, the result of a tough lif
Young Men at a Crossroads | Dr Zac Seidler
The past few years have been a tumultuous time for masculinity…
We’ve witnessed the furore whipped up by the manosphere, and the fear that we’re raising a generation of Andrew Tate clones…
We’ve had Primary prevention programs brought in to schools, spurred by the will to reduce Australia’s appalling rates of domestic violence.
Men under 30 just played a major role voting Donald Trump back into power, influenced by his appearances on the world’s most popular male-led podcasts.
And swirling aro
Getting to the Gold | Jed Altschwager
Sometimes going through the worst pain you’ve ever experienced sets you on a path to becoming something greater than you ever imagined.
A decade ago, Jed’s leg was crushed in a brutal workplace accident; and now he’s a 2024 Paralympic gold medalist…
Now 38, Jed’s life experience extends far beyond being an elite athlete, he’s a family man, a leader and a dude who just keeps on learning.
This is Jed Altschwager…
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We’re grateful to be producing our latest series in partnership with Credit Un
Making the Most of Life Without Sight | Ian Clements
Imagine if your world suddenly went dark and you had to learn to live without the ability to see; That’s what happened to Ian when he was shot at the age of 21…
Having lived half his life without his eyesight, Ian’s had to adapt in every way and has dedicated himself to becoming a mentor to young men through his youth work role at Top Blokes Foundation.
This is Ian Clements…
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We’re grateful to have produced this episode in partnership with Credit Union SA – a proudly local team who lov
Grinding Through Grief | Drew Westfield
Grief can take you to a dark place you never imagined, especially when it's wrapped in guilt. Drew spent a long time believing if he'd done more, his brother Mat might still be alive...As a teenager and an adult, Mat was often teetering on the edge, dealing with his inner turmoil by shutting down and keeping everyone out.
For more than a decade Drew knew something wasn't right with his brother, but couldn't penetrate the walls he put up.
Drew self-destructed after Mat's death, using drinking a
The Cost of Being What Other People Want You to Be | Niko Diamond
No matter how hard he tried, Nik never felt good enough in any area of his life. Always craving respect and approval from his father that wasn’t forthcoming,
he grew up believing any love he was to receive was conditional on what he could deliver.
Nik manufactured a version of himself based on his idea of what the people around him wanted him to be; and spent years in the cycle of escaping reality on the weekends.
The journey from self-hatred to self-love has been a painful and challenging one,
Carving Out Connection | Benjamin Roberts
The quality of our mental health is intertwined with our sense of connection to each other and the world around us. Humans are social creatures; we need community wherever we can find it, and being lonely makes us more likely to be mentally ill. Ben is a musician on a mission to create connection his own way. Since April, he's been taking his guitar down every single street in the Adelaide CBD singing and striking up conversations while raising money
for charity.Ben's got his own mental health
Thanks for Not Looking Away | Shannon Molloy
You might be shocked to hear a third of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by another child...
It's not the stereotype that comes to mind when this topic gets brought up, but it's what happened to Shannon Molloy from the age of five...
An accomplished journalist and author, Shannon investigated male child sexual abuse for his book 'You Made Me This Way', interviewing experts
and other survivors in an attempt to better understand his own trauma.
Viciously tormented by bullies over his sexuality
Leaving Law for Mental Health | Brian Njuguna
Grinding out a successful career as a young lawyer, Brian thought he knew the path laid out before him, until one particularly confronting case changed everything…Back then Brian had no idea embarking on his mental health journey would ultimately lead him to create a unique mental health support service called BCognitive.Brian’s got a great story, he’s doing phenomenal work and listening to him talk will put a smile on your face.This is Brian Njuguna...
Accepting I'm on the Spectrum | Callum Reid
Most of us have had times in our lives when we’ve felt like we don’t fit in, but what if you always felt out of place no matter where you are? That’s the reality for many people on the Autism Spectrum, who are known as 'neurodivergent' a name given to those whose brain processes information in a way that’s different to the majority.
At 28, Callum Reid is only now accepting the reality of living life as someone who’s not neurotypical. It’s taken a lifetime of self-torment, trying to force a squa
Taming My OCD | Matt Forrester
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is often misunderstood. We commonly think of OCD as a need to keep things in order or being a germaphobe, but the reality can be far more life altering.
Matt’s experience of OCD was coloured by a constant barrage of intrusive thoughts so intense that it drove him to make an attempt on his life. It was the peak of the crescendo in his story, but thankfully not the climax.
It's been a hard road for Matt since that dark day in 2020, but he's come a long way thanks to
Mental Health in Footy | Tom Jonas
Countless young Aussies grow up playing sport, dreaming of life as a professional athlete.
Making a career out of playing the game you love sounds perfect; but as Tom Jonas will tell you, there’s more to it than meets the eye.
The former Port Adelaide captain's 13 season AFL career came to an end in 2023 after a rollercoaster year of inner turmoil. Tom's had to come to terms with hanging up the boots, and figure out how to evolve after footy.
We chat about the AFL's ongoing shift in mental heal
Finding Courage Against Cancer | Kish Modi
Many of us go through life believing we’re the ones in control; that nothing is going to go terribly wrong if we do the right thing and look after ourselves. But sometimes, when we least expect it, life can be cruel and wildly unfair, reminding us of the fragility of our existence.
Everything was ticking along nicely for Kish, enjoying a night out with friends last October, when out of nowhere he started feeling overwhelmingly sick. Like anyone of us might, he brushed it off as food poisoning,
Get a Grip on Porn & Sex Addiction | Dr Paula Hall
How much porn are you watching? And how much sex are you having?...They're questions that'll get your guard up like nothing else; and although sex and porn are experienced by most people on Earth, when it comes to taking a frank look at our own sexual behaviour, many of us feel the
pressure to minimise, exaggerate or avoid it altogether.
In this episode we're putting porn and sex addiction under the microscope; how to recognise if you've got a problem, the potential psychological damage it can
The Ripple Effect: Rising from a Tragic Chain of Events | Maddie Mortimer
Raising two daughters with his wife in a happy home, Warren Gunns never could’ve predicted the devastating chain of events that would befall his family.
His eldest, Maddie was 13 years old when she was sexually assaulted on a holiday, a trauma that led to a life-threatening eating disorder, which put pressure on her parents relationship.
Maddie had a special bond with her dad, who would’ve been 63 this August if he hadn’t taken his life…
Desperate to escape the pain, Maddie turned to meth to co
The Podcast for Young Men & Their Loved Ones
Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health is the award-winning volunteer video podcast dedicated to young men's mental health.This life-changing archive of lived experience exists to share authentic stories of hardship, resilience and recovery, told by men under 40 and their loved ones from all walks of life; proving that no matter what you're going through, you're not alone!Jump in and let host, Cal MacPherson guide you on a journey that goes right to the heart of being human, with relatable guests who
Conversation with A Couples Counsellor | Nicholas Purcell
Love, it's something we all want and need; something most of us are either trying to find or trying to hold on to...We feel love as an emotion, we love others as an action... we can be in love and fall out of love; it's life's most powerful mystery and we can't solve it alone!
Today's guest is Nicholas Purcell, a psychotherapist specialising in couples counselling.
Our conversation is about relationships, the good, the bad and the ugly...We cover what leads to relationship breakdown, what you c
Out of Darkness into the Light | Luke Wilson
Surrounded by violence and despair from the moment he was born, Luke’s childhood memories are riddled with pain and darkness…
Sexually abused at the age of 5, and again at 14, confusion and fear became primary emotions as his life quickly spiraled in the fight for survival.
Despite having his mother's enduring loved, Luke seemed
destined for incarceration or early death; when everything changed…
Becoming a Christian at the age of 18, Luke’s path took a
miraculous turn, as he found purpose throug
The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living | Dr Matthew Iasiello
We all want to be happy... it's the ultimate goal most of us would say we're always shooting for; but what actually is happiness? And is it even attainable?
My guest today is Dr Matthew Iasiello, he's a researcher dedicated to better understanding all the elements of wellbeing and how to build it.In his spare time, Matt
hosts his own podcast, 'Researching Happy' where he chats to experts all over the world about this topic, so he's got a fair bit of knowledge to tackle some of the big questions
My Brother's Gone | Natasha Rofe
For the past five years, this podcast has shared the stories of young men whose lives have been altered by mental health challenges and suicide.
According to Lifeline, the ripple effect of each suicide death can be felt by up to 135 people connected to that person. Of those people, direct family members are the most significantly impacted.
Today's guest brings us a sister's perspective on the tragedy of suicide.
Natasha lost her brother Christopher last year, leaving her and her family's live
Rebuilding From Rock Bottom | Dave Menner
Sitting alone in a half built dream house after his marriage breakdown, trying to keep his business as a builder afloat during Covid, while managing co-parenting - Dave was thinking to himself, how had it all come to this?
A middle child with a chip on his shoulder, Dave was always trying to prove people wrong and do it all.
That mentality led him to overcommit and under deliver, crushing his identity in the process.
This is the story of a bloke who had it all planned out at 30, and yet is li
The Surprising Truth About Sleep | Professor Michael Gradisar
Quality sleep is the top of the waterfall from which all
of our health flows. Better sleep equals better everything else, and whether you've got waking woes, or you're happy with how you're laying your head, there's simple things we can all do to make tonight's sleep
the best yet.
My New Years resolution for 2024 was to improve my sleep performance. I use wearable a sleep tracker, a consistent early bed time, blue light blocking glasses, ear plugs, the works and I still have a hard time
gett
Stopping the Victim Mentality | Adam Blum
An overweight red-head with ADHD, learning difficulties and no self confidence, Adam Blum was always an easy target...
Ridiculed by the bullies who called him, 'Blum', Adam was tormented and belittled from the moment he started school, all the way into his twenties. The way Adam used to see life, he was a victim, desperately yearning for a different life, while convincing himself he was powerless to create it. For decades, Adam believed all the nasty voices telling him he was useless, including
Stuff You Should Know About Suicide | Professor Nicholas Procter
You hear about mental illness and suicide a lot more these days, especially if you follow this podcast; but are things actually getting better or worse?
We live in a time with more awareness and acceptance of mental health issues than ever, yet it's not obvious
all the attention is moving the needle in the right direction. Young Blood exists to share the stories of everyday men, and that won't change; but my guest today brings us the facts and a unique perspective you won't find anywhere else.
Forgiving My Parents Made Me a Better Father | Jason Wisniewski
All children deserve to feel safe, loved and cared for, but for far too many, that's not the reality.The effects of enduring childhood abuse and neglect are profound, shaping the adults that kids turn into and often perpetuating the cycle.
My guest today is a first generation Australian, raised in a broken home, caught in the crossfire of his mother and father fighting each other and battling their own demons.
Bereft of support when he needed it most, Jason has grown up to build his life around
How to Be the Man You'd Rather Be | Psychologist, Dr Ian Zajac
Have you ever been to a psychologist? I'm seeing one at the moment, and by last count, around 2 million Aussies have seen a health professional for their mental health in the past 12 months.
As a society we're becoming much more open talking about mental health and going to therapy, but what actually happens when you go for your first appointment and how does it all go down?
My guest today on the Young Blood Experts Series is, Dr Ian Zajac, a clinical psychologist specialising in men's mental he
Introducing the Young Blood Experts Series
Over the next six months we’ll be releasing the first 'Young Blood - Experts Series', 10 episodes of interviews with researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists and authors who can give us the facts and insight we’ve never had before.
If you listen to Young Blood for the stories of every-day blokes, don’t worry! We’ll still be bringing you a new one of those each fortnight, and every week in between we’ll hear from an expert to teach us something new.
I Still Feel Guilty | Varad Mukhedkar
It’s a strange thing to lose someone close to you to suicide and to have that tragedy put you on a path to finding purpose. It’s what happened to me, and it’s also what happened to Varad, whose life has been shaped by the suicide of his friend Michael in university; something he still feels guilty about.
Varad’s a youth mentor who facilitates mental health workshops for students through Western Australian not for profit, Man Up and has contributed his insight to the creation of new mental heal
I Wish I'd Done More
In the aftermath of suicide, there’s questions that will never be answered and things that don’t make sense.Those left behind often blame themselves for something that ultimately wasn’t in their control, a feeling that can endure for years after.
A Kick in the Head | Blake Manwaring
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
Making Art of Bipolar Disorder | Sam Kissajukian
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
You Think to Yourself, It'll Never Happen to Me... Until It Happens to You | Memorable Moments
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.
More Than a Barber | Grant Freedman
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 f
Losing the Jackpot, Fuelling the Beast | Memorable Moments
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 tails
My Thoughts on Mental Health & Podcasting | Cal MacPherson
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.
Carrying the Weight of the World | Dale Rush
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 c
Not A Day Goes By That I Don't Think of Taking My Own Life | Memorable Moments
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 R
Dad Life with Autism and ADHD | Matt Carter
Living his entire life with no idea he had autism; it was his son's diagnosis that led to his own and a whole new perspective on life.
Carter's been on a challenging journey with his mental health dating back to his childhood; and it's a big part of why he cares so much about helping others now.
A husband and father to 3 young children with his own podcast centred on parenting and mental health, Carter's life is full of joy and meaning that never existed before.He does it all while navigating d
The Happiest I Ever Feel
“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.”
Raising Myself to Be a Man | Jesse Trout
Growing up with an absent father and an alcoholic, drug abusing mother. Dropping out of school. Becoming a dad and a business owner. Losing his mum to suicide, bringing down a 12-year relationship by self-destructing and finally building himself up stronger than ever... That's Jesse's story in a nutshell, but there's much more to it than that...
I guarantee you'll leave this episode feeling more inspired than when you found it. So please give it a listen and let me know what you took away from o
Jekyll and Hyde
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.
A Massive Wake-Up Call | Memorable Moments
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.
The Shaka Project: On a Mission to Stop Suicide | Sean Phillip
Sean Phillip is the Founder of The Shaka Project, an increasingly recognisable charity doing big things for mental health in Australia.
Sean shared his personal story on the podcast 3 years ago, so this time around we spoke about what life’s been like since then, the highs and lows of working in this space, and our thoughts on where men's mental health is at now.Sean dedicates his days to travelling around the country presenting talks to many different organisations and he does it all while bein
It Breaks Your Heart
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.
I Was Hooked | Memorable Moments
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
Legal Battle: A Junior Lawyer's Mental Health Recovery | Kian Rafie
Kian Rafie is a junior lawyer who got the dream start to his career that he'd always wanted, when a mental health crisis threatened to completely derail it...
Renowned for being a cut-throat, high pressure industry with little room for error and lofty expectations, the legal profession has been known to chew up new graduates and spit them out.
Kian was confronted by an office culture and various unexpected challenges that sent him into a tailspin, with his mental state spiraling out of control.
I Didn't Want to Handball My Problems to Someone Else
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.
I Wanted to Get Hurt | Memorable Moments
When the end of his AFL career coincided with the breakdown of his marriage, the effects of alcohol abuse and improperly medicated bipolar disorder, Heath Black spiralled dangerously out of control to point where anything could've happened, and part of him was hoping for the worst.
Scroll back to October 2020 in our podcast library for the full story - A Recipe for Disaster | Heath Black
Back from the Brink | Brad Wright
Brad Wright very nearly wasn't here to tell this story...
His teenage years were a mess; with the combination of depression, crippling low self-esteem and refusing help almost costing him his life.He had to learn how to walk again and even that paled in comparison to working out how to love himself for the first time.Now six years on from what could've been the end; Brad's helping teenagers and young adults to realise their value.
My Parents Got That Dreaded Knock at the Door
There was a time Brad thought no one would care if he died...
After miraculously surviving a suicide attempt, he got the chance to realise just how wrong he'd been.
Knowledge Dispels Fear | Memorable Moments
Dylan Conway is the creator of 'Brothers N Books', a popular Instagram page that grew into a charity, raising funds to install community libraries all over the country, which has since become a downright phenomenon!
Dylan got hooked on books while he was stuck in hospital for over a year recovering from an unlikely condition. Reading gave Dylan something constructive to when he desperately needed it. Since then he's never looked back, leading a national crusade to improve mental health and resi
You Only Live Twice | Locky Miller
2023 marks 10 years since Locky Miller was involved in a horrific car crash that changed the course of his life in an instant.
Locky lives with a brain injury and chronic pain that he’s had to learn to adapt to. It’s set him on a path he never expected to be on and it’s been an uphill battle.
Through grit and determination Locky has made a remarkable recovery and found community and purpose in helping others living with brain injuries.
Less Than a 5% Chance of Survival
By all odds, Locky shouldn't be alive.
Life Gets Tough and We've Got to Put Some Tools in Place to Get Through | Memorable Moments
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 th
The Tornado Within | Nathan Schulz
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 fin
I Want to Be Here
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.
A Man of Extremes | Tyran Mowbray
Tyran Mowbray is a former footy player, bricklayer and mineworker and for a long time, his main focus was getting smashed and having as much sex as possible.
Tyran had deep-seeded intimacy issues, made all the worse by a porn addiction he couldn't kick; and by his late twenties he was so detached and desperate, that he took off across the world in search of himself.
He went from one extreme to the other, from pushing himself to survive alone in the wilderness, to living in a Buddhist ministry
Young Blood - Men's Mental Health on ABC Radio
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.
Young Blood: The Mental Health Podcast For Young Men
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
Anxiety, Panic Attacks & The Power Of The Mind | Toby Whittle
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 abo
The panic attacks kept coming (TRAILER)
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.
"Why worry about the things you can't change?" - Memorable Moments
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 Qu
The Trifecta: Quitting Drinking, Cocaine & The Punt | Angus Wood
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 runnin
I am living proof (TRAILER)
“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
Surviving With The Scars Of Child Sexual Abuse | Edan van Haren
Edan van Haren is one of bravest young men you’re ever likely to meet…
He's a survivor of child sexual abuse, one of many to be preyed upon by convicted paedophile, Maurice Van Ryn.
Ashamed and confused, Edan internalised the horrendous trauma and didn’t tell a soul for seven years, with the unimaginable pain manifesting in uncontrollable anger and deep depression.
When he was 21, he found the courage to tell his family what he endured. Now 27, spent years in court fighting for compensation he
The dark secret that owned my life (TRAILER)
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.
"She gave me life...if I'd stayed on the path I was on, would I still be here?" - Memorable Moments
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
An Unconventional Path To Inner Peace | Dave Porter
(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
"Using to live and living to use...that's what my life was like." - Memorable Moments
Memorable MomentsJack Nagle was a nice, middle-class kid from a supportive, loving family. Not the background befitting the stereotype of those who destroy their lives on drugs…but that didn’t matter. Jack ended his teens and started his twenties as the most hardcore drug addict imaginable and the fact he’s lived to tell the tale defies all probability. Shooting up ice and heroin and swallowing fists full of prescription pills, he was brought back to life by paramedics after dealers left him
I Hated Myself - How Denying My Sexuality Made Me A Bully | Matt Kovatchis
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
"If you knew me in college, I was a dick. I was the biggest dick ever..." - Matt Kovatchis (TRAILER)
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.
Ultra Mental Health Marathon | Cooper Hough
This October Cooper Hough is running the entire 1200km of the Heysen Trail for mental health!
Cooper's been touched by suicide indirectly through friends and family who've lost people.Like many of us, his experiences have made him feel helpless and desperate to do something to make things better.He's an outdoorsman and fitness fanatic who's channeling his passion into pulling off the biggest challenge of his life.
"I did think that if anybody found out, everything would come crashing down" - Memorable Moments
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.
"It grabbed me, pulled me underwater and we disappeared" - Memorable Moments
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.
Living With A Brain Tumour That's Growing Back | Harry Malcolm
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 frighte
"I keep waking up and I keep showing up" - Harry Malcolm
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.
A Mountain to Climb, with Ben Hirst
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 lif
Bourne to Run: A Desert Odyssey with Blake Bourne
This August, Blake Bourne is running 380km across the Simpson Desert to raise money for mental health.
Blake has a long history of mental health struggles dating back to childhood; that culminated in multiple suicide attempts when he was just a boy. Thankfully he found boxing; giving him years of direction and confidence as he became an adult. But frustration and politics brought his progression in the sport came to an untimely end and in 2021, Blake was suddenly suicidal again, coming close to
"I believed I was a bad person and that tomorrow might not ever come" - Memorable Moments
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 ultima
Lost In The Sauce with Turquoise Prince
Teon Lolesio aka Turquoise Prince, is a Canberra rapper and singer with Tongan heritage and to say his life's been a rollercoaster barely begins to describe it...
Teon was always a wild kid, but it wasn't until he experienced bouts of psychosis as an adult that he started to understand the impact Bipolar disorder was having.
It took him years to realise bipolar was fueling his drug abuse, leading to paranoid delusions and eventually landing him in the psych ward with
schizo-affective disorder.
"I had a public meltdown" - Turquoise Prince
When people first heard Turquoise Prince they saw him as a rising star full of potential ⭐️🎙️ Then when he suffered a mental breakdown, he was cast aside as just another sad example of wasted talent.But that was then…and stars rise again 💫
"You're now not fit to serve in the Australian Army" - Memorable Moments
Take a look back at a Young Blood moment that'll stay with you...
Episode 21 - A Soldier's Silent Battle with Australian Army Veteran Luke Adamson
In 2011 Luke Adamson was a Lance Corporal in the Australian Army serving as a Combat Engineer on a tour of Afghanistan. Enduring the deaths of his fellow soldiers and suffering an anxiety induced heart attack, Luke was diagnosed with PTSD and discharged from defence. It caused the breakdown of his marriage and led him to turn to alcohol and prescri
Trapped In My Mind with Zane Kirkwood
Zane Kirkwood is a new dad, a husband and one of the most decorated SANFL state league footy players of all time. Zane's also a big mental health advocate, because he's lived with varying degrees of anxiety and depression throughout his life and knows the toll it can take. An anxious lad from a young age, Zane found space to breathe out on the footy field, until panic attacks threatened to take it away. Zane was a textbook example of how hiding the way we're really feeling can lead down a dark p
Can't Sleep (TRAILER)
The thoughts racing non-stop through Zane's mind interfered with his sleep to such an extent that he started hallucinating and considering suicide.
"He stabbed her to death in front of 300 witnesses" - Memorable Moments
Take a look back at a Young Blood moment that'll stay with you...
Episode 14 - The Night Dad Murdered Mum
Arman Abrahimzadeh OAM is a husband, a father and anti-domestic violence campaigner.
His life changed forever the night his father tracked down and murdered his mother Zahra in public after they fled the family home.
Scroll back to episode 14 for the full story.
How Men Can Stop Domestic Violence with Allan Ball
Allan Ball is the National Director of White Ribbon Australia, part of a global movement to eradicate violence against women.
Allan's got his own story of navigating trauma and tragedy, having lost his mother in a house fire when he was just a child.
He's had a relish for social justice from a young age and now stands at the forefront of Australia's mission to stop one of our most devastating
problems.
It's difficult to talk about domestic violence from a male perspective, but there's no dou
Breaking The Cycle with Warren Hubbard
A few years back, Warren Hubbard aka Wazza was at breaking point; having been dominated by drugs and alcohol for most of his life.His addiction came before everything else, even his daughter, who was going through the pain that Wazza experienced from his own father.After a downward spiral more than a decade long, Woz finally drew a line in the sand, said "NO MORE" and meant it...Now he's 19 months sober, he's got a job, he's repaired his relationship with his daughter and for once in his life, h
Redefining Disability with Alexander Arthur
Alexander Arthur is a young man living with cerebral palsy who wants you to know there's more to disability than how it's often portrayed. Alex had a tough time of it growing up, struggling with bullying in his younger years and his mental health as he's gotten older. He's made major strides through therapy and committing to self care, learning how to love who he is and manage the tendencies that don't serve him. Alex's unique take on disability caused me to question my own perceptions and I thi
Rising from Racism with Michael Cullen
Michael Cullen is a soon to be qualified psychologist, who was inspired to pursue a career in the field after spending months in a mental health facility at a time when he didn't see any future for himself.
Michael was faced with intense racial abuse from a very young age, something that continued into adulthood; causing him to hide his Aboriginality...
He never met his father and had no examples of healthy relationships growing up, leaving him with no idea how to develop his own.
It's hard to f
Question Time - 'How has the podcast helped you?'
These laid-back chats are a different vibe to our studio episodes and your opportunity to share your thoughts with the Young Blood community!
It works like this...
We ask a mental health related question on the @youngbloodmensmentalhealth Instagram page, you comment your answer on the post and we'll soon follow up with one of these podcasts reading out all of your responses and sharing our thoughts. Hosted by Callum and partner Mary.
Here's your take on our latest question, 'How has the podcast
Bouncing Back from Brain Injury with Ed Fowler
Five years ago, Ed Fowler sustained a brain injury in a car accident that threatened to take everything from him.
It’s not the only trauma Ed's lived through..when he was finishing high school he was there when someone he knew got struck by lightning.
Ed ramped up the partying and drinking without realising he was partly doing it to cope with what he’d seen and that’s partly what led to him being barely conscious in the back of a ute on the night of the accident
Thankfully that wasn't the end of
Brain Damage: "You Might Never Be the Same" (TRAILER)
There was time when Ed Fowler thought he might never recover from his acquired brain injury...
He faced an immense challenge and stacked up the little wins one day at a time.
Five years later he’s the fittest he’s ever been, has a career he loves and is living the life he wants to live.
It Doesn't Get Easier, You Just Get Stronger
Two years ago, Zak Hausler lost his little brother Luke to suicide. Luke struggled with his mental health throughout his younger days, but it seemed like that all changed for the better when he met his partner Zoe. Luke and Zoe had just had a baby girl and gotten engaged when he died. It was an inconceivable shock to Zak and the rest of his family who never saw any warning signs. Zak's pushed on through the aftermath of tragedy and adapted to life with his brother, but a part of Luke will always
Question Time - 'How have you changed for the better?'
It's Question Time!
These laid-back chats are a different vibe to the main podcast and your opportunity to share your thoughts with the Young Blood community!
It works like this...
We ask a mental health related question on the @youngbloodmensmentalhealth Instagram page, you comment your answer on the post and we'll soon follow up with one of these podcasts reading out all of your responses and sharing our thoughts. Hosted by me, Callum and my partner Mary.
Here's your take on our latest quest
Prescription Peril: How Painkillers Destroyed My Life
Nick Stacey's life was torn apart by an opioid addiction and it's taken more than a decade for him to piece himself back together.
As millions of people do, Nick started taking prescription drugs to cope with the pain of a shocking sports injury and as he endured surgery after surgery, use turned to abuse.
Nick lost his marriage to addiction and diagnosed with cancer soon after, all while trying to raise two young children and hold down a job.
It took many years, therapy and a lot of bravery fo
The Abuse That Had To Come Out (TRAILER)
Surviving child sexual abuse…
Surviving a decade long prescription drug addiction…
Surviving cancer… all while trying to be a good father.
Nick’s carried more weight on his shoulders than most could bear.
Yet he has endured and never given up hope.
Question Time - 'What's the most important mental health lesson you learnt in 2022?'
Welcome to question time!
These laid-back chats are a different vibe to the main podcast and your opportunity to share your thoughts with the Young Blood community!
It works like this...
We ask a mental health related question on the @youngbloodmensmentalhealth Instagram page, you comment your answer on the post and we'll soon follow up with one of these podcasts reading out all of your responses and sharing our thoughts. Hosted by me, Callum and my partner Mary.
Here's your take on our first
Trust Your Gut - A Coeliac Disease Story with Ben Hampton
For more than a year, Ben Hampton was constantly sick, in pain and out of sorts. The scariest part was, he had no idea why...
All the doctors and all the tests told Ben there was nothing wrong with him. But he didn't feel right and started to believe it was all in his head.
It wasn't till a friend suggested he test for coeliac disease that he finally got an answer and a whole new way of life - gluten free.
Ben's a busy father of two who's had to learn to adapt his life around coeliac disease a
The Sickness Hiding In Plain Sight (TRAILER)
Coeliac disease flies under the radar and it could be the elusive answer to why you're not feeling right...
Not A Deadbeat Dad with Ben Wade
Ben Wade is a passionate personal trainer and a dedicated father; who's also a recovering drug addict. Ben went from first trying ice to using every day and his life soon fell apart around his habit. His marriage broke down and the possibility of not being able to see his young son became very real. But Ben bounced back; replacing drugs with fitness and finding purpose that set him on the path to becoming the man he always wanted to be.
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Looking for a simple way to take ca
Young Recovering Alcoholics with Will Hitchins and Mitch Ford
Will and Mitch are a couple of mates and recovering alcoholics who host The Last Drinks Podcast.
As is the case for many young Aussies their drinking started in their early teen years and snowballed from there.
Drinking goes hand in hand with Aussie culture, but how much is too much and how do you know you've got a problem when it's so accepted?
A lot of us like a drink, myself included and it's easy not to question it until you're suffering from another hangover.
Will and Mitch are setting the
Fighting For My Life with James Alexander
James Alexander is a young dad, an expert strength and conditioning coach and a community leader with a great life ahead of him. None of it would’ve happened if there’d been a different result to the attempt James made on his life in 2019… He’s been through a divorce; switched careers and learned to navigate single parenting, all by the age of 30. James does intense physical challenges to raise tens of thousands for mental health and his next one’s coming up in early 2023 - click the link t
Losing My Dad to Suicide with Will Plagakis
Around a year ago, Will Plagakis lost his father Stalios to suicide.
Will’s dad was always his hero and as he grew into a man, he was his best friend too.
Stalios endured decades of pain and mental distress caused by fibromyalgia - that Will felt hopeless to help with.
His death has had an enormous impact on his son, but it was his life that’s made Will the man he is today.
Having just finished psychology honours at university, Will plans on forging a career in suicide prevention.
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Watching My Hero Fall Apart with Will Plagakis (TRAILER)
Will lost his dad to suicide, following a decades long struggle with fibromyalgia, a divorce and other traumas.
He was his hero and his best friend.
The Pilot Who Thought About Suicide Every Day with Shannon Archbold
If you met Shannon Archbold now you wouldn't think he's a guy who's had more than his fair share of mental health struggles and that's why he's sharing his story. Shannon endured an abusive childhood and normalised living with symptoms of depression and anxiety throughout his life. He made a career as a pilot, only to have that identity pulled out from under him when COVID hit. Shannon's past trauma multiplied by the stress he was under, manifested in behaviour that wasn't like him at all... But
I Don’t Want To Be Vulnerable Either with Callum MacPherson
It's taken 100 episodes for me to share my story in detail. I created Young Blood to be a space for men to talk openly about what we struggle with and how we process emotions and like most men, I have a hard time doing it myself! In this solo episode I get into: My past and personal life What it was like for me to lose a friend to suicide How the podcast journey has gone so far and why I do it What I find challenging and what I'm working on My perspective on vulnerability and men's mental heal
Overcoming The Struggles of Single Dad Life with Pat Di Domenico
Pat Di Domenico was once one of a growing number of single fathers in Australia.
Pat’s parents were separated when he was growing up and he was deadset on avoiding a repeat with his relationship - but it didn’t work out that way.
He’s been put through the ringer in the family court system and has had a steep learning curve.
Now Pat’s a husband and father of 3, helping single dad’s navigate co-parenting and be the best they can be.
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Looking for a simple way to take care of yo
The Night Mum Saved My Life with Brandon Nunn
Brandon's a FIFO worker who's big on mental health.
He's been to a dark place himself... when he was only 19, he was on the verge of suicide when a phone call from his mum saved his life.
He's taken on the pressure of becoming a young dad, all while having to navigate a relationship that wasn't working.
Brandon’s been dragged through the family court system trying to stay close to his boy, and if that wasn't hard enough, he also lost his best mate to suicide.
Throughout it all, Brandon's been in
This is Young Blood
Welcome to Young Blood, an award-winning podcast on a mission to make the mental health of young men a top priority. My name's Callum MacPherson, I'm a journalist and this is our mission to open up and share stories of what we've been through, because we're not alone. Let's do it!
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Looking for a simple way to take care of your gut? Athletic Greens can help! Check out the special offer for podcast listeners at athleticgreens.com/youngblood
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You can find a
The Way of the Warrior with Muay Thai Champion, Jordan Fielding
Jordan Fielding is a champion Muay Thai fighter and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, who could also break your ribs with a single kick...
Jordan had a rough life growing up and he's had to battle to beat the odds and make something of himself.
He's never been one to share his past, focusing on the present and letting his fists do most of the talking.
But Jordan's telling his story now to show other young men who come from nothing, there's a better life out there waiting if you keep fight
How Child Sexual Abuse Shaped Me As A Man with Anders Villani
Anders Villani endured continual sexual abuse as a child, beginning when he was just 5 years old.
The abuse shaped the young man Anders grew into, deeply impacting his development and relationships, without him even realising.
Anders suppressed what had happened to him all the way into adulthood, denying it to himself and never sharing it with anyone.
Then, when he was a student at university, Anders was groomed and taken advantage of again - this time by a notorious paedophile who's since gone
When, Not If with Para-Athlete, Gabe Lieschke
It all started with a bicep tear in the gym...
In the days after his initial surgery to repair the injury, Gabe Lieschke was overcome by necrotizing fasciitis, a flesh-eating virus that suddenly pushed him to the brink of death. He was put in a 10 day coma and had his right arm amputated in a desperate attempt to stop the disease spreading. Gabe survived, but the physique he'd built through a decade of bodybuilding was torn apart and with it, his identity...
Each morning Gabe would wake to see a
Half A Leg, Twice The Man with Seb Steel
A year ago Seb Steel's leg was crushed under a forklift in a workplace accident. The brutal moment of Seb’s injury was only the beginning of the immense mental and physical pain that followed.
Surgery after surgery led to let down after let down and when Seb finally got his wish of a leg amputation, it didn't go the way he’d imagined…
In the face of all that adversity, Seb now sees himself as a better man - proud of who he is and ready to inspire.
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Looking for a simple
You Only Get One Chance At Life with Chance Ndume
I promise you've never met anyone quite like Chance...
The Congo native fled his war-torn homeland as a child, leaving his family and everything he'd ever known behind him. When Chance finally made it to Australia he thought he'd be in paradise, but in reality, life was hell...
Homeless, traumatised and a world away from the only people who loved him, Chance had every reason to give up, but that's not how this story goes.
Now he's running his own mental health and disability care business and he
Changing Black Mental Health with Thomas Drew
TDrew is Co-Founder of 1AND1 Life, an African American owned mental health and wellness performance company based in New York City.
Thomas went through more than his fair share of mental health struggles during his schooling days... He was regularly victimised by bullies; ending up so distressed that he became suicidal.
Thomas had a hard time learning to love himself and stop hating the fact he was different. When he figured out how to use that individuality to his advantage, life changed. Since
Postnatal Depression for Dads with Dave Edwards
Dave Edwards is a father of two who’s really struggled with post-natal depression.
Dave was rattled from the moment his now 8 year old son was born.
He soon developed anxiety and depression as the pressure and reality of being a father hit home.
Putting on a brave face for his partner, Dave was ashamed to share how he was really feeling.
He’s not alone - around 5% of new dads develop postnatal depression in their child’s first year of life.
You don’t hear much on this topic - that’s why we’
Losing Mates in the Mines with Cam Taylor
Cam Taylor knows a dozen people personally who've died by suicide since 2018, most of whom were connected to his FIFO work in the mines.
He lost one friend on the job, then had the misfortune of finding the body of another just a short time later.
In an attempt to numb the pain, Cam was drinking and partying to excess, refusing to confront the massive trauma he was enduring. When he did finally find the courage to talk, things started to change...
Now he's the founder of 'Chin Up Men
Black, Gay and Living By Example with Marcellus Enalanga
Marcellus Enalanga is a gay Aboriginal man who's faced prejudice on all sides.
Marcellus had a lot to grapple with growing up in Port Pirie. Figuring out who he was and how to be himself was no easy task. He had some very dark days that culminated in attempting suicide.
But thankfully Marcellus's story was only beginning. Since then, he's gone on to help make significant improvements to Aboriginal youth services and education; and most importantly, become proud of everything he is.
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Growing Up Muslim Before and After 9/11 with Abdul Abdullah
Abdul Abdullah is an Aussie artist who's fascinated by the concept of being an outsider, something he identifies with personally. Abdul Is a 7th generation Australian-Muslim with Indonesian and Malay heritage. He's a man who can't be put into a box by any one definition. Working across portraiture, photography and painting, Abdul vividly expresses the experience of growing up Muslim in Australia in the post 9/11 era, confronting the prejudices that've marginalised Muslim youth. His provocati
Money, Ayahuasca & Evolution with Cain Dover
I met Cain Dover a few months back at one of the breath work, meditation and ice bath sessions he regularly runs as a way of helping people connect.
Cain struck me as a man who’d been through something significant, come to a life changing realisation and taken the necessary action to evolve.
And I wasn’t wrong…
Until a few years ago, he was under the shadow of a strained relationship with his father. A relationship that was void of emotional connection and responsible for much of his pain and
Going Wrong and Making It Right with Steve White
Steve White grew up without a father after his dad abandoned him as a young boy.
The hurt of that rejection ran deeper than Steve realised, until he himself became a father and much to his horror, became caught in a cycle of repeating the same behaviour he swore he'd never subject his own family to.
He never had anyone around to teach him how to process his emotions and was made to feel like sharing his feelings wasn't how a man dealt with difficulties. So when Steve tragically lost his best m
Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health on Fresh 92.7 Radio with Callum MacPherson
After being named 2022 South Australian Young Achiever of the Year, Young Blood - Men's Mental Health podcast host, Callum MacPherson, chats with Fresh 92.7 Breakfast Show presenters, Davo, Tom and Callum about the podcast's origin story, how to be there for someone who's struggling and what we can all do to contribute to the positive mental health revolution.
Leaving A Fanatical Church with Tom Tilley
Tom Tilley is one Australia's most recognised journalists and he's just written a fascinating book called, Speaking in Tongues, a memoir about his life growing up in a Pentecostal sect that believed it was the one true church. The church was based around speaking in tongues, with members believing they could receive the holy spirit and speak directly to God in their own divine language. Tom was split between two worlds, with his life inside the church butting up against everything on the oute
Losing Family to Suicide with Jack Brown
Jack Brown is one of the guys running the trailblazing nationwide men's mental health charity #talk2mebro. It's an early intervention program underpinned by the ultimate aim of reducing suicide through informing and empowering men.
The organisation was launched by Jack's friend, Kristy Hajjar, following the loss of her husband and Jack's cousin, Matt, to suicide.
Jack's world was flipped upside down when Matty died. The tragedy leaving him devastated, confused and desperate for a way to numb the
Sex Addiction, Music & Healing with Tim Conlon
Deep down the singer song-writer has never felt good enough, always doing his best to cover up his insecurities and hide his true self. Tim's grappled with a sex addiction in a never ending quest for validation and knows what it's like to become detached from who you really are. Tim says light is found in the darkness and wants those going through it to believe life can be a whole lot better if we have the courage to face our demons and forgive ourselves.
Tim Conlon has the voice of an an
Becoming Who I Needed with Suicide Survivor, Matt Caruana
Matt Caruana is a man in his early twenties who's had to show astounding spirit to survive and inspire. Matt put himself in a wheelchair from attempting suicide as a teenager... It was the end result of years of build up which saw him struggle constantly with his mental health from the age of 12. Matt used to feel so worthless that all he could think about was throwing his life away...now all he thinks about is how to make the most of what he's been blessed with. On his darkest days, Matt never
Steroids, Not All It’s Jacked Up To Be with Jaxon Tippet
Jaxon Tippet is a model, influencer and podcaster who's always wanted to be the man... Throughout much of his life, image meant everything to Jaxon and he was willing to go to extreme lengths for the sake of public perception, even if it meant compromising his health. Jaxon's life revolved around the intense use of steroids from the age of 18, until it caused him major issues in his mid twenties. Now he's sharing the ugly truth of his story to help young men understand the reality and en
Losing Your Parents and Gaining Purpose with Ryan Waite
Ryan Waite is a Youth Worker who spends most of his days sharing his life experience to help guide young men in a positive direction. Just 25, Ryan has survived more hardship than most.
After his mother passed away when he was 11, Ryan's dad descended into alcoholism and became abusive, forcing Ryan to move out of home with his brother as a teen.
Ryan battled with anxiety and depression and even after finding a great psychologist, fell in with the wrong crowd and turned to drugs to avoid facing
More Than Muscle with Ex-pro Bodybuilder, Murray Calcutt
Murray Calcutt aka The Classic Scotsman, is an ex-pro bodybuilder and former Mr Australia who's spent the majority of his life obsessively building his body.
Murray achieved the superhero-like physique millions of men dream of having and got all the gratification that comes with it. But no matter how big he got, it didn't fill the void inside him...
Murray acknowledges that for too long he was a slave to his ego and self-limiting beliefs, eventually realising he had to switch his focus from the
I'm A Trans Man with Zac Cannell
Zac Cannell is a transgender man who lived the first 25 years of his life as a woman.
Zac felt like he didn't belong in his body from a young age and it made growing into adulthood very confusing. Fortunately, he was supported by his family when he came out, but the same can't be said for everybody.
Research shows people in the LGBTIQ+ community experience a disproportionately high rate of mental health challenges. As an advocate, facilitator and health professional, Zac has seen it all.
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Losing A Friend To Suicide with Nic Bloom
Nic Bloom is a mental health trainer and speaker who lives to hit the message home to young people.
Nic witnessed his mum's mental health struggles throughout his youth and was fascinated by the problem he couldn't fix... He was there for a close friend throughout his 20's, who ultimately died by suicide after years of distress, a tragedy that's had an immense impact.
The last 24 months has been a transformational time for Nic. Motivated by the difficulties faced by those close to him and the de
Young Blood Philosophy - The Stars
"If you shed tears when you miss the sun, you also miss the stars." - Tagore
Young Blood Philosophy - Fate
Young Blood Philosophy
“A man’s character is his fate.” - Heraclitus
Cycling Across America For Suicide with Brendan Walsh
Brendan Walsh is an adventure athlete who holds the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Crossing of America By Bicycle, one of the great feats of endurance he’s taken on in the name of raising mental health awareness.
Brendan’s just published a book, 'For Those Who Can't', chronicling his remarkable journey from his long struggle with mental illness and suicidal ideation, to taking on the world on his bike. Brendan’s lost friends to suicide and very nearly lost himself, but he’s still here and
Young Blood Philosophy - The Rarest Quality
It was the English philosopher Jeremy Bentham who said, “the rarest of all human qualities is consistency.”
Whether you’re trying to create a habit, learn a new skill progress a project or upgrade your health regime, consistency is a fundamental requirement for success; it’s also the hardest part of anything we do.
That’s because to show up consistently day after day means doing what needs to be done regardless of how you might be feeling.
Pushing yourself to do the work when no one’s watching a
Young Blood Philosophy - Path to Paradise
“The path to paradise begins in hell”, those are the words of Dante Alighieri.
When we’re at our lowest and everything seems hopeless, that’s the start of our comeback story.
You can’t have sunshine without the rain, just like you can’t truly appreciate bliss if you haven’t known misery.
Contentment and fulfillment requires hardship. The awareness of how rough life can get, based on personal experience and the experiences of others is what allows us to be grateful for what we have.
As Winston Ch
I Am Not What Happened To Me with Extreme Sports Athlete, Damien Rider
Damien Rider is a multiple world record holding adventure and extreme sports athlete and a world renowned wellness and mindset coach.
This man recently skydived off the top of a hot air balloon at 7 and a half thousand feet - he’s pushed a 3 tonne truck down the Gold Coast highway - skateboarded for 56 days through the Mojave desert and completed an entire marathon carrying a mattress on his shoulder and that's not all…
Damien pulls off these mind-blowing feats to prove nothing is impossible an
Becoming Who You Want To Be with Corey Boutwell
Corey Boutwell is a very different man to who he was not all that long ago…
These days Corey’s a professional fitness model, a high performance coach and a content creator dedicated to building and promoting all aspects of health. But when he was 16 he was diagnosed with depression and spent much of his teenage years in a fog. Things spiraled in his early twenties when Corey found himself unable to break out of being suicidal - hiding it from everyone until he told the right person.
Corey use
News That's Good For Your Mental Health with The Daily Aus
Sam Koslowski is co-founder of The Daily Aus, Australia’s leading social-first news service, delivering news geared towards a younger audience with an emphasis on positivity.
Sam broke away from the the path he was on, feeling like he was playing a role that wasn’t right for him, working as a corporate lawyer and hating it. As someone with his own history of anxiety, the constant negativity and fear mongering of mainstream news was particularly noticeable to Sam and he realised those same feelin
How To Beat Porn Addiction with Matt Sinkovitz
For decades, Matt Sinkovitz had a porn addiction that hung over his life like a dark cloud, until he found the tools and the discipline to master his compulsion. Now Matt’s on a mission to help men everywhere end their damaging relationship with porn and get their lives back.
He’s adopted Buddhism and uses meditation, mindfulness and purpose to help men break free of the habits that hold us back. He’s the host of the making peace with porn podcast and run’s a men’s support group of the same n
The Men's Mental Health Revolution with Dr Zac Seidler
Dr Zac Seidler is a psychologist, a leading mental health expert and the Director of Mental Health Training at Movember.
Zac has dedicated his career to better understanding men’s mental health and building programs to reshape how clinicians approach working with men in distress.
Zac and Movember’s goal is to reduce the male suicide rate by 25% by 2030. How we create a world with less suicide is highly complex - and it’s going to take research, preventative health strategies, crisis support and
Young Blood Philosophy - Don‘t Wait To Be Happy
"Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." - Epicurus
Reading For Your Mental Health with Brothers N Books
Dylan Conway is the creator of 'Brothers N Books', an Instagram community based on sharing lived experience stories that’s on a mission to make reading cool. Dylan got hooked on books while he was stuck in hospital for over a year recovering from an unlikely condition. Reading gave Dylan something constructive to when he desperately needed it. Unable to work on his body like he always had, he levelled up his mental fitness instead and it’s changed his life. Brothers N Books invites followers to
Young Blood Philosophy - Our Days Are Few
"We are always complaining that our days are few and acting as if there would be no end of them." - Seneca
Drugs, Guns and Redemption with Arman Vestad
Arman Vestad is Young Blood’s first international guest, hailing all the way from Norway.
He’s been a drug addict, a dealer and all round criminal who was in the game for a decade till he did time in prison after being caught supplying guns used in a murder…
Arman was lost and hopeless till someone showed faith in him and gave him a chance to apply the skills he’d developed in the underworld to business.
Since those dark days, Arman’s gone on to become a family man, a public speaker and a ment
Young Blood Philosophy - What You Give Your Attention To
"You become what you give your attention to" - Epictetus
Young Blood Philosophy - The Gem
Weekly Wisdom
"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." - Confucius
What To Do When You Don‘t Belong with Jahin Tanvir
Happy World Mental Health Day! This is a story for anyone who’s ever felt like a fish out of water with nowhere to go and no one to talk to... Jahin Tanvir is just starting his twenties and he’s already a multi award winning youth advocate, policy advisor and keynote speaker - a man living out his passion, giving a voice to those who deserve to be heard. A first generation migrant who came to Australia from Bangladesh in the early 2000s, Jahin was in his younger days, one of the only childre
Sex, Porn and Intimacy with Sexologist, Jordan Hackett
Jordan Hackett is a Sexologist and Men's Sex Coach who specialises in helping men build intimacy and connection with themselves and their partners.
Like many of us growing up; Jordan didn't know the first thing about how to communicate with girls and felt like he was missing out on a part of life he had a deep need to experience.
After discovering porn as an outlet for his frustrations before his teenage years began, Jordan soon developed a reliance and found himself further away from the kind
Beating Blood Cancer with Michael Bowen
Today is World CML (chronic myeloid leukaemia) Day. CML is a rare form of blood cancer that just over 300 Australians are diagnosed with each year. In 2019, Michael Bowen was one of them... He was on his way to work one day when he got an urgent call to come into the emergency department. Minutes later his life changed in an instant when he was suddenly hit with the diagnosis. The man of the house, supporting a young family, Michael's first thoughts were of his baby daughter, confronted with t
Ice, Heroin, Hell and Back with Jack Nagle
Jack Nagle was a nice, middle class kid from a supportive, loving family. Not the background befitting the stereotype of the kind of people who destroy their lives on drugs…but that didn’t matter. Jack ended his teens and started his twenties as the most hardcore drug addict imaginable and the fact he’s lived to tell the tale defies all probability. Shooting up ice and heroin and swallowing fists full of prescription pills, he was brought back to life by paramedics after dealers left him to
What It's Like To Be A Special Forces Doctor At War with Dr Dan Pronk
Dan Pronk served 4 tours of Afghanistan as a Special Operations doctor, spending many days saving and losing fellow soldiers through more than 100 combat missions.
Dan, his brother Ben and veteran, Tim Curtis, have just released their book, ‘The Resilience Shield’ - A mix of enthralling stories and practical instructions breaking down methods we can all use to build genuine resilience.
Dan thrived in the most extreme high stress environments and found the rampant intensity of battle so enticing
Move Your Mind with Nick Bracks
Nick Bracks just published his first book 'Move Your Mind' - it's both his personal story of struggling with mental health throughout his life and a guide on how we can better equip ourselves to handle the challenges inevitably coming our way, all based on countless conversations with experts, advocates and every day people he's had over the past decade. The son of the former Premier of Victoria, Nick always put a lot of pressure on himself to be exceptional but unfortunately that went hand in
Whatever It Takes with MMA Fighter, Shane Mitchell
Shane Mitchell is one of Australia's most dangerous men in the octagon with a 12 and 4 professional Mixed Martial Arts record. In the cage he's known for his savage knockout power...not what anyone expected from a shy kid growing up without much confidence in Adelaide's northern suburbs... Shane's been a pro fighter since 2013 and now touching 30, he's still grinding to realise his dream of making it to the UFC. He's had to overcome more than his fair share of adversity on the hard road to b
Standing Proud for LGBTIQA+ with Matthew Morris
Matt Morris is the chair of the South Australian Rainbow Advocacy Alliance, working for the rights of the LGBTIQ community.
Matt realised he was bisexual/pansexual in his teens, but it took him years to work up the courage to come out.
Fortunately his sexuality was accepted by his friends and family but that hasn’t been the case for others he knows.
Matt’s always felt called to help those who really need it, he’s worked the phones for Lifeline in suicide prevention, advocated for the home
How To Beat Gambling Addiction with Luke McLean
When it comes to Aussie culture, punting has traditionally been right up there with having a cutla cold ones, watching the footy and chucking snags on the barby... In fact, 39% of Aussies gamble on a regular basis and Australia leads the world in gambling losses per capita, totaling around $25 billion per year. The pokies do the most damage overall, but in recent years the percentage of young men betting on sports and horse racing has also been increasing at an exponential rate. One of them was
The War Inside with Army Veteran, Nathan Bolton
Nathan Bolton is a former soldier who served two tours of Afghanistan as a Special Operations Engineer in the Australian Special Forces.
His primary objective was to find and clear improvised explosive devices planted across the battlefield by the enemy and it led to him to coming within literally an inch of death.
Surviving such horror caused Nathan significant trauma, but he didn't know it at the time. Having never learned to process his emotions, he'd instead been conditioned to bottle it all
Losing My Brother To Suicide with Mitch McPherson
Mitch McPherson lost his younger brother to suicide in 2013 and living through that tragedy was a major turning point that would come to define his future career.
Mitch was a glazier by trade, but for the past 7 years he's been touring the country, sharing his lived experience story with thousands of people at hundreds of events, teaching everyone how to spot the warning signs when someone's at risk of suicide and inspiring organisations to change the way they think about mental health.
Mitch fo
Ex-AFL Mental Health with Dyl Buckley
Dylan Buckley is a former AFL player who's life has gone down a path he never imagined...
Since his school days, Dyl believed he was destined to play professional footy and that belief turned into a reality when he was swept into the league as a teenager.
With his self worth totally wrapped up in his on-field performance, he found himself struggling to keep it together when he wasn't playing up to his standards and didn't know who he was beyond the game.
Eventually he was de-listed by Carlton af
Childhood Trauma Is No Joke with Comedian, Marc Ryan
Marc Ryan is 'The Beautiful Bogan' and he’s not your typical standup comedian...
He blends light hearted laughs with mental health advocacy - using his gigs as a platform to show people they’re not alone in the struggle.
In between jokes, Marc shares the story of the abuse he suffered at the hands of a family member as a teenager and speaks openly about the trauma it caused him - damage he still deals with every day.
Marc is a brave man who’s living for his kids and for his mission to let as man
Mental Health for Young Men with Hunter Johnson
Back in 2014 Hunter Johnson and a mate created The Man Cave, a program that supports adolescent boys on their journey to becoming men.
It was in response to the toxic culture they had all been exposed to over the years and wanting to change things for future generations.
Since it started, the man cave has grown to reach more than twenty thousand boys across Australia and is now established as a driving force, ushering in a new era of positive masculinity.
There’s no doubt the seeds being planted
Escaping The Jaws of Death with Surfer, Chris Blowes
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 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,
We're All Brothers with SA Brothers
John Denholm is the founder of South Australia's huge volunteer run men's support network 'SA Brothers'.
John started the group back in 2017 on the back of going through his own mental health struggles and coming to the realisation that the men around him needed a platform to support each other.
He never intended for it to be a big deal, but with so much demand, the network quickly ballooned out to include more than 25,000 active members.
John now carries the massive workload of keeping SA Broth
We're All Brothers with John Denholm & Jarrad Wadmore
John Denholm is the founder of South Australia's huge volunteer run men's support network 'SA Brothers'.
John started the group back in 2017 on the back of going through his own mental health struggles and coming to the realisation that the men around him needed a platform to support each other.
He never intended for it to be a big deal, but with so much demand, the network quickly ballooned out to include more than 25,000 active members.
John now carries the massive workload of keeping S
Laughing At Cancer with Comedian, Michael Shafar
Michael Shafar is a glass half full kind of guy who's such a good comedian, he's been able to make his own harrowing battle with cancer funny.
In 2017, Michael was busy making his mark as a stand up comic, when he made the costly decision to ignore one of his testicles growing to more than double the size of the other.
By the time he went to the doctor, the testicular cancer had already spread throughout his body and he was only given a 50% chance of making it.
But he was determined to make t
Fixing Things With My Father with Hesh Fernando
Hesh Fernando is the founder of Melbourne start-up 'The Model Man' - a business dedicated to improving the lives of businessmen and doing something about the corporate world's traditional lack of regard for men's mental health.
Hesh runs 'The Model Man' alongside his dad; and interestingly, the difficult relationship he had with his father throughout his young life has played a big role in bringing them together on this journey now.
As a kid, Hesh was full of rage brought on by experiencing his
Street Kid Diaries with Nathan Lymn
If you heard Nathan Lymn's story from someone else, you'd be forgiven for thinking he's making it up...
His life so far has been such a random series of events that it's hard to imagine all this stuff could happen to one person - but it's all true.
Nathan was a self described 'street kid' living a chaotic life in and out of crisis housing through teenagehood, due to his parents mental illness leaving them unable to care for him.
He was faced with the threat of extreme physical violence on a co
A Rough Life and Reasons To Be Here with Ben Stamatovich
Ben Stamatovich is a man who's lived the kind of life many wouldn't survive...
Growing up without either of his birth parents, Ben was sleeping rough on the streets from the age of 13 and stealing just to eat and stay warm, soon finding himself trapped in a cycle of homelessness that would dominate his young life.
His resourcefulness, the will to survive and the hope that things would one day get better is all that kept him alive when the pressure of life brought him to his knees time and time
Call It A Miracle with Sean Weir
Sean Weir is the man behind The Shaka Project, a movement that shares Young Blood’s mission to ignite the tough conversations around men’s mental health.
It’s based on a clothing line stamped with the shaka hand gesture, symbolising the wearers willingness to be open about their own mental health and be there for their mates.
Sean started The Shaka Project thinking it’d just be for his home town, but the power of the project resonated so much, its quickly spread interstate and overseas.
Sean’s
My Wife's Suicide with Potbelleez star, Ilan Kidron
Ilan Kidron is an ARIA award winning singer-songwriter responsible for writing the hit anthems for aussie dance music pioneers, the Potbelleez and plenty of tracks for big name artists.
Ilan has lived the dream, enjoying an action packed life on the road for many years that’s brought him great success. But he’s also had to endure immeasurable pain...
Ilan’s wife took her own life in 2017, leaving he and his two children to pick up the pieces. Coping with such trauma while being a father has bee
Making Homes For The Homeless with Justin Westhoff & Scott Rogash
Justin Westhoff is a former AFL star, but that’s not why he's on the podcast...
For the past 5 years Westy and his business partner Scott Rogash have been working on a revolutionary concept that could completely change the lives of many people experiencing homelessness.
They’re building compact, minimalist homes known as pods that can be placed together in vacant blocks of land to form micro-communities.
But it goes much further than accommodation - these communities will be fully sustainable an
I Don't Want To Die with Josh Moorhouse
"The moment I attempted to take my life, I felt instant regret..."
Josh Moorhouse is a social innovator, a speaker and a survivor; who's doing everything he can to get the most out of life - so it comes as a shock that just a few years ago he thought he wanted to die...
Growing up, Josh always struggled with a deep-seeded feeling that he wasn't good enough - a lack of self worth that grew from persistent bullying.
The only place he found solace was at the piano, where he focused all his time and
It Takes A Village with The Banksia Project
Jack Jones is Program Director at The Banksia Project, a free men’s mental health service built on training up every day blokes to help the men in their local communities.
Jack’s come a long way in a short time...In his early twenties, he was in crisis, suffering from clinical depression that drove him to be suicidal.
Growing up he relied on his sporting prowess for the validation and associated his identity with being that person who was always there to help others - the problem was he didn’t k
A Recipe For Disaster with Ex AFL Veteran Heath Black
Heath Black is a former AFL veteran who spent 12 years as a midfielder for the Dockers and the Saints.
On paper it sounds like every player’s dream, but the reality is he struggled greatly with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, anxiety and ADHD, conditions he didn’t know he had until he was 30.
Through the second half of his career, Heath suffered through constant anxiety attacks and lost his love for playing the game. Off the field his life unraveled as his mental illness intensified, going untreat
The Life Of Male Strippers with Kelvin Shone and Dan McDonald
Kelvin Shone and Dan McDonald may be better known by their stripper names Jock Hardy and Taylor Mac, but there's a lot more to these guys than meets the eye.
They've have been in the adult entertainment industry for 15 years combined and as you can imagine it’s been wild.
But all that action comes at a cost...
This line of work goes hand in hand with being objectified, degraded and pressured to perform in more ways than one.
There’s a lot going on under the surface in this world and as the boys
The Disability No One Sees with Taylor Harvey
At 8 years old Taylor Harvey was diagnosed with Transverse Myleitis, a rare neurological disease, that initially paralysed one of his legs.
Doctors said there was a chance it could’ve left him quadriplegic, but through rehab he regained partial function in the damaged leg and eventually found himself back on the sports field - competing against the able bodied without even realising he had a disability.
Through his teenage years, Taylor was frustrated by his lack of athletic progress and as coun
Days In The Dark with Krunk
"I'd be in my room and it'd be blacked out. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I'd miss birthdays, I'd miss events...I just didn't want to see anyone, I didn't want to talk to anyone and I had to ask myself why am I feeling like this? I think I just had to face every single insecurity, every single fear about myself that I'd been putting off..."
These aren't the words you might expect to hear from Elia Mitani aka Krunk, a DJ and producer known for big time bangers and bringing a whole lot of good
The Conversation That Saved A Convicted Ex-cop with Matt Newlands
Matt Newlands is a former police officer turned ‘R U OK? Day’ ambassador and mental health advocate.
During his decade in the force, Matt faced pain, distress and violence on a daily basis as he sought to protect the community. The job revealed an insight into the ugly side of humanity that only those who work in the emergency services can’t fully comprehend. It also led him to the worst day of his life and the unthinkable moment that will never leave him - being called to a suicide and finding
There's More To Life Than Drugs & Gambling with Glenn Draper
“It’s all about the art of separation, just deviate away from those who drain your inspiration...” Those are lyrics Glenn Draper wrote for a friend who was trying to get off drugs. Years later he realised he was writing it to himself.
These days Glenn’s a dedicated family man who won’t touch a drink - a total 180 from the wildly destructive life he once lived. Glenn is a recovering drug and gambling addict who used to pride himself on pushing the limits of excess.
His relationship with gambling
My Life with Cystic Fibrosis with Flynn Gill
17 year old Flynn Gill is one of less than 4,000 Australians living with cystic fibrosis - a genetic disorder that severely impacts the lungs and digestive system.
Flynn was diagnosed with CF just a few weeks after birth and then with CF related diabetes (CFRD) at age 12. It’s a limitation that’s made his life complicated and often uncomfortable.
COVID-19 has made things even tougher for Flynn, forcing him out of school and into isolation with the threat heightened for those with CF.
Flynn’s bee
Bullied & Beaten with the Blokeologist
Exercise physiologist and former rugby league player Joshua Tree was bullied, beaten and belittled throughout his young life and found himself in desperate need of health support that wasn't readily available. He managed to survive his darkest days and it inspired him to be that support for others...
Now he's the ‘Blokeologist’ and if there’s one thing he knows, it’s blokes.
Young Blood is all about looking after yourself - and when we talk about taking care of our health, that has to include al
The Narrative Behind Youth Detention with Jye Cardona
Youth detention is institutionalising young men from an early age - feeding a cycle of incarceration that repeats over generations.
Although only around 5% of Australians aged 10-17 are indigenous, they account for around 50% of those being kept in youth detention nationwide - and in the Northern Territory it’s close to 100%...
Jye Cardona grew up being conditioned to hate authority and watched his friends go in and out of the youth justice system.
Now he works in detention centres running progr
Being Gay in Sport with Dave Oliver
Dave Oliver has always lived and breathed rugby, a game known as one of the roughest and most hyper masculine on earth. He’s also gay and from the time he was a teenager until his early thirties, he hid his sexuality from everyone - horrified that he’d be found out and ridiculed by the community that means everything to him.
Dave describes the burden he carried for the best part of two decades as 'toxic shame' - a form of self loathing that drove him to abuse drugs and self destruct. Dave’s sinc
Mental Health In Construction with Simon Tyler and Richie Welch
Men in construction have a history of struggling particularly badly with managing their mental health and as graduate psychologist and former construction worker Simon Tyler says, that’s due in part to the stereotypical hyper masculine culture that exists on work sites - now the focus of his PhD.
Simon’s good mate Richie Welch has been in the construction game for more than two decades and both men have lived experience of going through immense struggle and surviving - becoming stronger and mor
The Power In Cultural Identity with Alipate Carlile
Half Fijian and half Australian, Alipate 'Bobby' Carlile grew up in Victoria confused about where he fit in...
With no obvious cultural group to belong to, he felt like he was missing something; and he went looking for it in footy.
From the moment he stepped on the field he started to gain the identity he longed for.
As part of the team, it didn't matter what his background was, it only mattered that he could play the game... and Bobby proved himself a special talent, making it all the way to t
Depression Doesn't Need A Reason with Luke Spajic
There's a misconception that people only get depression when something terrible happens to them...
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?
How would your view of yourself start to change if every inconvenience that never used to bother you started to cause overpowering frustration?
And how would you find the strength to carry on if every minute of the day
How To Be There For Someone Who's Suicidal with Psychotherapist, Jackson Goding
How are you meant to respond when someone tells you they're having suicidal thoughts? This isn't something that was taught in school and it can be an understandably intimidating and even overwhelming to confront. There's no one size fits all solution when dealing with these situations but there are ways you can approach it that will make that person feel like you're really there for them, and as Jackson Goding explains, trust is the foundation.
Jackson is a Psychotherapist with his own practice
The Coward Punch That Could’ve Killed Me with Ben O’Toole
Ben O'Toole was the victim of a coward punch attack that left him minutes away from permanent brain damage and death.
He's one of many young men whose lives have been changed forever by the split second decision of another to use extreme violence - turning a night on the town into a tragedy.
To the amazement of his surgeon, Ben eventually recovered from his shocking head injuries and was so deeply affected by the trauma, he decided to dedicate his time to helping other men avoid experiencing
Vulnerability Saved My Life with Zane Munro
*Strong Language Warning*
The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows... and neither is Zane Munro.
But he is as genuine as they come.
The West Auckland native 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 b
Dr Happy's Coronavirus Guide To Happiness
Most of us are having a harder time than usual being happy right now and it can feel like that’s largely out of our control. But as my guest Dr Happy says, we shouldn’t rule out happiness, even with the odds against us.
Dr Tim sharp is the man in positive psychology. He’s got a PHD and is the Chief Happiness Officer of the Happiness Institute, which he founded. That makes him him an internationally sought after authority when it comes to understanding and talking about happiness, he’s written we
The First To Get COVID with Joe Patterson
In late February, Joe Patterson had just landed in an overseas country ready to start the next chapter of his life.
Nothing could've prepared him for what came next...
Just a few weeks later he was coughing up blood and gasping for air, quarantined alone in a room the size of a prison cell, battling the full force of Coronavirus after a mercy dash home.
Joe got as sick as he's ever been, quarantined in a hotel room for 3 weeks with no face to face human interaction and nowhere to go.
He went thr
Creating Calm In Chaos with Meditation Master Tom Cronin
Tom Cronin is a world renowned meditation master and exactly the kind of guy you want to hear words of wisdom from when facing an unprecedented global catastrophe.
Everywhere you turn there are triggers for anxiety, stress, pain and more reasons to be fearful and uncertain than you're likely to have ever had before.The last thing many of us are at the moment is calm and that's perfectly natural when confronted by a pandemic and economic crisis that's turned life as we know it on its head. BUT th
A Soldiers Silent Battle with Australian Army Veteran Luke Adamson
In 2011 Luke Adamson was a Lance Corporal in the Australian Army serving as a Combat Engineer on a tour of Afghanistan. That's when he died...
While on patrol, Luke suddenly collapsed from what doctors could only describe as an anxiety induced heart attack. He flat lined for more than two minutes but miraculously survived. From that day on he was never the same.
Luke returned home suffering from post traumatic stress. It ended his defence career, caused the breakdown of his marriage and led him
The Hero Firefighter Who Hates It When You Call Him That with Thomas Fogg
Thousands of Australia's volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line to defend our communities this summer, battling relentlessly through one of the worst bushfire seasons the country has endured.
It's hard not to be awestruck by the bravery and selflessness of these men and women and many might question what compels them to voluntarily put themselves in danger to protect others.
The way senior CFS firefighter Thomas Fogg tells it, it all comes back to pride in serving the communities t
Fighting Bushfires For The Greater Good with CFS Firefighter Thomas Fogg
Thousands of Australia's volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line to defend our communities this summer, battling relentlessly through one of the worst bushfire seasons the country has endured.
It's hard not to be awestruck by the bravery and selflessness of these men and women and many might question what compels them to voluntarily put themselves in danger to protect others.
The way senior CFS firefighter Thomas Fogg tells it, it all comes back to pride in serving
Pushing Past Your Limits with Para-rowing Champions Jed Altschwager and Will Smith
Para-rowers Jed Altschwager and Will Smith are on the cusp of being selected for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. It's the lofty peak of a gruelling journey that neither imagined they'd have a very real chance to reach.
Jed's world was turned upside down when he lost his leg in a workplace accident in 2015 and made the decision to take on life like never before. Will has been visually impaired since birth and has had his unshakeable resilience become second nature. While they're at a physical disadva
Lessons In Love with Love Doctor Jane Donovan
Romance ain't dead but it can be tricky and according to love expert Jane Donovan young men these days need all the advice they can get...
Luckily she's here to help!
Putting a much needed woman's touch on this Valentine's Day episode, Jane is our guide through the murky waters of modern dating and into the world of relationships.
She has the answers to what we need to do to find the love we deserve and the actions we've got to take to keep it growing.
Communication is key!
Living With Autism with Zaine Schmidt
Zaine Schmidt is one of the hundreds of thousands of Australians living life on the autism spectrum.
As a child, he was diagnosed with a high functioning form of the disorder known as Asperger's syndrome. The developmental disability has had a profound impact on Zaine's daily life, making him a target for bullies through his schooling days and leaving him feeling like he's never going to fit in.
He's been down many times, but not out. Rather than let all the voices keep him down, Zaine is follo
The Pursuit of Happiness with Filmmaker Mike Worsman
Mike Worsman is a journalist and filmmaker who's dedicated his career to the pursuit of happiness. He's the founder of 'A Million Smiles' a project based on collecting video footage and photos of all the smiles worn by people around the world and the positive stories behind them. Mike has a burning passion for following the light in the darkness and finding a silver lining in even the most dire circumstances. His vision has been born out of his own intense struggles with mental health and his
Reality TV Fame And Everything That Comes With It with Teddy Briggs
Teddy Briggs is a reality TV personality and influencer who's life has been a weird and wonderful rollercoaster since appearing on the show 'Love Island'. He loves an audience and is confident being in the public eye but it wasn't always that way. Teddy is an open book telling his story of going from being a lost kid with low self esteem, desperate for acceptance, to choosing the path he wanted to follow and manifesting his success. We talk navigating fame, the disconnect between reality vs
The Night My Mum Was Murdered
Arman Abrahimzadeh is co-founder of the Zahra Foundation and has helped to change the lives of many women and children escaping domestic violence.
He and his sisters set up the foundation after decades spent living in an abusive home under their father's violent tyrannical rule, which tragically ended with the brutal public murder of their mother Zahra in 2010.
Now a married man himself, Arman has made a point of becoming everything his father was not. He's been a changemaker in shaping public p
From Lost To Leading By Example with Men's Coach Lachie Stuart
Lachie Stuart is the kind of man we need. He's a men's coach on a mission to get blokes believing in themselves and putting in the work physically, mentally and spiritually to become who they want to be.That's why he founded 'The Man That Can Project', a podcast and movement all about empowering men to be the best versions of themselves.
Lachie's mission is aligned with ours at Young Blood and I was excited to talk to him about men's health and what we can all do to improve it.
He's been throug
The Inspiring Life Of A Quadriplegic - with Charles Brice
In an instant, Charles Brice's life changed forever when a motorbike accident shattered his spine and left him a quadriplegic. The now 29 year old 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.
In October, Charles handcycled 300 kilometres from the site of his accident to Adelaide, where he now lives alone and works. He raised $130,000 for spinal injury research and further proved to himself and everyone around
Depression, Heartbreak and Healing with Mark Kelly
When Mark Kelly's long time girlfriend dumped him in his early twenties his world was turned upside down and he didn't know what to do. The young man who'd always been active and happy suddenly spiraled into major depression, withdrawing from friends and drinking till he blacked out to cope. Mark avoided addressing his declining mental health for as long as he could, convincing himself he'd never get back to his former self, until his mum gave him the push he needed to get help. It was a dark ch
Touring The World On Adrenaline with Videographer Brock Bentley
Brock Bentley is a passionate videographer who hadn't even made it to his twenties when his dreams suddenly came true. He found himself touring the world alongside Timmy Trumpet, one of the biggest names in EDM.
The whirlwind adventure lead Brock to more than 40 countries, some of which he stayed in for less than 24 hours. He worked all day and night perfecting his craft and churning out endless video content amid the chaos of the ultimate party environment. But Brock eventually found out the fa
Facing Anxiety And Taking Back Control with Sammy King and PhD Candidate Phoebe Drioli-Phillips
Sammy King is now a Peer Support Worker at Australia's leading youth mental health organisation, Headspace. The same group that helped him come to grips with a crippling anxiety disorder just a few years ago.
Sammy was a master of masking his true feelings and convincing those around him that he was the happy go lucky, life of the party guy, who wasn't rattled by anything. But the reality couldn't be further from the truth; inside he was falling apart and spiraling towards a mental breakdown.
Sa
War, Homelessness and Never Giving Up - The Unbelievable Story Of An African Refugee with Chance Ndume
Chance Ndume's story is one the world needs to hear and one that will blow your mind.
His young life has been haunted by trauma since running for his life from militia who wanted him dead...and his troubles were only just beginning.
Chance is a refugee from the Congo who hasn't seen his family since he was 9. He's had the world on his shoulders with everything against him, enduring suffering that would have been more than enough for most to give up...but he hasn't.
He made it to Australia only t
Truth Behind the Laughs - Battling Addiction and Bouncing Back From Rock Bottom with Comedian Mickey D
All jokes aside, Mick Dwyer has been through the wringer. He's performed on the international comedy festival circuit for well over a decade, drinking and gambling away most of his career before wising up and getting sober. Now he's older and wiser and not afraid to paint a vivid picture of just how ugly life got, feeding the beast of his rampant addictions. Mickey is a cracker bloke with a big heart, a bigger smile and wit that's as sharp as ever.
In this warm discussion he gives us a look int
Facing Cancer Twice and The Importance Of Early Detection with Hugo Toovey
They don't come tougher than Hugo Toovey.
At just 27 he's endured more suffering than most will in their lifetime. He put his budding career as an army officer on hold to battle testicular cancer and won, only to be struck down by bowel cancer 5 years later.
But despite all that, he's still standing and he's not one to complain or see the glass half empty. Instead he's deadset on doing everything in his power to help other young men take responsibility for their health before it's too late. He d
Learning To Love Yourself As A Gay Man with Zane Dean and Brandon Symes
Hundreds of thousands of Australian men identify as homosexual and many more still hide it... Zane Dean and Brandon Symes are two good friends who've had quite different journeys towards defining themselves as young gay men.
They visited the studio together to lay it all out for us, covering the full spectrum of gay life from the anxiety of coming out to the beauty of learning to love yourself and be who you are.
These guys don't hold back discussing what some might consider the more uncomfortab
Steroids, Body Image and Choosing Health with Mark Mattiazzo and Professor Gary Wittert
@markmattiazzocoach is a personal trainer and online health coach, dedicated to making people fitter and healthier from the inside out.
He's a vocal advocate for the need to take care of our minds and bodies and approach fitness for the right reasons.
But that hasn't always been a priority, it's a lesson Mark learned the hard way after abusing steroids, spiralling out of control and bringing himself back from the brink.
In this revealing conversation he gives a no holds barred insight into his d
Closing the Gap On Indigenous Health with Stephen Harfield
Stephen Harfield dropped into the studio to break down the issues surrounding indigenous health.
He’s spent his career so far working to improve access to health services for indigenous people and close the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous rates of mental and physical illness.
Stephen has been a researcher at the Health Department of SA Aboriginal Health Division and is currently a Research Fellow at the Wardliparingga Aboriginal Research Unit at SAHMRI.
He has some insightful points
Performing Under Pressure with Ben & Liam
Loveable larrikins Ben Harvey and Liam Stapleton are the now popular hosts of the Triple J Breakfast Show, one of the biggest radio gigs in Australia, but it wasn't always that way.
The boys moved to Sydney to take over the job in their early twenties after quickly catapulting onto the national stage and were immediately faced with a barrage of heavy abuse from listeners that even included death threats. They endured many months of brutal criticism that nearly brought them to breaking point, but
Surviving Suicide with Taylor Johnstone
Taylor Johnstone is a nationally recognised leader in the youth mental health space.
He's a former youth research council member at Orygen, the National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health and an ambassador for Victorian charity 'Youth Live4Life'. His mission is to educate young people about mental health with the goal of improving wellbeing and preventing suicide.
Taylor has survived his own struggle with suicidality and is now deeply passionate about helping others through early interv