Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health

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.

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 health resource website, RightByYou. RightByYou is a straight-forward, easy to navigate tool that serves as a great starting point if you need help with your own mental health, or if you're looking for guidance in how to support someone. Go to rightbyyou.org.au This podcast is about mateship, grief, guilt, meaning, hope and how you can spot the signs someone you care about might be struggling much more than you think. This is Varad Mukhedkar’s story…

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.

Imagine one minute you're sitting down chatting to your mates, and the next you're knocked unconscious by someone you've never met... That's what happened to Blake on a night out in 2012, and it's had a life-changing impact on the now 32 year old. Blake's ordeal put him through the ringer physically and mentally, and recently becoming a father himself has given him another perspective on just how devastating that attack could've been for his family and community. His desire to be a role model for other coward punch survivors and young men is the motivation behind his current attempt to break the world record for Most Consecutive Days completing an indoor triathlon; which stands at 77. This isn't just a story about a senseless assault, it's about valuing your life and making the most of it. This is Blake Manwaring's story.

A comedian, turned artist, turned comedic artist; this guy's story is truly out of the box… He quit stand-up comedy after a decade on the local circuit and unsure what to do with himself, made the unusual decision to hire out a warehouse and start painting… Living on three hours sleep for 6 months, letting his imagination run wild and trying to make his dreams manifest on canvas, Sam Kissajukian had no idea he was living in an extended manic episode... Diagnosed with bi-polar disorder soon after, Sam went from never having painted before, to completing 300 paintings illustrating the lens through which he was seeing the world. He went on to create a unique mental health comedy show built around trying to explain those paintings to the audience, literally putting all his flawed thinking on display to show the funny side and connect. Sam lives with a mental illness, but his story is proof that it's not all bad; and that you don't have to be afraid to share who you really are with the world. In fact, people might just love you for it. This is Sam Kissajukian's story.

Jack Brown's world was flipped upside down when his cousin Matty died by suicide. The tragedy leaving him devastated, confused and desperate for a way to numb the pain. Fortunately, with the love of his friends and family and a drastic change in life direction, he was able to turn it around. Since 2018, Jack's been one of the people running the trailblazing nationwide mental health charity #talk2mebro. Scroll back to May 2022 in our podcast library for the full story.

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

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

It's been 18 months since the last solo episode, and it feels like high time to check-in! In this pod, I rant at length answering all the listener questions sent in to our @youngbloodmensmentalhealth Instagram. Some serious, some not so serious, and overall, hopefully worth your time. Even producer Rory makes a special cameo appearance! Thanks to everyone who got involved and all of you who follow the show! We're all in this together.

Raised by a mother who battled severe illness throughout her life and a dad who was her carer, the pressure took a toll that split up Dale's family, and eventually left him looking after both parents. In recent years he's endured the loss of not only his mother and father, but also a son...stillborn at 28 weeks. Battling with overwhelming stress and anxiety, Dale's done everything he can to process his pain and forge a healthy path forward - standing resolutely alongside his wife no matter what comes. This is Dale Rush's story.

For years, South Australian local legend Marc Ryan aka The Beautiful Bogan, has been using stand-up comedy as a vehicle to open up conversations around mental health in a very special way. Marc is himself a survivor of childhood abuse and battles the black dog day in and day out. He's a dedicated dad, a man who loves and downright Aussie battler who loves nothing more than putting smiles on the faces of others. Scroll back to April 2021 for the full story - Childhood Trauma Is No Joke | Marc Ryan

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 disability and is proud to be the dedicated dad he's become. This is Carter's story. Produced at PodBooth Adelaide

“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.”

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 our conversation. This is 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 our conversation. This is Jesse Trout...

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

This week's Memorable Moment is a follow up from last week's main episode with Sean Phillip, Founder of The Shaka Project. This clip takes you back to 2021, when Sean was first on the podcast, to share his intense and inspiring origin story, which includes drugs, violence, trouble with the law and miraculously surviving a suicide attempt to go on and do great things.

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 being a dad, a partner, a son and a mate. Sean also takes it upon himself to personally console the loved ones of those who've recently died by suicide, who reach out to The Shaka Project for support every week. Each heartbreaking loss hits him hard, but he and the rest of the Shaka Project team keep pushing on to change the future of mental health for the better. ------ This episode is proudly sponsored by our mates at The Shaka Project. The Shaka Project was designed to ignite the conversation around mental health. Encouraging connection, mateship and brotherhood through the Shaka. Inspired by a dads love for his mates and his kids. Go to theshakaproject.com to find out more about the epic work these guys are doing, grab yourself some merch and follow their journey @theshakaproject on Instagram

Imagine making four separate phone calls to offer an ear and support to people who've just lost a loved one to suicide... That's all in a day's work for Sean, the young founder of The Shaka Project, a national mental health charity that evolved out of his own close call with suicide and recognising Australia's need for a louder mental health conversation.

For more than a decade, Luke McLean was controlled by a gambling addiction he couldn't escape. He was 17 when he got hooked after his first win at the TAB and went on to spend just every cent he ever earned on online sports betting. The habit made him hate himself and very nearly claimed his life. Fortunately he found a way to finally break free before it was too late. Go back to June 2021 in our podcast library to listen to Luke's full story titled, Gamble (Ir)responsibly | Luke McLean