Find Ya Feet | Tommy Herschell

This episode is in honour of Miles I.W. 1988-2026 Tommy Herschell is the founder of Find Ya Feet, an organisation helping people build the skills and confidence to have conversations that go well beyond “how are ya?” In this episode, Tommy joins Benny A for a wide-ranging conversation about belonging, anxiety, vulnerability, psychological safety and what he has learned from working with schools, communities and some of Australia’s leading sporting teams. Tommy shares his own story, from struggling with anxiety and belonging as a kid, through heavy drinking and eventually reaching a point where he knew something had to change. The episode unpacks why sharing our stories can be so powerful, the excuses people use to avoid asking for help, and why supporting someone doesn’t mean having to fix everything for them. Tommy also talks openly about his own experiences with panic attacks and anxiety, the tools he still uses when his thoughts begin to spiral, and what resilience actually looks like in practice. A conversation about mateship, honesty, listening, connection and learning how to deal with the hard stuff. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 — Welcome Tommy Herschell 01:08 — What Find Ya Feet does 05:25 — Tommy’s story: anxiety, belonging and finding a role model 09:15 — Bastien, “love life and don’t waste it” and a turning point 11:00 — When the “Coke bottle” finally exploded 13:15 — Asking for help and learning how to be a functioning adult 14:30 — Why mental health conversations don’t need to be complicated 18:35 — Why sharing our stories matters 19:45 — Psychological safety and how Find Ya Feet workshops work 26:15 — Suicide, shame and the reasons we don’t reach out 28:35 — What Tommy has learned inside elite sporting teams 31:35 — “I don’t want to be a burden” and the excuses we all use 34:00 — Losing a mate, responsibility and recognising that we can’t fix everything 39:45 — Anxiety, panic attacks and the wounded kid that can stay with us 43:45 — Tommy’s “game plan” for stopping a spiral 46:00 — Phones, discomfort and what resilience actually means 47:55 — Control the process, not the outcome 49:05 — Who should we have on next? FIND YA FEET Website: https://findyafeet.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/findyafeet/ RUNNING FOR RESILIENCE Website: https://www.runningforresilience.com/ SUPPORT If this episode brings anything up for you, please reach out to someone you trust. In Australia, you can: Lifeline — 13 11 14 https://www.lifeline.org.au/131114 Medicare Mental Health Centre — 1800 595 212 https://www.medicarementalhealth.gov.au/ Beyond Blue — 1300 22 4636 https://www.beyondblue.org.au/ If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.