Take It From Us with Kent Johns

She took her first drink at 14 — and for a moment, everything made sense.Suzy Morrison chased that feeling for years, through other substances and eventually heroin, before it nearly cost her everything. She's been in recovery since 1987 — not as an endpoint, but as an ongoing practice she's still learning. Now a counsellor and clinical supervisor, Suzy sits down with Kent to talk honestly about what actually pulls people toward addiction, what pulled her back out and why recovery isn't the straight, narrow road most people imagine.If you've ever wondered what real recovery looks like — this one's for you. Hit play.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Jamie Summers thought he was invincible. At 39, working in construction, high stress and no downtime felt like just part of the job.Then he had a stroke.Six and a half years later, he's still living with it — fatigue that doesn't let up, and a mental health toll he doesn't sugarcoat.Now co-founder of Health15, Jamie goes onto construction sites testing workers' blood pressure and checking for atrial fibrillation. The numbers are stark: only 30% test normal. Some have needed an ambulance on site.Jamie's not here to lecture. He's here because he didn't see it coming — and he doesn't want anyone else to find out the hard way.Hit play to hear what changed for Jamie, and why he's not waiting for the industry to catch up.For more information: https://www.stroke.org.nz/We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Heidi McIlroy teaches kids who can't make it into a regular classroom. They're too anxious, struggling with their mental health, autistic - kids who carry shame because they think they're broken.She gets it because she's been there. Years of agoraphobia, hiding it, convinced something was wrong with her.So she created a book called "This Is How It Feels". It's not advice or expert opinions. It's just real people explaining what their struggles actually feel like - a kid with anxiety, someone who self-harms, what withdrawal feels like, what panic looks like.The impact has been real. Parents reading it and finally understanding their kids. Teachers using it. Young people picking it up and going, "Yes, that's what I'm trying to say." You can pick up a copy of Heidi's book here.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

A different kind of episode this week. Host Kent recently slept rough for one night at the Big Sleepout. He bedded down on cardboard at the AUT campus, part of a group of 70 community leaders raising funds and awareness for people experiencing homelessness in Auckland.One night. Terrible sleep. But he was safe, fed, warm and dry. Which made him realise something: people living on the streets don't get that. They go to bed not knowing what tomorrow looks like.In this episode, Kent reflects on what that one night taught him. Plus, a conversation with Daryl Bishop, CEO of Ember Korowai Takitini, who has his own story of sleeping on the streets when he was younger...  and now fights for systemic change.If this is a cause you care about too, you can donate to Lifewise here.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Joe Daymond is a Kiwi comedian who makes you laugh about the hard stuff - the things most of us hide. He talks about things like mental health and relationships on stage in a way that makes people feel less alone.He's had low times, including two periods where he slept rough in his car for a bit. The first time in 2018, nobody knew. The second time three years later, after he'd already been on TV. He didn't tell his closest friends either time that he was struggling.His parents raised him to show up for people. They volunteered, they helped, they made it their priority. Now Joe supports Lifewise's Big Sleepout, raising funds for people experiencing homelessness. He's also learned the hardest lesson: showing up to therapy isn't the same as doing the work. The real change happens between the sessions, when you're alone with yourself.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Todd Muller was elected leader of the National Party in May 2020, a tantalising final step towards achieving a boyhood dream of one day being Prime Minister. Within five days, he was experiencing waves of anxiety he'd never felt before - panic attacks so severe he could barely get through speeches, the words on the page constantly moving and disappearing.After 53 days, he stepped down as leader. He spent the next three years trying to rebuild. He got reelected. He climbed back to the front bench. But he couldn't sustain it. In 2023, Todd made the hardest decision of his life and walked away from Parliament entirely.Based in Tauranga, he's now rebuilding around family, fitness, and community. His willingness to be vulnerable has opened conversations with hundreds of men who've said the same words back to him. "I've had a bit of that too."We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Chris Bowden lost 5 friends to suicide when he was a young man. He coped badly - drinking, drugs, anger, violence, getting into fights. He was spiralling.A university lecturer noticed something wasn't right and pointed Chris toward help. That counsellor changed his life.Now Chris is a researcher passionate about understanding how young men grieve suicide loss. His PhD research revealed something crucial: men don't grieve wrong - they grieve differently. And we're not meeting them where they're at.His work has led him to designing a new degree in trauma transformative support at Wellington's Victoria University. He takes walk-alongs with young men, goes to gaming nights, sits shoulder to shoulder with them.And he's trying to be the lecturer who reached out - paying it forward.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Melanie Rauth grew up in Australia. When her parents separated at 13, she started making different choices - cannabis, the wrong crowd, trouble at school. She had her daughter and in 2010 they moved to New Zealand.Rural isolation and methamphetamine came next. Her life spiralled into crime and five prison stints between 2017 and 2021.But on her last arrest, her young daughter had had enough of empty promises. "Show me," she said, and hung up the phone.That conversation woke Melanie up. She got referred to the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court, where people believed in her for the first time. They understood the drug was the problem, not her character.Two years post-graduation, Melanie works as team leader at Auckland City Mission Social Detox. She's thriving in recovery and has found a calling helping others navigate the path she's walked.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Dave Burnside started drinking at eight. He was drawn into the gang scene and drugs in Auckland. Multiple prison sentences followed - he was angry, railing against the system.Then one day in Spring Hill Prison, a man from his past appeared at his cell door. Another Dave, someone just like him - gangs, drugs, the same story. But this Dave had found recovery and peace.Dave didn't remember the words, but he remembered the feeling. "I want what you've got," he thought. That moment shifted everything.Now Dave mentors incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, visits prisons, campaigns for drug law reform, and challenges public perception around crime. He's doing a PhD, lecturing at universities, and travelling globally with a message of redemption.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

In 2026, Auckland man Shelwin Khan is thriving as a peer support worker and lived experience advisor. But it wasn't always like this.Shelwin started drinking at 13. By his mid-20s he was, by his own admission, 'unemployable', had three stints in rehab he never completed, and wanted to end his life. He wanted to join the '27 Club' - a pop culture reference to a string of celebrities who died tragically at that age.Instead, he got sober at 27. He arrived early to a 12-step meeting by mistake and met a man with 28 years sobriety - longer than Shelwin had been alive. That changed everything.Seven years sober now, Shelwin has learned sobriety is an ongoing journey of personal growth. When he got a cancer diagnosis this year, his reaction showed him how different his thinking is: he really didn't want to die.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Lotta Dann is a well-known author and advocate in the addiction recovery space. This year marks 15 years since her last drink.Six years ago, Lotta had a second awakening - this time about diet culture. She'd found a guru with strict rules: no snacking, weigh everything, eliminate flour and sugar. She lost over 15 kilos and the world loved her skinny body. The praise was intoxicating.Then the binging started - hiding her eating, terrible mental anguish. It felt like the end of her drinking days all over again.That's when Lotta woke up to diet culture and the lies we're told about diets, bodies and health. You can purchase Lotta's book 'Mrs D is Not on a Diet' here.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Dean Clarkson established Wana Charitable Trust in 2024 to help men and their families who've suffered family violence. Based in Takanini, South Auckland, Dean provides safe housing, group therapy, and one-on-one coaching.Dean spent 20 years in an abusive relationship - psychological abuse that escalated to physical violence. He ended up in a Pak'nSave car park in Mangere spitting blood, never once considering walking across the road to the police station.In less than two years, Dean has helped 109 men. When people think family violence, they think male assaults female. Dean is showing the invisible side - that some men are victims too.Family violence affects everyone. Dean is changing the narrative.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Freddie Bennett co-founded Bay Paediatrics in Tauranga, and in his words, is leading the neurodiversity revolution.Less than 10 years ago, Freddie had the Porsche, the Rolex, the corporate life in the UK. From the outside, it looked like success. Inside, he was falling apart - stressed, depressed, seeking escape.When his dad died suddenly, Freddie spent six months drinking away his sorrows. Then one morning, he looked in the mirror and didn't recognise the person staring back at him.What happened next changed everything. After years of trying to 'fix' himself, transformation came when he stopped fighting his darkness and started loving who he really was.These days, Freddie runs extreme endurance challenges - deserts, the Arctic, and next year, the Amazon jungle. He's also a Guinness World Record holder (for the fastest marathon dressed as a fisherman). At Bay Paediatrics he helps families support neurodivergent children and hosts the Epic Families podcast.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Kevin Hollingsworth is a clinical practitioner, addiction counsellor, and executive director of Mana Enhancing Stop Group in Rotorua. He's been in recovery from methamphetamine addiction for over 16 years.Kevin started using cannabis at six. He transitioned to methamphetamine. In the grip of addiction, the desire to use was stronger than the desire to live. He was arrested 29 times and spent two and a half years in prison.Fast forward and these days, Kevin works with the same police who arrested him. He runs AOD programs in prisons and maraes. His message is simple - recovery doesn't happen in people, it happens between people.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Kelsey Waghorn survived the Whakaari White Island volcanic eruption on December 9, 2019. In two minutes, the volcano changed the trajectory of her life.Kelsey made split-second decisions that saved lives - staying still when she wanted to run, getting everyone on the boat when help never came. She spent five days in a coma, weeks in hospital. The burns were catastrophic.But the darkest moment came two years later when the PTSD caught up with her. Kelsey fell into a victim mindset - isolating from family, watching everything burn down around her. Her relationship imploded. That rock bottom jolted her back to life.A trauma specialist helped her understand: her brain had rewired itself. Understanding that changed everything.Kelsey pulled herself out. She's just published her book and is embracing freedom - no longer living in fear. This is a story you won't forget.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Liz Downes is a Peer Support Specialist and Associate Professional Lead at Counties Manukau Health, working alongside people with shared lived experience of bipolar disorder.Liz trained as a nurse. After having her first baby, she developed postnatal depression. When her baby turned one, she had a psychotic episode and was diagnosed with bipolar.She's lived with bipolar for 30 years. Five years after diagnosis, a psychiatrist suggested she'd make a great peer support specialist. She found her calling - using her experiences for good instead of seeing them as just a 'bad part of her life'.Liz says peer support is about mutuality. No hierarchy, no advice-giving. The person navigates their own waka. Liz sits alongside, listening and reflecting back what she hears.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Bex Waugh and Rich Rowley are self-described as 'neuro-spicy' - and they're on a mission to help workplaces understand the value neurodivergent people bring.They're the force behind Neurofusion, an organisation helping people and workplaces find their flow - doing work that suits their cognitive style, not fighting against it.Bex got her ADHD diagnosis after her daughter was assessed in Year 2. Rich spent years thinking negatively about himself until he discovered he wasn't broken - the systems were.Their approach: celebrate what you're naturally good at. When you're doing work you love and are good at, it stops being work - it's fun. About 32% of the population is neurodivergent. The future is designing workplaces where everyone can thrive.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Suzette Jackson has just submitted her PhD in social work at the University of Auckland, researching a unique drug treatment program for pregnant women and mothers at Higher Ground in Auckland.Suzette is 13 years in recovery from drug addiction. Her research followed seven women - five of them Māori - at the apex of need: living in cars, multiple children removed, severe family violence.Her big takeaway: be kind. See women as people first, not just mothers. Women who use drugs face double stigma.Suzette would love to see these women given five years of support post-treatment with a system navigator to help hack the maze of housing, health, and Oranga Tamariki. Not a cost - an investment.Content warning: This episode contains strong language.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Asha Munn is an art psychotherapist, EMDR therapist and founder of Breathing Space Charitable Trust.At university, Asha got unwell and didn't think she'd return for her final year. Art healed her - she made work every day, figured out her future, and decided to become a therapist.Asha's approach: no assumptions, no judgment, no analysis. Art therapy isn't about analysing work - it's about turning up, sitting alongside, and creating safe spaces where people can be seen without words.Creativity is ordinary and human. It's accessible to us all.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Lynda Hills is a suicide researcher studying for a PhD at Auckland University, and her lived experience is informing her research.Seventeen years ago, Lynda tried to take her own life. She was left with critical injuries and has undergone nearly 50 surgeries. She had to learn to walk again.Lynda's research focuses on akathisia - a side effect of antidepressants and antipsychotics that research has connected to suicidality. Reading the research through the lens of her own experience was confronting.Lynda's personal conclusion: indigenous approaches to wellbeing are safer than Western approaches. She's found healing through Havening, a psychosensory therapy involving touch.Resources mentioned in this episode:David Healy - Information on akathisia and medication side effects https://davidhealy.org/Anders Sørensen - Crossing Zero https://crossingzero.substack.com/Dr Robin Youngson - Havening https://neuroscienceofhealing.com/We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Rose Heta-Minhinnick and her daughter Arohanui Minhinnik run Te Waa Charitable Trust, helping young people and their families in Waiuku, southwest of Auckland.Rose is 12 years in recovery from alcohol and gambling addiction. She knows the progression - the buildup of disappointment, the rock bottom, the fear of losing her children. That fear was enough. Now she advocates for law change in New Zealand's gambling industry.Arohanui facilitates health and wellbeing programs for rangatahi, creating spaces where young people can speak up without judgment.Together, Rose and Arohanui are goal smashers who believe in hand-ups, not handouts.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Ten years ago, online harassment followed Anna Ashton everywhere - she couldn't escape by changing schools or moving homes. She became agoraphobic, was misdiagnosed with social anxiety, and eventually attempted suicide.Her clinician didn't understand digital harm. There were no assessment tools, no training on grooming, catfishing, or sextortion. Anna had to teach her clinician the terms.These days, Anna is doing important work as a lived experience advisor in Canterbury working on digital harm reduction. She's developing crisis plans for young people and a screening tool - because you can get screened for domestic violence at your GP, but not for digital harm.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Dom Huxley is the General Manager of Surfing for Farmers, a grassroots organisation helping the rural community through surf therapy. Since 2018, over 8,000 farmers have taken part across 25 beaches around New Zealand.Dom is a former professional mountaineer who spent years in corporate roles before finding his calling in the charity sector. Dom's vision is to expand to all coasts, move inland to lakes and mountains, and drive better research outcomes to truly understand what farmers need.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Riqi Harawira's band Dead Flowers used to play in front of tens of thousands, supporting acts like Guns N' Roses and Pearl Jam. Now Riqi works at Man Alive in West Auckland, helping men build better relationships.Riqi is a survivor of addiction, and sexual abuse in foster care. Now he's helping other men work through their own darkness.And he's making new music with a message. His new song "Pātua te Taniwha" means smash the shame.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Ben Purua is a South Waikato farmer who grew up in South Auckland surrounded by poverty, gangs and violence. He joined a gang at 13. At 16, he was sent to prison for manslaughter.Ben discovered farming while in Waikeria Prison - working on the prison farm gave him a sense of freedom and belonging he'd never felt before. When he was released in 2015, his employer took a chance on him, and he's now built a career on keenness, loyalty, and hard work.In 2024, Ben was named Young Māori Farmer of the Year. Now he dreams of creating a transition farm for men leaving prison.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Dr. Moana Tane is the chief executive of Tauranga Living Without Violence, and she's challenging the assumptions we make about domestic violence.It's not rooted in socioeconomic hardship. Overwhelmingly, violence in the home is committed by men regardless of race or status. Moana's work began in Australia managing health services. When she moved into social services, she noticed something critical: programs for women fleeing violence, but nothing for the men perpetrating it. The women had to run while the men stayed put.Now Moana runs non-violence programmes for men - 20-week courses teaching communication, accountability, and alternatives to violence. Success looks like one thing: his partner reports he's not doing it anymore.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Josh Komen was a gun athlete with aspirations to run the 800 metres for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games - until a cancer diagnosis changed everything.Josh's life was tipped on its head. He spent five years in Australia getting specialised treatment for Graft-versus-Host-Disease after a stem cell transplant. His new immune system was attacking his body. He suffered 12 heart attacks in Melbourne. At his lowest, Josh nearly took his own life - saved only by the love of his Mum.Josh has had to beat the odds many times to become the man, husband, and father he is today - drawing on an inner strength he didn't think he had to overcome not only cancer, but many other hurdles his body threw at him. Viktor Frankl's book Man's Search for Meaning has become his philosophy - learning that you can still choose your attitude, even when everything else is stripped away.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Maree MacLean is an author and publisher who has helped countless people with her guides to sobriety. Her first book, The No Bullshit Guide to Getting Sober, became an Audible bestseller in 2023.Maree lost her brother Stu to alcoholism at 37 - he died in her arms at Auckland Hospital. Her own drinking started in her twenties, masked by media work and weekend partying. When she went freelance and her income became unstable, the problem became impossible to hide.She drank through a 10-year marriage in Copenhagen. After Stu's death, she came home to New Zealand and spiralled. One morning, ready to end her life, she drove to the marae instead. A psychologist named Joseph saw her walk in and knew.Maree speaks with brutal honesty and candid humour about addiction, recovery, and why helping others has kept her sober.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

For years, Georgie Hanafin thought she was just a bad person. She struggled at school, couldn't maintain friendships, overthought every conversation.At 34, she realised she had OCD and ADHD. Getting help became its own nightmare. Emergency departments dismissed her. Crisis lines let her down. The system wouldn't listen.In October 2022, desperate and burnt out, Georgie did something drastic - she orchestrated her way into Hillmorton Hospital by unmasking publicly online.These days, she's a producer at Radio New Zealand, helping people tell their stories. This is her story - raw, honest, and powerful.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Ian Walker has survived two catastrophic spinal cord injuries - one in 2006 when his bicycle hit a truck, another in 2019 when a 4x4 dragged his hand-cycle 15 metres down the road.  After 13 days in a coma, nothing woke him - until broadcaster Jason Pine started talking about his favourite football team, Liverpool FC, on Radio Sport. Ian clenched his fist and slowly came back. Instead of fixating on huge goals like walking again, Ian purposely chose to focus only on what was in front of him - small, achievable goals like getting into a wheelchair, transfers, then independence. Now, he completes marathons in his hand-cycle and is studying to become a youth counsellor. Ian's message of hope and resilience is ... it's 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Debbs Murray endured nearly eight years of coercive control before her dad saw the knife-slashed bed where her ex-partner thought she'd been sleeping... that moment forced her to finally call the police and leave.Debbs is now the founder of Eclipse Family Violence Services, training over 6,500 frontline responders and practitioners. Her mission: teaching people that coercive control - the psychological, emotional, unseen harm - makes up the majority of family violence. It's the intentional removal of someone's liberty and freedom, yet most of it isn't criminalised in New Zealand.You can buy Debbs' book here.Content warning: This episode discusses suicidal ideation and extreme violenceWe'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Lisa Reid's first proper relationship breakup sent her spiralling. What started as weekend drinking turned into trying meth at a party - just to feel numb, just to forget. Within six to eight weeks, she was using daily. Within ten months, she'd lost $100,000, her dogs, her home, and nearly her life.At 3am one February morning, sitting on her bedroom floor in tears, Lisa wrote a letter from her addicted self to her true self. It wasn't quite a suicide note, but close. She knew she'd hit rock bottom - it was do or die. That letter became her turning point.Two years clean now, Lisa moved from Gore to Nelson for a fresh start. She's rebuilt her nutrition business, found an unexpected passion as an embalmer, and decided to share her story publicly. Her hope: staying on track and helping others by breaking the stigma around meth addiction.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Growing up as a queer Korean New Zealander, Romy Lee lived between two worlds with two different sets of expectations. The identity dissonance and isolation drove her to substances as a teenager - a solution that worked until it didn't.After moving overseas thinking a geographical change would fix everything, Romy had a realisation: it wasn't the environment, it was her. That moment led to 18 weeks of residential treatment and now over seven years clean and sober.Today, Romy is National Manager for Child and Youth Mental Health at Asian Family Services. Her mission: ensuring every young Asian New Zealander sees themselves reflected in the mental health support they receive.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Former All Black Steve Devine spent two years bedridden with migraines after multiple concussions ended his rugby career. Jack Newman got to 142 kilos, hadn't exercised since 2015, and in 2014 came dangerously close to ending his life - a moment he didn't talk about for nine years.Both are now Movember ambassadors, speaking openly about the hardest thing men struggle with: asking for help. Steve talks about battling trauma from his firefighting career and learning that if he expects his kids to be vulnerable, he has to model it first. Jack shares how his dad's cancer diagnosis became the wake-up call to transform his health through ultra running.Steve focuses daily on two things - health and happiness. Jack's learned to forgive himself when he slips up. Both found that movement helps more than anything else, and that side-by-side conversations with their sons work better than sitting down face-to-face.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

At the height of his rugby career, former Blues captain and cult star Tom Robinson walked away from the sport he loved. Behind the big tackles and big hair was a growing fear - anxiety over concussions and the long-term effects of head knocks.In this episode, Tom shares how his mind became his toughest opponent, what it took to step away, and how yoga and mindfulness helped him find peace beyond rugby. A story of courage, self-awareness, and learning to simply be.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

In November 2020, Camille Keyte was arrested for dealing methamphetamine for a senior Mongrel Mob member. She'd been addicted since 14, using daily since 17. She'd lost her house, her business, her children. She had three pages of criminal charges and had tried to take her own life multiple times.On the run for a week with a warrant out, Camille finally realised the drugs weren't working anymore - they were just making everything worse. She had two choices: take her own life or try something completely new. She chose recovery, and it was the harder road.Four years clean now, Camille is the Lived Experience Lead at Care NZ in South Waikato, supervising peer support workers and running an eight-week recovery programme she developed. Her message: you can't fix addiction for someone else - they have to put the shovel down themselves.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Jo Randerson was diagnosed with ADHD at 46, then autism this year - diagnoses that finally explained the parts of their life that never quite made sense. The theatre-maker and author talks honestly about how neurodiversity shapes both their creative work and their parenting.Jo wears a lot of hats. Their book  "Secret Art Powers" makes the case that creative thinking isn't just for professional artists - we all need it, especially when the world keeps telling us to play it safe. That same philosophy runs through their show "Speed is Emotional", which digs into ADHD and parenting, featuring their son who also has ADHD.This chat also challenges the "superpower" talk around ADHD - those same things that fuel creativity can also make getting through the day just exhausting. Jo's take: yes, it's hard, but look at what you've got and be grateful for it.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Sean Barnes co-founded the Christchurch chapter of WNOW (When No One's Watching) - a global movement where men gather at 6am every Wednesday for exercise, conversation, and coffee. It's simple, but that's the point.The format includes 60 pushups together to honour the 60 men globally who take their lives every hour. Sean talks about "social fitness" - how maintaining friendships requires the same intentional effort as physical fitness. Small, consistent habits of reaching out and showing up create foundations that hold you when life gets hard.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Wayne Webb was drowning in addiction and darkness when tragedy struck close to home. In his grief, his pain became visible to someone who asked if he was okay - that question changed everything.Now Wayne creates messages of hope in the sand at New Brighton Beach every day. After decades using alcohol and drugs to cope, he discovered that "busy hands mean a settled brain." What started as personal healing has become bigger - people share their struggles with him on the pier, and his art gives them moments of beauty.Wayne's message is confronting: most people don't want to die, they just want their anguish to stop. No one's coming to save you, so save yourself. But when people are struggling, Wayne listens, because sometimes feeling heard is enough.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

When Fiona Parrant's sister Charlene was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Fiona moved from Levin to Napier to help care for her - and for Charlene's husband, Alister, who had early onset Alzheimer's at just 60. After Charlene died, Fiona stayed in Napier to continue caring for Alister and help support his two sons.New Zealand's dementia care system is broken. Despite being our biggest looming health crisis, dementia isn't even in the National Health Plan. Getting a diagnosis takes over two years, early onset cases fall through funding cracks, and Alister had to be falsely classified with mental illness just to access speech therapy. Fiona says families battle a system where "nobody wants responsibility."But Fiona refuses to give up hope. Her philosophy is simple: if you can't have option A in life, you "kick the ass out of option B." She dreams of something better - small, supportive homes where people with dementia can live well right to the end, with dignity.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Nicola Colman lived with anorexia for 15 years, outwardly functioning through marriage, motherhood and immigration, while giving most of her life to the eating disorder. Her turning point came when her son asked why she never ate dinner with the family - she realised her children were learning this was normal.In 2019, her 15-year-old daughter was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Despite Nicola's efforts to create a household free from diet culture, her daughter fell completely silent for 11 months and required hospitalisation. Working with an eating disorder coach as a family, they navigated recovery together. Today, her daughter is 21, about to start university, and thriving. Now Nicola works as an eating disorder coach, helping others understand that complete recovery is possible. She is focussed on on bringing eating disorders "out of the darkness" where shame allows them to grow.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Chris Reidy and Di Langdon have spent 20 years advocating for their son with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) - a journey that started with multiple diagnoses and school refusals before finally getting the umbrella diagnosis of FASD at age 15. Their son's struggles with developmental delays, sensory processing issues, and social difficulties led to isolation, bullying, and eventually self-harm and addiction.The FASD diagnosis was relief and revelation - suddenly everything made sense. They learned "brain-first parenting," shifting from behavioural approaches to understanding their son's unique neurobiology. But in New Zealand, FASD isn't recognised as a disability, meaning no funding or support despite it being a lifelong condition. Chris and Di have had to find training overseas, fight schools for accommodations, and navigate health systems where professionals lack FASD knowledge. Their message: listen to families living with FASD, recognise it as a disability, and provide the support these children need to reach their potential.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Linda Collins lost her 17-year-old daughter Victoria to suicide in 2014, on the first day of a new school term before she was to catch her bus. The grief changed everything - not just the unbearable pain, but how people saw her family, how relationships shifted, and how she had to learn to navigate a world that didn't know how to handle their loss.Seven months later, Linda found Victoria's journals revealing something that gave her immense comfort: Victoria had written about how much she loved her parents and didn't blame them. But the journals also showed Victoria's wish that no young person would ever experience the mental pain she had endured. Now Linda honours that wish through her book "Lost Adjustment" and by speaking openly about suicide grief - because she's learned that young people considering suicide often have no idea of the devastation it causes families. We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Waata Heathcote spots a man in crisis at 8am in a coffee shop and has him connected to support within 15 minutes. It's just another morning for the Rangatira of Waiariki Whānau Mentoring, who leads a team that works 24/7 because "people have nowhere to go after 5 o'clock". After working for MSD and as a police officer, Waata saw how the system was failing Māori communities facing intergenerational trauma. Now 70% of his team has lived experience, with a strong-held belief that you can't help people you don't understand. Their extraordinary results speak for themselves: of 57 gang-affiliated men with serious offending histories who've completed their programme, only one has reoffended.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Tim Mehrtens is passionate about helping people thrive - but that passion was born from his darkest moments. After experiencing severe trauma in 2012, Tim spiralled into PTSD and multiple suicide attempts, before facing the brutal reality that suppressing emotions had nearly killed him.Today, Tim directs My Everyday Wellbeing, helping people to develop daily habits that create resilience before crisis hits. In 2023, when his brother was kidnapped and held hostage for 19 months while both his parents were unwell, Tim's wellbeing practices didn't just help him cope - they allowed him to support his family through unimaginable trauma. His message: small, consistent habits build the foundation that hold you up when life falls apart.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Growing up between two worlds, Kayla Schwalger felt disconnected from her Samoan heritage while trying to succeed in New Zealand - a struggle many second-generation Pacific Islanders know well. Moving to Samoa at 14 helped, but it also brought challenges including undiagnosed Borderline Personality Disorder in a culture where mental health often wasn't discussed.Today, this Pacific mental health advocate co-runs Tapasā with her mother, reconnecting Pacific youth to their culture. Through programs honouring ancestral wisdom, Kayla shows how grounding yourself in identity provides strength when life gets difficult.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Tui Taurua calls herself a "mental health warrior" - and after her journey, she's earned that title. From 1977 to 2001, she spent over two decades cycling in and out of psychiatric hospitals, hearing voices that doctors called "hallucinations" and taking up to 25 medications a day that left her sedated on the couch, watching life pass her by.When Western medicine failed her, Tui made a terrifying but life-changing decision - she walked away from the psychiatric system and embraced Te Whare Tapa Whā, the Māori holistic health model. Learning to listen to her wairua (spiritual essence) rather than suppress it, she discovered her 'voices' weren't symptoms to medicate away, but her tūpuna guiding her toward healing. Now 30 years into her recovery, this Indigenous mental health professional works as a bicultural supervisor, helping others find their potential beyond their diagnosis through traditional Māori approaches to wellness.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Chris Ranui-Molloy's journey from a declining Bay of Plenty logging town to founding Recovery Street is a story of transformation through the most unlikely medium - theatre. Growing up with a 'FTW mentality' in Murupara, Chris nearly ended up in gang life before heading to drama school in Auckland where isolation, depression, and addiction left him struggling to fit into an unfamiliar world.Time in prison followed, before he sought treatment at Higher Ground. Eight years clean and sober, Chris now runs Recovery Street - a revolutionary addiction programme where people act out their own trauma stories on stage. In this conversation, Chris opens up about transformation, pride, and finding his way back to helping his people.We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

Rhonda Hāpi-Smith describes her career as a female prison officer in New Zealand as "wonderful, devastating, fantastic and heartbreaking" - and those contradictions tell the whole story. For 20 years, she walked among dangerous criminals at Rimutaka and Hawkes Bay men's prisons, loving the brotherhood, the resilience she witnessed, and the humour that got her through each day. But the career she loved also slowly broke her down - sometimes compromising her principles, destroying relationships, and driving her to alcohol.When Rhonda discovered an inmate's suicide, everything changed. In this raw conversation about her book "Inside the Wire", she reveals the personal cost of corrections work - the PTSD, the broken marriages, the numbness that kept her functional but disconnected from herself. We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/

At 17, Lola Fisher is living proof that young people don't need to wait their turn to lead. What started as COVID lockdown boredom became her vision for Create Happy Media - a youth-led platform reaching 30,000+ readers after Lola discovered how negatively young people were portrayed in headlines. This conversation reveals what it's really like being young in New Zealand today - from social media debates to demanding a seat at the decision-making table. Lola's driving philosophy: "If not now, when? If not me, who?"We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/