Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health Cal MacPherson

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 his own, and it almost killed him..

But Adam chose to change the narrative; and although he's tried and failed many times on the journey to becoming Adam 2.0, he's never given up. I've just read his book, you can find that and the link to his podcast, True Blue Conversations, below.

This is Adam Blum's story...



Easy Target - Taming the Black Dog:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/easy-target-adam-blum/book/9781923004825.html



True Blue Conversations podcast:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0YS0ZqW624g6guM03JKwEI

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.

Professor Nicholas Procter is Australia's representative to the International Association for Suicide Prevention Council, he literally wrote the textbook for mental
health education in this country, and has dedicated his long career to mental health research.In other words, he is the man when it comes to suicide prevention...


In this conversation, you'll learn what's at the core of so many men taking their lives, and the progress our society is actually making in this area. We'll cover what does and doesn't work for men in managing our mental health; the impact of suicide bereavement on those left behind, and is the truly system broken? Find out on the Young Blood Expert's Series.

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 caring for others.He's the Co-owner of the industry disrupting disability support provider, Vana Care; a husband, and a father of three, who's had the guts to pursue his dreams; and the humility to forgive.

This is Jason Wisniewski's story...

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 health and the Director of MensPsych Psychology Services in Adelaide.

He also does a lot of work on the research side of things and is just all around bloody good to chat to.

Our conversation covers everything from what to expect when you're sitting in a psychs office, to the common struggles young men are facing, the root causes beneath the bad behaviours we want to change, how to have better communication with your partner, how childhood abuse and neglect impacts us later in life, what we can do to build self-respect and much more.

This is Dr Ian Zajac...

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…