The Brave Man Project with Hamish Niven

Hamish Niven

This is not a podcast about fixing yourself. You are not broken machinery. The Brave Man Project is for the man who is brilliant at his job and dead behind the eyes - the one everyone swears is fine. Raw, unedited conversations with men who wore the mask so long they forgot their own face, and men who took it off and found the world in Technicolour. No formulas. No five-step plans. No burnout experts. Just the truth about what falling cost them, and what it actually took to build something real. The show moves through two lenses. The Mirror reflects the lie you've been telling yourself: "I'm alright, mate." Men who were Captain of the Universe, who loaded bricks onto their backs until the weight turned lethal - the heart attack at thirty-seven, the iron mask worn through a marriage, the three drinks needed to sleep. Then they fell. And they chose to look. Their story is your story, a few years back. And they got out. The Window expands the view. Men who woke up and saw in colour - not because their circumstances changed, but because they did. They don't reflect your collapse. They prove you were never broken to begin with. The Mirror asks, "is this you?" The Window asks, "could this also be you?" Your host, Hamish Niven, spent twenty-five years filming other people's lives while avoiding his own. Professional, reliable, the man who always showed up - all of it a performance. When addiction brought him down, he didn't find recovery. He found the man buried alive under his own competence. He holds the space here the way he wishes someone had held it for him: no judgement, no advice, no applause. This is for the man tired of the noise and the b******t. The man exhausted from carrying a mask. Whether the universe is currently kicking you into the foetal position, or you're simply sick of the black-and-white grind. The performance is over. The real work starts now.

  1. Episode 1

    "I'm all right mate." The lie every man has told

    John Milham, host of Kintsugi Heroes, had the successful life, the family, the script — until his wife's cancer diagnosis tore it up. What followed was grief, single fatherhood, parenting after loss, and the slow discovery that "I'm alright, mate" was the most expensive lie he'd ever told. "Life is simple — love, connection, stories, and a little silliness" "Does anyone even want to hear my story?" "The world doesn't have a lot of resources for men who are left on their own" John grew up in an Australian culture where men didn't do feelings. In this raw first episode, he shares what losing the life he'd built taught him about vulnerability, community, and why "I'm alright, mate" nearly cost him everything. What we explore: The moment of crisis: a cancer diagnosis, grief, and confronting mortalityHow masculine conditioning shuts down men's emotional expression — and what it costsVulnerability as the doorway to healing, not a weakness to hideThe power of community, elders and authentic conversation in recoveryMaslow's pyramid, self-actualisation and the simplicity of a life built on love, connection and a little silliness Connect with John: Website: kintsugiheroes.com.au Instagram: @kintsugi.heroes LinkedIn: Kintsugi Heroes YouTube: Kintsugi Heroes Facebook: facebook.com/kintsugiheroes A little about HamishI spent 25 years building a life that looked successful from the outside, but within, it was the opposite. Everything was falling apart, and I was throwing fuel on that fire. The joy of life had fallen away. Late November 2018, I had to make a choice: live or die. I chose to live, and everything changed. I had to confront the pain I was carrying, look at the stories, and change. I built The Brave Man Project because there was nothing like this when I needed it. Podcast website https://thebravemanproject.com/ Hamish's website https://hamishniven.com/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TheBraveManProject LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishniven/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@hamish.niven Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hamishniven/ Personal Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hamishniven

  2. Episode 2

    I woke up as a ticking clock, not as a ticking bomb

    I woke up as a ticking clock, not a ticking bomb Joe Henderson — former Brisbane police officer, survivor of a heart attack at 37, and a man living with a mechanical heart valve — was on the phone with his best mate Dan when the line went dead. Dan was killed on his police bike while they were still connected. "I couldn't even say I'm sorry for my behaviour." "I'm a ticking time bomb, pretty much." Joe Henderson lives with a mechanical heart valve — every beat an audible reminder of the surgeries that saved him. Add a heart attack at 37, the loss of his best mate, PTSD from police work, and 15 years as a single dad, and you have a man with every reason to break. Instead, he faced the mirror — literally — and changed. What we explore: Rebuilding life after multiple heart surgeries and a stress-driven heart attack at 37The weight of grief — losing his best mate — and what it did to his mental health and familyThe mirror exercise: brutal daily self-honesty as the engine of changeTalking to your children about mental health, and why honesty beats pretendingBreaking the cycle of toxic masculinity and what fathers model for the next generation Connect with Joe: Website: joe-betterdad.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/leaddontblame Facebook: facebook.com/leaddontblame Instagram: @leaddontblame A little about HamishI spent 25 years building a life that looked successful from the outside, but within, it was the opposite. Everything was falling apart, and I was throwing fuel on that fire. The joy of life had fallen away. Late November 2018, I had to make a choice: live or die. I chose to live, and everything changed. I had to confront the pain I was carrying, look at the stories, and change. I built The Brave Man Project because there was nothing like this when I needed it. Podcast website https://thebravemanproject.com/ Hamish's website https://hamishniven.com/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TheBraveManProject LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishniven/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@hamish.niven Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hamishniven/ Personal Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hamishniven

  3. Episode 3

    He laughed so loud the nurses came to check, he just lost his leg

    Al Richards woke up with one leg missing. And yet his room was the one full of laughter. New staff were warned about laughter in a room - if you hear a room having a good time, that's Al's. What made it remarkable was everything he was laughing in the middle of. "There's nothing we can do. Your foot will continue to die." "I'm done. I'm having him take it. The pain I'll go through is going to be healing pain." Al is a podcaster, speaker, co-founder of the Healing Utah Success Summit and a newly certified crisis and recovery coach. In 2025, a plaque blockage cut off the blood supply to his right foot until it began to die beneath him. He chose amputation over a dying limb. Barely out of hospital, four weeks later, addiction took his wife. This episode is about surgical choice, grief, and what it takes to turn towards the storm like the bison instead of running from it. What we explore: The two-hour ultimatum — choosing amputation over a foot that was dying underneath himWhy ego is a man's worst enemy: not crying, not asking for help, not seeing the doctorThe "message in the mirror" — Al's morning routine of gratitude and self-loveLosing his wife four weeks after losing his leg, and refusing to let grief become identityVessels, not victims — the Drama Triangle, paying it forward to new amputees, and walking towards the storm like the bison Connect with Al: Podcast: The Other Side of Addiction (Apple) YouTube: The Other Side of Addiction Instagram: @mralrichards TikTok: @alrichards780 LinkedIn: Al Richards Facebook: Al Richards A little about HamishI spent 25 years building a life that looked successful from the outside, but within, it was the opposite. Everything was falling apart, and I was throwing fuel on that fire. The joy of life had fallen away. Late November 2018, I had to make a choice: live or die. I chose to live, and everything changed. I had to confront the pain I was carrying, look at the stories, and change. I built The Brave Man Project because there was nothing like this when I needed it. Podcast website: thebravemanproject.com Hamish's website: hamishniven.com YouTube: The Brave Man Project LinkedIn: Hamish Niven TikTok: @hamish.niven Instagram: @hamishniven Personal Facebook: Hamish Niven

  4. Episode 4

    And Everything Goes From Black and White to Colour

    Tim Freke — philosopher, spiritual pioneer, and international bestselling author of 35 books — describes the single 'Technicolour' moment that launched a lifetime of inquiry. In this conversation, he frames bravery as the courage to follow your highest calling, shows how spiritual awakening is the shift from black-and-white to colour, and reveals why reflection and conscious choice open the door to a life that feels vividly alive. "Life is mind-blowingly amazing." "The universe is a process made of the past." What we explore: Wisdom as the courage to do what's right — and how reflection builds it over a lifetimeSpiritual awakening as seeing in colour, and simple practices for switching it back onThe evolution of consciousness, and Tim's idea of a super-soul and collective intelligenceChoice and agency: taming the instinctual self and creating your own journeySoul-to-soul connection as the most radical act a man can offer in a world trained in distraction. Connect with Tim: Podbook & Podcast: youtube.com/timfreke Website & Events: timfreke.com Substack: timfreke.substack.com Instagram: @timfreke Facebook: facebook.com/TimFreke X: @timfreke A little about HamishI spent 25 years building a life that looked successful from the outside, but within, it was the opposite. Everything was falling apart, and I was throwing fuel on that fire. The joy of life had fallen away. Late November 2018, I had to make a choice: live or die. I chose to live, and everything changed. I had to confront the pain I was carrying, look at the stories, and change. I built The Brave Man Project because there was nothing like this when I needed it. Podcast website https://thebravemanproject.com/ Hamish's website https://hamishniven.com/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@TheBraveManProject LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishniven/ TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@hamish.niven Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hamishniven/ Personal Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hamishniven

  5. Episode 5

    Four Suicide Attempts and the Avocado That Saved Him

    Four suicide attempts. A father with schizophrenia. And the avocado that saved his life. "Stop carrying masks — be comfortable with being naked." "The only way to get rid of the chatter is to listen to it." Gareth Stubbs grew up around suicide and mental illness before he had words for either. By eighteen he'd made his first attempt. Two more followed. Today he lives in southern Spain, running retreats and teaching what he calls the Avocado Philosophy — a blunt, often funny look at what's really underneath the mask. What we explore: Growing up around schizophrenia and suicide, and what it did and didn't teach him about mental healthThe masks we wear to survive trauma, and why dropping them feels like being "naked"Humour as a coping mechanism — and where it stops workingThe Avocado Philosophy: what's actually underneath when you cut yourself openBuilding a new life and a retreat business in Spain after three suicide attempts Connect with Gareth: Facebook Community – Our Space to Talk: facebook.com/groups/ourspacetotalk Instagram: @theavocadophilosophy Personal Facebook: facebook.com/gareth.stubbs2 Website: theavocadophilosophy.com A little about HamishI spent 25 years building a life that looked successful from the outside, but within, it was the opposite. Everything was falling apart, and I was throwing fuel on that fire. The joy of life had fallen away. Late November 2018. I had to make a choice: live or die. I chose to live, and everything changed. I had to confront the pain I was carrying, look at the stories, and change. I built The Brave Man Project because there was nothing like this when I needed it. Podcast website: thebravemanproject.com Hamish's website: hamishniven.com YouTube: @TheBraveManProject LinkedIn: hamishniven TikTok: @hamish.niven Instagram: @hamishniven Facebook: facebook.com/hamishniven

About

This is not a podcast about fixing yourself. You are not broken machinery. The Brave Man Project is for the man who is brilliant at his job and dead behind the eyes - the one everyone swears is fine. Raw, unedited conversations with men who wore the mask so long they forgot their own face, and men who took it off and found the world in Technicolour. No formulas. No five-step plans. No burnout experts. Just the truth about what falling cost them, and what it actually took to build something real. The show moves through two lenses. The Mirror reflects the lie you've been telling yourself: "I'm alright, mate." Men who were Captain of the Universe, who loaded bricks onto their backs until the weight turned lethal - the heart attack at thirty-seven, the iron mask worn through a marriage, the three drinks needed to sleep. Then they fell. And they chose to look. Their story is your story, a few years back. And they got out. The Window expands the view. Men who woke up and saw in colour - not because their circumstances changed, but because they did. They don't reflect your collapse. They prove you were never broken to begin with. The Mirror asks, "is this you?" The Window asks, "could this also be you?" Your host, Hamish Niven, spent twenty-five years filming other people's lives while avoiding his own. Professional, reliable, the man who always showed up - all of it a performance. When addiction brought him down, he didn't find recovery. He found the man buried alive under his own competence. He holds the space here the way he wishes someone had held it for him: no judgement, no advice, no applause. This is for the man tired of the noise and the b******t. The man exhausted from carrying a mask. Whether the universe is currently kicking you into the foetal position, or you're simply sick of the black-and-white grind. The performance is over. The real work starts now.