Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health
Episodes
The Mental Battle of Chronic Injury & Making a Comeback
28 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
How many of us have had our sporting aspirations crushed by injuries? Not to mention the chronic aches and pains that can creep in, take hold and beco...
Losing Our Baby at 40 Weeks and Finding Hope Again | Bryce Matthews
12 May 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bryce didn't think much about becoming a dad, until he started building a life with his wife Marie. Their journey towards becoming parents got off...
Facing the Fear of Losing a Child | Mark Pearce
22 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After years trying to start a family, Mark and his wife Angela were deflated, and wondering if it was going to happen for them.When they finally conce...
What Men Will Do to Belong | Alex Hill
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When a viral image of a football fan sticking a flare up his arse during England’s Euro 2020 final against Italy surfaced, it wasn’t just a meme, ...
Why It’s So Hard to Quit Gambling | Dr Michael Zhang
14 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Gambling, in one form or another, has been part of human societies for centuries. Those wanting a betting opportunity could find one if they looked ha...
More Than Medication | Dr Aleem Khan
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When you hear the word psychiatrist, you might think medicating mental illness, but there’s more nuance to it than that.Psychiatry brings together b...
The Crisis that Took My Dad's Life | Sydni Kobayashi
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sydni grew up on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu, in a tight-knit community with a culture she says expects men to be tough and keep their emotions to th...
Living Beyond the Shadow of Cystic Fibrosis | Flynn Gill
03 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Five years ago, Flynn was on this podcast as a teenager living with cystic fibrosis. CF is a genetic condition that affects one in 2,500 Australians, ...
What's Been Happening with Me Lately
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
No guest this week. Instead, here's my rambling about life and the podcast in the following order:- Australian of the Year Awards- Getting married...
Facing the Feelings Driving Overeating and Fat Gain | Zac Mason
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Around 70% of Aussie men are overweight or obese, and most of us would say we’d like to lose some fat and drop a pants size or two.Maintaining a lea...
Internalising the Pain Till it Broke Me | James Overall
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Corporal James Overall served as an Australian Army medic for a decade, deploying overseas on multiple occasions, including to Afghanistan in 2015. He...
The Decade I Lost to Gambling | Mark Kempster
22 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gambling’s been baked into Australian culture for generations.Having a punt with your mates is as normalised today as a beer and schnitty at the pub...
How 1% of Your Day Can Transform the Rest | Cooper Chapman
15 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On the cusp for a decade, but never quite making the big time in professional surfing, Cooper's life was destined to go down another path.After se...
Living Life My Way with Brain Cancer | Matt "Willy" Williams OAM
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Matty signed up to serve in the Australian Army and deployed to Afghanistan as a young soldier.On his 22nd birthday he was diagnosed with terminal bra...
Redefining Toughness | Daniel Principe
24 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Masculinity is one of the hottest debates in our culture right now. Boys are growing up in a world that never switches off, where social media, peer p...
It Could Have Been the End | David Speirs
17 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
David migrated from Scotland to Australia as a teenager, worked his way into local government, and by his late thirties, had become South Australia’...
Male Suicide is Finally Trending Down
16 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s positive signs male suicide is finally trending down.For the first time since the Suicide Prevention Australia Community Tracker began quart...
Putting the Work In | Tom Derickx
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tom's worn a lot of different hats in his life. Tradie, AFL footballer, musician and model. On the surface, it looks like the dream run, but it...
Battling Blood Cancer with a Young Family | Jaraad "JK" Kader
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When JK was studying radiation therapy, he never imagined he’d one day become a cancer patient himself. At 33, he was diagnosed with Burkitt’s lym...
Would You Choose Pain Over Stillness?
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In a famous study, people were asked to sit quietly in a room for 15 minutes. They’d previously tested a mild electric shock and said they’d pay t...
Loneliness and Finding the Right Kind of Therapy for You | Nigel Polak
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
40% of Australians feel lonely at any given time and loneliness is linked to higher risks of depression, cognitive decline, a weakened immune system, ...
What Stopped Me Becoming Another Statistic | Connor Tarrant
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Connor was 16 when his life was turned upside down.After his first relationship ended, he felt off, but didn’t know why. It came as a shock when a G...
Is Your Therapist a Chatbot?
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Stanford study recently found AI chatbots only responded safely to 50% of serious prompts, such as those related to suicidal ideation and psychosis....
Mental Health, Faith & the Future of Therapy | Andy the Psych
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andy faced some significant mental health challenges and received multiple diagnoses before he was even 18.Navigating those stormy seas early, he con...
Chaos to Clarity | Justin Sorre
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Justin grew up idolising his father’s version of strength - gritting his teeth, pushing through pain to provide for his family, never speaking abou...
Many of Us are Turning to Social Media for Mental Health Advice
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A 2025 survey of 2,565 Australians by Growth Distillery and Medibank, found that nearly 2 in 3 respondents use platforms like Instagram and TikTok as ...
1 in 3 Men Don't Have a Mate They Could Call in a Crisis
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
40% of men lose touch with close friends after major life changes.Moving, having kids, starting a new job. We don’t fall out, we just stop showing u...
There's No Quick Fix for Your Mental Health | Tim Cook
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Footy was everything to Tim growing up, giving him something to strive for and a place to belong. But there was plenty he never shared with his teamma...
Therapy Didn't Work...Now What?
08 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
More men are asking for help — but they’re not getting what they need.44% of Australian men who start therapy drop out early, and a quarter never ...
More Than Meets the Eye: Making the Invisible Visible | Nick Mayhugh
02 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Mayhugh has a dead spot on his brain, but you wouldn't know it from looking at him. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 14 after a seizure, Nick was...
A Quality Relationship Halves Your Risk of Depression
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Strong relationships act as a protective buffer against mental health struggles. When you feel safe, supported and valued, your brain and body is bett...
Being in Control is Hard, Being Out of Control is Harder
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Doing your best to show up every day and juggle everything you have to juggle, can feel like a lot.And even if life’s on track, the urge to break fr...
Rebuilding Lives in Construction | Alex Kalliris
18 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Kalliris is a clinical psychotherapist and Program Director at Foundation House, a residential rehab service in New South Wales supporting men fr...
What if No One Wants to Hear From Me?
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
I’ve stuck with this podcast for 301 weeks — 2,107 days and 230 episodes.But outside of the interviews, I still hesitate to share my thoughts and ...
The AFL and Anorexia | Brayden Ainsworth
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Brayden Ainsworth grew up chasing the footy dream and he caught it. From small town W.A, to the big stage of the AFL, he made it, but behind the scene...
Living Through a Mid-Air Collision | Mark Lucchiari & Ben Lucock
04 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some moments are so impactful they can split your life in two — there's before it happens, and everything that comes after...For skydivers Lucch and...
What Teenage Boys Actually Think | Jesse Rothgrew
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Teenage boys are growing up in a world where manhood is being put under the microscope and redefined in real time.The mixed messages are everywhere —...
Bodybuilding for a Better Life | Oli Wright & Rayan Abou-Hamdan
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Australia, around 1.5 million men report lifting weights regularly, with countless young guys in their teens, twenties and beyond structuring the...
Surviving Divorce and the Family Court | Scott Matthews
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Research shows around 30% of male suicides are linked to separation, and men who are separated or divorced are up to 3 times more likely to die by sui...
The Man Behind the Push-Up Challenge | Nick Hudson
07 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Before his chest was cracked open on the operating table, Nick Hudson was already battling something less visible — depression.He refused to talk ab...
Running from the Responsibilities of Young Fatherhood | Brodie Toomey
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In his early twenties Brodie felt invincible, approaching life like the world revolved around him as he chased one high to the next.It wasn’t long...
The Boy in the Tennis Machine | Todd Ley
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
He was labelled the best in the world at 12 years old — a tennis prodigy bound for greatness, striving alongside a father who was obsessed with his ...
How to Process Pregnancy Loss as a Man | Julie Borninkhof
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In Australia, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, 1 in 100 are ectopic, and thousands of babies are born still each year. Child loss during pregna...
Six Years in Hell | Zach Green
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Zach Green was going to be a dad, Three times...Each time, he imagined life as a father and each time his hopes were shattered.In just 18 months, he a...
Living For My Brother, My Mother and Me | Adam Gaunt
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Life has thrown everything at Adam—crippling financial hardship, devastating loss, and more than his fair share of personal demons; heartbreakingly ...
If You Don't Laugh, You'll Cry | Sammy Petersen
15 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sammy wanted to be a comedian ever since he saw the greats on TV; but the journey so far hasn't been all laughs...Born with facial palsy, he stood out...
There's More to Life Than Winning | Jasper Buck
08 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jasper spent years throwing punches in the cage, but his toughest fight has always been against himself.Through a childhood marked by instability. Jas...
Bipolar Almost Broke Me | Chris Fraser
29 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The suicide rate for people living with bipolar is between 10 and 30 times higher than the general population, accounting for up to a quarter of all s...
Being Gay Doesn't Define Me | Mark Cawdron-White
22 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mark suspected he was gay from the time he was a young boy and had it confirmed by the time he made it to high school. Raised in a conservative, reli...
Not Your Average Psychologist | Dr Simon Tyler
15 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine if your psychologist was that rough looking bloke you met down the pub who gave surprisingly solid advice - that's the kind of vibe you get fr...
Life Before and After Prison | James Culley
08 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When we think of a typical drug addict, we think of someone who turned to drugs in an attempt to cope with trauma and often childhood abuse. That was...
If I Don't Take A Break, I'm Not Going to Survive | Memorable Moments
01 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the Christmas holiday period we're taking you back to some of our most memorable moments from our most popular episodes. Kian Rafie is a junior ...
I Couldn't Understand Why I Was Like That | Memorable Moments
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the Christmas holiday period we're taking you back to some of our most memorable moments from our most popular episodes. For many years, Nathan ...
It Was Either Get Help, or I'm Going to Lose My Life | Memorable Moments
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the Christmas holiday period we're taking you back to some of our most memorable moments from our most popular episodes. Addicted to drugs and g...
Is Men's Mental Health Getting Better or Worse? | Dr Ian Zajac & Dr Michael Billows
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s an unstable time to be a young man right now… The world is rapidly evolving around us, job markets are changing, traditional gender roles are...
How Growing Up on Shaky Ground Made Me | Brad Ordway
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Raised by a mother with Borderline Personality Disorder, Brad was always walking on eggshells, living in fear of the next violent outburst and unabl...
Young Men at a Crossroads | Dr Zac Seidler
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The past few years have been a tumultuous time for masculinity… We’ve witnessed the furore whipped up by the manosphere, and the fear that we’...
Getting to the Gold | Jed Altschwager
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes going through the worst pain you’ve ever experienced sets you on a path to becoming something greater than you ever imagined. A decade a...
Making the Most of Life Without Sight | Ian Clements
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine if your world suddenly went dark and you had to learn to live without the ability to see; That’s what happened to Ian when he was shot at ...
Grinding Through Grief | Drew Westfield
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grief can take you to a dark place you never imagined, especially when it's wrapped in guilt. Drew spent a long time believing if he'd done more, his ...
The Cost of Being What Other People Want You to Be | Niko Diamond
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
No matter how hard he tried, Nik never felt good enough in any area of his life. Always craving respect and approval from his father that wasn’t fo...
Carving Out Connection | Benjamin Roberts
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The quality of our mental health is intertwined with our sense of connection to each other and the world around us. Humans are social creatures; we ne...
Thanks for Not Looking Away | Shannon Molloy
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You might be shocked to hear a third of child sexual abuse is perpetrated by another child... It's not the stereotype that comes to mind when this...
Leaving Law for Mental Health | Brian Njuguna
17 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grinding out a successful career as a young lawyer, Brian thought he knew the path laid out before him, until one particularly confronting case change...
Accepting I'm on the Spectrum | Callum Reid
10 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us have had times in our lives when we’ve felt like we don’t fit in, but what if you always felt out of place no matter where you are? Tha...
Taming My OCD | Matt Forrester
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is often misunderstood. We commonly think of OCD as a need to keep things in order or being a germaphobe, but the realit...
Mental Health in Footy | Tom Jonas
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Countless young Aussies grow up playing sport, dreaming of life as a professional athlete. Making a career out of playing the game you love sounds per...
Finding Courage Against Cancer | Kish Modi
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us go through life believing we’re the ones in control; that nothing is going to go terribly wrong if we do the right thing and look after o...
Get a Grip on Porn & Sex Addiction | Dr Paula Hall
06 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How much porn are you watching? And how much sex are you having?...They're questions that'll get your guard up like nothing else; and although...
The Ripple Effect: Rising from a Tragic Chain of Events | Maddie Mortimer
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Raising two daughters with his wife in a happy home, Warren Gunns never could’ve predicted the devastating chain of events that would befall his fam...
The Podcast for Young Men & Their Loved Ones
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health is the award-winning volunteer video podcast dedicated to young men's mental health.This life-changing archive...
Conversation with A Couples Counsellor | Nicholas Purcell
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Love, it's something we all want and need; something most of us are either trying to find or trying to hold on to...We feel love as an emotion, we...
Out of Darkness into the Light | Luke Wilson
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Surrounded by violence and despair from the moment he was born, Luke’s childhood memories are riddled with pain and darkness… Sexually abused at t...
The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living | Dr Matthew Iasiello
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all want to be happy... it's the ultimate goal most of us would say we're always shooting for; but what actually is happiness? And is it even attai...
My Brother's Gone | Natasha Rofe
29 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the past five years, this podcast has shared the stories of young men whose lives have been altered by mental health challenges and suicide. Acco...
Rebuilding From Rock Bottom | Dave Menner
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sitting alone in a half built dream house after his marriage breakdown, trying to keep his business as a builder afloat during Covid, while managing c...
The Surprising Truth About Sleep | Professor Michael Gradisar
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Quality sleep is the top of the waterfall from which all of our health flows. Better sleep equals better everything else, and whether you've got ...
Stopping the Victim Mentality | Adam Blum
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An overweight red-head with ADHD, learning difficulties and no self confidence, Adam Blum was always an easy target... Ridiculed by the bullies who ca...
Stuff You Should Know About Suicide | Professor Nicholas Procter
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 wors...
Forgiving My Parents Made Me a Better Father | Jason Wisniewski
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 n...
How to Be the Man You'd Rather Be | Psychologist, Dr Ian Zajac
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 fo...
Introducing the Young Blood Experts Series
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the next six months we’ll be releasing the first 'Young Blood - Experts Series', 10 episodes of interviews with researchers, psycholo...
I Still Feel Guilty | Varad Mukhedkar
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
I Wish I'd Done More
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 themselv...
A Kick in the Head | Blake Manwaring
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Making Art of Bipolar Disorder | Sam Kissajukian
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
You Think to Yourself, It'll Never Happen to Me... Until It Happens to You | Memorable Moments
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
More Than a Barber | Grant Freedman
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Losing the Jackpot, Fuelling the Beast | Memorable Moments
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Glenn's relationship with gambling and drugs started at a young age and exploded in his twenties. He pumped hundreds of thousands through the pok...
My Thoughts on Mental Health & Podcasting | Cal MacPherson
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Carrying the Weight of the World | Dale Rush
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 fami...
Not A Day Goes By That I Don't Think of Taking My Own Life | Memorable Moments
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 aroun...
Dad Life with Autism and ADHD | Matt Carter
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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'...
The Happiest I Ever Feel
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“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...
Raising Myself to Be a Man | Jesse Trout
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Jekyll and Hyde
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 a...
A Massive Wake-Up Call | Memorable Moments
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 yo...
The Shaka Project: On a Mission to Stop Suicide | Sean Phillip
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sean Phillip is the Founder of The Shaka Project, an increasingly recognisable charity doing big things for mental health in Australia. Sean shared hi...
It Breaks Your Heart
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
I Was Hooked | Memorable Moments
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...