Advertise on podcast: Young Blood - Men’s Mental Health

At just 19 years old, Jacob weighed 220 kilos, the result of a vicious cycle of food addiction, low self-esteem and depression that drove him to the point of wanting to end it all. A friend reaching out to him in his time of need was the catalyst that spurred Jacob on to take the first steps towards change. Through his gym at Anytime Fitness Elsternwick, he's built a sense of purpose and belonging with a community of mates who've helped him transform into a person he loves. Today, he's a competitive powerlifter, lifting the same weight he once carried. Now he wants to motivate other young men to take control of their lives and become better versions of themselves. This is Jacob Hall...

Dave was first on the show back in 2020, when he shared the story of getting himself back on track after his life completely unraveled. Sexually abused as a boy, Dave carried that immense trauma in silence, constructing an identity he thought would protect him, while also struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. It led to substance abuse, drug addiction, psychosis and almost cost Dave his life. In the years since our last conversation, he’s been dedicated to helping people through their darkest moments — spending six years volunteering with Lifeline before becoming a professional crisis supporter, as well as using his own experience to support other male survivors of childhood abuse. Now older and wiser, Dave's confronted with new challenges and still battling old demons. After years focused on being their for everyone else, he’s learning how to slow down, lead a life of self-love, and finally let the right people in. This is Dave Oliver... ---- Lifeline - 13 11 14 https://samsn.org.au/

At 20 years old, Xavier was a fit and healthy footy player, with no reason to think the back pain he’d been experiencing was anything serious. After months dealing with chronic pain, scans revealed multiple tumours in Xav's spine. He was hit with the shock diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and in an instant life veered dramatically off course. Footy and Uni were replaced with chemo and spinal surgery, and while Xav put on a brave face, depression and an identity crisis were raging internally. Now in remission, Xav's cancer journey has flipped his perspective on mental health and taught him that the harden up mentality will only get you so far. This is Xavier Saviane...

From 2025 to 2026, Justine has lost two brothers to suicide. While her younger brother, Glen, struggled with addiction and his mental health for a long time, her eldest brother, Rowan, never showed any obvious warning signs. Even after losing Glen and becoming an outspoken mental health advocate, Justine had no idea how much Rowan was struggling. She has her own lived experience of that struggle, having lived part of her life in addiction with suicidal thoughts of her own, before getting sober and rebuilding her life. Now, while navigating immense grief, she's raising three children, running a successful business and turning her pain into action, with a mission to get more men talking about their mental health. This is Justine Youl...

Every man has a childhood. Most of us think we've left it behind. But author, Brendan James Murray argues we haven't. The fears, beliefs, patterns and wounds we carry as men often begin long before we're conscious of how they shape the way we think, feel and act. After more than a decade as a high school teacher, Brendan set out in search of answers to some of the big questions that emerged from the classroom. His latest book, Childhood, explores why some boys slip through the cracks, become disconnected and in some cases, lose hope altogether—and what can be done to help more boys grow into healthy, connected men. This is Brendan James Murray...

Gabe was first on the podcast back in 2022 after losing his arm to a flesh eating infection. At the time, he was rebuilding his life and chasing a new dream of representing Australia at the Paralympics. Now, midway through 2026, it's fair to say things haven't quite gone to plan. Since we last spoke, Gabe's undergone more surgery, suffered a cycling crash that left him with a broken neck and brain injury, learned to walk again, and most recently, been diagnosed with a brain tumour. We talk about how his perspective has changed, why helping other people with disabilities has become such an important part of his life, and how he's managed to hold onto a genuine sense of optimism in the face of everything he's been through. This is Gabe Lieschke...

Finding someone to speak to about your mental health as a man can be frustrating. We're told to open up, be vulnerable and reach out. But sometimes the result doesn't feel like what we're looking for. Philip Armstrong understands that. After 15 years in the Australian Defence Force, he was medically discharged for staph infection while also trying to process the loss of his fellow soldiers in a tragic field accident. Left with no support, he drank himself into alcoholism and it took his marriage falling apart for him to realise he was struggling. Inspired by his lived experience, Philip trained as a counsellor, earned his PhD and now helps men cut through the noise and deal with life in a practical, no-nonsense way through his business, Man Counsellor. This is Philip Armstrong...

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 become part of who we are as we age into our ripe old 30s and 40s - on the fast track to our inevitable decline...BUT I've got some good news, my guest today says it doesn't have to be that way... Suffering from osteitis pubis from his mid-teens, James's ability to play footy, and the identity that came with it, was slowly stripped away. After being told by a specialist that his body was “cooked” in his twenties, and he may as well stop playing, the depression that had been building under the surface came crashing forward. Now at 35 he's making a comeback to playing footy and running his own physio practice, working to free people from the cycle of pain and defeat, with the ethos that no one's too far gone to turn it around. This is James Brown...

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 to a rough start, enduring a miscarriage, before Marie eventually fell pregnant with their son, Harry. The pregnancy was healthy and normal all the way to full-term, when Marie noticed Harry wasn't moving. They went to hospital expecting reassurance, but instead were met with utter devastation - their baby had stopped breathing. In the days that followed, Marie gave birth to Harry, and together they spent time meeting and mourning their boy. The pain of the loss was indescribable, and they still live with the grief every day, but despite it all, their hope has been restored. Years on, Bryce is now a father to twin boys, two gifts he and Marie believe were sent to them by Harry, the boy they'll carry with them always. This is Bryce Matthews...

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 conceived, it felt like everything was going right — until a routine scan revealed their unborn son Hudson, had a serious heart condition. Faced with the scary prognosis of future complications, they rejected the confronting option to terminate the pregnancy and pushed on. And before Hudson had even entered the world, his parents had to prepare for the reality of multiple open heart surgeries. Mark endured anxiety, fear and helplessness like never before, grappling with his total lack of control over the outcome. Now five years on, Hudson's a healthy, happy boy, but not totally out of the woods. Mark's sharing his story to help current and future dads living with pain and uncertainty. This is Mark Pearce...

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, it was the most unlikely of doorways... For UK stage performer Alex Hill, it became both the inspiration and the vehicle to explore loneliness, friendship, masculinity, mental health, and what it really means to belong. His debut play, Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England, has enjoyed sell-out runs and international acclaim, returning to this year’s Adelaide Fringe after taking out Best Theatre in 2025. Beneath the chaos and hilarious fun, Alex is posing serious questions and using his art to create space for connection and reflection. This is Alex Hill... ------------- Adelaide Fringe tickets: https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/why-i-stuck-a-flare-up-my-ar-for-england-af2026

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 hard enough, but it was a far cry from the gambling bombardment we’re exposed to in the Western world today. Australians lose more than $30 billion a year to gambling, and new figures show New South Wales residents lost $2.5 billion on the pokies alone in just three months in 2025. The barrage of odds, ads and the growing prevalence of gambling influencers can feel inescapable, drawing millions of young men into a dangerous game with virtually no winners. Dr Michael Zhang is a psychologist specialising in behavioural addictions. His work led to the creation of Incumental, a new app designed to support recovery from gambling problems. He says it’s not about willpower, it’s about learning new ways to respond, building new habits, and finding people who understand. This is Dr Michael Zhang… ------------ https://incumental.com/

When you hear the word psychiatrist, you might think medicating mental illness, but there’s more nuance to it than that. Psychiatry brings together biology, psychology medicine and lived experience to understand what’s going on in someone’s mind and how to treat it.  Aleem is a Pakistani Australian who migrated here 16 years ago, became a psychiatrist and in doing so recognised a major need to increase access to psychiatric services particularly for people in regional areas. He’s since founded HelloDoc, a nationwide telehealth service connecting thousands of people with psychiatrists across Australia.  We discuss the ins and outs of psychiatry, where medication fits in, how culture shapes the way mental health is understood, why so many adults are being diagnosed with ADHD later in life and more. This is Aleem Khan…

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 themselves. Her father was one of those men. Loving and strong, but never one to share what he was going through. When her younger sister went missing in late 2023, Sydni and her family were thrust into the national spotlight overnight, facing huge stress and the brutal commentary of countless strangers online. Sydni’s dad flew to Los Angeles to search, and tragically never returned home, the immense distress of the situation contributing to his suicide. It pushed Sydni into the darkest period of her life, grieving her father and questioning everything while trying to protect her son. Now, a year on, she’s slowly rebuilding herself, launching her own mental health brand to create change and raising her son to be able to share his feelings. This is Sydni Kobayashi...

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, causing mucus to clog the lungs and digestive system, requiring constant physio, medication and hospital check-ins to stay well. Thanks to modern medicine, many people with CF now live into their 40s and beyond, but it means staying ever vigilant and factoring the disease into their future. Now in his early twenties, Flynn’s back to share the journey he’s been on since we first met. He’s had setbacks, success and the pressure of managing a condition that never quits, all while trying to mature into the man he wants to be. This is Flynn Gill...