Chats From A Chair

In this episode I speak with former AFL player, Max Lynch who had to retire at just 24 years old due to ongoing concussion issues. Max opens up and shares the immediate affects that the head knocks had on him, his emotions around retiring from the AFL, some of the ways it has impacted his life behind close doors including the way it affected relationships with loved ones and how he feels about it all moving forward with the rest of his life.

*This Episode Contains Discussion Around Mental Health* In this episode, I speak with Australian swimmer, Shayna Jack as she opens up about a ban she received from all competition for ingesting a band substance. We discuss how the positive drug test came about, the battles she faced behind close doors, how close she came to giving up swimming forever and what the future holds for her in an out of the pool.

In this episode I speak with world renowned photographer, Jarrad Seng as he shares how he was able to turn a hobby into a very successful career. Jarrad recounts some of the amazing adventures he's been on with a camera in his hand, an exciting new project that he's working on now, as well as sharing some life lessons he's learnt along the way that we can all apply to our own lives.

In this episode I speak with joint 2019 Australian of the year, Dr Richard Harris, OAM, who you might know as the anaesthetist and cave diver that played a pivotal role in the rescue of the Thai soccer team that became trapped in a flooded cave in 2018. I speak with him about how he came to be involved in the rescue efforts, the risks associated with the sedating the young boys and diving them out through a narrow cave, the feelings he had when realising they had all survived and how he views it all now, five years on.

In this episode I speak with brothers Tom and Kell Reese or as they're better known on Instagram and TikTok, the Reese Bros. These two have amassed over 800,000 followers across the two platforms and have over 38.5 million likes on TikTok alone with their very funny and relatable skits. I speak with them about how all this started, how they come up with ideas for their videos, explore some of the negative aspects that come with being in the public eye and what the future holds for them.

In this episode I speak with great mates Sam Harrison and Henry Bradford as they each share their own stories and one that brings them together. Sam discusses his unhealthy relationship with alcohol, how he battled that as a professional athlete and recounts events that led to him deciding to become sober. Henry shares the story that left him on the ground and unable to move his legs for a period of time and the effects he still deals with today. As an extra layer to the story, they both have a good friend that was diagnosed with MND in his early 30's so we discuss how they reacted to finding out the news and chat about a very impressive feet they accomplished as a fundraiser for him and his family.

In this episode I speak with my two older brothers about the night of my accident and my disability as a whole. We recount the events leading up to my injury, we explore the way it has impacted them, what they have seen of me from the outside and how they view my disability now. As we have never spoken about this, you get a first hand and very real view of our relationship.

WARNING – This episode contains discussions around suicide and mental health.In this episode I speak with the founder of 'The Shaka Project', Sean Phillip. Sean speaks openly and honestly about his own mental health battles that lead to him making multiple attempts to take his own life, and how he was able to turn his battle into a positive men's mental health movement. He details how The Shaka Project started, what they are doing today to help young men and people in crisis and what the future holds as the organisation continues to grow. Sean's raw and emotional honesty has helped thousands and will continue to do so.

In this episode I speak with Corey Webb as he opens up about the unique experience of cancer within his family. He shares the emotional ups and downs as his Dad went through cancer treatment, the journey that led to his own diagnosis, and how the family were able to support each other through the tough battle. 

I speak with Perry Cross AM as he shares details on the incident that resulted in him now being a C2 ventilated quadriplegic, the amazing list of things he has achieved since, his passion behind starting the PerryX Foundation and their work to find a cure for paralysis, as well as details of the time his ventilator stopped working while overseas.

In this episode, Cristy Jacka shares her families journey around a missed diagnosis of her late husband, Karl. She recounts the events leading to Karl's correct diagnosis, how she was able to be strong for their daughter, the way they continue Karl's legacy today and stresses the importance of knowing your body.

In this episode we speak with sisters, Allison and Sally Wilcox as they share their incredible journey. Allison shares details of how she sustained a spinal cord injury in 2009 following a traumatic accident, the ongoing health complications since her injury and Sally opens up on the impact it has had on her seeing her little sister battle. We also discuss the further family tragedies they have faced together and how they remain so positive and with an amazing outlook on life after everything they have been through.

We chat with Makayla Jensen as she shares the story of her brother Beau following his acquired brain injury. Beau suffered a hypoxic brain injury following an accident in the surf that saw him almost drown. Makayla shares her experience from the day of Beau's accident, what the weeks and months following have look like for the family, a heartwarming story of how his mates have continued to support him and explains where Beau is at in his ongoing rehabilitation.

We speak with actor, Marny Kennedy about how having an older brother on the autism spectrum has influenced her and her family's life, the challenges they faced and some of the things Marny still struggles with today today. We chat about how her relationship with Braeden differs to that of other siblings and how they have been able to achieve more than many thought possible as a family.

In this episode we chat with support worker and founder of CareMatch Australia, Vitori Buatava. Vitori has been a support worker for over 13 years so we discuss with him how he became a carer, how he perceives his job compared to how others may think of it and we talk about what lead him to start his own care company.

 WARNING: This episode contains discussions around suicide and mental health. In this episode we chat with Ebony Stirling–Gatt, a brave and resilient person who shares with us how she overcame the challenge of losing her mum to suicide at a young age. We explore her childhood and the time leading up to the tragedy as well as the years following, how she dealt with the situation and tactics she found helpful that others might find helpful also. Ebonie opens up about her own mental health both at the time as well as now and we discuss what her life looks like these days.

In this episode we chat with Will O'Dwyer, boyfriend of Alexa Leary who sustained a brain injury after a biking accident. You might know her story from the Instagram page @moveforLex. We chat with Will about how he's been able to stay so strong and positive by Lex's side in the time since her injury, how their life together looks at the moment and what the future holds for them.

In this episode we speak with Candy, wife of Heath who suffered a spinal cord injury over 15 years ago. The first few years for the couple were extremely tough for the couple trying to navigate the new life whilst raising a new baby. We discuss what the darkest days looked like, how Heath injury changed her life and how the couple were able to come out the other side stronger than ever and go on to have more children.

In this episode we speak with Brigid Kelly and her incredibly inspiring sister, Katie Kelly. Katie was diagnosed with usher syndrome which affects both eyesight and hearing with it slowly degenerating over time. Despite this Katie won a gold medal at the Paralympics in Rio in the triathlon while tethered to a guide, she has received the Order of Australia Medallion, started a foundation that gives grants to young disabled athletes and continues to inspire every day. We are privileged to share this incredible story and hope you gain a lot from it.

In this episode we do something a little bit different. There is no guest, but instead we have an open and honest chat about our mental health battles, how it has affected us and how we have seen it affect our loved ones. Struggles with mental health is something so prevalent in today's society and so often goes untreated and even unspoken about. We hope that by opening up about our mental health, we can help encourage others to do the same and get the help they need.

In this episode we chat with successful model and actor Zoe Hoad, who in her past has battled an eating disorder that saw her admitted to an eating disorder clinic on three separate occasions and weigh just 39kg at one stage. She discusses how her weight-loss got so out of hand and what it was that allowed her to recover, as well as the impact she saw it have on her friends and family.

In this episode we speak with Olympic medallists and sisters Taylor and Kaylee McKeown. Taylor and Kaylee's dad, Sholto passed away in August last year following a two-year battle with brain cancer. We speak with the girls about their reaction to finding out about their dad's diagnosis, how they were able to stay so focused on their training and what their dad would have made of Kaylee's post gold-medal interview slipup.

In this episode we chat with Teigan McKinnon, wife of former NRL player Alex McKinnon who sustained a spinal cord injury in a dangerous tackle while playing for Newcastle Knights in 2014. Alex is now classed as a C5 quadriplegic with complete paralysis from the chest down and partial paralysis of the arms. Teigan shares with us the incredible journey the 2 have been on including the early days following such a high profile injury, the struggles that come with becoming parents to 3 beautiful children and we explore the ways in which she has been able to stay so strong during the hard times.

In this episode we chat with Russell and Madison Leary, father and sister of Alexa Leary who sustained a brain injury following a bike accident in July. We speak with them about the days following Alexa's injury, the rollercoaster journey the family have been on, the incredible support they have received from complete strangers, what the future looks like and all things about the move for Lex page and why they are moving for those who can't.

Ryan is able to bring a unique perspective of being affected by disability as he is both the loved one of someone, and person with a disability. His father, his best mate, and then himself all sustained spinal cord injuries while riding dirt bikes. We chat with Ryan about how it affected him growing up having a parent with a disability, the toll it took seeing his best mate sustain an injury and if it ever made him think about giving up his motocross aspirations. He also shares the incredible journey the family have gone on together and how they are a strong team.

WNRL player, Millie Boyle speaks about how having a sister with Down syndrome has shaped her positive outlook on life. She shares the reasons for her sister year of silence, and why she is so invested in promoting positive mental health for people with disabilities.

 Hear the story of Will Apps, whose brother Jason suffered a spinal cord injury when snowboarding overseas in Canada. Now needing full-time care, Will decided to drop out of university and take on the responsibility of helping out his little brother. We speak to Will about his reaction to finding out the devastating news, why he decided to alter his course in life and become his brothers full-time carer, as well as have him share their experience with big wave surfer, Mark Matthews.

(Nick) – In this episode we chat with one of my best mates, Josh Hayes. Josh was there on the night of my accident and witnessed me laying next to the pool after dislocating my neck. We discuss the impact it had on him seeing a good friend sustain a life changing injury, as well as explore the changing dynamic of our friendship.

We chat with Jake Parker, whose mum Jane, passed away last year after a battle with Motor Neurone Disease. Following her diagnosis, Jake put his university studies and life largely on hold to care for his mum with the help of his brother, Daniel. We explore the journey the family went on together, the ups and downs, the impact it has had on him and the way it has shaped his life moving forward.

We chat with Tobie and Ella Cornelius whose mum Kate, has Multiple Sclerosis. They share their story of what it's like growing up helping support a parent with a disability and the highs and lows along the way. We also discuss what the future looks like for them as individuals and a family.

We speak with Lizzie Ward, wife of former multiple time Speedway world champion Darcy Ward who sustained a spinal cord injury while riding in Poland. We cover what life was like before and after Darcy's life changing injury and all the challenges they face as a couple following. We also get Lizzie's fresh perspective on parenting a newborn with a partner who is a quadriplegic and all the challenges that brings.

Get to know the hosts of this new podcast as they discuss their experience with disability and how it has impacted them. Also find out what this podcast is all about as well as who the first guest is in the next episode.