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The best 5 episodes of Reach Out For Mental Health podcast

Reach Out for MEntal Health podcast best episodes

DIVINE 5

The best 5 episodes of Reach Out For Mental Health podcast

In our Divine 5 feature, we ask podcast hosts to share five of their favourite podcast episodes and tell us why they’re worth checking out for new listeners. For Mental Health Awareness Week, Kirsty Eaton shares with us the episodes of the Reach Out for Mental Health podcast that mean the most to her… 

I set up Reach Out for Mental Health in 2016 after losing a colleague, Steve, to suicide, which turned my world upside down. After working in health and social care for over 10 years I’d supported adults struggling with suicidal thoughts and experienced the frustrations daily of trying to get someone support when they need it. The obvious output for my grief was to create a service which Steve needed and may have kept him alive.

The Reach Out for Mental Health podcast, co-hosted by myself and Stu Whiffen, is a place to get up close and personal with those who have experienced their own struggles with suicidal thoughts or have sadly lost someone to suicide. It’s a space for people to feel vulnerable and yet safe enough to share some of the darkest times of their lives, sharing with others the stories behind what led them to feel suicidal and most importantly – how they fought their way out. It’s a podcast full of courage, despair, pain… and hope.

#1 Mark Phillips

Mark is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Oddly enough, he was Stu’s friend before he was mine, back when they were both knee-high to a grasshopper. He moved to Australia over a decade ago and in 2021 Mark’s world fell apart. Mark tells a story of gambling addiction, debt and feeling so trapped he believed there was only one way out. I was so touched by his willingness to ‘go public’ about his situation, understandably something he has kept quite very private up until the podcast. Mark now has his own incredible podcast called Between the Bars talking all things music.

#11 Tom Davies- Proper Mental Podcast

The podcast with Tom will always remain close to my heart, mainly because of the number of parallels I could drew between his experiences of shitty mental health and my own. Yet, this is the magic of our podcast- being able to sit there, listen to someone else pour their heart out about something so devastating for them, all the while sitting there screaming at the laptop “Oh My God, I know exactly what you mean!!!” It’s beyond nourishing. It’s the start of recovery for some. Definitely was for me. Check out more of what Tom has to say in his podcast, Proper Mental Podcast.

#20 Bea Dux

Talking to Bea was like those weird yet delightfully unexpected situations you find yourself in at parties, networking events or other social functions; you’re chatting over a vol-au-vent, trying hard not to fling pastry in their eye and after 5 minutes you feel so comfortable and connected with this person you want to invite them to your wedding! Bea was unashamedly open and raw about her diagnosis, what impact it has on her daily life and those around her. It was a complete reset from all conversations I’ve had with others over the years who live with Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder. She doesn’t sugar coat anything, she lays it on the line. No hiding in the loos on this podcast.

#21 Billy Lunn – The Subways

Having been a Subways fan for nearly 20 years you can imagine my delight at interviewing the man himself, Billy Lunn. We published the video for this interview on our socials and you can just see me beaming throughout the entire thing! As with everyone who comes on our podcasts, his vulnerability and candour was utterly refreshing, giving us an insight into the lifestyle of being a touring musician, the excitement and pitfalls of living in the world of rock and roll including alcoholism. Billy shares with us his struggles with suicidal thoughts, living with Borderline Personality Disorder and the relief and acceptance which accompanied his diagnosis.

#3 Darren Smith of Andy’s Man Club

A theme that all of our podcast episodes share is that of feeling hopeless, trapped and overwhelmed – followed by hope, strength and the reclamation of their life. This one with Darren Smith does just that and then some. The reasons for people feeling this way aren’t usually because of psychotic illness or some dramatic and devastating event in their lives. It’s usually down to everyday shit being thrown in their path, which just builds and builds and builds. Like debt, relationship breakdown, problems with getting access to their kids, gambling, drinking too much booze. The whole reason I wanted to start a podcast was to show listeners that although the struggle feels unsurmountable at times- you CAN GET THROUGH IT. I love hearing from people who have been in the depths of depression, feeling like there is no way out… and then out of nowhere a light appears, a thought pulls them from the edge and the recovery starts. Darren talks about his battle with suicidal thoughts, how an online men’s mental health group saved him and how he is paying it forward. Hope in abundance.

 

Reach Out FOr Mental Health

Listen to The Reach Out for Mental Health Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other popular podcast apps >>

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