Reasons To Live

Drag queen performer. Reality TV star. Disney Tour Guide. Actress. Monkey handler. Children's suit character performer. When it comes to describing Amber Castle's career, it's hard to sum up everything she's achieved and experienced. But one thing is clear - Amber isn't one to let life pass her by. But with everything she's achieved, it may surprise you to know that Amber's life wasn't always carefree and content. In fact, in her teens she experienced a severe trauma, when her older brother died suddenly, and not long after, found herself in a downward spiral. In this chat, Amber shares about: •How she ended up in a mental health facility, and how a chance encounter with another patient changed the course of her life forever •Why she decided to live her life chasing adventure, instead of settling for a stable 9-5 job •Funny stories of travel, working with animals, and touring around the world •How she's coping during the current pandemic •And her advice to others who want to begin chasing a little mo

Hey all! As many of you know, earlier this year I was very blessed to be given the opportunity to interview Kevin Hines (international suicide prevention speaker and award-winning filmmaker) for the 2nd volume of my book series, 'Reasons to Live: One More Day, Every Day.' If you've already checked out my new book, you'll be able to read a snippet of this interview in the book, however, I also wanted to release the raw audio file as there was so much great content that I think would really be of interest to those passionate about mental wellness. Although this recording is unfortunately not to the quality of most of my podcasts (due to some tech difficulties that came on the day with a last-minute location change), there are still plenty of fascinating discussions throughout this episode that are worth listening to. So I hope you enjoy this behind the scenes listen into our published interview! In this episode, we discuss: •How Kevin positively manages his bipolar, and why he doesn't see it as something

When Genevieve Gilbert came to Australia to study, she pictured a life of education, and exciting opportunities... Instead, she found herself buried in student debt, and barely able to afford food, let alone her mounting bills. With the rising pressure of finding a job, Genevieve entered the sex industry in a bid to survive. Her plan was to stay a few weeks, pay her bills, and then leave. 8 years later, she was still there, and barely clinging on to her mental health and will to live. In part two of this insightful chat, Genevieve shares about how she finally exited prostitution, after many attempts during her 7 years in the industry, as well as how she went on to become the CEO of Pink Cross Australia (a NFP organisation which assists Australians within the sex industry, to find alternative employment). Note: Whilst not every person within the sex industry will face abuse or mental health issues, research over the past several decades has shown clearly that the majority of those within prostitution want

"I was ashamed of going all that way, to end up in this situation. I was mortified. Sajjad cancelled my flights, and once my passport lapsed, I was stuck in Pakistan... That's when the violence and sexual assault and starvation began... He locked all my clothes away, and I very rarely went out. At one stage, I didn't leave the house for 8 weeks." - Lara Hall On the 22nd January this year, my phone pinged with a message request. Checking my Facebook, I found a message, from a woman in Canada, who had come across my profile, while searching for anti-trafficking organisations in Australia. Reaching out, she asked if I would be willing to support a petition created by her friend Lara - a young Australian lawyer, who in 2018, had been held captive in Pakistan for many months, by a man who had spent half a decade learning all her vulnerabilities, her childhood traumas, and mental illness... and then using those vulnerabilities, to groom her into becoming his victim. In 2018, after spending more than five years

Content warning: Please be advised that today's episode discusses topics including human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and suicide. If anything from today's chat brings up feelings of distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14. As a former police officer and private investigator, Glen Hulley has seen a lot of awful things in his lifetime. However, nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to witness on a seemingly ordinary night in 2013. As Glen sat in a Cambodian bar, enjoying a drink while on holiday, he was approached by a local who asked him if he was interested in paying for sex with a local. Declining, Glen thought that would be the end of it. The man then turned to him, and in a quiet voice, asked if he would be interested in a 'younger' prostitute... specifically, a child. Although horrified, Glen was curious to investigate whether these claims were legitimate, and on a whim, decided to play along. What he discovered, not only shocked him to his core but also changed the en

When Genevieve Gilbert came to Australia to study, she pictured a life of education, and exciting opportunities... Instead, she found herself buried in student debt, and barely able to afford food, let alone her mounting bills. With the rising pressure of finding a job, Genevieve entered the sex industry in a bid to survive. Her plan was to stay a few weeks, pay her bills, and then leave. 8 years later, she was still there, and barely clinging on to her mental health and will to live. In part one of this insightful chat, Genevieve shares about her childhood in Quebec, what lead her to Australia, why so many people (particularly women) end up in the sex industry due to poverty, issues with receiving adequate support to exit, and her thoughts on the media's constant message of sex work as an 'empowering and safe choice.' Note: Whilst not every person within the sex industry will face abuse or mental health issues, research over the past several decades has shown clearly that the majority of those within pros

"I've had guys offer to pay me money to kiss my girlfriend or ask for a threesome...we get treated like we're 'live porn' or something. I wish they'd see that we're just normal people..." - Miss Natalie Growing up in a Christian family, Brisbane Singer Miss Natalie always believed she would one day 'find a nice Christian boy' to marry... However, her world changed when she discovered at age 15 that she was in love with her best friend...a girl. In this chat, Nat talks about her journey to accept herself, how music and performing became her solace while experiencing school bullying, the time she lived in her car in Sydney, and the reality about the harassment she often experiences from men when out in public with her partner... Now a well known Brisbane singer and performer, Nat is passionate about showing other LGBT+ youth that it's possible to chase your dreams, and above all, to understand the importance of allowing your past experiences to fuel you to a brighter future, rather than to destroy you.

"I don't want to be another statistic..." Taken into foster care when she was only a few months old, Jodi had a rough start to life. Although blessed to be adopted by a caring and loving family, the cracks began to appear early, with Jodi often lashing out violently, destroying her little brother's toys, and struggling with anxiety and depression. Faced with relentless bullying at school, and with her behaviour becoming increasingly aggressive, Jodi was sent to live with her grandparents at age 13 'for the safety of her siblings'. From here, she continued to spiral downward into a world of self harm, drugs, abusive relationships and multiple suicide attempts...Then finally, at age 24 (after many hospital admissions), Jodi was finally given a correct diagnosis... Borderline Personality Disorder. In this chat Jodi shares openly about the taboo nature of BPD, the relationships it severs, and some of her most private struggles - including learning to love herself after pulling out most of her hair earlier

Relationship breakdowns are never easy - particularly not when they happen just weeks out from your wedding! This was the reality for Cairns FIFO worker Drew Brauer. It was a tough period of time, but Drew chose to pull himself out of that darkness, and instead, left his high paying job and decided to chase his passion for music. Today, Drew is a well known QLD musician and the Founder of a suicide prevention charity 'Kick On.' In this chat, Drew and I speak about his journey, the impact of social media on women's body perceptions as well as the need to think critically about the messages sent to us online, and the importance of speaking your mind - even when you're scared of people shutting you down.

At the time of her wedding, Rhea was deeply in love and looking forward to starting a family with her husband. During her honeymoon however, she became extremely ill, and this was to be the beginning of a 2 year journey toward finding an answer for her daily pain - something that doctors routinely dismissed as simply 'depression, anxiety, or bad period pain.' Eventually, Rhea discovered she had endometriosis, an incurable condition affecting 1 in 10 women. After struggling to regain her health post-surgery, and battling through painful and expensive fertility treatments in the hopes of conceiving a child, Rhea finally fell pregnant in 2017. However, at just 6 weeks, she developed an ovarian torsion - an agonising condition that causes the ovary to twist around on itself and cut off circulation to the Fallopian tubes. Rhea was given 2 weeks to see what her body would do, before having to decide between her health and ending the pregnancy she had wanted for so long. This is Rhea's story of living with endo