Podcast
Captivating stories of lived experience to reassure you that you're not alone and inspire you to be real about how you feel

HOMS Pod
Sometimes all we need is for someone to show us the light in the darkness, so we believe it's possible.
What's in the pod?
In each episode, a well-known personality, community leader, or everyday human opens up about their mental health journey - the moment they broke down, reached out, and spoke their truth. These are not surface-level chats. They’re deeply personal, vulnerable conversations that reveal the truth behind the smile.
Hosted by a rotating panel of experts & advocates




Episodes

Mitch Wallis speaks to Nicole Blackie, one of the greatest stories of anorexia recovery we’ve ever heard. After several admissions & years in psychiatric hospitals, almost a decade of professional help & medication etc that hardly changed a thing, Nicole has recently made a tectonic shift that now see’s her living a healthy, normal and fulfilling life.
This episode covers:
- Nicole's harrowing journey with anorexia that almost took her life
- The 2 main things that contributed to her recovery
- In-patient hospitalisation experiences
- Issues relating to current psychology treatment models
- School bullying and it's impact of self esteem
- The painful and complex nature of eating disorders

Mitch Wallis speaks to Sarah Daffy - a smart successful young business woman with the world at her feet - living with one of the least common or talked about mental health issues, depersonalisation disorder.
This episode covers:
- what is depersonalisation disorder? the symptoms and a standalone disorder
- living with depersonalisation: a world that feels un-real, foggy and robotic.
- surviving extreme anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks
- Mitch and Sarah's shared but unique experience living with depersonalisation

Mitch Wallis speaks to Joe, an ex-NRL player who paints a raw image of what life was and is like for indigenous Australians struggling with mental-ill health. In 2018 Joe was conferred the highest honour from Suicide Prevention Australia's LIFE Award for his outstanding work in communities across Australia...
This episode covers:
- genetic memory and intergenerational trauma, and how our ancestors and their experiences play a part in shaping who we are.
- his battle with mental illness and recovering from a suicide attempt.
- being a proud Aboriginal man and a successful professional athlete.
- Living with bipolar and using hiss personal and professional experiences to help other people.
- His involvement in filming of the worldwide documentary, "Suicide the Ripple Effect" from director and fellow advocate, Kevin Hines (the man who survived jumping off the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco). He is a published author with his book “Defying The Enemy Within”.

Mitch Wallis speaks to Nick Ward who talks about his struggles with fitting in and we discuss how we both manage intense thoughts and intense emotions particularly as a young person with a brain that feels different to other people, whilst trying to navigate the pressures and realities of school and being a teenager. A great listen if you're going through anything similar or are a parent to a teenager and wanting to better understand the complexities.
This episode covers:
- what being a man means to him, and how we wear a mask to fit in.
- exploring how rewarding yet challenging it is to sit with uncomfortable emotions.
- being the youngest Tropfest finalist in history (the world’s largest short film festival), at the age of just 16. His project was a thought provoking, emotional drama about teenage mental health called 'Boys Don't Cry'.
- tackling the alarming epidemic of depression, anxiety and suicide among young Australians through creative film writing.
- his goal to rewrite the toxic side of the masculine narrative that still permeates young boys today.

Mitch Wallis speaks to Thorald Koren, a singer-song writer who takes us through some his experiences with the bizarre and intrusive world of OCD, and how a shooting star of all things was something that changed the trajectory of his life forever.
This episode covers:
- Mitch sharing a story about how he helped him eat a drawing of the devil to overcome his fear of being possessed, which out of context, couldn’t be weirder.
- Touring with Coldplay, Bon Jovi, Pink and Rod Stewart, roaming international stages and performing in front of sold out stadiums.
- Living a rockstar life with insidious anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder that plagued his life, driving him into chapters of psychosis and suicidal ideation.
- Helping people with their mental health through music. Together with his talented brother Isaac, they established “The Songwriters Journey” to reconnect people with their lost selves and provide a safe yet creative place to heal their life’s trauma.
