Don Gillies is the first return guest on the podcast (Episode 3). In this chat with Tiff Cook, Don and Tiff take a dive into Don living with chronic pain, what he does to combat low moods, the idea of post traumatic growth, his experiences when he was at his lowest and a lot more on the mental health topic.

On Episode 45 of Conversations with The Code 9 Foundation, our awesome host Tiff Cook chats to Anthea about a life changing event that took place. The event was when she found out that her husband had sexually assaulted their two young daughters. In an extraordinary chat between Anthea and Tiff, Anthea spoke about the journey from trauma to advocacy and resilience, building a support system in the face of unimaginable challenges and how laughter and sport became powerful tools for healing. Anthea and her children have been through what no person should ever have to go through, however they successfully navigated this period and are now opening up a world of advocacy and support for others who have also experienced what they experienced. Anthea can be reached on - [email protected] If you would like to hear from Anthea, head here: https://www.crowdpleaser.com.au/From-Silence-to-Strength-Mental-Health-Motivational-Resilience-and-Inspirational

In the latest episode of Conversations with The Code 9 Foundation, we welcomed back the brilliant Deb Richardson. Deb was a guest (episode 31) where Deb recounted her days as a member of Victoria Police and being caught up in the Russell Street bombing, however we also learnt about Yuri, the young 11 year old Ukrainian boy who Deb hosted in 1993. Well it is fair to say that a pretty special bond was created between Deb and Yuri before Yuri went home. There is much more to this story, so please check out Deb’s first episode. Deb and Yuri lost contact until 2017 where they reconnected and this contacted accelerated after Yuri saw Russian tanks roll into the Ukraine. What transpired was Deb asking what she could do for Yuri and the idea that Deb could knit some teddy bears for the young children who have been displaced, well Deb managed to get 14,000 “Yuri bears” knitted, yes that is correct, 14,000 “Yuri bears”, obviously a quite remarkable achievement. What is more remarkable is the earlier this year, Deb travelled to the Ukraine to deliver the “Yuri bears”. This is her story.

Bret has been through what very few go through. The effects of being diagnosed with the extremely rare Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is truly confronting and for those that go through it, horrifying. GBS is a rare condition in which a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. For an active and healthy man, Bret was admitted to hospital on a number of occasions, whilst medical practitioners tried to work out what was happening to Bret. His symptoms escalated significantly where he lost the use of his arms and legs and felt that he was burning from the inside. Eventually Bret got the diagnoses of GBS and the recovery period began. Bret had to essentially teach his brain to use his arms and legs again, to the point where he had to learn how to hold a cup again. It is very difficult to imagine what this would be like. It is a remarkable story of horrifying circumstances and the pure resilience of Bret, his wife Lisa and all of Bret's loved ones and what is absolutely brilliant, Bret is now back at work full time and is continuing his recovery with a great big smile. #GuillainBarrésyndrome #gbs #code9ptsd #youreneveralone #rollwiththepunches

In this episode, Tiff has a chat to Sarah U'Brien. Sarah is the partner of Matt, a police veteran and former fire fighter who was seriously mentally injured as a result of his service to the community. In this episode, Sarah details with incredible clarity what it is like for the partner of a member who is seriously injured. It is confronting as Sarah articulates so clearly what she went through, and to an extent, still goes through, whilst looking after Matt, protecting and educating her two young daughter and also having to maintain her own health, both mental and physical. What is outrageously brilliant though, is the sheer resilience of Sarah and how she is now a trusted and sought after voice in this area. (Please check out and give a like and follow for "Living alongside PTSD" on Facebook and "Living_alongside_ptsd on Instagram). We are so proud that we have focused on the partners and carers of our members since our inception and this is the reason why. Sarah's cohort are often forgotten about when the member is injured, but this cohort plays an extremely critical part in the members recovery. Thank you so much Sarah for being so open, so honest and showing the world, via your voice, what it is like to care for a person who is severely mentally injured. #youreneveralone

Episode 41 of Conversations with The Code 9 Foundation sees Tiff have a chat to Tim Peck. Tim is former member of Victoria Police whose mental health declined to such a low state that he had an intention to complete suicide. Fortunately for Tim and everyone that knows him, Tim survived this period of time and is now dedicating his working life to help those that live with mental health conditions, particularly first responders. After leaving Victoria Police and a recovery period, Tim worked at Beyond Blue, the Police Association of Victoria as Manager of Welfare and is now working for Phoenix Australia, the Australian National Centre of Excellence in Posttraumatic Mental Health as Director of Responder Assist, a program dedicated to the mental health of first responders. Tim talks very clearly about his suicidality so this episode does carry a trigger warning but what is equally evident and a critical aspect of this conservation is that even when you are in the darkest of places, recovery is possible and you can still thrive after the darkness. Throughout all the journaling that Tim did in his recovery, he was able to convert it into a book, which promises to be a brilliant read. You can find his book here - blackincbooks.com.au/books/invisible-obvious.

This is a cross post from Roll With The Punches, episode 771. In this episode, Kelly Humphries shares her powerful and deeply personal journey. Opening up about her experiences as a survivor of child sexual abuse, she reflects on the challenges she faced and overcame. The unfortunate reality is that in Australia, almost 30% of people experience sexual abuse by the age of 18. The conversation delves into the complexities of building friendships and maintaining relationships while grappling with past trauma. Kelly also discusses her former career in the Queensland Police Service, highlighting the impact of her work on her mental health and her eventual transition into advocacy and support for other abuse survivors. The episode touches on important topics such as creating safe spaces for conversation, understanding the nuances of trauma response, and the importance of self-compassion and healing. Kelly's story is a testament to resilience and the transformative power of speaking one's truth. Tiff chimes in with some of my insights and experiences and aim to ask Kelly questions that can empower survivors, allies, and parents not to feel like they need to grapple with these experiences swamped in shame, silence, or isolation.

Rachel Berger is one of Australia's leading comedians, and being the daughter of holocaust survivors, she has an acute awareness of trauma, both in a physical sense and a mental sense. In this episode, Rachel talks about the use of humour to help people cope with their adversities and touches on her parents and what it was like for her growing up. Rachel further talks about what she does to help people, using her over 40 years of stand up comedy to guide people in workshops. Such a beautiful and caring thing to do.

Mick Cummins is the Godfather of police veteran peer support. A very humble man who had a policing career spanning several decades and a wide range of work units, including a few stints in Iraq training the locals. Mick started to dip his toes into the support of his colleagues pretty early on and then once he was done with policing, this accelerated. Along with brilliant Vicky Key, he founded the first peer support network for police veterans. Mick met with former Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton on multiple occasions and with Vicki, created the program, that is now known as Police Veterans Victoria. Mick has touched the lives of countless first responders and would have no doubt saved many many lives with his empathy and ability to help in times of need. Mick is vulnerable and honest in this chat, and it is a ripper.

14 September 2018 at 2.18 pm, a moment in time that changed the course of so many other innocent lives. Victoria Police Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Kostiuk was taking part in the Wall to Wall ride, a charity ride to raise funds for Police Legacy. Riding with Vic was his son, Felix, who is also a Victoria Police member. What was meant to be a joyful experience, turned into complete tragedy, when a drug and alcohol affected driver caused his car to collide with Vic, killing Vic. This was all witnessed by Felix. Felix talks to the events of that day, how he handles situations now and what is ahead for him with remarkable clarity and awareness of his self. It is, a remarkable chat.