Hello, hello, and welcome to F Them Fish: AuDHD for Grownups with your neurodivergent besties, Callie Elward-Barrett and Jayne Gurton. This is the podcast where we talk about neurodivergence in real adult life: work, relationships, burnout, overwhelm, identity, and all the weird little things that make you think, ‘surely it’s not just me.’ We’re honest, occasionally sweary, and very much not interested in pretending to be polished.
Grab a beverage, or body double some life admin with us in your ears and let’s get started!
Content note: this episode includes discussion of men’s mental health, suicide, mining culture, isolation, alcohol, and the emotional impact of working away from home. Please take care while listening, and use the support links below if anything in this episode brings things up for you.
Callie and Jayne are joined by Rhys Heland, a WA mining professional, Callie’s brother-ish, and guest at Pod HQ in The Nook.
What starts with Thirsty Merc, email shame, and Callie’s deeply committed front-row concert behaviour becomes a powerful conversation about men’s mental health, mining culture, FIFO-style isolation, and what can happen when men are expected to just keep going.
Rhys shares the story of Dragged to the Mines, a Pilbara project that used drag photography to challenge blokey mining culture and open up conversations about masculinity, mental health and suicide. He talks about life in remote mining environments, long swings, tiny dongas, twelve-hour days, fatigue, isolation, welfare checks, alcohol rules, and the reality of trying to stay connected to family and community while working away.
The conversation also explores what withdrawal can look like, why going quiet can be a warning sign, and how the smallest conversations can matter. Sometimes the starting point is not a perfect mental health script. Sometimes it is asking about dinner, family, footy, trivia night, or whether someone has spoken to anyone lately.
Callie, Jayne and Rhys also talk about the idea of having a code phrase with your people, like “I need seven seconds,” for those moments when explaining everything feels too hard but being alone with it feels worse.
This episode is not medical advice. It is three people having a real conversation about men, mental health, neurodivergence, isolation, work, resilience, and the importance of asking the hard questions gently.
00:00 – Intro
02:00 – Callie REALLY loves Thirsty Merc
10:54 – Dragged to the Mines
13:28 – Mining, masculinity and mental health
15:43 – Isolation
16:18 – Being away from family
35:30 – Withdrawal
35:55 – How men may show distress
36:57 – The power of a simple phrase
37:34 – Small talk as big talk
38:18 – Creating a code
43:06 – Neuroplasticity, resilience and mindset
51:51 – Asking hard questions gently
52:26 – What you can do
Support:
Lifeline Australia
24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention
Call: 13 11 14
Text: 0477 13 11 14
MensLine Australia
24/7 counselling and support for men
Call: 1300 78 99 78
Suicide Call Back Service
24/7 phone and online counselling for people affected by suicide
Call: 1300 659 467
https://www.suicidecallbackservice.org.au/
Beyond Blue
Mental health support and men’s mental health resources
Call: 1300 22 4636
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/mental-health/mens-mental-health
MATES in Mining
Suicide prevention and mental health support for the mining industry
13YARN
24/7 crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
Call: 13 92 76
Links
Find us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok at F Them Fish: AuDHD for Grownups
Send your stories and questions to FThemFish@gmail.com
AuDHD for grownups: honest, funny conversations about work, relationships, sensory overload, identity, and the stuff nobody explains after diagnosis.
This podcast was created on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung Peoples
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