Leave A Light On Podcast
Welcome to "Leave A Light On Podcast," the podcast that brings you inspiring stories of ordinary people overcoming extraordinary challenges in their lives. Join us as we delve into the lives of individuals from all walks of life, exploring the adversities they face and the resilience they demonstrate in overcoming them.
In each episode, we'll introduce you to a new guest—a parent, a teacher, a healthcare worker, a student, a veteran, or perhaps your neighbor next door. Through heartfelt interviews and candid conversations, we'll uncover the personal battles they've fought, whether it's overcoming illness, navigating through loss, breaking free from addiction, or facing societal barriers.
From tales of triumph over adversity to stories of perseverance in the face of hardship, "Leave a Light On Podcast" celebrates the human spirit and the strength found within each of us. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and most importantly, you'll be inspired by the resilience and determination of these everyday people who refuse to be defined by their struggles.
So, tune in and join us on this journey of hope, empowerment, and the celebration of the human spirit. Because in the end, it's the stories of everyday people that remind us all that we are capable of overcoming anything life throws our way.
Leave A Light On Podcast
Episode 7 - From Crisis to Care: Mates making a difference with Mental Health in The Workplace
Can a simple shift in workplace conversations save lives? Join us as Amanda, the National Operations Manager, and Joe, A field operative, from Mates share the profound impact their organization is having on mental health and suicide prevention in Australian industries. From the origins of Mates in Construction in 2007 to its expansion into mining, energy, and manufacturing, Amanda takes us through their decade-long mission to foster mental resilience and community support in some of the nation's most challenging work environments.
This episode uncovers the unique challenges faced by workers in these male-dominated fields, such as grueling fly-in, fly-out schedules, and the critical need for a supportive community within the workplace. Amanda and Joe talk about the importance of proactive mental health measures and training programs that have transformed lives. We dive deep into real-life stories and the significance of being present for others, even if it means just holding space during difficult times. Learn how small, consistent habits can build resilience and how practical training can empower individuals to make a difference.
The conversation also celebrates the power of small actions and the importance of self-care. Discover the invaluable resources Mates offers, including their 24/7 helpline, and hear inspiring tales of people who have turned their lives around with a little support from their peers. If you're passionate about mental health and supporting your community, this episode is packed with insights and actionable advice that you won't want to miss.
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Share your stories with us and lets Leave a Light On
Hello and welcome to Leave a Light On Podcast, a show that looks to tackle the everyday struggles in our everyday lives. It's time to shed some light on it. Leave a light on podcasts not a licensed mental health service. It shouldn't be substituted for professional advice or treatment. Things discussed in this podcast are general in nature and may be of a sensitive nature. If you're struggling, please seek professional help or contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. Here's your hosts, shane and Shev.
Speaker 3:Hey, hey, welcome to another episode of Leave a Lot On Podcast, and one of your hosts is Shev, and alongside me is Shano. How's your week been, buddy?
Speaker 4:Yeah, how's it, shev? Really good, thank you.
Speaker 3:That's all right. We're very excited about today's episode.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I've got a cool little voice thing on your one. It sounds like you're talking through one of those like megaphones. It's pretty cool.
Speaker 3:That's good yeah, because the louder I am, the happier I am.
Speaker 4:Yeah, so it sounds like you're talking through a megaphone. It's really cool. I think it's going to be good for this particular podcast Really, yeah, yeah, a podcast to all our listeners.
Speaker 3:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 4:Thanks, Shiv, for the wonderful intro, as always. Oh, mate, I'll go all right. Yeah, you go all right. You're pretty good. Shout out to that beard, it's looking pretty good as well.
Speaker 3:It is looking good, really good, really good. Yeah, my missus can't keep her hands off me.
Speaker 4:Okay, sorry. Well, I'm glad I'm not your missus. You need to grow a beard, that little mustache. That's why it's not happening for you.
Speaker 3:It's great, let's get into today's episode. It's a doozy as well. I'm really excited about today. We talk shit and I love it yeah.
Speaker 4:Really excited about today's one. We've got not one, but two guests with us.
Speaker 3:Yeah, really excited about having two guests on yeah.
Speaker 4:They're going to talk about an organization that's pretty close to in our hearts. Yep, in the industry. We work in the mining industry the mining industry, but not only the mining industry. They're involved in quite a few industries, which is great, and we'll get into that a little bit more. So, without further ado, I'm going to introduce not one but two of our guests today, so little drum roll. Coming in here Ken the Leave On A Podcast. Let's welcome the one, the only. Well, both of them, amanda and Joe. Welcome guys, welcome to Leave a Lot On podcast. Leave a Lot On Thanks for having us.
Speaker 5:How's it?
Speaker 4:G'day. Lads Never gets old. Honestly, How's it? And hello to you, amanda G'day mate.
Speaker 6:Yeah, you, amanda, g'day mate, how's it. Welcome.
Speaker 4:Obviously, you guys are involved in an organisation, like we said, that's very close to our hearts, and that organisation is Mates. And I say Mates because there's Mates in Mining, there's Mates in Construction and there's Mates in Energy.
Speaker 6:One more, too, in construction and there's mates in energy.
Speaker 4:One more too, mate. One more, yeah, manufacturing, manufacturing.
Speaker 6:Just our newest baby, it's the newest baby.
Speaker 4:So four kind of industries which are, I would say, probably the biggest industries in Australia, which is amazing, and the organization does some really, really cool things when it comes to, obviously, what we're passionate about, and that's the mental health space. So, without further ado, amanda, I'm going to ask you if you can tell us, firstly, who you are and what you're about, and a little bit about who you are.
Speaker 6:Yeah, absolutely so. My role at Mates is as a National Operations Manager for the Mates Australia Group, which encompasses the mining, energy and manufacturing divisions of Mates. People that have heard of Mates probably heard of Mates in Construction. That's where we got our start, but we're celebrating 10 years in mining this year, which for us incredibly important and something we're proud of. So, as you mentioned, we're about mental health, we're about suicide prevention and, for us, you know, being in that not-for-profit space, giving back to industries where we know that these topics are much needed and we'll get into some stats a bit later as to why that is.
Speaker 6:But it's just conversations that we're really privileged to be a part of and I know I speak for Jo when I say that, and the entire team at Mates that we realise how incredibly privileged we are to get to travel to some of the mine sites and power plants and places like that and have these conversations with real good people, just about in the interest of keeping each other safe, keeping our mates safe, keeping our families and our community safe.
Speaker 6:And, yeah, it's something we don't really need an alarm clock to get out of bed for. We're really proud to be a part of it. So in my role, I've kind of done a bit of everything at Mates over the course of the last six and a half years, including, you know, crisis support as a case manager and out there facilitating workshops, which I still get the privilege of doing from time to time with the team. But now to be in this position of operations manager and oversee a team of incredible staff across the country who are taking this program and just growing it day by day and reaching more and more workers out there and their families, is something that I consider to be a huge privilege of my life.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's awesome. I mean, the whole organisation as a whole is doing such great things in the space of it, so you're one little cog in the giant mechanism that keeps it going. So it's really really cool, so that's amazing.
Speaker 3:Definitely the first people we thought of, especially the industry that we it going. So it's really really cool, so that's amazing. Definitely the first people we thought of, especially with the industry that we work in. Like me and Shane were talking, we actually had mentioned you guys on our very first episode that we wanted to have you guys on and talk about what you guys do, so it's good that you guys are here. Yeah, yeah, it's changed a lot. Yeah, man.
Speaker 6:When I got that email from you, lads, and jumped on and started listening to what you were doing instantly you know Joe and I were talking I was like, yep, this is something we've got to be a part of, because it's not about, you know, just promoting a business or promoting you guys. It's about how do we actually have bigger conversations, encourage people to speak openly about an issue that's so incredibly important, and you're hard pressed now to find people that haven't been touched by a suicide in some way, shape or form.
Speaker 6:So, to be a part of that with you guys and get to promote, obviously, of course, what we do and the industry we're in, but to promote that as a community message is really important for us as well.
Speaker 4:Yeah yeah, and for us it's like we say we're obviously trying to just create a safe space for people just to kind of gain awareness, like you say, but just feel like they're not alone. Because often that's where we feel. When you ask someone that has gone through the journey of depression or you know they've tried to commit suicide, it always comes back to the fact that a lot of them feel like they're just in it alone. They don't have support or they can't get support and no one's going to understand them. And so for us, we're trying to just create that space where we're saying hey guys, there are people out there that understand what you're going through. You're not the only one, there's so many, yeah, just individuals in the same space as you. And so we're creating that platform for people to share and kind of gain insight into that, so that they don't feel like they're in that space alone.
Speaker 4:And that was the whole concept of even the name of the podcast is Leave the Light On, where we're going to be leaving a light on for people to feel like they can just come in whenever they want and creating that safe space. So really cool that that's what your guys' goal and aim is to do in that space. And then let's move on to you, Joe. Let's hear a little bit about you, Tell us who you are, where you've come from, and then how you got into this particular role.
Speaker 5:Yeah, no worries. Thanks Shano and thanks Shiv. We've been very well fed and the hospitality since we've walked through that all has been amazing, so thanks mate, that's good, that's good.
Speaker 4:It's all good. Shout out to Jaycees Very grateful mate.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, it's good as long as you enjoyed it.
Speaker 5:Yeah. So yeah, I'm a field officer with Mates in Mining. I'm local here to Newcastle and Hunter. I've got two fellow field officers that I work with, joel in Queensland and another one in WA. So, whilst it might not seem like many in a massive machine such as mining or whatever, we do get to touch quite a lot of sites that we engage with and, like Amanda was saying, you have these conversations with people on site and it does make a big difference and it's a lot more fulfilling than what I used to do. I used to be a Sparky. We won't hold that against you and a Port Power fan won't hold that against you and a poor power fan.
Speaker 3:We will hold that against you. It doesn't even work. Go to the pies, go to the pies.
Speaker 6:Go to the crews.
Speaker 4:I can't even add to this because I don't even like putting.
Speaker 3:No, you're a South African, you've got no say.
Speaker 4:Excuse me, world champions. Thank you very much.
Speaker 3:Oh God, here we go, you are. You talking about rugby, I'd appreciate it.
Speaker 5:But yeah, I grew up in South Australia and did my apprenticeship back there and you know, when I finished my apprenticeship I started chasing the coin and went FIFO working in mining and very soon I realised this isn't for me. You know, I found how it affected me personally and then probably one of my big motivators, most recently when I was away, because I've gone out and come back and gone out and come back to it. One of my mates was actually struggling on site one night and he reached out to me and, yeah, thankfully we got him to some help and the medical staff on site at the camp they got him off site and he was very grateful for it and so was his family. But it was just a big lens for me to just think there's more to it than what I have been doing and if you are the person that someone's seeking out, you're probably more or less, whether you feel it or not, you're the right person for them to be seeking out at that time and that message is something that you give you build confidence in the work crews that you talk to, because you can easily say, yeah, I want to help you out, but I don't know where to go or I don't know which options there.
Speaker 5:So a podcast like this we take hats off to you because it is opening doors and opening minds to people that might be like, oh, I'm suffering with this or I'm experiencing this, where do I go? I've got no idea. Hopefully they listen to this and they get a bit of an insight. So, yeah, it's a great organisation that we work for. I was just up in Queensland recently for a health and safety conference up there it's massive the Queensland Mining Health and Safety Conference and we had people approach us at our little vendor spot there and they just came up and said keep doing the great work. You know, we love what you're doing. And people that were even having a hard time that day they came up and spoke to us. So, yeah, it was great, it was fulfilling.
Speaker 4:That's awesome. Yeah, I mean just goes to show that there is such a need for it.
Speaker 5:Hey, when you realize in that space of life, yeah, I mean, no one's immune to it, Like we were already talking about it before we started this recording or whatever. But you know it ain't weak to speak. It's okay to not be okay. And we do share that message because, whilst it's not ours, whilst that's not our catch cry, we understand that it takes many to make a movement and a change. So we do try and work hand in hand with you. Know other people that are in the same industry to say you know, you might not want to talk to mates in mining, you might want to talk to this one or that one, but there's a need for it and people will find their own opportunity or their own option to go and seek out some help. So, yeah, that's the promotion.
Speaker 4:Well, that's awesome. I mean kudos to you guys for all the work both of you, amanda and Joe, I mean I know being a field officer and stuff like that. Like you say, you're kind of like the front line, you're out there, you're meeting with the guys.
Speaker 5:Yeah, boots on the ground is how we refer to it.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and then, obviously, amanda, with you you kind of do more of the kind of behind the scenes kind of stuff, where you're setting the field work up for giving them their kind of orders and protocols and kind of saying this is the job that I want you guys to go and do and setting them up for success. So yeah, the machine itself that you guys are creating is such a beautiful thing because I feel, the more this message of it's not weak to speak, like you were saying, joe, and this community that we're trying to build, if we can make that community a point where it's not weak to speak, like you were saying, joe, and this community that we're trying to build, if we can make that community a point where it's loud in the community that's negative and community that's saying that the only way out is suicide or you know those kind of avenues if we can create that that door that's louder and the voice that's louder where we're saying like that's not the only route, you know there's other, there's other options for you and there's tools to to overcome it. It's only going to, it's only going to benefit, um, the rest of the world. So shout out to you guys for that and shout out to the organization and mates and mining. Um, let's talk about mates and mining a little bit more. Um, amanda, let's go back to you and talk about, like, the aim of mates and mining.
Speaker 4:Um, how did it start? What was the purpose of it?
Speaker 6:well, we'd be remiss without um acknowledging our, our friends in construction, because that's where mates got their start. So if we, you know, rewinding right back to you know, 2007, um mates in construction launching in queensland specifically, um born out of a need for an industry who's seen just far too many suicides, we're you know, having the redundancy trust, the super organizations, all of those guys employers all coming together and going what the hell is going on, like we're losing way too many people.
Speaker 6:What's going on? And so some research was done from that, some studies were done from it, and it was just this unique opportunity to get all these key stakeholders for that industry in a room and go. We may not get along outside of this room, but how the hell do we work together to address this? Because we're all losing people. And that's really how we got our start. So back in 2007 in construction, it wasn't too long before industries like mining and energy were knocking on the door and saying, hey, we got the same problem. We're male dominated. We've got people that fly and, fly out and drive in, drive out and the toll that that can take on families and things like that. So, with mates, one thing we're really proud of one of the many things we're really proud of is is nothing we do is by accident. Everything is really well thought out. We only move into an industry once the whole of industry wants it. So because we need that ownership, we need the industry to own it.
Speaker 6:The idea behind mates is that one day we make ourselves redundant, you know that we're no longer needed. You touched on it before. It's about how do we build a community and quite often, as Joe started to talk about, there will be that go-to person on site. There will be somebody who's naturally having these conversations already and it's about using the framework that we do at Mates to be able to empower that person to be able to do that confidently.
Speaker 6:So that's what we're looking at doing, and I suppose the point of difference for us isn't about us coming in and saying we've got all the answers. We're giving people the framework to build a community so that particular site, that particular organisation, can look after themselves. Of course, we're there to support that along the way and maintain that, but the idea is that we're upskilling this industry to look after themselves and make ourselves redundant one day. That's kind of the hope, I guess. So yeah, mining we're celebrating our 10 years this year, which is pretty impressive so 2014,. There was some research done. It was quite evident that the unique challenges that come along with mine sites specifically was yielding higher rates of suicide than the general working population, and we see that, unfortunately, across all the industries that we work with. So, working with those industries and the key stakeholders in that industry, getting the buy-in to go okay how do we support this?
Speaker 6:How do we get employers on board? How do we show that this is an initiative that we want owned by the industry? So yeah, 2014,. We kicked off Mates in Mining. So 10 years this year. That was our pilot year. You know, fast forward. We've gone from having a CEO and a field officer and, in a lovely twist of events, our inaugural CEO, andrew McMahon. He has actually just come back on board as our general manager for all three industries. He started officially last week, so we're really excited to have him back in the fold because it's a legacy piece for him. So he's gone away and done a bunch of other great things, but come back and gone. We've gone from a two-man operation to now 20 people across the country who have moved outside of one state, and it's like how do we grow this so these industries can all be safer?
Speaker 6:from suicide at the end of the day, and that all starts with having these kind of conversations.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's. I mean, it's key, like you say. It's really interesting when we talk about, obviously, the particular industries that you guys are focusing on when it comes to manufacturing, mining, the energy side of things and construction, like you say, where you first began. Why is it? Do you think that those are the industries that are affected the most when it comes to male suicide stats, specifically when you're talking about it? I know mining is the stats for females are starting to grow, but it was a very male-dominated industry, so that's why I think there's more stats on the male side, but why is it that you think that it is such a heavy suicide stat in those particular industries?
Speaker 6:Yeah, good question, mate, because it's something that the male part of it has a lot to do with it. So when we look at, you know, suicide statistics in general, you know the last lot of statistics we have 2020. Um, you know, 3249 people in this country lost their life to suicide. Of that, three quarters of that were male. Um, that's kind of the standard when we look at any western country. It's three quarters of those deaths will be male. Then, when you start looking at industries that are predominantly male, you know dominated mining, manufacturing, energy, construction I know, in construction, at last count, it was something like 86% of the industry was male, particularly when you're looking at the on-the-tools kind of roles.
Speaker 6:So of course you're going to see higher numbers in that. But then you've got the unique challenges right because, as the lads were saying before, no one is immune, right? My personal belief and my academic sort of knowledge has led me to see that with suicide, I personally believe it's a behavioural response to life events and stresses, right, rightly or wrongly, that's what we're dealing with. We all go through different things. We all have a different tipping point is how we speak to it and, yeah, we can all reach that in different ways.
Speaker 6:So, regardless of what kind of job you do whether you're sitting in an office somewhere, whether you're a school teacher, we've all got things that are going to get us to that point right Day-to-day stress. But when you work in industries, like the workers that we're working with in mining, in construction, in energy, in manufacturing, you've got shift work, you've got fly in, fly out, you've got the strain that that takes on a family and a relationship, all of these things on top of the stuff that everybody else is dealing with. Sometimes it's just too much and suicide will present itself as a way to make all that stress go away, but we often talk about it as a permanent solution to problems that may feel temporary, but we fully acknowledge that in the moment they don't feel temporary.
Speaker 6:They feel like that there's no hope.
Speaker 3:Yeah and so I find it to be a long-term solution I think it is to a short-term problem. You know what I mean. Like people jump to those conclusions and then later on you'll probably regret it. You know what I mean. So, yeah, so that's what I think, anyway. You know what I mean. Like it. So yeah, so that's what I think, anyway. You know what I mean. Like it's too easy, because I mean I'm not going to lie to you. I'll be the first one to throw up my hand that I've been down that rocky road. I mean to just get myself out of it now. But yeah and one of my mates, one of my work mates, actually said that to me that it's a long term solution to a short term problem. So, but yeah, I've been down that rocky road and I know how it feels, so yeah, Well, firstly, mate, I'm glad that you're coming out.
Speaker 6:The other side of it now, which is really good to hear, slowly, slowly, but it shows right that none of us are immune to it. I think you know one thing we've learned is suicide doesn't discriminate, regardless of what you've got going on those things. We call them protective factors, but any of us can be faced with a really shitty time, and that's the thing you know. Our brains are noticed, you know, hardwired to notice more of the negative than the positive, and in those moments and I think this is why we see a much higher representation with young people is maybe there's not been the opportunity to discover that this worst day of my life right now is indeed the worst day, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to have a good day tomorrow or next month or next year, but unfortunately the power and the heaviness of that can sometimes be too much for somebody to overcome, and that's what we want people to understand.
Speaker 6:We're not there to fix people. It's about showing people that there's other options. And another thing that makes us really different, I suppose, is we take the emphasis off the person who's struggling from having to put the hand up, because we know how hard that can be. We know how difficult it can be to put the hand up and ask for help for a myriad of reasons.
Speaker 5:Right, yeah, like Chev, it's amazing if you can be that vulnerable because you know, having spoken with Amanda, we've both had our, you know, dark experiences with you know and overcoming that. And coming out the other side and you know, people say, oh man, that must have been really hard. It's like, yeah, it was. It was probably harder to own up to it, though as well, because you just thought you didn't want to show. You know, that was that stigma. You didn't want to show you were struggling and, in its essence, you're like, if I can put on that mask every day and show that I'm doing okay, then people aren't going to hound me or I'm not going to upset them or whatever. So, yeah, being vulnerable enough to step out of your comfort zone and say I need a bit of help is big.
Speaker 3:That's one of the hardest things, joe as well, that you'll ever have to do, I reckon, in my opinion, is to ask for help. It's one of the hardest things you'll ever have to do. So, yeah, and it's like, don't be ashamed, I mean, I've been pardon me. I was just saying to Amanda that I've been down that rocky road and Shane thankfully you know like he's helped me through it. He was texting me every day a few weeks ago and making sure I'm alright and, yeah, I'm just getting the help that I need. And you're 100% right, mate, don't be afraid, we all go through it. And, as Amanda says, you know it doesn't discriminate, it goes through everyone. So, yeah, yeah, and that's beautiful, because I mean off air.
Speaker 5:We could see you guys rattling at each other about the technical issues, but we don't need to talk about that. But you know your mate's in your corner no matter what you're going through, and that's something that we really endorse is that mates are there to help mates in everyday life. You see him struggling getting the lawnmower off the back of a ute. Hey, what are you doing? I'll give you a hand or um. But it's that next step where it's like it's in between my ears. I'm thinking about it a lot of times. But if I share it, am I gonna cause a big issue? Or you know, someone says I notice they're struggling. If I ask them, I'm gonna make it worse. I don't want to make it worse. Oh no, I don't want to make it worse.
Speaker 5:It's like it's okay to talk about these things. Yeah, and we know that from our research. Like Amanda was saying, we make sure if someone wants to come on board with mates, we make sure that they want it and they really want to get it. But also, if someone wants to help, they don't have to have all the skills and the knowledge to solve all their issues. We're not asking you to do that. Asking them might be enough for them to say all right, yeah, I know, I need a bit of help.
Speaker 4:So then they'll help them out. Yeah, I think what you're saying there is so key. I mean, you know, with the first step and obviously everyone knows the whole Alcoholics Anonymous kind of phase but the first step is kind of acknowledging that you have a problem and it's standing up and saying in front of everyone hi, my name is so-and so and I am an alcoholic. It's acknowledging that you have that problem, because only then can you start to deal with the problem. So, um, that's what, obviously, when you say you're asking for help, is acknowledging that you need that help because you have the problem of whatever it is, whether it's depression or you know whether you're having those suicidal thoughts, and um, so I think that's what you're you're referring to. And when you're saying, like you know, reaching out, is that first step to say, hey, I need that help yeah, and language and mindset are massive you know, that's not so much an affirmation as much as it is.
Speaker 5:You're sitting there and you're you're owning up, you're fessing up to it, but you know these affirmations that people talk about talking into the mirror. You probably would have seen reels of dads with their little girls in the mirror and they're saying you say it, I'm strong, I'm beautiful. It's powerful man. It's given them that idea in their head, so that when they progress through their lives. They're like I know I am, I'm having a shit day, though it's okay and you can be honest and it's okay for those two things to exist at once.
Speaker 6:I think that's what we get so caught up in, or I'm down in the dumps and everything's shit and it's never going to get any better. And it's actually sometimes those things, often those things exist all at once and I'd kind of challenge it to saying there is, of course, we want to get to a point at some point in the future and hopefully it's sooner rather than later where everybody feels safe enough to go fuck, put the hand up.
Speaker 4:Sorry, you're going to bleep that out right, no way, sorry, you're going to bleep that out right. No way, no, no, we're all okay.
Speaker 6:That it's been a shit time. I'm having some dark thoughts. This is where I'm at. Of course, ideally that's where we get to, because then we can meet that person where they're at.
Speaker 6:We don't have to have all the answers, and I think that's what puts a lot of people off from putting the hand up to help. Sometimes is oh shit, I don't want to make it worse, I don't know what to say all of that. But in reality, if we think about any dark time we've been in, we're not expecting a perfect answer from someone. We just want them to sit there with us and make us feel like it's okay, that we're not so alone in all of that, and I think that's absolutely key to what we need to do. But the first thing, just going back't you love to jump in, but with us again going back to what makes us different is how do we, how do we skill up our industry, our workers and, by the way, these skills all go home, you know. They go home to your mates, they go home to your loved ones, but it's about in the time that it's hard and we know that we're progressing to a point where we want people to stick the hand up and just talk openly about what's going on for them.
Speaker 6:Reality is, for a lot of people that's far off. So if we're skilling up people to notice, what does it look like when somebody's struggling, what does it look like when they might be having thoughts of suicide? How can I be the brave one, take the pressure off them and actually ask them a couple of questions? You know, address it so they feel safe enough to talk to me about it? And I think that's you know, that's a lot of what we do with the training workshops that the staff are out facilitating on site. It's like how do we start to skill people up to be able to notice and offer support and make it okay for that person to talk about it openly?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I 100% agree with you, especially just going back to what you were saying about when you talk to someone, I find it so much better, like a huge weight is lifted off your shoulders. You know, I find it easier. I don't know how all you guys feel, but I find it easier talking to someone you actually don't know, because people that are your mates or family they just want to tell you what you want to hear and I don't as much as I respect them and I love them because they are mates and family. I find it easier when someone is not known to your situation.
Speaker 6:Oh, for sure, and it's so much better, and it's that concept of a fierce friend as well is always good. Yeah, so, but I 100% agree with that.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I don't know if you've got that in your life, but if you don't have a fierce friend, get one, one of those people that won't tell you that you're the best. Like, yeah, you want a hype man, you want somebody that's going to pump you up, but at the end of the day, you want somebody to be like hang on man, like where are you at in this? How are you contributing to this In a nice way? But let's actually like, really like be honest, like radically honest with you so you can address this shit rather than pretending everything's fine. But it's just meeting someone where they're at. You don't have to have the answers, just sit with them in it. Let them know they're not alone. That's the key, that's where it starts.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean I can't remember the exact quote, but it's something along the lines of like, the truth from a friend is sweeter than a lie from your enemy, and it's all about how, like, sometimes the hard truth that we hear, even though as hard as they might come, coming from someone that loves us, is much better than someone, like, who doesn't know us at all, sitting there telling us what they think or what we think we want to hear, rather than the truth that we need to hear in that moment. And so, yeah, sometimes it is a case of where we sit there and we go, hey, I can tell you what you'd like to hear in the situation, and it's not going to help, it's not going to make you better, and so, sorry, while you were busy talking, I just kind of in my head had that.
Speaker 1:You weren't paying attention. No, I was, but I had that.
Speaker 4:Nelson Mandela was probably one of the greatest overcomers, he was eh.
Speaker 3:He was pretty good here we go Look what Joe's done. He's brought us back to South Africa. I'll do that.
Speaker 5:They were talking about Nelson Mandela, danny Archer. Where's Danny Archer? I'm not going to tell you.
Speaker 6:But Nelson Mandela, obviously, that's worthy of a sound effect, surely? Oh?
Speaker 4:no, it was good. I wouldn't even know what I would go with Crickets. But Nelson Mandela probably. He walked through some of the greatest adversity and he came out with all the right in the world to harbor negative thoughts and hatred towards anyone else and he turned around and he made a positive influence from all the hatred and the negative stuff that he and I still remember. One of the greatest things he ever said was it always seems impossible until you do it. And that's what I think when you're talking about these situations that people are in, where they're going, it's like impossible. It looks like it's impossible to get out and you meet someone who's like I've done it. So even though you might seem it might seem impossible, when you see someone who has done it, that impossibility immediately vanishes. Yeah, yeah, shared experience, right yeah.
Speaker 6:And I'll try and one-up you. I mean, it's hard to one-up Nelson Mandela. Yeah.
Speaker 6:There's a man if you're ever looking for a short book to read that'll change your life, it's called Man's Search for Meaning and it's by a psychotherapist by the name of Viktor Frankl, who I believe is long since passed. But Viktor was in the camps and he was in Auschwitz. He came out and he wrote this book and, you know, went on to a long career of helping people, particularly people that had faced trauma and adversity post-World War II. But his whole, you know, premise of his modus operandi was we're not what happens to us, but how we respond to it.
Speaker 6:And it's just a really, really cool way to go. Fuck, you've been through the darkest of times, you know. But it's like how do I respond from that? How do I respond to that? How do I learn from it to change the way that I go moving forward? How do I not make it make me darker, and you know.
Speaker 5:Did he write another book about? There was another. He wrote a few.
Speaker 6:He would have written a few. The Happiest man Alive that was Eddie Yakovits.
Speaker 5:Same sort of I saw that on your bookshelf actually.
Speaker 4:It's an incredible read, but he was very similar in that philosophy. I don't want to turn you up.
Speaker 3:We're getting some dangerous books. Just tell me where the TV show is.
Speaker 4:See, this is why I don't turn you on Podcast Look at the top 100 podcasts.
Speaker 3:Tell me where the audio book is.
Speaker 4:So yeah, eddie Yakovits was very similar. World War II was in the camps and things like that and he came out and he wrote the book the Happiest man Alive and his thing was also very similar to that You're not a victim of your circumstance. And he just came out and he was like I refused to put the hatred of World War II onto everyone I meet. Every German is not a Nazi. Every person I meet is not out to get me. In fact, 90% of people are there. The people that helped me were the people that, like, literally, I lean on and I believe humanity is good yeah.
Speaker 4:And he just spread that message of love and, just like you know, we're here to live a happy life and we're not a victim of our circumstances, no matter how hard that may be.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I think there's an element we can all take away from that right that to not react in the moment, not react to a situation, but actually sit back like remove ourselves from it a little bit. How important is this? You know? One little tip that I got many years ago from a friend is he said if it matters in 24 hours, address it within 48. If it's not going to bother you in a month, don't make any decisions around it. I went fuck that's so good.
Speaker 6:You know what I mean Because quite often in the moment, we'll respond to how we're feeling in that moment. It's lack of perspective, it's lack of context, but you know, fully acknowledging that's easy to sit here and say but I've been guilty of, you know reacting for sure. Well, you're a parent as well. I'm a parent.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I react all the bloody time, and look, when you are in the thick of it and you can't think straight, it's very easy to have that blurred. You can just be like why is this happening to me? And you take on that self-pity moment and whatever On the back of what you were saying before. Share like a pain, shared as a pained half. We love using these types of terms, because you can forget that very easily and you can't forget. Your situation is just a situation.
Speaker 5:But, it's what you do after it and on the back of it that can make or break you and from there on and therein. So I don't know. There's so many narratives, so many common narratives that we have as field officers because we are boots on the ground and we'll go and talk to people, post-training, whatever, haven't had the chance to get in a truck yet. If you're happy to get us out in a truck, I'll be fizzing for that.
Speaker 5:Anytime. It's not as exciting as you think, nor is Underground Fair enough. So many of the common narratives are just simple things just like why can't it just be a bit easier? Why has that bloke got it so much easier than me? Or why is she getting a promotion and I'm not? People get into that and it festers, and then there's just another situation and another one and it snowballs. Like Amanda said, we use the tipping point. Yeah, but it's when people can sit back, reflect. Talk to one of our case managers is prime, because they can sit there and decompartmentalise things and just say, all right, they're not the issue right now. This over here is.
Speaker 5:So, let's set you up to help you out with this.
Speaker 4:Just talk a little bit into your mic there for me.
Speaker 6:Sorry, man, I think it's really important to like, acknowledge, like you know, have a bit of grace, give yourself a bit of grace, like you don't have to be, you know, perfect all of the time. And I think about a little anecdote. I can share with you guys a little experience that I had in an airport one day. I was about three years into working with mates. I was pretty fucking tired. I was getting to that point where I wasn't too far from, you know, compassion, fatigue and being burnt out without realizing it, on a plane, constantly out there, training, had a young daughter that had a fresh diagnosis of disability at home, and navigating all of that was getting pretty tiring. And I was at an airport one day and, as I said before, we're really trained to look for the negative constantly. Right, and I'm at an airport, I'm waiting in the security line and I've got, you know, the mate's high-vis shirt on. I'm geared up, ready to go. We're flying out to Olympic Dam.
Speaker 6:Some ungodly hour, you know, it's 4.30, 5 o'clock in the morning. I haven't had any coffee. I felt like shit. I got about two hours sleep. My daughter's crying when I left the house. I'm feeling like a shitty parent.
Speaker 6:I'm tired, I'm over it and I'm standing in this line and this guy in front of me just kept turning around and looking and I could see he was looking at my shirt. And then he'd turn back. And I'm not a confrontational person, right, I'm just like never going to say anything. But part of me wanted to be like what the fuck are you looking at? Like what are you looking at me? Like what's going on? And I don't know about the fourth turn. Right as he was, he was clearly waiting for this moment. So it was right. Before he was about to walk through the security screening, he turned back around and he said to me just looked at me. He pointed at the logo on my shirt and he goes you guys saved my life. And then he turned around and walked off. I didn't even get an opportunity to respond to him and I thought here I fucking am thinking how shit's my life.
Speaker 6:I'm tired, I'm over it, I need a holiday, I need a break. And yeah, there's this person who was, you know, took the time to let me know what a difference we had made, whether that was me personally or the organisation. But what a humbling moment it was where I went fuck, things just are not as bad as they seem. And if, yeah, if that's all we can do is touch one person's life for the better, we're doing something pretty good.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's awesome and that's sort of what we're all about as well, you know, like we can touch someone's life, you know. So that would have made you feel pretty good when he turned around, fill the cup, mate, fill the cup. Yeah, 100%. So having him turn around and say that, that would have made your day. I reckon. But that's what we're all about, as you know. So if we can do something like that to someone, we're happy as well. So that's good.
Speaker 6:And guaranteed the conversation you lads are having are doing that whether you know about them or not, and that's the thing, right? We don't get positive feedback very often. You hear about it when it goes to shit. You don't hear about the good things. So, you really got to take them and share that and run with it when you get them, because, yeah, that's what keeps you going. Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 4:Just something, joey, that you kind of touched on there that I want to maybe talk about it more. One of the podcasts we had before this, we had a marriage counselor and one of the questions that she asked them was let's just say, I'm new into a relationship or marriage or whatever the case is. Do you think it's wise, even if we have no issues, that we go see a therapist? And one of the discussions that then came out of that was that yeah, why not? Because if you haven't got a problem, there's nothing wrong with developing tools before you have a problem to know how to deal with the problem, if that makes sense. It's like your car you send it for a service. You don't necessarily always send it in because it has something wrong with it, but you send it in to prevent something going wrong well, that's interesting.
Speaker 5:I'd segue into one of the analogies that we use, like your mental health. If you're driving down the highway and the engine light's constantly on your car and keep looking at going, I can't afford to look at that. I just I'm gonna put that to the side, I don't need to deal with that. But then it conks out one day and you're like I should have dealt with that when it came up before, same as your mental health. The alarm's off, the light's on, and you're like I don't want to put this to the side because I know it needs attention. So, yeah, what was the feedback from?
Speaker 4:that? Yeah, well, as of the day of recording this, it hasn't been released yet, so we'll see what the feedback is like. But the reason why I'm saying that is because I feel that, with this particular journey of mental health, every single person is going to come into contact with it eventually at some stage, no matter how happy you are, you can be the happiest man alive, as we've discussed, and you will come into contact with it, and I feel like if you ignore the signs, like we've discussed, all you're doing is you're putting yourself in a very precarious point when that time does come. My question then comes to to you is that do you think it's wise that, like you were talking about predetermined decisions in certain situations and things like that that we have predetermined decisions and how we will act based on when those predetermined decisions and how we will act based on when those particular situations or struggles arise that we say when that happens? If it does happen, for instance, almost like I want to say, for lack of a better term doomsday prepping, you know?
Speaker 6:Well, I want to pose a question to you. When you get, you've all been on a plane. Yeah. When you got on, when you get on on an airplane, they give you that, uh, that little sheet right and it's about you know. If the plane catches on fire and this is the position put your head between your legs and kiss your ass. Goodbye all of that stuff. Right?
Speaker 6:they don't do that when the plane's on fire and it's catapulting towards the earth they do it when you're calm and when you can take on the important information that you need to know right, and I look at counselling, whether it be in a relationship setting or whether, as an individual, that's the way we should be going about it.
Speaker 6:The reality is most of the people that connect, certainly through our case managers and stuff, it's fuck, fuck, the world's on fire and help me put it out right. But if in an ideal world, we're doing that preemptively, we're going when we're calm, when things aren't on fire, when things are fairly, you know status quo, so we can learn the tool, so we can learn good practices to put in place so that when things do get on fire, it's a quick little squirt and it's out. It's not shit, this is yeah unachievable.
Speaker 3:See, I always ask to hear the instructions again because I don't trust plane rides. If something goes wrong, I'll be like shit. What do I do? What do I do? Yeah, my belt's tight. I don't know if that was an air host. I understand exactly what you're saying. I mean it's air.
Speaker 5:I think there was an air hostess. She was getting interviewed on Triple J Breakfast or someone had called in. She was an air hostess. They're like all right, briefing at the start of the flight. What are you looking at, like, if people are looking back at us? If they're not looking at us, they're probably not going to help us already like sussing headphones on eyes closed. Yeah, I'm not looking at them it's funny.
Speaker 4:You obviously mentioned the whole thing about the you know the airplane um kind of safety briefing.
Speaker 4:I think one of the greatest things I ever heard coming out of that um was a talk by a guy and he was talking about the fact that you know, we need to own our own journey sometimes, and sometimes, when it comes to situations in life when we hear advice to benefit us, what we immediately do is we start to think of other people and it's immediately never like how can I use this, how can I benefit from this?
Speaker 4:But it's rather who needs to hear this, who needs to to. It's always like for everyone else. And he was saying if you look at the safety demonstration on the airplane, when they talk about the oxygen mask dropping out, the first thing they say is always put your own one on first before you help anyone else. And that's because you cannot get into a place if you're not physically able to help anyone, if you're not in the right frame of mind, you don't have your oxygen, you don't have all the right apparatus, whatever it is. And I feel like when it comes to whatever you want to say it's an accent thing, it sounds good.
Speaker 6:It sounds good.
Speaker 4:But yeah, like so often in this journey of mental health, we always think we hear something like. I know for me like podcasts and you know you listen to these talks and some of the times you hear things and you're like so-and-so would really benefit from this.
Speaker 6:Yeah, yeah, yeah who can I share it with? Yeah, who can? I share it with.
Speaker 4:But actually, when you really think about it, it's like why do I need to share that? Surely this is more for me If I'm thinking about so other people. What do I need to deal with here? What do I need to take out of this?
Speaker 6:Wes, I surround myself with people that are much smarter than me. That's the key, and then I regurgitate their stuff and pretend it's all me.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I knew you were going to say something about you, joe.
Speaker 6:No, but I had a good friend many years ago and he's since passed. But he said to me imagine you were given when you were born. You were given a tiny human and you were told you are now responsible for this tiny human. What would you do? Would you do everything you could to take care of that tiny human right? Of course I would do everything I could to keep it safe. Then why do we not see that that's what we are for ourselves? We just don't.
Speaker 6:We're so good at taking care of everyone else and thinking about how we would keep our kids safe or our partner safe for all of these things? Or what do I want the people in my life to gain from this great thing that I've heard? But we're so bad at doing that for ourselves. And that's the thing. Right, it's easy to imagine. Yes, if I was given the responsibility of taking care of a life when I first came into this world. Well, you actually are, but none of us behave that way. Very well, yeah.
Speaker 6:And sometimes it's nice and humbling to remind yourself of yeah, I've got to look after me in order to be a better partner, a better parent, a better boss, a better whatever it is, but yeah, we're not the best at that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's got to be conscious practice though. Yeah, let's put our own oxygen moss on first before we start helping others. I like that, that's an applause, surely, jesus? Sorry, Sorry guys, Sorry no you don't you don't?
Speaker 4:You don't? No, no, no, tough crowd, tough crowd, all right. All right, joe, let's go to you. Obviously you're talking about the fact that you're a field worker. Let's um, let's dig a little bit more into that. What is exactly is a field worker, and what do you do when it comes to mates and mining, or mates in general in the organization?
Speaker 5:sure, so as field officers we take ownership of sites. So within our network of hunter valley mines and whatever, between myself, joel and brit, we'll share the load there. And then we obviously have other mine sites North Parks, which is out Wild West and then we go down to Victoria as well and then we've got some down near Sydney. So we share the load and by taking ownership we chat with the health and safety management team, we try and arrange the training that they want to go through. So you start off with general awareness training or general awareness talks. We just actually upscale. We've given a new lease on life, the general awareness talk. So if you've been through one of those talks or trainings over the last few years, that now looks a lot different. Same messaging though. So it's just awareness building, awareness for people that attend them. We deliver those and then we also do our own training with LivingWorks to become trainers, where we can deliver connector training and also assist. I haven't done the assist training yet. Amanda's done plenty of those. But yeah, when we go out and deliver the training, we get to have those conversations, make connections with people. We're already making connections with the management staff, but when we get out and we deliver toolbox talks and, you know, just general catch-ups, site visits, that type of thing. We're catching people when they're, you know, in their environment and they're going through whatever it is on the ground there.
Speaker 5:But they've also got outside stuff going on as well because, like I was saying before, there's so many common narratives like guys and females as well that have worked in the mining industry for so long. It's like back in the day it was like you got problems at home. Leave them there, you know. Come here, you know, share your troubles here. Everyone's here to work, all right, not bringing them down here. Now, when people get to work, they want to have those options to be able to talk to people. So when we do connector training, people are saying it's great to have these skills here.
Speaker 5:We don't really get the time if we're operating a dump truck for 12 hours of the shift, all you've got is like you're calling up on your radio or whatever. So you don't get that opportunity. But then you go home and someone might be struggling with something at the pub on Friday night or they might be struggling at, like, a footy club or whatever. It is the skills that I learned in that connected training I'm using outside. Yeah, we get so much fulfillment knowing that because it's building a safer community. Amanda was touching on it before like it's all community based and when you're working out in your mind, however many people are there, it's a community, so we feel like we become a part of that community. But then we leave site and the people that have done the training, they more or less start wearing the mates logo and it just builds connection, builds community. The other thing that we do as field officers is podcasts. We sample smoked meats and hand out aprons and merchandise. That's not very fun, honestly.
Speaker 3:Don't tell anyone else about the barbecue. Don't tell anyone else about the barbecue, it's only for you lot Mates, in morning only get barbecue Blame it out. Don't tell anyone else. We'll have to edit that out because people are going to want to start buying the barbecue.
Speaker 6:They're expecting a fee.
Speaker 3:Exactly, exactly right. It's only for mates in morning.
Speaker 5:One of the best things that we do, though, is learn, like we learn just through those conversations, getting out to communities that we haven't visited before. We were in. Where were we the other week? Mudgee? We're up at 4 o'clock in the morning. Oh, there's a coffee shop here. The coffee shop's open at 4.30. Who's in there? Blokes traveling out to the mines. What are these blokes doing out there? There's more conversation. They see what are these doing out there? We learn them where they've come from, and it's just fulfilling to know that they'll be able to come to us and we can lean on them and learn a little bit more about what's happening on that side or with that little crew. So, yeah, we're learning all the time, and that's really great. That's awesome.
Speaker 4:I really feel that you guys are, like we said in the beginning, the kind of worker bees. You guys go out there and you're in the front lines, you're interacting, you're the kind of face of the brand at the end of the day, which can be challenging because you could be having a tough day yourself and you've got to go out there and you've got to portray this.
Speaker 5:Yeah well, Amanda as our ops manager. She'll usually say when we do our one-on-one catch-ups or whatever, how's it been going lately? There'll be a lot of personal stuff that we talk about footy, basketball, whatever else, but it'll be like what are the challenges? And it's like we're trying to get on this site. We've been hammering them, emailing them and that type of thing, but we're just not getting anything back. Then you sit back and you think, well, is that us?
Speaker 5:a reflection on us and what we're doing, or is that just? They've got some shit going on? You go out eventually and you learn the site's gone through drastic changes. They've just done a long wall, they've had a shutdown, they've had a changeover of staff and then you're just like then it wasn't us yeah that's stuff going on, so it's like yeah, yeah I think an important part of that is is some of the initial conversations we're having.
Speaker 6:So, for a bit of context, what what typically happens is we will partner with an organization. Um, for you know we're having so for a bit of context. What typically happens is we will partner with an organisation, for you know we're a not-for-profit, so it's for a small cost really just to cover our running costs of getting out to site and facilitating the training and the resources and things. But for us it's not about we don't want to ever be looked at as a fee-for-service training organisation. We don't want employers out there thinking that, oh yeah, you'll tick the box for the psychosocial hazard reduction stuff, we'll just get you in and that's it For us.
Speaker 6:We enter three-year agreements with the partners that we have and it's about how do we become a cultural change, a positive cultural change, or how do we continue to contribute If you've already got that going on? If they're a proactive site or an organization, they're already doing a great job in that space. How do we contribute to that? We're not in competition with EAPs or anything like that. We want to figure out how we take the Mates program that is so evidence-based, that works so well to help build a community on that site that you know it sits alongside the EAP, it sits alongside the other. You know guest speakers and wellness programs and all of these things. So we are building a whole wraparound approach around a site things. So we are building a whole wraparound approach around a site and for us, yeah, that message of it needing to be a cultural piece this isn't fee-for-service training. We don't want to be looked at as a tick and flick because if that attitude is there, there's nothing wrong with that.
Speaker 6:I mean, of course there is something wrong with that, but we will change that in time it maybe it just means that organization's not ready for us yet and that's important, right? You've got to be ready and willing to receive these conversations. I think where the challenge in lies from a lot of the conversations that Joe and I will have, or myself and the other staff, is when you're on the ground, when you get the opportunity to be out there and you're hearing from the workers how much it's needed, how much it's wanted, and then we're not able to make that happen. It can be really frustrating for us. But you know, we've got to people in these.
Speaker 6:These kind of helping positions can sometimes be the absolute worst for taking care of themselves. So we try and hold ourselves as accountable as possible. Lots of debriefs, lots of, you know, rostered days off and all those kinds of things to try and practice self-care and all that stuff, because it's so incredibly important. Otherwise you do run the risk of, you know, compassion, fatigue and burnout and all those kinds of things. So for us, how do we? You know we're fortunate, you know, as Jo said before, I get to deliver all levels of the Mates program, one of which is the two-day suicide first aid program.
Speaker 6:Every time I'm planning for one of them. I'm like shit. You know, like you know, this is so exhausting. There's so much to go into this and all of that, and quite often I'll go into it like there's a million things I need to be doing. I have been fortunate enough to deliver a lot of those programs now, and every single time I walk out of one, as much as I'm physically and mentally tired and drained, the cup is so goddamn full because you are watching in real time the impact that you get to have mentally tired and drained the cup is so goddamn full because it's.
Speaker 6:You are watching in real time the impact that you get to have in somebody's life, and not just their work life but their personal life, and, you know, knowing that that person is going to go out and have some much healthier conversations around this topic because they wanted to be there, because they were invested and cared enough to give two days to be there.
Speaker 5:It's all volunteer, stepping from the GAT up to the connector. They sit in the GAT, they register to become a connector as a volunteer. It's all volunteer-based. They want to be there. That's when you have those really amazing sessions and Amanda said you know, you've got two days with these people. They've invested in being in there, they've had their own experiences and I know just from having sat in an assist, you're just like holy shit, it fills the cup.
Speaker 6:It really does. And regardless of you know how many of those workshops hundreds and hundreds of them now that are facilitated I learn something new every single time and my background is in. You know. I did undergrad in psychology. I've done a master's in suicidology. It wasn't until I came to work for mates and I've done lots of little things along the way, but it wasn't until I came to work with mates, which this really shocks a lot of people. I was never taught how to have a practical conversation, even though I was a counsellor, psych, all of those things. You're never practically taught how to have a conversation with somebody about suicide, how to intervene, how to safety plan None of that exists in those degrees. You talk about the theory behind it, but an actual practical skill. So a lot of the times people will leave our connector course or our assist courses and they'll have more knowledge than maybe their local GP does around how to talk about suicide.
Speaker 6:So we are incredibly privileged that we get to do that, and not only does that make the industry we work in safer, but, you get to take that home to your mates, and the amount of times we've had phone calls afterwards to say, fuck, I didn't actually think I was probably going to use that. And then, lo and behold, a week later at the footy club I had the most impactful conversation in my life with my mate, just because I went to your training. That's the stuff that fills our cup.
Speaker 4:Yeah, mate, just because I went to your training.
Speaker 6:That's the stuff that fills our cup, yeah, and you've got to invest in that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I was just going to say, just for people out there listening how do you actually become a connector? Where do you actually go to sign up to do that?
Speaker 6:Yeah, so with us, your organisation needs to be a partner with mates and if they're not, and you are passionate about it and you want it on board, like you know, talk to them about mates, show them the website, show them the podcast and, you know, reach out to us and we'll absolutely have a conversation around it. As Jo said, what we do is, once we've partnered with an organisation, we will schedule with them a time to come out and do that first level, that general awareness talk. From there. We seek volunteers for Connector, which is a half-day training and that's around. We're not going to turn you into a mental health nurse or a psychologist or a social worker in four hours, but what we will do is give you a framework to have a conversation a little bit more confidently, and this is happening for people anyway.
Speaker 6:So we're just giving them some model to work with. So it's we teach you how to identify when suicide might be on the cards and how to appropriately connect somebody to help. So again, not about fixing problems, not about you know you're not going to fix somebody's relationship breakdown or their financial problems in a 15 minute conversation, but you will be able to know how to identify, pull the you know, shine a light on it, so to speak, and get them the appropriate help. And then the same for assist. So that's that two day. You know how do I sit there and actually plan with somebody safety plan with somebody who's telling me they're about to take their life? How do I do that? So it's a volunteer process as far as the workers go, but we need to get those organizations on board as partners so we can keep the reach going.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, and I think that is key because, like you say, having someone that's there, involved in the industry 24-7, for instance, that's involved in a crew if it's a person on that crew, because obviously, being a field worker, you're not there 24-7 in the company, you're obviously in the office, so you're not at organizations 24-7. So when you have these connectors that are there, they are literally involved in the crews and the industries. It's really important because those signs are generally when that will occur.
Speaker 6:Of course, and that's no different than a senior first aid person on site or a fire warden right, they're skilled up to be able to offer a certain skillset or a certain task, and that's the same for our connectors. The one thing that we really push when we facilitate a connector workshop or an assist workshop is, at the end of the day, as much as it's awesome that you're putting your hand up to be this person for your mates on site, you're a human too and you're going to go through your shit at some point. So it's okay to take the sticker off the hard hat or the sticker off the laptop or the badge off the shirt and step out of that role for a little while and put it back on when you're ready, when you're ready to step back into it, if you're ready to step back into it. So it's that kind of freedom to come in and out of that as people need to.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's awesome. Um, yeah, this is for either one of you who ever want to answer this question. I think we've now identified that it's a real need, necessity in the industries that obviously we've identified here, and you know you guys hold quite an important space in that. Let's just, for argument's sake, say I'm the person I'm struggling. I'm having these thoughts where I'm really battling at work, I'm struggling with my mental health and you know I'm really feeling that I'm getting to a critical point. Now, what are the tools that I can access when it comes to your guys' organization in order to gain help, to gain assistance, to move past and just get on the road to recovery? What does that look like?
Speaker 5:Yeah, well, I think having a connector in your corner, if there's someone who's training connector, they're the best person to seek out. Amanda said you know you're not armed like a mental health nurse or whatever, but you can sit there and you can listen. And yeah, again, through this connected training, we hear people say I just sat there and I listened and it took me about half an hour before I actually heard what the problem was. Another person says I sat there for three hours and they just kept saying the same thing over and, over and over. Anyway, we teach people. Let's move to the keep safe.
Speaker 5:The 1-300 number that we have 24-7 is super important because our brokerage model means that it's always manned people from industry. The case managers have got a lot of experience across the board from being from industry and having drug and alcohol awareness. I think Leonard has a background in social work, joel's got great experience being a case worker as well, and they're just armed to be able to address whatever the issue is at that point in time. And again, like we'd really like to do a big disclaimer Someone doesn't have to be suffering to the point of thinking about suicide. We're trying to catch it before that. Yeah, absolutely. That's like one of the big key messages that we try getting out there as well, because we know that it's prevalent Suicide's. You know what we're trying to stop.
Speaker 5:It's before getting up to that point, though, as well, and recognizing that and having our own self-awareness. So for that person that's struggling for you and I mean you two have already lived it, you've already shared that You've been vulnerable enough, you're a mate for him. You checked in every single day. So if you're seeking Sheva out and struggling man, he's going to say all right, well, let's go talk, to talk to anyone from work. It's just going to leach through the mill. There's no gossiping on my side, is there what? None of that no.
Speaker 5:But it's who they feel comfortable to go to, and they might just be happy to go to the supervisor because they've got a connection with them. I'm feeling shit at the moment. All right, no worries, let's sort you out and it's walking with that person, so never alone, like you were saying before as well, because you can be in that mindset.
Speaker 6:Yeah, yeah, so the 1-300 number, which is 1-300-642-111. As Joe said, that's 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Doesn't matter if it's 2 am on Christmas morning. Say it a bit slower there, amanda. 1-300-642-111. There you go, there you go. That's the voice.
Speaker 3:I charge a little bit extra per minute. You're telling her to slow down with all the accents.
Speaker 4:It's got nothing to do with the accents you tonsil. It's got to do with the fact that we want people to remember the number Nice and slow 1-300-642-321. Fair enough.
Speaker 6:But yeah, so that's the 24-7. As Joe said, you'll connect through to someone immediately, everyone that's on the other end of that phone. If it is 2am, everyone has the skills to keep the caller safe or the person they're calling about safe. Then you can connect through to one of our case managers via that helpline. And, as Jo said, you know we've got a couple of really great case managers at Mates, really easy to like guys, really just genuine blokes who legitimately are there because they want to see people get the support they deserve.
Speaker 6:And it doesn't have to be about suicide. If it is, of course we're going to support, but it can be about anything, absolutely any issue, everything that that helpline, whether your organization is a partner with us or not, you will get help through that helpline. If you are a loved one, if you are a partner or a child of somebody in the industries we work in, we will make sure that you are supported. So, yeah, call that number. The case managers will work with you to assess what option is best for you, completely free and, most importantly, completely confidential. Okay, so we operate under the same kind of level of confidentiality as the medical and allied health system.
Speaker 6:So, no different there. So, really important, your employer is not going to find out about it, nobody else is going to find out about it. It's about having an honest conversation with somebody that will, as Joe said, walk alongside you to help you access the support that you deserve to be able to access.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's awesome. I think that number is really really key 1-300-642-111. That's it. See, you said slowly. What was I saying? Again.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Slow down Half speed, yeah. So it's really really cool that obviously you have that number. I think it's such a vital thing that people not only have the ability to phone it but they know that, like you said, it's the confidential side, Because sometimes people it's the pride thing in order to kind of seek help. Initially it's like, well, what are people going to think? Are they going to judge me for how I'm feeling or what I'm going through? And it's just a case of having that safe space like we're speaking about. So really, really cool and, I think, really key to know Do you guys want to share a story like we spoke about in the beginning? Someone who has seeked assistance walked the program and come through the other side with a great testament.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you don't have to mention names or anything, but have you guys got an experience that you guys have helped out with, or yeah, probably quite a few actually.
Speaker 4:Just a couple. Yeah, podcast dog wants to come in.
Speaker 6:Podcast dog, bring him in, harley, you know me.
Speaker 4:The mascot.
Speaker 6:The mascot I'm going to get a picture of this guy up on socials for sure.
Speaker 6:Yeah, look, I can think of a couple just straight off the top of my head. Obviously we've got that airport story, which was something super simple. But I remember once and this is kind of a testament to this is fairly on in my mate's career where it can be really easy to panic. When you hear the word suicide it's like, oh shit, I've got to get this right. You know there's so much at stake and I remember it was my first six months in the role as a case manager and I was traveling from one workshop to another and I was out in the road and I had a call come through and it was from our helpline and they said look, there's someone struggling right now. She's in her car and saying that she's about to end her life and she'll only speak to you.
Speaker 6:I'd spoken to this person once before, so that was pretty confronting and that panic that went through me in that moment of you know it's active, it's happening for her right now she's in a position where she could potentially act on those thoughts. And how do I fix that? How do I do that? And the thing we're reminding people all the time is it's not up to you to fix it. So all I could do for her in that moment was be there, just be, you know, and say I don't have all the answers. It's okay to own that and say I don't have all the answers, but what I don't want to see is you do something to end your life or harm yourself in some way. What I want to figure out is how we figure out what the answer is together, and that was all it took. It took me staying on the phone with her, just giving her a space to where she didn't feel judged. She felt safe and I think a big part of that comes from how we as field officers, case managers, operations managers at Mates, how we communicate around suicide that there's no judgment, it's okay. This is, I think, it's part of the human experience for a lot of people. So it's letting people know that it's safe to discuss it and that I'm not going to judge them for that. So that was what that experience was. And he's falling into the wardrobe, yeah.
Speaker 6:So having that experience with her was great. We were able to get her safe. We were able to get her to a hospital and get her the treatment that she deserved and fast forward. Probably about a month later, I got an incredible email from her just thanking me for being so patient with her. She was able to finally connect with a psychologist. She got some support. She was able to, in that short space of a month, she got some inpatient treatment, she got on the right kind of medication that she was looking for and she was able to leave a toxic workplace and get a new job, which, you know, in the space of a month was pretty incredible.
Speaker 6:But when she reflected on that and said, I can't believe that I was that close, you know, I was that close and I wouldn't have everything I have right now if we hadn't had that conversation and that was really humbling for me and and she was very thankful, and my response to her was I actually didn't do anything, I just, you know, I'm happy to. You know, I didn't have to know all the answers, I just had to sit with her in that space. Um, and yeah, whenever I, you know, whenever we can get lost in, sometimes what we do, it's I reflect on that and go. It's not about the, it's not about knowing what the right thing is to do, because sometimes all it is is just to let that person know they're not alone.
Speaker 6:So, that was a pretty impactful one for me.
Speaker 5:That's awesome. Yeah, that is awesome. Yeah, it's a beautiful story.
Speaker 4:I mean, you know, it's not the first time, I think I've heard a story of someone helping someone else where they said I didn't know what to do. Sometimes I didn't even feel like I did anything. I literally just sat and they spoke and that was all I did. I just listened.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and that's something that Joel has said as well If you let someone talk enough about their problems, they actually start to unpack it themselves. If it's 20 minutes or two hours and you just give them little prompt just like, tell me more about that, what else do you think about that? They'll unpack it themselves and they'll come out the other side and they'll be like not all their problems are solved. They're like geez, that's made things a lot clearer and that's the benefit of having a part-time case manager in our little cohort. He's like, oh man, this person, they're on my mind a lot yesterday but they messaged me back and said oh man, you helped me out heaps and it's like Jesus, that's fulfilling.
Speaker 5:And we were down in Victoria training at one of our sites. We'd just done a toolbox and a guy that had come up yeah, a guy that had come up for the toolbox the day before he came up to us after we'd done that one. He said just want to let you guys know. After you'd done that chat yesterday we went down to work. There was a young fella in the crib hut. I could tell he was struggling. I went up to him, sat down. He was like hey, mate, you going all right? And he was like no. And he had a conversation with him and he went and sought out a connector and got help. I mean, joel just stood there and just went holy shit, have you done the connector course? He's like no, I haven't. But you know, little things like that happen. You're like people just need that little bit of reassurance.
Speaker 6:It's just that permission, right? It's the permission to have that conversation and the permission to be a bit more vulnerable and open to it. I think yeah.
Speaker 4:It's just like you say, creating that awareness, I suppose, where you know you're not the only one. There's other people around you, and these are the things that you need to look for.
Speaker 6:And then how, when you identify these things, what are the steps that then you can take in order to gain access to help? So, um, you know, I love an analogy, right, so I'll give you one real quick. Let's go. I, I firmly believe that we are. We're walking around day to day, right, we've got. I I'm a visual person, so I like to visualize things, and I visualize that we've got this balloon that we're blowing into every day and it's, you know, all the good things that happen to us go in there. All the negative shit goes in there too. And I say, like, what happens, you know, if you continue to blow into that balloon, the good and the bad? What happens if you don't get the opportunity to let some of the air out of that balloon every now and then?
Speaker 4:It's going to pop.
Speaker 6:It's going to pop right, oh right, it's going to explode all over you and that's all that is is holding space for someone. I know that's a bit of a buzzword at the moment, but, yeah, holding space for somebody just to let some of their shit out, whatever that looks like, whether that's verbally engaging in a conversation with you, whether it's going to the gym and working it out, whether it's taking the dog for a walk some way of just letting go of part of your day before it explodes all over you is what we need and that's what we can do as humans is just hold space for each other to be able to do that.
Speaker 3:And that's what I've been doing the last couple of weeks and all that sort of stuff. I've been like, obviously, seeing a psychologist, but 100% I've been going for a walk. I'm not the most energetic person in the world but I tell you what, literally it's been a K, maybe two Ks. So it's been a K, maybe two Ks. So it's bugger, all Obviously going to work up to it, get longer and longer, but just having that one or two K walk, you're 100% right. I mean, it's just done the world a good 22 minutes mate.
Speaker 6:Yeah, that's amazing 22 minutes of any kind of moderate exercise is enough to change your brain chemistry for the better.
Speaker 3:That's what I've been doing, and I've just been trying to get out, put my headphones in, go for a walk around the block, even if it's just for a K or two.
Speaker 5:Nice, and, as I said, I'm not the world's most energetic person, but I'll tell you what it's made a hell of a difference, yeah that's awesome Because, like we were talking off air, that guy that was doing the fatigue off was going through his diet and whatever, and he said it might be the TED effect. And he goes, the TED effect. And his missus nudged him and said you tell him, and he's like to his extra dry. He knocks off work, he comes home, he goes into his shed. His shed's got a bar fridge. He goes, he gets an extra dry.
Speaker 5:He goes all right, how are we going putting his walking shoes in front of the fridge? And she's like, that fridge is locked and those shoes are the padlock. You've got to come home and put them on. And we go for a walk around the block to start with, and then it'll be a bit further and once you finish the walk you can come home and the beer's your reward because it'll be unlocked. Anyway, he started doing the walks, he'd come home and he had one beer and then after a week he wasn't even drinking the beers.
Speaker 6:He was going for the walk, didn't feel good anymore.
Speaker 5:He was enjoying going with his missus for the walk. He was cooking with his missus, they were having a conversation. He sat down. He was like I'm having a minute of beer and I'm ready to go to bed, like it was just a one percenter that he started doing. And Scotty, who you guys will get to meet the guru, he said when you're just telling yourself, this is going to benefit me, yeah.
Speaker 6:If I give you any one tip, make your bed every morning, you know.
Speaker 4:David. Goggins made a speech out of it right.
Speaker 6:But I know, for me it's like when the motivation's low, even when I'm travelling. You know, yesterday morning I was up at whatever it was 5.30 in the morning to get on a plane. Make your fucking bed. Yeah, because what will happen is, if you go and have a shitty day, a hectic day, everything's been dumped on you. You walk in your room at the end of the day you see a nice, freshly made bed. You'll feel better about everything.
Speaker 6:You walk into the room and it's chaos. You'll feel shit. It won't feel like a relaxing space. So something you can do that takes you a minute is just make your bed every day and you've achieved something before you've even left the house.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 6:Look at him. Look at the fucking smile on his face. He loves it. He's flying, oh yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm not going to lie to you. I don't break my bed. There's nothing better than jumping messed up sheets and stuff. How good is it Nice big Collingwood magpies doing the colour I've actually talked to my missus about getting Collingwood sheets and she is absolutely disgusted she goes. I will not be sleeping in a bed that's black and white.
Speaker 4:I sometimes have to just remind myself that you're an adult when you say things like that.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I have to remind myself that you're actually married when you say shit like that. I'm actually not married.
Speaker 3:I have to remind myself that you're actually married when you say shit like that. I'm actually not married. I'm actually not married.
Speaker 6:But she's putting up with you.
Speaker 3:anyway, she is putting up with you.
Speaker 4:That's awesome. Yeah, I just loved that you were talking about the 1% Club. I was talking to one of my best mates and he's in the UK now and I think he was referring to the book the Atomic Habits when you were talking about it. But you were talking about the one degree effect and you were saying how if you take two lines and you move at one degree, the further apart those lines get, the further. You know, the further out that gets, the further apart those lines become. So it might start with one degree, but as you start going further and further, it becomes two degrees, it becomes three degrees, it becomes more. And he's saying all you have to do is we've changed one small thing consistently, and that one small thing then will affect another thing and will affect another thing and another thing and eventually it starts to grow.
Speaker 6:Butterfly effect right the butterfly effect yeah.
Speaker 4:And so, like you say, it starts with just making your bed, but then it grows from there. You know, I'm a firm believer and I've always been a firm believer in like you get up and you make your bed, not necessarily because you're coming home to it at the end of the day, but because it establishes discipline from the moment you wake up.
Speaker 4:Discipline in terms of, even when I don't feel like it, I'm going to do it because I know that the outcome is good. And so, you know, when you start to develop that mental toughness of like getting up I'm tired but I'm going to make my bed because I know I need to do this to be disciplined. And when it comes to something that's more difficult, you're like, well, if I can do my bed every morning when I'm tired, I can do this and it just develops those steps.
Speaker 6:It's like Shev, I want to set you a challenge, mate, I want you know, we're going to come back for a future episode. I want to know that you've made your bed Just every day for two weeks. You can do this, man. I'll buy you a beer next time we're together.
Speaker 3:Well, I've got your number so I might send it to you when I'm on my days off.
Speaker 6:Yeah, I need a picture, mate. I need to see that it's happening.
Speaker 3:I'll have to go home tonight and talk to the missus. No, she'll be, no no no, I need her to teach me how to make it. I don't know how to do that hospital fold. I've got no idea. Doesn't have to be perfect mate, if that was me, I'd just pull my sheets up, but I will. I've got your number. I'll send you a photo. Hey Amanda check out this. How good is this look?
Speaker 6:I'll be impressed, I'll tell you.
Speaker 4:And I promise I won't get me miss mission to do it. I promise I'll do it myself. But, challenge accepted, I'll do that, excellent, yeah Well, I think we've had quite a bit of information in this one, and I think it's been a good episode just to kind of start and shine a light on the organization of mates, whether that be mates in mining, mates in construction, mates in energy or, quite newly, mates in manufacturing. I think you guys hold a really important space and you guys are doing a great job, thank you. We obviously have firsthand knowledge of what you guys do in our industry, and so we can categorically say that you guys are impacting not only where we are but what we're doing. So congratulations.
Speaker 3:I really appreciate what you guys are doing and that's why, obviously, we agreed to have you guys on, because we wanted to get your name out there, obviously to help people that are like us, that wanted to spread the awareness. So, yeah, if anyone wants to find you guys, how do we get a hold of you? Obviously, you've got the number and you guys have got social pages and stuff.
Speaker 6:Yeah, absolutely. We're on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. You know I'm trying to get Joe on TikTok. We'll get him dancing up there soon.
Speaker 3:But we've also got a. I just inherited TikTok. He's not impressed.
Speaker 6:Yeah, yeah, yeah, because what happens is you fall down a rabbit hole called doom, scrolling.
Speaker 4:Yes, I know I got rid of it because of that it's dangerous man, but I got rid of it because of that.
Speaker 6:Yeah, it's dangerous man, but yeah, we've got a website. Of course, matesorgau. Okay, so you can suss it out. But any of the socials as well, and any questions, like even the helpline, it's you know call through the helpline, they will put you through. Anyone's got any questions, just wants to have a chat about the program or, you know, needs us to send back to their management. They want us on site, then we're happy to have those discussions for sure.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay. And the only other question I've got for you is like people want to donate, where do they donate at?
Speaker 6:Yeah, absolutely keen for that, mate, because, as we said, we're a not-for-profit and we try and keep our rates as low as possible just so we can stay engaged in the industry. So through the website there's a donate page and then you can select if it's mining you want to donate to, or energy or whatever. So you can actually select through there. But any unsureness around that, just give us a call and we'll link up with you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's awesome. Well, guys, from our side, thank you so much for the work that you guys do. I know one of the other really cool resources you guys do have is that you have an app as well that you guys have developed especially obviously for us in mining whether it be mining or energy or whatever and on that app you've got resources there that guys can go and access as well and then find out more information on there. So that app, I'm gathering, is called Mates in Mining. Yes, there's a couple at the moment.
Speaker 6:So what we've got is a web-based app which is called the FIFO Daito Hub, so we will send you the link to put in your comments description, Send it please yeah, but that one.
Speaker 6:There is a web-based app that's there for not just the industry but also family members. You know there's lots of good resources are doing and we'll be sharing that. But we've had an app that's just been released as well, the Mates app, and that's more aimed at our connector and assist volunteers. So it's got resources on there about what kind of support and stuff you have there. You go Joe's showing it in the background there, awesome, yeah, what kind of resources are there? Safety plans, all those kinds of things.
Speaker 6:So, there's a couple of different options, but if you're not sure about anything, just give us a call. We're happy to talk through it with anyone.
Speaker 4:That's awesome. Well, thank you so much for coming on the podcast and sharing, obviously, your journey.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I really appreciate you too. Yeah, we appreciate it as well. Thanks so much. It's awesome.
Speaker 4:First of many.
Speaker 3:I'm sure I was just about to say that. Yeah, First of many, I definitely want to me and Shane definitely want to have you guys on for a future episode.
Speaker 6:Well, you set the bar high with the barbecue mate.
Speaker 3:Well, as I said, it's only for mates. Get some pork in there.
Speaker 6:Next time I would say Okay.
Speaker 3:I'll do pulled pork sliders next time Shit yeah. So it was only a test I'll only give. But that's all right, it's exclusive for Mates of Mining only. No, I really appreciate your time and taking the time out to talk to us about it.
Speaker 1:No, worries man, it's beautiful, we're doing a great thing guys.
Speaker 6:Yeah, we love what you're doing and excited to keep listening along and listen to the journey of you guys and leave a light on.
Speaker 3:Thank you, awesome. Thank you, no, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 6:Thank you what? What's the farewell greeting How's it's the hello.
Speaker 5:How's it's? Go Knights and go Port Power.
Speaker 6:Not that shit. If how's, it's the hello. What do we sign off with, mate Joe's? A bad influence, joe's a great influence. Don't invite that blooper.
Speaker 3:He's saying how's it? And he supports Newcastle Knights. Easy out of him. I'll just call you to the front door, just so that you know next week it's going to be and introducing your host, joe and Shane. Shane will do as he's told. I'll have to give him a good hard slapping, I think, beautiful things are going to come from this podcast.
Speaker 5:There'll be the Mates and Leave a Light on Meat music festival. We've just got to come up with where we're going to do it. Oh, 100%, hey, that would be an all right idea that's not a bad
Speaker 3:idea is it. Meats and metal Mates meats and metal, yeah, 100%.
Speaker 4:You guys? Just a last quick one before we sign off. Do you guys have obviously fundraiser that you do like the boxing night?
Speaker 6:Yeah, we've got a fight night coming up.
Speaker 4:I'm hoping Joe will be able to tell us when that is November.
Speaker 6:Yeah, so it's something you can get along by tickets to. The money raised goes to mates and it's good for a good cause. I think we've got a couple of bosses that are duking it out this year.
Speaker 5:Is that right, mate? Yeah, I'm not sure. I know that there's a lot of people that get right into it when they want to go and get in the ring. But last year the proceeds we shared a bit of the proceeds someone who'd suffered an injury. I can't remember his name. I'm really forgetting that. I'm really you've got to forgive me he's kicking himself over.
Speaker 5:Anyway, they'd had an injury and you know, some proceeds went to them. Likewise this year. I wasn't sure who it's going to, but again, it's a nice donation that will go a little bit to mates and a little bit to this person that's in need of it. So yeah, that's November 23rd and 24th out at Cessnock. They want to take it to Mac Jones Stadium.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's right, mac Jones Stadium, they're not taking it out.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's on the 26th and 27th. So, yeah, get behind it Get on to it, boys.
Speaker 5:Do you want to get out there and do a couple of calls? Yeah.
Speaker 3:Have some beers. Yeah, let's go have some beers. No, I'm not going to duke it out with him or I'll end up knocking him out.
Speaker 4:You've got to reach his head first.
Speaker 3:We've got to wrap this up, aren't we? Get your step ladder to get it up.
Speaker 4:South Africa versus Australia. We've already had that in the rugby and the Cypherkins came out on top.
Speaker 3:I don't support Australia in the rugby.
Speaker 6:So yeah, you will see some initiatives like that around from time to time. We do different fundraising initiatives go to different community events. We'll be at the mental health round for the Newcastle Nights coming up soon. There's some community work we'll be doing. But yeah, anytime you see us out and about, just come up and say hello, give us a shout.
Speaker 5:Yeah, and that's another big thing. If you see someone in a mate's shirt, go up and start a conversation with them, because chances are it's probably one of us. We all look like brothers and sisters.
Speaker 4:I'll just say this, even if it is just to encourage you guys, because sometimes, like you say, it's easy to give the negative feedback, but sometimes we hold off on the positive stuff. So I really encourage people if you do see someone wearing any form of matesmiling branding or anything like that, go up and, just if they've affected you in any way, even if they haven't, just give them a thumbs up, say good job, because it's really a key industry that you guys are doing and you guys hold a real valuable space in that.
Speaker 6:Yeah, thank you again. And look, joe touched on this earlier and he's pretty modest about it, but we are a fairly small team and these guys, they're in amongst everything, they're here, they're in everywhere. They're not doing it for the cash.
Speaker 6:I promise you that it's, you know not for profit, but they're doing it because they're good people and they legitimately want to make a difference and for a lot of them, coming from industry themselves, it's a cause close to their heart. So, yeah, can't pump the team up enough. They work their ass off and they really love what they do. Thanks, Amanda.
Speaker 4:Well, I'll pump the team up a little bit. Ooh, yeah, that's it. That's it, shev's crazy.
Speaker 3:You've got to get me on that board, haven't you? Next episode I'm going to be voicing Don't give up control mate.
Speaker 6:Don't do it.
Speaker 4:Have you noticed how his seat's downgrading every episode?
Speaker 5:Next time Harvey comes in the room, it's going to be who let the dog in Guys.
Speaker 4:thank you so much. Thank you, I really appreciate it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, we really appreciate what you do. And yeah, let's wrap this bad boy up eh yeah, obviously everyone.
Speaker 4:If you can jump on our socials and get on there, follow. Leave A Light On Podcast Facebook, instagram, tiktok, tiktok.
Speaker 3:Yeah, boy, I say it hey we're going to do a video after this, a promotional thing.
Speaker 4:You have to do a video, yeah so, yeah, if you haven't got on there and given us a follow, give us a follow. And if you're listening to this, obviously we're on all platforms Spotify, itunes, youtube. Yeah, I think we're even on something called Deezer, which is overseas, so yeah, so we're on everything pretty much yeah, check us out where you get all your podcasts from platforms, whatever, top 50, top 10 top 100 we're 75th in Australia for personal journals we've just hit, so really appreciate everyone listening and getting us out there.
Speaker 4:We appreciate this amazing work absolutely, and I'm Shev. This one is for you, the yeah, it's a circus mate, yeah that's what it's like working with you. That's where we work. That's what it is. That's what it's like working with you. That's what it's like working out of work. So yeah, jump on the socials, give us a follow. Thank you very much, amanda and Joe, once again, for joining us. Thank you, thanks, guys. Awesome, keep leaving a lot on. Thank you very much.
Speaker 4:See you next week I'll see you next week, absolutely see ya see, ya hey.
Speaker 2:Thanks for listening. We hope you've managed to gain some insight from today's episode. Jump onto our socials and reach out, and until next time, wherever you are, let's leave a light on.