Take It From Us with Kent Johns
If you're navigating mental health struggles, addiction or recovery — your own or someone else's — you'll hear what actually worked, what didn't and what people wish they'd known sooner.
Take It From Us features real people sharing their own journeys, unscripted and unfiltered. No theory, no talking points — just the honest, specific version of what recovery actually looks like.
Host Kent Johns is a broadcaster and health coach who believes everyone has a story worth hearing if someone takes the time to really listen. Each episode is that time.
Press play — you might hear your own story in someone else's.
If you need support, click here for helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/
Take It From Us with Kent Johns
Kelsey Waghorn: Surviving White Island - and the PTSD that came later
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Kelsey Waghorn survived the Whakaari White Island volcanic eruption on December 9, 2019. In two minutes, the volcano changed the trajectory of her life.
Kelsey made split-second decisions that saved lives - staying still when she wanted to run, getting everyone on the boat when help never came. She spent five days in a coma, weeks in hospital. The burns were catastrophic.
But the darkest moment came two years later when the PTSD caught up with her. Kelsey fell into a victim mindset - isolating from family, watching everything burn down around her. Her relationship imploded. That rock bottom jolted her back to life.
A trauma specialist helped her understand: her brain had rewired itself. Understanding that changed everything.
Kelsey pulled herself out. She's just published her book and is embracing freedom - no longer living in fear. This is a story you won't forget.
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If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/
