Former Reuters Bureau Chief, Author and Workplace Mental Health Advocate Dean Yates spent 26 years reporting from the front lines of history - including the Bali bombings, Boxing Day tsunami and Iraq War. After experiencing PTSD and moral injury following the deaths of Reuters staff in Iraq, Dean transformed his personal struggles into advocacy, leadership and systemic workplace mental health reform. His powerful story has been featured on ABC’s Australian Story.

Dean shares his journey through trauma, recovery and organisational betrayal - exploring the difference between PTSD and moral injury, the unexpected care and connection he found during his admissions to Ward 17 and the importance of psychologically safe workplaces. He also reflects on spirituality, forgiveness and rebuilding life after trauma.

Keep track of new stories at https://conflictstories.com.

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US-based mediator, author and mental health advocate Dan Berstein brings a powerful perspective shaped by his lived experience with bipolar disorder and his work in dispute resolution. Founder of MH Mediate and co-founder of the Dispute Resolution in Mental Health Initiative at the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center, Dan has spent more than a decade helping courts, legal practitioners and organisations better navigate mental health and conflict. Through personal stories - including family estrangement and professional challenges - Dan shines a light on stigma, resilience and the courage it takes to find voice + help others do the same.

Special Note: We recorded this episode in June 2025. Dan asked to delay the release because he was struggling with next steps related to the mental illness stigma conflicts discussed in the episode. Now, he has launched DisabilityRadar.com to help anyone who might be targeted by the exclusionary mental illness "radars" we discussed in this episode. He also suggested we air the podcast now, nine months after it was recorded.

Keep track of new stories at https://conflictstories.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Award-winning journalist, best-selling author and change-maker Tracey Spicer shares her powerful journey through conflict in the media, advocacy and public life.

From navigating discrimination in Australia’s 1980s and 1990s newsrooms to leading the nation’s #MeToo movement, Tracey shares the personal cost of speaking truth to power.

She opens up about carrying the weight of thousands of victim-survivor disclosures, the online abuse that followed, the impact of long COVID on her wellbeing, and her ongoing concern with bias-built AI.

A trailblazer for social change, Tracey reflects on speaking up in conflict, and the self-care required to stay the course.

Keep track of new stories at https://conflictstories.com.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.