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Just Listen

Just Listen

Written by: NZME
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About this listen

 Just Listen is a seven-part mental health podcast series, exploring how to support a person in serious and ongoing mental distress.

Six New Zealanders and their support people share their mental health journey and challenges with journalist and host Juliette Sivertsen, with the final episode featuring an expert panel to discuss kindness, boundaries, mindfulness and self-care.

These candid conversations aim to get people comfortable talking about mental health, to share stories of people living with a mental illness, and to discuss some of the helpful and not-so-helpful things some of us do and say when trying to help a person in distress.

Together, we can work to better support people in our communities, and learn to just listen.

Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.2025 NZME Hygiene & Healthy Living Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • What does self-care really mean?

    What does self-care really mean?
    Nov 8 2019
    In this final episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with psychologist Anna Friis and psychiatrist Dr Tony Fernando.

    Both Anna and Tony take a compassionate approach towards mental health and medicine. They discuss what self-care is really all about, what it means to be kind to yourself, whether mindfulness is all it’s cracked up to be, and how to be a compassionate friend to someone going through a tough time.

    They also challenge stereotypes about mental health and where the gaps are in New Zealand’s mental health system.

    Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

    You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    36 mins
  • When grief leads to depression

    When grief leads to depression
    Nov 8 2019
    In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with Newstalk ZB newsreader and marathon runner Niva Retimanu and how she learnt to live with depression.

    Niva says she never dealt with the death of her parents in her early 20s, which resulted in depression. She had a ‘lightbulb moment’ about her health when one day she couldn’t tie her shoelaces. That moment propelled her into taking positive action to improve both her physical and mental health.

    She’s now a passionate advocate for talk therapy (and will tell anyone who will listen), being open about her journey and encouraging others to do the same.

    Her personal trainer Alex Flint, who’s helped train her to complete marathons all over the world, joins Juliette at the end of this podcast about his role as Niva’s support person.

    Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

    You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Navigating relationships when one person has PTSD

    Navigating relationships when one person has PTSD
    Nov 7 2019
    In this episode of the Just Listen mental health podcast, host Juliette Sivertsen speaks with sexual abuse survivor Tamara Waugh and her experience with post traumatic stress disorder, and dealing with multiple mental health diagnoses. Tamara is also the creator of the gratitude movement called ‘The Happiness Experiment.’

    Tamara explains how PTSD can affect a person’s daily life, the pros and cons of hypervigilance, dealing with trust issues after abuse and the difficulties of navigating a sexual relationship when one party has trauma in their history. She also talks about how she used meditation and gratitude to transform her life after a drug overdose.

    Tamara’s friend, psychologist Dr Paul Wood joins Juliette at the end of this podcast to talk about how he offers support to Tamara, why we need to stop trying to ‘fix’ a person when they’re struggling, and what to say (or not say) instead.

    Funded by the Mental Health Foundation of NZ, Like Minds Like Mine, supported by NZME.

    You can follow host Juliette Sivertsen on social media through her Twitter at @j_sivertsen

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr
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