1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:02,680 Speaker 1: From the ZM podcast network. 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:05,400 Speaker 2: At the age of five, I was in a home 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:07,680 Speaker 2: where they staid there with my foster appearance. You know, 4 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:10,360 Speaker 2: they weren't treating us very well. I was like, this 5 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:12,920 Speaker 2: is weird. I don't understand this, and yeah, I sort 6 00:00:12,960 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 2: of just went with it. That's the hard part. I 7 00:00:14,840 --> 00:00:16,759 Speaker 2: think that's what I recognized as a kid was that 8 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 2: I had no control and I knew I needed to 9 00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 2: get away, but I couldn't. Cut to everybody. 10 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 3: Welcome back to another episode of Hope is Real the podcast. 11 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:29,080 Speaker 3: I hope you guys have had a great day, a 12 00:00:29,080 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 3: great week. I am very very much looking forward to 13 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 3: today's episode. This episode is one that is so inspiring, 14 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:40,959 Speaker 3: that is filled with hope but also filled with tragedy. 15 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 3: Whitney another person that I met on a Voice of 16 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 3: Hope campaign. I feel like I'm bringing you all of 17 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 3: the Voices of Hope campaign people this season. But that's 18 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:52,240 Speaker 3: because these stories, as I've been interviewing them the first time, 19 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 3: at ones that I know need to be shared wider. 20 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 3: Whitney grew up in Cith's care and if you live 21 00:00:58,680 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 3: Overseas the New Zealand equivalent to child protection. She talks 22 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:05,679 Speaker 3: about every experience that she had, from living in a 23 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 3: tent to stuff that she had to suffer through when 24 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 3: she was younger, not knowing how old, she was not 25 00:01:12,120 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 3: fitting in at school, and all of the kind of 26 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,759 Speaker 3: mental trauma that that led to. She talks about being 27 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 3: in a domestic violence relationship and the impact that that had, 28 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,000 Speaker 3: but also why it was that she got into that, 29 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,280 Speaker 3: and why it was that she felt she couldn't leave 30 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 3: and what was it that led her to leave. Whitney 31 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 3: is a phenomenal human. She has taken all of this 32 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:35,840 Speaker 3: pain and she's chosen to turn it around and she 33 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 3: now works in mental health and is trying to fight 34 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 3: for other people every single day. She went through a 35 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 3: different method of healing than I've experienced before, where medication 36 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 3: wasn't something that helped her, but multi practices and multi 37 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 3: healing was, and she talks more about that and kind 38 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:55,040 Speaker 3: of explains what that is. But this episode is a goodie. 39 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 3: As always, if anything in this triggers you, please at 40 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 3: any time you can stop, take a break, call, text 41 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 3: to help line, a friend, a family member. You are 42 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 3: not in this alone. But Whitney's story is coming up 43 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:14,640 Speaker 3: right after this. Hi, Hi am so excited to have 44 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:16,720 Speaker 3: you on here. This is the second time I've interviewed 45 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 3: you in a very short space of time. I first 46 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,359 Speaker 3: met you on when we were doing Voices of Hope campaign, 47 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,200 Speaker 3: and I remember sitting there and very first meeting you, 48 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 3: and you just had this like really calm presence, and 49 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 3: then getting to know your story more and talking to 50 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 3: you and being like, I just I need people to 51 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 3: hear the story more and I need to talk to 52 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:41,160 Speaker 3: you more. Because obviously this was such a short kind 53 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:43,359 Speaker 3: of total project we were doing, so I. 54 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 2: Was like, come on my podcast. 55 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 3: I was like, of course, welcome to homes on the podcast. 56 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:49,880 Speaker 1: It's a little bit different. 57 00:02:50,040 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 3: From the from the Voices campaign that we were doing, 58 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,639 Speaker 3: but I'd love very at the very beginning, introduce yourself 59 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 3: to our listeners. 60 00:02:56,520 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I'm Whitney. I grew up in Totonger and 61 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 2: I've been obviously working in mental health space for the 62 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:07,840 Speaker 2: past five years and I'm now in Tomickimikoto and i 63 00:03:07,919 --> 00:03:11,639 Speaker 2: moved here around probably two years now, so I don't 64 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:13,440 Speaker 2: know what that was. That was twenty twenty two. 65 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,240 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, yeah, I honestly feel like two years ago 66 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 3: should be like twenty twenty but COVID's really just spener. 67 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 2: I reckon, Like I feel like I missed some of 68 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,519 Speaker 2: my years and my twenties. You know, yeah, me too. 69 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:27,359 Speaker 3: I've went into lockdown like twenty two, and I've come 70 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 3: out of it like twenty eight, and it's. 71 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:31,840 Speaker 2: Like, ah, I know what, it's crazy. Where does it go? 72 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 2: It's so scary. 73 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 3: If it's fine, we're here, we made it through, and 74 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 3: now we get to sit down and we get to chat. 75 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: I would love to just literally go right back to 76 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: the beginning. 77 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 3: You have quite a crazy story that as we were 78 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 3: chatting and I was interviewing you, I related to it 79 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 3: so much. We actually have quite similar stories and ways 80 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 3: and then very different in others. 81 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 1: What was life like growing up for you? What was 82 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: your childhood like? 83 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 2: It was definitely it was like I just was so confused, 84 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 2: you know, I was bouncing from home to home. All 85 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 2: I can remember was at the age of five, I 86 00:04:07,720 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 2: was in a home where I believed, you know, that 87 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 2: was they said there with my foster pearance. But they weren't. 88 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: You know, they weren't treating us very well. You know, 89 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 2: we didn't get the the right like, we didn't get 90 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 2: enough clothes to go to school, we didn't get enough 91 00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 2: food to eat, and so then yeah, I apparently we've 92 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 2: just been bouncing home to home and this was our 93 00:04:27,640 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 2: last home before before moving out back to our family. 94 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,560 Speaker 1: When were you When were you taken from your family? 95 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:37,120 Speaker 2: I was told like to like too, I was taken 96 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 2: away from mom and dad, and I think they were 97 00:04:40,160 --> 00:04:43,520 Speaker 2: just so young to have us, and they were like, yeah, 98 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 2: they just weren't able to have, you know, look after 99 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 2: us as kids. So yes, I got involved and talk 100 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 2: me and my brother away. 101 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:52,640 Speaker 3: Looking back on that experience now, I know that there's 102 00:04:52,680 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 3: been so much uproar with and I don't even myself. 103 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 3: I don't know if you've ever done this or not, 104 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,800 Speaker 3: but I had to get access to my files for 105 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:03,800 Speaker 3: the movie that I was doing, Girl on the Bridge, 106 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 3: and it's wild reading through it and being like, what 107 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:13,799 Speaker 3: were you doing? Like you caked this investigation stuff so much. 108 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 3: The case like opens and closes. I've had other people 109 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 3: read through it being like this is so obvious, but 110 00:05:19,800 --> 00:05:24,720 Speaker 3: Stef's had to go through an entire like restructure. 111 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: Because of the fact that this system wasn't working. 112 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 3: Looking at it now as an adult and kind of 113 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:30,919 Speaker 3: I guess where you were placed. 114 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:32,520 Speaker 1: How do you feel about that? 115 00:05:34,600 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was really odd, Like we would get like 116 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 2: social workers. It would come and chicken every so often, 117 00:05:40,240 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 2: but I felt like they were just walking in and out, 118 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 2: but they don't really know what's going on. You could 119 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 2: almost put a facade on and say everything's going well 120 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 2: at home. Really it wasn't. 121 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 3: And then you get put in a foster home that 122 00:05:51,320 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 3: doesn't provide for you. 123 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 2: No, they don't provide for us. You know, they probably 124 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 2: stopped the cupboards up before that the social workers got there, 125 00:05:57,560 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 2: you know, like yeah, you know, even just being young, 126 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:02,760 Speaker 2: I'm not sure what was going on. I had a 127 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:04,679 Speaker 2: knowing that there was just everything was just so wrong 128 00:06:04,800 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 2: and I was like, this is weird. I don't understand this, 129 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 2: and yeah, I sort of just went with it because 130 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 2: there's nothing you can do when you're little. You also 131 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 2: don't really understand, right, trying to figure out what it is, 132 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 2: and you're trying to discover what's going on, like because 133 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,359 Speaker 2: you're young, you just want to be curious about everything. Yeah, 134 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 2: and you just don't want it to be like that, 135 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 2: that's for sure. 136 00:06:24,240 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 3: Well, I also think that those formative ages like it, 137 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:32,040 Speaker 3: there's all the studies and stuff obviously about a lot 138 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 3: of your core beliefs and identity being developed, especially at 139 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:37,600 Speaker 3: you're very younger, like two to three years old, so 140 00:06:37,680 --> 00:06:42,040 Speaker 3: then being taken from your parents, and then your little 141 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 3: brain will have developed these beliefs and these responses and 142 00:06:46,080 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 3: behaviors that you didn't even consciously do, Like it's literally 143 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:52,360 Speaker 3: just developed that fear of like I don't know, fear 144 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,240 Speaker 3: of abandonment was a big thing that happens for kids 145 00:06:55,240 --> 00:07:00,240 Speaker 3: in those situations. Like it's wild how much the those 146 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 3: first few a few years of your life is so 147 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:04,920 Speaker 3: formative as to who you are as a person. 148 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 2: Oh totally. 149 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:08,919 Speaker 3: Do you have any like specific, any memories that stand 150 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:11,040 Speaker 3: out to you from that Foster home that you were in? 151 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was me and my brother. We spent a 152 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 2: lot of time at the beach, and I think it 153 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,720 Speaker 2: was because they were never home or I just remember 154 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:21,400 Speaker 2: the rainy days where the doors were locked. We came 155 00:07:21,440 --> 00:07:23,160 Speaker 2: home from school, the doors were locked. We didn't have 156 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:25,160 Speaker 2: enough clothes. I was like, in the T shirt and shorts, 157 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 2: pouring down rain. I was like, what do we do? 158 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:29,640 Speaker 2: We didn't want to be around the house. I don't know. 159 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:31,480 Speaker 2: We end up at the beach. We just always spent 160 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:34,120 Speaker 2: time at the beach, and my brother taught me how 161 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 2: to like fish. We would just get I don't even 162 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 2: know how we did today, Like we just wanted sticks 163 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 2: or whatever, and then like get some bait and they're like, fine, 164 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 2: of get some fish. I don't know how we ate it. 165 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 2: I can't actually remember that part, but we were just fish. Yeah. 166 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,440 Speaker 2: It was a way to like kind of escape because 167 00:07:50,520 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 2: you know, they weren't really home. Yeah. 168 00:07:52,920 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, So I feel like at that age as well, 169 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 3: like and you're starting school and you're beginning to realize 170 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 3: that other kids aren't the same or have more stuff, 171 00:08:03,320 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 3: and like. 172 00:08:03,880 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, you kind of feel like what is this you 173 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:07,119 Speaker 2: know or something? 174 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you were we were were missing out. 175 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,200 Speaker 3: When did you begin to realize that your life and 176 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:15,080 Speaker 3: what you were living in was not normal. 177 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:17,000 Speaker 2: It was when I was seven. Yeah, we were living 178 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 2: in a tint at the time when we lost our 179 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:22,280 Speaker 2: home from the people that were staying with We lost 180 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:25,000 Speaker 2: our home and ended up living in a campsite and 181 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:29,480 Speaker 2: we had a little tint And one night I was 182 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 2: like to my brother, oh my god, something's wrong. Like 183 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:34,520 Speaker 2: I've realized something's wrong. I want to run away? Should 184 00:08:34,520 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 2: we run away? And he goes, we were going to 185 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:37,839 Speaker 2: run away to us and not here? You know, I 186 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 2: don't want to be here. But yeah, I that was 187 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,600 Speaker 2: when I realized I remember it very well, just lying 188 00:08:44,640 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 2: there with him and at night. 189 00:08:45,960 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: Just yeah, were you with like a family or anything 190 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 1: at that point, I. 191 00:08:49,640 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 2: Don't even know where they were to be honest, sheep, 192 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 2: just leave. 193 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:54,800 Speaker 1: You just had a campsite. 194 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 2: Yeah. Were you in school? Yeah? We were at school, 195 00:08:57,640 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 2: but it was also very rough school. I don't even 196 00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:00,559 Speaker 2: know if we were going there very often. 197 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:00,880 Speaker 4: Yeah. 198 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:03,319 Speaker 2: All I care remember is like I don't know a 199 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:05,520 Speaker 2: couple of days of the week, but of that school 200 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 2: where I couldn't remember. 201 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:09,840 Speaker 3: This is why it's so important, Like I do schools 202 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:12,079 Speaker 3: tours literally around the world. Now I get to speak 203 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:14,679 Speaker 3: and from from primary through to high school and being 204 00:09:14,720 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 3: able to tell kids, like especially when it comes to bullying, 205 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,280 Speaker 3: that you've got no freaking idea what kids in your 206 00:09:20,280 --> 00:09:22,839 Speaker 3: class are going through. You don't know if kids are 207 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 3: going home to family and their lovely house, or if 208 00:09:26,960 --> 00:09:29,199 Speaker 3: they're going home and not to a home, they're going 209 00:09:29,240 --> 00:09:32,160 Speaker 3: and sleeping in a tent like that. You know, been 210 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 3: able to teach your kids that and have those conversations, 211 00:09:35,480 --> 00:09:37,480 Speaker 3: and also to all of the like teenagers that listen 212 00:09:37,520 --> 00:09:40,839 Speaker 3: to this podcast to understand, like the kids that you're 213 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,560 Speaker 3: seeing that might be kind of more outcast, Like you 214 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 3: just have no idea what people are going through. 215 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 2: Think about that all the time when you go out 216 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:48,839 Speaker 2: to the schools, you know. 217 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:49,440 Speaker 1: All the time. 218 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:50,280 Speaker 2: All the time. 219 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 3: I met this fun kid who was living out of 220 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 3: his car and people were bullying him at school, and 221 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:58,160 Speaker 3: he's like, man, like, I just I'm doing it so rough. 222 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:03,000 Speaker 1: And I mean, kids just kids don't know what's going on. 223 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:05,480 Speaker 2: And they have no control, right, you know, you can 224 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 2: only go with what's going on around you. And yeah, yeah, 225 00:10:08,640 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 2: and that's the hard part. I think that's what I 226 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 2: recognized as a kid, was that I had no control. Yeah, 227 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:16,199 Speaker 2: and I knew I needed to get away, but I couldn't. 228 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:17,959 Speaker 1: When did you eventually get away? 229 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:22,400 Speaker 2: It was when I was walking home that day from 230 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 2: my school. My brother and my grandparents found us, and 231 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 2: she had pulled us aside, you know, drove up towards 232 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 2: us while we're walking home. She goes, oh, my god, 233 00:10:31,800 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 2: like I've been trying to get hold of your kids 234 00:10:34,760 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 2: and I can't it's been it's your birthday this week 235 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 2: or something, and I thought, what, Oh, you don't know. No, 236 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 2: I didn't know. Oh my goodness. Yeah I'm gonna cry. 237 00:10:45,720 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, I cry for you. 238 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:51,160 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. That's when she didn't want to carry on. 239 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:52,400 Speaker 2: They couldn't find us. 240 00:10:54,400 --> 00:10:59,199 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was that not steps responsibility to like your 241 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 3: biological family. 242 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's more to the story, to be fair, I 243 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:05,319 Speaker 2: should look more into it. But yeah, I hardly really 244 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 2: saw them. It was because we lost contact. Yeah, and 245 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 2: it was the time that she decided I don't want 246 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:14,200 Speaker 2: to lose you anymore. But yeah, because she pulled us away, 247 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 2: you know, like we hopped in her car. I think 248 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 2: we went to her house that day and we got 249 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,440 Speaker 2: all these munch cheese and stuff because making up for 250 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 2: our birthday. She gets into your birthday this week. I 251 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 2: actually didn't really know how old I was. Actually I 252 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:28,240 Speaker 2: only remember that's how old I was from that day onwards, 253 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 2: and I was seven. Yeah. It was weird, man, Like 254 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 2: I don't know, just yeah, just so I don't actually 255 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,280 Speaker 2: know when my birthday was. Before I was. 256 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: Like, how would you? How would you when you were 257 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:41,760 Speaker 1: in these foster homes. 258 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:45,199 Speaker 2: I think the school system helped me in a year, 259 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 2: you know everyone else's age. Yeah. It was the only 260 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:49,439 Speaker 2: time like I knew how old I was. 261 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 3: That is absolutely wild. So your grandmother takes you? Where 262 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 3: does she take you? 263 00:11:55,960 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 2: We go to home and we have like we try 264 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 2: to make enjoy it, you know, like we just had 265 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 2: birthday things like she got us a gift and you know, 266 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,160 Speaker 2: we had food there. And then when it all ended 267 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 2: that night, she said, oh, I have to take you 268 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,600 Speaker 2: home now you can't stay and I can't. I was like, huh. 269 00:12:12,440 --> 00:12:15,720 Speaker 1: Huh what like, like her, what she's taking? 270 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 3: What? 271 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,800 Speaker 2: To take us home? Yeah? It was because you know 272 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 2: she hit she she well I wasn't under her kid. 273 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, of course she is this back to the tent. 274 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, back to the tent. She took us back to 275 00:12:29,160 --> 00:12:33,240 Speaker 2: the tent. Yeah, And that's when she knew what she 276 00:12:33,280 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 2: needed to do, and so she fought back to get 277 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 2: us back. 278 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:37,720 Speaker 1: And then she how olre you when she got your bag? 279 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 2: I'd say eight. It must have taken a year. 280 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, Which what would you want to say if you 281 00:12:44,400 --> 00:12:46,000 Speaker 3: could be in a room with people right now that 282 00:12:46,080 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 3: are running the child protection services? What would you say 283 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:50,559 Speaker 3: to them? 284 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 2: Oh, they need to change the system. You know, I 285 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 2: think working in mental health over the past five years, 286 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 2: I've seen so many gaps in this system, and I 287 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:02,960 Speaker 2: have a huge for my people, and unfortunately I old 288 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,719 Speaker 2: feedback to my team leader and then obviously it's their 289 00:13:05,720 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 2: responsibility to go to someone else. But it never goes up, 290 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 2: you know, like your feedback, it doesn't really hit the 291 00:13:12,559 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 2: ground rolling. 292 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:16,280 Speaker 3: Well, that's why these conversations are so important, right, because 293 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 3: if you can create enough public outrage, you can start 294 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,559 Speaker 3: to see things shift. But even now, like I'm still 295 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:28,439 Speaker 3: seeing stories flooding the news and social media of young 296 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 3: Malti kids that are being taken from their families a 297 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 3: lot of the time without so like there's obviously reasons 298 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,760 Speaker 3: that automatic kid gets involved, but to take them then 299 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 3: out of their culture and out of like being surrounded 300 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 3: by their people. The fact that that hasn't changed now, 301 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,680 Speaker 3: that's not okay, no, it's not like we're so much 302 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 3: older now. And the fact that for you as a kid, 303 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 3: that's still happening now, yeah, and that you ended up 304 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 3: in like I can't, I can't comprehend the fact that 305 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:03,240 Speaker 3: this place that was supposed to protect you then. 306 00:14:03,160 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: Allowed you to be sleeping in a team. 307 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,559 Speaker 2: Yeah. To be fair, the social worker stopped visiting from 308 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:10,679 Speaker 2: that point onwards. So I'm wondering what, yeah, what my 309 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:13,679 Speaker 2: false appearance at the time told them like, we don't know, have. 310 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:15,800 Speaker 3: You ever been in contact with your foster appearance since. 311 00:14:15,800 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 2: Actually I was at once this post. I used to 312 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 2: deliver the mail in Naawa here and that family is 313 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 2: from there. I'm not gonna discuss names, but she was 314 00:14:24,720 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 2: at the mailbox as I loved the mail, and she goes, oh, 315 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 2: my god, is that you Are you married? Do you 316 00:14:29,440 --> 00:14:31,520 Speaker 2: have kids? And I was like what, Like, I was 317 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:35,640 Speaker 2: so confused, and I said, no, no, I don't have kids. 318 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 2: All that I've got to carry on, you know, like 319 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:41,360 Speaker 2: delivering the mail, and I just sort of said my goodbyes. 320 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 2: I came across to I don't know where. That's so weird. 321 00:14:44,400 --> 00:14:45,280 Speaker 2: I was delivering the mail. 322 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, so you've moved and with your grandma. 323 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 3: And then when we were doing our interview, you were 324 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 3: talking about how you then kind of entered a very 325 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 3: white school, Yeah. 326 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 2: And very well wealthy families who'd own a lot of land. Yeah, 327 00:15:00,160 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 2: we ended up moving away onto the farm. 328 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,200 Speaker 3: That's such a big contrasting difference. What school like for you, 329 00:15:06,280 --> 00:15:07,800 Speaker 3: high school amazing. 330 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:11,240 Speaker 2: I had really good friends. I was very very high achiever, 331 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:13,640 Speaker 2: way too much of a high achiever to a point where, 332 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 2: oh my goodness, my grandparents were really hard on me. 333 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 2: I didn't have a social life. Yeah, sport was it, 334 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 2: you know, pay sport, go home, repeate, go to school. 335 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 2: Because I think they just didn't want to see the 336 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,960 Speaker 2: repeat in our family, you know, like me getting pregnant 337 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 2: young and losing kids or you know, I think they 338 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 2: just wanted to for me to have a good life. 339 00:15:33,680 --> 00:15:35,960 Speaker 2: So high school was really tough for me. But all 340 00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 2: with it. 341 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean it's high school. 342 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:39,240 Speaker 3: I mean the same. 343 00:15:39,240 --> 00:15:39,440 Speaker 4: For me. 344 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 3: High school was wild and I ended up moving out 345 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 3: of home when I was sixteen. And we were talking 346 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,960 Speaker 3: just before this episode started about being on the Independent 347 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,520 Speaker 3: Youth been there of course, which is something that, like 348 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 3: you said, like not a lot of people know about it, 349 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 3: and I remember for me it was the police that 350 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 3: got me onto it. And it's basically for those of you, 351 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 3: I guess from music Ellen and also not from New 352 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:05,160 Speaker 3: Zealand are listening to this, it's basically government support to 353 00:16:05,320 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 3: be able to live as a young person who's not 354 00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:13,760 Speaker 3: connected to their family, and it's really helpful to be 355 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:16,800 Speaker 3: able to kind of not end up on the street. 356 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 2: But there should be more awareness around it, because you know, 357 00:16:21,280 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 2: I didn't know. At least someone told me about it, Like, yeah, 358 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:26,000 Speaker 2: I wouldn't have known. Wouldn't have known. 359 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,520 Speaker 3: And it frustrates me when people also look at that 360 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:31,480 Speaker 3: kind of thing, A specific demographic of people look at 361 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:34,360 Speaker 3: that thing and like, oh, you're just taking like our tea. 362 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:37,119 Speaker 1: And I was like, you try to have the upbringing 363 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: that you. 364 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:41,240 Speaker 5: Have, got no support, no to make the best for 365 00:16:41,280 --> 00:16:45,960 Speaker 5: your life and obviously having the childhood that you did, 366 00:16:46,880 --> 00:16:52,040 Speaker 5: there was so much stuff and trauma that happened. 367 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:57,360 Speaker 3: In what ways did that manifest and kind of impact 368 00:16:57,480 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 3: your mental health? 369 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:02,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, it came in ways. I actually realized my mental 370 00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:05,760 Speaker 2: health had different Like there was always symptoms to today, 371 00:17:05,840 --> 00:17:08,440 Speaker 2: Like as a kid, I was hearing voices. It was 372 00:17:08,440 --> 00:17:11,639 Speaker 2: probably a trauma response to what was going on around 373 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:15,400 Speaker 2: my environment. That disappeared when I was like thirteen or fourteen, 374 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:17,919 Speaker 2: and then all of a sudden, when I got into sport, 375 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,480 Speaker 2: it was like made things Okay, I was okay, you know, 376 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 2: I didn't have any mental health problems, but it was 377 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:29,600 Speaker 2: when home became a little bit unf you know, a 378 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,440 Speaker 2: little bit chaotic with my grandparents. Yeah, obviously my drink. 379 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 2: My granddad was drinking a lot of alcohol, and he 380 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:40,240 Speaker 2: stopped taking me to soccer, which obviously left me in 381 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 2: a really bad mental state. And all the childhood just 382 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 2: came all at once. Wow, And that's when I was 383 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:48,480 Speaker 2: just in a bad place from sixteen onwards. 384 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 3: I explained what that was, like what happened at sixteen sixteen? 385 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,040 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I felt like my grandparents had had a 386 00:17:55,040 --> 00:17:58,000 Speaker 2: lot of pressure on them and you know, and that's 387 00:17:58,040 --> 00:18:00,600 Speaker 2: when I knew I had myself. I realized everything that 388 00:18:00,640 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 2: had happened to me as a child, and then I 389 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 2: was getting treated at home. Everything that had bolded up, 390 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,439 Speaker 2: bottled up over the years just turned into suicidal thoughts. 391 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:18,639 Speaker 2: And I wasn't good enough and I was fainting. I 392 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:22,520 Speaker 2: was having these weird fainting spells just randomly at school, 393 00:18:22,600 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 2: Like I was just faint, and I think I was 394 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:28,639 Speaker 2: just going through PDC. Yeah, and I didn't have my 395 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,720 Speaker 2: grandparents support at the time. They didn't understand what was 396 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:35,520 Speaker 2: going through and yeah, yeah, no, and my friends were 397 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 2: really supportive. That's when I actually went on too that benefit. Yeah, 398 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:40,000 Speaker 2: my friends decided, do you want to come and live 399 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 2: with us? My mum will help you. I was like, okay, 400 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 2: and so I loved with her for the rest of 401 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:48,000 Speaker 2: my high school years. Yeah, but I had those fainting 402 00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 2: spells for ages. I went to go see a psychologist 403 00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 2: and then they sent me to breathing specialists. I don't know. 404 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 2: They were trying to figure out what was wrong with me, 405 00:18:58,080 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 2: and they just said, I think it's a traum my response, 406 00:19:00,280 --> 00:19:02,680 Speaker 2: which makes sense. Yeah, but I didn't know. Everyone thought 407 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 2: I had epilepsy, and I was getting all these these 408 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,240 Speaker 2: treatments like, oh not, treatments are and tests done and yeah, 409 00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 2: then I realized, I think that's just trauma. 410 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 3: The body has like such a physical response to trauma 411 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,040 Speaker 3: that we don't even realize a lot of the time. I, 412 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:19,000 Speaker 3: funnily enough, also had the fainting spells. 413 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,800 Speaker 2: Did you which it's weird. I don't even know describe it? 414 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 2: How would you describe that they're not really fainting, but 415 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 2: you're not can't respond to people? 416 00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:29,600 Speaker 3: Well, I had I know that I have something called 417 00:19:29,640 --> 00:19:32,159 Speaker 3: absent migraines, which is different, but like everything kind of 418 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,640 Speaker 3: blacks out and then I kind of come to eventually, 419 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 3: but those ones, I literally was like passing out, but 420 00:19:39,560 --> 00:19:42,239 Speaker 3: a lot of it, Like I can't remember who it 421 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:44,119 Speaker 3: was that I was talking to about it, but saying 422 00:19:44,119 --> 00:19:46,239 Speaker 3: that when you go through the kind of things that 423 00:19:46,280 --> 00:19:49,880 Speaker 3: we both did as kids, as young kids, that your 424 00:19:49,920 --> 00:19:52,160 Speaker 3: body goes into that fital flight mode and if there's 425 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 3: anything that can be triggered around it, whether it's like 426 00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:57,960 Speaker 3: senses or smells or anything, like, your body can just go, 427 00:19:58,040 --> 00:19:59,440 Speaker 3: I need to get out of your bomb. 428 00:19:59,680 --> 00:20:03,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's almost like it's very like you're like for me, 429 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:06,199 Speaker 2: I was present, but I couldn't respond to people around me. 430 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 2: It's just I just collapse and then I'm completely shut down. 431 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,399 Speaker 2: And I go like that for about an hour and 432 00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:12,920 Speaker 2: then all of a sudden, when I get out of it, 433 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 2: I just want to sleep and I'm just so exhausted 434 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,240 Speaker 2: from what had happened. And it happened when I was 435 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,919 Speaker 2: playing soccer, would be at school and actually, you know, 436 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,960 Speaker 2: it was really sad. Like I was a captain of 437 00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:26,919 Speaker 2: the first living at tottle A Girls College in year thirteen, 438 00:20:26,960 --> 00:20:30,200 Speaker 2: and I remember I was giving the opportunity to take 439 00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 2: that role on but every time I was playing I 440 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,199 Speaker 2: was fainting. I was like, oh my god. And so 441 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 2: unfortunately they had to take the role off me because 442 00:20:36,440 --> 00:20:38,520 Speaker 2: I kept fainting and gave it to someone else. And 443 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:41,960 Speaker 2: I was really guarded because I couldn't play full games anymore, 444 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 2: and I couldn't take a team on, like you know, 445 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:47,080 Speaker 2: lead the team because I keept fainting. Yeah. 446 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, when we were doing the then I kept alluding 447 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:56,639 Speaker 3: back to it because the first time we met, the 448 00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:58,280 Speaker 3: first time I got to hear a lot of your story, 449 00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 3: and you talked about there was a moment where you 450 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:06,280 Speaker 3: came really close to not being here. Oh yeah, what happened? 451 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 2: I went I went to a concert with Mike's partner, 452 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:16,159 Speaker 2: Friday Gems, And yeah, I had taken a couple of substances, 453 00:21:16,200 --> 00:21:18,399 Speaker 2: like like I think they would PRECP or whatever, and 454 00:21:18,400 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 2: you thought it was just like just to go have 455 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,800 Speaker 2: fun with but not realizing I had like taken something 456 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:26,679 Speaker 2: and that I shouldn't have. And at the time I 457 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 2: was taking substances like very like almost self sabotaging myself, 458 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 2: like overdoing it, like I'd get wasted and then it 459 00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:38,320 Speaker 2: would take two, you know, And I thought they were 460 00:21:38,359 --> 00:21:42,720 Speaker 2: safe and they weren't, and I remember I ran away 461 00:21:42,720 --> 00:21:45,520 Speaker 2: from him and I was like, nah, maybe I'll just 462 00:21:45,600 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 2: keep I'll take another one. So I took the second one, 463 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:51,479 Speaker 2: and then all of a sudden, my body just went 464 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:55,160 Speaker 2: into shut down mode. Like intuitively, I just knew something 465 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,879 Speaker 2: was wrong. I was high, but I knew, yeah, it 466 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:00,679 Speaker 2: was wrong. And I tried to find and I was 467 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:04,080 Speaker 2: looking through the crowd to find my my expartner, and 468 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:06,280 Speaker 2: I said, I need help. I think something bad's gonna 469 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,639 Speaker 2: happen to me. And he said what I said, no, 470 00:22:08,760 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 2: just get us help now. I don't have much time. 471 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:13,920 Speaker 2: And all I remember is just like vision was so fast, 472 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 2: like I couldn't see anything anymore, but my mind had 473 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:19,919 Speaker 2: gone really clear, like I could tell this was my 474 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:23,120 Speaker 2: last moments. And I was just processing the transition from 475 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 2: you know, being like overdose straight to like this could 476 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 2: be me about to in my life. And I was 477 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 2: like to myself, I'm my god, you're stupid. Why did 478 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:33,879 Speaker 2: you do that? Like because I wasn't having my relationship, 479 00:22:33,920 --> 00:22:35,640 Speaker 2: I thought just getting wasted and having a good time 480 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:38,880 Speaker 2: at a concert would be the best thing. And yeah, 481 00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:41,439 Speaker 2: we ended up in the ambulance scent and I just 482 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:44,560 Speaker 2: remember being like, Okay, this is it, and I remember 483 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,920 Speaker 2: my body just going into relax mode and all of 484 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:50,879 Speaker 2: a sudden everything just turned white. Oh and that's when 485 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,919 Speaker 2: I yeah, I was like could feel myself leaving my body, 486 00:22:54,680 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 2: and all of a sudden, this doctor just well, I 487 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:58,280 Speaker 2: don't know. I think it was a doctor. I don't 488 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:00,560 Speaker 2: know who it was. He just ran to towards me, 489 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:05,200 Speaker 2: and like they must've I must have like convulsed or 490 00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 2: like gone into a seizure and woke up in the 491 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,359 Speaker 2: ambulance and then yes, it dated me to sleep and 492 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 2: then woke up in Ico, but they keep putting me 493 00:23:13,880 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 2: back to sleep because I think my heart rate was 494 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:16,400 Speaker 2: so hogh. 495 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,640 Speaker 1: Waking up and ic you is the weirdest experience. 496 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:19,880 Speaker 2: And I was like, what is going on? 497 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:21,879 Speaker 1: Did you have the tube in your mouth when you 498 00:23:21,880 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 1: woke up? 499 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:23,960 Speaker 2: I kin'd of remember I just made the mask and 500 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 2: all the vent you know, all the machines. 501 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, And I was like, what I remember waking up 502 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 3: after one of my my sooicida teams, waking up and 503 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,680 Speaker 3: I see you and like literally you kind of see 504 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:37,880 Speaker 3: all of the wires and stuff. But I still had 505 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:40,679 Speaker 3: the thing down my throat and I was like, oh 506 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 3: my god, I can't breathe, like choking. But obviously this 507 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:44,840 Speaker 3: thing is like breathing for you because I couldn't breathe. 508 00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:45,399 Speaker 1: On my own. 509 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:47,679 Speaker 3: But also I see you. I don't know if it's 510 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:49,880 Speaker 3: the same way you were, but I see you. When 511 00:23:49,880 --> 00:23:51,960 Speaker 3: I was in there as all open plan and so 512 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:53,879 Speaker 3: I remember kind of like looking and then just seeing 513 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 3: these other people and strapped of ventilators like all beside 514 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:02,160 Speaker 3: me and these beds, and being like what is going on? 515 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,000 Speaker 2: Like the fact that you could see because I couldn't 516 00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 2: was so blarry, you know, when you're so goea, like. 517 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 3: What, Yeah, my hands were like tied down to the 518 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:13,200 Speaker 3: bid because I think I was trying to pull out 519 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 3: my years. 520 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:18,199 Speaker 2: Is that a reaction response, because that's what happened to me. 521 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:20,360 Speaker 2: I remember lying there and I had just pulled out 522 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,520 Speaker 2: needles out of my arm. They were running and I'm 523 00:24:23,520 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 2: like what and all you see his blood gushing. I 524 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:26,600 Speaker 2: was like, oh my god, like. 525 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: I just need things out of my mind. 526 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:30,320 Speaker 2: I was like, what is going on? Like I was 527 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:31,640 Speaker 2: so confused, it's. 528 00:24:31,480 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: Such a it's such a weird thing. 529 00:24:33,320 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 3: And then also being like coming to the realization that 530 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 3: you literally actually nearly died. 531 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's so really hard to explain, I'd be honest. Yeah, 532 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,159 Speaker 2: even though you know, you don't have to show the symptoms, 533 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,640 Speaker 2: you can feel yourself going somewhere else that wasn't here, 534 00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,600 Speaker 2: and like, yeah, and seeing the white light and my 535 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:54,200 Speaker 2: body processing things was just random. Like I had almost 536 00:24:54,240 --> 00:24:56,240 Speaker 2: lost the high after that, Like the high wasn't even 537 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:01,199 Speaker 2: the non existent, it was just shutting my body down, 538 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:02,000 Speaker 2: was trying to. 539 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,280 Speaker 1: So you were in a relationship at oh, had just. 540 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 2: Ended it ended it within that year. 541 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, it happened, which was quite a not great, No, 542 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,320 Speaker 1: it was horrible, horrible. 543 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,120 Speaker 2: We both had mental health issues that we should have addressed. 544 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:21,840 Speaker 2: And and yeah, we were both of us were in 545 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,439 Speaker 2: and out of mental health services, and the police were 546 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 2: often involved in our relationship because we just went healthy 547 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:30,920 Speaker 2: for each other. You know, it was just we were 548 00:25:31,119 --> 00:25:33,320 Speaker 2: tall my bonding, I guess you put it the way. Yeah, 549 00:25:33,359 --> 00:25:39,600 Speaker 2: and then always using substances to escape our mental health. Yeah, 550 00:25:39,640 --> 00:25:40,359 Speaker 2: and that was tough. 551 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,359 Speaker 3: Which these conversations the reason that I mean, there's so 552 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 3: many reasons that I don't want to say love having them, 553 00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:48,000 Speaker 3: because no one wants like you don't want, does. 554 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:49,320 Speaker 1: Happen to anyone, no way. 555 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:52,960 Speaker 3: But I think it also brings so much context to 556 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 3: people in situations that can be so stigmatized and misunderstood totally. 557 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:01,280 Speaker 3: And I think that being able to bring a story 558 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,360 Speaker 3: behind what can be seen as a stigma, especially when 559 00:26:04,359 --> 00:26:08,560 Speaker 3: it comes to like DV relationships and like all of 560 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:13,199 Speaker 3: that kind of thing to then kind of like for 561 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:16,280 Speaker 3: people to understand like how someone can get to that point, 562 00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:19,440 Speaker 3: I think helps bring a little bit more understanding and 563 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:20,960 Speaker 3: a little bit more empathy. 564 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:24,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, really having a mental health like if you're not 565 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:28,440 Speaker 2: going to address it, it becomes an external like external 566 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 2: things come at you. Yeah, for you to realize and 567 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:34,800 Speaker 2: go get help or Yeah, my relationships were deteriorating and yeah, 568 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 2: I was not looking after myself. It just was going downhill. 569 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: What was the turning point for you? 570 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:44,560 Speaker 2: Turning point? Yeah, what was that turning point? It was 571 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:48,359 Speaker 2: when I got pregnant. Yeah, I got pregnant to that 572 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:51,920 Speaker 2: guy and I wanted the baby. And when I found 573 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:55,280 Speaker 2: out got pregnant, I was like, this is not the guy, 574 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 2: This is not the guy. Oh my god, and I 575 00:26:56,680 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 2: want this And the doctor was so happy for me, 576 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:03,640 Speaker 2: and I said I can't but you know, she didn't 577 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 2: quite understand. I said, I can't have the baby. I'm mother, Really, 578 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:09,840 Speaker 2: you know, this guy isn't for me. So I went 579 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:15,960 Speaker 2: through that whole process of yeah, aborting my baby, and it. 580 00:27:15,840 --> 00:27:19,160 Speaker 3: Was hard, the decision that you had to make for yourself. 581 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 2: He didn't support it. So I went through those whole 582 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:26,040 Speaker 2: symptoms pregnancy symptoms alone, like I was d I had 583 00:27:26,040 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 2: the worst pregnancy and yeah, I did it by myself, 584 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,879 Speaker 2: the whole thing, and it was hard to take on. 585 00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 2: And that's when I knew I wanted to leave him. 586 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 2: After that. It was that was actually soon after I 587 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 2: had that near death experience. Within the two weeks I 588 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:41,879 Speaker 2: had that. 589 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: A near death experience will do that to you a 590 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: It was. 591 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:47,000 Speaker 2: Like that happened, Okay, cool, well now you're pregnant, like 592 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:52,080 Speaker 2: what like I So it happened pretty quickly and very Yeah, 593 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,360 Speaker 2: that was my transition to realizing I need to get 594 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:57,119 Speaker 2: out of this and I'm going to go get my 595 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:01,920 Speaker 2: healing done and then go and work in medwealth. 596 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:03,600 Speaker 3: Which I think is a I would really love to 597 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 3: talk about this because it wasn't something that I had 598 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 3: kind of heard a lot of your specific healing journey 599 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:14,040 Speaker 3: which I think is so important because westernized medicine is 600 00:28:14,040 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 3: obviously one thing, and often especially in a lot of 601 00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:22,000 Speaker 3: countries where culture has been taken away from westernized people 602 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 3: coming in. 603 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:23,640 Speaker 2: Holistic side of things. 604 00:28:23,920 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, and like I know that. 605 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:28,639 Speaker 3: Like for me, medication has been amazing, and for you 606 00:28:28,760 --> 00:28:30,680 Speaker 3: that hasn't been the case. And I think it's important 607 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,320 Speaker 3: to be able to tell all these different stories because 608 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:36,280 Speaker 3: for some people medication will work and for other people 609 00:28:36,560 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 3: it's not. It wasn't going to work, and that wasn't 610 00:28:39,160 --> 00:28:42,000 Speaker 3: the case. You found healing in another way, Yeah, you 611 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:42,760 Speaker 3: tell us about it. 612 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:46,720 Speaker 2: Yeah. So when I obviously, you know, losing my identity 613 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 2: growing up, you know, I was trying to reconnect to 614 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:54,120 Speaker 2: my culture. Yeah, Like it really really got to me 615 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:56,640 Speaker 2: when I was going through my mental health journey how 616 00:28:56,720 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 2: much I wanted to connect to my culture. So, you know, 617 00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 2: I was learning a bit about my fuck up, where 618 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,280 Speaker 2: I was from and all that, and then yeah, I 619 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 2: started to find out about that there's healers out there 620 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 2: that help people mental health or its chronic pain with 621 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 2: physical pain, and so my grandmother actually recommended that I 622 00:29:13,360 --> 00:29:18,400 Speaker 2: go to this Japanese holistic healer first, and so it 623 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:20,959 Speaker 2: was called reiki they call it, and he helped me 624 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:24,440 Speaker 2: cure like my anxiety, my suicidal thoughts, and my depression 625 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 2: within like one session, and after that I was in 626 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:29,960 Speaker 2: a really good space. And from there I started discovering 627 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:34,440 Speaker 2: about tour hungers and then you know how what do 628 00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:36,680 Speaker 2: they call them, my t kits here, which is people 629 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 2: who can see beyond the physical and they help people 630 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 2: on their journey around mental health. And you know, this 631 00:29:42,520 --> 00:29:45,280 Speaker 2: got deep and deep into my culture and I tried 632 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:49,080 Speaker 2: to incorporate them in to my work now to help 633 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 2: other maori. Yeah, but it really did. It did start 634 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:56,320 Speaker 2: from finding who I was again to connecting with this 635 00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 2: reiki healer. Yeah, I love it. I make sure a 636 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 2: bit like a little bit to it because it's almost 637 00:30:02,760 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 2: like you know, when somebody's going like if your body 638 00:30:04,920 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 2: is like out of whacker into I just go straight 639 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:09,920 Speaker 2: to a tohunga or align this again for me and 640 00:30:09,960 --> 00:30:13,600 Speaker 2: I feel renewed again, Like yeah. 641 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 3: It's just it's so cool and I think like being 642 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 3: able to explore different avenues of healing and different kinds 643 00:30:21,240 --> 00:30:22,960 Speaker 3: I don't want to use with medicine, but I guess 644 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,160 Speaker 3: you know, like it's different, it's just so. 645 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:29,840 Speaker 2: It's more understood. I think, yeah, I think they are 646 00:30:29,920 --> 00:30:31,920 Speaker 2: starting to acknowledge it in the mental health space with 647 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,000 Speaker 2: now getting Mauldi hellers come in, yeah, which is great 648 00:30:35,200 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 2: and even acc you can see that they've now got 649 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 2: that and that's so cool if you know about that, 650 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 2: but they you can ask for practitioner now. 651 00:30:45,880 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 3: That's so It's so important because Western medicine is not 652 00:30:49,040 --> 00:30:51,280 Speaker 3: going to work for everyone and for some people like 653 00:30:51,520 --> 00:30:55,600 Speaker 3: I personally have, I'm so thankful why we're on antidepressants 654 00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 3: again how long like six months ago and for me 655 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,200 Speaker 3: being able to of restabilized, but for a friend of 656 00:31:02,200 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 3: mine who went on them. 657 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: Didn't didn't work. 658 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 3: So personalized that having different options that you can try 659 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 3: is so important, and especially when you bring culture into 660 00:31:12,360 --> 00:31:16,520 Speaker 3: it and been able to kind of reconnect to that 661 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 3: for you and finding something that worked. 662 00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 2: Not only it makes you feel connected to you know, Yeah, 663 00:31:21,840 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 2: well now that I go to talking as now not 664 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:25,960 Speaker 2: so much with the reiki, I feel connected to my 665 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,040 Speaker 2: culture and also know I'm getting healing done At the 666 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:28,800 Speaker 2: same time, do. 667 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:32,120 Speaker 3: You also feel like it's healing to your like little 668 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 3: two three year old self who was just kind of 669 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 3: ripped away from her culture and. 670 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:40,120 Speaker 2: Her who she was. I mean, yeah, I don't know 671 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:43,280 Speaker 2: how I would have Yeah, do you mean like how 672 00:31:43,360 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 2: I process it is that you a younger? 673 00:31:45,240 --> 00:31:48,000 Speaker 3: Well, yeah, like just thinking about like being able to 674 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:51,680 Speaker 3: I guess do all this stuff whilst connected to your culture, 675 00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,800 Speaker 3: if that has almost like healed your inner child a 676 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:56,120 Speaker 3: little bit of this. 677 00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:59,320 Speaker 1: Kid who didn't know what was happening and was kind. 678 00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 2: Of almost field that curiosity. Now I understand and or 679 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:04,560 Speaker 2: like what's going on? Like I can reflect back now 680 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:07,479 Speaker 2: and then acknowledge what had happened to me and how 681 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,040 Speaker 2: much I've turned that around to make it, you know, 682 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,080 Speaker 2: way a bit alive. Yeah, you know, because I don't 683 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 2: ever ever Yeah, I want to be able to go 684 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 2: through that traumau again around reliving those moments. 685 00:32:20,520 --> 00:32:22,880 Speaker 3: But what would you say to other young MOLTI people 686 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,240 Speaker 3: who I want to I'm going to ask you a 687 00:32:25,280 --> 00:32:28,440 Speaker 3: few different questions here because I know, for example, my 688 00:32:28,760 --> 00:32:33,360 Speaker 3: co founder of Voices of Hope, she's multigenv here and 689 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:36,120 Speaker 3: she had a very very different upbringing. She was very privileged, 690 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,720 Speaker 3: but she never ever really connected to her culture and 691 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:42,640 Speaker 3: felt really disconnected from it and has only just kind 692 00:32:42,640 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 3: of begun this journey of trying to rediscover that. 693 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:47,479 Speaker 1: What would you say to it? 694 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:51,600 Speaker 3: To young people who might feel ashamed of their culture, 695 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 3: might be confused or detached from it, Like, what's your 696 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:55,920 Speaker 3: advice there? 697 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:00,760 Speaker 2: Definitely reaching out. There's providers out there that can help you. 698 00:33:00,800 --> 00:33:02,960 Speaker 2: There's a lot more support out there than we think. 699 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,560 Speaker 2: We know, you know, just reaching out to the local 700 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 2: multi trust, they tend to have a lot of contacts. 701 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:13,800 Speaker 2: And I tell you now, like working in that space, 702 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 2: you discover so many contacts and people that can help you, 703 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,680 Speaker 2: and they're willing to help you. It's amazing and you 704 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:23,360 Speaker 2: will find yourself so much because that supports out there. 705 00:33:23,360 --> 00:33:25,520 Speaker 2: You know, it's just google it. You come up with 706 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 2: dames and contacts, call and be like, hey, look I 707 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 2: would like to reconnect to my culture and I'm from here. Okay, cool, 708 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 2: We'll link you up to somebody. Yeah, and that's a 709 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,600 Speaker 2: matter of like, you know, few phone calls and then 710 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:40,760 Speaker 2: you meet up and then you know it opens doors. 711 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:44,360 Speaker 3: Yeah, to kids in the foster care system, yeah, what 712 00:33:44,360 --> 00:33:46,320 Speaker 3: would you say to them? 713 00:33:46,480 --> 00:33:48,920 Speaker 2: That's a very hard question, you know, especially when I 714 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 2: was saying before, you know, there's no control over your situation. However, 715 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:58,200 Speaker 2: just know that keep persevering and ask someone for help 716 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 2: if you can at school and if they feel unsafe. 717 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:03,120 Speaker 3: You know. 718 00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:07,120 Speaker 2: However, you know, I don't know what it's like these 719 00:34:07,200 --> 00:34:07,840 Speaker 2: days anymore. 720 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:12,800 Speaker 3: If it's changed, I think that they've tried to make changes. 721 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:18,040 Speaker 3: But I think obviously, when when an entire system is broken, 722 00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 3: it takes a long time to be able to put 723 00:34:20,719 --> 00:34:22,920 Speaker 3: the pieces back. But the reason I asked you that 724 00:34:23,040 --> 00:34:25,719 Speaker 3: is that I also just feel like seeing you now 725 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 3: and knowing what you do and working and mental health 726 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:32,080 Speaker 3: and everything, and just knowing that for these kids at 727 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:33,280 Speaker 3: the hope for them. 728 00:34:33,520 --> 00:34:37,759 Speaker 2: I think, Yeah, it's definitely help because I always knew 729 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 2: I wanted to help people. So I think even in 730 00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 2: that such I was very young, I think I knew 731 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 2: straight away that I needed to do something about it. 732 00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:45,360 Speaker 2: When I get older and what's a maut of this, 733 00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:47,120 Speaker 2: I'm going to sort this out. I want to fix 734 00:34:47,239 --> 00:34:47,840 Speaker 2: the problem. 735 00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:49,000 Speaker 1: And that's what you're doing. 736 00:34:49,120 --> 00:34:50,560 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly, which is amazing. 737 00:34:50,880 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 3: Give you even do you take time to actually realize 738 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,960 Speaker 3: that you like you did that this kid who had 739 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:59,960 Speaker 3: literally nothing had to fight for her damn life. 740 00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, is now. I think I have had a couple 741 00:35:02,920 --> 00:35:05,759 Speaker 2: of those moments, I think I do need to give 742 00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,759 Speaker 2: myself more credit. Topic Yeah, yeah, yeah, you to. 743 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:11,319 Speaker 3: Give yourself way more credit, like being able to be 744 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 3: a voice for these kids, but also just for yourself. 745 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:17,080 Speaker 3: And like I keep thinking back to that kid who 746 00:35:17,120 --> 00:35:20,200 Speaker 3: didn't even know it was her birthday, which still makes 747 00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:23,640 Speaker 3: me to cry, And just seeing you now and just 748 00:35:23,680 --> 00:35:25,360 Speaker 3: knowing that you fought so hard for the life that 749 00:35:25,400 --> 00:35:29,160 Speaker 3: you have is so empowering. And I also think to 750 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:31,520 Speaker 3: a lot of young people that are struggling is so 751 00:35:31,560 --> 00:35:35,600 Speaker 3: inspirational and I would love to know kind of what 752 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 3: you would say to I'm gonna go very pointed in here, 753 00:35:41,440 --> 00:35:45,239 Speaker 3: young girls who are in relationships that they know they 754 00:35:45,239 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 3: should not be in and they don't know how to 755 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:50,359 Speaker 3: get out of it. What's your advice there? 756 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:57,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, if I be honest with you, Yeah, when 757 00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:00,840 Speaker 2: I was in that relationship because I didn't really have 758 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:04,960 Speaker 2: anyone and that's all I know, I sort of just 759 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:08,160 Speaker 2: stayed until something really significant is going to impact you 760 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:12,279 Speaker 2: from that relationship. That's when you walk away. But you know, 761 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:14,560 Speaker 2: I think it's tirely up to the individual. It's really 762 00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:16,400 Speaker 2: hard to say, Like I'll be honest, like I stayed 763 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:19,600 Speaker 2: because it was a safe almost felt safe, but it 764 00:36:19,640 --> 00:36:21,319 Speaker 2: wasn't safe, you know, because I had no one else 765 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:23,920 Speaker 2: talked to. If I kept him around, it was filling 766 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,959 Speaker 2: a little bit of me. But I will say that 767 00:36:27,800 --> 00:36:30,520 Speaker 2: as soon as something very significant that's going to impact 768 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:32,000 Speaker 2: you a lot in that relationship and it's not a 769 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:35,120 Speaker 2: good thing at all, I'd remove myself. That's when, you know. Yeah, 770 00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:37,759 Speaker 2: especially after I had been when I got pregnant, I 771 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,040 Speaker 2: knew straight away that was an instant, no question about it. 772 00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:44,359 Speaker 2: But yeah, it takes a lot to really walk away 773 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:45,240 Speaker 2: from it. Yeah. 774 00:36:45,520 --> 00:36:48,239 Speaker 3: I also think it's really hard when you don't know 775 00:36:48,360 --> 00:36:50,960 Speaker 3: yourself will because it hasn't been. 776 00:36:50,880 --> 00:36:53,200 Speaker 2: No, and that's all you knew what I thought. That's 777 00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 2: what love was, you know, even though it didn't I 778 00:36:55,640 --> 00:36:58,680 Speaker 2: knew it wasn't right. But you know, I thought, well, 779 00:36:58,760 --> 00:37:00,399 Speaker 2: the s guy loves me enough, or you know, there's 780 00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:03,840 Speaker 2: ups and downs, Cole stay. But how many times do 781 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 2: I need to keep saying that and then talk something 782 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:10,520 Speaker 2: actually happens? Oh my god. So yeah, that's a really 783 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:14,080 Speaker 2: hard one. I think it's just when you know, when 784 00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,200 Speaker 2: something completely bad goes wrong in the relationship, you've got 785 00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:18,840 Speaker 2: to walk away. 786 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:21,480 Speaker 1: Or try to walk away before something goes wrong. 787 00:37:21,640 --> 00:37:24,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, situation when it gets ugly, that's when you've 788 00:37:24,920 --> 00:37:27,759 Speaker 2: got a good do it, not when you know you're thinking, 789 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:31,080 Speaker 2: you're thinking about it. But yeah, very something very significant 790 00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:32,880 Speaker 2: has to happen for you to just do it. Go, 791 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 2: you got to go. 792 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:39,280 Speaker 3: Why have you chosen to start sharing your story publicly? 793 00:37:40,200 --> 00:37:41,640 Speaker 2: Just get on to the other side, and all you 794 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:43,359 Speaker 2: want to do is share it to the world. My 795 00:37:43,400 --> 00:37:45,919 Speaker 2: grandmother said down on me one time and said, don't 796 00:37:45,920 --> 00:37:48,720 Speaker 2: even feel embarrassed, right, don't even feel embarrassed about your story. 797 00:37:48,760 --> 00:37:51,279 Speaker 2: You've got to tell your story because there's going to 798 00:37:51,280 --> 00:37:52,640 Speaker 2: be other people out there going through the same and 799 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,800 Speaker 2: they want to hear and know that they're not alone. Yeah. 800 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 2: And I think after she'd telling me that, I was like, whoa, okay, 801 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:03,000 Speaker 2: sweet own it. Then, yeah, let's just own it. And 802 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,400 Speaker 2: then once it comes out you you want to be 803 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:07,239 Speaker 2: able to speak it to people because you know, if 804 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:08,799 Speaker 2: they want to know who you are, you tell them 805 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:11,480 Speaker 2: your story. Yeah, you know it shouldn't have to be embarrassed. 806 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:13,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, And then being able to know that there are 807 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:17,440 Speaker 3: like younger versions of you out there who would love 808 00:38:17,520 --> 00:38:19,319 Speaker 3: to be able to know these kind of stories, know 809 00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:22,279 Speaker 3: that there was hope and know that And for me, 810 00:38:22,320 --> 00:38:24,200 Speaker 3: that's the whole purpose of this podcast is to be 811 00:38:24,239 --> 00:38:27,000 Speaker 3: able to tell all of these different stories so that 812 00:38:27,480 --> 00:38:29,600 Speaker 3: if you see someone or you hear one story that 813 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,919 Speaker 3: you relate to, you can know that, like, no matter 814 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,480 Speaker 3: what it is that you're facing, there's always hope for 815 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:37,840 Speaker 3: you to be able to move through. And your life 816 00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:40,120 Speaker 3: now is so evident of that. Who you are now, 817 00:38:40,200 --> 00:38:43,920 Speaker 3: Like you are such a I don't even like you're 818 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:46,040 Speaker 3: such a there's always a weird word to use it 819 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,880 Speaker 3: you feel like such like a gilly person is what 820 00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:49,439 Speaker 3: does it mean? 821 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,240 Speaker 4: Like like' like bushy and like just like like you're 822 00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:55,960 Speaker 4: so warm to be around, which I think is like 823 00:38:56,120 --> 00:38:59,440 Speaker 4: incredible given your history and given what you grew up 824 00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:03,160 Speaker 4: in to be this like such a kind hearted, soft 825 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:04,959 Speaker 4: spoken but very strong. 826 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:09,200 Speaker 3: Warrior, like to be able to carry that is something 827 00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:10,560 Speaker 3: that not a lot of people do a lot of 828 00:39:10,560 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 3: people can just live and rightfully so with the anger 829 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:17,120 Speaker 3: of everything that happened, and I think there's always space 830 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:17,360 Speaker 3: for that. 831 00:39:17,480 --> 00:39:19,520 Speaker 1: But for you to be the person that you are 832 00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: is phenomenal, and you. 833 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:25,480 Speaker 3: Are such a such a kind person and I've only 834 00:39:25,560 --> 00:39:27,960 Speaker 3: spent two days with you now doing these kind of 835 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:29,879 Speaker 3: and both times has been like told me your life. 836 00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,480 Speaker 3: But like, you're such an amazing person and I'm so 837 00:39:34,520 --> 00:39:38,480 Speaker 3: thankful that you too. I'm so thankful that you have 838 00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:41,160 Speaker 3: chosen to share your story. I think that we need 839 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:46,080 Speaker 3: more stories of hope, specifically within the stuff that you've 840 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:48,120 Speaker 3: been through in your situation, and so for you been 841 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:50,279 Speaker 3: willing to be that is amazing. And I love to 842 00:39:50,280 --> 00:39:52,840 Speaker 3: ask you one more question before I wrap us up, 843 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:56,040 Speaker 3: and I ask everyone this question. And like I said, 844 00:39:56,960 --> 00:39:58,120 Speaker 3: just knocked my microphone. 845 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:01,359 Speaker 1: I'm so sorry. Like I said, this podcast called Hope 846 00:40:01,480 --> 00:40:01,759 Speaker 1: is real. 847 00:40:02,280 --> 00:40:04,040 Speaker 3: I want to know what does the word hope mean 848 00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:05,680 Speaker 3: to you? 849 00:40:05,800 --> 00:40:09,319 Speaker 2: Not giving up knowing that there's light on the other 850 00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:11,920 Speaker 2: side of the tunnel, even though you keep thinking you're 851 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:15,600 Speaker 2: seeing dark all the time, there's always light. Yeah, And 852 00:40:15,640 --> 00:40:18,240 Speaker 2: when you're there, you're there, You're like, whoa, it really 853 00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:18,960 Speaker 2: is true? 854 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:21,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, life can be so much better. 855 00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:24,719 Speaker 3: And obviously sometimes life goes up and down, like there's 856 00:40:24,760 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 3: literally what it is right, like it's a roller coaster. 857 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:28,480 Speaker 1: But when you experience you feel like you. 858 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:32,080 Speaker 2: Can't there's no escape. Yes, why you're trying to find 859 00:40:32,080 --> 00:40:34,680 Speaker 2: that light. Well, you've got to realize you are getting there. 860 00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:38,040 Speaker 2: It's just keep persevering not to give up. Yeah, even 861 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:40,360 Speaker 2: though there's those moments you're like really like this is 862 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:41,160 Speaker 2: happening to me again. 863 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:45,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, you know that things can always change. 864 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,640 Speaker 1: And yeah, thank you so much for taking the time. 865 00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:51,560 Speaker 3: And tracking out to Auckland City to be able to 866 00:40:51,600 --> 00:40:53,240 Speaker 3: come and hang out with us and shar your story. 867 00:40:53,239 --> 00:40:57,200 Speaker 3: You're so brave and you have done so incredibly well 868 00:40:57,280 --> 00:40:59,320 Speaker 3: and I'm so proud of you and I'm so thankful 869 00:40:59,320 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 3: that the world has you. 870 00:41:00,440 --> 00:41:02,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, I appreciate that. Hey, I've got a little gift 871 00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:05,160 Speaker 2: for you. Oh gosh, I just got this little little 872 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:08,319 Speaker 2: gift for you, just just on your journey, you know, 873 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:11,240 Speaker 2: like how much you've done in regard to your healing. 874 00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 2: So yeah, just a little something for me. 875 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:15,440 Speaker 3: I'm going to cry. 876 00:41:16,360 --> 00:41:18,080 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I just want you to keep this close 877 00:41:18,120 --> 00:41:21,040 Speaker 2: to you when when times are tough, because this is 878 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:25,360 Speaker 2: very special. And yeah, I'm gonna cry. Oh my goodness. 879 00:41:25,880 --> 00:41:29,880 Speaker 2: Thank you so much. Thank you and your an inspiration 880 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:32,920 Speaker 2: to so many people, like and I want you to 881 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:36,359 Speaker 2: remember that, Like, I don't know if you're having hard times, 882 00:41:36,440 --> 00:41:38,120 Speaker 2: just know that you're doing such an amazing job. 883 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:41,400 Speaker 3: What an emotional in this episode. For those of you 884 00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:45,960 Speaker 3: who are not obviously watching this visually, I just can 885 00:41:46,000 --> 00:41:49,680 Speaker 3: you oh my gosh, yeah, it's I can't. 886 00:41:49,680 --> 00:41:49,960 Speaker 2: I can't. 887 00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:52,120 Speaker 3: I'm gonna post I'll post the photo of this on 888 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:53,840 Speaker 3: our if that's okay. 889 00:41:54,440 --> 00:41:57,680 Speaker 2: It's just so oh my gosh. Yeah, thank you all 890 00:41:57,719 --> 00:42:00,680 Speaker 2: blessed and all that. So yeah, thank you so much. 891 00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:01,759 Speaker 3: I need to hug you. 892 00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:03,200 Speaker 1: I need to hug you immediately. 893 00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:07,160 Speaker 3: Well, there you have it, guys, thank you so much 894 00:42:07,239 --> 00:42:10,319 Speaker 3: for staying and for listening to this episode. And like 895 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:12,640 Speaker 3: I've said at the beginning, and I always say, if 896 00:42:12,680 --> 00:42:15,560 Speaker 3: anything in this episode that's been talked about has brought 897 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:17,560 Speaker 3: anything up for you, you feel like you need to 898 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:20,560 Speaker 3: talk to someone, then please remember and know that the 899 00:42:20,600 --> 00:42:23,319 Speaker 3: bravest thing that you can do right now is to 900 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:26,120 Speaker 3: talk to someone, is to ask for help, whether that's 901 00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:28,759 Speaker 3: from a friend, a family member, or if you don't 902 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:30,400 Speaker 3: know who to talk to, then if you live in 903 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:34,480 Speaker 3: Altaiola here you can call or text one seven three 904 00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:37,080 Speaker 3: seven at any time to talk to a trained counselor, 905 00:42:37,239 --> 00:42:39,759 Speaker 3: or if you live overseas, go to dub dub dub 906 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 3: dot the Voices of Hope dot org for a list 907 00:42:42,160 --> 00:42:45,400 Speaker 3: of international helplines. Remember that no matter what it is 908 00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:47,359 Speaker 3: that you're facing, no matter what it is that you're 909 00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:50,880 Speaker 3: going through, that in all things, hope is real and 910 00:42:50,960 --> 00:42:51,840 Speaker 3: change is possible. 911 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:53,160 Speaker 1: I'll see you guys next week.