Mark MI words

The title of my second book is called BUMWIPER. It is the story of my 18 years working directly with people with disability, intellectual disability, physical disability, emotional disability, dual diagnosis, acquired brain injury, you name it, I worked with them. After working in that industry, I ended up with complex PTSD (CPTSD). I was writing a book while I was still working as a BUMWIPER, and...

The title of my second book is called BUMWIPER. It is the story of my 18 years working directly with people with disability, intellectual disability, physical disability, emotional disability, dual diagnosis, acquired brain injury, you name it, I worked with them. After working in that industry, I ended up with Complex PTSD (CPTSD) . I was writing a book while I was still working as a BUMWIPER, an...

I am a great believer in the power of the spoken word. Poetry however has always been difficult for me and I have never really been able to fully appreciate it (or even get into it). But when my friend Ananya posted a poem onto her socials, I challenged myself to 'give it a go'. What I read was a revelation. I'd never connected so much with a piece of prose. I needed to discuss what I&...

When I was first hurt, it was hard for me to acknowledge that I wasn't able to do certain things anymore. Things that I'd done a million times would be a impossible for me. I would feel extremely guilty whenever I had to say no to anybody for any reason. I just felt that as and normal existing human, that I should be able to do everything that I set my mind to. And it could be as simple as...

Even though I have a mental illness I need to understand that your behavior is my own. I have had to learn to be humble. Had to learn to apologize to my children, to humble myself in front of my children, to be vulnerable in front of my children. And that in turn allows me to be vulnerable to people outside of my house, to people that I wrong, to people that I treat poorly in a moment of deep anxi...

Resilience is not a destination. Resilience is a journey. And resilience is a decision that you make often, sometimes many times in one day. A couple of weeks ago, something happened. There was a miscommunication, and it went really, really badly for me. When the incident happened, I lost it. All of my symptoms came back... the silver flashing in the corner of my eye, the shaking, the stuttering,...

Welcome to Mark (& Paul) MI Words. Paul joins us as a special guest host. Today we discuss DIAGNOSIS! The difficulties, the resilience and stress needed to arrive at a diagnosis. SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Check the website ⁠markmiwords.com.au ⁠Buy the Shirts ⁠markmishirts.com⁠ Buy the book ⁠https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BC229P1/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=shattered+the+book&am...

For those that don't know, as well as Mark MI Words, I do a radio show on 2XX FM Canberra. It's called Mental Illness Education and you or (mieNu- pronounced 'me-n-you'). This week on the show i welcomed a guest whose insight into life with a mental illness in insightful and clear. He's also incredibly brave. You'll be hearing more from Paul in the coming weeks on Mark MI W...

So I was talking to somebody a little while back and they asked me a question that surprised me, a question that I wasn't expecting, a question that I thought was self-evident to everyone. I didn't think it was a question that anybody would need to ask. But it was quite simply, what is PTSD? Today is I'm just going to dive into what PTSD means for me. I'm going to talk about what i...

It's 2025! To start this year, I'd like to go back to 'why'. Why do i do this podcast? A big part of the reason was losing my friend Daniel to suicide. His loss inspired me to start telling my story so no-one in my sphere of influence would think that suicide is the best option (or even a 'good' option). All suicide is preventable. SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Check t...

It's with no small amount of gratitude that I wish you all the best for the holiday season. This year we reached 100K views for Mark MI Words. We also produced our 250th episode. I reached 250 talks in front of students, adults and members of the public with MIEACT; speaking about living with mental illness. Thank you to Meredith without whom none of this would be possible. Thanks to all my guests...

It's with no small amount of gratitude that I wish you all the best for the holiday season. This year we reached 100K views for Mark MI Words. We also produced our 250th episode. I reached 250 talks in front of students, adults and members of the public with MIEACT; speaking about living with mental illness. Thank you to Meredith without whom none of this would be possible. Thanks to all my guests...

So, it's been 4 years and 250 episodes. When you have a mental illness, milestones can be an important tool to track your progress. For me it doesn't feel like 4 years and 250 episodes. Inside my mind it's been a bleak wasteland of self-doubt and self-stigma that i have to challenge every day. But it's been awesome. I have a record of my journey of recovery spanning for 208 weeks that I can reflec...

If you're like me, you often chide yourself as being lazy or overusing the phrase 'I don't want to'. However sometimes 'I don't want to' needs to be replaced with 'I CAN'T'! Learning that sometimes I have to say 'I can't do this' has been one of the hardest things I have to do. I have to fight the feeling that I'm letting people down. I need to realize that saying 'I can't' is the safest thing for...

Mentoring Men needs you! At a time when more and more men end their lives Mentoring Men is needed now more than ever. An organization with a proven track record of supporting thousands of men, Mentoring Men needs your help. While money is always needed (and accepted with gratitude), Mentoring Men needs your INFLUENCE. There is over 1 Million dollars of pre-allocated money for suicide prevention, t...

What does burnout look like? Can you recover from burnout? Most of us would assume that 'NO' is the answer to these questions. Michelle is here to challenge that way of thinking. Living with Neuro-diversity and mental illness AND working in a very male-dominated workforce, Michelle's story of recovering from breakdown is incredible and truly inspiring. SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the bo...

How did you get PTSD? Why can't you just get over it? How long have you had a MI? How do i fix my...? Every week we get comments and questions from listeners. I have to be careful with the comments as they can be a source of frustration and anger that can affect my mental health. But I do care. And I do appreciate the people that choose to reach out. When I am healthy, I read all the comments. So...

After I was hurt was when i began to understand what it was like to be an introvert. I always assumed that an introvert was basically an unmotivated extrovert. Someone who could meet social challenges the way i did if that were forced to. I did not understand what it was like to be socially anxious or constantly unsure. I still am an extrovert- but it's more complicated now. I discuss this on toda...

For someone like me, living with CPTSD, hope is hard to find. Hell, it's even hard to recognize hope. In my journey I have learned to recognize hope for what it is I have moved from a place where i hated the concept of 'hope' and found it my own way. SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the book https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BC229P1/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=shattered+the+book&qid=...

When I was first hurt, I never would have imagined that I could ever be a public speaker about the fact that I live with mental illness. I never thought I would have a podcast. I never thought I would speak in schools and workplaces and training places about my lived experience. In fact, I hated even telling the story to my psychs & doctors. I hated the thought of dredging all this stuff up an...

This is a conversation i had on my live radio show on 2XX Canberra. Brock came on the show, and we had one of the most raw and honest conversations between blokes about living with PTSD that I've ever heard. SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the book https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BC229P1/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=shattered+the+book&qid=1627454085&sr=8-14 #ShatteredThePodcast...

1 in 4 Australian men have no close friendships. 1 in 4 men are lonely and disconnected. This is leading to an epidemic of mental illness and suicide. Mentoring Men is here to try to change that statistic 1 man at a time. An organisation connecting men as mentors and mentee's safely and with support, Mentoring Men is on the frontline bringing real hope to men who feel that they are alone. Today we...

It's a staggering statistic. But let's consider the people that are affected by a suicide. It's the person/s who find the body. It's the first responders. It's the immediate family. It's the extended family. It's the friends. it's the colleagues. It's hundreds of people who will be affected by a person's choice to end their life. AND IT'S PREVENTABLE! SU...

When you live with mental illness, it's hard. Sometimes it's difficult to see the point in moving forward. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that it is worth it, even if you can't believe it yourself.  This is your reminder. You are worth it. The journey is worth it. Just keep moving! SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the book https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B09BC229P1/ref=sr_1_1...

To be truly triggered, when you have a mental illness, is to be thrown into a mental health crisis. When you are in a crisis, like I was, just yesterday, you are thrown into a tsunami of emotion and trauma responses. I did 2 things yesterday which saved me from a full-blown mental health crisis, and I want to share those with you today. SUPPORT US NOW. See below for how. Buy the book https://www.a...