Opinion
Opinion
Nutters Club
11pm-1am Sun
The Nutters Club is a world first, online and offline media phenomenon that has changed and saved lives. It has spawned a very large, strong and supportive Facebook community and morphed into a popular television series on Maori Television. Over 500,000 people view the Nutters Club Facebook page every week.
It’s stated mission is "to forever change the way people, feel, think, talk and behave in relation to their mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, cultural and sexual well being; and in doing so encourage us all to take ownership of our own health and well being.” In plain English it’s a show about “Nutters helping other Nutters live at peace with themselves and others, so that we can all lead meaningful lives.”
The Nutters Club deals with all the tough stuff that many in society would prefer to keep in the closet. Topics like mental health issues, drug/alcohol addictions and the socially taboo. The show is hosted by Hamish Williams and Kyle MacDonald.
Hamish has worked in radio and media since age 12, drawn to it for the power that it had to share stories and help others. Involved with “The Nutters Club” since 2009 he has been a regular fill in for Mike King until becoming the main stay in 2017. Having experienced the impact of suicide personally he understands first hand challenges of mental health.
Our resident psychotherapist with 20 years experience - also writes a weekly mental health column for the New Zealand Herald (see: www.nzherald.co.nz/author/kyle-macdonald).
“Secrets keep you sick” is our motto. There are no secrets at The Nutters Club.
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All about bullying
14 August 2022: With the NZ Labour Party rocked by allegations of bullying this week, Hamish Williams and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald talk about why bullying...
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How fear holds us back and how to overcome it
07 August 2022: What are you afraid of in life, and what does it stop you from doing? Hamish Williams and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald talk about the mechanics...
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The relationship between money and mental health
31 July 2022: Money and our relationship with it, looks different for everyone; how we earn it, how we spend it, how we share and how we feel about it is fundamental...
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Lena Watt and Tamsin Wilson: Walking Aotearoa for happiness
24 July 2022: Teenager Lena Watt couldn’t understand why she felt so sad, tired and unmotivated all the time. Finally after four years of feeling “off” she was diagnosed...
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Matt Chisholm: From mental health in the spotlight to a rural view
17 July 2022: Journalist, television host, author and sometimes farmer Matt Chisholm discusses what led him to seek help for his mental health in the height of his...
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Catherine Daniels: Moving trauma through creativity
10 July 2022: The story of Catherine Daniels’ childhood trauma and sexual abuse was kept secret for years. It wasn’t until she was nearly 50 that she realised her...
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Imposter Syndrome: Moving beyond our self-doubt
03 July 2022: It's a common human habit to undervalue ourselves and believe we’re not good enough for our environments, jobs and relationships. Hamish Williams and...
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Dr Murray Heasley: Supporting survivors to speak out
26 June 2022: The Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-based Institutions and Their Supporters is an organisation which gives support and helps to facilitate victims...
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Nicola Hoogenboom: Living with epilepsy
19 June 2022: Nicola Hoogenboom was diagnosed with epilepsy after having a seizure at home and being rushed to hospital. She speaks openly and honestly about her...
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Shalsee Vigeant: The veterinary profession and suicide
13 June 2022: Why do vets have one of the highest rate of suicide of any professional industry in the world? Veterinary doctor Shalsee Vigeant with Hamish Williams...
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Talking about mental health in the workplace
05 June 2022: Our relationship with our jobs can impact all areas of our lives and extend far beyond work hours. Hamish Williams and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald...
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Meg Marshall: Choosing self-worth after childhood trauma
29 May 2022: Meg Marshall grew up in a challenging childhood environment with a mother with mental health issues. Subsequently she was sent to a behavioural school...
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Hunter Wilson aka King Cass: Problem child and meth addict to promoting suicide awareness through hiphop
22 May 2022: Diagnosed with ADHD at age six and medicated until fifteen, Hunter Wilson aka King Cass became familiar with being labelled as a problem child and treated...
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Healing with horses: the mental health benefits of Equine Therapy
15 May 2022: Melissa Malcolm experienced bouts of depression and anxiety over the years which led to treatment, counselling and medication. Through experimentation...
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Walking through the haze of alcoholism to inspiring over $1M of donations to charity
08 May 2022: After turning to alcohol in his mid-thirties, Bryne Gregory lost everything, including his family and home. He came to the Auckland City Mission, which...
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Regret, resentment, forgiveness and mental health
01 May 2022: What happens to us when we hold onto resentments and we’re not able to forgive ourselves or others, or when we haven’t been forgiven? Hamish Williams...
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Psychedelics: The latest revolution in mental health treatment
24 April 2022: With a surge of recent trials and research around psychedelic-assisted therapy for helping long-term psychological conditions like PTSD and depression, psychotherapist...
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Boris Sokratov: The Nutters Club - How it all began
17 April 2022: Usually on the other side of the studio window, the producer and cofounder of The Nutters Club, Boris Sokratov talks with psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald...
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Mental Health 101 - Laying positive foundations
10 April 2022: Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald discuss the cornerstones of good mental health - sleep, food, exercise. With thanks to NZ...
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Bullying: the multilayered causes and effects
03 April 2022: Whether occurring in childhood or through our adult lives and relationships, bullying can have a severe, ongoing effect on our mental health and sense...
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A pandemic of loneliness
27 March 2022: Human connection is an incredibly significant contributor to our physical and mental health, yet we live in an age where digital connection often...
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All about gambling addiction
20 March 2022: What triggers gambling addiction, what are the neurological processes that get you hooked, and what are ways to recover? Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist...
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Mental illness diagnosis: Do they help or hurt?
13 March 2022: How do diagnoses of mental illness affect people? How are they helpful, and how can they become a limitation? How do the diagnoses influence the perspective...
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Looking at mental health in our rural and wider communities
06 March 2022: Where is the existing support for mental health and what are the needs in our communities? Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald...
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Dealing with opposing beliefs in the age of polarisation
27 February 2022: With the anti-mandate protest on the lawns of Parliament entering its third week, Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald talk about...
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Covid-19's youth mental health impact
20 February 2022: The pandemic has had signifiant mental health effects on the general population’s mental health, but what about our young people? Hamish Coleman-Ross...
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The function and dysfunction of anxiety
13 February 2022: Anxiety is our brain and body’s way of managing threats to our safety and wellbeing. The way we react to and learn to manage this natural human...
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Does the Mental Health Act deliver on its promises?
06 February 2022: Is the Mental Health Act working? Does it deliver on its promise? Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald talk to listeners about...
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Transforming destructive habits and enacting positive change
30 January 2022: With the sad news of the death of past guest, Once Were Warriors actor, Pete Smith The Nutters Club looks back and reflects on Smith’s journey....
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Living with change through 2022
23 January 2022: When life bring inevitable moments of change, how can we cope with the flux these times bring? Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald...
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Discovering gratitude through the rollercoaster of 2021
20 December 2021: Even in our darkest days, although it may seem counterintuitive, finding gratitude is a significant tool that can help us move through our hardships...
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Doing Christmas with Covid for 2021
12 December 2021: Christmas can be stressful any year with family tensions, financial strains, alcohol, food and addiction issues heightened. With an added dose...
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Finding mental fortitude through our failures
05 December 2021: Failure happens to all of us in different ways and can cause a great amount of mental and emotional suffering and impact our self-worth negatively. Hamish...
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Growing resilience to face change and crises
28 November 2021: Resilience is the ability to mentally or emotionally cope with a crisis, or return to pre-crisis status quickly. It’s a set of mental processes,...
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Navigating communication with our kids
21 November 2021: Parents are the very first relationships in our lives and profoundly significant attachments in our developmental years. Learning to be parents...
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An epidemic of loneliness amongst a world of digital hyper-connectivity
14 November 2021: Chronic loneliness has the same physical health effects as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald...
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Therapy hesitancy: how to find help that's right for you
07 November 2021: Therapy has the potential to help people make major break-throughs with their mental health, though understandably, some may feel anxious or uncertain...
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Helping ourselves and helping others through challenging times
31 October 2021: Acts of kindness and positive attention of our energies can help us to navigate ongoing challenges we face through pandemic unknowns. Hamish Coleman-Ross...
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The lingering effects of trauma and how we can deal with them
24 October 2021: Past traumatic experiences can inform so much of our mental health, in fact it’s a common reason people end up in therapy. Traumatic childhood...
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Lies, lies, more lies and mental health
17 October 2021: What are the psychological motivation and implications of lies and lying? Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald discuss, not just...
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Lockdown habits: What's healthy and what’s not?
10 October 2021: Life routines have been turned upside down during the pandemic as populations go in and out of lockdown. New habits are formed to adjust to new...
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Grief over pandemic losses
03 October 2021: There have been many losses associated with the pandemic; from lives, jobs and relationships to losing the ability to plan and in many cases the...
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The effect of anxiety of the unknowns
26 September 2021: As uncertainty over Aotearoa’s pandemic response continues, Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald talk about how the anxiety...
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Navigating the liminal space of the pandemic
19 September 2021: The pandemic continues to have many of us live in an daily reality of uncertainty, where the future is unknown. Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist...
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Mental health diagnoses: Help or hinderance?
12 September 2021: For some, a mental health diagnosis can be liberating, relieving and provide a supportive pathway to wellness. For others it can feel more like...
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Lockdown meanderings: Isolation, loneliness and resilience
05 September 2021: As New Zealanders make their way through the third week of the most recent pandemic lockdown, Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald...
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Celebrating our lockdown wins
29 August 2021: Focusing on positives especially through challenging times, supports better mental health and helps to keep anxiety and depression at bay. Hamish...
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Lockdown Mental Health Survival Guide 101
22 August 2021: Hamish Coleman-Ross and psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald check in on people’s experience of the first nationwide full Covid lockdown in over a year. They speak...
