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Guest Lyndal Midgley spoke about growing up first on a remote Northland farm before moving to Auckland’s North Shore as a child. While her early years were idyllic, she described her teenage years as deeply turbulent, shaped by family conflict, emotional isolation and a growing mental health struggle. At just 15 years old, she overdosed at a Blue Light disco, an event she says became a turning point in her life.
“I remember the feeling of shame,” she recalled, describing how the incident became widely known at school and church, yet little emotional support followed. Despite the trauma, Midgley completed high school and later studied business and tourism, persevering through academic setbacks to earn two diplomas.
The conversation explored how those early experiences eventually led Midgley toward helping others. After years working in accounting and IT, she unexpectedly became a foster parent after a teenage neighbour asked to live with her and her then-husband. That experience introduced her to the realities of neurodiversity, youth trauma and the complexities of New Zealand’s mental health and care systems.
Over time, Midgley became heavily involved in mental health advocacy and education, eventually teaching Mental Health First Aid courses across New Zealand. She explained the training focuses on helping everyday people recognise distress, respond empathetically and safely support someone experiencing a mental health crisis.
“A lot of it is learning how to listen to understand, rather than listening to respond,” she said during the programme.
Midgley also discussed the importance of directly asking someone if they are suicidal when warning signs are present, a conversation many people fear having. She stressed that empathy, calmness and genuine presence can make an enormous difference during moments of crisis.
Alongside her mental health work, Midgley now volunteers as a first responder with ambulance services, motivated in part by gratitude toward the paramedics who saved her life after her teenage overdose.
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