Unstable Australia

30/08/2026

“But you chose the job.”

It’s something I hear surprisingly often whenever mental health in policing is discussed.

“You knew what you were signing up for.”

“This is what you chose.”

And you know what?

They’re right. I did choose it.

Thousands of police officers around Australia chose it too. But I’ve always found it interesting that we rarely seem to apply the same logic elsewhere.

We don’t look at a paramedic struggling after years of attending horrific crashes and say, “Well, you chose to be an ambo.”

We don’t look at a firefighter affected by what they’ve witnessed and say, “That’s what you signed up for.”

We recognise the sacrifices made by our Defence personnel, including the psychological injuries that can come from their service.

And rightly so.

So why, when it comes to police, does the conversation so often become:

Suck it up. You chose this.

Yes. We did. We chose to walk towards situations everyone else was running from.

We chose to knock on the door and tell a parent their child wasn’t coming home.

We chose to stand between violent people and their victims.

We chose to attend the suicides, the fatal crashes, the domestic violence, the abused children, the murders and the countless scenes most people will thankfully never witness.

But choosing the uniform doesn’t make someone immune to what they see while wearing it.

And choosing a profession where trauma is foreseeable is not the same as consenting to psychological injury.

The uncomfortable reality is that most of the community will never truly know how much darkness exists around them.

And perhaps that’s actually a good thing.

Because while people sleep, raise their kids, go to work and live their lives without ever having to see it, there are men and women out there dealing with the things we hope never reach our front door.

They chose that job. Thank God they did.

Because imagine, just for a moment, a country where nobody did.

Maybe instead of asking why a police officer couldn’t “handle what they signed up for”, we should start asking what we can do for the people who spent their careers handling it for us.

The thin blue line isn’t made of steel 💙

29/08/2026

Thursday night was an amazing success. To be in a room of like minded people from so many different organisations was actually quite intimidating! These people are quietly battling systems and processes daily to try and help men and boys to get the help they need and deserve. From youth workers, men’s support groups, even a couple of ex 1%’ers who now dedicated their lives to youth work, incredible. I felt completely out of my depth and yet everyone was so respectful and welcoming. I don’t know where this journey leads me, but I’m glad and proud to be along for the ride 💙 a massive thank you to Rowan Holzberger MP for bringing everyone together, I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish moving forward

27/08/2026

We talk a lot about reaching out when you’re struggling.

But there’s a problem with that.

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t finding someone who cares.

It’s finding the words to tell them you’re not okay.

Conversation Before Crisis is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

What if we made it easier to start the conversation before someone reaches breaking point?

Before the crisis.

Before the intervention.

Before “I wish I knew.”

Not everything needs to be a hotline, an appointment or a massive conversation.

Sometimes people just need a way to say:

“Hey… I could use someone right now.”

I’ve been quietly working on something built around that idea.

It’s simple.

It’s different.

And hopefully, it makes starting that conversation just a little bit easier.

More soon. 🟢

Conversation Before Crisis.

25/08/2026

Some of you may remember a while ago (in one of my spirals), I sent off emails calling out the lack of support for mental health. One of those emails was to Rowan Holzberger MP who took the time to genuinely reply to me and even offered a chance to meet and chat. From there Rowan has organised a community meeting around mental health and I’m honoured to say I’ve been invited to network with others this Thursday. I’m so passionate about mental health work and hopefully I can make some connections with like minded people.

Please also know I was put on the spot for a video, I thought it was only going to be a picture 😂 I guess it’s true what they say, the camera adds 10kg and 15 years 😜

20/08/2026

18/08/2026

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve never really been a big fan of cardio. Lately though I’ve been trying to incorporate it into my routine in an attempt to be a little healthier. My goal is to participate (not compete 😂) in a triathlon next year - when I say triathlon please think of the shortest distances possible 😂 today was a 5km run and I know it isn’t a blistering pace but it’s something to work with!

13/08/2026

I was thinking about homework today and maybe I’m completely off the mark here, but hear me out.

As adults, we’ve literally had legislation introduced giving workers the Right to Disconnect.

We’ve recognised that there needs to be a boundary between work and home. That constantly being available isn’t healthy. That people need time to switch off, spend time with their families, pursue hobbies, exercise, or sometimes just sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing.

Yet our kids spend around six hours at school, using little brains that are still developing, and then we send them home and expect them to do more schoolwork.

And it got me wondering;

What are we actually teaching them?

Are we teaching them good study habits and responsibility?

Or are we unintentionally teaching them that being finished for the day doesn’t actually mean you’re finished?

That there’s always something else you should be doing.

That relaxing when there’s work available to be done is somehow lazy.

That productivity is more important than switching off.

Because I remember coming home from work absolutely exhausted. The last thing I wanted to do was open the laptop and do another hour of work.

And I was an adult.

Kids come home tired too.

Maybe instead of homework some afternoons, what they actually need is to ride their bike. Kick a footy. Play video games. Talk absolute rubbish with Mum or Dad.

Or maybe just lie on the couch and decompress after their day.

I’m not saying homework has no place and I’m definitely not pretending I know the answer.

I just wonder whether, in a world where adults are finally starting to recognise the importance of boundaries, burnout and switching off we should be teaching those lessons before our kids ever enter the workforce.

Maybe learning how to rest is just as important as learning how to work.

What do you reckon?

11/08/2026

Ever feel like life is giving you every possible direction at once?

Go. Stop. Wait. Try something different. Keep pushing. Give it time. Turn around. Start again.

That’s probably the best way I can describe where I’m at lately.

I’ve thrown myself into a lot of things over the past year. Some have worked, some haven’t, and some I genuinely have no idea about yet.

I’ve applied for more jobs than I can count and heard very little back. I’ve built things I genuinely believed in that haven’t gained the traction I hoped they would. Even Unstable has felt a little quieter lately, and I’d be lying if I said there weren’t moments where I wonder whether I’m heading in the right direction, or even if I should keep posting on here.

But this isn’t a “poor me” post.

I actually think this is just one of those weird stages of life that we don’t talk about enough.

The stage where nothing is necessarily wrong, but nothing quite feels like it’s moving either.

Where you’re doing all the things you’re supposed to do, but you’re not getting much feedback from the universe to tell you whether you should keep going, change direction, or scrap the entire map altogether. 😂

And maybe that’s okay.

I don’t have some inspirational ending for this one. I haven’t suddenly figured out what I’m supposed to be doing.

I’m just figuring it out as I go.

And I reckon there are probably plenty of people quietly standing at their own intersection wondering exactly the same thing.

So if that’s you too — you’re certainly not the only one.

For now, I guess we just Embrace the Chaos 💙

07/08/2026

This is something I’ve learned to accept, that not everyone will speak positively about me - usually though there is a story behind it all 💙

29/07/2026

Today is another heartbreaking reminder that sometimes tragedy reaches a point where there are no winners. Two innocent children have lost their lives, a family has been torn apart, and an entire community is left asking how this could happen.

We don’t yet know every detail, and it’s important not to jump to conclusions. But if this case does involve someone who was experiencing a profound mental health crisis, then it should remind us that mental health doesn’t discriminate. It can affect mothers, fathers, police officers, tradies, teachers—anyone.

This isn’t about excusing actions or ignoring the victims. The children are, and always will be, the greatest tragedy here.

It’s about asking whether we’re doing enough to recognise when someone is quietly falling apart before they reach a crisis. We invest heavily in responding after tragedies, but we also need to keep asking how we identify, support and intervene earlier.

My thoughts are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking event.

Be kind. Check in on your people. Sometimes the hardest battles are the ones nobody else can see 🤍