The value of lived experience

*Content warning: This episode includes discussion of self-harm, suicide, and online abuse and may be distressing to some listeners. If it brings up difficult feelings, consider reaching out to someone you trust or a mental health professional for support. You can call or text Need to Talk on 1737 at any time for free, confidential support. In this episode, we're joined by Anna Ashton, a lived experience advisor, who shares her lived experience with digital harm and examines the risks of online spaces, the limitation of social media bans, and the ways in which adults can often underestimate the impact of harmful online experiences can have on taiohi. She also discusses how parents, whānau, practitioners, and the wider community can better support young people to navigate the digital world safely. About our guest: Anna Ashton is a lived experience advisor working with mental health services. She specialises in online harm reduction and provides consultation and training for the health sector, psychoeducation groups for whānau.

In this episode, we talk to Joanne Lawless from Altogether Autism about her personal and professional journey with autism and neurodiversity. She provides historical context on how disability has been understood and offers practical guidance for practitioners working alongside autistic people and their whānau. Joanne also highlights relevant resources, coaching, and workshops available across Aotearoa New Zealand. Joanne Lawless is a facilitator at Altogether Autism, and has extensive experience of autism, both professionally and personally. She is an experienced facilitator in adult learning. Joanne's two adult sons are autistic.

Philleen Dickson is the Ringa Tohutohu Matua – Māori Lead for Te Pou and in this episode she reflects on the impact of trauma, disconnection from whānau and culture, and the healing power of belonging. She explores how reconnecting with whakapapa, supportive relationships and lived experience shaped her path. For clinicians and anyone supporting tamariki, taiohi and whānau, this episode is a moving reminder that sometimes the most transformative intervention is being the one safe person who listens, believes and sees potential beyond a diagnosis.

What happens when we stop asking “What’s wrong with this young person?” and start asking “What’s happening around them?” In this episode, we sit down with Tai Bennett, Youth Consumer Advisor at Whāraurau, to explore what it truly means to centre the voices of taiohi in mental health care. Drawing on both lived experience and professional expertise, Tai challenges us to reflect on power, trust, bias, and the assumptions we bring into our work. Today's young people are growing up in a very different world, shaped by new pressures, changing environments, and complex systems. This conversation invites us to listen with curiosity and reconsider whose knowledge we value when supporting young people and their whānau. From lived experience and cultural perspectives to trust, relationships, and genuine partnership, Tai reminds us of a simple but powerful principle: nothing for us without us. Whether you're working directly with children and young people or helping shape services around them, this episode offers valuable insights into creating care that is more responsive, respectful, and centred on the voices of taiohi.

In this episode, we speak with Dr Charlotte Moore, Kaiwhakahaere of Vine (Violence Information Aotearoa). Charlotte shares the story behind Vine, how the organisation connects people with trusted research and resources, and why access to knowledge is critical for practitioners, policymakers and communities. The conversation also explores the wellbeing of children and young people and the ongoing debate surrounding youth access to social media. Charlotte Moore is Kaiwhakahaere at Vine. Her PhD in sociology at Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland examined the National-led government’s social investment approach and its impact on social services in Aotearoa. She has also worked in research and violence prevention with WAVES Trust and contributed to national tangata whenua advisory and working groups across the family violence and sexual violence sectors.