story

We’re not here to bore you, we’re here to support you. What we offer can be labeled many things. How about we just have a good day?

the.Tenets*

listen.First1


We start by listening deeply.

difficult.Is.Good2


The resistance we feel can be our greatest teacher.

we.Stop3


Sometimes you just need to pump the breaks.

dave.2024*

If you’ve made it this far, maybe you're searching for something more…

There’s a day from my teenage years that’s still etched in my memory. I’d been battling severe depression and insomnia for what felt like an eternity. I came home from a grueling day at school, closed the blinds, booted up my PC, and put on my headphones. I turned the volume all the way up and cried in the darkness, for hours. I cried because I believed things would never get better, and that no force could intervene.

Over time, my struggles with mental health would bring my life to a standstill, repeatedly, in painful ways. I navigated the fringes of the mental health system for years, but things kept getting worse. Eventually, I was hospitalised after a severe manic episode that left my family, friends, and even the doctors baffled. What followed was a long, wobbly journey filled with soul-crushing lows and moments of wild intensity.

I’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a lifelong mental illness. But that’s just a part of my story—it doesn’t define who I am. Yes, life is tough at times, but no one gets through it unscathed.

After a career as an engineer in the renewable energy industry, I decided to pivot into mental health. While the fields may seem different, both align with my core value of public service. I wanted to be there for people in their hardest moments, so I earned my Cert IV in Mental Health (Peer Work), worked as a Peer Worker for two years, and then project-managed at the Centre for Mental Health Learning (Royal Melbourne Hospital) for another year. Now, I’m here, talking to you.

More precisely, I’m helping build Peer St — a mental health service led by lived experience, operating under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). But Peer St isn’t your typical support coordination service. It’s a place where we meet you where you are, and work with you in the context of your own life. Our goal isn’t to pass you through a system, but to help you build a sustainable support network that functions with or without us. And just as importantly, I want Peer St to be a place that lifts the lives of everyone who’s part of it.

What's your story? Want to chat? Click the button below.