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October 13, 2024 7 mins

Jack talks to Christian about his appearance on The Imperfects podcast where he opens up on his struggles with post-natal depression. It's a remarkable and vulnerable new episode that's well worth a listen! Warning: this episode deals with mental health issues - if you're struggling, help is available - speak with someone today at Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Christ Yeah, Welcome friends to the Christian O'Connell show podcast.

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Jackie Boy, tell me how you feel in today? This
is an interesting and exciting moment for you. Jack's got
an interview on a podcast, a brilliant podcast, one of
the biggest ones in Australia called Imperfect and Jack is
a very deserved special guest on the brand new episode
out today.

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Thank you for saying. Man, If I'm honest, I have
a not in my stomach right now about it coming out.
It's a podcast I love. It's very vulnerable and open,
and I'm very happy to listen to other people be vulnerable
and open. But when it's you in that hot seat,
it's a very different experience, and I guess to that
I'm worried about just what the reaction would be for

(00:39):
people hearing it for the first time. I've spoken a
little bit about on this show about what I went
through when Gordon was born and I struggled with postnatal
depression and it was something that I didn't know what
it was at the time. I was very confused about
what was going on. It was very hard for me
to come into the show. It was a difficult period

(01:00):
of my life. And it's one thing to speak on
this show for ten minutes about it, but it's another
thing to sit down with those boys and speak at
length for over an hour about everything I've been through
over the last two years with Gordy and I don't
know you've been on the show. How did you feel
when it was coming out?

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Terrified? Really really terrified, you know when I went on,
and they do a great podcast and they're really friendly guys,
But honestly, when you go into this room, it's like
an interrogation room, and it's not them. It's just that
it's black curtains everywhere, and then there's lights in front
of you, then there's cameras, and so it's one thing
to like write a vulnerable post or even you know,

(01:40):
write a book that I did a couple of years
ago about having panic attacks, then to go in there
and talk about it for about two hours right being recorded.
You're being vulnerable as well. You're aware that people are
going to be able to watch me cry, not just
hear it. Yes, and it's all happening in there gently
basically an open heart surgery.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
It's like the integratory irrigation scenes out of Sas, except
they're not yelling at you. They're going tell me your
deepest keep going, story.

Speaker 2 (02:06):
Going, keep going, and it's I found it. I feared
what people would think about me, and actually, I think,
what really is going on? Actually you're not worried about
other people think about There's still probably some shame around it.
There was so many a couple of years ago when
it came out and I actually found it. It was
equivalent to a couple of years of therapy. I feared
judgment Jack, and all I got was so many emails

(02:27):
still getting today about my episode two odd years ago.
I just got more and more connection because actually you
realize the more vulnerable you are, the deeper we connect
to people. And I've heard Jack's episode. I heard it
last week. It is incredible. This is a story of healing,
and you bravely go to heal. There was a loss
and a longing that you were feeling in your heart
for what happened when your son was bored. And it

(02:47):
will help people hear in this. They will I think
you'll normalize what it's like when we have tough times
in life, and no matter how you try and build
your life, to try and fly under the radio where
tough times won't come for you, they will. You're going
to find yourself from Tomas. You're going to find yourself
one day waking up and it feels like there's a
dark forest in your life and you don't know the
how a you're going to get out. Then you don't
even know how to go back to how it was.

(03:08):
And so the best thing you can do about that
is you've shared your story now. I mean, where you
are now is a magical pas karaoke with Gordon.

Speaker 1 (03:17):
Yeah, I know it's I'm a hugely different person who
I was two years ago in that moment. And that
is one of the feelings you feel when you struggling
with mental health or depression, is you feel so lonely
and isolated. You honestly feel like you are the only
person who feels this way. And the strange feelings I

(03:38):
had when I became a dad for the first time,
and you and pattern with lots of people I love
in my life who are parents, were saying, you'll love
Gordy so much, or you'll meet this new baby who
comes into your life and you'll love them like you've
never loved anything before. So I felt really strange when
that love and connection didn't come straight away from me,

(04:00):
and that made me feel really ashamed and made me
feel really isolated and a very difficult thing to talk about.
And it took me a long time to open up
to people in my family. It took me a long
time to and I thank god I finally told you
as well, because I was coming in here every day
pretending that I was fine, and I wasn't fine. So

(04:22):
we had a lot of long chats in this studio
after the show, and I'm very thankful for those conversations,
and it helped me realize that by talking about it,
you'd lift a lot of that shame off. And when
I talked about it for the first time on this
show and I got instead of people feeling like that
was a weird thing, I got a lot of messages

(04:44):
of support or messages of saying, hey, I went through this,
or my husband went through this, or my partner went
through this, and you're right, it only built connection.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Yeah, And I'm an order of you what you've been through, Jack,
And also what a gift is When you've been through
a tough time and you heal and you grow, it
doesn't diminish you it actually makes you more of you.
You're you're a you're a more loving, open empathetic person
because of what happened to you. And when I heard
the interview right and I ased you order to hear
it today, right, this is a joyful story Jack. It's

(05:18):
like you had a tough time and then you went
and got help. Something wasn't right, and you actually did
the brave thing that most people don't want to do,
is you want you wanted to go and face yourself
whatever was there, and actually sit down opposite yourself and
work out what is happening here, what's going on? And
then you grew through it and actually, you know what,
I know. You know a couple of weeks ago, when
you first invited to go on, you must have thought

(05:38):
about saying no.

Speaker 1 (05:39):
I did, like, screw that definitely the first thought when
the invite came in.

Speaker 2 (05:43):
Yeah that no, No, an invitation to be vulnerable. No
fary easier to let your other people on the radio
about the importance of being vitable read my book. I
don't want to go and talk about it again. I'm
scared of being vulnerable, I said. He realized my wife
is going so let me restrang you. You've written a
book about the power of vulnerable. Yes, you talk about
it on the radio, but you don't want to go
and be vulnerable. No, but you expect other people to

(06:05):
be vulnerable. But you've done it, Jack, And what you
get throughout the whole chat with the boys is your
deep love for Gordon and your amazing wife as well.
Be glad, Oh my god. It shines through right a
from the beginning. And also because it's our boy, Jackie boy,
this is a very funny chat as well, all of
Jack is there. You will get something from the interview.

(06:25):
It's called the Imperfect, and I think it's a great title.
Sometimes we feel that we're broken and flawed in life,
but you're not. It's messy, it's hard being a human,
and sometimes the best thing we can do is share
those messy, hard stories where we feel like we're coming undone.
But you weren't coming undone. It was actually just you
were breaking through to the new Jack post. And as

(06:46):
I sit in front of you now, even us having
this conversation, Jack and I last week went for a
walk and sat on a bench talking about how you
might feel today and over the next couple of days.
But I think you might be surprised by the messages
you get as people will hear your story. It's a
beautiful story, mate, and I am in awe of the
people that you may never even meet, who are who

(07:06):
are going to get something from that chat chat so
well done. It's one thing to go through and grow
through it, and then to go and talk about it
for a long time with those boys and share it
with wait, the entire country and the world. That's some
real powerful vulnerability. So good on you, mate, You're a
shining example of what it is to be a man
to Gordon as well.

Speaker 1 (07:24):
Oh, I appreciate it, and I appreciate the ongoing support
and even right up until the point where I did
the interview where you walked me from the radio station
here in Richmond to their studios in Collingwood, like mum
dropping me up at school on my first day of
being vulnerable, Your mum, what could you call me that?
I really appreciate the supply.

Speaker 2 (07:45):
I love our friendship, and I am in awe of
what you're what you're doing as well and showing up
for yourself and other people. Jack. It's called the imperfects.
Wherever you get your podcasts you'll find it. Check it
out The Christian Connell Show podcast
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