Take It From Us with Kent Johns

At 22, Tai Tupou learned that the man who raised him wasn't his biological father. He told no one. For three years he isolated himself, burned bridges and had no idea he was living with depression — until a colleague asked him a simple question. Twice.

In this episode, Tai — founder of the The Last Chance Project and a mental health advocate of 14 years — talks about growing up in a Samoan household where you only ...

Five years ago, Meg Vardy was a UK-based researcher studying treatment for anorexia. What most of her colleagues didn't know: she'd been living with anorexia herself for 15 years.

She's since stepped away from academia to launch JourneyED, a Dunedin-based charity offering free peer support to people across Aotearoa navigating eating disorders — because, in her words, no one should have to go through it alone.

This week on Take ...

"Who the f*** you really are underneath all the other shit." That's the question Rob Brown puts to every man he coaches — and it's the one he couldn't answer himself for most of his life. Two businesses built and lost, a marriage that ended and a throat cancer diagnosis at 45 - Rob finally sat down with it.

In this episode, Rob takes Kent through the anger that surfaced the day after his father's funeral, the "I'm not going to...

"I'm a catastrophiser," admits Grant Robertson, New Zealand's former Deputy Prime Minister. 

It's a confession that sits behind a high-profile political career — years of COVID decisions, and eventually, a panic attack he didn't see coming. As pressure mounted for him to take over from Jacinda Ardern, Grant was ready to reluctantly say yes, until one sentence from his partner Alf stopped him cold. 

In this episode, Gr...

Blain Collinge was once the reason his parents started Red Door Recovery — refusing help, deep in addiction, with "no desire to change." Over a decade later, he co-leads the very organisation built to save him.

Justine Hamill came to Red Door after her own relapse and recovery, bringing a background in psychotherapy and yoga. Together, they now run a 24/7 recovery service in Upper Hutt — and they don't do it from behind ...

She took her first drink at 14 — and for a moment, everything made sense.

Suzy Morrison chased that feeling for years, through other substances and eventually heroin, before it nearly cost her everything. She's been in recovery since 1987 — not as an endpoint, but as an ongoing practice she's still learning. 

Now a counsellor and clinical supervisor, Suzy sits down with Kent to talk honestly about what actually pulls...

Jamie Summers thought he was invincible. At 39, working in construction, high stress and no downtime felt like just part of the job.

Then he had a stroke.

Six and a half years later, he's still living with it — fatigue that doesn't let up, and a mental health toll he doesn't sugarcoat.

Now co-founder of Health15, Jamie goes onto construction sites testing workers' blood pressure and checking for atrial fibrillation. The numbers ...

Heidi McIlroy teaches kids who can't make it into a regular classroom. They're too anxious, struggling with their mental health, autistic - kids who carry shame because they think they're broken.

She gets it because she's been there. Years of agoraphobia, hiding it, convinced something was wrong with her.

So she created a book called "This Is How It Feels". It's not advice or expert opinions. It's just real people explaining what the...

A different kind of episode this week. Host Kent recently slept rough for one night at the Big Sleepout. He bedded down on cardboard at the AUT campus, part of a group of 70 community leaders raising funds and awareness for people experiencing homelessness in Auckland.

One night. Terrible sleep. But he was safe, fed, warm and dry. Which made him realise something: people living on the streets don't get that. They go to bed not knowi...

Joe Daymond is a Kiwi comedian who makes you laugh about the hard stuff - the things most of us hide. He talks about things like mental health and relationships on stage in a way that makes people feel less alone.

He's had low times, including two periods where he slept rough in his car for a bit. The first time in 2018, nobody knew. The second time three years later, after he'd already been on TV. He didn't tell his closest friends...

Todd Muller was elected leader of the National Party in May 2020, a tantalising final step towards achieving a boyhood dream of one day being Prime Minister. 

Within five days, he was experiencing waves of anxiety he'd never felt before - panic attacks so severe he could barely get through speeches, the words on the page constantly moving and disappearing.

After 53 days, he stepped down as leader. He spent the next three years t...

Chris Bowden lost 5 friends to suicide when he was a young man. He coped badly - drinking, drugs, anger, violence, getting into fights. He was spiralling.

A university lecturer noticed something wasn't right and pointed Chris toward help. That counsellor changed his life.

Now Chris is a researcher passionate about understanding how young men grieve suicide loss. His PhD research revealed something crucial: men don't grieve wrong - th...

Melanie Rauth grew up in Australia. When her parents separated at 13, she started making different choices - cannabis, the wrong crowd, trouble at school. She had her daughter and in 2010 they moved to New Zealand.

Rural isolation and methamphetamine came next. Her life spiralled into crime and five prison stints between 2017 and 2021.

But on her last arrest, her young daughter had had enough of empty promises. "Show me," she said, a...

Dave Burnside started drinking at eight. He was drawn into the gang scene and drugs in Auckland. Multiple prison sentences followed - he was angry, railing against the system.

Then one day in Spring Hill Prison, a man from his past appeared at his cell door. Another Dave, someone just like him - gangs, drugs, the same story. But this Dave had found recovery and peace.

Dave didn't remember the words, but he remembered the feeling. "I ...

In 2026, Auckland man Shelwin Khan is thriving as a peer support worker and lived experience advisor. But it wasn't always like this.

Shelwin started drinking at 13. By his mid-20s he was, by his own admission, 'unemployable', had three stints in rehab he never completed, and wanted to end his life. He wanted to join the '27 Club' - a pop culture reference to a string of celebrities who died tragically at that age.

Instead, he got so...

Lotta Dann is a well-known author and advocate in the addiction recovery space. This year marks 15 years since her last drink.

Six years ago, Lotta had a second awakening - this time about diet culture. She'd found a guru with strict rules: no snacking, weigh everything, eliminate flour and sugar. She lost over 15 kilos and the world loved her skinny body. The praise was intoxicating.

Then the binging started - hiding her eating, ter...

Dean Clarkson established Wana Charitable Trust in 2024 to help men and their families who've suffered family violence. Based in Takanini, South Auckland, Dean provides safe housing, group therapy, and one-on-one coaching.

Dean spent 20 years in an abusive relationship - psychological abuse that escalated to physical violence. He ended up in a Pak'nSave car park in Mangere spitting blood, never once considering walking across the ro...

Freddie Bennett co-founded Bay Paediatrics in Tauranga, and in his words, is leading the neurodiversity revolution.

Less than 10 years ago, Freddie had the Porsche, the Rolex, the corporate life in the UK. From the outside, it looked like success. Inside, he was falling apart - stressed, depressed, seeking escape.

When his dad died suddenly, Freddie spent six months drinking away his sorrows. Then one morning, he looked in the mirror...

Kevin Hollingsworth is a clinical practitioner, addiction counsellor, and executive director of Mana Enhancing Stop Group in Rotorua. He's been in recovery from methamphetamine addiction for over 16 years.

Kevin started using cannabis at six. He transitioned to methamphetamine. In the grip of addiction, the desire to use was stronger than the desire to live. He was arrested 29 times and spent two and a half years in prison.

Fast forw...