What drives someone to rob a bank and what does it take to rebuild a life after that moment?
In this gripping episode, we sit down with Emily Cooper, a peer advocate and changemaker whose journey from heroin addiction and incarceration to frontline leadership in harm reduction is as raw as it is inspiring.
Emily opens up about the day she walked into a bank and committed a robbery, an act born from desperation and addiction. That moment, and the prison sentence that followed, became the catalyst for a profound transformation. Behind bars, Emily began to confront the trauma and systemic failures that shaped her path, and to imagine a different future - not just for herself, but for others like her.
Now, with a background in counselling, AOD and mental health support, and a BA in Sociology, Emily leads advocacy efforts at QuIVAA’s Peer Qnect, a statewide support service for people who use or have used substances. Her work is grounded in lived experience, community care, and a fierce commitment to justice.
Emily’s story is one of radical accountability, resilience, and reimagining systems that too often punish instead of heal.
Tune in for a conversation that challenges stigma, centres lived expertise, and proves that even the darkest chapters can lead to powerful change.
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On behalf of the Hair Therapist we acknowledge the Turrbal and Jagera people, the traditional custodians of the land on which this podcast is produced.
The topics in this podcast are of general nature, we are not licensed professionals, so if any of the content brings up anything for you, please turn it off and reach out for support:
Lifeline Australia - 13 11 14 - Crisis Support. Suicide Prevention.
13YARN - Call 13 92 76 | 24 /7 Crisis support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Home | 1800RESPECT National Domestic and Sexual Violence Counselling Service
Kids Helpline | Phone Counselling Service | 1800 55 1800
Ask Izzy Search over 450,000 support services
CREDITS:
Host: Melissa Alsemgeest
Guest: Emily Cooper
Editor: Robert Alsemgeest
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