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October 27, 2025 44 mins

In part one, Jacob laid bare a childhood shaped by addiction, abuse, and abandonment, where every system meant to protect him became another chapter in a long story of survival. Now, in part two, we go deeper.

 

Jacob returns to speak with Mel about what happens after the trauma is named but not yet healed. From the revolving doors of juvenile detention and incarceration to the daily grind of homelessness, Jacob’s journey reveals how stigma, policy, and poverty intersect and how hard it is to find footing when the ground keeps shifting.

 

This conversation is not about closure. It’s about complexity. About what it means to carry your past while trying to build a future. About the systems that still fail and the people who refuse to be defined by them.

 

Jacob’s voice is raw, reflective, and resolute. And his story reminds us: hope isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s just the quiet decision to keep going.

 

 

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: Jacob

Editor: Robert Alsemgeest

 

GET IN TOUCH:      

https://linktr.ee/InfectiousBehaviour



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