Why Do I Feel This Way?

This episode contains lived-experience discussion of traumatic birth, postnatal depression and anxiety, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, addiction and recovery, and restrictive eating, and includes strong language. Kate's friend Tara Hall joins Kate DeAraugo and Claudia Coy for an honest conversation about the gap between the motherhood she saw on TikTok and the one she actually lived. Tara takes us through a traumatic birth: induced at 41 weeks, a forceps delivery that became an emergency caesarean, and waking up alone with her newborn after a general anaesthetic. Three weeks later she moved away from everyone she knew. On the outside she was going to the gym and catching up with friends; inside she was dissociating, controlling every routine, waking her daughter 20 times a night to check she was breathing, and faking it. It took two years, and a full-blown panic attack, before a doctor finally heard her and diagnosed postpartum anxiety and depression. She talks about recovery, childhood patterns and learning to let her daughter struggle, while Kate shares the intrusive thoughts she had after her first baby and the postnatal depression she didn't recognise after her second. There's honesty about the parts of parenting that are just plain boring, and Tara's advice for any new mum who doesn't feel okay: reach out, advocate for yourself, and know your best years are yet to come. This conversation reflects lived experience, not medical advice. Huge thanks to Tara Hall for joining us. Follow Tara: @tarahall Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare . aurorahealth.com.au If this brings anything up for you: PANDA National Perinatal Mental Health Helpline: 1300 726 306 Lifeline: 13 11 14

This episode contains lived-experience discussion of childhood abuse, family violence, young motherhood, addiction and religious trauma, and includes strong language and sexual references. Australian Idol and Young Divas star Emily Williams joins Kate DeAraugo and Claudia Coy for a reunion more than 20 years in the making. There's plenty to revisit from the Idol years and Young Divas, but Emily's story began long before Australia knew her voice. Growing up in South Auckland, Emily talks about childhood, church, music and becoming a young mum. She takes us back to working as a forklift driver, almost missing her Australian Idol audition, and suddenly finding herself in a Grand Final alongside Kate. The two remember the Opera House, life inside Young Divas, and some of the stories that have followed them ever since. Emily also opens up about rebuilding her career, performing in The Bodyguard in the UK, relationships, healing and what happened when she began questioning the Christianity she'd known for 37 years. There's honesty, a lot of laughter, and even a bit of unfinished business over Kate's Australian Idol single, Maybe Tonight. Huge thanks to Emily Williams for joining us. Follow Emily: @emilyurbandiva Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare . aurorahealth.com.au

This episode contains lived-experience discussion of addiction, alcohol and other drug use, childhood sexual abuse, family relationships, treatment and recovery. Season Partner: Aurora Healthcare Belinda Walsh returns to Why Do I Feel This Way? with Kate DeAraugo and Claudia Coy to unpack what an intervention actually looks like — and why helping someone with addiction often starts with the people who love them. Drawing on four decades working in addiction treatment, Belinda talks about the way addiction affects entire families, the difference between blame and support, and the practical steps behind her approach to interventions. From choosing the right people and writing letters to planning treatment and navigating the first days afterwards, she takes the conversation well beyond what most people have seen on television. They also discuss the myth of waiting for “rock bottom”, treatment options, harm reduction, long-term recovery and the difficulties of accessing care. Towards the end, Kate shares her own family's experience and reflects with Belinda on what changed during the years she was struggling with addiction. Huge thanks to Belinda Walsh for joining us again. Belinda / Sober Living Rehab: soberlivingrehab.com.au With thanks to Equana Minds . equanaminds.com.au National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline — 1800 250 015

This episode contains lived-experience discussion of relationship conflict, infidelity, substance use and emotionally unsafe or abusive relationships. Relationship coach Louisa Josem joins Kate and Claudia to unpack attachment styles, why we repeat the same relationship patterns, and why something that feels like intense chemistry isn’t always the same thing as safety. Louisa breaks down anxious, avoidant and secure attachment, how those patterns can develop, and whether they can actually change. They get into the stories we tell ourselves when someone doesn’t text back, why we can keep choosing the same kind of partner, and what it looks like to build more security in ourselves and our relationships. The conversation also covers reassurance, texting and social media expectations, nervous system regulation, boundaries, intimacy, authenticity, red flags, chasing the honeymoon-period high, infidelity — and whether people can actually change. This episode is proudly supported by Equana Minds , an online psychology and counselling service that helps you get matched on what matters, to find the right therapist for you. Sessions are available in over 25 languages, with flexible telehealth wherever you are. Find out more and get matched at equanaminds.com.au . Huge thanks to Louisa Josem for joining us. Instagram: @unlearnwithlouisa TikTok: @unlearnwithlouisa Website: unlearnwithlouisa.com Podcast: Unlearn with Louisa Support: 1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732 Text — 0458 737 732 Immediate danger — 000 Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare . aurorahealth.com.au

This episode contains lived-experience discussion of grief, regret, ageing, addiction recovery and mental health. Rod Coy joins Kate and Claudia to tell the story of the bike trip he never forgot. At 23, Rod set off to cycle across Europe, only to abandon the journey in Italy after falling in love. Fifty years later, at 73, he went back to finish it. What starts as an adventure story becomes something much deeper: regret, second chances, the goodbye he always carried, and the search to reconnect with Juliana decades later. Rod talks about returning to places he hadn’t seen since he was young, what it meant to finally complete the ride, and how the trip forced him to look more honestly at the man he used to be. The conversation then opens out into ageing, purpose, recovery, and the emotional moment Rod realises what he would say to his younger self — and that maybe, in a strange way, he finally got to say it. It’s a bloody lovely episode about memory, love, getting older and making peace with your own life. Huge thanks to Rod Coy for joining us. Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare . aurorahealth.com.au

This episode contains lived-experience discussion of childhood trauma, out-of-home care, homelessness and housing instability, domestic abuse and mental health struggles. In Part 2, Karise Eden picks up her story at the point where everything changed — winning the first season of The Voice Australia in 2012. Karise takes Kate and Claudia through what happened immediately after the win: contracts, management, press, touring, suddenly becoming recognisable and trying to build a stable home after years without one. She talks about buying her first furniture, getting her own keys, eventually buying a home, and what happened to her mental health once the noise around The Voice began to settle. The conversation moves into motherhood, surviving an abusive relationship, meeting her husband, trust, family and the life they have built together. Karise talks about breaking cycles for her own children, returning to education after leaving school young, studying veterinary technology and continuing to perform — including taking her Janis Joplin show Tell Mama on tour. Huge thanks to Karise Eden for trusting us with her story. Follow Karise: @kariseedenmusic Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare . aurorahealth.com.au

CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains lived-experience discussion of childhood abuse and neglect, foster care, homelessness, addiction, violence and mental health struggles. Before Australia knew Karise Eden through The Voice , her life looked very different. Karise joins Kate and Claudia to talk about the years before the show — her childhood, entering the foster-care and refuge system, periods of homelessness, disrupted schooling and the role music began to play when very little else in her life felt stable. In Part 1, Karise takes us through that life before The Voice and into the extraordinary chain of events that eventually put her on the blind-audition stage. She talks about discovering music, sleeping rough, the youth program that helped open a door, the blind audition itself and the intense experience of working with Seal once the cameras started rolling. Huge thanks to Karise Eden for trusting us with her story. Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare . aurorahealth.com.au

This episode contains lived-experience discussion of anxiety, depression, prescribed medication, alcohol use, bullying, body image and mental health struggles. Mitchell Coombs joins Kate and Claudia for a very funny, very honest chat about anxiety, burnout, being chronically online and somehow making a career out of being perceived when, as a kid, he wanted the exact opposite. Mitch takes us from growing up in Bogan Gate to going viral, appearing on Sunrise and eventually working on the Kyle and Jackie O Show. He talks about what Kyle and Jackie are really like off air, the Virgin Mary video controversy, radio burnout and what was happening behind the scenes when things blew up. The conversation also gets into therapy, antidepressants, drinking, ADHD, relationships, Wednesday Wanders, why “wellness is fucking boring”, and building his podcast Escape Goat after being told nobody wanted to hear his voice on radio. Huge thanks to Mitchell Coombs for joining us. Follow Mitch: @mitchellcoombs Escape Goat: @EscapeGoatPodcast Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare . aurorahealth.com.au

Kate and Claudia are back for Season 5, starting with an honest catch-up about where life has really taken them. Kate opens up about recognising that her mental health had slipped, coming close to relapse, and making the decision to ask for help and return to rehab — despite still being clean and sober. She reflects on grief, motherhood, recovery, and what it looks like to ask for support before things completely fall apart. Claudia shares her experience of her eating disorder resurfacing, losing herself in unhealthy relationship patterns, learning to be alone, and slowly discovering a different understanding of love, faith and self-worth. An open conversation about vulnerability, recovery, mental health, and starting again. Content note: This episode contains lived-experience discussion of addiction, relapse risk, rehabilitation, grief, eating disorders, purging, compulsive exercise, relationships, and mental health struggles. Season 5 is presented by Aurora Healthcare. https://aurorahealth.com.au

How would you manage your recovery? Today's guest has turned a lifetime of battles into purpose by helping others..... but with her own twist and an open mind. So sit back and relax and remember - this is not medical or psychological advice, this information is for entertainment purposes only. If you, or someone you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.

Addiction doesn't just effect the individual, it's something that impacts many people, on many levels. In this chat, we talk to the sweetest, most delightful couple who's story started with addiction, but has blossomed into a lifetime of faith, purpose, love and helping others. If you, or anyone that you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14

Have you ever had problems discussing the things you want... in the bedroom? Mental health and sex, are two topics we've never talked about on the pod. You talk about these sorts of things with your friends, but sometimes you just don't talk about sex with the person you're sharing your bed with. So join us as we get between the sheets and talk sex with a professional.

We took a big break. Turns out we both needed it. In this episode we detail what we've been up to over the last few months and why we needed some space. If you, or anyone you know is struggling, call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.

With a mother supplying drugs, multiple home invasions and a police raid, Hope was surrounded by addiction and abuse throughout her entire childhood - but she refuses to let that define who she is today. This is a story of recovery, resilience and breaking generational addiction. If you, or anyone that you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14. Hope Richards TikTok: @hoperichards94

Ben Besant was the tactical officer who shot and killed terrorist Man Monis in the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege. However for a decade he was only publicly referred to as "Officer A" due to a suppression order from the government. In part 2 of our chat with Ben, he details the moments he shared with Katrina Dawson as she passed in the Lindt Cafe. He also unpacks the painful mental journey that followed from the events of the siege. You can purchase Ben's book Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! here: https:// tigertigertigerbook.com/ Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of violence, terrorism and suicide. If you, or anyone you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.

Ben Besant was the tactical officer who shot and killed terrorist Man Monis in the 2014 Lindt Cafe siege. However for a decade he was only publicly referred to as “Officer A” due to a suppression order from the government. Now that order has been lifted and Ben is finally able tell his own story and reclaim his identity. In this episode, Ben recounts his memories of the Lindt Café Siege and the long term impacts the attack has had on his life. You can purchase Ben's book Tiger! Tiger! Tiger! here: https://tigertigertigerbook.com/ Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of violence, terrorism and suicide. If you, or anyone you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.

This our monthly catch up episode where we are brutally honest with each other and our healing. In this ep we talk about Kate's viral video on TikTok and the confronting comments she recieved because of it. Claudia unpacks her 'bratty' week and what led her to bunker down for 48 hours. Trigger warning: This episode contains themes of addiction and eating disorders. If you, or anyone that you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.

In this episode we're joined by one of our incredible listeners, Rhys. Eight years ago Rhys was diagnosed with HIV and has been navigating the realities of the disease ever since. In this chat we unpack the stigmas around HIV, the steps to be taken after diagnosis and what it means to be HIV positive in everyday life. National Association of People With HIV Australia: https://napwha.org.au/ Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of addiction and eating disorders. If you, or anyone that you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.

Today we're joined by AFL legend Gavin Crosisca, who's recently admitted to playing while high for most of his footy career. Today, Gavin is 14 years clean, Director of Sober Living Rehab and back (where it all began) at Collingwood where he's spearheading the Past Players Association. Sober Living Rehab: https://soberlivingrehab.com.au/ Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of addicition and suicide. If you, or anyone that you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.

This week we're chatting to Adam DeMamiel, Co-Founder and CEO of Boys To The Bush. Boys to the Bush started when three school teachers noticed common issues in young men with similar backgrounds - disconnected, vulnerable and often from a home without the presence of good male role models. Boys To The Bush was created with the aim to change the course of these young mens lives. Boys To The Bush: https://boystothebush.org.au/about-history/ Socials: https://www.instagram.com/boystothebush/ Trigger Warning: This episode contains themes of domestic violence, addiction and suicide. If you, or anyone that you know is struggling, please call Lifeline now on 13 11 14.