209 {Brendan Cullen Pt 1} A Farmer’s Story of Sexual Abuse, Silence and Depression

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We know remote and regional Australia has often been a space where mental health and abuse can fester untreated, and Brendan Cullen’s story is a prime example of this.

Brendan has always lived and worked on stations outside of Broken Hill, but his life has been much more than just managing stations.

With his diagnosis of depression from the steps he took up to the Broken Hill hospital, he has found himself not only living a happier life but having opportunities he could never have imagined. From these opportunities Brendan has become an Ambassador for Lifeline Regional SA & Far West NSW and a Champion for the Royal Flying Doctor Service South Eastern section We’ve Got Your Back initiative.

In this episode he shares:

-      His childhood growing up in the bush and the freedom that came with that life

-      What it was like being sent away to boarding school from a young age

-      The childhood sexual abuse he experienced and the impact it had on him for decades

-      How trauma shaped his ability to read people and the world around him

-      The effect of carrying secrecy, fear and shame for so many years

-      How alcohol, overwork and constant pushing through became part of how he coped

-      The warning signs of depression that were building long before he asked for help

-      What happened when he finally walked into hospital and was diagnosed with depression

-      The tools and mindset shifts that helped him begin healing and quiet the noise in his mind

-      Why sharing his story through his book has opened the door for others to speak about their own trauma

Key Quotes

“I was flogging myself by running. I was flogging myself working. And then I was self-medicating at night, so I was just burning myself out totally.”

“The closer I got, the worse I felt and I just thought it was my schooling, but I know that it was the abuse that I'd felt anxious, the uneasiness about all of that, and that feeling lasted for about 30 years.”

More about Brendan

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