extremely human podcast
Sometimes we move through big human experiences that others might not understand, like psychosis, grief, addiction, euphoria, or moments that feel completely unreal.
On Extremely Human, we hear from people who’ve been there and share what they’ve learned along the way.
Together, we ask: how can we meet the full range of human experience with kindness and compassion?
Hosted by Lucy and Rachel
Latest episode
Tūrangawaewae: A Place to Stand
November 10, 2025
In this episode, Hayley shares her story of resilience, living through abuse, depression, and misdiagnosis. She reflects on what it means to re-write your story, and how nursing has become her tūrangawaewae — a place where she feels grounded and connected to something bigger than herself.
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Conversations with emotions
September 30, 2025
This conversation with Siswella explores what it was like to lose her memories after intensive ECT and begin again. They reflect on how they found meaning through peer work, the impact of genuine support, and the importance of trusting your intuition.
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A garden to grow in
August 11, 2025
Katya shares what it’s like to live with an eating disorder, like having two brains: one that loves pasta and ice cream, and one that only wants control. She reflects on how it all began, the role social media played, and why recovery feels like trying to grow a seed in winter—until you find your garden.
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Supporting our kids
July 3, 2025
Michelle shares her journey supporting two young people through extreme distress, from hospital stays to first responder callouts. She talks about the challenges with emergency services and the healthcare system, the power of being there for someone, instead of trying to fix them, and why she created Kaboose, a community app for neurodivergent people.
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Fight of my life
May 14, 2025
After her first daughter’s birth, Bek experienced intense postnatal panic. Misdiagnosed and overmedicated, she spent three years in and out of psychiatric hospitals. In this episode, she shares how she fought to get her life back and regain her agency.
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Lost and found
July 11, 2024
Our guest shares their experience of psychosis and depression, overcoming adversity, finding purpose through reading 200 books in 2 years, and discovering a life worth fighting for.
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The message of suicide
April 11, 2024
This is a conversation with Jesse about suicide. Jesse shares his own experiences of suicidality and offers different ways we can have more compassionate conversations about it. We explore some of the misunderstandings around suicide, the importance of language and allowing people time and space to process and heal.
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A difficult gift
February 21, 2024
Mary O'Hagan shares snippets from her memoir “Madness Made Me” and speaks about how value and meaning can be derived from experiences of madness. We ponder what it could look like if communities looked after each other and created space for people in distress.
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A search for meaning
January 15, 2024
Elsa talks us through her new role as the spiritual care lead and some of her hopes for the role. Elsa breaks down and simplifies what the word ‘spirituality’ means, what it can look like in a modern world and why it can be important in the context of mental health and healing.
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Is this really radical?
November 20, 2023
Paul helps to bust some myths about common misconceptions in the medical world. Paul speaks about the value of humanizing people’s experience rather than medicalising it and how including people’s loved ones in their care can make a real difference.
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You can sit with us
October 17, 2023
We chat with Chris about how the experience of bipolar can feel but also how we can learn and grow from it. Chris talks about the importance of inclusion and connection, having a ‘vibe tribe’ and dropping judgement when caring for people who are having a rough time.
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Stability in the storm
September 28, 2023
This is a chat with our guest who describes how it feels to experience psychosis. We talk about what they found helpful and not so helpful while being in that state and what life after psychosis has looked like in their life. We touch on the different ways phenomena like psychosis can transform people and how we can better care for people going through psychosis.
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Extremely Human: Trailer
August 14, 2023
Here is a little taster of highlights from some of the conversations Lucy and Rachel have had so far with incredible humans who vulnerably share their different perspectives on these ideas.
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We're only human
August 12, 2023
We speak with Jamie, a social worker in the mental health world about being "a person first and a professional when it's required".
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Introducing: Extremely Human
August 12, 2023
In this episode, we chat about what Extremely Human is all about.
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