Ned Balme is a newsreporter and journalist based in Queensland working for Channel Nine and a few years back was a punter for the University of Central Oklahoma. His story is winding and engrossing and his own struggle with his mental health has left a mark for the father he is his two children and how he reports the news.

Sadly, technical issues mean 'Weird Fishes' was wiped and unsalvagable, however the rest of this episode is a ripper. Covering The Art of the List around Ned's experience playing College Football in the United States of America, to the day his dad pulled a sickie to take a struggling young lad to the movies and a wholesome Father-Son chat, onward to Ned's experience on the ground during Queensland floods and cyclones, as well as for Brisbane's spate of success in the AFL, this was a brilliant chat to have with my cousin. His moving 'Note To Self' is an ode to a young man in a deep struggle with his mental health and direction, and he has so much value and wisdom to impart on young boys and men who may be feeling the same way.

Welcome to the final stanza of Ebbs' episodes (for the time being).

Ned Balme.

The Ebbs and the Flows is an emotional health movement focused on openness and transparency about the light and the shade of the lives we led and journeys we encounter. The Ebbs and the Flows is not a licensed mental health service and therefore if you are seeking mental health advice, assessment or treatment, you should seek expert advice with a GP, psychologist, psychiatrist or in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

For those struggling, or who know somebody who is, help is available:

@lifelineaustralia 13 11 14

@beyondblueofficial 1300 22 4636

1800-RESPECT (1800 737 732)

@headspace_aus 1800 650 890

@kidshelplineau 1800 55 1800

For advice specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people @13yarn 13 92 76

For LGBTQIA+ specific advice @qlife_aus

1800 184 527

The Ebbs and The Flows website: www.theebbsandtheflows.com
Substack: https://substack.com/@theebbsandtheflows

For The Ebbs and The Flows Instagram page head to https://www.instagram.com/theebbsandtheflows/

At the end of the day, we are all just a work in progress.

#40 with Michelle Gerdtz: ‘Reading The Play, building and fostering connection in vital parent/child relationships and a fork in the road leads to a pot of gold.’

Michelle Gerdtz is an administrator and General Manager in the Geelong and Barwon region. She has been the Chairperson at AFL Barwon for the past few years, but has always been invovled in community sport. Her passion for community connection and building relationships has become her career path, as she works as the General Manager at 'Read The Play', an organisation that sets out to build mentally strong communities, particularly with young people in the Geelong and Surf Coast region between the ages 12-18. Michelle is a gregarious, kind and community-minded person who gets her hand dirty for the greater good. This conversation is perfect for a parent with a young child, a person thinking about getting involved with their local club and all those wanting to learn more about the objectives of programs like 'Read The Play.'

This episode features all the segments you love, from The 90 Second Nugget to Weird Fishes, with a wonderfully timed 'A Note To Self' around dealing with rejection and coming to the realisation that the path is never set in stone, and the alternative might become a dream you had never considered.

Check out Read The Play at https://readtheplay.org.au/

For all of Michelle's Weird Fishes responses, check out our Instagram page @theebbsandtheflows

The Ebbs and the Flows is an emotional health movement focused on openness and transparency about the light and the shade of the lives we led and journeys we encounter. The Ebbs and the Flows is not a licensed mental health service and therefore if you are seeking mental health advice, assessment or treatment, you should seek expert advice with a GP, psychologist, psychiatrist or in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

For those struggling, or who know somebody who is, help is available:

@lifelineaustralia 13 11 14

@beyondblueofficial 1300 22 4636

1800-RESPECT (1800 737 732)

@headspace_aus 1800 650 890

@kidshelplineau 1800 55 1800

For advice specific to Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people @13yarn 13 92 76

For LGBTQIA+ specific advice @qlife_aus

1800 184 527

The Ebbs and The Flows website: www.theebbsandtheflows.com
Substack: https://substack.com/@theebbsandtheflows

For The Ebbs and The Flows Instagram page head to https://www.instagram.com/theebbsandtheflows/

At the end of the day, we are all just a work in progress.