⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses abuse, violence, which some listeners may find distressing.If you need support, you’re not alone — help is available:• Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
Dr Heena Cheung survived childhood sexual abuse from age 13, followed by repeated abuse in college. At 27, she migrated from India to Australia, initially working low-wage jobs while pursuing a Master’s in Public Health. A mental health crisis in 2017 involving anorexia became a turning point when Tony Robbins’ phrase ‘life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you’ reframed her trauma. She has since founded My Second Home, an NDIS housing provider; co-founded Simple AI for aged care technology; established My Safe Circle to support abuse survivors; and ran as an independent Senate candidate in 2025, breaking voting records for independents in Victoria. Today, she advocates across disability rights, migrant women’s legal protections, childhood sexual abuse prevention, access to justice for First Nations communities, and climate action, driven by the conviction that her past does not define her future.
Dr Heena Cheung is a childhood sexual abuse survivor, public health advocate, and independent Senate candidate in Victoria who has channeled her lived experience into multifaceted community work spanning disability rights, migrant women’s advocacy, justice reform, and climate action.
In this Grit Diaries conversation with Mon & Mazz, Dr shares the story behind the moments below.
🎙️ IN THIS CONVERSATION:
• Trauma does not define your future-your present actions and choices determine who you become and what impact you create.
🕒 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome and Episode Overview
02:03 Dr Heena Cheung Introduction and Content Warning
07:00 From Dentistry to Public Health: Finding True Purpose
09:12 Family Pressure, Sisterhood, and Migration to Australia
16:39 Kintsugi Principle: Reframing Trauma as Strength
19:27 Statistics, Underreporting, and the Definition of Abuse
22:50 Access to Justice: First Nations, Migrant Women, and Global Rights
25:06 Protect Our Children Jail Not Bail: Changing Suppression Laws
28:34 Neuroscience of Trauma: Why Healing Opens Horizons
30:18 Pearls of Wisdom: Small Actions, Big Change
35:34 Closing Message: Non-Judgment and Compassion
37:22 Farewell and Episode Close
🎧 If this story moved you, follow Kintsugi Heroes in your podcast app so you never miss an episode.
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Welcome.
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Kintsugi Heroes was created from a simple belief: every person has a story worth sharing, and sometimes the story we need to hear arrives exactly when we need it most.
Our name comes from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold. Rather than hiding the cracks, they are honoured as part of the object’s history. We believe people are much the same. The experiences that challenge us, break us, shape us, and help us grow are often the very things that connect us to one another.
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