⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses grief & loss and suicide & self-harm prevention, which some listeners may find distressing.
Losing a child to suicide is a grief that never truly heals. Mia Bannister shares her journey of turning pain into purpose.
Mia Bannister lost her son Ollie in 2024 to suicide after a long struggle with anorexia and self-harm that the medical system failed to catch. This conversation explores how eating disorders in boys are often masked by fitness culture and why the current approach to adolescent mental health awareness needs an urgent overhaul.
Through her advocacy with Ollie’s Echo, Mia is working to bridge the gaps in psychiatric care and digital safety. She discusses the warning signs that were missed, the impact of social media algorithms on young men, and the vital importance of male mentorship. This is a story about navigating the darkest grief journey and using that experience to drive systemic change for other families.
If this story moved you, follow Kintsugi Heroes in your podcast app so you never miss an episode.
If you need support, you’re not alone. Help is available:
• Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
• GriefLine: 1300 845 745 · griefline.org.au
🕒 CHAPTERS:
0:00 Behind the Smile
0:53 Finding Gold in the Cracks
2:50 Turning Pain Into Purpose
4:41 Life Before the Mission
10:05 Signs Often Overlooked
16:27 Facing the Devil Within
28:55 The Reality of Self-Harm
42:12 The Digital Safety Crusade
👍 New here? Subscribe for a new story of resilience every fortnight: https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes?sub_confirmation=1
📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
Butterfly Foundation National Helpline: 1800 334673 or butterfly.org.au
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ABOUT KINTSUGI HEROES
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Welcome.
We’re glad you found your way here.
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.
This channel is home to honest conversations about resilience, hope, grief, recovery, courage, love, and what it means to keep moving forward when life doesn’t go to plan.
Here you’ll find six podcast series, each sharing stories through a different lens:
• Kintsugi Heroes, hosted by John Milham
• Animals & Us, hosted by Natalie Stockdale
• Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace, hosted by Simone Allan and Maryan Bova
• From There to Here, hosted by Emma Bellamy-Dodd
• Golden Threads: Stories of Disability & Resilience
• Pride in Stories, hosted by John Dwyer
Every story shared here is offered with the hope that it helps someone feel a little less alone. A little more understood. A little more connected.
Whether you’re navigating a difficult season, supporting someone you love, or simply looking for meaningful conversations, you’re welcome here.
New episodes are released fortnightly across our series.
If you’d like to help us keep these stories freely available to everyone, you can support our work here: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate
Thank you for being part of this community.
We help people tell the stories they need to share so others can discover the story they need to hear.
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