Take It From Us with Kent Johns
If you're navigating mental health struggles, addiction or recovery — your own or someone else's — you'll hear what actually worked, what didn't and what people wish they'd known sooner.
Take It From Us features people sharing their own journeys, unscripted and unfiltered. No theory, no talking points — just the honest, specific version of what recovery actually looks like.
Host Kent Johns is a broadcaster and health coach who believes everyone has a story worth hearing if someone takes the time to really listen.
Press play — you might hear your own story in someone else's.
If you need support, click here for helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/
Take It From Us with Kent Johns
Grant Robertson: 'I am a catastrophiser' — the panic attack that changed how he copes
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"I'm a catastrophiser," admits Grant Robertson, New Zealand's former Deputy Prime Minister.
It's a confession that sits behind a high-profile political career — years of COVID decisions, and eventually, a panic attack he didn't see coming. As pressure mounted for him to take over from Jacinda Ardern, Grant was ready to reluctantly say yes, until one sentence from his partner Alf stopped him cold.
In this episode, Grant opens up about the physical toll of "giving 110%," the counselling that got him through his final year in politics, the homophobia that was a constant and the phrase he still leans on today to interrupt his own worst-case thinking.
This is what a 'recovering politician' looks like. Listen now to hear Grant's full story.
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If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/
