Season 3 Episode 2 - Loneliness After an Accident

A trauma or sudden life change can trigger loneliness, but there are ways we can ease the impacts. After being given a skydiving voucher for his twenty-first birthday, a parachute malfunction saw Brad fall fifteen thousand feet and miraculously survive. Dealing with the trauma from the accident was made more complicated by the fact that Brad had only recently come out as a gay man. In this episode of We Are Lonely, Brad meets up with Ru Paul’s Drag Race finalist, Kween Kong. Together they explore how Brad’s near death experience isolated him from the culture he loved and sees him embark on an overseas odyssey to rediscover his need for community.

Om Podcasten

Join us as we tackle the growing issue of loneliness, and our deeply human need to belong alongside huge topics like mental health, autism and discrimination. We’re seeing the issue of loneliness grow all around the world, and while we may think of loneliness as something that mainly impacts older generations, research shows that 18-34 year olds are most likely to be affected. And yes it’s sometimes to do with phones and social media, but there’s more to it than that. It’s about how we interact with the world around us. So we’ve found nine very different young adults who are searching for connection in their lives. We’ve paired them each with a mentor who’ll give them insights and strategies to combat loneliness and navigate their way beyond. From ADHD and times of transition; to migration and childhood grief; each participant will explore an area of their lives that is causing them to feel lonely. Our mentors include Ru Paul superstar, Kween Kong; Counsellor and Artist Tessa Blenclowe; Academic and Fire Dragon Feminist Dr Quah Ee Ling; and Psychologist and Podcaster James Van Cuylenburg. Our host is Human Connection Scientist, Dr Ali Walker and we also speak with World Health Organisation and University of Sydney Researcher Dr Daniel Surkalim. We Are Lonely is funded as part of Medibank’s ten year initiative to combat loneliness.