JoFarmer 
As the train doors close at Melbourne Central, a family push their way on. A single, solitary drip falls from the father. It isn’t raining; they aren’t carrying anything. Parliament station. Where did the drip come from? I stare at the drip trying to work out what it is. Panic grows in my chest. Richmond … Read more
The weird feeling of being a fat girl who cares about improving public health
I’ve lost a lot of weight recently. Almost 40kg this year. It’s one of the common side effects of having most of your stomach removed, and is, after all, the reason I did it. Actually, that’s not quite true. The main reason I chose to have a gastric sleeve was to become healthier – that … Read more
One of the most important practices I have incorporated into my daily life is that of gratitude. It might sound like new-age nonsense, but at its heart is the simple premise that we should look for the good in life, even amongst the bad. And even when life is objectively not going well, look to … Read more
When it comes to relationships, I’m a fixer. I want to fix those around me – the friend whose life is heading off the rails, the emotionally unavailable parent, the exploitative boyfriend. I want to repair the emotional wounds of those around me. I reach out again and again. I offer solutions and support to … Read more
When I was at university, I was sexually assaulted. I didn’t report it. I didn’t report it for a whole number of reasons. I was out of my comfort zone – overseas and leaving for home in the morning. I had been drunk. I was dressed in a short skirt. I had kissed him. It … Read more
At the 2018 Australasian Evaluation Society conference in Launceston, I gave a paper reflecting on my experiences of conducting evaluation in the mental health sector while having a lived experience. I experience mental illness, and for some time, I have also worked on projects in the mental health sector, as a consultant, an employee in … Read more
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Always was, always will be
I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which I live and work, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations, and pay my respects to elders past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded. Colonisation and dispossession have an ongoing impact on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal peoples and these lands.
