Kintsugi Heroes
Joanna Nell · 54 min
A doctor who spent 35 years listening to other people's stories finally found the courage to tell her own — and in doing so, gave a voice to the elders society had forgotten.
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At eight years old, Joanna Nell decided to become a doctor after watching male doctors on television. When a teacher told her that job was for boys, something in her pushed back hard. She spent 35 years as a GP, first in the UK and then in Australia, drawn not to the science of medicine but to the stories of people's lives. She was the doctor who listened, who observed, who tried to get inside a patient's head. And for 35 years, she felt like a complete fraud, despite knowing she was doing good work.
Writing started as a way to de-stress after work, a private pleasure. But it became something else entirely. When her novels began finding readers, Joanna was suddenly asked to do radio, television, public speaking. For an introvert with social anxiety, it felt like standing naked on a speeding train. It took working with a psychologist to understand the childhood wounds underneath that fear. By then, just as she'd finally shed her imposter syndrome as a doctor, it arrived again as a writer.
Working in aged care, Joanna saw something most people miss. She saw people falling in love in their 90s, fashion shows, an old soldier getting dressed in his medals to walk through the city. She saw the difference between those who aged with humor and agency, and those who'd accepted society's story that they were done. Research shows that people with positive attitudes toward aging actually live longer. So Joanna writes lighter, more hopeful stories about getting older, not to sugarcoat it, but to take away the fear. Her books shine a light on elders our culture has made invisible, reminding us they still have so much to give.
Every story here belongs to the person who lived it. They said yes to sharing it, and we sat with it carefully before it went up. Nothing here is exaggerated and nothing is used without permission. Read how we handle these stories ↗
Kintsugi Heroes · Registered Australian not-for-profit · kintsugiheroes.com.au ↗