Kintsugi Heroes
Nick White · 81 min
A medically discharged police officer who nearly took his own life is now running a nationwide charity to give first responders the safe space and mental health support the system still refuses to provide.
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Nick White joined the police to serve, following his father into the force after a decade in the military. He spent nearly 20 years at Liverpool station and beyond, seeing the job as a calling rooted in duty and protection. But the work exacted a cost he did not anticipate: repeated exposure to trauma without processing, the intimacy of his bond with other officers competing with his family relationships, shift work that meant he barely saw his children, and a culture that treated asking for help as weakness. When he reached his breaking point and nearly took his own life, the system that had trained him offered almost nothing. The Employee Assistance Program was not trauma-trained. There was no safe space to admit he was struggling. He was medically discharged, and in that moment of crisis and clarity, he realised something had to change.
Nick spent three-quarters of his disability payout starting Bellator Fortitudinem, a nationwide charity offering peer support and safe space for first responders who are struggling. What began as a Facebook group of police officers talking openly about mental health has grown to over 500 members across Australia, spanning police, paramedics, firefighters, corrective services, and volunteers. Nick now works alongside psychologists, therapists, and lawyers to provide the kind of support the system refused to give him. He has walked into Parliament to advocate for a formal inquiry into first responder mental health. He has spoken at the police academy, offering proof that an officer can ask for help and survive. He continues to push, to question, to annoy those in power until the structures change. His message is clear: the work costs everything. Until organisations and government actually listen to those on the ground, until mental health support is trauma-trained and readily available without stigma, that cost will keep climbing.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses suicide & self-harm prevention, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you're not alone. Help is available: • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
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