Connecting Seniors
Sean Haran · 50 min
A former Western Australian tactical police officer who lost everything when he left the force — his identity, his tribe, and his sense of purpose — turned decades of struggle with PTSD and ADHD into a not-for-profit lifeline for first responders navigating the hardest transition of their lives.
Sean Haran arrived in Australia as a child, left at seven, and returned five years later searching for belonging. He found it in the Western Australian Police Force in 1978, despite a colorblind diagnosis that should have disqualified him. A police doctor's unconventional eye test got him through, and Sean thrived, eventually joining the Tactical Response Group after the 1985 Porton bombing. For the first time in his life, moving between countries and schools, he felt he had found home.
That belonging ended in his mid-twenties when he was asked to leave the unit. He later understood why: his undiagnosed ADHD made him a rule-bender in a place where rules mattered. Rather than fight the system, Sean eventually left policing altogether and moved to the eastern states to start over. What followed was years of struggling to rebuild without networks, direction, or the deep friendships he had left behind in Perth. He spent four years as an ambulance officer, trying to find his footing, but the tribe he had lost proved impossible to replace.
Decades later, when a mate of Sean's colleague Simon took his own life after leaving the force, both men saw an opportunity to act. They built Beyond the Badge, a not-for-profit that helps first responders transition out of service without pressure or shame. Sean discovered the same passion he felt as a young copper now exists in the charity work. He has learned to manage his PTSD and ADHD not through sitting at home fighting legal battles, but through purpose, time, and professional support. His message to officers considering life after service is clear: prepare early, find meaning, and trust that a different life is not only possible but can be deeply satisfying.
⚠️ 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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