Building Stronger Communities | 5 September 2026
💛 Connecting Before Crisis
Sometimes “Are you OK?” gets an automatic response.
“I’m fine.”
But what happens when we go a little further?
“What’s been on your mind lately?”
With R U OK? Day approaching on Thursday 10 September, this episode of Building Stronger Communities explored what it means to connect with someone before they reach crisis.
For me, R U OK? Day remains an important reminder of why these conversations matter. But connection shouldn’t happen on just one day of the year, and it shouldn’t only begin when we notice warning signs.
Sometimes it can simply be wanting to know what is happening in someone’s life.
What are they excited about?
What are they worried about?
What are they working towards?
What’s frustrating them?
Or simply:
What’s been on your mind lately?
🧠 Brain Energy — Confidence to Have the Conversation
We often encourage people to reach out, check in and have conversations about mental health.
But perhaps we sometimes overlook something important:
Do people actually feel confident having the conversation that comes next?
In this week’s Brain Energy, Luke Evans explores the role confidence can play when we start these conversations — particularly when someone gives us an answer we weren’t expecting.
A big thank you to Luke for taking the time each week to prepare Brain Energy and share his knowledge and insights with our listeners.
💬 Learning How to Have Better Conversations
Recently, I’ve been listening to Jefferson Fisher’s audiobook The Next Conversation.
Many of his suggestions may not be new to some of us. Some people have grown up around healthy communication or developed these skills through family, work and life experience.
But we shouldn’t assume conversation comes easily to everyone.
Not everybody grew up seeing healthy conversations modelled. Not everyone has learnt how to sit with silence, ask another question, listen without immediately trying to fix something, or know what to say when somebody shares something difficult.
Whether we’re a parent, manager, coworker, friend or family member, there is nothing wrong with acknowledging:
I can get better at this.
Conversation is a skill, and skills can be learnt and practised.
🎙️ From Lived Experience to Advocacy — Jack Davies
Our guest this week was Jack Davies, founder of It’s Cool to Cry.
One reason I wanted Jack to join this conversation is that he isn’t approaching it as a therapist telling people what they should do.
Jack speaks from lived experience.
His own experiences of loss, grief, therapy, research and personal development led him to better understand his emotions and eventually advocate for others to feel more comfortable talking about theirs.
That is something I think many people can connect with.
Sometimes we learn these skills because life teaches us that we need them.
Jack and I spoke about why people can find it difficult to say what is really going on, whether we sometimes tell people to “reach out” without teaching them how, and what we can do when someone chooses to open up to us.
🎧 LISTEN: Michelle talks with Jack Davies, founder of It’s Cool to Cry
One of the strongest messages from our conversation was that you don’t need to have all the answers.
You don’t need to fix someone.
Sometimes you simply need to be willing to listen.
👀 Through Young Eyes — Knowing What Needs Your Attention
Our second hour of Building Stronger Communities is increasingly becoming a space for our young people to have a voice.
Piper couldn’t be in the studio this week because she made the decision to prioritise her exams.
And I think there is something worth celebrating in that.
Young people don’t need to have their entire future worked out. They are still discovering who they are, what matters to them and where they might want to go.
Sometimes making a good decision is simply recognising:
This needs my attention right now.
Piper still made time to record this week’s Through Young Eyes before stepping away to focus on her studies.
🎧 LISTEN: Through Young Eyes with Piper
Good luck with the exams, Piper.
📵 Switch Off & Connect
This week’s challenge is very simple.
🎧 LISTEN: Michelle with a Father’s day message and Switch off and Connect
Choose one person and start one genuine conversation.
Put your phone down.
Give them your attention.
And ask:
“What’s been on your mind lately?”
Then listen.
Try not to immediately give advice or tell them what you think they should do.
Allow the silence.
And when you think they have finished, perhaps ask:
“Is there anything else?”
You don’t need the perfect words and you don’t need to solve their problem.
Sometimes what another person needs most is to know that somebody genuinely has the time to hear them.
We won’t prevent every crisis through conversation alone. Suicide prevention requires many different forms of support.
But connection can be an important part of prevention.
So this R U OK? Day, perhaps the challenge isn’t simply to ask one question.
It is to become a little more confident having the conversation that follows.
Because the conversation we have today might make it easier for someone to have the conversation they really need tomorrow.
📍 Community Notice Board with Siv
📍 Close of show
Building Stronger Communities
Saturdays | 8–10am | SWR 99.9 FM
Where everyone has a place and every story matters.
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