Alex Kalliris is a clinical psychotherapist and Program Director at Foundation House, a residential rehab service in New South Wales supporting men from the construction industry to take back control from alcohol, drugs and gambling.

He’s spent the past eight years working with men at rock bottom — helping them break destructive cycles, rebuild trust and rediscover meaning.

In this episode, we talk about mental health in construction, how substance use spirals out of control, and what recovery really looks like. We unpack who rehab is for, how it works, and why change is always possible — no matter how far gone things seem.

This is Alex Kalliris...

I’ve stuck with this podcast for 301 weeks — 2,107 days and 230 episodes.

But outside of the interviews, I still hesitate to share my thoughts and feelings...

The show’s always been about the guests, and that’s the way it should be — but sometimes it feels like I fade into the background and hide behind the role of host.

I’m afraid of making it about me.

I’m so conscious of coming across as cringe and self-centred, that I avoid sharing my personal views.

I think that limits people who follow this page from actually connecting with me and vice versa.

So my question for you this week is...

Where in your life are you holding back?

(Leave a comment and let me know)

Brayden Ainsworth grew up chasing the footy dream and he caught it. From small town W.A, to the big stage of the AFL, he made it, but behind the scenes, the pressure to perform, the need for validation and the obsession with being in peak condition, were quietly eating away at him.

When Brayden was delisted by the West Coast Eagles, after a short rollercoaster career, the identity he'd built his life around was suddenly gone, and so was his sense of purpose with no structure and no direction, he quickly spiralled into a dark place.

Constantly justifying starving himself and exercising to extreme excess, Brayden became very sick while being unable to fully accept the reality of his eating disorder. Anorexia was the end result of clinging to an identity that had turned against him and a desperate need for control.

For a long time, he didn't have the awareness, the words, or the courage to face his demons and speak his truth, but he sure does now.

A few years on from rock bottom, Brayden's working with young people to promote mental health in schools and using his experience to break the stigma around anorexia in men.

This is a story of what happens when the dream doesn't work out, and how falling apart can open space to build back up stronger than ever.

This is Brayden Ainsworth...