Critical reflection and analysis: Learning Pathway (Module 2 Section 5)
 
Leanna Fairfax, who has lived experience of service involvement, speaks about the importance of listening to families’ voices.

Perspective Lived Experience Leanna And Kesia

Pre-Birth Change project- This hears directly from two mothers with lived experience of the pre-birth child protection system.  

Two mothers with lived experience of the pre-birth child protection system

We hear two mothers with lived experience of the pre-birth child protection system, explaining why this key message is so important to them. 

Pre-Birth Assessment: Two mothers lived experience.

Shadows in My Mind is the sound of silence breaking.

This track is an honest reflection of what it’s like to carry trauma, isolation, and a fractured sense of self—realities familiar to many veterans after service. The lyrics speak from a place where the noise of battle is replaced by the quieter, more persistent war within: anxiety, disconnection, depression.

This isn’t just a song. It’s a voice for those who can’t always speak. For every soldier who’s walked off the battlefield only to find a new one inside their mind—this is for you.

 If you’ve ever felt alone in a crowded room—this one’s for you.

🎖️ Veteran-made. Veteran-voiced.
🎙️ Mi Mate’s Music — telling the stories that matter.
📍 Australia | Mental health is mission critical.

If you're struggling, please reach out. Support is available through Lifeline (13 11 14) or Open Arms (1800 011 046)—veteran-specific mental health services in Australia.

140BPM, A Major

Shadows in my mind

Shadows in My Mind

Love Sick is an unfiltered confession from a place many won’t talk about. Beneath the verses of heartbreak and failed trust lies something deeper—emotional fatigue, anxiety, and a longing for meaning in a world that feels increasingly shallow.

Written through the eyes of a veteran navigating post-service life, this track speaks to what happens when you give everything—and still end up alone. Whether it’s lost love, loneliness, or the weight of trauma, Love Sick is for anyone who's ever felt invisible while hurting out loud.

🎙️ From the trenches of love and life — this is Mi Mate’s Music.
📍 Veteran voice | Independent Australian artist | Mental health matters

If you or someone you know is struggling, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 (Australia).

82BPM, G Major

Lovesick

Oh I Just Don’t Care is a sharp yet playful anthem from the perspective of a war veteran who’s seen the world through a different lens. With battle scars that don’t always show, he watches society argue over the trivial while he quietly manages heavier burdens. This track isn’t about mockery—it’s about perspective.

Blending humour with honesty, the lyrics reflect a grounded detachment from culture wars, offering a reminder that some of us are fighting internal battles far more serious than the latest online outrage.

🎙️ A veteran’s voice, a satirical edge, and a foot-tapping rhythm—this is Mi Mate’s Music.

75BPM, G Major

Rise from the rubble

Rise From the Rubble

Oh I Just Don’t Care is a sharp yet playful anthem from the perspective of a war veteran who’s seen the world through a different lens. With battle scars that don’t always show, he watches society argue over the trivial while he quietly manages heavier burdens. This track isn’t about mockery—it’s about perspective.

Blending humour with honesty, the lyrics reflect a grounded detachment from culture wars, offering a reminder that some of us are fighting internal battles far more serious than the latest online outrage.

🎙️ A veteran’s voice, a satirical edge, and a foot-tapping rhythm—this is Mi Mate’s Music.

74BPM, B Major

Oh I just don't care

Oh I Just Don't Care

This episode of the At Home, On Air podcast, is an archived conversation from May 2020. In honor of Disability Pride Month, we're bringing you this engaging conversation: "Moving Toward Pride: What an Anti-Ageism Movement Can Learn from Disability Pride." 

Our guest speakers are two amazing women, each a thought leader and movement builder — Ashton Applewhite is a writer, anti-ageism expert, and author known for using compelling statistics to challenge ageist assumptions; and Tiffany Yu is a social impact entrepreneur, diversity and inclusion community builder, and disability advocate recognized for her work rebranding disability through storytelling and community building.

In this powerful conversation, Ashton and Tiffany explore the parallels between anti-ageism and disability pride movements through personal stories and professional insights, examining how both communities can learn from each other's advocacy strategies. They discuss the importance of moving beyond fear-based narratives, the challenge of "passing" in both communities, and how intersectionality shapes their experiences. The dialogue covers everything from reframing language around aging and disability to reimagining community spaces, offering insights into building more inclusive movements that celebrate rather than hide these identities.

At Home With Growing Older is proud to be your host of At Home, On Air — a radio hour offering connection, community and knowledge to our participants remotely.

Help us continue bringing you meaningful conversations like this one! Subscribe to never miss an episode, share with someone who'd love this discussion, or make a donation to keep these important dialogues free and accessible. Ready to join our next LIVE episode? Learn more and register at: www.athomewithgrowingolder.org. 

Transcript: https://share.descript.com/view/FbbOkm2RMdk 

At Home, On Air

Moving Toward Pride: What an Anti-Ageism Movement Can Learn from Disability Pride

“Too Hard for Help” was written out of lived experience in rural New South Wales where being autistic often means being left behind. In small towns, support systems are scarce, and when they do exist, they can turn people away for being “too complex” or “too hard.” This song gives voice to that silence.

The lyrics tell the story of calling for help and being met with rejection, of doors closing quietly while pain is hidden away. It’s about what happens when disability and geography collide, when distance, stigma, and misunderstanding leave people isolated.

This is not just a personal song; it’s a call for change. It’s about showing the reality of what autistic people in regional Australia go through every day, and asking listeners to step closer rather than turn away.

Shared under Creative Commons, “Too Hard for Help” is free for others to sing and carry forward. All that’s asked is that the words remain true, the songwriter is credited, and the message of the song — that no one is too hard for help — continues to be heard.

#autism #autistic #autismawareness #autismacceptance #neurodivergent #actuallyautistic #neurodiversity #disability #disabilityrights #disabled #invisibledisability #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #support #inclusion #advocacy #socialchange #changethesystem #justice #truth #livedexperience #outsider #vulnerability #raw #emotional #isolation #ruralaustralia #regionalvoices #newsouthwales #ruralhealth #NSW #NSWpolice #NSWparamedics #paramedics

Too Hard for Help

“Welfare Isn’t Care” is an emotional Pop-Ballad by AusticZone — a soul-stirring track about trauma, control, and the silent damage caused by systems that claim to help. Blending minimal piano, ambient textures, and deeply expressive vocals, the song exposes the harsh reality of “care” that feels more like punishment.

Each lyric paints a vivid, painful truth: the experience of being misunderstood, restrained, and silenced when what’s needed most is compassion. This is a raw protest through melody — an anthem for every neurodivergent soul who has been told their pain was a problem to fix.

The chorus echoes the heart of the message:  
*“Welfare isn’t care when it breaks your heart… when the help hurts more than the hardest part.”*

“Welfare Isn’t Care” is both heartbreaking and empowering — a call for trauma-informed care, dignity, and real empathy. Its message resonates across borders and experiences, giving voice to those who have been unseen, unheard, and unprotected.

For fans of emotional storytelling, cinematic ballads, and truth-driven music — this song is more than sound; it’s survival, awareness, and art with purpose.

#WelfareIsntCare #AusticZone #EmotionalPop #Ballad #TraumaInformed #NeurodivergentVoices #ProtestMusic #TruthTelling #HealingThroughArt #MentalHealthAwareness #EmotiveVocals #CinematicPop #AustralianArtist #MusicForChange #AuthenticSound #HeartfeltLyrics #RawEmotion #SocialJustice #HumanResilience #SurvivorStory #PopBallad #IndieArtist #RealCare #DeepFeelings #HopeAndTruth #EmpathyMatters #EmotionalHealing #ActivistMusic #VoicesUnheard #PowerThroughPain

Welfare Isnt Care

Mi Mate Music – Giving Sound to Silent Struggles

Mi Mate Music is a purpose-driven creative project transforming lived experiences into powerful, emotionally charged tracks. Founded by Dennis Weston, this initiative supports individuals—particularly war veterans living with invisible injuries such as PTSD and other mental health conditions—in expressing what too often goes unsaid.

Through music, we help broken people tell their stories in ways that are honest, raw, and empowering. These tracks are more than just songs—they are lived moments, captured in sound.

Our mission is twofold: to support healing through creative expression, and to foster greater understanding of the silent battles many veterans and others endure daily. Every lyric and every beat is crafted to inspire empathy, connection, and insight into the challenges of mental health injuries.

Whether you're navigating your own journey or seeking to understand someone else's, Mi Mate Music offers a soundtrack grounded in truth, resilience, and hope.

Your support helps us continue turning real stories into music that matters.

Autistic Adult writing lyrics for songs for healing from PTSD, Domestic Violence, and Coercive Control and seeking Trauma Informed Care For Front Liners. All my songs are FREE, I invite artists to record my songs as long as words not changed and attribution given to AusticZone. Still building this platform so please be patient while I organise things. Bless you

Our mission is to educate, inspire and connect people across generations and disciplines to re-envision and improve the experiences of later life.

At Research in Practice, we bring together academic research, practice expertise and the experiences of people accessing services. We then apply this knowledge to develop a range of resources and learning opportunities, as well as delivering tailored services, expertise and training.

We work closely with professionals across the children, families and adult sectors to ensure our work is truly sector-led and responds to the most pressing issues.

New tracks tagged #LivedExperience