Beenham Valley Road co-creator Jamie Pultz launches new mental health podcast
The creator of a popular podcast which brought the death of Kirra McLoughlin under a spotlight has launched a new show offering an “unheard” perspective on mental health.
Sunshine Coast
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The man who motivated podcast listeners to learn more about the tragic death of Kirra McLoughlin has created a new series focusing on mental health.
Sunshine Coast’s Jamie Pultz and former Gympie cop Tom Daunt were the masterminds behind Beenham Valley Road, a podcast which investigates the circumstances surrounding Ms McLoughlin’s death.
Mr Pultz was a police officer when he met the young mum during a call-out on the job and after her death months later, he wanted to do everything in his power to bring justice to her family.
During a special episode of Beenham Valley Road, Mr Pultz said the pair shared their own struggles with anxiety and depression which was met with great enthusiasm by listeners.
“To this day it’s still one of the most commented on episodes,” he said.
Its success inspired Mr Pultz’s new podcast, Tear it Down, a conversational series about mental health featuring “real people” with lived experience.
“Ever since then I thought that’s where I want to go after this, I want to do at least one show where I talk to people … who’s had mental health (struggles) but still come out the other side,” he said.
Tear it Down has already featured Insta-famous influencer Brookelle Mackenzie and actor and comedian Matt Okine, with more “exciting” talents on the way.
Mr Pultz said his guests helped show others struggling with their mental health that we all have the capacity to overcome it.
“It just shows that everybody, no matter who you are, you can be a producer or an actor or have a TV show or be an influencer and have a million followers, you can still have these issues and need to learn how to combat them,” he said.
“When it comes from somebody who’s a public figure … for them to strip it back and be so vulnerable and so open, it carries a lot more weight.”
Mr Pultz said his own experience as an officer gave him a unique insight into what people go through each day.
“The jobs that I attended in my short time as a cop, you realise how common mental health is,” he said.
“You go to these people who seemingly have normal lives, but behind closed doors … they call for help.”
By swapping his badge for a microphone, Mr Pultz said he hoped the podcast would make a difference in tearing down stigmas that stop people from seeking out help.
“One conversation at a time, we can tear the stigma down,” he said.
“When you’re in that space you feel alone but to hear somebody else go through it … I just hope it’s a conversation they can listen to that will help them in their journey.”
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