272: Joe Williams Part 1

Joe Williams is an author, speaker, and activist. 

A proud Wiradjuri, 1st Nations Aboriginal man born in Cowra NSW, raised in Wagga NSW. 

Joe’s a former elite athlete - having played Rugby League at the highest levels in this country before switching to boxing and becoming the 2x WBF World Jnr Welterweight Champion. 

Joe now dedicates his time to traveling the country giving talks and running workshops on Suicide Prevention and Wellbeing Education. 

I obviously knew about Joe before I met him, but we got a chance to meet for real at the Brisbane Writer’s Festival where he and Audrey and I shared a wonderful meal at the Greenhouse Canteen, and talked for hours about mental health, the commonalities in our stories, and how Australia just might move beyond where it is when it comes to dealing with our obligation to the 1st Nations Aboriginal People of this country. 

Joe’s a tour de force of a man, blisteringly smart an exceptionally talented when it comes to debate - he’s a real powerhouse not only in the world of talking about Mental Health - but also when it comes to talk about race relations in Australia.

I couldn’t be more proud to have Joe on the show, and I’m grateful to do what I can to amplify his message. 

Joe’s memoir is called “Defying The Enemy Within: How I silenced the negative voices in my head to survive and thrive” and I couldn’t recommend it enough. 

We caught up over Skype a few weeks ago, and I’m grateful that we were able to make it happen. 

You can find Joe on Twitter or IG @joewilliams_tew

Let him know you heard him here. 

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