Blog Layout
Heroes are all Around us
Words Kim Newth / Images Nadine Hickman

Poor mental and emotional wellbeing affects the lives of many New Zealanders. Wellbeing advocate Nadine Hickman is on a mission to create positive change through her not-for-profit organisation, PEPTALK.


It is inspiring to meet Nadine Hickman for today’s interview. Most of us are short on ideas when it comes to fixing the big issues like this country’s mental health challenges. Solutions can feel a long way off, especially in these uncertain times. According to a recent study commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation, a quarter of New Zealanders have low wellbeing and are at risk of developing poor mental health. What can anyone do to make a difference?


Nadine has been giving it her best shot over the past five years. Driven by the desire to create positive change, Nadine founded PEPTALK to help transform the future of mental health by spreading the word on the science of wellbeing. Her goal is to connect New Zealanders with practical tools and skills they can use to make each day a little better. PEPTALK does that in an accessible way via a magazine-style publication that anyone can pick up and use. It has been well-designed to serve as an appealing wellbeing resource.


Leafing through Issue 4, I see it is packed with tips and strategies on how to be a wellbeing hero – for yourself and for others. Nadine explains that each edition explores a different theme, such as ‘happiness’, ‘new beginnings’ and ‘vitality’. This one is for the hero in all of us while Issue 5 delves into the meaning of courage. Contributors to date have included neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis, resilience expert Dr Lucy Hone and clinical nutritionist Bronwyn Hudson. PEPTALK has insightful advice too from inspiring Kiwis like Olympian Lisa Carrington, artist Ruby Jones and Sir Michael Hill.


‘Our mental health system is overwhelmed and often the help is not there,’ says Nadine. ‘That’s why I think we need resources like this that are easily accessible. A lot of people may say, “This isn’t relevant to me as I’m doing okay and don’t have a mental illness,” but there is so much more beyond “okay”. PEPTALK is about giving you strategies to mentally thrive so you can enjoy life more fully and have greater resilience to stress.’



Along with the publication, Nadine has set up a charitable foundation with a view to getting PEPTALK’s resources out for free to vulnerable New Zealanders and youth to places like youth centres, schools, prisons and mental health outreach centres.


‘It is going very well. Last year, we had a number of grants and sponsorships come through. Next issue, we’re gifting 3,000 copies. I’d love to give away 300,000 copies but we’re not there yet. People can also buy [the magazine] online or in retail. My primary drive is to get these resources out there.’


Nadine is juggling her passion for wellbeing around family responsibilities. She and her husband Paul, an Angus bull breeder, live on a farm in South Marlborough with their four children – Victoria, 10, Samantha, 12, Matt, 14 and Ashlee, 16.


‘I’m lucky my husband is very supportive even though he’s busy with what he does as well. As anyone with a big dream knows, the workload can get overwhelming at times and you’re often dealing with self-doubt. I’m no different to anyone else – you can never say you have everything sorted, but I do practise healthy mind strategies every day. I’m usually up by 5 am and start my day with yoga, meditation and journalling. What I enjoy about PEPTALK is being able to immerse myself in it every day. I’m interviewing wellbeing experts and talking to people with so much knowledge. It’s inspiring.’


As a teenager and a competitive gymnast, Nadine went through years of struggling with bulimia, triggered by the weight expectations associated with competing at a top level. She made the training squad for the 1994 Commonwealth Games but it came at a heavy price. ‘My eating disorder got progressively worse until eventually it was consuming every waking thought and moment. I let myself down day after day for eight years until I lost all hope and belief in myself.’


Her lowest point came while travelling overseas one year; it was bad enough to send her home in desperation, to get help. As she discovered though, getting well was not a quick fix. ‘The road to recovery was a roller coaster of trying everything, reading widely, seeing psychologists and going to support groups. Eventually medication ended the physical symptoms of bulimia. It felt like a miracle at the time. I then had to work on the mental and emotional side of things and that was the key.’




Nadine had spent years experiencing the power of the mind as a negative in her life, but as she progressed further into recovery, she began to see the other side of the coin. ‘I learned how powerful the mind can be in a positive way.’

Learning strategies to help her own wellbeing has made a huge difference to Nadine, who observes there is no comparison between living a life of despair and living a thriving life full of possibility. ‘That’s what drove me to start PEPTALK – I’d like more people to know there are strategies you can use to help yourself and boost your wellbeing. I feel there is too much of a focus on mental illness rather than teaching people to help themselves be mentally well.’


Positive psychology has been a force for good in Nadine’s life. She cites Australian-based positive psychology researcher Dr Lea Waters as a big source of inspiration, along with Dr Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, who is known as the father of positive psychology, and New Zealand experts in the field such as Dr Lucy Hone. ‘That’s how I discovered there are positive strategies out there that are very teachable that can be used by people to help them mentally thrive, and that will protect against becoming mentally unwell when those inevitable times of stress or adversity come along.’


As fate would have it, Nadine’s first edition of PEPTALK coincided with the first nationwide lockdown in March 2020. ‘I was pretty gutted and at the time it was stressful but it did provide a lesson in rolling with uncertainty!’


Two years on and Nadine is humbled and excited at how PEPTALK is being embraced, particularly by schools and among vulnerable New Zealanders and youth. It is produced with a front cover for adults but can be flipped to the back for youth. The idea is to include strategies for everyone to use.


‘I’ve had incredible feedback about PEPTALK being used in prisons and I’m hearing about how it is helping teachers, guidance counsellors and youth workers too.’


Nadine has had no difficulty finding impactful people in New Zealand and around the world willing to share their knowledge and expertise in the pages of PEPTALK. Once the Omicron peak has passed, she hopes to start organising events with inspiring speakers as another way of sharing information on wellbeing.


For more information, visit www.peptalk.org.nz


Recent stories

A cookbook is sitting on top of a wooden stand on a kitchen counter.

How to Make an Adjustable Cookbook Stand

By Klaudia Krupa • May 22, 2024
With its sliding base, this stand can snugly hold any recipe card, tablet or cookbook – no matter how chunky or slim. Choose your favourite colours to ensure it is the perfect match for your kitchen or as a great gift idea. Plus, when it’s not in use, you can easily store both parts flat! What you need: 1 x 300 x 230 mm sheet of pine board, 18 mm thick (backboard) 1 x 300 x 150 mm sheet of pine board, 18 mm thick (baseboard) 1 x 120 mm pine dowel, 12 mm thick 2 x 40 mm pine dowels, 8 mm thick Drill and drill bits Drop saw Drop sheet Jigsaw or reciprocating saw Measuring tape Paintbrush and mini roller Resene testpots – we used Resene Gold Dust and Resene Apache Resene Lustacryl semi-gloss waterborne enamel paint, tinted to your choice of colour – we used Resene Bokara Grey Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer Ruler Sandpaper Wood glue Step 1: Cut your wood to the sizes listed above. Step 2: Measure and mark out a 155 x 25 mm slot, positioned 40 mm up from the base of the backboard, as shown. Step 3: Drill a hole in each corner of the marked slot to give your saw a starting point. Then, use either a jigsaw or reciprocating saw to carefully cut out the slot. Step 4: Smooth out any rough edges with sandpaper. Step 5: To make the handle, drill two 8 mm holes in the 12 mm dowel. Each hole should be drilled three quarters of the way through the dowel, centred and positioned 20 mm from each end. Begin by drilling small pilot holes to guide the larger drill bit.
A dog is laying on a dog bed in a living room next to a couch.

Too Good to be True?

By Nathan Miglani • May 22, 2024
We are on the cusp of a once-in-a-decade influx of properties on the market. Nathan Miglani, Director of NZ Mortgages, explains. As we have discussed, in the aftermath of the election we saw immediate momentum in the market. Since March we have seen this start to drop as the reality of interest rates remaining high dampened buyers’ appetite. Petrol prices are high, the cost of living continues to increase and while the OCR is holding, and forecasted to hold for the next few months, people are hurting, which in turn sees the property market slow. But there is hope on the horizon – we are predicting that by September/October we will start to see interest rates slowly start to come down, but do not expect them to drop as quickly as they rose. We are seeing some banks offer as low as 5.99 per cent on a three-year loan, and while this might sound good now, my advice is still to only fix for a short term to avoid costly break fees. The most active market we are seeing right now is in the $800,000 – $1.3 million range with lots of buying and selling happening. This is set to ramp up come 1 July with the changes to the bright-line property rule when it comes to being taxed on capital gain – dropping from 10 years (or five years for a new build) to two. For many it will seem too good to be true, but it is! This is set to put in motion a once-in-a-decade influx of properties to the market from Mum-and-Dad investors who are currently hurting with the high interest rates, creating massive opportunity for both first home buyers and first-time investors. Other sectors of the market continue to feel the pinch and as an advocate and passionate developer it was important to me to be able to assist the construction sector, which sees the launch of our construction division, Construction Loans. This is for those who have decided to build their first home, right up to those developing a subdivision. It is about helping everyone achieve their goals – which underpins everything we do. For this sector, it is about ensuring that the finances are in order before it is too late. Arranging finance for building a property is different from securing finance on an existing home, and it is critical to consider the best way to structure repayments on the section and the build while maintaining lifestyle.  It is about empowering builders, developers and everyone to make informed decisions that work for their unique situations. There is no one size fits all, which is why it is imperative that you seek professional advice before it’s too late. We are here to help you avoid pitfalls.
A group of young boys are playing soccer on a field.

The Future of Happiness

By Dr Cheryl Doig • May 22, 2024
Dr Cheryl Doig explores why a holistic approach, when it comes to educating, parenting and governing should be considered. It’s a complex world that our young people are growing up in. Societal change, the impact of social media and technology are colliding with climate change, misinformation, disinformation, and warfare. Trust in governments has deteriorated and the world is more polarised. It’s no wonder wellbeing and happiness are such a focus in our schools, our homes and our businesses. The recent results from the 2024 Global Happiness Index showed that happiness in Aotearoa New Zealand has fallen significantly for all age groups, but by twice as much for the young as for the old. In 2021–2023, our young people were the least happy age group. Females under 30 have one-third more negative emotions than males. Our young people are not thriving. Contrast this with 2006–2010 results, when the young were happier than those in the midlife groups, and about as happy as those aged 60 and over. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt provides some insight into what might be happening here. Haidt refers to our young people as ‘the anxious generation’ and outlines the following as contributing factors: Technology – constant connectedness and the facade of always appearing happy and successful on social media. The cult of safety – overprotective parents and risk aversion – not developing resilience nor the ability to cope with challenges. The loss of play – the decline of unstructured play and outdoor exploration, critical factors for social, emotional and cognitive development. The pressure to succeed – intense academic and extracurricular expectations. The loneliness epidemic – social isolation is more prevalent even though our children appear more ‘connected’. These are deep social issues that have no simple solution. What is needed is an holistic approach to parenting, educating and governing. A focus on literacy, numeracy and sciences alone is not going to lead to a wellbeing economy. Supportive relationships and acceptance of diversity matter more than ever. Creative and critical thinking, play and physical exercise cannot be forgotten. Futures thinking is one way of developing resilience, risk taking and autonomy, as it explores alternative world views and encourages anticipating a range of scenarios. Many of our teachers know this but struggle with the ever-changing pendulum swings of successive governments. They’re exhausted and not so happy in their work. Schools need that sense of community support. We are overdue for a bipartisan collective vision for education in order to create a future where our young people thrive, are hopeful and happy. It’s not all doom and gloom. We can make a positive difference! As parents, whānau and communities, my challenge to you is to consider one item from the bullet point list above. Lean into it and give your children a bit of space to be children and have joy in their lives. Don’t crowd them, cosset them and control them so much. Walk alongside and guide them. Let them learn from failure with you as their coach. Celebrate successes.
Share by: