Brooke McIntosh became the fastest woman ever to run around Australia — but her story begins with a suicide attempt, years of anxiety and depression, and a life spent searching for validation instead of self-worth.

Covering more than 14,000 kilometres in just 204 days, Brooke pushed her body to extraordinary limits. But the real challenge wasn't physical — it was learning to heal, trust herself, and find purpose after years spent looking for answers everywhere except within.

After surviving a suicide attempt in 2022, Brooke was forced to confront the pain she had spent years avoiding. What followed was a profound journey of healing, self-discovery, and mental fitness that would eventually lead her to become one of Australia's most inspiring voices in mental health advocacy.

In this episode, Brooke opens up about hitting rock bottom, the moment that changed everything, and how running became a vehicle for healing rather than achievement. Together, Geoff and Brooke explore mental health, resilience, trauma, self-worth, purpose, vulnerability, and why so many of us spend years avoiding the very conversations that could change our lives.

Brooke shares powerful stories from the road, including the conversations that reinforced her mission to reduce suicide rates, her experience supporting a younger sister through addiction and homelessness, and the lessons she learned after spending more than six months alone with her thoughts while running around the country.

The conversation also explores social media, self-trust, identity, and why true healing begins when we stop running from our pain and start listening to what it's trying to teach us.

This episode is a conversation about resilience, purpose, mental health, self-acceptance, and finding the courage to become who you truly are.

What You'll Learn:

🔥 How Brooke went from a suicide attempt to becoming the fastest woman to run around Australia

🏃‍♀️ The physical and mental challenge of running 14,000km around the country

🧠 What mental fitness actually means and how to build it daily

💭 Why so many of us seek validation instead of self-trust

❤️ The role vulnerability and connection play in mental health recovery

🌊 How silence, stillness, and solo running transformed Brooke's life

⚡ Why healing requires courage, not perfection

🤝 The importance of community when navigating difficult seasons of life

🌱 How to stop avoiding hard conversations and start creating meaningful change

✨ Why purpose is often found on the other side of pain

Follow the show:
https://www.instagram.com/intodeep_pod

Follow Brooke:
https://www.instagram.com/brookemcintosh

Follow Geoff:
https://www.instagram.com/geoff_elevate