Take It From Us: 1,300 Shows Later — Sheldon Brown, The Man Who Brought Humanity to Radio

Some people change lives quietly — not with titles or headlines, but with presence, persistence, and empathy. Sheldon Brown is one of those people. For over thirteen years and more than 1,300 radio shows, he gave voice to people whose stories were rarely heard. Take It From Us became a place where lived experience met public conversation, long before “mental health awareness” became a common phrase.

When Sheldon joined me on the Authentic Leadership Podcast, we spoke not only about his remarkable career but about the life behind it — the child who grew up helping his father care for a mother living with mental illness, the journalist who learned the weight of silence, and the man who transformed pain into purpose.

Sheldon’s story begins in Christchurch, in a small house perched on Scarborough Hill. He remembers the hundred steep steps up to his home — a daily climb that mirrored the uphill emotional terrain of his childhood. His mother, gentle and creative, struggled deeply with her mental health. His father, a proud but angry man, found it hard to talk about what was happening. “No one explained anything,” Sheldon recalled. “One day she was there, the next she was gone — back in Sunnyside Hospital. I was a boy who didn’t understand, just trying to hold everything together.”

That early experience of carrying responsibility — of being a caretaker instead of being cared for — shaped Sheldon’s life in ways that only became clear decades later. He learned resilience, self-reliance, and the quiet skill of observation. “When you grow up in an environment of confusion and silence,” he said, “you learn to listen differently.”

That gift for listening eventually became the foundation of Take It From Us, the radio show he helped pioneer at Auckland’s Planet FM. What began as a small community project grew into one of the longest-running mental health shows in New Zealand. Week after week, Sheldon opened his studio to people with lived experience — those navigating depression, addiction, bipolar disorder, trauma, and the ongoing fight against stigma.

He didn’t interview from a distance; he listened from within. “I think my own experience with mental distress helped me connect,” he said. “People knew they were being heard by someone who understood.”

Across 1,300 episodes, Sheldon and his guests explored the deeply human side of mental health. The show won multiple awards and became a lifeline for listeners across the country. It wasn’t about polished soundbites or textbook answers. It was about empathy — the kind that recognises both the fragility and strength of being human.

But Sheldon’s story isn’t just one of professional success. It’s also about survival, ageing, and rediscovering dignity. After years of community work, he faced serious health challenges and eventually found himself in a rest home — an environment he describes as “well-intentioned but dehumanising.” The food was poor, the care impersonal, and the spirit of living was missing. Yet even there, Sheldon’s story took a turn toward hope.

He met his partner in that same rest home — two neighbours who shared a bathroom and a quiet determination to reclaim their independence. “We escaped,” he laughed. “We just packed up and left.” Today, they live together on Waiheke Island, tending a vegetable garden, sharing food with others, and building a small but caring community. “It’s a healthier, happier life,” he said. “We’re surrounded by people who look out for each other.”

Our conversation touched on more than his achievements — it explored what it means to live with purpose, especially later in life. Sheldon spoke candidly about ageing, illness, and the loneliness that many older people face. “So many are hidden away in places where they’re kept alive but not truly living,” he said. “We need to remember that everyone, at every age, deserves connection, dignity, and joy.”

Through the ups and downs of his journey — from journalism to advocacy, from mental health challenges to rebuilding life on an island — Sheldon has remained an embodiment of quiet resilience. His belief in community and compassion is unwavering. He still reaches out to neighbours in need, still advocates for alternatives to over-medication, and still reminds us that wellness is not just about treatment but about connection.

Before our conversation ended, Sheldon shared a simple piece of wisdom that has stayed with me. “Listening,” he said, “is an act of love. Too many people working in mental health don’t know how to listen. But when you listen — really listen — you give people permission to exist.”

Those words capture everything Sheldon stands for. Beyond the 1,300 shows, beyond the accolades and the awards, his true legacy is the space he created — a space where people could speak their truth and be met with kindness.

As we ended the recording, I looked at him — this tall, gentle man who once carried so much silence — and thought, this is what humanity sounds like when it finds its voice.

Watch the full conversation: Take It From Us: 1,300 Shows Later — Sheldon Brown, The Man Who Brought Humanity to Radio