Matt's healing journey 'I'M MY OWN CHEERLEADER NOW'

The radio star fought his way out of sadness and is now sharing his secrets

- Nicky Pellegrino

For broadcaster Matt Heath it was a real low point. He was sitting on the shores of Lake Wakatipu feeling deeply sorry for himself and the dark, cold water was starting to look pretty good.

A few years previously, Matt had lost his beloved mum Rosemary and, shortly afterwards, his 16-year relationship had ended. Now he couldn’t seem to get out from under a heavy load of sadness.

“I used to talk to my mum about a lot of things,” shares Matt. “She was the ultimate cheerleader in my life. That day in Queenstown, I realised I was going to have to recreate that for myself. So late at night, I made a plan to read, listen and study my way out of not feeling great.”

A self-confessed geek, Matt did a deep dive into the writing of some of history’s greatest thinkers, reaching all the way back to Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius. He also examined scientific papers, listened to audiobooks and basically consumed anything he could get his hands on that might make a difference.

“I kept trying to read my way out of the situation,” he says. “We don’t really have a guide that tells us how to live a good life. That was what I was trying to find. And immediately I started getting great results.”