Life has changed a lot for Hamish Williams in the last 15 years. Back in 2009, he was just establishing his career as a freelance journalist and often struggled to pay his rent. When he was offered a gig doing social media for a new weekly late-night radio show, it was a useful extra string to his bow.
Today, after working as a broadcaster and producer covering some of the top news stories in the last decade and a half, he runs his own media consultancy company. The keen sailor also has a governance role at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, which took him to Barcelona for the America’s Cup.
Two years ago, he married teacher Yvette, 40, and is stepdad to Harry, 17, and Ashley, 15, and they own a home in Auckland.
Throughout, there has been one constant in his life – his radio show, The Nutters Club. It was started by comedian and mental health campaigner Mike King, combining interviews with talkback and covers all aspects of mental health, along with subjects like addiction.
Hamish, 40, has gone from writing the show’s social media posts to hosting it. As The Nutters Club celebrates its 15th birthday, he has been reflecting on its impact.
“It has made my life richer, without a doubt,” he says. “The stories we hear from our callers and the guests we’ve had on over the years all have an effect. Other people’s experiences have helped me to learn and understand more about human behaviour.
“That’s been invaluable to my career, but it’s also helped me to learn about myself as a person. I’ve discovered we’ve all got far more in common than we have that is different. When we feel more connected to each other, then we don’t feel so bad about the world.”
Some of the details callers share with Hamish and his co-host, psychotherapist Kyle MacDonald, can be harrowing. Regardless, they focus on giving “relentless empathy” and letting people know they are worthy of help.
“I always say, ‘You deserve help,’ and often that’s when they then have the most emotional reaction.”
He adds, “We hear some tough stuff, but I try to hold on to the positives, like being able to help people with what they’re going through. Otherwise, it could weigh down on you.”
Yvette says after doing the show from 11pm-1am on a Sunday night, Hamish can be fragile the following day.
“We’re gentle with Hamish on a Monday,” she says. “He’s been listening to people talking about the lowest points of their lives. Then, after not having very much sleep, he still has to work on a Monday. We take things quietly in our house.”
She thinks Hamish is good at what he does because he has natural empathy, along with a knack of being able to talk to anyone.
“People seem to open up to him and feel comfortable with telling him really personal things,” she says.
Hamish believes a terrible tragedy he suffered in his life has played a part in how he relates to others going through traumatic times.
“When I was four years old, I watched my father die on our kitchen floor from suicide,” he shares. “I struggled to deal with it and even talk about it for most of my life. It wasn’t until Yvette and I had been together for a few years that I felt I could talk about it. I think part of my motivation with The Nutters Club is to spare anyone from having to go through that experience.”
Hamish deals with any mental health challenges by talking about them, often to Yvette. He’ll see a counsellor if he needs additional help and has learned to deal with things like negative feedback. He faced plenty of that when he took over from Mike in 2017, after being his stand-in for many years.
“For the first three months, there wasn’t the nicest feedback. I had to learn not to take it personally,” he shares. “I never sought to emulate Mike because I am not him. If you’re on live radio, pretending to be something you’re not, you’re going to get found out pretty quickly!”
He finds it humbling to hear about how the show has helped listeners.
“I have a message that says, ‘I hope The Nutters Club never disappears. Hamish and Kyle made me feel less alone in the world when I was a teenager growing up with a mentally unwell mother. I loved them to bits.’
“I have no idea who that person is, but knowing we have been able to help them… How awesome is that?! That’s why we do the show.”
Help is here
Need to talk? Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.
Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP).
Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email [email protected] or online chat here.
Samaritans – 0800 726 666
Listen to Hamish on The Nutters Club at newstalkzb.co.nz/on-air/nutters-club/.