🎙️ BOGANS, BIAS & BLACK SABBATH | Dr. Matt Crawford on Mental Health, Stereotypes & Why Bogan Identity Matters

We’re in New Zealand—home of sheep, world-class rugby, epic landscapes… and the bogan. Yeah, the bogan. You’ve heard the word. Maybe you’ve lived it. But what does it really mean?

In this episode, we chat with Dr. Matt Crawford, senior psych lecturer and metalhead, about how bogan identity is more than just mullets and burnouts. It’s a symbol of belonging, rebellion, and mental resilience.

🧠 We unpack:

• Why heavy metal is more than noise—it's therapy

• How bogan identity shapes self-worth and community

• The psychology behind stereotypes, labels, and group belonging

• Why the brain craves categories—and how it sometimes gets it very wrong

• How owning your label can change your mental health for the better

Crawford breaks it down: identity isn't just about who you are. It’s who you belong to. Whether you’re cranking Sabbath, revving a V8, or just trying to make sense of yourself in a judgmental world—this one’s for you.

🤘 This episode hits hard for anyone into New Zealand heavy metal, blue-collar culture, or questioning the boxes we’re all shoved into.

Five mentions? You got it:
Bogan identity, bogan identity, bogan identity, nz bogans, bogan identity.

What do you get when you cross a Pantera fan, a battle vest, and a therapy room?
You get Richard — the most unexpected New Zealand therapist you’ll ever meet.

Forget soft piano music and polite nodding. This New Zealand therapist walks in with a beanie, band patches, and a full bogan grin. He’s not your usual counsellor. He’s a metal head counsellor, and proud of it.

Richard’s not just smashing stigma—he’s moshing through it. In this episode, the metal head counsellor shows us that sometimes the best way to talk about your feelings… is to scream them with a pirate metal band.
(Yeah, that actually happens.)

This isn’t your mum’s mindfulness podcast. This is full-blown bogan New Zealand wisdom with a headbang and a heart.

We dive into what it’s really like to be a New Zealand therapist in a world that still expects ties and clean-shaven faces. Spoiler: Richard brings neither. But he does bring empathy, humour, and the kind of honesty that hits harder than a double kick pedal.

Whether you’ve ever doubted therapy, or you just want to hear a bogan New Zealand legend talk about stage-diving mid-set (true story), you’ll want to watch this one.

Because behind the metal head counsellor persona is someone who really listens—and doesn’t judge you for your taste in music (unless it’s smooth jazz).

So if you’ve ever felt like a weirdo, an outsider, or just a full-blown member of the bogan New Zealand community trying to get through the day—this is for you.

🖤 Like, comment your most bogan moment, and subscribe for more real-as yarns from Aotearoa’s loudest legends.

Watch the full video here:

https://youtu.be/haqi7JiUQGw

Ever met a therapist who listens to Pantera, rocks a battle vest, and casually drops mental health wisdom between metal gigs?

Meet Richard — a full-on New Zealand bogan, frontline mental health worker, and proud metalhead who’s smashing stereotypes louder than a double kick pedal. 🤘

In this episode, we talk bogan pride, brutal honesty, pirate metal therapy (yes, really), and what it’s like being the most unorthodox therapist in the country.

Richard doesn’t just talk about mental health — he lives it, growls through it, and helps others survive it with black humor and black t-shirts.

So if you’ve ever felt like the world doesn’t get you…
If you’ve ever been called “too much”…
Or if you just want to see what counseling looks like with a Slayer soundtrack—this one's for you.

🔔 Stick around for the wild gig stories, life advice, and emotional gut-punches you didn’t see coming. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll walk away feeling a little more understood.

You can watch the video version here:

https://youtu.be/jSTeV7dx0yQ