At 18 years old, Kate Seselja walked into a pokie room for the
first time.
What started as a night out with friends quickly became a secret
battle that would consume the next 12 years of her life.
Over that time, Kate lost approximately $500,000 through
refinanced mortgages, credit cards, and years of gambling losses.
Alongside the financial toll came overwhelming shame, secrecy,
and a desperate search for help that simply wasn't there. Despite
countless attempts to stop, gambling addiction tightened its
grip.
Kate eventually found herself in such a dark place that she
contemplated ending her life. Then she discovered she was
pregnant with her sixth child. Knowing that any decision she made
would also affect the life she was carrying, she couldn't go
through with it. In what had become her darkest chapter, her
unborn baby became the reason she held on — and the turning point
that would lead her toward recovery, advocacy, and hope.
But this is not where her story ends.
In this powerful conversation, Kate shares the reality of
gambling harm, the devastating impact it has on families, the
stigma that keeps so many suffering in silence, and why she
believes the burden of responsibility cannot sit entirely with
those struggling with addiction. Real change, she says, requires
governments, regulators and the gambling industry to step up and
do more to protect vulnerable Australians.
Today, Kate is a speaker, advocate, author, TEDx speaker, and
founder of The Hope Project, helping others move from surviving
to thriving. She speaks openly about mental wellbeing,
resilience, recovery, and the changes needed to protect future
generations from gambling harm.
This conversation is raw, courageous, heartbreaking, and
ultimately hopeful.
Because when we bring our stories into the light, shame loses its
power.
️ Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Kate's new book is available for pre-order.
Learn more about The Hope Project.
️ Support the campaign calling for mandatory poker machine loss
limits across Australia.
Links below.
https://www.thehopeprojectaustralia.com.au/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio
https://www.change.org/p/losslimitsnotlostlives-enforce-loss-limits-on-all-australian-poker-machines/actions
Kommentare (0)
Melde dich an, um einen Kommentar zu schreiben.