Dana Johannsen The System that Broke Olivia Podmore

The death of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore confirmed warnings journalist Dana Johannsen had long been hearing about the mental health risks for elite athletes. Her reporting would go on to expose the dark underbelly of high-performance sport in NZ. Content warning: This podcast discusses mental health and suicide. Watch the video version of the episode here . When Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore died in 2021, journalist Dana Johannsen was shocked – but it wasn’t completely out of the blue. For years, athletes and their advocates had been sounding the alarm over a silent mental health crisis gripping elite sport in Aotearoa. As speculation over the death swept the nation, Dana’s unrelenting coverage sought to understand how the system had failed a gifted athlete so badly at what should’ve been the prime of her career. In this kōrero with broadcaster and media chaplain Rev Frank Ritchie, Dana also discusses reporting on the America’s Cup and Olympics, the reality of working in lockdown, and her love of home DIY. Where to get help: Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason. Lifeline : 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends. Depression Helpline : 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202 Samaritans : 0800 726 666 (24/7) Youthline : 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 (8am-12am), or email talk@youthline.co.nz What's Up : free counselling for 5 to 19 years old, online chat 11am-10.30pm 7days/week or free phone 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 11am-11pm Asian Family Services : 0800 862 342 Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm or text 832 Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English. Rural Support Trust Helpline : 0800 787 254 Healthline: 0800 611 116 Rainbow Youth : (09) 376 4155 OUTLine : 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm) If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111. Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details

You can listen to Dana Johannsen The System that Broke Olivia Podmore online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Dana Johannsen The System that Broke Olivia Podmore is an episode from re_covering by RNZ.

This episode is 00:54:16 long.

This episode was published on Jul 29, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from re_covering when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.