The Dom Harvey Podcast

Abused, Homeless At 15 - The Brain Expert Who Was Raised In Hell | Nathan Wallis

September 20, 2026·1h 58m
Episode Description from the Publisher

Nathan Wallis grew up around alcoholism, violence, abuse and foster care. He was homeless at 15, became a father young, went to counselling at 18 and somehow found his way into teaching, counselling and eventually a career helping people understand how our brains develop.For parents, this episode is jam packed with good useful advice: We talk about the importance of the first 1,000 days, tantrums, anxiety, daycare, discipline, screens, teenagers, social media, are today’s kids snowflakes, and why asking a kid, “What were you feeling?” can sometimes tell you far more than asking  “What were you thinking?” (which, by the way, is the title of his brand-new book)But this episode also gets into Nathan himself- the man behind the job. We talk about the childhood he survived, the people who saved him, meeting his biological father shortly before he died, and the parts of himself he’s still trying to understand.****Massive thanks to my long‑term podcast sponsor, Generate. Like a lot of Kiwis, I spent years saying, “I’ll look at my KiwiSaver account later.” Turns out later comes around faster than you think, and the decisions you make now could be the difference between counting every dollar in retirement or having the freedom to take that trip of a lifetime you've always talked about. I switched my KiwiSaver account to Generate after they came on board, and honestly, I should’ve done it sooner. They’re an award-winning KiwiSaver provider with strong long‑term performance. You can check out their latest returns online, or book a no‑obligation chat with one of their friendly advisers at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom. No pressure, no judgement, no hard-sell – just good advice for wherever you happen to be in your investing journey.  The issuer of the scheme is Generate Investment Management Limited. You can view their Product Disclosure Statement and Financial Advice Provider information at generatekiwisaver.co.nz/disclosures. Past performance does not guarantee future returns. And just a reminder — I’m a podcast host, not a financial adviser. This is general information only, and I recommend getting expert advice before making any financial decisions.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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