Episode 60: Beryl Crosher-Segers: On Healing, Mental Health and Growing Up Under Apartheid

In our 60th episode we're joined by amazing author Beryl Crosher-Segers. Beryl is the author of the bestselling A Darker Shade of Pale: a memoir of apartheid South African about life during apartheid. In her 2018 writing debut she tells the story of her determination to rise above her earlier life of inequality and injustice. Beryl Crosher-Segers was born in Cape Town, South Africa in 1955, seven years after the reigning National party imposed the system of apartheid. She immigrated to Australia in 1988 and has since been named one of Australia’s 100 most influential South Africans.

Her most recent publication, Behind my Smile: the True Story of an Author, a Broken Spirit and a Healer, was released on 20 March 2020.

Beryl and her husband moved to Australia in the 1980s in search of a better life for themselves and their children. 

Through a long-held love of the arts, she established One World Community Arts Network, a community project celebrating cultural diversity through music. In 2002, her commitment to previously disadvantaged artists from her birth town led her to start her own events company, C Major Events. Beryl’s experience is in administration in government. She is also impassioned by fundraising.

A highly regarded community representative, her awards include the Celebrate Africa-Australian Captain’s Award for service to the South African Community and a Jo Wilton Memorial Women’s Award, a human rights award from the University of Technology, Sydney.

In this episode Beryl shares her story of growing up during apartheid, the impact writing her bestselling debut book had on her, and how therapy helped her to process old traumas to move forward. I loved speaking with Beryl who shared her story openly with us on the podcast.

You can connect with Beryl on Facebook, Instagram or via her website.

Follow our host Hannah @hannah.stainer on Instagram or on twitter.

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Thanks for listening!

Hannah & the Psykhe Podcast team x