Spotlighting Thriving Madly
Thriving Madly is a vibrant, community-led initiative that walks alongside people with lived experience of mental distress, addiction, and neurodiversity. Rooted in connection and creativity, Thriving Madly fosters spaces where individuals can share wisdom, build relationships, and shape their own paths to wellbeing.
Contributors — the name given to those who participate — are at the heart of this movement. Rather than operating as a service provider, Thriving Madly is guided by the voices within its community. Ideas, direction, and action emerge from lived experience, with Intentional Peer Support (IPS) providing a framework for connection and growth. IPS training is offered free to whānau, strengthening relational skills and deepening collective resilience.
The initiative hosts a range of regular events, including The Anti Book Club Book Club, Black Dog Walks across Ōtautahi, Co-reflection, Crafternoon, and weekly drop-in office hours. These gatherings offer welcoming, accessible spaces where people can engage in ways that suit their interests, identities, and journeys.
Smaller groups within Thriving Madly form around shared ways of being — such as Thriving Autistically, a Māori rōpū, a disability-focused group, and a social action collective. An active online community of over 300 members continues to grow,
reflecting the strength and reach of the kaupapa.
Thriving Madly centres cultural safety, inclusion, and the power of lived experience. Contributors are free to engage at their own pace, without fear of exclusion or disconnection. Together, they are building a community where hope, possibility, and belonging flourish — not only for themselves, but for the wider world they’re helping to transform.