So, the dictum usually goes that journalists should never make themselves the story.
That said, there are occasions when the rule must be either bent or broken. One such example is the recent work of News Corp Australia entertainment journalist Jonathon Moran.
Moran is used to being in the spotlight, but his ongoing project, Mental as Anyone, flips the script. With the book now available for pre-sale and an accompanying podcast already out in the world, Moran has stepped into deeply personal territory, sharing his own mental health journey in the most unfiltered way possible.
“I’m going to be authentic and honest, and I’m just going to go for it, not just be honest, but really go there,” Moran says. “If I was going to do a podcast or write a book, I wanted it to be really authentic. I don’t think I could do that without telling my whole truth.”
For Moran, the motivation was simple: “I expect people that I talk to to be brutally honest with me, therefore if I was going to do a podcast, or write a book, I wanted it to be really authentic.”
He explains: “I don’t think I could do that without telling my whole truth, and my mental health has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. So, hence, I’ve shared everything. The book will have it all, warts and all, in the rawest sense of the word. That both excites and terrifies me. But like I said, I can’t expect others in the public eye to be honest if I’m not honest myself.”
The lead-up to the book’s release has been a rollercoaster of emotions, admits Moran: “I’m navigating it right now. The book is out on 25 June, and pre-sales are live. It’s challenging. I feel like a kid at Christmas, trying to put it all to one side to get a good night’s sleep. I’m just putting one foot in front of the other. I treat it the same way I approach anything in life, by learning as I go.”
Moran admits he still grapples with the vulnerability of sharing his deepest struggles. “Is life tough? Yeah. I’m scared, not of backlash, but because of how honest I’ve been about myself, about who I really am. I’ve got imposter syndrome, like almost everyone I’ve ever met. What if it fails? What if, by whatever measure they use to gauge success, the book isn’t one? But at this point, it doesn’t really matter. I’ve written a book. It exists. And I have to come back to why I did it: to share a story I believe is important.”
From gossip guy to grounded truth
Known for celebrity scoops and red carpet interviews, Moran is all too familiar with being misjudged. “People see me and think I’m just the ‘gossip guy’ or the ‘entertainment guy.’ But of course, there’s more to me, as there is to everyone,” he says.
Moran has lived through what he describes as “hospital-level lows.” The motivation behind Mental as Anyone wasn’t self-promotion, but self-preservation, and service. “If this helps just one person, then the job is done. And the truth is, I know it already has,” he says, referencing messages from readers and strangers on the street who’ve said they feel seen.
Connecting through vulnerability
Far from being just another mental health memoir, Mental as Anyone weaves Moran’s story with expert advice from psychologist Dr Jodie Lowinger, founder of The Anxiety Clinic in Bondi Junction.
Dr Lowinger not only wrote the book’s foreword but also helped shape the chapters by offering practical, clinical tools for readers navigating their own mental health struggles.
“The book isn’t just me dumping everything out,” Moran explains. “Jodie’s voice adds another dimension, it’s not just my experience, it’s guidance too.”
The collaboration culminated in a bonus podcast episode, which Moran describes as the most emotional interview he’s ever done.
“Jodie knows me in a way few others do. She’s listened to my story, read it, consumed it, thought about it, and then written about it. I walked out in tears. I genuinely felt seen,” he said.
To pre-order Mental as Anyone click here.
To listen to the Mental as Anyone podcast click here.
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