Raw - Heart & Soul Podcast

03/06/2021

Death doesn't have to be the end.

I know that I fear the unknown, and that until I reach that point in my journey, I won't actually know what is on the other side of death in the physical realm.

Part of what I fear around death is not having lived life to the fullest while I am here.

Both are intimately intertwined.

By understanding how I want to pass, and the celebration of my life that will precede and follow, helps me to focus on living in the moment and enjoying everything about the living process.

Every part of it.

Listen to this podcast.

It is a really good one.

I would love to hear your feedback and if you feel inclined, leave a review on iTunes.

I have a goal of getting 20 more genuine reviews on iTunes by the end of June so that the algorithm picks up the podcast and more people can share the Raw love.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6yEpxzH9Iado82VzHG54JT?si=N1UEvMUnQruzNdRHLpPDIQ

03/06/2021

In the western world, in my experience, many people have fear around and associated with death and dying. At least this has been my observation.

I lost my first husband, Brian, to Melanoma cancer 16 years ago and his passing was far from a celebration of his life. Whilst I am comfortable in the celebration we had at home after his funeral, there are many things that I would change if I could, about the way he passed away.

As many people in my community have also witnessed, watching a loved one pass away, via a slow and painful death, is one of the worst experiences you can go through in life.

In this episode I speak with Zenith Virago, who is a deathwalker. She is someone I am thrilled to share with you, in the hope that some elements of what we speak about, help spark a conversation for you with your loved ones.

We talk about:

• How a deathwalker can help support you in life and in passing
• What it means for men to be given the space to show emotion
• The difference between a policy and a law
• Voluntary assisted death

The topic of death is not easy. No-one wants to cause their loved ones grief at the thought of them not being Earthside in a physical capacity. If there is one thing I have learnt from this conversation it is that we have many more choices than we think we do, when it comes to the legalities of our passing, as well as how we want to be celebrated.

You can find this episode here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6yEpxzH9Iado82VzHG54JT?si=YxFubavyRJi2FseAuPws2g

23/05/2021

Jack’s first step into the world of addiction was around the age of 12 when he smoked pot behind Chadstone shopping centre with a mate’s older brother’s friends. It quickly escalated into drinking and taking M**A.

By the age of 17 he was a fully blown ice addict stealing from his family to fuel his habit.

It was a moment of clarity when he realised he didn’t have enough money to buy a Big M – and the symbolism behind that – that saw him reach out to his family for help, that started his path to recovery.

In this episode Jack and I discuss:

• The honest reasons why people take drugs
• Rehabilitation that saves but sometimes keeps people in perpetual fear
• Alternative methods of recovery that have better outcomes
• Not seeing relapse as inevitable
• Changing the underlying programming that fuels the fire of addiction
• Giving yourself permission to forgive

Jack is the kind of person whose story stays with you long after you stop listening to him talk. The fact that he survived addiction, psychosis and his multiple su***de attempts is testament to the fact he was meant to share his story and change the perception of standard addiction treatment.

Believing in what you know and what you see to be true, and standing up for what you feel in your gut is the right path, takes courage in a world where people’s lives are at stake.

16/05/2021

Gee Cormack is one of the world’s best surf coaches. Her programs are being coached all over the world including with the high performance surf athletes of Australia. She is passionate about helping people bring out the best in their surfing, but Gee also works in the mental health space of surf therapy.

Gee established and runs all women’s Chix Surf School on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. This has given women a place where they can feel safe to learn how to surf, from the perspective of women who understand the ocean.

In this episode you will learn:

• How you see yourself when your life changes completely
• Not all mental health therapy works for everyone in the same setting
• How the world of surfing is changing
• Land based training for surfing athletes – how important is it
• The difference in coaching women and men in surfing

This is a fascinating look into behind the scenes of how the sport of surfing is evolving and how land based training and wave pools are changing the way we train our upcoming youth in the sport.

This episode drops at 7am Monday 17th May.

Subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.

You will find last week's episode with Peter Jess on the subject of concussion in the AFL here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gt1X6gTzsODHGwfa5uajH...

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09/05/2021

Once again the subject of concussion has come up again today in the AFL with a player who has previously suffered a concussion, passing all concussion tests today after a hit in a match, yet the club would not let him back on the field to continue the match.

There is so much grey area in this subject.

This conversation brings up a lot for discussion in terms of not just current and retired players of the AFL but society as a whole and how head trauma can be the catalyst of the downward spiral in mental health.

Peter and I also discuss how head trauma might affect children as young as 6 years of age, who are playing impact sports that result in head trauma.

All of these have wide implications how we look at and treat mental health and often the extension of that, domestic violence.
To say this is an important conversation is a gross understatement.

In this episode we discuss:

• Neurological impairment as a result of brain trauma
• The four pillars by which we measure brain impairment
• The concussion rule in the AFL
• Women playing AFL
• Children and brain trauma

As a parent and grandparent, and an avid supporter of AFL this conversation has left me questioning if I have truly evaluated the risk versus rewards of contact sport. And as Peter says, are we treating the brain with the respect we should, when we have three weeks off with a hamstring injury and just 12 days for a brain injury?

This podcast drops on Monday 10th May at 7am.

Subscribe for notification. Share the Raw love. Leave a review on iTunes.

You will find last week’s episode with Stacey Brown here:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fEG8FvtRaRYL5qhaDqVX0...

08/05/2021

08/05/2021

This conversation brings up a lot for discussion in terms of not just current and retired players of the AFL but society as a whole and how head trauma can be the catalyst of the downward spiral in mental health.

Peter and I also discuss how head trauma might affect children as young as 6 years of age, who are playing impact sports that result in head trauma.

All of these have wide implications how we look at and treat mental health and often the extension of that, domestic violence.

To say this is an important conversation is a gross understatement.

In this episode we discuss:

• Neurological impairment as a result of brain trauma
• The four pillars by which we measure brain impairment
• The concussion rule in the AFL
• Women playing AFL
• Children and brain trauma

As a parent and grandparent, and an avid supporter of AFL this conversation has left me questioning if I have truly evaluated the risk versus rewards of contact sport. And as Peter says, are we treating the brain with the respect we should, when we have three weeks off with a hamstring injury and just 12 days for a brain injury?

This podcast drops on Monday 10th May at 7am.

Subscribe for notification. Share the Raw love. Leave a review on iTunes.

You will find last week’s episode with Stacey Brown here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fEG8FvtRaRYL5qhaDqVX0?si=nL-AZwsBSZGoao1FAa9X6g&dl_branch=1

04/05/2021

This episode is surpassing all of my previous episode records.

And for that I am very thankful.

It is no exaggeration to say that some part of Stacey’s story affects you or someone you know.

Parents living with adult children as a result of mental health problems or substance abuse is commonplace.

The strain this puts on families and is the catalyst for marriage breakdowns......I know it, and it is overwhelming.

Listen to this episode. Take comfort in knowing you are not alone.

But also, talk about it with your friends.

Share this episode of Raw - Heart & Soul.

And leave a review on iTunes.

I’m sorry if this story is your story. I’m sorry if you have lost someone you love to mental health or substance abuse.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fEG8FvtRaRYL5qhaDqVX0?si=E_vsffDSSle98aFOFNeLsQ&dl_branch=1

💕

03/05/2021

Craig Harper and his podcast The You Project is sitting at the top of the podcast charts WORLDWIDE.

In one of my more nerve racking episodes - I consider Craig one of my mentors - I recorded with him late 2020, as Melbourne was coming out of a long lockdown period.

We talked about:

• Reframing failure
• The true and deep meaning of self-awareness
• Identity and beliefs and how they become intertwined

This podcast leaves no doubt as to why Craig Harper has one of the biggest podcasts in Australia and the fact that he is one of the most sought after public speakers and online mentors.

LISTEN HERE:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Y1hqkOlMQW4pWtfpLbJIN?si=Hve6-ZQzTOulU6Zf4yiJpQ

02/05/2021

This episode comes with a trigger warning.

Can you imagine living everyday not knowing if the next phone call you are going to receive, is going to be the one telling you that your child had died as a result of a drug overdose?

That is where you will find my guest on this episode, Stacey Brown.

Two years ago, her life and that of her family was upended when her 17 year old son tried to commit su***de by driving his car into a tree. Two months prior to this, Dylan accidentally overdosed at home using household products.

In this podcast Stacey and I, in a very raw and difficult conversation discuss:

• A history of substance abuse
• Mental health and the failing health care system
• Unconscious enabling
• When the popularity of supporting a cause wears off

Stacey’s family’s trauma is being played out behind closed doors all over the world. With much courage Stacey is sharing her pain in the hope that it helps break down the stigma that surrounds mental health and substance abuse.

This podcast is available here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2fEG8FvtRaRYL5qhaDqVX0?si=7yxvYvyxSousmXLkHOSaFw&dl_branch=1

Subscribe for notification.

Share the Raw love.

Leave a review on iTunes.

02/05/2021

⚠️ This episode comes with a trigger warning ⚠️

Can you imagine living everyday not knowing if the next phone call you are going to receive is going to be the one telling you that your child had died as a result of a drug overdose?

That is where you will find my guest on this episode, Stacey Brown.

Two years ago, her life and that of her family was upended when her 17 year old son tried to commit su***de by driving his car into a tree. Two months prior to this, Dylan accidentally overdosed at home using household products.

In this podcast Stacey and I, in a very raw and difficult conversation discuss:

• A history of substance abuse
• Mental health and the failing health care system
• Unconscious enabling
• When the popularity of supporting a cause wears off

Stacey’s family’s trauma is being played out behind closed doors all over the world. With much courage Stacey is sharing her pain in the hope that it helps break down the stigma that surrounds mental health and substance abuse.

This podcast drops on Monday 3rd May at 7am.

Subscribe for notification. Share the Raw love. Leave a review on iTunes.

You will find last week’s episode with Scott Darlow here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NswS4nUNkZaiKKlMwFEx3?si=P-JsNsgdQw6uNiZl-CHCtg

25/04/2021

Scott Darlow is someone that I had wanted to speak with on my podcast for some time. I saw him play back up for Eskimo Joe in late 2019 and new that he was someone with an interesting story. I also knew that he would challenge my perceptions and some of the ways in which I was raised.

This is an important episode in a few different ways, but mainly because it has opened the door wider to me on what began as a journey of confronting, accepting and doing better in the area of racism in my own life.

In this episode Scott and I speak about:

• Currency and what that means to us each individually
• Luck – does it really exist
• Generational lenses
• Michael Gudinski and who he was to Scott

This episode drops on Monday 26th April at 7.00am. Subscribe on Spotify and iTunes for notifications.

Leave a review on iTunes and share the Raw love.

You will find last week’s episode with Amelia Hill here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/42birdS7tvLlLYDdc4SW6X?si=DCDb0RJ4RNOmLM8Pi16ZTQ

17/04/2021

Amelia Hill is living with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and Environmental Illness.

These terms might sound vague or nondescript, but essentially it means that your body reacts badly to many things in our environment.

Do you know that mild headache you get if you spend time in the ‘perfume’ section of a department store? That is a chemical sensitivity reaction. Now multiply that to include any smells that are not found in nature – almost everything in human lives right now – and your body reacts in a way that leaves you unable to get out of bed and even just opening your eyes takes a monumental effort, that is where you find people like Amelia.

It is a world of complete isolation.

It is a world of frustration of not knowing the cause or how to seek treatment.

It is a world where even a hug from a loved one can mean that you spend the following weeks in bed.

It is a world where hope is a commodity that comes and goes.

It is also a world that is a mystery to many doctors.

This episode is raw. It is at times, difficult to listen to. Amelia shares her life with me and we discuss:

• Finding hope when even the last of her doctors has none
• How fighting for your mental health is just as important as your physical health
• Loneliness in a world where physical contact is non-existent

I came out of this podcast a better human than when I went into recording it. I feel blessed that Amelia felt comfortable enough to gift me her full story. Completely raw and authentic.

Thank you Amelia xx

This episode drops on Spotify on Monday 19th April at 7am.

Subscribe on all podcast platforms for direct notifications.

You will find last week's episode with Paul Mondo here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0zyMuYqmoy9McHGFGPMjwD?si=ySEMTAMaT9qT98WT_UhTpg

11/04/2021

I get a lot of suggestions for guests put forward to be on my podcast.
Sometimes I will research and find that the guest isn’t a good fit in that moment or that their reason for wanting to be on the show, just doesn’t feel right for me.
And then sometimes I meet a guest for the first time and I know their story needs to be heard.
is one of the latter.
I’ve just finished recording with Stacey and her story is one that is being repeated in homes all over the world.
Her son is an addict.
Her son has a diagnosed mental health condition.
Her son’s addiction began when he was playing on the football team.
Her son was the child you would probably least expect to fall into addiction. He had it all together, until he didn’t.
Stacey’s story is the story of so many parents who have lost or are slowly, painfully losing their children to mental health problems and addiction.
Be sure to subscribe to the Raw - Heart & Soul podcast on Spotify or iTunes for notification of when this episode drops.

For current episodes:

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cfDfNNDTsv6oInhdIU4cF?si=JJNgiua3SKaaerlPXPiDTg

11/04/2021

During the height of the covid 19 pandemic in 2020, the Early Learning sector of Australia was brought to its knees. In an area that has always been a political pawn, and what I consider an easy target, there was a push to stand up and change policy to allow Australians to continue to be able to work in essential services, with the knowledge that their children would remain cared for in the centres that had delivered that service.

It was thanks to Paul Mondo and those he worked closely with, as well as staff in Early Learning centres, that parts of our economy were able to adapt and move forward in what was a time of chaos.

In this podcast Paul and I discuss:

• The importance of support of Australian families as an extension of the care of their children
• Implementing nationwide changes that could improve outcomes for children
• Changing perception of community in regard to those who love to work in Early Learning centres

This episode drops on Monday 12th April at 7am. Subscribe on Spotify at The Raw - Heart & Soul Podcast for direct notifications.

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cfDfNNDTsv6oInhdIU4cF?si=s6RSdUrISlOBkgBIZzLIhQ

09/04/2021

During the height of the covid 19 pandemic in 2020, the Early Learning sector of Australia was brought to its knees. In an area that has always been a political pawn, and what I consider an easy target, there was a push to stand up and change policy to allow Australians to continue to be able to work in essential services, with the knowledge that their children would remain cared for in the centres that had delivered that service.

It was thanks to Paul Mondo and those he worked closely with, as well as staff in Early Learning centres, that parts of our economy were able to adapt and move forward in what was a time of chaos.

In this podcast Paul and I discuss:

• The importance of support of Australian families as an extension of the care of their children
• Implementing nationwide changes that could improve outcomes for children
• Changing perception of community in regard to those who love to work in Early Learning centres

This podcast drops on Monday 12th April at 7am. Subscribe on Spotify at The Raw - Heart & Soul Podcast for direct notifications.

https://open.spotify.com/show/7cfDfNNDTsv6oInhdIU4cF?si=s6RSdUrISlOBkgBIZzLIhQ

30/03/2021

I’ve just finished recording with where we covered everything from Australian music to education to First Nations Australian culture and politics.
But my tear stains are from talking with him about his mate Michael Gudinski.
In a beautiful theme that started with and flowed through when I was speaking with RC Nakai, we may be separated by the borders of our lands by our oceans, but we are all spiritual beings. Just doing the best we can to have a human life.

28/03/2021

Co-dependant relationships. What does this mean and how do you recognize if you are in a co-dependant relationship?

Jo Rushton is a beautiful human with a wealth of experience and wisdom in the area of relationship with others and self. Jo is a Faculty member of the Chek Institute and The Masters Way where she helps people in all areas of their mental, spiritual and physical health.

In this podcast we explore:

• Chaos cycles
• Co-dependant relationships
• Inter-dependant relationships
• The importance of understanding how you create your circumstances

This episode will be available on Spotify at 7am on Monday 29th March. Subscribe for notifications and I would love for you to leave a review on iTunes.

You will find last week’s episode with Mike Fitch here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3m3xyxi7QCZj08szjTkDjA?si=HgpnbHSFSwGet_KBp6Y0Ig

28/03/2021

Co-dependant relationships.

What does this mean and how do you recognize if you are in a co-dependant relationship?

Jo Rushton is a beautiful human with a wealth of experience and wisdom in the area of relationship with others and self. Jo is a Faculty member of the Chek Institute and The Masters Way where she helps people in all areas of their mental, spiritual and physical health.

In this episode we explore:

• Chaos cycles
• Co-dependant relationships
• Inter-dependant relationships
• The importance of understanding how you create your circumstances

This episode will be available on Spotify at 7am on Monday 29th March. Subscribe for notifications and I would love for you to leave a review on iTunes.

You will find last week’s episode with Mike Fitch here:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/3m3xyxi7QCZj08szjTkDjA?si=HgpnbHSFSwGet_KBp6Y0Ig

14/03/2021

In this episode of the Raw - Heart & Soul podcast I speak with the humble RC Nakai whose music it known the world over.

He has travelled the world extensively touring his music and his belief around all humans living on the planet as being displaced is intriguing.

In this podcast we talk about:

Music is the language that we pass down our stories
Awareness of all of the cultures we carry within us
Political systems and how they control us

Subscribe to the Raw - Heart & Soul podcast for notification of when this episode goes live at 7am on Monday 15th March.

14/03/2021

In this episode of the Raw - Heart & Soul podcast I speak with the humble RC Nakai whose music it known the world over.

He has travelled the world extensively touring his music and his belief around all humans living on the planet as being displaced is intriguing.

In this podcast we talk about:

Music is the language that we pass down our stories
Awareness of all of the cultures we carry within us
Political systems and how they control us

Subscribe to the Raw - Heart & Soul podcast for notification of when this episode goes live at 7am on Monday 15th March.

07/03/2021

And leading the way for this season is my returning guest Meghann Birks!

In this podcast we talk about Meghann's diagnosis of ADHD when she was an adult, and what that meant to her in being able to understand why she struggled in some areas of her life.

This is a raw conversation that at times leaves both of us in tears.

Subscribe to the Raw - Heart and Soul podcast on Spotify and iTunes to be notified when this episode goes live at 7pm on Monday 8th March.

Happy International Women's Day!

27/02/2021

Raw Bites with Corey Wilkes.
For the full episode find us on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or www.rawheartandsoul.com .