HE WAS SHOT 14 TIMES IN THE LINE OF DUTY and clung to life for 3 hours before being rescued and rushed to hospital.

In this episode of 'A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist', Derrick McManus shared his harrowing story and how it lead him to found 'The Australian Centre for Human Durability'and the amazing work he currently does.

Derrick explained the difference between Durability and Resilience and Risk-Taking vs Risk Management with clear explanations and parallels from his experience and our everyday lives.
A fascinating interview with an amazing man with an even more remarkable story!

On this episode of a Cuppa with The Con Versationalist,  I chatted with former Special Operations Engineer with the Australian Special Forces and now Director of Adelaide based psychology company, Bolton Brothers.  The stories he shared were confronting, to say the least.

Nathan was deployed twice to Afghanistan with the Australian Special Forces. Responsible for the search and clearance of IED’s (Improvised Explosive Devices)  A high-stress, high-stakes role…responsible for the lives of his mates from a threat that no one could see. A role, that ended up taking a heavy toll on his mental health and wellbeing and almost cost him his life.

Unable to speak, he suffered in silence, ashamed of the man he had become.

His mission is to use the lessons of his past to open up the discussion of mental health and raise awareness of how it can affect us all. We all bear our own struggles, but at times, our struggles can become so overwhelming…that they ultimately impact our very way of life.

His passion now lies in sharing stories that delve into the heart of who we are, opening up the discussion of pain, struggle, and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit. A message shared from an unlikely source…a message from a soldier once living at the upper echelon of hyper-masculinity.

Having once stood behind the mask of “Stoicism”, he has born witness to its strengths on the battlefield. But also has lived through its flaws, here, back home, in trying to cope with and overcome the impact of war and live through the minefield of everyday life.

Mental Health is a crisis within our community and the work Nathan does is invaluable.  Please help raise awareness and share.

In this episode of 'A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist', I get under the covers  (metaphorically speaking of course!)   with Australia's Leading Love and Relationship Expert, Dr Lurve. 

In this fun filled, jam packed  episode Dr Lurve  gave a really interesting approach on how to re-invigorate a stagnant relationship and get the action back in the bedroom.  Definitely not something I saw coming!

Social media and technology are here to stay.  Dr Lurve gave us her thoughts regards its use  in the current dating scene and also the impact on your existing relationship.  Some very interesting revelations.

Are you single again?  Divorce, death of your partner or just calling it quits from a long term relationship.  When IS the right time to get back in the dating game?

For these and more, listen in and subscribe to make sure you don't miss any episodes.

For regular Love and Relationship advice, follow Dr Lurve on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/LurveDr

and for more about my Speaking and Communication Training and Workshops, including loads of free resources to help you become a better speaker and communicator,  follow me at  https://www.facebook.com/theconkoutsikas or visit my website at conkoutsikas.com

On this episode of 'A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist' we had a "plain english, no political bias' explanation  on this years Federal Budget from Alison Kennedy, A K Tax Services.  Alison is a 20+ year industry professional whose credential include:

• Chartered and Registered Tax Advisor / Agent
• Public Accountant
• Fellow of The Institute of Public Accountants and Tax  Institute of Australia
• Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of New England
• Winner 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award, Institute of Public Accountants Practice of the Year Awards in South Australia and Northern Territory 

Lets just say she knows her stuff!  Doesn't matter what your demographic, there is something here for you.  Just some of the areas she talked about:

• Individual and Company Tax Rates
• The Temporary Full Expense of Asset purchases including the pitfalls for cars!
• Super Contributions
• Aged Care 
• First Home Owner Info along with the Single Parent First Home Buyers Scheme requiring only 2% deposit and much more.

As always, our discussion was of a general nature and you should always seek professional advice related to your specific circumstances and desired outcomes.

"Everyone wants to be famous until it's time to be famous"
Debbie Andrews, Casting Agent, Former Agent to 'A Listers'

On this episode of 'A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist', I was joined all the way from Galveston, Texas by Debbie Andrews.  Debbie has been involved in the entertainment industry for decades and has previously represented Hollywood 'A Listers' such as Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Hillary and Hayley Duff, Farah Fawcett and Angelina Jolie just to mention a few!  We chatted about how she got into casting and the key ingredient directors and casting personnel are looking for to fill a role.  Debbie also shared why there are soooo many shows / series on the various mediums, how Covid has affected the industry and much more.  Debbie was honest and open, such a delight to talk to.
Not only has Debbie been involved in the casting of a multitude of popular TV shows, she also has Hollywood blockbusters including Captain Marvel and Jumangi - Welcome to The Jungle on her impressive and very extensive CV.  
If her entertainment credits weren't enough, Debbie is an adoptive mother to 30 yo identical twin girls, has fostered 7 children, wrote and championed The Transracial Adoption Bill and has been a horse 'mum' to over 2 dozen rescued and rehabilitated horses.  WOW!

If you are involved in Real Estate in any capacity or looking at entering the market, you don't want to miss this!  
The current Australian Real Estate Market is a hot topic.  We are experiencing growth not seen in over 30 Years.  I wanted to talk to an expert to find out out what is going on and when and how will it end.  My guest was Bronte Manuel from Toop and Toop Real Estate.  If you are wondering why you should listen to Bronte, have a look at his and Toop's credentials at the end of this episode description.

Bronte shared why the market is goings nuts and more importantly is this sustainable.  
He had strong tips for both buyers and sellers and he even shared what suburbs you should look out for if you are looking to buy.  He even mentions them by name! 

His industry achievements include:
• 2018 Winner, Real Estate Institute of South Australia (REISA) Auctioneering Championships 
• 2018 Winner, REISA Local Residential Salesperson of the Year (Eastern/City) 
• 2017 + 2018 Winner, Top 5 Australasian Auctioneering Championships 
• 2015, 2016, 2017 Winner, REISA Auctioneering Championships 
• 2014 Winner, Golden Gavel Auctioneering Championships 

The Golden Gavel success made him the award’s youngest ever winner, while he’s also the only auctioneer to win the SA title three years straight.

Under his guidance, in his role as Owner and Director of Residential Sales , Toop &Toop continues to be one of Australia’s most awarded real estate agencies. The business was recently inducted into the Real Estate Institute of Australia’s Hall of Fame for the third time, the first agency to achieve that feat. It received that recognition after winning the Large Residential Agency of the Year Award, Marketing Agency of the Year and Innovation Agency of the Year award at the national level for three straight years between 2016-19. Toop&Toop also claimed the No.1 crown in 2014.

On this episode of  "A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist", I had the pleasure of chatting with Ted X speaker, best selling author and well being educator Annie Harvey from The STILL Effect.  Annie is doing valuable work in many sectors including health care professional's, teacher's and student's just to mention a few.
This current time is particularly challenging to peoples mental health and Annie shares some great tips.  None the least being the importance of experiencing a minimum of 3:1 ratio of positive emotions to negative emotions and how ultimately, we make a choice.  Check out Annie's facebook page at www.facebook.com/annieharveystill  and you have to check out her Ted X talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auysQyvYsS0  to get a great belly laugh.

On this episode of "A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist" I did my best Mike Sheehan impersonation and took a trip down memory lane chatting with former SANFL(Glenelg Football Club (SANFL) and VFL (Essendon Football Club) great, Steve Copping. Steve is multiple premiership player and state representative and he shared some wonderful stories about his playing days having been coached by and played with legends of the game such as Neil Kerley, Kevin Sheedy, Stephen Kernahan and Peter Carey just to mention a few! I asked him what motivated him to play VFL...."You need to compete against the best to become the best version of you" he told me. The lessons here transcend far beyond sport. This one is a gem!

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 Renee Catt is a Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, NMAS Mediator, Divorce and Trauma Coach.  She is certified as a Richards Trauma Process Practitioner, Mediator, Certified Master NLP & Hypnotherapy Practitioner.   On this episode of "A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist" she shared how her high conflict divorce led her to help others to do divorce "differently" Renee is highly regarded and has regularly featured in main stream media including The Today Show and The ABC.   We talked anxiety and depression and Renee shared some frightening statistics around the divorce rate of second marriage's along with the emotional and mental health issues of children in high conflict divorces. A fascinating chat with an amazing lady making a real difference.
I encourage you to check her out at www.reneecatt.com and also follow her on social media.

What “Personality” type are you?  What “Personality” type is your partner or children?  Do you wonder why they do and act certain ways?

I had a fascinating and eye opening chat on this episode of  “A Cuppa with The Con Versationalist”.  I was joined by successful business woman and Personality Expert and Coach, Kate Mason.  Kate shared:

- How discovering hers and her husband’s type helped their relationship.

- The importance of understanding your children’s type, irrespective of their age.

- The transition from being “in love” to “love” and how that impacts your behaviour

- The key is not trying to change a person’s personality but to understand it and communicate.

- The 5 Love languages and much more.

2 Books which Kate highly recommended were:

“How to talk so kids will listen and listen so kids will talk” by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish

“The 5 Love Languages” by Gary Chapman

For more information about Kate’s work and her workshops email her at [email protected].