A Great Recipe for Life Podcast

DR ANITA HEISS, AUTHOR

My guest this episode is Dr Anita Heiss.

Anita is the author of non-fiction, historical fiction, commercial women's fiction, poetry, social commentary and travel articles. She is a regular guest at writers' festivals and travels internationally performing her work and lecturing on Indigenous literature.

She is a Lifetime Ambassador of the Indigenous Literacy Foundation and a proud member of the Wiradjuri nation of central NSW. She is an Adjunct Professor with Jumbunna Indigenous House of Learning, UTS and currently divides her time between managing the Epic Good Foundation, writing, public speaking, MCing, and being a 'creative disruptor'.

Anita was a finalist in the 2012 Human Rights Awards and the 2013 Australian of the Year Awards. Her most recent novels are Kicking Goals with Goodsey and Magic andBarbed Wire and Cherry Blossoms.

You can connect with Anita via her blog, twitter, Instagram orFacebook.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

•surrounding yourself with people who want you to get the most out of life

•internet trolls and advice for dealing with them

•travelling for research

•writing a book with Adam Goodes and Michael O'Loughlin

•learning about AFL

•taking up running in her 40s

•eating pineapple Tim Tams

•from learning to run to running half marathons

•mind over matter

•Anita challenges Mel to run 1km

•moving to Brisbane to work for the Epic Good Foundation

•telling Elsie (mum) she was moving to Brisbane

•juggling all the commitments

•wanting to meet Mr Right

•growing up in a mixed marriage

•writing down what you're looking for in a partner

•getting paid as a writer, getting an advance and having to earn it out

•self publishing vs going through a traditional publisher

•being remembered for her cooking

•giving herself time out and being present

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

You can find Anita at www.anitaheiss.com and the Epic Good Foundation.

KATHRYN HODGES, FAMILY LAWYER

My guest this episode is Kathryn Hodges.

Kathryn is a family lawyer on the Sunshine Coast, and she has been working in this space since finishing her law degree in 1995.

She is passionate about families, their wonder and their imperfection. She has a keen interest in helping people through change, and her law practice is designed to create the space to allow her clients to experience a respectful separation.

Kathryn and I met at the ProBlogger conference last year after having spoken on twitter for ages!

You can connect with Kathryn on twitter and Facebook and buy her book at Who Gets the Dog?

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

WHAT WE DISCUSSED

•being comfortable in your own skin

•"falling into the law" and becoming a family lawyer

•getting married at 19 years of age

•the ease of getting a divorce

•tips for a successful and happy relationship

•growing as a couple

•being given flowers

•being open to the idea of change

•staying connected as a couple

•coping with the death of her mother

•learning not to measure grief

•being grateful and keeping a gratitude journal

•Kathryn's book, Who Gets the Dog?

•advice for people thinking of ending a long term relationship

•some of the legal bits you need to think of before ending a relationship

•is a pre-nup agreement worth it?

•same sex marriage

•having markers for change

•being spontaneous

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

You can find Kathryn at Integrated Family Law or on her blog, Alphabet Rainbows.

My guest this episode is the super fabulous Warwick Merry.

Long time listeners of my podcasts will remember that I interviewed Warwick on my previous podcast, The Activity Pod. There I referred to him as a bit of a slasher - professional speaker slash MC slash author slash coach slash poodle dad. Not a lot has changed!

Warwick and I met through the National Speakers Association of Australia (now Professional Speakers Australia) many years ago and he is one of those friends I really wish I saw more of.

We don't laugh as much in this episode as we did when we recorded The Activity Pod, but we chat about different stuff (some of which is serious!) so please have a listen.

 

You can find Warwick at www.warwickmerry.com and download his celebrate success shopping list here.

You can connect with Warwick on twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed

•defining success - it's not all about the money

•being "lucky"

•creating the life you want

•retirement

•living in a time of surplus and generosity

•celebrating success - the big and the small wins

•rewarding success

•fake it until you make it

•saying yes when your first instinct is to say no

•the employment and recruitment models today - and how we think they can be improved!

•organisational culture

•working flexibly and trusting your people

•Dr Amantha Imber, Inventium

•Warwick's book, Get More Inspiration - and we talk about Fat Bobs (!!)

•tips for people who are lacking inspiration

•motivation vs inspiration

•taking that first step and overcoming inertia

•the importance of accountability

•the benefit of having a pet

•bacon

•good Mexican food

•singing in the supermarket

•Carl Sagan

•considering running for office

•healthcare, mental illness and my interview with psychiatrist Dr Helen Schultz

•often the tiniest changes make the biggest impact

•saying thank you more often (and Mel's blog post) 

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or

My guest this episode is Peter Baines OAM.

After working in the NSW Police Force for 22 years, the majority of which in the forensics team, Peter founded children's charity Hands Across the Water. His passion for helping children, particularly those in Thailand where Hands does most of its work, was cemented during his time working in Thailand after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

In addition to leading Hands, Peter is the principal of Peter Baines Consulting, where he helps businesses build effective sustainable leadership programs through a unique mix of leadership and corporate social responsibility initiatives.

There are a few elements of this podcast that are not for the feint hearted as we talk about some of the confronting work that Peter did in Bali and Thailand.

You can find Peter and get involved at Hands Across the Water.

You can connect with Peter on twitter and Facebook.

You can connect with Hands Across the Water on twitter and Facebook.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed:

•enjoying all aspects of life

•work-life balance and life integration

•the freedom and flexibility of working for yourself

•22 years working for the NSW Police

•working in the forensics team as a crime scene practitioner and how it changed over time

•working in Bali after the 2002 Bali bombings and not being welcome as a member of an Australian police force

•the appreciation of the Thai people when working in Thailand as a first responder after the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami

•3,500 decomposing bodies in a temple after the Boxing Day 2004 tsunami

•mental health support

•how and why Hands Across the Water started

•working for Interpol in France in the Counterterrorism team

•working for the United Nations

•not spending donor money on administration or salaries

•making sure our investors are happy with how we spend the money

•advice for people who want to start a charity

•decomissioning a charity - Ian Thorpe

•measuring the impact of what you want to do

•being awarded an Order of Australia Medal, and the Thai equivalent 

•how you can get involved with Hands Across the Water

•creating shared experiences

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

My guest this episode is Adele Blair, the Managing Director of The Concierge Collective, one of Australia's leading concierge companies.

Adele started The Concierge Collective ten years ago, after working as an executive personal assistant for about twenty years. This is despite not knowing how to turn on the computer in her first temp job! She is highly organised and her colour coded calendar is a sight to behold!  

Adele is also a co-founder of the Institute of Concierge and Lifestyle Managers (iCALM), an industry-focused organisation that supports professionals within the Concierge and Lifestyle Management industry through education, networking and employment opportunities.

We talk about some tips to be more organised, running a business, becoming a runner (not something I'll be doing any time soon...) and some of the more "unusual" requests that have come through - include one asked of me when I was a conference organiser.

You can find Adele at The Concierge Collective.

You can connect with Adele on twitter and Facebook.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed:

•Gold Coast Half Marathon

•Celebrating ten years in business

•starting a business

•what a personal concierge is

•using a personal concierge

•some of the weirder requests

•why it's important to stay organised

•managing your stress and anxiety around time

•tips to stay organised at home and work

•using your diary to organise your life

•productivity and time saving tools - Google, Slack, Xero, Harvest

•running

•excelling at sleeping

•tips for becoming a concierge

•giving a personal concierge service to your employees

•creating a business that is saleable

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

My guest this episode is Jane Milburn.

I met Jane a few years ago when she worked as a communicator in the health space. Since then she has had a complete change of career and is now a strong advocate for slow clothing and upcycling.

In 2014 Jane embarked on a 365-day Sew it Again campaign to bring together her wide-ranging career and life experiences in a meaningful way. As with the rising interest in home cooking and food growing for health and wellbeing, Jane believes there is a pressing need to rethink our approach to clothing for sustainability. Jane's model includes empowering individuals to reimagine and recreate their own wardrobe collection by resewing at home.

Jane is part of the Fashion Revolution bringing awareness to where clothes come from and the resources from which they are made.

You can find Jane at Textile Beat and Sew It Again.

You can connect with Jane on twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed:

•being authentic

•removing toxins from your life - substances and people

•links between breast cancer and alcohol

•an overload of sugar in our diets today

•being alcohol free

•determining values

•living sustainably

•upcycling clothes

•wearing natural fabrics and fibres vs synthetic

•discount stores and the volume of clothes

•slow clothing

•op-shop bargains

•pressure to wear fashionable clothes in season

•slow clothing manifesto

•working out what suits our body shape

•what happens when we donate to charity

•the true impact of cheap clothes

•eco-dying

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes

My guest this episode is Dr Emily Verstege.

Emily and I met over social media when we both did Alexx Stuart's fabulous course, Low Tox Life. She is into health, cooking, whole foods.

Professionally Emily is a user experience expert, analyst and strategist working at the intersection of business and technology. With experience in user research and public policy evaluation, Emily works with forward thinking public and private sector organisations - and the individuals within them - to build digital evolutions. She challenges her clients to meaningfully reach more people in ways that engage them.

Emily is also an in-demand speaker, whose keynotes and workshops blend real-world insight with contemporary research on user experience, open data and the dangers of implementing technology in a strategy vacuum. And she is the author of the upcoming books, 'How to Build a Digital Evolution' and 'It's Persona(l)', a user experience handbook for the public sector.

You can find Emily at Multiplicité.

You can connect with Emily on twitter and LinkedIn.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed

•the benefit of seeing a life coach

•working out values and boundaries

•the importance of mentoring

•saying yes when you really want to say no - and learning to say no

•what an exercise day looks like

•a love-hate relationship with yoga

•playing buzzword bingo

•digitising your offering

•some of the challenges facing Australia in terms of digital leadership

•encouraging women in science and technology, engineering and maths (STEM)

•making STEM family friendly

•the challenges of working in academia for women

•working and mentoring with Tech Girls are Superheroes

•numbers vs words

•working with government

•writing two books

•running marathons and what this teaches you about being a business owner

•loving food and cooking as a stress relief

•Brian Solis

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

Dr Helen Schultz is a registered medical practitioner and a consultant psychiatrist based in Melbourne, Australia.

Helen and I met via twitter (are you seeing a theme among my guests?), when my cousin James mentioned that he had read her fabulous book, How Shrinks Think. After I read the copy Helen kindly sent me, I knew she would be a fantastic guest for this podcast.

We talk about a heap of things including the stigma of being a psychiatrist and Helen's previous [and completely made-up] "career" of being a flight attendant :)

Helen generously flew up from Melbourne to record this in my home, and I'm really grateful to her for taking the time from her busy schedule.

You can find Helen via her website and you can connect with her on twitter.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed:

•living your authentic life

•what a psychiatrist actually is and what they do

•who sees a psychiatrist

•the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist

•the stigma of being a psychiatrist

•TV psychiatrists

•what happens when you see a psychiatrist

•you learn a lot about a patient by how they tell their story

•types of psychiatrists

•the challenge of getting psychiatric help if you can't afford it

•the huge disparity of healthcare in Australia

•admitting yourself to a psychiatric facility

•how to respond when friends call for help

•unwinding after work

•when confidentiality can be breached

•using social media in the health sector

•how social media has benefitted Helen

•having a one-on-one visit from the Federal Health Minister

•following a conference on twitter 

•is there a rise in narcissism? And what a true narcissist really is

•is the prevalence of mental illness increasing in our society?

•the importance of social connectedness 

•pet therapy

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

In this episode I talk to Dr Tim Senior, a GP who works in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health.

Tim has worked in remote and urban areas and teaches and writes about general practice. He is interested in the social and environmental causes of people becoming unwell, and we talk about a few of these in this episode. 

 

You can find Tim at his blog, The Influence of the Tricorder. 

You can connect with Tim on twitter and LinkedIn. 

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed

•the power of twitter when studying

•can an opinion be wrong?

•a connection to place

•connection to culture

•connection to music

•moving to from England to Alice Springs as a junior doctor in 1999 and spending most of his first year in Alice Springs and Darwin

•working in Aboriginal health

•health isn't just a set of problems that we see, it's a consequence of historic policies, racism and dispossession, and we need to address these underlying problems

•how government can help solve some of our health problems, particularly regarding Aboriginal health

•a broad lack of societal understanding of the health challenges facing Aboriginals - and how many of these can be prevented

•the assumption by many health professionals that behaviour change is the same as providing information

•the meeting of the doctor and the patient should be the meeting of two experts

•good GPs are always unlearning

•health organisations are profoundly cultural

•a healthcare system that focuses on being well

•planning for healthy cities that encourage walking

•benefits of social media on the health sector

•asking questions and for people to share opinions on twitter

•the benefits of twitter for research and access to information

•the impact and benefits of music on our health

•the benefit of being in a choir

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes.

In this episode I talk to Geraldine DeRuiter, writer of the very popular blog The Everywhereist.

I met Geraldine and her husband Rand when they were in Australia to speak at ProBlogger Event a couple of years ago. When I decided to start this new podcast, she was one of the first people I thought of as a potential guest. We recorded this interview when I was in Seattle in April.

Geraldine started blogging after she was laid off from her job back in 2009. While her blog is essentially a travel blog, she also describes it as "a love letter to my husband". Her first book is currently in the "edit" phase.

A few days before we met, North Carolina announced its anti-LGBT laws - something I am still incredulous about. We were chatting about this when I hit record, so our conversation starts partway into this conversation.

You can find Geraldine at The Everywhereist.

You can connect with Geraldine on twitter and Facebook.

You can listen to this episode via the link above, on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

What we discussed:

•Making a decision on where to go based on law and do you boycott or not?

•Starting The Everywhereist, and where the name came from

•Becoming a full time blogger

•Podcasting vs blogging

•Meeting your significant other online

•Writing online about our husbands

•Dealing with criticism for what you say online - and remembering it's usually not you, it's them

•That paleo post

•Coastal Kitchen (in Seattle)

•Trying to eat carb free in the US

•Making the most of every meal in life

•The need to continually eat when you change time zones

•Making the deliberate decision not to monetize her blog and staying true to yourself

•Blog - Not without salt

•Being "functionally unemployed"

•Selling the manuscript for her first book and feeling that she can now call herself a writer

•The challenge of finding an agent

•Having an accountability friend who has cancer

•Chad's blog - The Brain Chancery

•Being diagnosed with a brain tumor and having brain surgery

•If something seems wrong with your body, get it checked out

•Being scared of pigeons

•Watching for falling coconuts in Australia

•Being lucky to be born how we are

•Shelf stable bacon (WTF?)

•Ashland, Oregon

•Fitbits

•Celebrating little wins

If you enjoyed this podcast, I would love you to subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or via the podcast app on your smartphone.

If you REALLY loved it, I would love you to leave me a rating and review on iTunes.