Animated Living

Welcome to one of the most animated and inspiring conservationists you are ever likely to meet. Tim Faulkner is co-founder of Australian Reptile Park and General Manager of Aussie Ark. Aussie Ark rescues critically endangered species and runs a successful breeding and release program. Even kids in lockdown might enjoy this one! 

This is such an important message right now - and who better to deliver it, than Australian nurse Esther Scarborough working with Hohidiai in Maluku, Indonesia. She has seen first hand the skyrocketting cases of Covid in Indonesia and the deadly impact of the Delta strain. Her message to Australians is forthright and passionate. 

Soft resets can be helpful. If some aspect of life is glitching and needs a tweak, you can power down, give it a rest and power up again. A hard reset is a little more painful. You stand to lose some precious data, but the future ends up being clearer, easier to navigate, and bears long lasting fruitfulness. 

Ever feel overwhelmed by all the needs and unsure how you can help at all? Perhaps you have a specific practical or emotional need and just need a simple connection with someone who is offering to help. CRISIS HEROES co-founder Mark Acheson has developed a very simple online platform that connects those in need with those willing to help in any local community. It’s Simple. And it’s Working! Listen to this great story, about how a crisis can unleash the hero in all of us, get involved if you like, and help spread this pandemic of kindness! (As featured in The Sydney Morning Herald).

Accused during lockdown hysteria of allegedly creating a ‘pop up party’ on Manly’s beachfront and fined $1000, Andrew Riis has recently had his face splashed across various media outlets. But who is Andrew Riis and why does he sit on top of his van creating bubbles and making music?? This podcast gives an inside look into one man’s quest to have joy and kindness go viral. 

Dr Hugh Mackay is the author of 22 books that have been helping us understand ourselves personally and as a nation for the last 40 years. Hugh’s latest book, “The Kindness Revolution”, steps behind the world of viruses and ‘lockdowns’ to recognise the seeds of kindness that germinate in difficulties. 

Its an enthralling conversation with Australia’s foremost social researcher. 

Hearing Hugh Mackay’s insights on ‘the kindness revolution’ will help you to approach the weeks and months ahead in a positive frame of mind as well as equip you in your interactions with others for many years to come.

We have been told to STAY. 

“Stay” safe. “Stay” indoors. 

No-one much during this current crisis is showing us how to “stay” positive’. 

Meanwhile, groups like Lifeline are receiving a record number of calls. This isn’t just a respiratory issue, or a vaccination issue, or an economic issue. It’s a serious mental health issue.

In this podcast Ian Freestone gives 10 simple, actionable steps that you can take towards having a positive well-being. These are steps that will be of help to anyone, whether they are in ‘lockdown” or just “down”.

Ian Freestone sits down with Chair of Hope Media and ex-NSW politician in the portfolios of education, community services and treasury, Stephen O’Doherty, to discuss everything from Sydney’s extended Covid lockdown to mindfulness. Stephen gives his thoughts on the current status of the teaching profession, the place of creativity in a sea of demands, why retirement is a misnomer for someone with passion and why belonging to community groups is essential to an animated life. It’s an engaging and informative chat that even includes an excerpt from one of Stephen’s musical compositions! 

Tom Wilson has a bold mission to “enable the surf community to embrace sustainable solutions and reduce its environmental impact.” Easier said than done. The surf industry has (for decades!) grown a global business on the back of materials and products that are harmful for the environment. So Tom founded Wavechanger - a purpose-driven, not for profit movement supported by the likes of 7 time world champion, Layne Beachley. Tom’s story is one of how education and innovation can have a global impact. It is “Animation” in action - bringing change and movement to something static and stuck.

Join Ian Freestone in a cooking podcast (slightly tongue in cheek)! Up until 12 months he could count on one hand the number of meals he had made (not including snags on the barbie!). Learning to cook was long overdue and certainly, for most listeners, hardly a podcast worthy event. However, the experience represents a shift that anyone can make from “I can’t” and “I don’t”, to “I do, and I love to”