BEING with Sally Wilson

Over the course of her writing career, Deborah Ellis has donated over $1,000,000 of her royalties to charities. She's a woman who walks her talk and puts her money where her mouth is. She's an incredibly authentic and inspiring human being. I feel privileged to have had this opportunity to speak with her about creating the world we want to be in, the power of simple decisions and actions, and the importance of taking responsibility for what we see in our world. As one of her young readers wrote in 2008:

Deborah Ellis has started to bridge the gap between people from different cultures. By doing this in a way that is interesting, she has enabled young readers to see outside of themselves, to see people their own age suffering in ways that they could not begin to imagine. At the same time, it doesn't seem like she is trying to scare you, just open your eyes.

⁠http://deborahellis.com/

My 11-year-old niece handed me a book and said: "You have to read this." When I asked her why, she said: "Because it's a Very Good Book". She was right. I couldn't put the book, "We Are Wolves", down. Nor could I put down either of the other two books written by Katrina Nannestad which she lent me. They’ve been read and loved by three generations in my family.

Katrina Nannestad has an extraordinary ability to be in the experience of her characters, drawing the reader into the story, celebrating joy, love, kindness and humour even in those books set during the dreadfulness of World War II – “We Are Wolves”, “Waiting for the Storks” and “Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief”. These stories, though fictional, are based on true events, and are narrated vividly through the eyes of the child protagonist.

In this interview Katrina speaks of her writing, her love of stories, her own journey and the privilege and responsibility of telling stories that were someone’s reality. She offers hope and illuminates the effect of kindness in the world.

https://www.katrinanannestad.com/

https://www.facebook.com/katrina.nannestad/

https://www.instagram.com/katrina_nannestad/

She looked great on paper. Everyone thought she was confident, had it all – a successful corporate career, beautiful family, confidence… But you just never know, do you? Underneath the confident exterior Lyndal struggled for years to feel happier in her life, free herself of imposter syndrome, PND, feel less stressed, guilty, responsible, angry... She tried different therapies. It wasn’t until she noticed the effect her behaviours and state were having on her two young boys that she became absolutely determined to find a way to feel better in her life and live the potential she knew she had.

And then… with TRTP it just took a couple of weeks.

Lyndal talks about her journey with great generosity of spirit, knowing there are so many people out there living life feeling stressed, pressured, and burdened. Knowing that, just as she was able to heal and live a great life, so can they.

Please don’t miss this episode. Lyndal’s story reflects the pain so many are feeling (and hiding) and shows a wonderful way out. You don’t have to stay stuck in your pain. What a relief...

If you need help, you can book a complimentary strategy session with Sally here.

What do you think of when you bring 'yoga' to mind? Lean, strong, young bodies bending and stretching and contorting themselves? Breathing techniques and vegetarianism? The creator of Zeropoint Yoga, Bec Duffield, turns that on its head!

Bec has a gift for demystifying yoga and helping us to recognize it as a comprehensive handbook for ‘Life’ - imminently practical, accessible, and helpful. She talks about commonly held misconceptions about it, the aspects of yogic systems beyond the physical, the purpose of the physical practice and how yoga is for people living as householders, out in the world, just as it is for renunciants. It’s for those who don’t consider themselves ‘spiritual’ just as it is for those who do. It’s non-denominational and inclusive – if you have a good teacher.

And if you want to engage in just the physical postures, as Bec did at the beginning of her yoga journey, that’s fine too.

You’ll enjoy the richness, practicality, and down-to-earth wisdom of this episode and of Bec – a yogi living life, running a business, raising her children and drinking beer! Who knows - you may just decide yoga could be for you...

https://www.instagram.com/alchemy.body/

She’s had a career in the military, academia, media, literature and beer brewing.

Called everything from a ‘six two transvestite Sheila’ by former football great Sam Newman on national TV, ‘the grunge queen’, by former QLD Premier Wayne Goss, a ‘witch’ by a Sunshine Coast pastor (Karen is convinced the consonant was misheard) and a ‘left-wing loopy academic with no testosterone’ by an irate radio listener in Tasmania, and a crusading, sycophantic, pedantic and myopic academic dwelling in an ivory tower, by a Courier Mail reader, Dr Karen Brooks is, to say the least, polemical. However, the hundreds of emails and letters she receives each week from readers of her books, columns and articles, as well as TV viewers and radio listeners attest to the fact that what she has to say about society, culture and young people today is striking a very loud chord.

In this episode, Karen speaks about how she managed her fears in the face of vitriol and hatred. We also delve into her writing process, the rewriting of women into history, the undervaluing of simple kindness in our society and many more rich, important, vibrant topics.

Karen’s a down-to-earth woman of humility, principle, integrity, conviction and courage. A woman who’s insisted on being heard, even in the face of belittlement and hatred.

You’ll be very glad you’ve heard what she has to say. She has a knack of bringing us back to our common humanity – if we just listen.

www.karenrbrooks.com

FB: Karen Brooks Author:

One man, thrust into fear, driven by his curiosity, travels the world interviewing experts on fear. The result is “Facing Fear”, the movie. It’s toured Australia and is now rolling out in the USA, with an exceptional response.

Bill Bennett speaks of his experience coming to understand what fear is as he made the film - looking through the eyes of scientists, spiritual teachers, trauma resolution experts, a military sniper, psychologists and many others. It’s also an intensely personal journey Bill’s led, both in making the film and touring it, doing live Q&A’s for film audiences and making public his diagnosis.

A topic relevant to every human, and a conversation illuminated by curiosity, openness, humility and compassion. You’ll enjoy this one.

https://facingfearfilm.com/

https://www.facebook.com/billbennettaus

When Dr. Petrina Barson was a medical student, she found that compassion was not emphasised in her training and, at worst, considered dangerous to a doctor’s ability to be objective. She knew that, as a doctor, she didn’t want to lose her compassion to fit the prevailing attitudes, and went on to make a study of compassion, teaching compassion cultivation to both medical students and the broader community.

In this illuminating episode, Petrina busts common misunderstandings around what compassion is, what it is not, addresses resistance to it, the far-reaching benefits of it, and how we can cultivate compassion in ourselves.

Enjoy this episode with heart!

The Centre for Compassionate Society (Dr. Petrina Barson, Director) www.centreforcompassionatesociety.net

How does what we've lived through, affect what our body does?

What is the ‘meaning’ of illness? Could it be something to be understood rather than fought? Does illness have a function?

For the first 6 years following her medical training recently retired GP, Dr. Catherine Fyans, adhered strongly to the Western Medical belief system and perspective. Following a stint as a medical volunteer in India, however, the idea that we can treat the body separately to the mind seemed ridiculous.

In this episode, Dr. Fyans shares her perspective on health and approach to illness which may just guide us to personal growth and understanding.

Her book: https://www.bookdepository.com/Wounding-Health-Care-Dr-Catherine-Fyans/9780992516307

Contact: https://www.therichardstraumaprocess.com/practitioner-profile/?pu=catherinefyansyahoo-com-au

All content in this episode represents opinion only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.

Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Do not disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard in this episode.

When Michael Bradshaw moved from Japan to Australia when he was 14, his Caucasian appearance didn’t match his Japanese identity. During his transition through culture shock and social awkwardness, his passion for music became an unhealthy escape before it became, and continues to be, a major means for connection.

As a teenager Michael realised that he wanted to teach music, and went on to study music and music pedagogy in Hungary, now teaching at the Sydney Conservatorium High School and at the Cuskelly College of Music.

In addition to his own remarkable experience as a teenager, in this conversation Michael talks about working with teenagers as ‘emerging adults’ – having high expectations, setting the bar and constructively helping them to learn from their inability to meet it. He discusses the importance of clear boundaries and how to set them. We also discuss the benefits of music for everyone, irrelevant of experience, ability to read music or sing, and how anyone can engage with music for the pure joy of it.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-bradshaw-54392019/?originalSubdomain=au 

https://www.creativityaustralia.org.au/join-a-choir/

https://cuskellycollegeofmusic.com/

https://www.iks.hu/

Ashton Bishop, Step Change CEO, has 5 beliefs he uses as his ‘how to best do life’ guide:

1. I believe I always have the power to choose

2. I believe there’s always something to be grateful for

3. I believe that action leads to less regret than inaction

4. I believe in leaving each moment complete

5. I believe in paying things forward

This conversation is rich in discussion and clarification around each of these beliefs; we turn them over and explore what they mean practically and philosophically and the impact Ashton finds they have both on his life and the lives of his clients and mentees.

He thinks outside the box – as a law/commerce student with dyslexia, he had to! This is an uplifting, practical and hope-filled conversation which may well cause you to reassess your life and attitude towards it.

https://www.hellostepchange.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonbishop/#experience