Better Thinking

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Alice Shires about the possible effects of mindfulness training on anger, grief, and chronic pain.

Dr Alice Shires is a Clinical and Research Psychologist, Director of the UTS Psychology Clinic. She was Chair of the Australasian Psychology Clinic Directors association (AAPTC) for over a decade and is a member of the NSW Mental Health Tribunal and Health Professions Council Australia.

She was an inaugural board member of ACPA. She has long been involved in research and development of teaching, supervision and training in clinical psychology. Particularly in the areas of ethical and professional practice, the process of supervision and assessment of competencies in clinical psychology, and the inclusion of mindfulness training in the Clinical Psychology training process.

She has established the Mindfulness-integrated Research Clinic at UTS and her PhD research includes the efficacy of Mindfulness interventions in chronic pain. Alice is a training adviser at the Institute of MiCBT and a senior trainer of MiCBT. She has recently, co-development of the Equanimity scale 16 and co-authored The Clinical Handbook of Mindfulness‐integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (Wiley, 2018). She is a long standing Vipassana meditation practitioner and yoga teacher.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/alice-shires

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Tanya Cole-Lesnick about why a group is powerful for the same reason that it's intimidating to join.

Tanya Cole-Lesnick has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1995, after receiving her master’s degree in social work from New York University. She has extensive experience in both outpatient hospital mental health and private practice settings.

Tanya’s role at the Lighthouse is both as Director of Client Programs and as psychotherapist. In her role as Director of Client Programs, she focuses on the vision of what the Lighthouse offers to clients—always striving for the most impactful, innovative, and effective offerings. With that intention in mind, she works to ensure that communication amongst the Lighthouse team and flow of work with clients goes as smoothly as possible.

In her role as psychotherapist, Tanya helps people to address issues related to anxiety, depression, relationships, careers, self-esteem, life transitions, day-to-day habits, and life satisfaction. Her specialty is in creating a safe, shame-free environment for her clients to share the sacred, very personal, stories of their lives as they explore their own growth and healing.

Her primary focus is in helping people to identify and move towards their best lives by getting clear about what does and does not serve them, where they’re stuck, what the lives they dream of look like, and making changes accordingly. Change, of course, can be challenging, and Tanya supports that process along the way with the various services she offers to help her clients achieve success with the transitions they long for.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/tanya-cole-lesnick

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Cassandra Chapman about the psychology of charitable giving, trust in nonprofits, and public responses to charity scandals.

Dr Cassandra Chapman holds a PhD in the psychology of charitable giving (University of Queensland) and is now an Associate Professor of Marketing and ARC DECRA Fellow, specialised in donor psychology and fundraising.

Having come to academia with a background in nonprofit marketing, Cassandra’s research focuses on the psychology of charitable giving, trust in nonprofits, and public responses to charity scandals. She uses diverse methods to understand when and why donors are more (or less) willing to give to particular causes and the implications such preferences have for how charities communicate.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/cassandra-chapman

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Michael Noetel about effective altruism, existential risk, and decision-making

Michael Noetel is a psychologist and an academic trying to find the best way of helping others, and to then put them into practice. He’s an awarded educator, including awards from the Australian Awards for University Teaching.

He’s a prolific early career researcher with over 30 publications in the last 4 years. He’s a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland and is the Chair of Effective Altruism Australia, a charity trying to help Australian donors to do the most good with their donations.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/michael-noetel

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Annabelle Neall about the effects of bullying and harassment in organisational settings.

Dr Annabelle Neall is a Lecturer of Organisational Psychology at the University of Queensland. Her research aims to tackle negative workplace behaviour through bystander intervention and psychosocial risk management. Her work has been translated into practical solutions designed to optimise the psychosocial hazard assessment and management in organisations such as SA Health, Correctional Services NSW, and the Department of Infrastructure and Transport. She has published a wide range of highly cited peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and reports, and collaborates with national and international research partners to solve theoretical and practical problems in the workplace safety and wellbeing space.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/annabelle-neall

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Jolanda Jetten about the consequences of economic inequality for the social and political vitality of society.

Jolanda Jetten (PhD, University of Amsterdam, 1997) is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Queensland. She has been employed as an ARC Future Fellowship, UQ Development Fellowship and was recently awarded the 2018 Belgian Francqui fellowship and an ARC Laureate Fellowship (2019-2013).

Her research is concerned with group processes, social identity and intergroup relations, as represented by her most recent books: Together apart: The psychology of COVID-19 (with S. Reicher, S.A. Haslam, and T. Cruwys; Sage, 2020), The wealth Paradox: Economic prosperity and the hardening of attitudes towards minorities (with Frank Mols; Cambridge University Press, 2017) and The New Psychology of Health: Unlocking the Social Cure (with Catherine Haslam, Tegan Cruwys, Genevieve Dingle and Alex Haslam; Psychology Press, 2018). She has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles, over 40 chapters and 10 books.

Jolanda is the former co-Chief Editor of the British Journal of Social Psychology and former co-Chief Editor of Social Issues and Policy Review. She was awarded the British Psychological Society Spearman Medal in 2004, the Kurt Lewin Medal from the European Association of Social Psychology in 2014, and the Life-time Achievement Award from the European Association of Social Psychology in 2020. Jolanda is the former President of the Society of Australasian Social Psychology (SASP), and the Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology (ASPP) and serves on the ARC College of Experts. She was elected as fellow of the Association of Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) in 2015.

She also serves as an expert on the BETA academic panel (Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government in Prime Minister & Cabinet).

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/jolanda-jetten

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with James Kirby about examining Compassion Focused Therapy and his book entitled ‘Choose Compassion’.

James N. Kirby, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychologist, and the Co-Director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at the University of Queensland. He has broad research interests in compassion, but specifically examines factors that facilitate and inhibit compassionate responding.

He also examines the clinical effectiveness of compassion focused interventions, specifically in how they help with self-criticism and shame that underpin many depression and anxiety disorders. James also holds a Visiting Fellowship at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University and is an Honorary Member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation UK.

In 2022 he authored Choose Compassion, and in 2020 he co-edited Making an Impact on Mental Health. He serves as an Associate Editor for two international journals Mindfulness and Psychology & Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/james-kirby

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Michael Sugrue about his new best selling book entitled RELENTLESS COURAGE: Winning the Battle Against Frontline Trauma.

Michael Sugrue is a retired police sergeant with the City of Walnut Creek with over 14 years of service including specialized assignments as a Field Training Officer, SIU Detective and Undercover Special Agent assigned to California Department of Justice Drug Task Force.

Before becoming a police officer, Michael served 6 years in the U.S. Air Force as a Captain (Security Forces) specializing in Global Force Protection, Anti-Terrorism, Air Base Ground Defense, Nuclear Security and Law Enforcement.

As a new police sergeant, Michael encountered a situation that was not only tragic and surreal but it was a call for duty that changed his life forever. Michael found himself in reckless abandon and on the verge of self-destruction until he mustered the courage to ask for help.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/michael-sugrue-2

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Kristy Goodwin about practical brain-based hacks to tame tech habits and strategies to decode the neurobiology of peak performance in the technological era.

Dr Kristy Goodwin is one of Australia’s leading digital wellbeing and performance experts (and mum who also deals with her kids’ techno-tantrums!) She’s a researcher, author, speaker and media commentator who provides science-backed solutions to optimise wellbeing and productivity in a digital world.

Kristy draws on cutting-edge neuroscience and research to explain the profound impacts technology has on our performance and health, without prescribing digital detoxes and going #laptopless. Kristy worked as an educator before becoming an academic and speaker.

She’s worked with clients including Apple, Westfield, Bank of Queensland, Macquarie Bank, Foxtel, the National Broadband Network, JP Morgan, McDonalds, NSW Department of Education and Optus. She’s spoken at national and international conferences, schools, workplaces and medical conferences throughout Australia. Kristy’s on a mission to empower people to foster healthy and realistic digital behaviours that support peak performance and wellbeing.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/kiristy-goodwin

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In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Kirrilie Smout about the common elements of mental health treatment planning for children and adults.

Kirrilie Smout is a qualified clinical psychologist specialising in working children and teenagers about finding a life vision, creating community among each other, persistence, self-belief, study skills and overcoming obstacles. Kirrilie has presented at several National youth leadership forums, national adolescent health conferences and has spoken to approximately 20,000 young people across Australia. She has achieved the second highest speaking accreditation recognised by the National Speakers Association of Australia, and is one of only 10 in South Australia to have done so.

Kirrilie also speaks to parents, teachers and youth leaders about youth issues in Australia; focusing on young people's needs and desires, and how to inspire and effectively lead young people. In 2000 she was awarded the Australian National Speakers Association "Rising Star" award for most promising emerging speaker. In 2001, Kirrilie toured the United States (sponsored by the Australian Youth Foundation) researching American suicide prevention and life skill programs for teenagers.

Kirrilie has recently published her first book, The Years that Count: Maximising Motivation, Marks and Optimism in Senior School students. She has recently been asked to present the content of this book at an Australian/New Zealand Adolescent Development conference.

Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/kirrilie-smout

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