Break The Chain Podcast

Break The Chain Podcast

By James DearEducationSelf-Improvement
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Break The Chain Podcast episodes

  • What Actually Happened During the Tinman Challenge?!

    Here is the link to donate :) https://www.gofundme.com/f/tinman-triathlon-to-support-addiction

    Callum Keen and I discuss what happened in the challenge, including the absolute disaster that I had, as well as talk about all the incredible prizes up for grabs in the raffle.

    The prizes are:

    - 3 x Break The Chain shirts

    - Any pair of Vivo Barefoot shoes from their website

    https://www.vivobarefoot.com/nz/collections/all?use=5662-

    - Vivo Life plant-based supplements

    - £50 Bam (bamboo clothing) voucher

    - Vivo Life plant-based supplements from their website

    - Vivo Life plant-based supplements

    And if that's not enough if we raise over £1000 I reluctantly have to get a mullet!

    Thank you to everyone who has donated so far.

    - Vivo Life plant-based supplementsriathlon-to-support-addiction

    13 min
  • #38 Why we Need to Talk About Porn with Jo Robertson

    In this episode, we talk to sex therapist and porn researcher Jo Robertson. 

    We talk about navigating the new porn landscape and the effects that it is having on children, teenagers, and adults. We also talk about the dynamics between sex life and living a happy and fulfilling life.  

    Some of the topics that we cover are  

    -How the porn landscape has changed over the years 

    -Should sex be positioned as the goal of life? 

    -The effects of using porn 

    -The age of children/teenagers when they first come into contact with porn and what parents should do about it 

    -The subliminal messages that are found in porn 

    -Healthy ways of learning about sex 

    -Consent and sexual violence 

    -Porn in relation to mental health and addiction 

    -What age should we talk to children about porn  

    Jo is a sex therapist and betrayal trauma specialist. She has a post-graduate diploma in counselling and a masters of science in medicine specialising in sexual health and psychosexual therapy. She also works as the Research and Training Lead for The Light Project, which is a charity equipping youth, their families, and professionals to navigate the new porn landscape.   

    To find out more about the amazing work that Jo does please take a look at her website and the other work she is involved with.   

    https://www.jorobertson.org/ 

    https://thelightproject.co.nz/ 

    Instagram @sextherapistjo

    www.clue.com  

    1 hr 4 min
  • The Tinman Fundraiser

    Callum joins me to discuss the Tinman fundraiser that is happening on 11th December. 

    We will be performing 3 exercise disciplines in one day. If you want to join us there are 3 options. 

    3 x Marathon

    3 x 20km

    3 x 10km


    To donate click the link. Thanks for your support :D

    https://gofund.me/d9ffb659

    21 min
  • #37 Consequences of Ketamine Addiction with Josh Rhodes

    In this episode, I talk to my friend Josh Rhodes about ketamine addiction, its consequences, harm reduction, and the journey to sobriety.   

    As many people will know ketamine has some heavy consequences when paired up with addiction and excessive usage. If you are interested in this then skip to the end where we also talk about harm reduction. We decided to wait until the end because they can be difficult to talk about.   

    Josh suffered from "K bladder" (bladder cystitis). The symptoms were severe and would cause him to pass urine and jelly-like substances in his urine. He had multiple operations to address this problem including a cancer scare. He has now managed to start a new life where he only occasionally uses when he goes home to where he suffered the worst with his addiction (around 3 times a year) and his bladder situation has improved considerably.   

    We also discuss other effects such as  K-cramps, the nature of addiction, social, financial, family problems.  

    Ketamine’s effects when abused. (This is an absolute guess but based on what I have observed. 2+ grams per day consistently can cause these problems. Everyone is different and some manifest symptoms way sooner. Not likely to happen from mild usage and has been proven safe to use in medical and clinical circumstances.)  

    -bladder walls become thickened and lose elasticity. Potential cystitis, and ulceration.  

    -urinary tract (urine in the blood) 

    -extremely painful to pass urine 

    -back pain -blocked kidneys 

    -kidneys can become damaged due to increased pressure caused by shrunken bladder 

    -potential kidney failure -incontinence -bladder cystitis 

    -shrunken bladder (50ml) 

    -thickened bladder walls 

    -scarred bladder  

    If you stop using most cases show a dramatic improvement within 3 months.   

    Some of our harm reduction tips are:  

    -Cook the ket into powder and avoid using it in crystal form. 

    -Drink plenty of water even before bed. It may seem counterintuitive but it will help your bladder to be less irritated. 

    -Before bed or even during the day, sniff water before bed to clear out nostrils to prevent damage to your nose. 

    -Don’t swallow the chemical into the stomach. 

    -Eat well and try to take care of yourself the best you can.  

    Most of all make a proactive move towards getting into recovery - don’t stay in the dark.

    1 hr 35 min
  • #36 - Family Disputes (Parenting Through Adversity) with Frank Hicks

    In this episode, Frank Hicks joins us to talk about handling family disputes after spending years in the courts over the custody of his children. He is the founder of Guardians of Our Children (GOOC) which is a charitable trust who works to protect children by helping their parents through the disputes process to reach a peaceful resolution.  

    Frank advises us on how to navigate our way through these incredibly difficult situations as well as giving us the best advice that we can take on board to regain custody of our children and do what is in the best interest of the children's future. He discusses the dangers of emotions over logic and shares his personal struggles in this area. One of the main areas he elaborates on is co-parenting, what it means and why it is in the best interest of the entire family if it is possible.   

    Frank hopes that the information he shares can save families an infinite amount of stress, time, and money.   

    To find out more about Guardians of our children visit:  https://www.gooc.org.nz/ 

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GOOCNZ/

    1 hr 21 min
  • #35 - Saving the Planet with Kate Parker
    Kate Parker is well known for her ocean activism with Sea Shepherd and other organisations. 
    In this episode, we talk about the real problems that the planet is facing and it is not what you would expect.  Kate took to a life of activism after watching the Cowspiracy documentary which highlighted the devastating effects that agriculture and commercial fishing have on the environment. She decided to protect the oceans because various processes that take place are responsible for the majority of the oxygen we breathe: meaning no fish = no humans.  
    We delve deep into the psychology that leads to the destruction of a planet based upon the famous quote by Gus Speth, who is an American environmental lawyer, and advocate, he’s the former dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and the former Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, he stated:  “I used to think that top environmental problems were biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and climate change. I thought that thirty years of good science could address these problems. I was wrong. The top environmental problems are selfishness, greed, and apathy, and to deal with these we need a cultural and spiritual transformation. And we scientists don’t know how to do that.”
    We discuss some of the mind-blowing statistics from a variety of documentaries including Cowspiracy, Seaspiracy, and Sea of Shadows.  
    Here are some of the statistics: 
    -Whales fertilize plankton which is responsible for 85% of the world's oxygen. 
    -Sharks kill 12 people a year/humans kill 11K sharks per hour. 
    -Livestock and their byproducts contribute to 51% of greenhouse gases. 
    -All transportation exhaust emissions are only 13% of greenhouse house gases.  
    -Producing one hamburger uses the same amount of water as 2 months of showers. 
    -There isn’t enough land on the planet for people to eat meat in the same way that countries such as the UK and the USA do. 
    -Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction. 
    -At the current trajectory it is estimated that there will be no fish in the oceans by 2048.   
    -A person who follows a vegan diet produces the equivalent of 50% less carbon dioxide, uses 1/11th oil, 1/13th water, and 1/18th land compared to a meat-lover for their food.
    -Each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves 5000 litres of water, 20 kilos of grain, 9 metres of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.
    Check out what Kate does by visiting Daughters of the Deep https://linktr.ee/daughtersofthedeep  
    Sea Shepherd https://seashepherd.org/
    1 hr 13 min
  • #34 - Taking Back Your Life - PTSD with Richard Margesson
    Richard shares his journey of healing from P.T.S.D. from the perspectives of an ex-psychologist, hypnotherapist, and war veteran.   
    We take a comprehensive look at post-traumatic stress disorder starting with: what it is, its symptoms, and the functions that it plays. We talk about getting triggered and what you yourself and others can do to help when it happens. We finally discuss some of the treatment options that are available as well as Richard's personal healing journey.   
    Richard served as an officer in the British Army for 20 years, in a number of war zones, and as the queen's guard at Buckingham Palace. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from his army career and decided to work in psychotherapy and hypnotherapy for many years. He is also the founder of the Walk of War charitable project that raises awareness for post-traumatic stress injury amongst front-line public servants.  
    You can find Richard on his website: https://freethetree.co.nz/about/ 
    He also has a series of free audio products for deep relaxation, stress management, and wellness on bandcamp: https://richardmargesson.bandcamp.com/album/step-inside-natures-therapy-room
    1 hr 34 min
  • #33 - A Spiritual Perspective on Mental Health with Acharya das

    We were very fortunate to have Acharya Das on the podcast again. 

    We talk about some of the fundamental problems that society is facing such as addiction, anxiety, depression, dissatisfaction, suicide, and mental illness as well as the underlying factors that are causing them.  

    Acharya Das is a teacher of the Vedic and Yoga philosophy, meditation, and Kirtan. He has been teaching meditation all over the world for over 45 years including in prison systems.    

    Some of the topics that we touch on are:   

    -The impacts of purposelessness, nihilism, arrogance, and self-centeredness  

    -The effects of the philosophy of individualism  

    -The effects of John Keynes, Edward Bernays, and the impact of consumer economics  

    -The importance of duty  -The impact of social media  

    -Factors contributing towards ill mental health  

    -Addiction  

    -Anxiety 

    -Depression  

    -Suicide  

    -And the equation for happiness

    2 hr
  • #32 - Building Resilience in Recovery with Maddie Kitchen from Sobriety Film

    Maddie Kitchen has been in recovery from alcohol addiction for 15 years. She joins us to discuss a wide range of topics including adverse childhood experiences and trauma, depression, anxiety, and agoraphobia; how she got sober and recovered from two relapses, and about her film-making company.  

    She is the founder of Sobriety Films CIC which is a not-for-profit organisation that makes documentaries, films and does workshops to raise awareness for recovery from addictions and mental ill-health. She has now been in recovery from addiction for an impressive 15 years so I am really looking forward to hearing a bit more about your journey.   

    Be sure to follow Maddie's incredible work:  

    https://sobrietyfilms.com/ 

    https://www.facebook.com/sobriety.films.uk/ 

    https://www.instagram.com/sobriety_films/ 


    Find out more about Break The Chain:  

    https://linktr.ee/breakthechain

    1 hr 26 min
  • #31 - The Truth Set Me Free from Alcohol & Drug Addiction with Alika Gambill

    In this episode, Alika from Pro Recover Power tells us how he managed to get free from a 20-year addiction to alcohol, drugs, and lying.   

    He told us at one point he was going to church because he knew it would be good for him but he was still doing lines in church and he couldn't stop telling lies. He discovered that telling the truth gave him the same relief that alcohol did and was the foundation of his recovery.   

    Listen to Alika's incredible story to find out how he managed to reclaim his freedom.   

    Alika is a recovering addict who is now a substance abuse counsellor and the founder of Pro Recovery Power and intends to make a huge impact on the world and save as many people as possible from this affliction.  

    Find out more about what Alika does at PRP:  

    https://prorecoverypower.com/ 

    https://www.instagram.com/pro_recovery_power/

    1 hr 26 min

About Break The Chain Podcast

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