Break The Chain Podcast

Rob kindly joins James to discuss his gripping near-death experience and recovery from depression and trauma.  

In 2009 Rob had a mental and spiritual breakdown in Auckland and provoked the police to shoot him dead. He was shot at close range in the chest by a Glock 9mm bullet. After multiple surgeries and court cases, Rob started therapy and went on to create Shot Bro - Confessions of a Depressed Bullet, a story of his life that is; Funny, Dark, Real, and Educational.  

Rob is now invited to communities and organisations, including NZ Military bases, Prisons, and Probation Centres around the country to share his story. A show that is both humorous and hard-hitting, Shot Bro exists to start conversations, so people know that they are not alone and that they are allowed help to heal.  His story is funny but very real. Each show is followed by a wananga/forum, with kai and cups of tea to whakanoa/ground the community afterwards.  

Rob says that he isn’t an expert, but his real-life journey makes people feel safe, knowing that he understands. “Crying is better than dying and we can’t change the past, but we can change the present. #OutOfTheDarkWithAroha”  

We highly recommend checking out the incredible Shot Bro show: 

https://www.facebook.com/SHOTBRONZ   

Watch Rob's inspiring documentary here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3G6b0YCxXg&t=265s

This is a valuable episode for anyone struggling to find self-worth.  

Louise Ratcliffe is a friend and fellow classmate who is training to be a counselor. She has come on the show today to talk about eating disorders, body image, and self-harm. She herself has suffered from these issues as I'm sure the majority of us have to some degree.   

We discuss a whole myriad of topics during this podcast but they mostly hinge around self-worth specifically relating to the body and the way we see ourselves.   

Some of the other topics that we discussed are: 

Bulimia 

Diet culture 

Body diversity 

Body Neutrality  

Obsession 

Addiction 

Self-love/self-hate

Self-care 

The impact that external influences have on us 

And the myths about freedom  

During this podcast, she recommends watching the embrace movie: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwpb_zOZFkk   

This book: 

https://thefuckitdiet.com/  

And here are some more resources that she shared with me: 

https://haescommunity.com/  

https://www.healthline.com/health/body-neutrality#psychology  

We hope that you enjoy this episode and it helps to free you from the shackles of the mind x

To learn more about Break The Chain 

https://linktr.ee/breakthechain 

This is hands down one of the most important episodes to date!  Michael is the author of the book "Being a True Hero: Understanding & Preventing Suicide in Your Community". The website for the book is www.beingatruehero.com. The book is being used by the New Zealand Police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, GPs, Counsellors as well as many parents and teachers.  

Michael speaks to thousands of people every year. On average he delivers two to three seminars per week. On really busy weeks he can deliver up to nine seminars. He has spoken at TedX Darwin.  

In this episode, we discuss how we can learn to recognise the early signs that someone might be feeling suicidal and what we as individuals and a community can do to support them. Some of the topics that we discuss are mental health conditions underlying suicidal tendencies, anger, forgiveness, dealing with failure, and much more.    

I highly recommend reading Michaels's book: it is presented in a simple and easy-to-read way and is full of vital and valuable information!   

Paperback book available here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0473471906   

Kindle edition available here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07P4539ZM    

"Michael holds a wealth of knowledge in the space of mental health, suicide, and young people. He delivers that information in a way that leaves the receiver feeling empowered to use that information within both their work and personal lives. Michael's sensitivity to difficult topics such as suicide is apparent and perfectly presented." - Amy Walters, Manawatu District Council Youth Focus Group

Find out more about Break The Chain below

linktr.ee/breakthechain

Gill Tietz is the host and creator of the fabulous Sober Powered Podcast.  

She is a recovering alcoholic and has a BS in chemistry and an MS in biology which gives an incredible platform for the foundation of this conversation.  She got sober in 2019 because alcohol caused the complete destruction of her mental health. Now, she teaches what she has learned about why it’s so hard to stop drinking, why alcohol makes us so miserable, and how to embrace sobriety.  

She spent 5 years dedicated to learning how to moderate her drinking. She researched moderation tirelessly and tried every strategy she could think of. No matter how bad things got for her, she always believed she could learn to moderate if she just had enough practice. Things continued to escalate until her drinking scared me enough to stop due to suicidal thoughts.  

She wants to help you accept sobriety sooner than she did so you don’t have to spend any more time being stuck in the drink, hate yourself, drink cycle.   

Check out Sober Powered below :)   

Website: https://www.soberpowered.com/   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sober.powered   

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/779948102522537   

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sober.powered/  

@sober.powered_   

Find out more about Break The Chain Below  

linktr.ee/breakthechain

In this episode, I speak to Alex Wonk from the legendary Wonk Unit who are key players on the UK punk scene.

Alex battled Alcoholism and drug addiction from a young age. He realised that his relationship with booze was different from his friends and that he was an alcoholic by the age of 15. By the age of 18, he accepted that he desperately needed to stop. At age 27 he burst an artery between his heart and lung which lead to a realisation that helped him to change the trajectory of his life.

Alex tells us about the mechanics of addiction, why it's so hard to stop, and the dangers of relapse.

The most impressive start of this story is that he is still in the punk scene as the lead singer of the band and he shares how he manages to do this whilst maintaining his recovery.

Alex has kindly given us a world exclusive of two new tracks from their new album 'Uncle Daddy'

Check out and support Wonk Unit :)

https://wonkunit.com/

https://www.facebook.com/wonkunitband/

http://www.wonk-unit.bandcamp.com

http://cementyoucunt.blogspot.com/

http://wonkunit.tumblr.com/

MERCH MERCH MERCH http://wonkunit.com/shop/

Find out more about Break The Chain below

linktr.ee/breakthechain

Break The Chain Podcast #25   

In this episode, I speak to real-life Wonder Woman Samantha Doyle,   Samantha talks to us about she overcame an eating disorder, self-harm, and her physical health problems. She was told that she would never be able to conceive children but with some changes to her health and mind and the adoption of a spiritual practice, she was able to transform her life entirely.   

Samantha really is a powerhouse, amongst a huge number of things, she is the founder and CEO of Live To serve Academy, her wellness coaching business, which aims to inspire and educate women to transform their health. With a decade in the industry and certifications in personal training, nutrition, and yoga, she continues to learn and educate others. A devoted yoga teacher, Samantha integrates kirtan and mantra meditation in her workshops to provide a holistic approach to yoga. Known for her ability to simplify the complex concepts of Ayurveda, she makes this ancient knowledge available for everyday health seekers.  

Sami's website - https://www.livetoserve.com.au/about/ 

Join the Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ltsafreshstart 

Science of identity - https://sif.yoga/   

A comprehensive introduction to spirituality - https://soundcloud.com/acharyadas/sets/kirtan-yoga-wisdom-retreat 

Mantra meditation music -  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeIilHOHOoKfuRhCm1KWr2g

Beak The Chain Podcast #24  

This podcast is one not to be missed.   

I had the great honour of interviewing Eric Patrick Thomas. (a.k.a. Mr. inspire) is a Flint, MI, native and entrepreneur who is passionate about changing the way people view disabilities. This passion came after a fateful night in 1997, in which Eric suffered a spinal cord injury that paralyzed him from the neck down.   

Throughout this journey, Eric uses his experience to empower resilience and inspire change for people with barriers. In addition to serving the community as a public speaker-both motivationally and at House and Senate hearings-Eric sits on several state boards as a voice for people with barriers, is an advocate for Self-Determination living, hip-hop artist, D-MAN ambassador and is the founder of inspire® brand clothing.  Eric is also the proud owner of EZ Awareness By Design, a business specializing in graphic design for custom apparel, signs, and banners which offers an on-the-job experience to people of all abilities.    

Social Media Links / Hashtags / Website  

Personal:https://twitter.com/ericpthomas 

https://www.facebook.com/ericpatrickthomas 

https://www.instagram.com/ericpatrickthomas/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2zRwUnVJ2jj5uiSAhSz_GQ/featured?view_as=public

inspire brand: #inspire #inspireFriday #alctw

https://linktr.ee/inspireshirt1

https://twitter.com/inspireshirt

https://www.instagram.com/inspireshirt1/

https://www.facebook.com/inspireshirtwww.inspireshirt.com 

Trevor discussed childhood trauma, how to overcoming uncontrollable anger, drug addiction, including blaming himself for the death of his brother and processing sexual and domestic abuse. Trevor talks about recovery and tells us about his journey to emotional freedom after suffering from serious anger problems. 

Trevors story speaks for itself.   

Trevor is from Newark, Lincolnshire in the UK. He is an EFT (emotional freedom technique) therapist, a matrix reimprinting practitioner, and the author of Chasing Dragons and Butterflies. Trevor suffered from a serious addiction to crack and heroin, which imprisoned him for 30 years. He has now been sober for 23 years.

Please check out Trevor's website below to learn more about his treatments

https://www.realchangesforlife.co.uk

Find out more about Break The Chain below

linktr.ee/breakthechain

This is an incredibly special episode because Nathan is the closest person in the world that I've ever had as an enemy. Years later we are able to sit and speak as friends. We discuss the dynamics of growing up, his boxing career and his struggles with his mental health. 

Nathan is a retired undefeated professional boxer with 16 wins and 0 losses. 

Nathan's eyes were not good enough to fight professionally. Throughout his boxing career, he had managed to pass his eye test by various methods such as getting someone else to go in as him or memorising the letters beforehand. This all came to an end just over a year ago when he failed an eye test and his professional career came to a screeching halt. For a year he let himself go and turned his back garden into a pub, lived on takeaways, and installed a hot tub in his 5th story apartment. He described the hedonistic year as "wild" but he fell into deep depression around Christmas when he described having suicidal thoughts and wanted to take his own life. Fortunately, he decided to turn his warrior mindset to his mental health and he managed to pull himself out of the hole. He and his best friend Dan (Piggy nuts) got back into exercise again and have both lost 10kg by going out and training at 5 am in the UK winter. Since he started training again he has been offered a professional fight as a bare-knuckle boxer.

Find out more about Break The Chain below

linktr.ee/breakthechain

In today's podcast, I talk with the co-founder of Seek Purpose Brooke Robichaud.   Brooke is a recovering addict, author, student of the 12 steps and mother. 

In this podcast, she discusses these topics as well as the recent overdose of her beloved brother and her grieving process.   

Brooke is one of my favourite people that I have met in the world of recovery. Both her and her partner Suzanne Logan do an incredible and inspiring job.   I couldn't recommend more that you check out the girls at Seek purpose and the amazing work that they do.  

Check out the links below  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/39392...

https://www.instagram.com/seekpurpose...

https://msha.ke/seekpurpose/

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-se...

Find out more about Break The Chain below

linktr.ee/breakthechain