In an age overwhelmed by information, opinion, and polarization, the ability to think critically isn't just useful, it's essential. In this episode, we will learn how we can develop strategies to think critically and make smarter decisions, what it means to challenge assumptions, expose common thinking traps, and offer immediately usable strategies for clearer, more effective reasoning in everyday life.

Steve’s biography:

Steve Pearlman, Ph.D., is arguably the world’s foremost critical thinking expert. After founding the United States’ first academic department solely focused on researching critical thinking and how to teach people to do it, Steve subsequently shared his methods at educational institutions, conferences, and businesses. He is frequently featured in national and international media, and he’s the author of America’s Critical Thinking Crisis: The Failure and Promise of Education.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions: 

00:00 – Introduction
02:00 – Steve’s journey to becoming an expert in critical thinking
04:00 – Critical thinking definition and how it is taught
07:00 – What are default modes of how our brain functions
10:00 – How to maintain critical thinking when there is an overload of information
12:30 – How to assess whether a source of information is credible
15:00 – How to ask the right question when you don’t know what you don’t know
17:15 – Why reassessing the information and refining your initial question is key in critical thinking
18:00 – Why critical thinking does not always need to take a lot of time
19:30 – How to teach kids critical thinking by prioritising reasoning over authority (parenting example)
25:30 – Why intellectual humility is the solution when two people are in disagreement
29:30 – How to deal with someone who is rejecting reason and facts due to polarization in politics
33:10 – Is it possible to maintain critical thinking in the context of time pressures
35:15 – What training programs are available to develop critical thinking skills
37:20 – Example of how leaders remove critical thinking at meetings
39:45 – Example of how leaders can create an environment that fosters critical thinking
42:35 – Can people maintain critical thinking when experiencing burnout
45:30 – What resources are available to move from threat to a challenge that you can meet
48:20 – How to deal with a person who is not receptive to your thinking
51:10 – Why asking questions can cause someone to become defensive
53:20 – Ways to foster critical thinking in virtual meetings
55:15 – How to assess if someone has critical thinking skills
57:45 – How to constructively handle naysayers in discussions
59:50 – One tip to develop critical thinking skills
01:00:55 – What is Steve’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about the Critical Thinking Institute: 
https://www.thectinstitute.com/

Learn more about Clearhead
https://www.myclearhead.com/

As workplaces strive to become more inclusive, Autistic people are often misunderstood. However, when empowered they brings a unique perspectives and strengths that can greatly enrich a team. In today’s episode we will hear from an autistic person, Chanelle, share their lived experiences and from Larah what are the practical tools a workplace can implement to better support autistic individuals effectively —from recruitment all the way through to everyday communication and collaboration. 

Autism NZ’s biography:

Larah van der Meer: Larah is the Research and Advocacy Manager at Autism NZ. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington. Larah is passionate about inclusion and making a positive difference to the autistic and autism communities, both at an individual level and in creating systemic change. 

Chanelle Moriah: Chanelle is neurodivergent (autistic, dyslexic and ADHD, along with pathological demand avoidance). She works as a Research and Advocacy Advisor and has written and illustrated two books on neurodivergence, one of which was listed for the New Zealand Book Awards. Chanelle was diagnosed in adulthood and is very passionate about creating more inclusive and understanding communities

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions.

00:00 - Intro
02:45 - What is autism
03:45 - Understanding the autism spectrum
05:50 - How to determine the level of support someone needs
07:50 - Autistic people vs person with autism which is the right term to use
09:50 - Strengths based vs deficit based terminology
10:50 - What are the differences between an autistic person and a neurotypical person
12:00 - What are the barriers to getting a formal diagnosis
15:00 - Should people disclose their diagnosis with their employers
16:40 - What are signs a workplace is safe to disclose
17:45 - What should be on an employee checklist of accommodation
21:30 - How to deal with an inflexible workplace
24:00 - What are the barriers preventing employment of autistic people
28:15 - What are the changes to a recruitment process to make it more inclusive
32:00 - What are the benefits workplaces see when they are inclusive of neurodiverse employees
34:25 - How do you deal with conflict that can arise from diverse teams
38:15 - What do managers need to learn about their autistic employee
4115 - What actions can be hurtful to an autistic person
42:30 - What resources are available to support workplaces to create inclusive practices
44:50 - How do you support individuals who are masking their autism
47:10 - How can performance reviews be more inclusive
49:25 - Should workplace set up support groups for neurodivergent employees?
50:45 - How can employers prevent an autistic employee from experiencing burnout 
53:00 - what is Larah and Chanelle’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Autism NZ
https://autismnz.org.nz/ 

Learn more about Clearhead
https://www.myclearhead.com/

Hormonal fluctuations are a normal part of a woman’s life—but for many, they can wreak havoc on our mood, cognition, and overall mental wellbeing. Despite the profound impact hormones can have on our psychological state, the conversation is often overlooked or misunderstood in the workplace.

In this episode, we're joined by Caroline Gurvich to explore the powerful connection between hormones and mental health across the lifespan. From PMS to menopause, Caroline will unpack how our biology affects our brain function, emotional regulation, and mental resilience.

Caroline’s biography:

Caroline Gurvich is a Clinical Neuropsychologist and Associate Professor of the Department of Psychiatry at Monash University. She is also the Deputy Director of HER Centre Australia, Head of the “Cognition and Hormones Group" and Chair of the Victorian College of Clinical Neuropsychologists. Caroline has over 120 publications that have contributed to a better understanding of cognition in mental health and mental illness.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions.

0:00 - Intro
02:45 - Caroline’s journey to become a clinical neuropsychologist
03:45 - What are hormones and how do they affect the brain
05:30 - What happened when hormones cause havoc on our bodies
10:20 - Are the symptoms of hormone fluctuations the same in normal physiology and when things go wrong
12:00 - The impact of contraceptive pills on our mental health
14:30 - Do men experience similar effects from hormone fluctuations
16:00 - How does menopause impact women in the workplace
19:00 - What can women do to navigate the menopause transition more easily
25:00 - what can workplace do to support the employee
26:00 - how can a male manager support female employees
28:32 - how does hormones impact pregnant employees or new mum.
33:15 - what is the role of hormone replacement therapy
36:45 - what is the role of diet and supplements to improve brain health
38:45 - The evidence behind mindfulness and therapy to improve cognition
46:00 - Can Menopause have a positive impact on women
48:30 - Does hormone fluctuations impact neurodiverse individual differently
53:30 - Are individuals with mental illness more vulnerable to menopause
55:40 - What is the first step if you are concerned about hormones impacting your mental health
58:10 - What is Caroline’s one wellbeing practice

Change is inevitable and universal. Whether you’re moving countries, going through a breakup, experiencing a restructure at work, or living with grief, one thing is for certain: making big leaps can be daunting and anxiety-inducing if we aren’t ready to face them. However, it’s also important to recognise that change can also be huge opportunity to bring positivity into our lives, alongside hope, new experiences, and personal growth. In this episode, we are joined by change leadership expert Anne Bonney, who will share with us how we can embrace the discomfort of change and push through towards bigger and brighter opportunities.

Anne Bonney is a two-time author and host of the hit podcast Dancing in the Discomfort Zone, to help overwhelmed professionals build resilience in the discomfort of change. After 20 years of crushing it in corporate and nonprofit leadership positions, she now uses her hard-earned experience in the workplace and fiery passion to help leaders tackle tough conversations, and lead with emotional intelligence.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions.

0:00 - Intro
01:55 - Anne’s journey to becoming a champion for change
03:15 - Why do we find change uncomfortable?
04:00 - How do we override our risk-adverseness to change
05:25 - How do you develop confidence to try something new
07:45 - How do you shift from a pessimistic to an optimistic mindset
10:55 - How to use gratitude as a tool for working through our discomfort to change
12:40 - What are the 4 pillars to becoming mentally tough
14:55 - What are the common characteristics of resilient people
17:30 - How do you work through the sunk cost fallacy
19:35 - What is the 3 step process to manage change when it happens to you rather than when you initiated it
25:03 - Why is it important to be careful who you ask help from
26:25 - How do you make life decisions that is not overly influenced by social pressures
28:55 - What’s your advice for HR or managers to help employees cope with a restructure
30:50 - What did Anne learn as an early employee at Under Armour during a period of massive change
33:50 - How do you build trust with your employees before a change in the workplace happens
36:05 - What are tips for leaders to provide constructive feedback that employees can be receptive to rather than feeling defensive about
39:20 - How do leaders build employee trust when there is a low trust environment
42:00 - How can our communication styles unwittingly lose an employee’s trust
45:25 - What is authentic and open communication
46:35 - How do you manage employee expectations without creating false hope
49:50 - How being vulnerable builds employee trust in an environment of uncertainty
52:25 - How do you support those who’s mental health are more likely to be negatively impacted to change
54:24 - What is the definition of an emotionally intelligent leader
57:10 - How to develop self-awareness on whether you are risk adverse to change
58:25 - What is Anne’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Clearhead:
https://www.myclearhead.com/

As the saying goes, “Love is a verb,” and healthy relationships require intention, attention, time, and care. However, from our Clearhead data, we can see out of all of the people on our platform who said they were struggling with mental health challenges due to personal reasons, “General Relationship Struggles,” “Family Difficulties,” and “Partner Difficulties” were the top 3 issues people were dealing with. To help us grasp a greater understanding of what a fulfilling relationship should look like, how we can find them, and more importantly how to maintain them, our expert guest today is Serafin Upton.

Serafin’s biography:

Serafin Upton has worked in New Zealand and Australia as a family, couples' and sex therapist for over 20 years. On top of her extensive experience and qualifications, she has also trained under world-renowned sex and relationship therapists Esther Perel and Terry Real.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:

00:00 - Intro
01:55 - Serafin’s journey to becoming a couples, child, family, and sex therapist
03:25 - What is the common fear that everyone has regardless of their stage of life
04:40 - What are the skills you need to develop to have healthy relationships
06:20 - What is one thing you can do to become more attuned to someone you care about
08:30 - How can you stay present for your romantic partner when you are really busy
10:40 - How reflecting back and following up with your partner is key
12:30 - Can your attachment style change depending on the relationship?
14:05 - How to develop a secure attachment style if you have an avoidant attachment style
16:15 - How to develop a secure attachment style if you have an anxious attachment style
17:45 - How does emotional intimacy vs physical intimacy change over time in long term relationships
22:20 - Tips on how to create space for romance and connection in long term relationships
24:05 - Should making time for fun in a relationship be scheduled or spontaneous
26:10 - Advice for developing connection for people who are single
27:35 - How to deal with rejection in online dating such as ‘ghosting’
29:15 - Are we meant to be single or in relationships
33:15 - Is there a difference between being lonely vs being alone
35:45 - How your fear of being judged or misunderstood prevents you from developing meaningful relationships
37:05 - How to build your tolerance to being vulnerable when sharing in a relationship
38:45 - Tips on conflict management in relationships
43:30 - Do the type of fights you see in movies happen in real life
45:20 - How do you get someone who is conflict avoidant to express their needs
47:30 - When is the best time to raise issues you have with your partner
49:00 - How do you not get defensive when someone raises an issue with you
50:50 - Why is it important to let someone know if you think they are in an abusive or toxic relationship
53:40 - How does Serafin assess if someone is in an abusive relationship
55:35 - What are examples of psychological violence in a relationship
57:00 - What are the red flags that signal you should leave an abusive relationship
58:25 - What is the impact of relationship on our mental health
59:50 - What is Serafin’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Serafin:
https://serafinupton.co.nz

Learn more about Clearhead:
https://www.myclearhead.com/

Sleep is at the very centre of our wellbeing. Getting a good night's rest is crucial for both the body and mind, allowing us to repair, reset, and be ready for whatever the day throws at us. In this session, we'll be joined by sleep specialist Dr. Michael Breus to learn about the relationship between sleep and mental health and unpack how to set ourselves up to have a good night's sleep, every night.

Michael’s biography:

Dr. Michael Breus, Ph.D., is a double board-certified Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Sleep Specialist who has been in private practice for 23 years. He is the founder of sleepdoctor.com, and for over 14 years he served as the Sleep Expert for WebMD. Recently, he was named the Top Sleep Specialist by Reader’s Digest. His expertise lies in the science of sleep and peak performance as well as treating sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, restless legs syndrome, and more.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions

0:00 - Intro
1:50 - Michael’s journey to becoming a sleep specialist
6:30 - Why 75% of insomnia is caused by poor mental health
7:45 - How CBT (therapy) is used to cure insomnia
15:15 - How do you know whether you have a good quality sleep or not
16:30 - How should we interpret sleep metrics
17:30 - What are common disruptors of sleep
17:50 - Understanding REM and NREM sleep
19:15 - What test can you do when you have a poor quality of sleep
21:45 - Should you take supplements to improve your sleep
22:40 - What is the recommended quantity (hours) of sleep
24:15 - What can you do when you wake up at night and can’t go back to sleep
29:00 - What is a breathing technique to calm down and fall asleep
33:30 - Should you get up or try to fall back asleep
35:30 - Should you take a nap before your normal bedtime when you are tired
37:00 - What can you do if you are a light sleeper or have trouble falling asleep
38:15 - When should you seek professional help if you have insomnia
39:45 - Do sleeping pills provide you a good quality of sleep
41:45 - What can you do to get better sleep if you are a shift worker or are jet-lagged
44:50 - When is the best time to be intimate if you have a different chronotype to your partner
48:30 - How can understanding your family member’s chronotype lead to positive interactions
50:00 - What is the role of sleep hygiene and the negative impact of alcohol
52:00 - What is a normal amount of time we need to fall asleep
54:00 - What is the connection between sleep and peak performance
54:50 - What is Michael’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Michael Breus
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thesleepdoctor

Learn more about Clearhead:
https://www.myclearhead.com/

The human brain is an incredibly complex organ. We are all wired to process emotions, thoughts, and behaviours differently due to a range of factors, including our genetics and the environment. Sometimes, individuals develop serious mental health disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, or are considered neurodivergent, with neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism or ADHD. Learning how to understand the way that these experiences shape us is crucial to our overall wellbeing, which is why we are joined by our expert guest, Marie Bismark, to unpack all the nuances behind diagnosing mental health disorders and the best ways to manage them. 

Marie’s biography:

Professor Marie Bismark is a psychiatrist, public health physician, and health lawyer. She divides her time between New Zealand and Australia. In addition to her clinical work, Marie leads a research team at the University of Melbourne, focusing on the interface between patient safety and clinician wellbeing. She serves as a Director of several health sector organisations including the Royal Women’s Hospital and Summerset aged care. Marie completed a Harkness Fellowship at Harvard and her research has influenced regulatory policy in Australia and internationally.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:

0:00 - Intro
 2:35 - What is the definition of a mental health disorder?
3:40 - What is bipolar disorder?
7:35 - What is schizophrenia?
9:55 - What is the role of medication and therapy in mental health treatment?
12:40 - What is the role of the social determinants of health in developing mental health illness?
14:00 - What are the causes of mental health disorders?
15:55 - Why is developing self-awareness is the first step towards treatment?
19:40 - Are there tests that can be done to confirm a mental health diagnosis?
22:10 - How to determine the severity of a mental illness?
26:10 - The role of family in supporting mentally unwell individuals
28:05 - How should we be supporting caregivers?
29:45 - What are the challenges and strengths of being neurodiverse? (Autism and ADHD)
33:25 - What can workplaces do to support neurodiverse individuals?
35:00 - How to best manage your ADHD to optimise functioning
37:25 - How to best manage your Autism to optimise functioning
38:50 - What happens if you are misdiagnosed
42:05 - Why neurodiverse individuals often also have mental illness
45:35 - The over-medicalisation of normal emotional responses
48:30 - Why Marie decided to become a psychiatrist
50:45 - What are the consequences of untreated mental health illness
54:35 - What workplaces can do to support employees’ mental wellbeing and resilience 
56:40 - What is Marie’s one wellbeing practice?
57:20 - What is the role of nutrition and lifestyle changes to maintain mental wellbeing?

Learn more about Marie:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/marie-bismark-2397831b/

Learn more about Clearhead:
https://www.myclearhead.com/

Over the last 5 years, hospital visits related to eating disorders has doubled, and those being diagnosed are getting younger and often presenting with a more serious condition. The reasons for why someone develops an eating disorder is a complicated process with biological, psychological, genetic and social-cultural factors at play. It is also important to acknowledge that it is also a long and difficult process when supporting a loved one on their recovery journey.

In this episode, we will hear from Genevieve Mora as she shares her personal journey to recovery and her advice for any individuals dealing with an eating disorder.

Genevieve’s biography:

Genevieve spent most of her teenage years trying to managing both her OCD and anorexia nervosa. As part of her recovery, she has made it her mission to offer hope to those who are struggling themselves. Genevieve co-founded Voices of Hope, and through this platform, she uses her lived experience to show people that recovery is possible and that there is no shame in having a mental illness. Genevieve is the author of ‘Bite Back - a compassionate guide to navigating Eating Disorders,’ and the co-creator of Love your Kite, an eating disorder resource app. Alongside Jazz Thornton, her cofounder, she was named in 2023 Forbes Asia 30 under 30.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:

0:00 - Intro
 2:25 - How did Gen’s mental illness journey begin?
5:00 - Why did Gen develop Anorexia Nervosa?
8:55 - What were the challenges Gen faced while having an eating disorder?
11:25 - What was the turning point towards her recovery?
13:45 - Why the denial phase prevents recovery from an eating disorder
15:25 - Did Gen feel judged about her mental illness?
17:00 - What is a typical recovery journey?
19:35 - How to help individuals move past the pre-contemplative (denial) phase
21:35 - How to avoid unhelpful language when supporting someone who is struggling with an eating disorder
24:15 - Are there more young men struggling with eating disorders?
25:45 - Has Gen experience relapses after recovery?
28:00 - Is recovery based only from the perspective of the individual going through the mental illness, or from the perspective of the people supporting them?
31:40 - What Gen does to stay mentally well
33:45 - What parents can do to try and prevent their child from develop an eating disorder 
37:00 - What has Gen learnt from running a charity about the community's mental health and lived experiences?
39:45 - What is the role that workplaces can play in supporting individuals?
41:00 - Why did Gen develop an eating disorder resource app?
43:30 - What did Gen learn after people starting using her app?
45:20 - What is Gen hopeful about the eating disorder space?
46:17 - What is Gen’s message to those who are supporting loved ones struggling with an eating disorder?
47:20 - Is there any difference for those who are overeating compared to those who are restricting their intake?
49:00 - What is Gen’s one wellbeing practice?

Learn more about Gen:

https://thevoicesofhope.org/pages/team
https://www.linkedin.com/in/genevieve-mora-a02948174/?originalSubdomain=nz

Helpful resource: (Genevieve's book)
https://www.penguin.co.nz/books/bite-back-9781776950447

Learn more about Clearhead:
https://www.myclearhead.com/

Have you ever been in a conflict with someone and came out feeling like a victim? Or do you find yourself in dysfunctional relationships where communication between each other is difficult? Whether at work or at home, you might find yourself trapped in the dreaded Karpman drama triangle. In psychology, it is used to describe a cycle where we can find ourselves in one of these 3 common roles the "victim," "persecutor" or "rescuer." In this episode, our guest David Emerald Womeldorff will dive into how you can learn to escape the Drama Triangle and feel more empowered in your communication and relationships. 

David’s biography:

Drawing on over 30 years of experience in in leadership development, leading through change, self-leadership, and employee engagement, David is the author of 2 best-selling books, The Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic), as well as 3 Vital Questions: Transforming Workplace Drama. Both of his books draw on his extensive experience in the field, and David also served for 20 years as a senior consultant for The Leadership Circle and as an Executive Coach at the University of Notre Dame's Executive Leadership Program. He shares his frameworks to inspires individuals and organisations to reach new levels of collaboration through empowering relationships and work from an outcome-focused and passion-powered orientation. In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:

0:00 - Intro
2:25 - How did David get started?
5:35 - What is the difference between victimization and victimhood?
8:00 - What is the karpman drama triangle?
9:55 - How can you break free of the drama triangle (The Empowerment Dynamic)?
13:00 - Why focusing on outcomes instead of which version of current reality is correct is key.
15:40 - What are the 3 vital questions to end workplace conflict?
18:45 - How can you shift from a reactive response to problems to a more empowering response instead?
24:35- What are the common causes of workplace drama?
26:00 - What are the 3 reactive strategies to challenges that are unhelpful?
29:20 - How can you stop yourself from being reactive to problems?
31:30 - How to create more positive relationship dynamics
34:07 - How do you develop leaders in the workplace
38:35 - What are the characteristics of high performing leaders?
42:50 - How to give constructive feedback from a growth mindset?
45:15 - What happens if the person receiving the feedback is being defensive
48:40 - How can individual employees create psychological safety in their workplace culture
52:10 - When is conflict at work unhealthy
55:00 - Are there generational differences to consider in workplace drama
56:55 - How can you effectively lead those who are neurodiverse
59:00 - What is David’s one wellbeing practice?


Learn more about David:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-emerald-womeldorff-bab4494/

Helpful resource:
https://theempowermentdynamic.com/about/

Life is full of ups and downs, and it can be easy to let the bad things that are happening to you result in negative emotions that completely take over. Have you ever felt out of control with your anger or had very intrusive thoughts? Or you have been thinking about how you can better regulate your emotions? If so, this is the episode for you! Our guest today is Dr Cristian Conte, who will share with us some simple techniques behind anger management to help you calmly cope with the trials of everyday life, which can make a world of difference to your wellbeing. 

Christian’s Biography: 

Dr. Christian Conte is a world-renowned Level-V anger management expert, a licensed professional counsellor and author of a dozen books. From working with celebrities to hall of fame athletes, from elite military personnel to people on death row and everyone in between, Dr. Conte has spent over 25 years helping people deal with their anger. Although Dr. Conte specialises in working with some of the most dangerous individuals on the planet, his passion now is in training others in how to communicate effectively, regardless of the intensity of the situation. Helping you speak in ways that can overcome other people’s ego and defensiveness in order to be heard.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions:

0:00 - Intro 
2:10 - How did Christian get started?
4:00 - What is anger management?
5:00 - How do you know if you have a problem with anger?
11:10 - What are the different level of consciousness that we act from? 
17:20 - Why having an expectation of how things “should be” is what will trigger our anger response. 18:20 - Bridging the gap between expectation and reality by using accurate language and compassion
22:15 - What is Yield Theory?
24:37 - Do rich and famous people have the same difficulties managing their anger?
26:55 - How to get people to apply knowledge into action when managing their anger.
32:45 - How do you deal with violent people or abusive relationships?
35:00 - How to communicate in a way that doesn’t trigger someone's anger and be heard.
41:35 - How can we best parent a child with anger issues?
47:30 - Why your physical state affects your mental state.
48:45 - The role of setting realistic expectations in anger management.
51:40 - How to maintain realistic expectations in the context of social media comparisons.
53:55 - Is it normal if someone is not expressing their emotions?
57:40 - What is Christian’s one wellbeing practice?

Learn more about Dr. Christian Conte:
https://www.drchristianconte.com/about/

Learn more about Clearhead:
https://www.myclearhead.com/