Do Yourself a Favour

Tam Callaghan sits down with book coach Kylie Zeal again for the second part of their conversation. This time it’s more personal. Both were diagnosed later in life, Tam with ADHD and Kylie with ADHD and autism, and they talk about what those diagnoses have helped them understand about themselves. 

They talk about masking, and why a day of being “on” in front of a room can mean a weekend of not leaving the house. They also talk about the relief of finally having a reason for things they’d spent years blaming themselves for. Kylie shares why she chose a four-day week from her twenties, the time she didn’t hold that boundary, and what a woman she met on LinkedIn said that changed how she saw the cost. Tam explains her war on the overhead light in her kitchen, and they compare notes on loud bathroom fans. 

They also get into why changing your environment can matter as much as talking things through, and Tam’s experience with TRE. They talk about the strengths that come with this kind of wiring, especially pattern recognition and what it brings to coaching. Tam describes working with a husband who thinks bottom-up when she thinks top-down, and shares her idea for a women’s group called Big Bloomers. 

An honest, funny and generous conversation for anyone who’s neurodivergent, wonders if they might be, or loves someone who is. 

In this episode: 

References: 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

In this special storytime episode, Tam reads an article that stopped her in her tracks. The piece is From Anxious to Free: The Surprising Power of Acceptance, written by psychological counsellor Kris Nature and published by Tiny Buddha. Tam asked permission to share it because it says something she couldn’t have put better herself. 

Kris describes years of waking at 3am, replaying every conversation, and treating socialising like an exam she kept failing. When a 15-year relationship ended and her home and job changed in the same year, the anxiety took over. The turning point came when she stopped trying to fix herself and started looking after herself instead. 

From there it’s meditation that felt like punishment, the day she noticed a calm part of her watching the anxiety, and Morita Therapy, the Japanese approach that says we can’t control our feelings, only what we do next. Accept things as they are, then act anyway. 

A gentle, practical listen for anyone who has spent years waiting to feel better before living better. It also sets up Tam’s next episode on starting the School of Awakening with Stephen Bodian. 

In this episode: 

Read the original article on Tiny Buddha: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/from-anxious-to-free-the-surprising-power-of-acceptance/ 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

Tam Callaghan sits down with book coach Kylie Zeal, her former coach and now friend, for the first of two conversations. Kylie spent around a decade as an executive coach before moving into book coaching, and she works with writers on both fiction and nonfiction. 

They start with how they met. Tam came to Kylie wanting to write nonfiction, and in their first call Kylie suggested something she’d only ever said to one other client: this might be a novel. What followed was a lovely first chapter, a second chapter that didn’t land, 36,000 words written in nine days to pitch the book, and two publisher responses that were far more encouraging than they first sounded. 

They also get into how Kylie meets people through LinkedIn, why they both avoid the news, and what makes a coach good. For Kylie, confidence comes from knowing you don’t need all the answers. You need to ask good questions, listen well and leave the work with the person who owns it. She talks about adapting to writers who plot and writers who make it up as they go, giving objective feedback, and a client who took eight sessions to see that her book had the wrong title. 

A generous, practical conversation for anyone with a book in them, or anyone who coaches. 

In this episode: 

Find Kylie Zeal: https://www.kyliezeal.com 

Part 2 of this conversation: Coming Soon!

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

Tam went to see Jebediah: Are We OK?, the new documentary marking the band’s 30th anniversary, and came away wanting to say thank you. This episode is part movie review, part love letter to a band that soundtracked some of the happiest years of her young life in Perth. 

She remembers seeing them leap about on stage at Planet Nightclub on Charles Street, and how much it meant to learn that the band were having just as good a time as the audience. She reflects on what each member brought, from Vanessa’s joy and artistry to Brett finding a way onto the stage despite hating it, something Tam knows well from years of training. Above all, she’s struck by a group that kept choosing joy over financial success and stayed committed to one another for 30 years. 

There’s also a personal thank you to Kevin Mitchell. Tam walked down the aisle to Don’t You Think It’s Time, the song he wrote as Bob Evans, and this is her chance to finally tell him. 

You don’t need to be a fan to get something out of the film. But if you grew up in Australia, and especially in Perth, it comes with a great memory lane bonus. 

In this episode: 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

Tam Callaghan sits down with Tanya Hallett from TIPT (Trauma-Informed Practice Training) for a conversation that starts with a Year 9 student working 30 hours a week to help his single mum pay bills, and ends somewhere most leadership conversations never reach. 

Tanya has spent most of her teaching career in low socio-economic schools, and that experience shapes everything about how she sees the workplace. She and Tam dig into what naive meritocracy actually costs, why the "everyone gets a fair shot" story doesn't hold up, and how a trauma-informed lens replaces judgement with curiosity in a way that makes leaders genuinely more effective. 

There's also a grounded, useful stretch on how leaders can acknowledge the limits of their own understanding without losing credibility, and why that honesty is actually the foundation of trust. 

Warm, honest, and the kind of conversation that lingers. 

In this episode: 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

——————— 

0:00 Introduction — Tanya Hallett & TIPT 

0:29 Career-planning example with a teen working long hours 

1:00 Student working 30 hours — family financial hardship 

1:38 Reality of kids supporting families 

2:31 Passion for working in low socio-economic schools 

3:18 Limitations of privilege and perspective 

4:10 Luck, meritocracy, and the Veritasium example 

5:57 Critique of naive meritocracy 

7:24 Trauma-informed practice: curiosity over judgement 

7:51 Communicating with care in corporate settings 

8:29 Personal growth, adversity, and self-reflection 

9:12 Interest rate rise — lack of real understanding 

10:26 How leaders should acknowledge limits of understanding 

11:37 Closing & call to action 

——————— 

#TanyaHallett #TIPT #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #Privilege #Meritocracy #TraumaInformed #Leadership #Curiosity #WorkplaceWellbeing #PsychologicalSafety #Empathy #SocialEquality #PodcastAustralia #LeadershipDevelopment 

Tam Callaghan watched a beloved former West Coast Eagles player give an honest, vulnerable interview about why he left the club. Then she read the comments. And something clicked. 

This episode starts with sport and ends somewhere much deeper. Tam uses the Tom Barras interview and the flood of bitter, abusive responses it attracted to explore what Peter Crone's idea that anger covers hurt actually looks like in real life — and then turns that lens on herself, her own history of sports tribalism, and one of the most personally honest reflections she's recorded. 

It connects directly to the previous episode on keyboard warriors, but takes the idea further: what does it cost you to stay in the pain of being right, and what would it mean to choose differently? 

Raw, funny in places, and one of the more quietly courageous things Tam has put out. 

In this episode: 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

——————— 

0:00 Intro: AFL Grand Final & Pain vs Suffering 

0:12 What the AFL Grand Final Is (explainer) 

0:48 From Keyboard Warriors to Pain Avoidance 

1:02 Watching the Player Interview 

1:28 Remembering Tom Barras 

3:00 Reading the Abusive Comments 

4:42 Peter Crone: Anger Covers Hurt 

5:50 Connecting Hurt, Anger, and Disappointment 

6:54 The Grand Final Story Begins 

7:57 Changing My Tribalism: A Two-Year Process 

10:33 Emotional Response: Crying for the Fans 

11:21 Being Right vs Vulnerability 

12:20 My Marriage: The Great White Whale 

13:45 Which Pain Do You Choose? 

15:08 Courage to Face Your Hurt 

16:03 Small Acts of Love Change the World 

17:00 Get Bravely Happy: Ongoing Work 

18:17 Mission: Hurt Others Less / Closing 

——————— 

#TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #AFL #WestCoastEagles #PainVsSuffering #PeterCrone #Tribalism #KeyboardWarriors #Vulnerability #Courage #PersonalGrowth #SelfCompassion #GrandFinal #PodcastAustralia #GetBravelyHappy 

Tanya Hallett from TIPT (Trauma-Informed Practice Training) returns for a new series with Tam Callaghan, this time focused on one of the most practical skills a manager or colleague can have: de-escalation. 

Tanya brings a background that's unusual for a corporate trainer — years in classrooms with students who were already dysregulated before they walked through the door. She opens with a story about a child who told the principal "I don't trust you" mid-crisis, and how reading that correctly changed everything. That instinct for reading what's actually happening beneath the surface is what she now brings to workplace settings. 

In this first part they cover why escalation spreads (the limbic system and contagion), what happens in the brain during an amygdala hijack, why tone and body language matter far more than the words we choose, and the practical steps anyone can take to manage themselves first before trying to manage the situation. 

There's also a useful stretch on pausing difficult conversations properly, using honest language rather than throwaway lines, and how to have better EAP conversations that actually land. 

In this episode: 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

——————— 

0:00 Introduction 

0:30 Welcome and Episode Framing 

1:59 Business Growth — Stepping Away from Teaching 

3:57 Child Distrust and Reading Intentions 

4:41 How Escalation Spreads (Limbic System) 

5:30 De-escalation Strategies — Basics 

6:19 Practical Steps: Managing Yourself 

7:10 Amygdala Hijack and Prefrontal Cortex Shutdown 

8:00 Communication: Tone, Body Language, and 7% Rule 

9:38 Self-Regulation: Grounding and Capacity Checking 

10:26 Pausing Difficult Conversations and Honest Language 

11:24 Avoiding Throwaway Lines — Better EAP Conversations 

14:51 Conclusion and Part 2 Teaser 

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#TanyaHallett #TIPT #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #DeEscalation #WorkplaceWellbeing #PsychologicalSafety #AmygdalaHijack #TraumaInformed #Leadership #SelfRegulation #DifficulConversations #MentalHealthAtWork #HRPodcast #PodcastAustralia

Being right is the self-esteem of the desperate. That's the line Tam Callaghan landed on after thinking about one of the most requested topics she's received: why do people become keyboard warriors, and what do you do about it? 

Inspired by a conversation with a popular online creator who regularly receives hate comments on completely non-provocative content, Tam digs into what's actually driving this behaviour. She breaks it down into three groups: people who have an opinion and share it thoughtlessly because the screen removes the sense of talking to a real human being; Karens and Keiths driven by entitlement and a deep need to feel seen; and a smaller group with genuine psychological disorders including narcissism, sadism, and psychopathy. 

She also turns the lens on herself, because the need to be right when we're feeling insecure isn't unique to trolls. It's just the same impulse in a different context. 

Practical, compassionate, and more nuanced than the topic usually gets. 

In this episode: 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

——————— 

0:00 'Being right is the self-esteem of the desperate' 

0:05 Keyboard warriors, Karens and Keiths 

0:31 Example & source: online creator (Chris Lapping) and hate comments 

1:34 Why people need to be right — personal reflection 

2:17 Framework introduced: three groups of people 

2:54 Group 1 — Opinions, online thoughtlessness and distance 

4:57 Group 2 — Karens/Keiths: entitlement, not feeling seen 

9:40 Group 3 — Psychological disorders: narcissism, sadism, psychopathy 

11:10 Coping strategies: love, boundaries and practical responses 

14:37 Wider causes & consequences: societal isolation and behaviour 

16:30 Summary: nuance, bravery, love & boundaries; closing CTA 

——————— 

#TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #KeyboardWarriors #OnlineTrolls #Narcissism #Karens #OnlineCruelty #SocialMedia #Boundaries #PersonalGrowth #PsychologicalSafety #BeingRight #SelfEsteem #PodcastAustralia #DigitalWellbeing 

Part two of Tam Callaghan's conversation with Kate Fandry picks up where they left off, diving into the diagnosis itself, what it felt like to finally have an answer, and the grief that often comes with a late diagnosis even when it's a relief. 

Kate shares the moment she told her mum over lunch ("of course you do"), the school story that reframed a lifetime of self-blame, and what it actually took to go from suspecting she had ADHD to getting formally assessed. They then move into OCD: what it looks like in daily life, the blueberry example that perfectly illustrates decision paralysis, and the medication that changed everything. 

There's also an honest conversation about the stigma around psychiatric medication, why choosing medication is an act of self-kindness rather than weakness, and what quality of life actually looks like when treatment works. 

Part 1: Late-Diagnosis ADHD: From Burnout to Breakthrough - https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-5g6w5-1b424ec

In this episode: 

Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast 

——————— 

0:00 Introduction  

0:08 ADHD & Late Diagnosis Quote 

1:33 School Story and Getting Diagnosed 

4:01 New Phase — Realisations & 'Going Out on Top' 

5:02 Hiding Struggles and Telling Parents 

6:28 Transition to OCD Discussion 

7:00 Anxiety, OCD and Depression — Seeking Help 

8:10 Asking Parents for Specific Support 

9:23 OCD 'Blueberry' Example — Decision Paralysis 

11:07 Practical Impact — Family, Shopping & Business 

13:31 OCD Medication — Life-changing Relief 

17:35 ADHD Medication Effects — Focus & Sleep 

18:50 Stigma Around Medication & Getting Help 

21:04 Choosing Medication — Self-kindness 

22:54 Western Values, Success & Consumerism 

24:58 Quality of Life: Relationships Matter Most 

25:43 Closing  

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#KateFandry #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #ADHD #LateADHDDiagnosis #OCD #Neurodiversity #ADHDMedication #DecisionParalysis #MentalHealth #StigmaAroundMedication #SelfKindness #ADHDWomen #PodcastAustralia #QualityOfLife 

This episode is a spontaneous, real-time reflection on the creator's ongoing journey. They record their thoughts about their process, what they've learned, and where they want to go next.

They realize they've been stuck in a cycle of apologizing and over-sharing struggles, and decide to shift toward showing up as an unapologetic expert and whole person while remaining honest and useful to others.