Honestly, the entire conversation with Martin was a huge insightful spark and so I found it extremely hard to pick just three. I decided to go along with the theme of the full conversation and spilt this into two parts. I highly recommend you check out the full conversation as it was probably my most favourite and impactful conversation I've had thus far. You can find it here: https://anchor.fm/ethan-jolley/episodes/Martin-Heppell-Part-1--Why-so-many-of-us-do-not-play-our-own-cards-egenhf

My three insightful sparks are: 

1. Belonging is when you are in the room with someone you want to be with and you don't have to change who you are.

2. We are all imperfect. Society tells us we need to be perfect/know everything to be accepted or to be successful amongst society.

3. It doesn't matter when you find it, as long as you find it.

Louise Barnett is a trained nutritionist who has practised before moving into youth mental health. I've been looking to interview a nutritionist for quite some time now and one day I was catching up with Louise and we were chatting about food and I found out she was a trained nutritionist. What are the chances hey. 

Louise and I chat about the basics around the foods we eat and what they provide us, how to form a healthy relationship with foods, the importance of our gut health, the relationship between our gut and our brain, how the foods we eat affect our mood, the link between an unhealthy diet and depressive disorders and lots and lots of practical advice which you can all implement right now in your lives to improve the quality of your life. 

Head over to @headspacehorsham where Louise runs the social media and provides heaps and heaps of helpful tips for looking after yourself and improving your mental health. 

Here it is, the second part to this sensational conversation I had with Martin Heppell from The Resilience Project. 

If you haven't listened to the first episode check it out here: 

https://anchor.fm/ethan-jolley/episodes/Martin-Heppell-Part-1--Why-so-many-of-us-do-not-play-our-own-cards-egenhf

In this episode, we touch on The Resilience Project's philosophy of GEM (Gratitude, Empathy/Kindness and Mindfulness). By practising these three simple principles daily you are building your mental resilience so that you are better equipped to tackle life's challenges.  

We also talk more about failure, normalising emotions, how shame is putting up that barrier to form true connections and what we can do to help our mates. This is such a ripper episode I hope you all enjoy. 

I have reached the pinnacle of my podcast journey. This conversation I had with Martin Heppell from the resilience project encapsulated everything I've been probing throughout the various conversations I have had with my guests. At the very start when I released my first episode I wrote down a list of topics that I want to find out more about. Since then each episode I've touched one a couple of the topics. However, this conversation both part 1 and part 2 touched on every single one of the topics. Martin articulated the reasons why (Part 1) and then goes on to explain how you can overcome the issues and learn to play your cards (Part 2).  

Topics we cover: 

Fitting in vs belonging - Loneliness 

Why the school system is failing the youth 

The importance of failure in order to build resilience  

Comparison 

I am a huge fan of The Resilience Project (TRP). I've read Hugh's Book, I've listened to his podcast, I've got their daily journal and I practice daily what they preach. Martin is Hugh's partner in crime and I was over the moon to sit down and have a chat with him. Hugh's book 'The Resilience Project' is the cure to many of life's hardest problems. I definitely recommend you check it out. https://theresilienceproject.com.au/

The three insightful sparks that I took away from the conversation I had with Jannik a few weeks back are incredibly powerful once we become aware of them. It's so easy to go with the flow of life and get caught up in what society is driving us towards and what other people are saying. It's hard to take a step back, reflect and align yourself again with the morals and values that are true to you. The three takeaways are:

1. Treat everyone how you would want to be treated. Put yourself in their shoes. Be empathetic.

2. Learn a skill that your tomorrow self will thank you for.

3. Enjoy the process and be 100% present in the moment.

Have a listen to the full-length conversation with Jannik, he is truly a very humbling human being. 

https://anchor.fm/ethan-jolley/episodes/Jannik-Blair--Enjoy-the-journey---advise-from-a-Paralympian-efkpek

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After a week off from recording an episode, this conversation was the perfect one to kick start and spark these conversations again.  

Jannik is a local legend here in Horsham and I remember going through high school hearing about Jannik's tragic farm accident that left him as a paraplegic. I was totally inspired by how he turned that around and went on to become a two time Paralympian for the Australian wheelchair basketball team, a silver medalist recipient at his first Paralympic Games at age 20, a world champion and many other feats. I've never met him in person which is strange to hear with us growing up in the same town and going to the same school, so I was very excited about having the chance to finally sit down meet Jannik and have a good ole yarn. 

In this episode, I find out what it takes to go through a horrific accident and become a Paralympian, his mindset and drive that kept him on track, the importance of support and not being treated any differently to abled-bodied people and Jannik's incredible pearls of wisdom that he shares in this conversation. 

I hope you all enjoy it just as much as I did. Jannik's Instagram is @jannikblair 

Over the past few years, I have come to realise how powerful a genuine conversation can be and how much impact it can have. People often ask me now what sparks me; what gets me fired up. I can honestly say that there is nothing that sparks me more than a conversation with someone because a conversation is progress forward, in life. I am a young 21 year old who is curious about the world around me, and what sparks other human beings to make a difference on this beautiful earth of ours. I'm on a quest to master the art of connection, vulnerability, storytelling and conversations all the while sparking my listeners to be themselves and live their best life. One day soon I'll be using these skills to inspire, educate and raise the standards of young Australians through being a teacher.

Follow @ejspark_conversations for regular updates on the podcast and helpful content.

My three insightful sparks this week were extremely hard to decide on as the entire conversation with Darren was extremely insightful and really sparked a lot inside of me. But the three biggest ones that have had a huge impact on my life both in the past and recent are: 

1. Set the tone of your day right by getting up early and setting your mornings up for success.

2. Listen to that inner voice inside of you, it's trying to steer you in the direction so that you can fulfil the very reason you were put on this earth for.

3. Gratitude and affirmations allow you to feel that you have enough and you are enough therefore it impossible to be in a state of scarcity.

Have a listen to the full-length conversation with Darren, you'll be surprised by how much it'll elevate your mood. 

https://anchor.fm/ethan-jolley/episodes/Darren-Pereira-The-most-important-conversation-is-the-one-you-have-with-yourself-ef1aif

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I have been looking forward to this interview for a while now. I had thought of getting Darren on earlier but I left it until now as exams for us Uni students are coming up and we all need a little pick me up. Darren shares some amazing wisdom which we can all instantly apply to our lives right now for free and that is going to repay us in dividends of love, bliss and joy. We have chat about Darren's childhood and what it was like growing up with a multicultural background and how he was constantly trying to please his parents but he never really was happy in the process, what intuition is and how we can learn to start listening to it and be our true selves, the conversation we have with ourselves will reflect in our outer world, the power of affirmations and gratitude and Darren's top exam tips. I honestly learnt so much in this chat with Darren and I am so thankful for him coming on. We covered a lot in this episode and I believe this one is a powerful one. Stay tuned for me 3 insightful sparks next week.  Go check out Darren's Instagram @darrenpereiraofficial or find him on Facebook. He's going to be pumping out some amazing content soon which is going to help us all. 

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Welcome to the first mini-episode which is a sub-series to my main conversations. In these episode's I will be talking about my insightful sparks or key takeaways from the previous week's conversation.  

Make sure you check out the main conversation as there are plenty more insightful sparks that are not covered in this mini-episode. 

https://anchor.fm/ethan-jolley/episodes/Ryder-Jack--No-one-is-the-finished-product-eelmel

My 3 insightful sparks are: 

1. No one is the finished product, no one is the perfect man or fulfilling the perfect stereotype.

2. All blokes cry we don't need to be ashamed of it!

3. To create a safe space for blokes to be vulnerable, you first need to role model it by being the one to express your feelings first. This opens up the floor and forms a trust which gives permission for the other person to talk about their emotions.

Follow @ejspark_conversations on Instagram or ejspark11 on Facebook for regular updates on the podcast and helpful content.