OMG HOW IS IT THAT TIME ALREADY!? SEASON 3 FINALE LET'S GO!

On Today's episode, Brad Guy shares his harrowing story of the day he fell from the sky and survived. In this chat, Brad talks openly about that fateful day, what it's like to survive a near death experience, his mental health journey as a result and his second chance at life.

If you want more of Brad, you can find him @bradjguy on instagram. You can find me @exceptionallyaveragepodcast. Don't forget to click follow or subscribe wherever it is that you're listening.

Huge thank you to every single one of you who have listened this season, it's meant the world to this little independent podcaster. I'll catch you on the flip side in 2021. Bye for now <3

Claire was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa at just 15 years old. What followed was years of treatment & therapy, relapses & triumphs. But Claire's own personal experience found her wanting to do something far greater, which led her to doing her PHD in Eating Disorder research.

Claire founded @_hersociety, which as you'll hear, has been many things. But ultimately, it's the chronicles of a late-twenty-something girl figuring shit out, and sharing it along the way.

You can find Her Society at https://www.hersociety.com.au/, and @_hersociety on instagram. Loved this chat? Take a screenshot, share it on social media & tag both her society & @exceptionallyaveragepodcast.

If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating, head to https://butterfly.org.au/

On today's episode, meet Matt Runnalls. Matt was just 12 years old when he lost his first friend to suicide. Yep, you heard that right; sadly, the first of several. He was 16 when he lost his second friend to suicide, and later that same year, his favourite teacher too. By the time he was 20, he'd lost his fourth friend to suicide, and over the course of the next 6 years, 4 more of his mates chose to end their own lives; all males. Through all of that, Matt was fighting his own battle with mental illness; a battle that was almost lost four times over that same period. Eventually though, through therapy and spending time with other mental health advocates, Matt found his own voice, and now he works tirelessly, using that voice full time as a mental health care advocate himself. Just a disclaimer - this episode was recorded in 2019, and a lot has changed in the world since, especially in the world of mental health.

For more information about Mindfull Aus & Matt, you can find Matt on instagram @matt.runnalls, or head to https://www.mindfullaus.org/.

As for me, you can find me on instagram @exceptionallyaveragepodcast.

Loved this episode? Click follow or subscribe wherever it is that you're listening.

Angie Greene grew up in a successful football family, but it was that exposure to football culture that gave her a first hand experience of the discrimination towards the LGBTIQ+ community in sport. People from the LGBTIQ+ community are 4-5x more likely to commit suicide; a statistic that Angie is determined to reduce. After losing 4 male friends to suicide, she set about a path to fighting the inequality that exists in Australian sport. Angie founded Stand Up events, an organisation that raises awareness of & fights against discrimination towards the LGBTIQ+ community in Australian sport.

You can find Stand Up events on instagram @standupeventsmelbourne. As for me, come say hi @exceptionallyaveragepodcast. Loved this episode? Share it! Take a screenshot of your phone, tag me & Stand Up, and together, let's end discrimination towards the LGBTIQ+ community in sport.

I want you to close your eyes. Imagine you're 16 years old, and you wake up in a hospital bed. What you're currently seeing is all you'll ever see again. Your vision is now entirely made up of memories. You're blind. Yep, at just 16 years old, this was Ben Pettingill's reality. He lost 98% of his eyesight overnight to a rare genetic syndrome. Despite that though, Ben has achieved more since being blind that many people ever achieve in their lifetime. Ben's story is an extraordinary example of the true power that comes from harnessing your mindset. His resilience through adversity is truly inspiring, and naturally, that meant I absolutely had to interview him.

If you'd like more of Ben, you can follow him on instagram @BenPettingill.

If you'd like more of me, come say hi @exceptionallyaveragepodcast.

Loved this episode? Take a screenshot of your phone, share it on socials & tag both Ben & I so we can see you enjoying this ep.

Have a great week!

Happy Wednesday! This week, meet Eleni Kalimnios; a young elite rowing athlete from Tasmania, Australia. As you'll hear, Eleni's list of career highlights isn't a short one, and by the age of 21 she was on track for Olympic glory at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. What came next in Eleni's journey was not according to the roadmap. Eleni hurt her back, nothing untoward for an elite rower. But what ensued is a few years of chronic pain that forced her into having to stop the sport that she loved. Eleni is living proof though that sometimes, injuries are mind over matter, and the comeback to this athlete's journey is nothing short of a great one.

You can find Eleni on instagram @elenikalimnios or @recess.forthemind. Her story can be found via https://noijam.com/2020/08/04/an-athletes-story-of-overcoming-chronic-pain/

If you loved this episode, take a screen shot of your phone & tag Eleni & myself @exceptionallyaveragepodcast on instagram. Have a great week guys!

Hello & welcome back to another episode of Exceptionally Average. Today's episodes is one of my absolute favourites (picking a favourite poddy eps is like picking a favourite child... but let's be honest... we all have one). Meet Hugo Toovey; a captain in the Australian Army (no small feat on it's own), but Hugo is also one of the most inspiring, and resilient human beings that I've had the pleasure of meeting.

At just 21, Hugo was diagnosed with testicular cancer, which he battled & defeated, celebrating the special "5 year cancer free" date, only to be told a couple of months later that he had bowel cancer, and it was completely unrelated to his first diagnosis. As he describes, he was struck by lightning twice.

Hugo is now a passionate advocate for men's health, and this year he is an ambassador for Movember which is on right now.

Want more of Hugo? (of course you do). You can find him on insta @hugotoovey. For more information on Movember & how to donate, head to Movember.com

As always, come say hi @exceptionallyaveragepodcast on instagram. And if you could please click follow or subscribe wherever it is that you're listening, I'd be eternally grateful.

This week, meet Steffi Patience. Steffi is a young author & volunteer from regional Victoria. In this episode, she shares her experience of being a young female, homeless on the streets of Melbourne, her battles with mental illness, and how using her experience to help others has saved her life.

You can find Steffi on instagram @chihualpha (told you I wasn't going to try to pronounce that).

As for me, come say hi @exceptionallyaveragepodcast. Don't forget to click follow or subscribe where ever it is that you're listening.

If you, or someone you know needs help, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Meet Luke S. Kennedy, author & professional speaker. Luke had what he describes as a loving but difficult childhood; growing up poor in the outer suburbs of Sydney. He was in year 7 when he got into his first fight. Suddenly, he wasn't the fat kid getting bullied any more, he was 'the fighter', a nickname and an ego that shaped the next few years of his life. Luke has had some harrowing experiences; spending years in a street gang, he's been stabbed, witnessed a friend die, and almost killed someone himself. In this chat, Luke talks about living life as a thug in a street gang, the role of ego in our identity, and how he found the path to enlightenment.

Luke is on a bit of a social media hiatus, but if you'd like more information on Luke, his book or his speaking gigs, you can head to https://www.lukeskennedy.com/

As for me, you can find me on instagram @exceptionallyaveragepodcast. As always, it would mean the world to me if you could click follow or subscribe wherever it is that you're listnening.

[Trigger Warning: This episode discusses family violence and abuse. If you, or someone you know needs help, head to 1800respect.org.au or call 1800 737 732]

Naomi Holt is many things: clinical hypnotherapist, Psychology graduate, model, and small business owner. This year, Naomi is an ambassador for Polished Man; an incredible campaign that raises awareness and funds for child victims of family violence and abuse. Why? Because she was one of the 1 billion children worldwide that experience domestic violence every year. In this chat, Naomi talks candidly & openly about her experience with family violence and how it led her to wanting to be a psychologist. She also discusses her experience of the modelling industry, what it's like to be made to feel like your weight matters more than your voice, and why she created Mind the Model, a platform where mental health, self care, and body celebration thrives.

Want to know more? You can find Naomi Holt on instagram @naomikholt. You can also find Mind the Model on instagram @mind_the_model. If you'd like more information on Polished Man, head to https://polishedman.com/. You can also donate to Polished Man via Naomi's fundraising page https://my.polishedman.com/naomi-holt

As always, you can find me on instagram @exceptionallyaveragepodcast. And pretty please click follow or subscribe where ever you are listening to hear more incredible, inspiring stories like Naomi's.