Explore Your Core

On this episode of the Explore Your Core Podcast, I am joined with Bohie. Bohie isn’t just an artist- she is a change maker, a pioneer, and shaping how we see the world. Growing up in Braidwood, NSW, she studied drawing and printmaking, and what underpins many of the works she does across the diverse mediums she uses is story. Her fascination with stories led her to get a camera and roam the streets during her gap year, keeping a sketchbook with her while she travelled, capturing moments through drawings and quotes from hostels. She began to find her voice looking at the spaces between us. We talk about the struggles of having your voice dampened and some of the struggles of finding the balance between being a creative and doing commercial projects as well as being in this field as a woman. She speaks about her journey finding who she authentically was after finding herself in the skate community after a breakup and not knowing where she stood as a female in that space.

In the years that followed, she came to realise she wasn’t okay and turned inwards to heal. We spoke about creativity and depression, how she found art to be therapeutic, and her battles with imposter syndrome.

“Our language is so limited. We label everything, but every single label has connotations and baggage attached to it and visuals cut through that.”

With a 10 year background in sign writing, she came to see the power that words played in her life and how words trapped her- creating categories, connotations, and labels. We discuss labels and mental health and the stigma of different labels. She speaks about the depths her depression took her to and how she now sees those depths as a place she gets to explore and enhance her capacity to feel.We talk about perspectives and how a zoomed-out perspective on life can make people feel everything is connected. Alongside perspective, we touch on how self-talk can be impactful, especially to combat the negative narratives within, and how curiosity can become a counteract method for overcoming fear.

"Curiosity is playfulness. It’s about letting yourself be in awe of anything, even if you just look at a concrete wall, you can find playfulness, or sit there long enough until the light changes or shadows play up against it. It’s just opening yourself up.”

Bohie’s works have been deeply rooted in healing from these life situations and has found it transformative inviting others into her projects turning them into community-driven mural projects that raise the voices and awareness of these issues. You can find her work on her Website and socials here, you can check out her creative agency called Raw Initiative and the book she mentioned in the podcast Women Who Run With The Wolves Follow Explore Your Core on Substack or Spotify to stay up to date. Would love to hear your thoughts on this chat!Until next episode,-Explore Your Core

What’s sitting on the other side of fear’-Tim Ferris

On epsiode 81 of the Explore Your Core Podcast I chat with Gianni Valenti, a friend of mine who I’ve spent countless hours on the phone with over the years and who has been there as we navigate our own way through the unknown and fear.

I wanted to chat to him about his journey and what gave him the courage to change the direction he was going in, how he deals with the uncertainty and his mindset and approach to these situations. Gianni’s trajectory was in finacial planning in Geelong, that was until he decided to do a snow season in Canada which changed his persective on how life could be lived. Since then he continued to travel and explore new pathways and has now become a guide in K’Gari Island and a yoga instructor.

We speak about the challenges and rewards of changing your path- how you know it will bring a sense of meaning but it comes with no certainty and we talk about reframing the way uncertainty is seen. He speaks on how meeting like minded people has been validating, it’s been proof when he see’s other people living the way he wants to be; that sometimes things seem unrealistic and unmanagable but hearing from other people breaks things down into small steps and slowly it becomes possible. We also chat about his yoga practice and how journalling, meditation and yoga have been his go to for reflecting and recharging.You can follow his journey on socials here.

"The process of making essential oil is to dilute and dissolve and remove any impurities so that all you are left with is what is vibrant and fragrant, and that’s what I believe life should be like”

-Gianni

Follow the Explore Your Core podcast to keep up to date with the latest epsiodes. Until then, stay curious. -Explore Your Core

I begun the new year and the first episode back with an episode on how powerful it is to be in the outdoors and wanted to talk to someone who has allowed the outdoors to change their perspective and way of life. I’m joined with thru hiker Cam Bostok who recently spent 26 days hiking the the Australian Alps Track. This wasn’t a one off for him, he’s also thru hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, Te Araroa and so many more.

On the podcast we talk about his mindset, experiences and life on the trails, the power of being surounded my like minded people and the benefits hiking has had on his sense of community and mental clairty.

We delve into his experience on the Aus Alps track and the PCT track and the pros and cons of being solo and doing hikes as a group.If you want to see shared moments on the trails of the journey, you can follow along on socials on Insta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cambostock/Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CamBostock

Podcast: https://linktr.ee/lifeoutsidepodcastA lil reminder to get a little bit of outside time in.- Explore Your Core

On this weeks episode I spoke to Zac Hoffman- a former national mogul skier for Canada and now film maker at The Grove Films who worked alongside Gordie Rogers and Casey Dubois to produce the short film “Reflection” with Tori Wood from a previous episode here. As an athlete, Zac wanted to show some of the realness behind an athletes experience, especially as he had felt in his athletic career he had to put up a front of bravery as he thought that was expected of him.

Zac’s films follow the journey of climbers, riders and athletes as they delve into and share some of their vulnerabilites and their human side. The process of filming shaped the way Zac saw vulnerability and he begun to reframe it in a healthy way for himself.In the episode he shares about a near death experience while shooting overseas for a guiding company where he fell into a crevasse. He was lucky his friends helped him make it out alive but he thought after an experience like that he would be grateful for everything he got to live for, that he would see the world in a brighter light… but it was the opposite. It was a traumtic event that he had to learn to heal through and that was a slow and hard process. I dont want to share too much of the story, I’ll leave it for you to listen in the episode but it shows a realness that sometimes it gets hard and you have to say you’re not okay. As an national mogul skier he became inspired to capture the realness behind everyones journey and the mental battle that can occur behind the scenes of the sport. It was a powerful conversation and one that needed to be spoken about.

You can check out his film work with The Grove Films here, his socials here and listen to his recent TEDx talk here.

Until next episode!-Explore Your Core

In this episode I am joined with Hrund Gunnsteinsdottir who is an Icelandic author, speaker, sustainability leader and film maker of InnSæiI came across Hrund and her work 6 years ago after watching the documentary InnSaei. It changed the course I was on, it was the first time I had heard the words for something I had been feeling and seen the science behind something that sounded so intangible- intuition. I watched it at a time where I was beggining to understand more about consciousness, nature and what goes beyond the physical.Hrund spoke about how she came across the word InnSæi and what it means which turns out to be an Icelantic word that stands for the sea with, to see with and to see from the inside out. 'The sea within' refers to the borderless nature of our inner world and that if we put the sea within in boxes it would cease to flow. ‘To see within’ means to know yourself, and well enough to be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes. And lastly ‘to see from the inside out’ which is to use your inner compass as a way to nagivate and direct you. On the podcast we spoke about what happens when we are on autopilot and when we switch that off and go back into the body we can allow the world to come to us. We delve in to attention and how valuable it is as a resource it is something that artists and creatives harness well as well as what it means to be attuned to yourself and the workd around you.A practice she mentions is to ‘pay attention to what you’re paying attention to’A recent TED talk will be available soon to watch, her book is available here and InnSæi Documentary trailer here as well as website with more information on some of the incredible work she is doing. A piece I drew that reflected ‘to see from the inside out’

Thanks for reading Elise’s Substack! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Until next episode,-Explore Your Core

On Episode 74 of the Explore Your Core Podcast I am joined by record holder Terra Roams who was the first female to walk solo and unsupported around Australia. That wasn’t a one off out of the blue feat for her, rather it was an ode to who she is- a wanderer. A woman who has spent her journeys exploring, soaking in different cultures, surroundings and adventures that challenge herself. In a Red Bull article they described her as “one of the most interesting people we’ve ever talked to”.In this episode she speaks about her upbringing and the influence Robyn Davidson “Tracks” had on her saying at 12 she resonated with her connection to nature. She speaks about the importance of being in nature and it’s meditative and healing properties. “I found an ideal state of meditation while walking. It was as if time and distance suddenly meant nothing”. Terra doesn’t use hiking as a way to run away or escape problems but rathers sees it as a place for emotions to come up, a place for sadness and pain to come to the surface and be released. Terra Roam has just released a book called Are Ya Right, Mate?” which is available, use TEZR15 for a 15% discount. -Explore Your Core

Chosing You, Episode 75 on the Explore Your Core Podcast. This epsiode was deep, raw and powerful. It is also flagged with a trigger warning. I was joined by Ashlee Thomas, who with her Mother started a podcast and charity called The Secret Burden and spoke on 60 minutes to share her experience and start the conversation to help with early prevention of eating disorders. We spoke about her journey, how social media and comparison contributed to it and how big of a healing journey that came after she decided she wanted to recover. Like myself, we discovered getting back to healthy was one part, but the real journey began when we asked ourselves why it was there in the first place. It’s confronting and hard to step into the silence and confront the big questions head on but it provides a better understanding of who you are and where we stand in this world. It’s healing.For her, stepping into the space of recovery came about when she started to see what was out there knowing ‘this’ (listening to her eating disorder) was always there for her as a back up but as she ventured out and explored her passions she realised there was no way she was going back. Ashlee has an incredible story of hope, after hitting a rock bottom that couldn’t go any further she found a reason within and chose a narrative that allowed her to seek possibilities and a life she could enjoy living again. She is making a wave in this space by starting the conversation to help early prevention of eating disorders. Her journey hasn’t been easy but one that shares incredible insight, persepctive and bravery. So here’s to starting the conversation about mental health, here’s to speaking up and to chosing you.You can find her podcast here and her socials here.Support can be found at Beyond Blue And the Butterfly FoundationKeep up to date with more episodes on the Explore Your Core Podcast by subscribing or watching out on socials here.-Explore Your Core

I met up and went for a sail with James and his two daughters in ‘Salty Jocks’ while I was in Darwin after first chatting with him on the podcast a year ago (episode above).

I couldn’t help but reach out to have a chat, living on a boat with two kids isn’t something you see everyday nor is going for runs with them in a wheelbarrow.On the podcast we spoke about discovering an alternative path to life and finding solutions when things aren’t working out in life.

A few years ago James bought Salty Jocks, left the Marina and ‘just figured it out’. The kids were only young, (the photo shows where Isla’s booster seat was bolted on) but when I met the two girls I had never met such intelligent kids, they were years ahead for their age. Halle even used the coffee machine to make me a coffee (which you can actually buy the Salty Jocks beans here) - it’s his way of making it work on the water.

We headed out across Cullen Bay to a beach, the girls collected shells, found a cave and spent their time how they love to most- exploring. It reminded me of Nim’s Island, the girls were just out in the world learning and playing, how it should be. But it hasn’t been easy. Life was hard and James made the decision to do something about it but moving onto the boat brought it’s challenges too. Even when we were chatting, it’s a full time job to be looking after and school two girls on top of learning how to maintain and fix the boat and plan for a sail. It was incredible to see how adaptive James was not only with fixing problems on the boat but with his minset towards problems. I guess it went to show how you can make it work even when you don’t have a clear plan, sometimes you just have to ‘throw caution to the wind and leave the salt for the jocks’. I think what we got from the conversation we had as we saw dolphins and the sun setting is that you just have to go out and do it. Road bumps will still happen, problems will still exist but we have one crack at life and we may as well see where it can take us.

(Couldn’t leave without doing an iconic wheelbarrow run in town).Follow along his adventures here and support him by buying Salty Jocks coffee here. Check out the video from the little sailing trip here and stay up to date with more podcast episodes here.

Until next time, Explore Your Core

The alarms buzzes, it’s 3:40am. I gather our things together, make breakfast, fill his water and head out to the start line- to where he finished the 84km run the day before, marked by spray paint on the side of the road with his initials SB, a timestamp of where his feet have taken him. It’s another day on the road for his world record run around Australia running 14,000kms for Make a Wish.

Sean’s whole focus was running, so crewing involved everything needed to make that possible- from prepping food and hydration, getting his gear ready, planning, food shopping (when there were towns…), making sure we had enough supplies and stopping with the motorhome every 7kms to give him more food, often pulling over where there was nothing appropriate but a small patch of grass (As soon as we hit the NT border the side of the roads just disappeared. I called the ‘cafe’ where bagels and coffee and the 3 rounds of breakfast were made to fuel his morning ‘45 Degree’s because well, that was the angle I usually was on…

I crewed for a month from Townville to Darwin, he’s currently over halfway through.He’s out there for 13 hours a day shuffling from sunrise to sunset taking strides. It’s incredible to see a dream that he’s had for 6 years become reality each day that unfolds.

One of Sean’s running friends who jumped in for a leg of the run had a chat with me to find out about my experience on the road.

Inbetween the prepping and planning there were moments of stillness under the stars on the deserted roads and breathtaking moments running on the long stretch that laid ahead as the sun set over the golden grass.

In this epside I let Nick be the host and we chat about the perspective I gained, how I found balance crewing and what it was like to be running through the remote stretch of outback Queensland and Northern Territory.Follow along Seans journey on socials here and support his run by donating to Make A Wish here.Keep up to date with the latest episodes by following the Explore Your Core Podcast on Spotify . -Explore Your CorePhoto cred to Angus Mckee.

I am joined by Jan Clarke, the founder of Door 2- an eating disorder organisation that offers an insider perspective. She had a conversation with me to discuss my mental health journey and discuss why traditional treatment didn’t work for me. We talk about how it left be voiceless and stripped away the ability to feel heard and feel connected, both which have been key to my recovery. I share my experience with Family Based Therapy (which is where the parents become responsible for refeeding and weight restoring the individual) which was a treatment method given once I was out of hospital after an admission. Unfortunately this method made recovery incredibly difficult as I began to lose trust with my parents and team as there was deception and I lost my ability to be heard or feel connected when everything was taken away. Through this though, I learnt to regain trust in myself and others, find my voice and explore and find the things that make me feel connected. I have since immersed myself in art and adventure and recorded the episode on the road while support crewing a run around Australia (hence the low audio quality apologies!)Going through this, where it was all stripped away only showed me just how fundamental these for us- to have trust, to be heard and to feel connected. I talk about the initial stages in my recovery where I choose to stop asking ‘what if something bad happens?’ and ask my self ‘what if?’ with a sense of curiosity. And I also share the challenges trying to sit with stillness when my mind wants to sabotage, people pleasing and being in environments that don’t feel  conducive to how I operate."To the girl who wanted to be free,all you wanted was to be wild,to return to your safe haven in the forests.To be alone where no one knew where you were, to go out and explore and let your mind wander. But because you were sick,your freedom was taken away, police were called when you wandered too far, family was called when you were seen out of home,you were locked and caged and under supervision. All you had wanted was to feel the expansiveness of the world, to let your soul be on fire,to go to untouched places, to explore, to move to run,and to go far,”You can find out more about Door 2 and the work they do here.Stay tuned for more episodes to come!- Explore Your Core