This episode is a little different.
Jo and I sat down on the couch at the end of a massive year - no script, no structure, just two humans reflecting on what 2025 actually felt like.

What unfolded was honest, imperfect and surprisingly satisfying.

Together we explore:

• The truth of hitting an end-of-year energy wall

• Why we skipped recording earlier this week and chose connection over content

• The “real” version of burnout- the kind that comes from misalignment, not overwork

• What our podcasts, groups and therapy training taught us about storytelling and connection

• The quiet gifts this year gave us: imperfection, belonging and resonance

• The moments, people and conversations that touched us in unexpected ways

• What we’re dreaming into for next year and what we’re learning to let be

If you’re craving a slower, more spacious take on end-of-year reflection, one that isn’t all highlight reels and forced positivity, this might be the episode you listen to on a walk or with a cup of tea.

It’s a conversation about being human… thanks for coming along for the ride.

In this episode of Humaning, I sit down with Bec Corterling - a business owner, mum and long-time friend of Jo’s - for a conversation that goes far deeper than clothes, content or running a boutique.

We talk about the quiet exhaustion that builds from showing up every day for 12 years, the pressure of being “the strong one” and the loneliness that can sit underneath a life that looks full on the outside.

Bec shares the childhood roots of her work ethic, how she’s learning to slow down and what contentment honestly looks like for her now.

And then… her story takes a turn.

Bec opens up about a recent discovery that completely reshaped her sense of identity and family. It’s vulnerable, courageous and beautifully human.

This is a conversation about resilience, belonging and finding what matters most... especially in the middle chapters of life.

Connect with Bec on Instagram

Connect with Rick on InstagramIf you enjoyed this conversation and would like explore different ways to continue this work - check out Rick's website

What happens when you stop rehearsing who you think you should be and start showing up as who you are?

In this episode, I sit down with Bronte Walker, a fellow Gestalt therapy student, musician, facilitator and all-round legend to explore what it really takes to find your voice and speak up for who you are - even when it feels risky.

Bronte shares his story of coming out, transitioning and learning to trust himself while navigating work, identity and belonging in both New York and Australia.

This is a conversation for anyone who’s:

• tired of overthinking and craving self-trust

• learning to speak up without burning bridges

• caught between striving and contentment

• seeking real connection instead of surface-level talk

Themes: uncertainty, identity, courage, Gestalt therapy, self-acceptance, men’s work, presence, self-expression

If you’ve ever felt stuck between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming - this one’s for you.

Connect with Rick: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/

Rick's Insta: https://www.instagram.com/rickwatson_/

In this solo episode, Rick introduces a new format — a space to be curious about a single theme and reflect on how it shows up in your own life.

This week, he explores the tension between being content with what is and still wanting to grow. How do we stay grounded in enoughness while staying open to possibility?

And what role does this play is keeping burnout at bay?

Drawing from his work in men’s circles, personal experience and Gestalt study, Rick unpacks the dance between contentment and drive — where one offers stillness and the other fuels movement.

It’s an honest, grounded reflection on learning to hold both, and on creating a life you don’t need to escape from.

Heres' a list of the reflection questions from the episode:

Contentment

1. Where in your life do you feel internally content — calm, grounded, enough?
2. Where in your life do you feel externally content — grateful for what’s already here?
3. How often do you notice one being present without the other?

Drive

1. Where in your life are you feeling pulled to grow right now?
2. If you were to take a guess, what’s underneath that pull — excitement, fear, scarcity, or something else?
3. Is your drive coming from meaning and curiosity, or from fear and survival?

The Tension Between

1. Can I be deeply grateful for where I am and still curious about what’s next?
2. Can I rest in “enough” while still reaching for more — from a place of wholeness, not lack?
3. What happens for me when I lean too far toward drive?
4. What happens for me when I lean too far toward contentment?
5. What would it look like to let both things be true?

Have fun playing with those questions and leave a comment and let me know how you found this new episode format...

Work with Rick: https://www.rickwatson.copm.au/coaching

TAKE THE REPAETING PATTERN QUIZ: https://www.rickwatson.con.au/quiz

When life throws a curveball, it’s easy to talk about it after the fact — once the dust settles and the lessons land. But this conversation happens right in the middle of it.

My mate John Williams is in week five of cancer treatment and he sat down with me to share what it’s really like to live through something hard.

We talk about control, surrender, the gap between expectation and reality and how he is finding his way through such a massive experience that was not on his bingo card for this year.

It’s not a story about cancer— it’s a story about being human in the middle of life's challenges.

Connect with Rick: https://www.rickwatson.com.au

TAKE THE REPEATING PATTERN QUIZ: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/quiz

For years Pete Tansley was chasing it — the business, the hustle, the status, the approval. Underneath it all? A chip on his shoulder, the need to make his dad proud and a nice-guy mask that left him exhausted.

In this conversation we unpack the messy middle: rushing deals to look successful, bottoming out financially and emotionally, the wake-up calls that came through therapy, divorce and reconnecting with his dad.

Pete shares what it took to finally move from proving and pleasing others to actually being himself — as a dad, a coach, and a human learning to value presence over performance.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in the grind of needing to “look like you’ve got it together,” this one will hit home.

Connect with Rick: https://www.rickwatson.com.au

Connect with Pete: https://www.instagram.com/petetansley

TAKE THE REPEATING PATTERN QUIZ: htyps://www.rickwatson.com.au/quiz

What if your inner critic wasn’t the enemy… but the spark you needed to grow?

In this episode, Melanie Briony is back on the couch with me for round two. We talk about the messy dance between self-doubt and self-kindness, why mistakes aren’t really “wrong" and how breathwork and nervous system awareness can shift the way we show up in everyday life.

It’s equal parts raw, practical and even a bit funny (yes, donuts do make a cameo). If you’ve ever felt stuck in perfectionism, tired of people-pleasing or just sick of kicking yourself in the shins — this one’s for you.

Connect with Rick: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/

TAKE THE REPEATING PATTERN QUIZ: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/quiz/

Connect with Mel: https://www.melaniebriony.com.au/

Mel's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaniebriony/

Mel's You Tube: https://www.youtube.com@melaniebriony/

Barney’s story is one a lot of men will recognise — pushing through pain, numbing with alcohol and holding it all together on the outside while quietly falling apart inside.

In this conversation, he shares the journey from living in a freeze state and repeating the harsh patterns of his past, to finding breathwork, forgiveness and a new way of showing up as a dad, husband and human.

We cover the messy middle of change — back injuries, depression, over-planning, shame and self-sabotage — alongside the unexpected gifts of joy, self-acceptance and the courage to do it differently.

If you’ve ever been sceptical of breathwork or put off by the “woo” around it, Barney brings it back down to earth with humour, honesty and a refreshing no-bullshit approach.

Connect with Barney: https://www.instagram.com/breathe.into.life/

Connect with Rick: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/

TAKE THE REPEATING PATTERN QUIZ: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/quiz

Our life has been a bit of a shit-show over the past 4-6 weeks, but it feels like we're coming out the other side. In this episode we share our stories of pushing too hard and then realising that (in different ways) we are actually way out of alignment.

Fear, scarcity and expectation all played weird roles in this one but in this very human episode, we share what it looks like to come back to what really matters.

If you have had a few "how did I get here?" moments lately, then this conversation is for you.

We hope you enjoy it.

Connect with Rick: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/

Connect with Jo: https://groundedatthemill.com/

TAKE THE REPEATING PATTERN QUIZ: https://www.rickwatson.com.au/quiz

In this heartfelt conversation, Rick sits down with Gestalt therapist-in-training Kellie Glab to explore what it really means to live a life outside the expected script.

From choosing not to have children to navigating loneliness, self-compassion, and the deep need to belong, Kellie shares vulnerably about her personal journey of embracing difference.

Together, they unpack how Gestalt therapy has supported her growth and what it looks like to truly support yourself — even when the world doesn’t always understand.

🗝️ Key Talking Points

• The grief and freedom of choosing not to have children

• What it’s like to feel misunderstood in your difference

• How Gestalt therapy has transformed Kellie’s relationship to herself

• The practice of self-compassion and supporting your nervous system

• Reclaiming identity outside of societal roles and expectations

• Loneliness, belonging and the cost of not conforming

• Learning to sit with discomfort and let go of people-pleasing

Connect with Rick https://www.rickwatson.com.au/

TAKE THE REPEATING PATTERN QUIZ https://www.rickwatson.com.au/quiz