Humans, being. with Lael Stone

What if the moment that changed your life wasn’t a success story... but a 15-year-old boy dying with his feet planted on the ground, reminding you not to waste yours?

In this raw, joyful, and deeply moving conversation, I talk with Tommy Herschell – former Queensland primary school teacher, founder of ‘Find Ya Feet’, and one of the most genuinely human people I’ve had the privilege of knowing.

This conversation is about the moment Tommy hit rock bottom. It’s about what it really means to find your feet – to stop, think about where you are, and think about the best person you can actually be. And it’s about the extraordinary ripple effect that happens when blokes – young and old – are finally given permission to feel.

We explore:

• Bastien Madrill – the 15-year-old whose final days completely changed Tommy’s life
• Why Tommy calls his work “mental mechanics” and why that reframe matters for boys
• The pit crew theory – how to choose the mates who will actually change your tyres
• People pleasing, self-worth, and the real reason we’re always the last to leave the pub
• What a session with one boy who stayed seated after a workshop taught him about the power of being heard
• The red truck theory of teenage behaviour – and what it means for every parent listening

I’ve known Tommy for a while now, and every single time I’m around him I leave feeling like the world is going to be okay. Not because everything’s easy – but because people like Tommy are out there in schools every single day, making space for the conversations that save lives.

[Recorded remotely, October 2025]

About Tommy Herschell:

Tommy Herschell is a former Queensland primary school teacher and the founder of Find Ya Feet – a not-for-profit organisation delivering mental health workshops to men and boys aged 10 to 70 in schools, sporting clubs and corporate settings across Australia. Tommy calls his work “mental mechanics” rather than mental health, and describes himself as a story farmer – creating spaces where vulnerability is modelled and blokes learn that speaking up isn’t weakness. His work is supported by ambassadors including Mitch Marsh and Nicho Hines, and the organisation is about to release its first children’s book, Timmy and the Wonky Fence.

Connect with Tommy:

• Instagram: @FindYaFeet
• Website: findyafeet.org

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

What if authenticity isn’t something you find... but something you return to?

In this warm, honest, and at times deeply moving conversation, I sit down with Kat John; coach, author, and one of those rare humans who just radiates something you want to lean into. Kat helps people come home to themselves, their hearts, and what really matters. And in this conversation, she does exactly that - for herself, and for all of us listening.

We explore:

• The ego voice that tells us we’re not doing enough - and how to hold it with compassion instead of feeding it
• The dance between significance and simplicity - and why we don’t have to choose
• Kat’s remarkable healing journey - from brain surgery and chronic pain to living pain-free through the power of visualisation
• What it means to be cut off from your body early in life, and the slow, brave work of coming home to it
• Five Rhythms, movement, and why healing so often lives in the body rather than the mind
• The complex, beautiful, challenging space of being a step-parent
• Perimenopause, rage, and learning to feel the feelings we were never allowed to have
• What it looks like to build a brand and a life from a place of radical authenticity

[Recorded October 2025]

About Kat John:

Kat John is a coach, speaker, and author of Authentic - a book about coming home to who you really are. Through her words, her work, and her deeply relatable presence, Kat reminds us that authenticity isn’t something to perform - it’s something to return to. She hosts the podcast Authentic, and runs programs including The Good Life and Authentic - The Program.

Connect with Kat:

• Instagram: @kat.john
• Podcast: Authentic. The Podcast
• Book: Authentic
• Programs: The Good Life + Authentic - The Program

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

What happens when the voice in your head that's kept you "safe" your whole life starts to get quieter... and you're not sure who you are without it?

In this beautiful, warm and deeply honest conversation, I sit down with Josh van Cuylenburg - co-host of The Imperfects podcast (one of Australia's biggest mental health podcasts), freelance filmmaker, visual storyteller, musician, dad of two little humans, and a really, really lovely guy!

Josh and I explore the beautiful, messy reality of parenting two little boys, what it really feels like to be in the trenches of fatherhood, and the courage it takes to say "I'm struggling" before you reach that breaking point. We talk about that inner critic that's been with him since he was a teenager, how becoming a dad was the first time he truly told it to be quiet, and how Josh found the courage to speak and perform publicly after years of believing he couldn't.

We explore:

• The power of apologising to our kids – and why it doesn't weaken us, it strengthens the relationship
• Co-sleeping, bedtime, and why lying next to your child isn't indulgent – it's building safety
• How his son needing him more before starting school is actually a beautiful sign of secure attachment
• The inner critic – how it kept him small, how fatherhood began to shift it, and the strange vulnerability of life without it
• Why safety is the key to everything – sleep, exercise, risk-taking, and being truly ourselves

[Recorded January 2026]

About Josh van Cuylenburg:

Josh is one-third of The Imperfects podcast alongside his brother Hugh van Cuylenburg and Ryan Shelton. Originally the show's producer, it didn't take long for Hugh and Ryan to realise Josh's wisdom, curiosity and very good questions were being wasted behind the scenes. He's also a freelance filmmaker and visual storyteller, and in 2023 released his debut single "We Were Here" after years of believing he couldn't write music. He's a dad to two boys, Charlie and Auggie, and reckons that ‘Bluey sleepy time’ is possibly the greatest seven minutes in TV history.

Connect with Josh:

• The Imperfects podcast: Available on all podcast platforms
• Music: "We Were Here" on Spotify and Apple Music

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

Sometimes the challenges in life bear the greatest rewards!

In this honest and tender conversation, I sit down with Sarah Pound, nutritionist, recipe writer, author of two best-selling cookbooks, and the creator behind Wholesome by Sarah, where over 1 million followers turn to make food feel effortless and joyful.

But this conversation goes way beyond recipes and Instagram. Sarah and I explore the beautiful, messy reality of navigating competition, comparison, and understanding that creativity comes in many forms. We explore:

• Reframing "imposter syndrome" as simply lacking experience (and why that's actually okay).
• Navigating motherhood and running a business and finding the middle ground.
• Competition, comparison, and the discomfort of jealousy, but staying in your own lane.
• Building a business on your own terms, not how it's "supposed" to be done.
• The Imprints we want to pass on to our children about food.

What I loved about this conversation was Sarah's willingness to be so real about the parts of success that don't get talked about – the isolation, the comparison, and trusting the journey even when it feels like it's falling apart. Sarah shares about her own growth around emotional intelligence and reminds us that you can be wildly successful and still be working through your stuff. You can have it all together on the outside and still be figuring out who you are beyond what you do.

[Recorded October 2025]

About Sarah Pound: Sarah is a nutritionist, recipe writer, content creator, and author of two best-selling cookbooks, including her latest, "Family Food". As the creator of Wholesome by Sarah, she's built a community of over 1 million followers by making food feel simple, delicious, and guilt-free. Sarah is also co-founder of Simply Wholesome Pantry, recipe writer for Good Food Australia, and radio co-host for Wellness Australia. Beyond the beautiful food content, Sarah is a mother navigating the beautiful messiness of building a business whilst raising her family and doing her own inner work.

Connect with Sarah:

• Instagram: @wholesomebysarah
• Web: wholesomebysarah.com.au
• Cookbooks: "Family Food" and “Wholesome by Sarah”

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

What if the thing that triggers you most about your child's behaviour is actually showing you exactly what needs healing in you?

In this solo episode, I wanted to lean into something that I've been exploring for nearly 20 years – why parenting feels so hard, and why we react the way we do. Because whilst we all start off hoping we'll be calm and connected, the reality is often frustration, shame, guilt, and wondering why our kids push our buttons so intensely.

This isn't about more parenting tools or strategies. It's about understanding what's happening inside of us when we get triggered, and how the way we were raised creates the imprints that show up in how we parent today.

We explore:

• How childhood imprints shape the parent you become
• Why triggers are messengers (not proof you're failing)
• The behaviorism paradigm most of us grew up in
• How unmet needs in childhood create reactive patterns in adulthood
• Connection before cooperation – and why it matters
• Putting your own oxygen mask on first (it's not selfish, it's essential)

What I hope you take from this is that you're not broken. You're human. And often our biggest triggers are invitations to lean in and do the healing work – not just for us, but for the generations that come after us. Because when we understand our stories, we can choose which parts we want to keep and which parts we want to let go.

It's a big job, raising conscious humans. But I promise you, it's worth it.

[Recorded October 2025]

Connect with Lael:

• Website: laelstone.com.au
• Instagram: @laelstone
• Facebook: @laelstone

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

What if we stopped measuring our worth by what we achieve, and started remembering who we actually are?

In this heartwarming and playful conversation, I sit down with Ben Crowe, Australia's most in-demand mindset and performance coach, founder of Mojo Crowe, and someone who deeply understands that we are human beings first, and human doings second.

Ben works with elite athletes and high performers, but this conversation goes far beyond sport or success. It's about what it means to simply be human... to play, to explore, to be worthy regardless of outcome. And to remember that our achievements don't determine our identity, but by the beautiful, messy, curious humans we actually are.

We explore:

• Separating who you are from what you do
• The two core beliefs that change everything: "I'm worthy no matter what" and "I believe in what's possible"
• Permission to play, experiment, and see what's possible
• How the "busy" epidemic disconnects us from our humanity
• Neoteny – reconnecting with our juvenile gene as we get older
• The courage to spread our wings whilst staying rooted in our worthiness

What felt so beautiful in our sharing together was coming back to that gorgeous place of playing, of being vulnerable, of finding that joy, and letting that spark come through. Because when we do that, we're often better humans. We often interact in kinder ways. We often can turn up with more compassion.

[Recorded October 2025]

About Ben Crowe:

Ben is Australia's most in-demand mindset and performance coach, working with elite athletes, business leaders, and individuals seeking to understand who they are beyond what they do. His philosophy centres on helping people separate their identity from their achievements, focusing on authenticity, vulnerability, connection and the permission to play. Ben is the founder of Mojo Crowe, which has codified 15 years of his work into accessible exercises and resources. His new book, "Where The Light Gets In" explores these foundational principles of worthiness and possibility.

Connect with Ben:

• Instagram: @mojocrowe
• Web: mojocrowe.com
• Book: Where the Light Gets In

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

What if the very things we judge ourselves most harshly for are actually the doorways to our deepest growth?

In this raw and moving conversation, I sit down with Dr Billy Garvey – developmental paediatrician, podcaster, and someone who understands that our struggles aren't problems to fix, but invitations to understand ourselves more deeply.

Billy works with children and families navigating neurodevelopmental differences, but this conversation goes far beyond diagnosis and treatment. It's about what it means to be human, to carry pain, and to find our way toward wholeness.

We explore:

• How childhood trauma shows up in our adult bodies and relationships
• The difference between fixing ourselves and truly understanding ourselves
• Why self-compassion is so much harder than compassion for others
• The power of simply being heard without needing to be fixed
• Breaking generational patterns whilst honouring where we came from
• The radical act of accepting all parts of ourselves – even the messy bits

I was struck by Billy's honesty about his own journey – anxious moments, the childhood experiences that shaped him, and the ongoing work of becoming whole. His willingness to share his struggles while holding space for others is exactly what makes him such a powerful person and a present father.

This conversation reminded me that we're all doing the best we can with what we know, and that our vulnerability isn't weakness... it's the doorway to connection.

[Recorded October 2025]

About Dr Billy Garvey:

Billy is a developmental paediatrician passionate about supporting children and families navigating neurodevelopmental differences. He's the co-founder of Guiding Growing Minds and brings a compassionate approach to his work, recognising that behaviour is communication and that understanding the 'why' behind struggles is essential. Billy is also the co-host – with Nick McCormack – of the popular podcast 'Pop Culture Parenting' and a sought-after speaker on topics of childhood development, trauma, and healing.

Connect with Billy:

• Instagram: @drbillygarvey
• Podcast: Pop Culture Parenting
• Website: Guiding Growing Minds

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

What does it really mean to belong? And what happens when we're brave enough to step into uncomfortable places to create a sense of belonging for others?

In this deeply moving first episode, I sit down with Rana Hussain – founder of ‘Good Human’, broadcaster, board member, and one of the most courageous humans I know. Rana was the first Muslim woman appointed to a national sporting board, and today sits on the boards of Welcoming Australia, Reconciliation Australia, and Basketball Australia.

But this conversation isn't about achievements or accolades... it's about the human experience beneath them all.

We explore:

• Setting inner boundaries when work becomes your identity (and why that's trickier than it sounds)
• The fundamental human need to be seen and heard – no matter who we are or where we come from
• How childhood imprints show up in our adult lives, especially around belonging and exclusion
• Creating safer spaces for our children whilst doing our own healing work
• The power of curiosity over judgment when navigating difficult conversations
• How being authentic – really, truly ourselves – requires both bravery and comfort

I found myself moved to tears during this conversation. Rana's willingness to be vulnerable, to stand in uncomfortable places, and to keep showing up with compassion and humanity is exactly what the world needs more of right now.

This is what ‘Humans, being.’ is all about... witnessing the stories we carry, understanding the patterns that shape us, and recognising our shared humanity in all of it.

[Recorded October 2025]

About Rana Hussain:

Rana is the founder of ‘Good. Human’, which helps people and organisations build cultures of belonging across self, team, and system. She honed her skills in elite sport and now works across corporate, not-for-profit, and other sectors, bringing lessons of high-performance culture to diverse environments. A sought-after speaker, facilitator, and broadcaster, Rana is driven by the recognition that belonging is a core human need for all of us to thrive.

Connect with Rana:

• Instagram: @ranabhussain
• LinkedIn: /rana-hussain
• Web: goodhuman.au
• Podcast: Play Big

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Connect with Humans, being™:

• Web: humansbeing.au
• Instagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• Facebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• TikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstone
• YouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstone

Humans, being.™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.