It’s been an epic season of the HUMANS:CONNECTING podcast.

We’ve talked about

-       Social prescribing

-       Nature based therapies

-       The importance of owning your loneliness

-       Creating authentically connected men

-       The power of investing in yourself in midlife

-       Overcoming the loneliness of leadership

-       Becoming who you are in midlife

-       The persistence required in creating a human connection movement

-       How policy makers and scientists can (and must) work together to come up with responses that work for us.

'Epic' is looking like an understatement...

Joining me to wrap it up is HUMANS:CONNECTING’s own design manager, Jeff Bartlett.

Jeff shares

- his highlights from season 3,

- what surprised him during the season

- what he’s taking with him as he works to become a connected human

Come and join us!

Connect with Jeff Bartlett:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbartlett1988/

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org    

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/96637703

Phil McAuliffe:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mcauliffe/

Subscribe and stay connected: https://www.humansconnecting.org/subscribe

Download our free resources: https://www.humansconnecting.org/downloads

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/6hL68V3ki6E

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support      

The LONELY-EU project is fighting social isolation and loneliness across Europe. What it does there can help the rest of the world do the same.

Judith Merkies – former Member of the European Parliament – and Dr. Hans Rocha IJzerman – Director of Annecy Behavioral Science Lab – are building a network connecting policymakers, scientists, healthcare workers, community leaders, people with lived experience, and global organizations. They’re bringing together the voices and ideas of everyone who cares about the issue of loneliness and social isolation.

What they’re starting in Europe can support how governments and communities globally can respond to loneliness and social isolation.  

This is an important discussion if you’re working on policy responses to loneliness and social isolation or are a human who wants to know how people are collaborating globally to help you feel more connected.

In this conversation 

●      you’ll learn how LONELY-EU got started

●      you’ll hear how LONELY-EU is addressing loneliness and social isolation in Europe and beyond

●      you’ll be part of a conversation about the role of AI in human connection and

●      as always, you’ll get outstanding advice to help you through a loneliness experience.

It’s time to think big to help humans connect.

Lonely-EU: https://lonelinessineurope.eu/

Connect with Judith Merkies:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/judith-merkies-b92994/

Connect with Dr Hans Rocha IJzerman:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansijzerman/

Website: https://www.absl.io   

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org    

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/96637703

Phil McAuliffe:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mcauliffe/

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/ulnLOp2YJD0

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/   

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support     

An issue the size and scale of loneliness and social disconnection requires a variety of solutions, from offering individual support to developing national policies.

It’s too big for one person to solve alone, so a more effective approach is creating a movement that fosters countless connections as well as advocating for government and private sector action on the issue.

Let’s explore the power of such a human connection movement, and it can all start when you say ‘hi’ to a stranger.

Joining us for this episode is Pete Bombaci, the founder and CEO of the Genwell Project in Canada.

Genwell promotes proactive face-to-face social connections for better health, happiness, and longevity. In doing its work, Genwell is changing the way Canadians understand social connection and social health.

In this conversation

● you’ll hear what prompted Pete to create GenWell

● you’ll get his insights for creating a connected community (itstarts with saying hello to a stranger…)

●  you’ll get his advice if you feel called to help the humans around you feel connected.

It’s time to get inspired and change the world – if only for those around you.

Connect with Pete Bombaci:

 Website:  https://genwell.ca/

LinkedIn:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/petebombaci/

Email: [email protected]

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

 Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org    

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/96637703

Phil McAuliffe:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mcauliffe/

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/aXHfHOE-gcI

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support

It’s time to step out of the cage that you feel you’re in in midlife – where you need to perform certain roles to fulfil certain obligations that you may or may not have wanted in the past.

Midlife is a funny time. We think we’ve got a handle on things—relationships, family, career, and more—then, bam! Midlife hits.

It's not just the physical aches, but the existential questions: Is this all there is? I’ve done everything right, so why am I not happy?

These questions – and the truths they bring – are common, but feed a sense of unease and disconnection.

We need to talk about them. No, we need to roar about them.

Katia Vlachos is Zurich-based reinvention coach, certified meditation teacher and bestselling author of Uncaged: A Good Girl's Journey to Reinvention a memoir which explores the themes of breaking free from social conditioning, making bold choices, and reclaiming one’s authentic self. 

Katia's work has been featured in The New York Times, The Financial Times, the Harvard Business Review, The Telegraph, Forbes, BBC Radio, and more.

Join us for an inspiring conversation, in which

●      you’ll learn how other’s expectations of us in early life create cages around us

●      you’ll understand why we start to question our lives in midlife

●     you’ll get great advice that enlists the support of the person you always see when you look in a mirror to help you navigate a loneliness experience.

It’s time to get inspired.

Connect with Katia Vlachos:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiavlachos/

Instagram: @katia.vlachos

Website:  https://www.katiavlachos.com/

Buy her book:  https://www.katiavlachos.com/uncaged

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org    

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/96637703

Phil McAuliffe:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mcauliffe/

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z-orw-WqAoU   

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/    

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support    

Every leader knows that there’s a loneliness in leadership.
We all want to be great leaders where those in our teams thrive. But we can inadvertently become workaholics, micromanagers, indecisive leaders, or bullies.

What if we told you that the quality of your connections with yourself, those most important to you, and your communityinfluences how you lead at work?

Listen up, because if you’re a current or aspiring leader, we’ve got the perfect guest joining us for this episode.

It’s time to become a connect human who is then an amazing leader.

Rachael Cook is a highly experienced, award-winning CEO and business owner dedicated to inspiring Australians to prioritize social connection for better health.

As CEO of Inclusee, a not-for-profit social prescribing service, Rachael’s people-first leadership has created such a strong culture that her team annually creates Christmas socks with her face to thank her for her exceptional leadership.

Get ready for an amazing conversation, in which

●      you’ll learn Rachael’s technique for unlocking the power ofsitting in reflection

●      you’ll want to adopt her approach to knowing your values and then having the courage to live those values

●      and as always you’ll get great advice and support that inspires you to truly be the type of leader who creates an environment in which everyone thrives.

It’s time to get inspired.

Connect with Rachael Cook:

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-cook-ceo/  

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org    

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/96637703

Phil McAuliffe:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mcauliffe/

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube:   https://youtu.be/lXIBzevMF8c 

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support    

While Jonathon Lawless’ story of loneliness and finding himself in midlife is uniquely his, it’s much the same as yours.

As an investment banker living in Hong Kong, Jonathon found that his expat life and career did not, no matter the outward success, provide what he needed.

He spent his life trying to fit in; trying to prove that he was worthy enough for the education, the job, the income, the life.

As Jonathon entered midlife, he was lonely, lost, and stuck.

Confronted with a stark choice, Jonathon decided that he needed to invest in himself. He soon learned that this was the best investment he could ever make.

In this episode, you’ll: 

● hear how the struggle to fit-in and prove our worth in our younger years means that we inadvertently experience loneliness in midlife

● sit with us at the points where decisions to change needed to be made

● get outstanding advice from Jonathon – now a Lifeline volunteer – to help you move through your next loneliness experience.

Jonathon is now HUMANS:CONNECTING’s Investment Manager and Phil and Jonathon have been friends since they were 16-years-old. This is a special episode.

Settle in and get comfy (and maybe get a box of tissues), because Phil and Jono are here to help you reap the dividends of your decisions to invest in yourself.

Connect with Jonathon Lawless:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-lawless-82a49a119/

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org  

Phil McAuliffe: https://www.humansconnecting.org/meet-the-team/about-phil-mcauliffe   Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TH3PkQEp8zs

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support    

Far too many men are broken.

From rates of suicide, violence, incarceration and educational outcomes, it’s clear that men are struggling.

This is not an episode about masculinity – toxic or otherwise – but an episode for you if you are a man who’s feeling lost and adrift.

This is an episode for you if there is a man in your life who you love who’s struggling.

It’s an episode to help men to rediscover themselves and to then come back to who they are and then be who they are.

Mike Campbell is a men’s coach, author and the giver of great hugs. He’s helped 1,000s of men around the world to know who they are, love who they are and then have the courage to be who they are.

In this episode, you’ll:

●    be challenged to stop being a nice guy in the hope it results in connection

●    feel supported if you’re struggling with feeling lost and adrift

●    get outstanding advice on what you can do to support yourself or another man when next experience loneliness.

It’s time to dial down the noise and focus on creating authentically connected men who lift themselves and those around them.

Connect with Mike Campbell:

Instagram: @mikecampbellmc

Website: https://mikecampbell.com.au/  

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org 

Phil McAuliffe: https://www.humansconnecting.org/meet-the-team/about-phil-mcauliffe    

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/TBnGCEz9XBs  

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support    

We all reach a point where, before we can learn about the connection we need, we must first acknowledge and admit ourloneliness.

At this fork in the road, we face the choice: confront our loneliness, despite the fear and stigma, or rely on oldmethods to numb the discomfort.

This is like the anguish of coming out, as we believe that admitting loneliness risks judgement, shame and exclusion andwe’re not sure we’re ready – or strong enough – for that.

This episode is for you if you’ve realised that your past coping strategies no longer work and that your only choice to move forward is to admit your loneliness.

It’s time to pass through the portal to get the authentic connection you need and deserve.

Ari Lowinsky has been on a quest to understand loneliness and the human condition, and this has led him to create REL Solutions, tackling loneliness where it matters most: in workplaces, schools and communities.

Get ready for an amazing conversation, in which  

●      You’ll hear Ari’s story of loneliness and the physical, mental and emotional toll loneliness was taking on him

●      You’ll hear me coach Ari through the major decision points before and after his decision to admit his loneliness aloud

●      You’ll get great advice and support that encourages you to take the step towards getting the connection you need and absolutely deserve.

You’re here for a reason and it’s time to put an end to thetorture and step towards soul-nourishing connection. Let’s go together.

Connect with Ari Lowinsky:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-lowinsky/

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org    

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/96637703

Phil McAuliffe:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-mcauliffe/

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube:  https://youtu.be/UzxdXW0iXkQ

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support    

What if spending quality time in your garden, at a local park, in a national park – or even with a single potted plant – could help you heal and improve the quality of the connection you feel, would you do it?

While it sounds too good to be true, there’s a bucket-load of science to back up the claim that spending time in nature restores us, heals us and helps us feel more connected.

Dr Nerkez Opacin from Melbourne’s RMIT University and the EU-funded RECETAS Project joins us for this episode and explains to us how nature therapy can benefit us when experiencing loneliness and keep us feeling connected.

In this episode, you’ll:

- experience the lightness and beauty that comes from talking about loneliness and building connections with a nature-based lens

- learn how nature therapy benefits you

- get outstanding advice on how you can enlist nature’s support to help you move through your next loneliness experience.

This is another episode to settle in and get comfy, because Phil and Nerkez have created a beautiful environment for you to become a connected human.

Science article: https://www.science.org/content/article/can-science-find-ways-ease-loneliness

Connect with Dr Nerkez Opacin:

Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/nerkezopacin/

RECETAS: https://www.recetasproject.eu/

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org Phil McAuliffe: https://www.humansconnecting.org/meet-the-team/about-phil-mcauliffe   Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0s1Lp1krfWA

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support    

Wouldn’t it be nice to leave an appointment or interactionwith a caring professional and feel seen as the awesome humans that we are, rather than as a symptom or a problem to be solved?

In this first episode of Season 3, Jenny Kirschner – founderof Pharmacy Addressing Loneliness and Social Isolation –  talk about social prescribing and how it links the care we get from our medical professionals with those providing social care.   
In this episode, you’ll:

- see how social prescribing puts the focus of medical practitioners back on us as humans as we navigate our lives

- learn how social prescribing benefits you AND the medicalprofessional

- get outstanding advice on how you can move through your next loneliness experience by unleashing your inner rebel.

Settle in, get comfy and join Phil and Jenny for this soul-nourishing chat, because it’s time for you to become a connected human.

The World Health Organization’s social prescribing toolkit

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789290619765

Connect with Jenny Kirschner:

Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-kirschner-09101b4b/

PALS on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/pharmacy-addressing-loneliness-and-social-isolation

Connect with us at Humans:Connecting

Website: https://www.humansconnecting.org 

Phil McAuliffe: https://www.humansconnecting.org/meet-the-team/about-phil-mcauliffe   

Become a connected human: https://www.humansconnecting.org/products

Create your Connected Workplace: https://www.humansconnecting.org/creating-connected-workplaces

Get your Connection Plan (Connection Starter Course): https://www.humansconnecting.org/connection-starter-course

Partner with us and let’s change the world: https://www.humansconnecting.org/partners

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xoQx72tJq98

Music composed and produced exclusively for the HUMANS:Connecting podcast by Alex Steve: https://www.instagram.com/ajsteve71/  

In crisis now? https://www.humansconnecting.org/crisis-support