Mental As Anyone

Interview with Melbourne Comedian Gabe Hogan, who has been performing stand up for almost 6 years, including a MICF show this year called Gabe Hogan: Making Life a Double. Gabe and her friend David Tulk also have a series of sketches you can find on Facebook called Some People Are Just Arseholes. Gabe is heading up to perform at Sydney Fringe Festival in September 2017 so check out the show if you can!

We discuss: Having ADD in high school, eating issues, affirmations by Louise Hay and Abraham-Hicks, sexuality revelations in adult life, values, teachers mistaking signs of depression for quietness and good behaviour, the importance of talking to trusted friends, driving and parking anxiety, ways of managing anxiety, Gabe's super power, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, and Gabe's message that it's never too late to change.

Interview with Mental Health Advocate Rae Bonney. Rae is involved in lots of varied roles and organisations, including Integrated Wellbeing Specialist with HR Consultancy, Who Group, being an ambassador for beyondblue, involvement with their Heads Up workplace program (check out www.headsup.org.au), being a passionate Men's Rights Advocate, and a fabulous Producer and Presenter on Radio 94.1FM 3WBC. Rae is also a qualified, practicing counsellor who manages her life, living with anxiety and depression.

We discuss: Rae's views on the lack of support regarding human rights for men, getting started in radio as a guest on Ken Lyon's show, the complex issue of domestic violence and taking an integrated approach to the issue, the importance of the feminist movement, parental alienation for men in custody situations, creating environments that best support people and how they are feeling, the importance of getting away from labels, Rae's experiences of anxiety and depression, taking responsibility for your mental health, how to not be impacted by stress, dealing with and responding to change, benefits of good management in the workplace, statistics in relation to men's suicide, the importance of listening, person centred therapy, Rae's super power, non-verbal communication, and Rae's messages that nothing beats kindness and care, it's ok to not be ok, and to trust your gut.

Interview with the compassionate and courageous Kate McPhee, who is a General Psychologist with a Masters in Psychology. Kate works in both an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and in her own private practice called The Very Small Clinic which operates in the inner suburbs of Melbourne (www.theverysmallclinic.com).

We discuss: How Kate found the field of Psychology, taking her time with studies, aversion to statistics and diagnoses, advice for Psychology students, the balance between heart-open and self-protection, daily yoga, love of French Earl Grey, her love of the people and learning a lot from clients, the adages of near enough is good enough and don't let perfect be the enemy of good, swimming vs running, Kate's shame story, the importance of empathy and connection, the magical mark of 40 minutes for strong emotions to pass, Brené Brown's video on sympathy vs empathy (brenebrown.com) and The Power of Vulnerability TED Talk, the need for shame, Kate's super power, and her message to connect and find a way to be vulnerable with boundaries.

Interview with the open and authentic Honor Newman. Honor is a Psychologist who specialises in women's emotional health. Honor works in her own established private practice and writes programs for women in the areas of post-natal depression and perfectionism. She has also written a book titled The Perfectionist Within (available on Amazon) and runs womens groups in the Melbourne CBD and in Upwey (for more information feel free to contact Honor on 0433 374 031 or at [email protected]).

We discuss: The different types of work Honor has done in the field, the genesis of her women's health work, the challenge of the lack of business training in psychology courses, enjoyment from seeing people grow to their full potential, belief in the possibility of healing, a peep into methods of addressing perfectionism, how Honor's group therapy works and associated benefits, how Honor's interest in psychology developed, being proactive about seeking help herself, the importance of persistence if you don't meet the right psychologist for you right away, the power of listening, the attraction of private practice and the feminine model of work, some insights into Honor's book, the new upcoming perfectionism program, Honor's super power, and her messages that you can be empowered to break free of the binds of perfectionism, and your that true nature is beautiful.

Interview with Psychologist Natalie Haider. Nat's experience has spanned a wide range of roles in the Psychology field, including Sports Psychology, Occupational Psychology, and Organisational Psychology, as well as lecturing, EAP work, clinical settings and more. Natalie currently works as a Learning Development Consultant at a Sydney University, where she designs and delivers workshops to high performing researchers, and as a Clinician in a private practice.

We discuss: The similarities between high performing researchers and athletes, interest in figuring out what makes people tick, psychology being the key to many career doors, the challenge of affordable access to counselling, being mindful of being a "rescuer", conflicts of interest and informed consent, representing the profession while off duty, love of working with people, being mindful of language and the effect of words/labels about mental health, the continuum of mental health, Natalie's preferred self-care activities, quote: you can't give from an empty cup, the importance of self-care, always feeling energized by her work, Natalie's super powers, and her message to be kind to yourself.

Interview with Dr Tony Mowbray. Tony is a General Psychologist who has a PhD, which involved research into test anxiety, how to measure it and how to reduce it utilising online techniques. Tony is currently working at Monash University, coordinating the online Graduate Diploma of Psychology.

We discuss: The ins and outs of Tony's job and how he got into Psychology, the work of Ellen Langer and concept of mind over matter, age experiments, the challenge of being patient in regard to clients' capacity for change, Carol Dweck and fixed or growth mindsets, Parkinson's Law, appreciation of being paid to do mindfulness, addressing apprehensions about the online environment, the increasing prevalence of gamification, issues that kids face growing up with social media, Tony's super power, Philosopher's Notes by Brian Johnson, and Tony's message of making time to do the essential things.

Interview with Melbourne Counsellor, Sherri Laurie. Sherri has a Diploma of Counselling and a Degree in Psychology, and prefers delivering short-term solution-focused therapy with a Person-Centred approach.

We discuss: Preventative counselling, "walk and talk" therapy, the shift from the Recruitment field to Counselling, Sherri's preference for people-focused work, self-paced study with AIPC (Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors), regulations in the Counselling profession, decision-making around Psychology Honours, the challenges of studying statistics and the business/marketing side of the job, the concept of "normal" being different for everyone, not worrying about what others think of you, NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) and everyone having their own map of the world, the power of words and visualisation, the Calm app, Sherri's super power, mnemonic memory devices and "chemo brain", and Sherri's messages to seek help if you need it, and don't give up if you don't click with the first Counsellor you meet: keep trying and find someone else to help you.

Interview with Sydney Musician and Podcaster, Andy Dowling. Andy is a member of metal band LORD (www.lord.net.au). Andy is also a podcaster: check out The Andy Social Podcast (www.andysocial.net), where he interviews musicians and other equally interesting people to discuss their views on life.

We discuss: Clarity of thought and staying in the moment, acceptance and mindfulness, life hacks and time tactics, the benefits of tuning in to your body, communication and active listening, the ego of musicians, a novel way to overcome stage fright, the psychology of musicians, appreciation for open-mic comedians, being the king of tangents, mental tenacity and memory devices, Bert Kreischer's machine story, Andy's super power, the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), and Andy's message to be more present and mindful with other people, and to respect others' opinions.

Interview with Skruins from the Skruins and Co Breakfast Show podcast, which is a Melbourne based podcast full of funny segments and witty observations, and aims to find the funny in people's lives. Check it out on iTunes, Shae from MAA was on episode 143.

We discuss: The highly anticipated Aqua Donut ride, the origin of Skruins, neuroticism and anxiety, questioning life choices while stuck in traffic, worry about narcissism, potential diagnoses, punk music as an outlet, how seeing your partner as a loveable idiot can be beneficial, learning languages, why Skruins hates real estate agents, Skruins' Mum's theory on having kids, super powers, terrible pick up lines, being good at winging it, controlling our narrative via social media, imagining what anxiety feels like, the only reason we should have guns in Australia, being toilet shy, and Skruins' message of being kind to the people you love, and trust that others are doing the best they can.

Interview with the animated and affable Ashley Fils-Aime, who has been performing comedy for 20 years, and has lived in Melbourne for 3 years.

We discuss: The subjectivity of mental health, anxiety about flying and frogs, dealing with his phobia, spider stories, comfort factors while flying, the Fearless Flyers course, the heroism of hairdressers, being mindful of what you feed your brain, views on music, the power of thinking positively, comedy via hologram, Ashley's super power, natural vs normal and wanting vs choosing, the power of words, and Ashley's messages: don't be too hard on yourself, don't compare yourself to others, and try not to need anything so you can be set free.