We kick off our new podcast series with a heartbeat – and a Warrior Heart.

Host Mundanara Bayles speaks with Shantelle Thompson OAM – a proud Barkindji and Ngiyampaa woman, mother of five, three-time world Jiu-Jitsu champion and founder of the Warrior Heart Movement. Known as the Barkindji Warrior, Shantelle is a speaker, storyteller and fierce advocate for her people.

Shantelle shares her journey from deep trauma to cultural reclamation – a path grounded in ancestral strength, truth-telling and radical responsibility. Mental fitness, she says, is not just about being strong. It’s about remembering who you are, rising with your Ancestors at your back, and walking in sovereignty.

This episode is a call to come home to yourself and a reminder that we are not broken, we are becoming.

Resources and links:

Find out more about Gotcha4Life at www.gotcha4life.org and follow us on Instagram and Facebook @gotcha4life and Black Magic Woman on Instagram @blackmagicwomanpodcast. 

Follow Shantelle on Instagram at @shantellethompsonofficial.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts or follow on your Spotify app and tell your friends and family about us! 

Hosted by award-winning Indigenous businesswoman and Gotcha4Life Board Member Mundanara Bayles, and produced in partnership with Black Magic Woman, Mental Fitness Conversations centres First Nations voices in powerful conversations about culture, connection and what truly sustains mental fitness.

Content in this podcast covers topics related to mental health, including suicide which can be confronting and distressing. If you found this content emotionally challenging, please practise self-care. There are support services available 24/7, 13YARN 13 92 76 and Lifeline 13 11 14

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