Maybe you know Michelle Brasier from Aunty Donna. Or maybe from Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell. Or maybe she’s made you laugh (or cry) in any number of things she’s done on the stage and screen over the years.  Or maybe you don’t her……… YET! Michelle Brasier is a singer, actor, writer and comedian who - as you’ll hear in this Vulnerabilitea House - has overcome multiple adversities since a young age. But despite the challenges, she still firmly believes in the practice of optimism. And after selecting the card, “Are you more of an optimist or a pessimist?”, Michelle explains why optimism is such an important part of her life. Thanks Michelle - you are a breath of fresh air! 
 To see when and where Michelle is performing next, follow this link: https://www.michellebrasier.com/tour To listen to the soundtrack from the movie Once, follow this link: https://spoti.fi/3Rmckd0 Parting Glass by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michelle Brasier - The Case For Optimism

We’re all imperfect. On this podcast, founder of The Resilience Project Hugh van Cuylenburg, his good friend Ryan Shelton, and only one of their brothers, Josh van Cuylenburg, talks to a variety of interesting people who vulnerably share their own struggles and imperfections, or expertly pass on their wisdom on the subject of imperfection. Whether it’s in The Vulnerabilitea House, The Academy of Imperfection, or with our very own psychologist, Dr Emily, The Imperfects are here to find some valuable takeaways we can all apply to our own imperfect lives.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Health & Fitness

Mental Health

Self-Improvement

Its hard to imagine a life more remarkable, or as unique as that of Nathan Cavaleri.
Nathan rose to fame as an 8 year old blues prodigy, regularly appearing on Aussie TV screens in the 90’s, but there is so much more to Nathan and his story than that. Whether it’s touring Australia with the likes of Jimmy Barnes; or touring America with blues Legend B.B. King; being signed to Michael Jackson’s label; or starring in a Baywatch spin off with David Hasselhoff; Nathan’s life from the outside, really does look perfect. However, as we all know, perfect isn't what this podcast is about.
In this episode, Nathan talks about the challenges he has faced along the way. From his battle with Leukaemia as a child; to his overwhelming struggles with anxiety as an adult that resulted in him passing out on stage. Nathan is a wonderful person, a beautiful storyteller and he’s a real joy to listen to in this episode of the imperfects.

To watch this full episode on YouTube, follow this link: https://youtu.be/9XlJBw6fdq8 

To see Nathan perform live & check out his tour dates follow this link: https://bit.ly/3Kgqz0x
To book Nathan for speaking events, or exclusive performances, follow this link: https://bit.ly/44Z6IN0
To follow Nathan on Twitch, where he live streams his creative process and regularly connects with  fans, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3yqDutY
Links mentioned in the episode and extra resources:
 


Nathan Cavaleri - The Ups & The Blues

After his sister, Niki, was murdered by her ex-partner, Tarang Chawla made a decision - that he wouldn’t allow Niki to be remembered as just another statistic. Since then, Tarang has become an activist, working to reduce incidents of all forms of violence and abuse towards women in Australian.
In this episode of the IMPERFIX, we reflect on a conversation we had with Tarang back in 2022. Here, Tarang discusses the importance of believing and supporting women when they disclose abuse, and understanding the role of power, control, and gender inequality in such scenarios. Tarang also emphasises the need to separate individuals from their potentially abusive behaviour, underscoring the collective responsibility of men in combating violence against women.
Here are some important links from this episode.


IMPERFIX: Believing Women with Tarang Chawla

Taking a risk, by definition, is hard. A lot of us spend most of our life avoiding risks, under the assumption that it’s the ‘safe’ thing to do.
As Dr Em explains, we have an evolutionary instinct for self-preservation; tendencies to overestimate danger and underestimate our ability to cope; and we often have early childhood experiences and messages around safety that can coalesce into ‘playing it safe’ behaviours.
In this episode, Dr Em reveals that paradoxically, if we spend our whole life avoiding risk, then we are guaranteeing a less engaged, less fulfilling, less ‘lived’ life than we are capable of. That in fact, avoiding risk, is the biggest risk of all.
Dr Em, also offers strategies to guide us in the direction of letting a little more risk into our everyday lives.
To watch this full episode on YouTube, follow this link: https://bit.ly/4dMUP0l
There is a lot mentioned in this episode, find it all below:
 


Dr Emily - The Risk of Avoiding Risk

We mean no disrespect to any of our other guests, but when Hugh says that Dr. Kiran Martin, is the most impressive person he has ever met, it’s hard not to agree.
Dr. Kiran Martin is the founder of ASHA in India. It’s a not for profit, that for over 35 years, has provided healthcare and education to millions of people living in slums in India.
In this clip, Dr Kiran tells us of the time she decided to wash the feet of a Dalit woman (an ‘untouchable’ in the caste system of India) in order to demonstrate humility. And it was this moment of true leadership that lead to a feet washing movement throughout ASHA, breaking down caste barriers in the process.
You can learn more, or support Dr. Kiran Martin and ASHA’s work here. https://bit.ly/44Fl1WP.
To listen to the full episode with Dr. Kiran Martin, click here https://link.chtbl.com/OjRxhECI See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IMPERFIX: Dr. Kiran Martin - Leadership

All too often when talking about infertility, we only tell one side of the story. Traditionally in the public discourse, it has very much fallen into the category of a ‘women’s issue’. However, as our guest this week Reece Conca can all too painfully attest, 40% of infertility issues are actually male factor related.
Reece Conca is a former Australian Rules Footballer, who played over 150 games for Richmond and Freemantle.
When Reece and his partner Bell were finding it difficult to conceive, it took them far too long to discover that Reece has a condition called Azoospermia, which effects 1% of men - a condition where in Reece had no sperm in his semen.
In this Vulnerabiltea House, Reece speaks openly and honestly about the physical and emotional toll of a fertility journey he is very much still on, the hormone injections, the surgeries and much, much more. 
To follow Annabelle and Reece on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@annabelleandreece See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michelle Brasier - The Case For Optimism

Download our free app to listen on your phone