Notes on Vulnerability

It takes a lot of courage to identify and challenge a dominant narrative. And a lot of vulnerability too. “Man Up” is one of those phrases we all got used to using without really thinking about it - but this episode's guest Jamie Clements is challenging it, as well as any other hyper polarising phrases that get in his way.

Jamie is the host of a podcast called Man Down and in this episode we're tackling that phrase and its implications, as well as disagreeing about a few things like toxic masculinity. 

We are talking about what it takes to hold space for other people on very confronting topics and the dangers of falling into a kind of filtered vulnerability where you never have to reveal much of your true self at all. Plus we cover imposter syndrome, working for yourself, Jamie's 'Sesame Seeds,' a bit of sex and what happens when you're the face of your brand and basically have a fear of being seen.

It's the longest episode yet and a corker for the end of the year and the end of Season 1.

https://www.instagram.com/notesonvulnerability/

An imperfect and vulnerable discussion around mental health, the healing power of the sea and men and menstruation.

Mike Guest is a master of film and photography an adventurer, dyslexic, a life long surfer and lover of all things water. After a phone call with friend Nick Pumphrey Mike decided to  follow Nick’s lead and swim out at dawn with his camera.  This was the start of Dawn Days - a project where anyone can go out into the water during the Blue Hour before dawn and film, photograph and record what they experience. His short film Ripple Effect documents the mental health challenges he faced as a freelance creative, and a human confronted with uncomfortable thoughts and feelings,  during COVID lockdowns.

This episode looks at the vulnerability in both failure and success. It covers everything, from filming during the Blue Hour and irrational shark fears to the gift of dyslexia, the challenge and vulnerability in  online visibility and what is lost by a lack of conversation and awareness around menstruality. Yes, menstruality.  All cycles and tides are covered here.

https://www.instagram.com/notesonvulnerability/

Yewande Adeside is a former competitive rower now a rowing coach, national-level track racer and SRAM ambassador. She has been a vocal advocate on diversity in cycling and spoken frequently about how her own experiences as a black cyclist have often made her feel like she can't make mistakes or be too visible.

In this episode we talking about the need for greater diversity in sports like rowing and cycling, how Yewande copes with vulnerability and why emotional resilience in sport is so important. Yewande shares her experiences of being a creative person, as well as a sporty one and realising that the two are not mutually exclusive. We also touch on comfort zones and why it's so important to get used to the idea that you're just not going to be good at something the first time you do it - oh and her passion for baking peanut butter blondies..

https://www.instagram.com/notesonvulnerability/

Did you know that some of your favourite wine might only taste so good because it’s been harvested with the lunar cycles? I thought that might get your attention (it's also true). In this episode of Notes on Vulnerability I’m talking to Kirsty Gallagher, a lunar living coach and soul mentor, who is an advocate for cyclical living,  sharing moon and meditation magic and helping people to align with their souls. 

Trust, faith, magic and soul can be some pretty vulnerability-inducing topics but Kirsty has a grounded, engaging take on how these make humans such beautiful beings and why it’s so necessary not to shut them out. In this episode we cover everything, from the benefits of moving to a more cyclical way of living - away from the constant need to be "on" 24/7 - to the definition of the soul and how we find permission to just be.

Kirsty talks about learning how to connect to intuition and distinguish it from fear, as well as how lunar living provides a support structure – a rhythm and cycle for living, rather than just feeling thrown around by life like nothing makes sense. This is old wisdom, powerful magic – and intensely practical and self-aware. Even if you're a sceptic it's a fascinating listen.

“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it.”

https://www.instagram.com/notesonvulnerability/

Money and finances can bring all sorts of challenging feelings to the table. Whether you always feel like you’re struggling to get by or you feel guilty because you have more than others it’s never an easy topic. 

Most of us are lugging around money stories of some description, such as wealth is evil or you have to work yourself into the ground to be rich. In this episode with @hannahmindfulmoney we unpack many of the ways we hold ourselves back when it comes to money, as well as looking at what a mindful approach is and the practical steps that anyone can take to move forward. 

www.Instagram/notesonvulnerability 

Mindful sex - how do we have more of it?

Dr Anna Hushlak is a sex scientist and pleasure advocate, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at #FemTech company Ferly (@weareferly), an app empowering 50 million women and folx with vulvas to have healthy, confident and pleasurable sex.

This episode is about how to have more mindful sex, which is a discussion with a lot of different elements, from the differences between male and female desire, to arousal vs desire, sexual challenges, building confidence, moving away from functional pleasure and how to understand your own vulnerability on the topic. We also cover the impact of porn ('good' and 'bad'),  the links between sexual and mental health, as well as Anna's experience in a femtech start-up.

In summary: sex is important! And you don't need to have a partner to explore this vital part of yourself.

https://www.instagram.com/notesonvulnerability/

Nick Hounsfield (@wavemakernick) is the founder of The Wave (@thewave), Chairman of Surfing England, a stroke survivor at 45 and one of the UK’s most disruptive entrepreneurs - among many other things.

In Episode 8 of Notes on Vulnerability we’re talking about breaking down barriers in surfing - and business -, whether relating to diversity, equality or the adaptive community as well as ingrained problems such as hyper sexualisation of women in the sport.

Nick opens up about his recovery from a stroke that left him completely unable to communicate and how he’s been left with a deeper understanding of how it feels not to have a voice. We also talk about Blue Health, the role that the water, and The Wave, played in Nick’s recovery and the power of the water and the sea to heal, physically, mentally and emotionally.

https://www.instagram.com/notesonvulnerability/ 

David 'Jacko' Jackson (@jackohumanflag Insta) is the guest on this episode. A former rugby professional - captain and all time top scorer at Nottingham RFC - he suffered a head injury in 2013 that was so serious that he was told any more violent sport could kill him. 

In this episode we're talking about the impact of a head injury, motivation and consistency in physical training and how you can go from being injured in hospital to becoming a human flag. Jacko now runs the School of Calisthenics and is a breath work coach with Oxygen Advantage. There's a breath work exercise in the podcast to try and Jacko relays a ton of info about how to use breathing to improve the way the body uses oxygen and how we feel and move.

We're also chatting about the Beginner's Mindset, the importance of redefining your impossible, the necessity of emotional vulnerability in physical training and why it's so important to keep learning new things as an adult.

Anna Blackwell is an adventurer, photographer and writer with a soft spot for the Arctic. Currently based in Cornwall she has embarked on solo expeditions in some pretty inhospitable environments with only a tent for shelter. From the power of snacking to coming to terms with who you are through being in nature, we've covered pretty much everything in this episode. Including what it's like to travel alone as a woman, as well as loneliness, ghosting, cinnamon buns and the highs and lows of raising a puppy in lockdown. 

You can find Anna on Instagram @annablackwell.

When did we decide that being professional means not being yourself? 

In this episode I'm talking to Sallee Poinsette-Nash (@salleespeaks Instagram), human brand builder, official Tall Person, dog fanatic and founder of Brandable & Co (www.brandableandco.com).  We're talking about intuition, how vulnerability is an asset in brand building, why we undersell ourselves, the detrimental impact of not being human in a professional setting and what a personal brand really is when you strip away the jargon.