In this episode I'm unpacking Michael Easter's The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self — his argument that modern life has engineered discomfort out of almost everything, and what that's quietly costing us physically and mentally. I'm looking at it through an occupational therapy lens, and through my own experience with outdoor challenge and off-grid time.

Topics covered:

Scarcity vs. abundance — why brains built for scarcity struggle with modern excess of food, choice and stimulation

Comfort creep — how yesterday's comfort becomes today's baseline, and the tension between removing barriers (OT's job) and removing all friction (not the same thing)

Boredom as a "desire for desires" rather than a problem to eliminate, and what constant stimulation costs us

Sensory desensitization — the modern noise load and what it does to stress and cognition

Novelty and lifelong learning — and the direct link to OT's own Well Elderly Study evidence

Misogi — Easter's 50%-chance-of-failure challenge practice, and how it maps onto the "just-right challenge" already central to OT

Book: The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easterhttps://www.amazon.com/Comfort-Crisis-Embrace-Discomfort-Reclaim/dp/0593138767

The next book club episode will be about Rutger Bregman's Human Kind: A hopeful History. If you feel so inclined, please grab a copy, have a read and let us know your thoughts!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1408898950/?mr_donotredirect

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Host: Brock Cook

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In this episode, I reflect on the first month of a new self-development routine built around getting up earlier, journalling, habit tracking and taking a bit more time to reflect.

I talk about what I’ve been trying and what I’ve noticed so far. Development shows benefits I’m starting to see, and I’m still figuring out a few things along the way.

Nothing revolutionary — just an honest check-in on one month of trying to be a little more intentional with how I start my days.

Development guides my view of personal growth and daily progress.

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Host: Brock Cook

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In this episode of Occupied, Jess sits down with Adam Lo OAM to explore an inspiring career spanning clinical practice, leadership, advocacy, and the arts.

Adam shares his experiences working in Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS) and discusses the unique role occupational therapists play in supporting children, young people, and their families. We also dive into his passion for the creative arts, including the development of arts festivals that celebrate inclusion, participation, and community connection in Logan, Queensland.

The conversation also explores Adam's leadership within Occupational Therapy Australia, where he has served as Australia's World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) Delegate. Together, we discuss the importance of international collaboration, professional advocacy, and what the future holds for occupational therapy both in Australia and around the world.

Whether you're an occupational therapist, allied health professional, student, or simply passionate about mental health and creative practice, this episode offers valuable insights into leadership, innovation, and the power of occupation.Leading with Creativity and Advocacy: Adam Lo OAM 

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Host: Dr Jess Levick

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In this episode of Occupied, Brock sits down with Mallory Reilly, an occupational therapist who never quite felt like she fit the traditional OT mould.

Rather than forcing herself into a version of practice that didn’t feel right, Mallory forged her own path — blending her OT knowledge, clinical reasoning, and passion for physical training into a practice that feels authentic, meaningful, and impactful.

This conversation explores what it feels like to not quite belong in the expected professional boxes, the courage it takes to build something different, and how occupational therapists can use their unique interests and strengths to shape practice in ways that truly fit. We explore the breakdown of the profession from an occupational science perspective to see if we can find why many people experience this misalignment.

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Host: Brock Cook

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In this episode of Occupied, Jess sits down with occupational therapist Angus Buchanan to explore a career that has spanned clinical practice, academia, and leadership as a Head of School.

Angus shares reflections from his recent keynote address at the National Occupational Therapy Conference in Adelaide in 2025, offering honest insights into how his thinking has evolved over time, particularly in the areas of social inclusion and working alongside people with intellectual disability. Angus reflected on his career turns and what has shaped him to be the occupational therapist he is today. 

Together, we unpack what inclusion really looks like in practice, the gaps that still exist within our systems, and the role occupational therapists play in shaping more meaningful participation and belonging. Angus shares some exciting work he is currently doing with inclusion of people with intellectual impairment at university. 

This conversation moves beyond theory, highlighting the realities of practice, the influence of leadership in education, and the importance of staying grounded in the core values of occupational therapy across a career.

Angus discusses his newly appointed role as Editor of the Australian Journal of Occupational Therapy and the challenges of AI use in article submissions. 

Key Takeaways

Inclusion is more than access—it’s about meaningful participation and belonging 

Small, everyday changes can have a significant impact on a person’s sense of inclusion 

There is often a disconnect between systems, education, and lived experience 

Leadership in OT requires staying connected to the core philosophy of the profession 

Reflective practice across a career is essential for growth and impact

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Host: Jess Levick

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Greg Santucci is an internationally recognised paediatric occupational therapist with over 26 years experience. He is a clinical leader, educator and creator of the Model of Child Engagement, known for making complex neurodevelopmental concepts practical and usable.

We sat down and chatted about where it all started and the keys to the development of the Model of Child Engagement. Paediatrics is not my area of practice so I was incredibly keen to learn more and see just how different it could be from other practice areas.

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Host: Brock Cook

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FROM OT AUSTRALIA:

GREG SANTUCCI TOUR

OTA is thrilled to bring Greg to Australia for their 2026 International Speaker Tour. He’ll be running full-day workshops in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth – highly interactive sessions with strategies you can use immediately. 

🎧 Special offer for our podcast listeners. 

Use the code OCCUPIED70 to get $70 off your ticket if you book before 30 April 2026, when Early Bird pricing ends.  

https://otaus.com.au/international-speaker-tour-2026-greg-santucci

Greg’s workshop dates:  

Brisbane – 22 June 

Sydney – 26 June 

Melbourne – 29 June 

Perth – 2 July 

Don’t miss this chance to learn directly from Greg and supercharge your OT practice!

In this solo episode of Occupied, Dr Jessica Levick reflects on her PhD journey and explores what evidence-based practice really means for occupational therapists.

Why does it take an average of 17 years for research to reach routine clinical practice? Why does strong evidence alone fail to change systems? And what responsibility do clinicians hold in translating knowledge into real-world care?

Drawing from her experience as a mental health occupational therapist and researcher, Jessica discusses:

The identity shift from clinician to researcher

The realities of academic publishing

What evidence-based practice actually involves (beyond “just using research”)

Why she chose to undertake a PhD

The gap between research and implementation

This episode challenges the idea that research belongs only in academia. Instead, it reframes evidence-based practice as an ethical responsibility shared by all clinicians.

You don’t need a PhD to be evidence-informed — but you do need curiosity.

If you’ve ever questioned whether what we say about occupation aligns with what we fund, measure, or prioritise in health systems, this episode is for you.

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Host: Dr Jessica Levick

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Burnout gets talked about a lot — but rarely with clarity.

In this episode, Brock and Jess unpack the biology of burnout and challenge the flood of non-evidence-based ideas circulating online. If you’ve ever been told burnout is “just stress,” “just poor boundaries,” or something you can fix with a weekend off… this conversation is for you.

We explore what’s actually happening in the nervous system when burnout sets in — including:

The role of the amygdala and chronic threat activation

What happens to the prefrontal cortex under prolonged stress

How the stress response shifts from adaptive to maladaptive

The Default Mode Network and why cognitive flexibility drops

Why productivity, empathy, and executive functioning decline

The overlap (and differences) between burnout and trauma

One of the biggest problems with burnout is that people experiencing it often don’t understand what’s happening to them — which can lead to shame, self-blame, and pushing harder when the body is actually signalling overload.

This episode reframes burnout as a biological state shift, not a personal weakness.

For occupational therapists — and anyone working in high-demand caring roles — understanding the mechanisms behind burnout changes how we respond to it in ourselves, our colleagues, and our clients.

Because you can’t intervene effectively in something you don’t understand.

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Host: Brock Cook & Dr Jessica Levick

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More than a year in the making, this episode follows Courtnee Bertucci across three check-ins throughout her first year as a new graduate Occupational Therapist. Instead of a single retrospective reflection, we captured her experience in real time — documenting the emotional shifts, clinical growth, and evolving professional identity as it unfolded.

Together, we unpack confidence, imposter syndrome, uncertainty, and the slow building of competence that shapes year one. From early nerves and self-doubt to growing clarity and resilience, this is an honest look at what really changes between month one and month twelve — and what it actually feels like to become an OT.

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Host: Brock Cook

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Sex and intimacy are core parts of everyday life—but they’re often left out of healthcare conversations. In this episode, we chat with Emilie Chong about sexual expression as an occupation and the role of occupational therapists in supporting clients’ intimacy and wellbeing.

We cover:

Why sex is considered an occupation

Barriers to intimacy and participation

The OT role in sexual health

How to approach these conversations in practice

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Host: Dr Jessica Levick & Brock Cook

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