In this episode of Psych for Life, I chat with author Alina Bellchambers.

Alina grew up in her family’s bookstore and spent a childhood immersed in fantastical worlds. She now writes twisty thrillers and epic fantasies featuring morally grey characters, seductive court intrigue and powerful heroines.  The first book in her fantasy duology, The Order of Masks, published in 2024  became a national Dymocks and indie bookstore bestseller. It was followed by The Weight of Crowns in 2025.

Alina has a degree in psychology and is fascinated by neurodivergence, having been diagnosed as autistic herself. Most recently she acted in Hilltop Hoods’ music video The Gift and acclaimed horror film Bring Her Back. 

Listen in to our chat on - 

• Her Autistic experience, not diagnosed until she was 29yrs old
• Writing as a form of therapy and how she has managed her lifestyle after being diagnosed as autistic to better facilitate my neurological differences.
•  The experience of Aphantasia - a condition where she can’t see in mental pictures -  and how that impacts her writing

And so much more.

You can connect with Alina and purchase her books via - 

The Order of Masks and The Weight of Crowns are an epic fantasy duology, with dangerous enemies-to-lovers romance, deadly politics and a war to change the fate of empires. They are traditionally published in Australia and the UK and come in paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats.

To purchase, you can go to my books page on my website: https://www.alinabellchambers.com/books, google the names of my books or head straight to the Pan Macmillan page for Australian purchases: https://www.panmacmillan.com.au/9781761560149/ 

Or connect with Alina via her social channels - 

https://www.instagram.com/alinabellwrites

https://www.tiktok.com/@alinabellwrites

https://www.threads.com/@alinabellwrites

https://www.facebook.com/alina.bellchambers

https://x.com/AlinaBellWrites

Liked this topic? Grab a copy of my book, Life Works - Rediscover yourself and transform your relationships and begin your pathway to deeper self-connection and happiness (available from my website and via Booktopia).I

If you enjoy listening to the Psych for Life podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Is there a pressing issue or topic you'd like me to discuss? Head to my instagram @dramandaferguson and leave a comment or send me a DM! I love hearing from my listeners.

In my first Psych for Life episode for 2026, I'm chatting with romance author and trauma specialist, Dr Alicia Leigh, about how to heal trauma with storytelling.

Dr Alicia is a multi-published author of over 20 fiction and non-fiction books with a PhD  investigating how the romance genre serves as a medium through which to explore the complex themes of trauma, trauma response, post-trauma effects, and trauma recovery, subsequently identifying a “post-trauma romance” subgenre.

Listen in to our discussion on - 

 -  what is scripto-bibliotherapy and the importance of storytelling in trauma recovery

 -  why we should consider use of co-modalities in trauma therapy

- the 3 step recovery process and 9f model and their role in trauma processing

- learn what fading is as a trauma response and the importance of understanding its impact

Plus so much more.

To contact Dr Alicia and access her resources see below - 

Book: The Trauma-Informed writer 

Website, for products, media, speaking engagements etc: www.fallinlovewithleigh.com

Instagram - @akleighauthor

Liked this topic? Grab a copy of my book, Life Works - Rediscover yourself and transform your relationships and begin your pathway to deeper self-connection and happiness (available from my website and via Booktopia).I

If you enjoy listening to the Psych for Life podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Is there a pressing issue or topic you'd like me to discuss? Head to my instagram @dramandaferguson and leave a comment or send me a DM! I love hearing from my listeners.

In the last episode of the Psych for Life - Summer Series, I'm resharing my chat with Mark Morris about all things transitioning to being a father. 

Mark is a passionate advocate for positive masculinity and gender equality, an active dad of 2 and volunteers at his children’s school and local football club. With more than 20 years of leadership experience and a degree in Psychology, he specialises in People, is an accredited executive leadership coach, a Board Director, an Adjunct Professor in Leadership and Gender Equality, and is currently leading a number of research initiatives. He encourages a greater focus on equity in schools & early childhood to set children on a better path early on, contributing to reducing the gender pay gap and gender-based violence downstream.

Listen in to hear - 

- Why the transition to being a father has been Mark's most important role

- The difficulties in becoming a parent in today's world

-  Where men most need support with parenting

- The importance of good role models and consideration of gender roles for boys

- Why we should be cancelling the boys will be boys attitude

And so much more!

If you would like to connect with Mark, you can do via the links below -

https://www.mark-morris.me

Liked this topic? Grab a copy of my book, Life Works - Rediscover yourself and transform your relationships and begin your pathway to deeper self-connection and happiness (available from my website and via Booktopia).I

If you enjoy listening to the Psych for Life podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Is there a pressing issue or topic you'd like me to discuss? Head to my instagram @dramandaferguson and leave a comment or send me a DM! I love hearing from my listeners.

In this episode of my Summer Series, we're revisiting a super popular episode that may be a timely reminder for all of us as the new year picks up pace.

We hear about self esteem and self-love often. So what are they and how do we enhance ours if it feels like they may be lacking? Listen to this quick power ep as I discuss all things self esteem and self love. 

This episode includes:

- understanding more about self esteem and self love

- why is acceptance so important

- you’ll learn a process of self acceptance that increases self esteem and you’ll gain another process that enhances self-love

Liked this topic? Grab a copy of my book, Life Works - Rediscover yourself and transform your relationships and begin your pathway to deeper self-connection and happiness (available from my website and via Booktopia).

If you enjoy listening to the Psych for Life podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Is there a pressing issue or topic you'd like me to discuss? Head to my instagram @dramandaferguson and send me a DM! I love hearing from my listeners.

In this Summer Series episode of Psych for Life, I'm re-sharing my chat with Megan Golightly, one of the most popular organising and decluttering influencers in North America. Megan is best known for weaving her psychology background and interest in neuroscience into the help she provides, promoting the importance of mental health and positive change.

Listen in to this episode to learn:

- The impact of clutter on our mental wellbeing

- The difference between clutter and hoarding as a mental health concern
- Why you want to break the pattern of cluttering and being disorganised?

- The benefits of "going more lightly" in your home


To connect with Megan Golightly and learn more about how she can help, see below:

Go Simplified

Liked this topic? Grab a copy of my book, Life Works - Rediscover yourself and transform your relationships and begin your pathway to deeper self-connection and happiness (available from my website).

If you enjoy listening to the Psych for Life podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Is there a pressing issue or topic you'd like me to discuss? Head to my instagram @dramandaferguson and send me a DM! I love hearing from my listeners.

In this Summer Series episode, I chat with Daniel Principe, a passionate youth advocate and educator. He champions boys across Australia to challenge culture and aspire to live courageous, respectful and empathetic lives.Having presented to tens of thousands of young people across Australia, Daniel is no stranger to the complex challenges that our distracting digital world presents to adolescents. Daniel partners with schools and communities, to encourage young people to aspire to healthy relationships built on mutual respect and empathy. Listen in to hear our discussion on:- all things boys and emotional intelligence- how the 'crisis of masculinity is impacting boys and how we can help- the impact of tech dependency and addiction on boys emotional development and wellbeing- the solutions to overcoming these challenges experienced by young boys. Find out how to best help!

In this Summer Series episode of Psych for Life, I chat with Australia's leading compassion researcher,  James Kirby, Ph.D.,  an Associate Professor, Clinical Psychologist, Director of the Clinical Programs, and the Co-Director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at the University of Queensland. 

James examines factors that facilitate and inhibit compassionate responding, and the clinical effectiveness of compassion focused interventions, specifically how they help with self-criticism and shame that underpin many depression and anxiety disorders. 

James is also an Honorary Associate Professor of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University and is an Honorary Member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation UK. In 2022 he authored Choose Compassion, and in 2020 he co-edited Making an Impact on Mental Health. His new book just published by Routledge is called, The Essentials of Compassion Focused Therapy: A Practice Manual for Clinicians.

Listen in to our discussion on - 

- Why compassion is not just a feeling and more a motivational force shaping our behaviour and relationships

- The challenges in becoming a more compassionate person and developing a more compassionate society. 

- How self-compassion is part of self-regulation and linked to our health, functioning and performance.

And so much more!

You can connect with James via -

https://jameskirby.com.au/  for books, speaking engagements etc.

Plus check out his workshop - Introduction to Compassion Focussed Therapy in March 2026

Liked this topic? Grab a copy of my book, Life Works - Rediscover yourself and transform your relationships and begin your pathway to deeper self-connection and happiness (available from my website and via Booktopia).I

If you enjoy listening to the Psych for Life podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Is there a pressing issue or topic you'd like me to discuss? Head to my instagram @dramandaferguson and leave a comment or send me a DM! I love hearing from my listeners.

In the latest episode of Psych for Life, I chat with Jane Monica Jones about the impacts the cost of living crisis is having on our mood and money management. 

Jane Monica-Jones is Australia's leading Financial Therapist and recent winner of two global awards. Jane is a Trauma Informed Financial Wellbeing Specialist. She is a pioneer in the study of psychological and behavioural challenges with money and financial management practices, such as gambling, overt financial risk, retail therapy, overspending and underearning. She has a passion for these areas and works compassionately with clients and employees of organisations for solutions.

​Jane is the author The Billionaire Buddha a culmination of her work, study and research in the field of Financial Therapy and of the Money Mental Health Cards series. Jane is the host of Financial Therapy, a podcast dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of economic empowerment for all. 

​ 

Jane is regularly in the media as an expert in financial therapy and financial wellbeing in Australia and around the world.

Tune in to hear our chat, including how our relationship with limitations and other traumas, may be impacting our ability to find suitable solutions to our money concerns. Plus, so much more!

You can connect with Jane and access the resources discussed below - 

www.janemonicajones.com

Publications:

 The Billionaire Buddha

Money Mental Health Cards

How to Run a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign

Jane hosts the podcast Financial Therapy, dedicated to the promotion and facilitation of economic empowerment for all. 

Also check out Jane’s company Financial Wellbeing for all her financial literacy, capability and economic empowerment trainings.

 www.financialwellbeingco.com

Liked this topic? Grab a copy of my book, Life Works - Rediscover yourself and transform your relationships and begin your pathway to deeper self-connection and happiness (available from my website and via Booktopia/Amazon).

If you enjoy listening to the Psych for Life podcast, please rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Is there a pressing issue or topic you'd like me to discuss? Head to my instagram @dramandaferguson and leave a comment or send me a DM! I love hearing from my listeners.

Should anything in this episode have raised concerns, please contact the support options below - 

Lifeline 13 11 14

Gamblers Help 1800 858 858

MensLine 1300 789 978

beyondblue 1300 224 636

Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

Ending a serious romantic relationship is hard enough – but what about when there are children involved and you need to navigate co-parenting with your ex? Whereas previously ending a relationship would have removed you from dealing with the same old problems, with co-parenting, they are still there! This requires a significant adjustment, especially in the early days. So how do you move forward while co-parenting with your ex?  Tune in to this ep to discover how to find your new mindset while co-parenting with your ex-partner!

In this episode of Psych for Life, we're covering all things money and ADHD - what are challenges and how you can be aware of them to make managing your money easier.

Tina Mathams is an ADHD money coach, accountant, and author of ADHD Money - a practical, empowering guide to understanding money when you have ADHD. After 15 years working as an accountant, Tina now helps neurodivergent individuals untangle their financial lives through content, workshops, and accessible tools designed for ADHD brains.

She’s the founder of ADHD Money, a fast-growing platform that blends real-world finance strategies with nervous system awareness, emotional regulation, and mindset work - because money management isn't just about spreadsheets. It’s about safety, identity, and self-trust.

Tune in to our chat on all things ADHD and money management for tips to help you!