In this episode of Resilience Unravelled with Dr Russell Thackeray, Antonio Michael Downing discusses growing up in Trinidad and Tobago with his grandmother, who taught him to read from the King James Bible and to sing Anglican hymns, before her death led to his move at age 11 to rural Northern Ontario.

He describes the shock of migration, being renamed “Michael” at school, and how losing familiar culture and language prompted questions about identity, belonging, and the self, shaping a lifelong focus on fluid identity and resilience.

Downing links resilience to flexibility and performance across contexts, from multiple musical personas to a corporate career at BlackBerry, and notes that those who migrate between ages 9–14 often become “a third thing” between cultures.

He connects these themes to his memoir Saga Boy and novel Black Cherokee, explains his creative process as a “visitation,” and shares that Black Cherokee has an Audible audiobook, a paperback coming in August, and that he can be reached on Instagram @antoniomichaeldowning.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

01:24 Growing Up in Trinidad

02:22 Grandmother’s Gifts

04:26 Move to Canada

07:01 Reinventing Identity

11:17 Neither Here Nor There

13:45 Two Jackets Life

19:08 Resilience Through Fluidity

23:13 Themes in Music and Books

26:24 Toronto and Belonging

28:37 Writing as Visitation

33:35 Books Formats and Where to Find

34:53 Final Thanks and Goodbye

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

#resilience, #burnout, #intuition

In this Resilience Unravelled episode, host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Chris Hill, a London-based “lived experience practitioner” who helps people with mental health and addiction by teaching an educational “separation model” that distinguishes the conscious self from mind/body mechanisms.

Hill shares his own 20-year history of addiction and explains addiction as dopamine-driven habitual wiring that can be harmful when it causes damage to self or others, spanning substances (nicotine, alcohol, drugs) and behaviours (gambling, sex, porn, shopping, social media).

He argues modern society “hacks” survival mechanisms, highlights environmental risks such as youth vaping and its gateway effects, and criticises willpower-only approaches.

Hill outlines his book Get Your Life Back, his private mentoring via beatmyaddictions.com, and his charity robhillfoundation.org, founded after his twin brother’s fatal overdose in 2014.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:37 Chris Hill Background

01:10 Personal Addiction Journey

02:49 What Addiction Means

05:46 Physical vs Behavioural Addictions

08:24 Who Is Most Vulnerable

10:33 Environment and Youth Vaping

13:48 Education and Rewiring Solution

16:59 Separation Model Explained

22:13 Natural State and Breaking the Cycle

23:38 Book and Program Options

26:24 Support Community and Faith

28:01 Charity Links and Closing

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

#resilience, #burnout, #intuition

Host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Dale Atkinson from near Reading, a former finance compliance consultant who now works as a patient advocate, audits companies for “patient trust leaks,” sells adjunct wellness modalities, and writes.

Dale recounts that in 2024 his partner was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer and surgically cured, then he was found to have a large esophageal tumour and later told he had terminal, metastatic cancer (T4b N3 M1) with 11.5 months to live, after years of GP visits for GI symptoms and a long wait for a “routine” endoscopy.

He pursued chemotherapy and immunotherapy alongside extensive research, next-generation sequencing, off-label medications, nutrition/naturopathic support, and modalities such as hyperbaric oxygen, high-dose vitamin C protocols, ketosis/fasting, and medical cannabis, while warning against social-media “snake oil.”

He reports no visible signs of disease, has made major lifestyle changes to reduce stress, and is launching a charity, Beyond the Standard, to push NHS change; he emphasises self-advocacy.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:28 From Finance to Advocacy

01:34 A Shocking Cancer Cascade

03:38 Years of Missed Symptoms

06:09 Turning Anger Into Research

09:24 Snake Oil and Red Herrings

11:57 Chemo Immuno and Realistic Goals

13:17 Next-Gen Sequencing Explained

16:41 Integrative Care vs NHS Pathway

18:30 Lifestyle Overhaul After Diagnosis

20:03 Where to Start Without Rabbit Holes

20:41 Avoid Social Media Gurus

21:26 Find Credible Integrative Experts

22:08 Vetting Doctors and Directories

24:27 Biohacking Hype and Supplement Scams

25:30 Bloodwork Guided Supplementation

26:31 Ketosis and Fasting Strategy

28:23 Medical Cannabis for Symptoms

31:31 Access and NHS Change Efforts

33:51 Prognosis and Staying on Protocol

34:37 Hyperbaric Oxygen and Red Light

36:43 Self Advocacy and Final Takeaways

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Jodie Herbert in Canberra, Australia, founder of Ability Pathways Australia and a carer of three children on the autism spectrum.

They discuss neurodiversity as natural variation in thinking, differences in autism categorisation (ASD 1–4), and how modern workplaces with constant digital channels can make neurodivergent needs harder to accommodate.

Jodie describes practical, low-cost adjustments employers can make—written follow-ups, clear SOPs, and quiet workspaces or work-from-home options—and explains her data-driven “longitudinal study” approach: clients complete daily questionnaires for 30 days, producing visualised recommendations to help employers close the “implementation gap.”

They also cover Australia’s disability legislation and the NDIS, noting proposed 2026 funding cuts and a pending parliamentary bill, with concerns about service loss, economic impact, and participant wellbeing.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:21 Life in Canberra

01:28 Jodie’s Story and Mission

02:50 What Neurodiversity Means

03:56 Autism Levels Explained

06:37 Workplace Overload and Inclusion

11:33 Simple Adjustments That Work

14:57 Remote Work and Real Needs

17:31 Closing the Implementation Gap

20:56 Australia Disability Policy and NDIS

23:32 NDIS Cuts and What’s at Stake

27:16 How to Connect and Final Thoughts

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Dr Russell Thackeray welcomes Dr. Denis Cronson, a South African-born medical doctor now based in Switzerland, to discuss leadership through a biological lens.

Cronson describes moving from trauma surgery into 20 years of organisational health and executive consulting, observing how overcommitment, “success but sacrifice” cultures, and failure patterns deplete leaders and spread dysfunction through organisations. They argue many leaders respond with “hacks” (supplements, sleep programs, workouts) that increase capacity without changing the underlying system creating unsustainable load. Cronson links leadership attributes like judgment, empathy, adaptability, and working memory to neurobiology affected by sleep, nutrition, and chronic stress, and notes normalised distraction and phone scrolling. He outlines “Leadership 3.0” as the biological and psychological condition required to lead, and introduces his book, The Executive Condition, released internationally Sept 1, 2026, aimed at leaders, boards, shareholders, HR, and coaches.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

00:30 South Africa to Switzerland

01:23 Culture Humour and Humanity

03:30 From Trauma Surgery to Exec Health

05:29 Why Hacks Miss the System

09:06 Neurobiology of Leadership

12:56 Working Memory and Doomscrolling

15:20 ADHD Normalisation Debate

17:11 Leadership 3.0 Framework

19:35 The Executive Condition Book

24:57 Wellbeing Programs vs Redesign

28:09 Resilience Band Aids and Culture

29:11 Where to Get the Book Closing

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Host Dr Russell Thackeray welcomes Andrea Carter, a Canada-based organisational scientist known for validating a way to measure belonging and leading studies across 3,500 people in 13 companies, later extended across eight industries and 150,000 employees. This is a genuinely fascinating episode and worth a full listen..!

Andrea argues resilience is often treated as a solo sport—“exile with a deadline”—and that the real breaking point is facing hardship alone. She defines belonging as a measurable performance metric co-created by individuals and systems, distinct from “fitting in,” and explains five neurological indicators: comfort (clarity/predictability), connection (trust beyond transaction), contribution (evidence you matter), psychological safety, and wellbeing/recovery, noting “resilience without recovery is delayed collapse.”

The discussion covers measuring belonging at organisational, team, and individual levels, focusing on shrinking belonging “gap scores,” and cites a plant intervention improving gap and discretionary effort, plus faster safety reporting.

They also touch on DEI measurement issues, cultural differences, schools’ rising anxiety, and social media’s negative effects.

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

01:00 Andrea Background and Research

04:34 Resilience Is Not Solo

07:04 Fitting In vs Belonging

10:35 Measuring Belonging Science

11:44 Five Indicators Explained

20:59 Teams Leaders and Culture

26:36 Belonging Drives Performance

30:39 Friction That Grows

39:32 Schools Youth and Social Media

44:05 Wrap Up and Contact Info

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Sydney-based psychologist, former HR/leadership development director, and secular Buddhist teacher Lenore Lambert about her work Flourish Personal Growth and her “People Against Rushing” (PAR) intentions: a 20% time buffer, blank diary spaces, and “be where you are.” Lambert outlines her “nine elements of human flourishing,” adding safety factors to Seligman’s model: material security, autonomy, ease with uncertainty, and belonging, plus pleasure, engagement/flow, achievement, connection, and contribution.

They discuss resilience as bouncing back/forward from setbacks, the risks of overdoing any element (especially money, power, and status), and research on “maximisers” vs “sufficers.” Lenore emphasises flourishing as both content and process, using learning, mindfulness, and Buddhist insight to reduce reactivity and respond rather than react.

She directs listeners to flourishpersonalgrowth.com and suggests downloading her free self-assessment to improve the lowest-scoring element.

00:00 Welcome From Sydney

00:57 Background And Work

02:57 People Against Rushing

04:36 Neurodiversity And Difficulty

05:24 Nine Elements Of Flourishing

08:36 Building The Model

10:35 Resilience And Setbacks

11:52 Money Status And Meaning

15:38 Workplace Leadership Effects

16:26 Sufficiency Versus Maximising

18:00 Paradox of Choice

19:08 Perfectionism and Maximisers

20:01 Learning as Resilience

20:35 Flourishing Process Model

22:09 Who Defines Flourishing

24:33 Happiness Myth Spectrum

27:32 Contentment and Comparison

29:18 Tools Programs and Website

30:26 Feelings as Body Sensations

33:33 Buddhist Nonreactivity Practice

37:15 How to Engage and Next Steps

38:26 Final Task and Farewell

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Host Russell Thackeray welcomes Duncan Starr-Boltt, a Cambridge-based Brit who lives in Crete most of the year, and explores his journey from mechanical engineering into personal training, coaching, and running a CrossFit gym.

Duncan describes intense fitness challenges (including a wall-ball world record of 452) and how proving fitness shaped his identity, later easing once he felt he’d proven it to himself.

After becoming stressed running the gym, he found Western approaches ineffective and turned to Eastern ideas, emphasising “you are not the mind,” cultivating the observer through meditation and mindfulness, and focusing on feeling okay internally.

He discusses the tension between goals and contentment, advocating goals for clarity without unhealthy drive, and shares his father’s Maslow-inspired visualisation process that iteratively achieves goals to uncover deeper purpose.

He also mentions his fictional book, "Seeking Sukha," about lasting happiness and peace, and how to find him online.

00:00 Introductions

00:37 From Engineer to Fitness Coach

01:55 Gym Stress and Eastern Practices

02:50 Forrest Gump Fitness Identity

03:33 Chasing World Records

06:06 Did Proving It Matter

07:09 The Goal Behind Goals

08:38 Goal Setting vs Discontentment

11:08 Driven Energy and Satisfaction

11:53 Why We Choose Unsatisfied

12:48 Why We Tolerate Abuse

13:38 Eastern Wisdom vs Western Fixes

14:45 You Are Not The Mind

17:08 Observer Mindfulness and Goals

17:50 Purpose Beyond the Cave

19:15 Vision Triangle Goal Process

23:21 Identity and Future Self

24:40 Seeking Sukha Book Story

26:26 Audiobook Recording Realities

26:53 Where to Find Duncan

27:24 Final Reflections and Goodbye

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

In this Resilience Unravelled episode, Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Celeste Warren, a US-based former chief diversity and inclusion officer who retired after nearly four decades in global corporations and now consults, speaks, and promotes her book The Truth About Equity.

Warren explains why equity is often misunderstood as preferential treatment and uses the “rocks and fence” analogy to show equity as giving people what they need without taking away from others, while the fence represents systemic “isms” that require long-term change.

She emphasises the role of dialogue in widening entrenched perspectives formed early in life, addresses DE&I pushback by framing equity as pragmatic business, marketing, and leadership basics, and outlines a six-step “equity in action” model including awareness, access, advocacy, action, accountability, and empowerment.

She discusses AI hiring risks and the need for checks and balances, shares her goal of creating ripple effects through education and allyship, and closes with “stay relevant, stay supportive, and stay in the fight.”

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:49 Celeste’s Career Journey

02:36 Why Equity Matters

03:40 Rocks and Fence Explained

06:54 Mindsets and Upbringing

10:58 DEI Pushback and Proof

11:35 Equity as Business Basics

15:17 Who the Book Is For

16:09 From Awareness to Impact

17:39 Equity in the Age of AI

20:38 Big Dream and Ripple Effect

21:52 Where to Get the Book

22:16 Final Takeaways and Wrap

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Dr Russell Thackeray welcomes writer and nonprofit leader Deborah Santana from Los Angeles to discuss her work and memoir, Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom.

Deborah explains her nonprofit Do Little, which supports women and girls in health, education, and happiness, and describes her lifelong commitment to challenging exclusion, shaped by growing up with an interracial family and seeing ongoing barriers such as limits on women’s ordination.

She critiques cultural and political forces she sees as pushing society toward a white patriarchal system, and emphasises education through original, trustworthy sources. She shares how being married to guitarist Carlos Santana for 34 years led her to feel unseen, and how leaving helped her live by her values, focus on collaborative “circle” work, and reclaim her identity.

She highlights meditation as a core resilience practice and offers guidance on moving away from toxic relationships. She directs viewers to deborahsantana.com and notes an audiobook is in progress.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:49 Flowers and Gardening Chat

02:03 Nonprofit Mission Do Little

02:58 Why Equality Still Matters

03:39 Family Roots and Exclusion

08:20 Reclaiming Your Voice

10:41 Leaving Celebrity Life

11:35 Circles and Museum Work

13:11 Truth Education and AI

14:31 Loving the Fire Memoir

17:12 Meditation and Walking Through Fire

19:13 Toxic Relationships and Change

20:54 Where to Find the Book

21:41 Audiobook and Closing

You can contact us at [email protected]

Resources can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com