SHIT HAPPY with Toni Powell

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview

Shownotes:

After a workplace conflict detonates Donna Thistlewaite’s confidence, intrusive thoughts spiral fast and end in a suicide attempt from Brisbane’s Story Bridge. Donna survives in a chain of near-impossible events and, years later, uses her story to shift stigma, build hope, and teach practical tools for wellbeing. This episode explores suicide prevention, anxiety, shame, catastrophising, nervous system overload, and why you cannot “think your way out” when your brain is in fight-flight.

Topics

• Work stress, humiliation, imposter thoughts
• Anxiety, sleep loss, nervous system overload
• Suicide attempt and survival
• Why the suicidal brain feels “rational”
• Lifeline volunteering and the power of being heard
• Recovery routines: exercise, cycling, gratitude
• Storytelling, shame, privacy and telling family
• Hope: emotional states are temporary

Episode SpecificLinks

• Donna Thistlewaite about: https://donnathistlethwaite.com.au/
• Australian Story episode featuring Donna (2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jpy9RBEDtg
• Lifeline: https://www.lifeline.org.au/131114?q=get-help/services/131114
• Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
• Transcript and guest bio: https://shithappy.com/surviving-suicid…f-miracles-ep-90/

Related Episodes

# 20  Blindsided By Benzos - Deke Ludwig

# 94  How My Mother's Suicide Changed My Life Forever with Alice Hanna

# 18, 19, 21, 22, 24 and 25 with Toni about her journey with mental health
:

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview

Shownotes: We Learned New Stuff - In Bed With Phil  ep 89

 What if everything you “knew” turned out to be wrong—or at least surprising? In this fun In Bed with Phil episode, Toni and Phil swap strange facts, quirky discoveries, and laugh-out-loud oddities. From Elton John’s favorite song to why Saudi Arabia imports sand, and why astronauts can’t whistle in space—this mix of truth, myth-busting, and comedy will spark your curiosity and remind you that wellbeing and mental health often start with wonder, surprise, and laughter.

Topics

• Elton John’s surprising favorite song
• Why desert nations import sand
• Oldest university founded by a woman
• Sudan’s 200 pyramids
• Time, calendars, and clocks in Ethiopia
• Fact-checking viral internet “truths”
• Astronauts and whistling in space
• Cowboy “tumbleweed” dad joke

Episode Specific Links

• Smile – Charlie Chaplin song: https://youtu.be/YynxFjMXF1Y?si=bYj7c6ajtIH5FAI_
  
  
• Al-Qarawiyyin University: https://alqarawiyyeenuniversity.org/
  
  
• Transcript  https://shithappy.com/we-learned-new-s…-with-phil-ep-89/

Related Episode Links

# 81  In Bed With Phil - We might be Spicy

#curiosity, #funfacts, #randomknowledge, #interestingfacts, #quirkytruths, #didyouknow, #trivia

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview

Shownotes:

 Maureen Hascoet built a bold plan to change Scotland’s film industry while her family faced a Huntington’s diagnosis. Then investors manoeuvred her out of her own studio, triggering betrayal trauma, burnout, panic, and a frightening intrusive thought on the motorway. In this raw conversation, Maureen shares how she rebuilt power, boundaries, and purpose through community support, therapy, resilience practices, and new projects that protect creatives from being taken advantage of.

Topics

• Betrayal, grief and business loss
• Burnout, panic attacks, intrusive thoughts
• Chronic stress and family illness
• Legal battles, power and protection
• Rebuilding after collapse
• Community, dignity, identity

Episode SpecificLinks

• Firewalker Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/firewalkerfilms/
• Transcript and guest bio: https://shithappy.com/what-happened-wh…en-hascoet-ep-88/

Related EpisodeS

 #68 A Filmmakers Improbable Journey to Mission Impossible – Chris Jones

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview

Shownotes

 A short but powerful “But wait, there’s more” follow-up with anthropologist Monty Badami that dives into identity, culture, wellbeing and meaning. Monty shares his time in South India with the Pania community, the limits of a purely biomedical approach to mental health, and a story that still gives Toni goosebumps: the day an elder knew she’d taken a stone from the river. You’ll also hear how this moment helped Monty shift from psychology to anthropology, and how objects, rituals and place can hold memory, belonging and healing.

Topics

• Indigenous communities in South India and the Pania people
• Structural violence, marginalisation and mental health
• Limits of “quick fix” biomedical models
• Culture, story and community as meaning-making
• Objects, rituals and place as memory and identity
• Spirit possession beliefs and cultural worldview shifts
• Anthropology vs psychology and why Monty changed paths
• Grief, belonging and what we carry

Episode Specific Links

• Monty Badami: https://montybadami.com/
• https://www.habitus.org/about 
• Transcript and guest bio:  https://shithappy.com/how-stealing-a-r…nty-badami-ep-87/

Related Episodes

 Find at www.shithappy.com

# 2 Betrayals, Bombs and Badassery with Heidi Dening

# 3 Anxiety, Connection and King Kong with Heidi Dening

# 36 Dreqms, Miracles and Enlightenment with Paul McDermott

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview

Shownotes

What does it really mean to be human in a messy, uncertain world? Anthropologist Monty Badami joins Toni Powell for a thoughtful, funny and deeply humane conversation about wellbeing, mental health, conflict, compassion and meaning-making. From cancel culture and free speech to perfectionism, vulnerability and sitting with discomfort, this episode explores how embracing complexity, rather than escaping it, helps us navigate life, relationships and modern stress with more empathy and resilience.

Topics

• Human complexity and meaning-making
• Wellbeing, mental health and emotional literacy
• Sitting with discomfort and uncertainty
• Perfectionism, vulnerability and self-compassion
• Cancel culture, free speech and empathy
• Conflict, resistance and unmet needs
• Creativity, art and the role of reflection
• Hope, despair and shared humanity

Episode Specific Links

• Monty Badami TEDx Talk (mentioned): https://youtu.be/G052sRQ_8gE?si=6nAZG_IlFEcHB0Aj
• Habitus Social Enterprise: https://www.habitus.org/about
• Carl Sagan – Cosmos (mentioned): https://youtu.be/g3ZdqeW-CUA?si=59JoU7OdWZlPZeQ4
• Transcript and guest bio: https://shithappy.com/how-to-get-curio…nty-badami-ep-86/

Related Episodes

# 36  Dreams, Miracles & Enlightenment with Paul McDermott

# 2 and # 3 with Heidi Dening

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview

Shownotes:

This Miracles edition of But Wait, There’s More gathers powerful real-life stories of meaning, hope, grief and connection from past guests. From near-death reassurance and spiritual presence to long-lost family reunions, unexpected provision, and profound end-of-life experiences, these conversations explore how moments we can’t explain reshape identity, purpose, wellbeing and mental health. Listeners seeking comfort, reflection, courage or curiosity about the unseen threads of life will find resonance and relief in these shared human stories.

Topics

Near-death insight, spiritual presence, grief and loss, serendipity, family reconnection, intuitive experiences, purpose, hope, unseen support

Transcript and Bio:  https://shithappy.com/let-me-tell-you-…-a-miracle-ep-85/ 

 Episode Specific Links -  find on www.shithappy.com

 # 84 Meralda Bateman " I'm gay?" The Plot Twist I Didn't See Coming
 # 78 Bart Walsh - “When the Universe Drops a Tree on You” (
 # 81  Frank Frikker - The Magic of Music and Laughter
 # 54 Monica Rosenfeld - Stories That Stir)
 # 80 Paul Fairweather - Finding Your Creative Side

 #Wellbeing, #Mindfulness, #Motivation

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview 

Shownotes: "I'm Gay?" The Plot Twist I Didn't See Coming with Meralda Bateman ep 84

An unexpected, funny and deeply moving story about love, identity, wellbeing and family. Marelda Bateman shares how leaving a long marriage, navigating mental health challenges, and falling in love with a woman at 40 reshaped her life. This episode explores relationships, parenting, resilience, sexuality and what happens when following truth leads to a richer, more authentic life.

Topics

• Mental health during separation
 • Coming out later in life
 • Parenting through major change
 • Same-sex relationships
 • Identity and belief systems
 • Blended families
 • Wellbeing and resilience

Episode Specific Links

 • Transcript and guest bio:  https://shithappy.com/im-gay-the-plot-…da-bateman-ep-84/

Related Episodes

•  # 52 In Bed with Phil – Peanuts Are Destroying Our Marriage
 • # 63 Holiday Special on First Meetings 

#Wellbeing, #Mindfulness, #motivation 

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview 

Shownotes

In this In Bed with Phil episode of Sh!t Happy, Toni and Phil share an honest, lived-experience conversation about autism, ADHD and neurodivergence later in life. They explore sensory overload, misinterpretation of behaviour, late diagnosis, dopamine, anxiety and why difference is so often labelled as “difficult.” With humour and deep compassion, this episode reframes neurodivergence through a wellbeing and mental health lens, offering understanding, relief and practical insight for anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, misunderstood or out of step with the world.

Topics

Autism and ADHD
 Late diagnosis
 Sensory sensitivity
 Neurodivergence and mental health
 Misunderstood behaviour
 Compassion and difference

Transcript & Bio: https://shithappy.com/a-very-spicy-in-…-with-phil-ep-83/

Related Episodes

•  any In Bed with Phil episodes
• #82 Patricia  | EMBRACING the adventure of AUTISM IN FIJI

Heads Up

Discussion of autism, ADHD, anxiety and mental health.

#Wellbeing, #Mindfulness, #Motivation

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview 

SHOWNOTES

When a child is diagnosed with profound autism, life changes instantly. In this powerful episode of Sh!t Happy, Fijian lawyer and HR leader Patricia Naisara shares her family’s lived experience of raising a neurodivergent child in a system with almost no support. This is an honest conversation about parenting, mental health, wellbeing, marriage under pressure, advocacy, and learning to live with uncertainty while still choosing joy, humour and compassion. A deeply human episode for parents, carers, leaders and anyone navigating autism or unexpected life challenges.

Topics

• Autism and neurodiversity
 • Parenting and mental health
 • Marriage and teamwork under stress
 • Advocacy and awareness
 • Patience, compassion and wellbeing

Episode Specific Links

 • Pacific Autism Centre (Fiji): https://www.mwcsp.gov.fj/2024/10/30/ministry-of-women-children-social-protection-supports-pacific-autism-centre/
 • Transcript and guest bio:  https://shithappy.com/embracing-autism…ia-naisara-ep-82/

Related Episodes

#83 Turns Out We Are Quite Spicy - In Bed With Phil

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/

This is the fan mail link!

#ShitHappyPodcast, #InspiringPodcast, #PodcastInterview

Shownotes

Music and laughter can be powerful tools for wellbeing, creativity and mental health. In this episode of Sh!t Happy, Toni Powell chats with composer and songwriter Frank Frikker about creativity later in life, finding joy through music, and using humour as a way through difficult times. From catchy tunes that get stuck in your head to satirical songs about leaf blowers and the absurdity of modern life, Frank shares how music, laughter and storytelling can lift mood, ease stress, and help us make sense of the chaos around us.

Topics

Creativity and wellbeing
 Music and mental health
 Humour as coping
 Finding joy later in life
 Satire and storytelling
 Art as healing

Episode Specific Links

Frank Frikker music and recordings
 Song: In Your Head:https://music.apple.com/us/album/pretzel-poem-project/1776770854
Song and video: Leafblower: hhttps://music.apple.com/us/song/leaf-blower-anthem/1458175851
Album: Yarmouk: https://music.apple.com/us/album/yarmouk/1458175848
Transcript and guest bio:  https://shithappy.com/the-magic-of-mus…nk-frikker-ep-81/

Related Episode: Find them on www.shithappy.com

# 38  Tammy Van Wisse – She Took On Impossible and Won

# 80   Paul Fairweather - How To Grow Your Creative Side

#Wellbeing, #Mindfulness, #Motivation

Support the show

 Links To Love (newsletter +++): https://shithappy.com/resources/