The Compassionate Road

With 13 million acres burnt to a crisp, a billion sentient animals dead, human lives lost and our home - all of our home - burning still, there is much grief. There is anger. And there is a the desire to act to make change. 

I reflect on allowing ourselves space to feel it all, to acknowledge the sensations and sadness in our body. To feel it all and allow it to form deeper connection with our fellow human and non-human animals and with this empathy how we can move it to make choices that are positive for all of us. 

Australia kills millions of kangaroos every year, as "pest" management and as a "harvest" they call sustainable for commercial purposes. 

Australia also has one of the worst extinction rates on the planet of our wildlife. Animals we once thought to be abundant, are now gone or endangered. And when we look at history around the globe of putting a price on the head of wildlife, more often than not, they end with the same fate. Are we risking the future of our kangaroos by doing the same? Perhaps not to extinction according to Ray, but already the size of the ones shot are getting smaller. Already we have complete annihilations of populations in areas. 

The research Ray has done also leads him to believe that there is definitely an issue with kangaroo management – particularly the counting and we talk about the key issues with the population monitoring of data being reported and why this is of concern.

Fahima Zard is well known for her steady inversions, creating and sharing Flowave and her brilliant online courses, that are used by her students in countries all over the world. Fee has also completed a B. Psych, so her teaching is deeply inspired by how the brain functions & the impacts yoga can have on our mental processing & emotional capacity. We talk about her journey to yoga, transforming suffering into healing and sharing these learnings, how shaming never inspires change rather how we need to be empowered. We discuss the practical actions we can take in our life to live with softer footprints and how this journey of consciousness is one that lasts a lifetime.

In Episode 8, I speak with fellow Naturopath Kirsten Shanks, from "Wellness" Hub, Orchard Street. Kirsten shares the magic power of plants with Australians through Orchard Street juice cleanses, elixir bars, tinctures, herbs and teas. Plants have been used for eons to heal in their many forms, and they can bring us back a daily connection to the power of our land and our relationship with it. 

We get our 'naturopath on', chatting all things from the potency of plants, juice cleanses, the power of mushrooms and what to look for in them. We also discuss the mindful practise of tea ceremonies, cultivating community, how Kirsten stays true to her values at the same time as running a successful business.

In Episode 7, I speak with Ondine Sherman. Ondine not only is the co-founder of Voiceless, she also is a published author of three books and an all-round incredible woman. We talk about her journey that led her to create Voiceless, their work with law and education and animal protection today as it stands. We also chat about balancing out working with hard issues yet staying positive, the power we each have as consumers and how she weaves advocacy through her art.   

Lee weaves in her own journey with an auto-immune disorder and what she has learnt along the way through studies and working with experts, with the beautiful philosophy of Ayurveda. She is a best-selling author and has 9 beautiful books published, the most recent Supercharge Your Life. We discuss finding the balance of eating well for health, without losing the joy of food. 

ABC aired The Final Race last month to public outcry, with undeniable footage of retired race horses being killed, ending up as dog food or exported for human consumption. Thousands are killed per year as "wastage". Hundred dies on the tracks. In the last 6 years at Melbourne Cup, 6 horses have been killed on the race track... 

I speak with The Coalition For the Protection Of Racehorses, who helped get the footage for the ABC and have not only hard and horrible evidence of systemic cruelty to horses in the industry - they also have great suggestions to help make positive change - including why saying NUP TO THE CUP is powerful. 

Passionate and extremely intelligent, Jeffrey Masson chats about his books, what he learnt through his research for them and how he now applies this to his thinking regarding animals and how he lives his life. 

Jeffrey has written over 30 books and during writing one of these, The Pig Who Sang To The Moon became vegan through what he discovered. His book When Elephants Weep sold over 800,000 copies and was instrumental in helping open our eyes to the emotional lives of animals. His vibrant energy is contagious and I always love listening to him, and am sure you will too. 

Professor Culum Brown has made a significant contribution to the study of behavioural ecology of fishes over his research career. His research niche lies in the study of fish behaviour and its application to fisheries science with his most significant contribution being enhancing our understanding of fish cognition and behaviour. Culum is a well-known champion of fish intelligence. Collectively he has 100+ publications which have been cited over 5000 times. 

Gemma and Culum talk about how his and others research, on fish behaviour, memory and pain, might influence how we treat fish (fishes) going into the future. Currently we kill 2.3 trillion fish per year. More fish are taken from aquaculture than our oceans now... and many fish are critically endangered, and their survival or not affects the health of our oceans and rivers. 

Have a listen and see if your perception of fish is matching what research is confirming...

Animal protection is a critical component of ethical fashion. Fashion owes a huge debt to animals but most brands and consumers don’t know much about animal welfare in their supply chains. But this is changing…Four Paws are raising awareness so we can make more conscious choice around fashion with their Wear It Kind Campaign. Listen to why numerous brands including Armani, Burberry, Gucci, Versace and Vivienne Westwood, have rid their collections of fur. Why Chanel and Victoria Beckham no longer craft bags and shoes in crocodile and snake skins and Elise and Gemma speak about the what to look for when choosing wool or down - or perhaps other options.