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Welcome to Episode 99 – Average Joes with Wayne Taylor
A plumber and a real estate agent walked into a bar…
It has all the makings of the start of a great joke, but what happened is anything but. In 2018, mates Wayne and Eliot put the call out to men of the Sunshine Coast to join them for a beer, chicken wings and chat. And it didn’t take long before blokes started rocking up – and Average Joes was born.
Average Joes is a movement that inspires men to step above average. Through weekly meet-ups, men can engage in meaningful discussions about topics that matter to them. Not only does it provide a sense of community for men, but it also helps them to find their voice, learn and grow.
In this episode, Wayne shares:
Key Quotes:
“If you choose to be the inactive father, trust me the media will step in and father your child.”
“I didn’t realise that as a whole men were lonely.”
“I wanna be a men’s movement that raises a generation of men that wanna be givers.”
Connect with Wayne:
Website: https://averagejoes.net.au/
LinkedIn: h https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-taylor-179506176/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AverageJoes.net.au
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/average_joes__/
Connect with Mindful Men
Website at www.mindful-men.com.au
Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2050441875316594
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.men.aus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful.men.aus/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-rinne-246207247/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindful.men.aus
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXBNQmbj4ZQj3rzFAZALTA
***If anything triggers you from today's episode, please reach out to your support networks or seek professional help***
Stay Mindful, Simon
Trigger warning: Child Sexual Abuse, Graphic Violence
Welcome to Episode 98 – From prison to purpose with Sonny Von Cleveland
The thought of going to prison would horrify most people. But for some who have been in the prison system, it can provide safety, belonging and the time and space to heal. At least this was the situation for Sonny Von Cleveland.
Sonny was sexually abused as a child, and his traumatic upbringing lead to a young life of crime. Repeat detentions in the juvenile system ultimately saw him enter the adult prison system as a 16 year old. It wasn’t long before the unprocessed trauma became too much and Sonny snapped; stabbing another inmate in the face, and from here fell in with a brotherhood of gang members.
Later on, Sonny ended up in the hole – and it’s here that he discovered a way of healing the anger that was festering inside. Join us as Sonny take us through his transformational journey, and shares how he uses his pain to inspire change in others.
In this episode, Sonny shares:
Key Quotes:
Connect with Sonny:
Website: https://www.heywhiteboy.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thechoiceeffect/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sonnyvoncleveland8x
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonnyvonclevelandofficial
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL7Noxq4twziF_yHHCgBqA
Connect with Mindful Men
Website at www.mindful-men.com.au
Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2050441875316594
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.men.aus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful.men.aus/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-rinne-246207247/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindful.men.aus
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXBNQmbj4ZQj3rzFAZALTA
***If anything triggers you from today's episode, please reach out to your support networks or seek professional help***
Stay Mindful, Simon
Trigger warning: Alcohol abuse
Welcome to Episode 97 – Thriving after a liver transplant with John Weiman
Have you ever wondered what happens when you have “too much of a good thing?”. Alcohol can make us feel we’re on a good thing, but the long term impacts can have devastating consequences. This includes impacts on our mental and physical health, our identity, finances, relationships, careers and so much more.
This week we’re exploring all of this through the lived experience of John Weiman. After years of alcohol abuse, John was diagnosed with Cirrhosis of the liver and required a liver transplant to survive. He talks about what led to the diagnosis, and the hurdles he had to jump over just to get the doctor’s approval to do the transplant. This is a story of triumph over tragedy, and an episode you won’t want to miss.
In this episode, John shares:
Key Quotes:
“Because of the chaos in the household, I developed a family out side of the household and that was friends who drank.”
“Alcohol abuse is something that whether your drinking or not, lasts with you the rest of your life.”
“I never thought of myself as an alcoholic, I was a people-holic”
Interested in Organ Donation?
Australia: https://www.donatelife.gov.au/
United States: https://www.organdonor.gov/
Connect with John:
Website: https://lifebridgecoaching.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-weiman-3a109b11/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/life_bridge_coaching
Connect with Mindful Men:
Website: www.mindful-men.com.au
Community Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2050441875316594
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.men.aus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful.men.aus/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-rinne-246207247/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindful.men.aus
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXBNQmbj4ZQj3rzFAZALTA
***If anything triggers you from today's episode, please reach out to your support networks or seek professional help***
Stay Mindful, Simon
Trigger warning: Gambling addiction, suicide
Welcome to Episode 91 – Strong Men Struggle with
Men who identify as Alpha males can often feel trapped when dealing with their internal struggles. The expectation to be strong, dependable and unwavering amidst chaos can clash with an internal voice that’s reaching our for help. But there is a way to balance the two, and this week’s guest is a prime example of this. Gary Fahey is a mental strength and performance specialist, mental health and addiction counsellor, highly sought-after speaker and bestselling author who embodies the mantra of “Lived it, Learned it, Earned it.”
Gary spent 18 years with the Australian Federal Police, leading the Australian Prime Minister’s Personal Protection Team, directing the strategic and operational responsibilities of the Office of Commissioner as the AFP's Executive Officer, and managing international operations.
And he did this while fighting a deep, dark and destructive battle with mental health and gambling addiction which cost him $2 million, his career, his reputation and saw him question the value of his own life.
In this episode Gary shares:
- Where he started and what life was growing up in a low socio economic area
- How he got into the Australian Federal Police and came to work with Kevin Rudd’s security
- The way his career took a toll on his personal life
- How things outside the AFP were unconsciously happening and it took him a while to realise what was falling to the side of his high pressure career
- How gambling was the place where the noise wouldswitch off in his head
- The moment he lost his job due to his gambling addiction
- His rock bottom/scary moment in his life where he researched taking his own life
- The reason his earlier attempts to stop his addiction were not successful
- The work he's doing today to help and inspire others going through similar challenges
- The frameworks and techniques he draw on to help his clients
- The reason he doesn’t conduct sessions in offices
- The importance of lived experience especially for helping men
Key quotes:
"I found it very difficult to acknowledge to myself that I was struggling.”
"I wasn’t very conscious about building the man outside of the AFP, I was more focused on climbing the ladder.”
"I thought I had a gambling issue and tried to fix a gambling issue and didn’t realise the depression was underpinning that.”
"I needed to build skills when I was in rational thinking so that when I was irrational I might have had a chance to do the right thing."
More about Gary
You can find out more about Gary and his services via his website: www.strongmend.com
And follow Gary on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StrongMend
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strong.mend
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garyfahey/
Gary also mentioned Physiological Sighing, which you can find information about here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBdhqBGqiMc&t=11s
For more from Mindful Men
Check out the website at www.mindful-men.com.au
You can also follow us on social media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.men.aus
Instagram: @mindful.men.aus
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-rinne-246207247/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindful.men.aus
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXBNQmbj4ZQj3rzFAZALTA
***If anything triggers you from today's episode, please reach out to your support networks or seek professional help***
Cheers, Simon
Trigger warning: Depression, PTSD, suicide
Welcome to Episode 90 - Open Arms with Ken Otter
Making any kind of life change can have a big impact on our mental health, but there are probably very few shifts you can make as big as returning to civilian life after serving in the military.
The trauma that veterans experience can have long lasting effects, not just on them, but on the friends and family around them as well.
That’s why the organisation Open Arms was founded to provide mental health support for Australian veterans and their families.
In this episode I speak with Ken Otter a social worker with Open Arms who has seen the many different ways trauma can have an impact on our
In this episode Ken shares:
- What first drew him to social work
- His experiences working in the mental health space in the Northern Territory
- What exactly Open Arms is and how it helps veterans and their families
- Therapy approaches used in Open Arms
- The unique ways he pitches mindfulness to veterans
- The power of having someone with lived experience to help
- Why the young age that people join the military has a significant impact on their mental health
- Why many veterans struggle with having their high level skills dismissed in the civilian world.
- The many forms of trauma and ways it can be experienced
- Some of the things to look out for, for those who might be experiencing a trauma related mental illness
- Why people need to consider their journey to be their journey and not compare it to anyone else’s.
Key quotes:
“Because you’re in the military and you’ve got this higher order purpose, it’s very hard to come back and stand around a BBQ and talk about what colour your commodore is.”
“Trauma comes in many forms.”
“Mindfulness is very individual. One person’s mindfulness is another person’s irritation.”
More about Ken and Open Arms
You can find out more about Open Arms here: https://www.openarms.gov.au/
And follow them on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OpenArmsVeteransAndFamiliesCounselling
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/openarmspeers
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/openarms/
You can also ring the Open Arms 24/7 number on 1800 011 046.
You can also follow Ken on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-otter-03342733/?originalSubdomain=au
Ken also mentioned the Netflix mini series called “True Colours” that he believes portrays the cultural
For more from Mindful Men
Check out the website at www.mindful-men.com.au
You can also follow us on social media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.men.aus
Instagram: @mindful.men.aus
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-rinne-246207247/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mindful.men.aus
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbXBNQmbj4ZQj3rzFAZALTA
***If anything triggers you from today's episode, please reach out to your support networks or seek professional help***
Cheers, Simon
From the publisher's feed