To Be Human

Hello beautiful people 

On today’s podcast we have the beautiful Claire Dunn. Claire was a former environmental campaigner for The Wilderness Society. With growing interest in the psychology of the human-nature connection, Claire immersed herself in deep ecology, wilderness survival and nature awareness skills, rewilding, Jungian psychology, yoga, somatic psychotherapy and nature soul encounter practices. Claire offers reconnecting and rewilding workshops and retreats, and personal mentoring sessions. Claire also holds a degree in Media and Communications and has been a freelance journalist since 2001. She is the author of two books, ‘My Year Without Matches: Escaping the City in Search of the Wild’ and ‘Rewilding the Urban Soul’. 

What I personally love about this conversation is Claire’s beautiful presence and energy that she authentically embodies. In 2010, Claire embarked on a year of nature immersion, completing an Independent Wilderness Studies Program and it is in this conversation that she shares deeply about such an immersive and defining experience. Claire upon realising the distance between what she was trying to save through The Wilderness Society and the life she was living, took a leap of courage into nature and found that what she was longing for was also longing for her. Through living in the flow of nature, Claire’s old trauma patterns and parts of her pain body began to reveal themselves. Her voice of self-judgement became louder and the internal fight between the ‘doer’ and her new self was emerging. Claire shares about the importance of rewilding and the significant difference from rewinding, and one of my personal favourite lessons from this conversation is her concept of freedom and how this, through the absence of fear and resistance, we can experience if we so choose.

Please enjoy this really beautiful conversation with the connected Claire Dunn.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
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Connect with Claire
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Natures-Apprentice-634163346731221
Website | https://www.naturesapprentice.com.au

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the inspiring Stephen Redfern. Stephen started ultramarathon running at the age of 42. What drew Stephen to ultramarathon running was the discovery of the unknown; to discover who he is and what he is able to achieve. And achieve is certainly what Stephen has done. Some of his most notable achievements have been the Hong Kong Four Trails, which is a 298km self-supported run on all four major trails in Hong Kong where he ran through three separate sunrises, to running 11,500 laps of his garage totalling 360km in a 2020 lockdown challenge, to recently running a 655km solo 6-day ultramarathon around his local athletics track. 

What I personally love about this conversation is Stephen’s openness about his self-exploration and discovery through running. He describes his younger years of being a more of a hot headed, negatively orientated boy who found himself utilising bushwalking as an outlet; and now through long-distance running has come into a space of calm and positivity. As a self-proclaimed loner, who struggled to get a few words out seven years ago, it is such a beautiful trajectory Stephen has been on to now not only be part of a highly supportive community, but a representative of such, that people come to, including myself, for running wisdom. And testament to this, he has been invited to the 3100 mile Sri Chinmoy event next year in Queens, New York, where he will be averaging 96km per day over 52 days, to run what is referred to as the race of self-transcendence. Here it is indeed that he will experience the ultimate pilgrimage of endurance and self-exploration. Please enjoy this conversation of humanised reflection and performance mindset with the wonderful Stephen Redfern.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
 Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Stephen
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/shaggy072
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/stephenredfern
Website | https://southernsydney24hourultra.com.au

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the absolutely exceptional Paul Watkins. Paul is a pharmacist, business owner, a stay at home dad and self-proclaimed nerd. He is a keynote speaker, author of the book, ‘Lost and Found: Why We Need Adventure’ and winner of the 2019 6633 Arctic Ultra; referred to as ‘the toughest, coldest, windiest footrace on the planet’; a self-sufficient race over 614km in the Canadian Arctic with temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees! 

What I personally love about this conversation is, well, a lot really! Paul and I are really like minded; the kind of people that have more books than they do anything else, more things highlighted than is probably necessary, more notes than you know what to do with and are more likely to find friendships in the writings of ancient philosophers and adventurers that have passed. It’s this sense of growth and development that really pulls people to Paul; and it’s how he takes this growth and development away from the books and continues his journey of self-exploration to the elements and some of the most extreme conditions on Earth. 

In this conversation Paul shares what it means to lean into the savage within, that we are more than our job; that we are indeed the stories and experiences of our lives, and the importance of failure that lead him to a winning mindset in the 6633 Arctic Ultra. 

And for those of you that may not make it to the end of this podcast, I want to share part of what Paul believes it means to him To Be Human; Go and find things that are not your job title, your business card or your pay packet; find things that are essentially you, that you are passionate about and then go and write the best goddamn story you can!

Enjoy one of my absolute favourite conversations, with the phenomenal Paul Watkins.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Paul
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/the.rogue.scholar
Website | https://www.roguescholar.com.au

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the powerful Miriam Lancewood. Miriam was born in the Netherlands. After completing her university degree, she worked for a year in Zimbabwe and then travelled to India where she met now husband Peter; a former university lecturer from New Zealand. Together they hiked over mountain ranges in the Himalaya, journeyed for years through South East Asia and eventually ended up in New Zealand. It was in New Zealand that they decided to give up all of their belongings and move into the mountains with a bow and arrow for 6 years, and subsequently in 2017 they left New Zealand to walk 2,000km through the forest of Europe, along the coast of Turkey and also ended up in the Australian desert. These incredible stories are shared in Miriam’s international bestselling books, ‘Woman In The Wilderness’ and ‘Wild At Heart’.

What I personally love about this conversation is Miriam’s energy and openness. I read both of Miriam’s books, which I genuinely recommend, and thoroughly enjoyed the depth and pure, raw storytelling that prevailed. I cried, I laughed and I reflected on some harder topics that as a society we tend to suppress and ignore. I speak with Miriam about the wave of emotion that certainly was felt surrounding her fear of doing nothing and of being alone, her experience of transforming from being a vegetarian to a hunter, the lessons of life and death that are learnt from being in a relationship with someone 30 years her senior, and of finding herself through the exploration of nature and connection with the wilderness.

If you are enjoying these podcasts, please rate, review, subscribe, share with friends and family, become part of the To Be Human Collective, and I’m excited to share this beautiful, empowered lady with you, Miriam Lancewood.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Miriam
Website | https://miriamlancewood.com

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the determined Mark Inglis. In 1982, at the age of just 23, Mark became trapped in an ice cave for 14 days with a fellow mountaineer by a sub-zero blizzard on the summit of New Zealand’s highest peak. Both starving and freezing, Mark lost 30kg and slowly watched as his feet were overcome by frostbite. This frostbite, upon being rescued, led to Mark becoming a double amputee below the knee.  In the year 2000, Mark became the first New Zealand silver medalist in cycling in the Paralympics Games and in 2006 he became the world’s first double amputee to summit Mount Everest. Mark is a scientist, award-winning winemaker, business innovator, trekking guide and philanthropist, being the Founding Trustee of the Limbs4All Charity which is committed to helping some of the 400 million disabled people in the world express their potential.

What I personally love about this conversation is Mark’s deep determination in life. It is so fascinating to hear of the mindset behind surviving 14 days in such dire circumstances; the importance of knowledge, of faith and of having confidence in a compelling future. I’m also really inspired by the self-belief that pulled Mark to take on climbing Mount Everest as a double amputee; this idea of, even though it hasn’t been done, does not mean it cannot. And, I love Mark’s focus on attitude and how you yourself have control of how long the hard parts in life last. 

If you are enjoying this podcast, please rate, review, subscribe, share with friends and family, become part of the To Be Human Collective, and I am certain you will learn something new about how to not only survive, but how to thrive with the experienced Mark Inglis.

Connect with Me
 Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Mark
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/markinglisunlimited
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/MiddlePeak
Website | https://www.markinglisunlimited.co.nz

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the lovely Nikki Wynd. Nikki is a highly respected runner in the ultramarathon community. Starting her running journey in 2005 after the birth of her son, it wasn’t until 2008 when Nikki did the 100km Oxfam trailwalker that she really began to lean into this new area of her life. By 2011, Nikki was awarded the Australian Female Ultra Runner of the Year having broken the course records of 6 out the 7 races that she competed in that year. It’s safe to say Nikki has ran a lot in her time, with some of the most notable achievements being her completing Badwater 135, referred to by many as the world’s toughest footrace, three times, including being the female winner, first Australian female winner and record holder of the over 40 category in 2015, and in 2016 she set an Australian Record running 343km in 48 hours in the Australian 48 hour Track Championships. Nikki currently runs between 180km-200km per week.

What I personally love about this conversation is how Nikki has this beautiful balance between the importance of dedication and commitment, particularly when it comes to training, but also this touch of gentleness and enjoyment that she emphasises is just as significant. You would assume that a woman that has achieved so much, including winning the female category of a world’s toughest footrace, would be made up of grit and grind, but she shares the importance of drawing on positive energy, of placing intention behind a smile and of being motivated by family. It is in this conversation that we get to know Nikki at a deeper level; about how she is all about giving something a crack, putting it all on the line and giving her 100%.

If you are enjoying these podcasts, please rate, review, subscribe, doing this truly helps with this podcast and the incredible stories behind this podcast reach more amazing people like you, share with friends and family, become part of the To Be Human Collective, and I am certain your performance mindset will be up levelled after you listen in to this conversation with the phenomenal Nikki Wynd.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Nikki
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/nikkiwynd

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the positively infectious Olivia Vivian. Olivia is a former Australian gymnast, having competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2005, 2006 and 2014 World Championships and the 2014 Commonwealth Games as a bar specialist. More recently, Olivia is a notable competitor on Australian Ninja Warrior, having first made an appearance in the inaugural season in 2017 and subsequently each season since; having made history by being both the first female to make the Grand Final, then following this with a second year in a row and in 2020 becoming the first female and only female to make it to the second stage of the Grand Final. She has also competed in American Ninja Warrior and the Ninja World Championships where she established a women’s World Record for the international standard of the long ‘speed’ course.

What I personally love about this conversation is Olivia’s absolutely vivacious energy. She is certainly, for me, one of the most endearing people I have met with the combination of animated expression and focused intellect. Last year Olivia spoke out about the ‘toxic culture’ behind Australia’s elite gymnastics program as she shares after competing at the Summer Olympics she became ‘a broken athlete and a broken person’. It is in this conversation that we explore deeper into this very raw experience for Olivia, how such a quote on quote ‘messed up’ experience can become normalised, how such experience created a core belief within her that she is ‘worthless’ and how the practice of self-belief and self-worth has helped her to gradually overcome it. We speak about the journey of Australian Ninja Warrior, what it is like to compete against her partner, Ben Polson, and the pressure that comes with being an Australian female icon both from an audience standpoint and that of production.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please rate, review, subscribe, share with friends and family, become part of the To Be Human Collective, and I am certain you are going to absolutely love this conversation with the beautiful Olivia Vivian.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Olivia
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/oliviavivian
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/OliviaVivian.Athlete

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the wonderful Craig Hamilton. Craig was an underground coal miner for 16 years before starting his career as an ABC Radio broadcaster in 1999. From here he was also a commentator for the Rugby League, Rugby Union and Cricket at an international level. Craig is the author of two books, ‘Broken Open’ and ‘A Better Life’, and is a highly sought after international motivational speaker who focuses on destigmatising mental health and speaks about what it is like to battle a serious mental illness.

What I personally love about this conversation is Craig’s courage in sharing his story surrounding mental health and Bipolar 1. Craig in the year 2000 was asked to be a commentator at the Sydney Olympics, a dream come true, as good as it gets, type moment; only for him, on the very day he was on his way to the Olympics, he experienced psychosis on the train station platform, in front of not only family and friends, but also the public; being handcuffed and put into the back of a police wagon. When I was reading about this moment in Craig’s book, ‘Broken Open’, it was quite confronting; I felt like I was there with him, and with his wife Louise, as they described her staring at her husband on the platform coming to understand the true severity of Craig’s state. I reflected deeply on this sliding doors type situation; how you hear of these stories of people being so, so close to fulfilling their dream, just within reach, and then all of a sudden they are on a path never considered; so different. What I am coming to understand is that as a society we need these stories, for people to have these deep and defining experiences to be able to share with others, with us, so that we can learn from them. Craig shares that in the 7 months leading up to his psychosis there were warning signs, there were opportunities for him to have taken a different path, if he had of known what to look for. It is in this conversation, that we have the privilege to understand what these signs are and what to do with them if we do recognise them in our own life.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please rate, review, subscribe, share with friends and family, become part of the To Be Human Collective, and it’s time to connect and reflect with the courageous Craig Hamilton.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Craig
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/craighamilton_official
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/Craig-Hamilton-Mental-Health-Wellbeing-Speaker-213692778759571
Website | https://craig-hamilton.com

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the glorious Julie Way. Julie has a full time practice as a breathworker, and is a specialised Lifeline Technique Practitioner. She is the author of the books Personal Mastery and Thoughts For A Miraculous Life. She holds a degree in Comparative Religion, Spirituality, and Mysticism, and holds monthly presentations that focus on a practical approach to the evolution of genuine spiritual, emotional and mental peace, trust, freedom, personal power, love and safety in our everyday lives.

What I personally love about this conversation is Julie’s ability to connect spirituality with practicality. I first heard of Julie through a friend who had shared many testimonials of the success of Julie’s breathwork in helping people to release physical, emotional and mental stress. This deeply intrigued me as I am particularly interested in the areas of both research and practice when it comes to releasing trapped energy in the body that can manifest in unconscious fear responses. Julie is all about 100% responsibility in your life; and this is certainly a belief that I continue to see time and time again in the lives of those that are most happiest, fulfilled and at peace. It is certainly a harder one to embody at the more challenging of times, but I continue to tell myself, this does not make it any less important or necessary. It is indeed the pathway to self-empowerment. Julie shares how love is only real, and fear is always telling lies, how addiction always starts out as a short-term solution and becomes a long-term problem. She shares about the power of forgiveness, using a real-life example in which she had to practice what she preaches when experiencing a deep feeling of betrayal by a former partner, and she encourages us to understand that the quality of our thoughts create our reality. 

I will say, the audio is slightly distorted at times, which is unfortunate as all that she shares is certainly full of wisdom. But, in saying this, when listening back to this podcast, there was something really beautiful about the intermittency of it all; that it wasn't this constant intake, but the brain listens more intently to what it needs to hear in this moment, right now. For me personally, it was about forgiving myself for what I do not want in my life, and being open to receiving what I do. I would recommend listening to this in a quiet space with intention, or listen on a run or cleaning the house; being open to the teachings that are relevant to you; and always feel free to share with me the insight that you have learned.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please rate, review, subscribe, share with friends and family, become part of the To Be Human Collective and truly connect with this insightful conversation with the beautiful Julie Way.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Julie
Website | https://julieway.com.au

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the courageous Paul Pritchard. Paul was a cutting-edge rock climber and mountaineer; having his adventures take him from the Himalayas to Patagonia to the European Alps. In 1997 Paul won the Boardman/Tasker Award for mountain literature for his book ‘Deep Play’ in which he spent the prize money on a world climbing tour, finding himself climbing the slender sea stack known as the Totem Pole in Tasmania that is 65 metres high and 4 metres wide. It was at the Totem Pole in 1998, that a laptop sized boulder fell from 25 metres and hit Paul on the head; inflicting such great injuries that doctors thought he would never walk or speak again. Fortunately, he was able to, however he does have hemiplegia; experiencing paralysis on the right side of his body and the brain injury does continue to inform his speech and memory. Though Paul is now disabled, Paul is passionate about insisting that this does not mean he is unable; having since the accident climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, rode a trike through Tibet to Mount Everest, in 2016 climbed the infamous Totem Pole, 18 years after his accident, and most recently cycled through deserts and mountains for a distance of  2152km in the ‘Lowest to Highest Expedition’ in Australia.

What I personally love about this podcast is Paul’s tenacity in continuing to live a courageous and adventurous life post-accident. He shares deep wisdom about the power of the now, the power of absolute presence, and the power of true acceptance; which he so astutely shares does not mean resignation. I will highlight that Paul does have a brain injury, as he humoursely states, ‘he is missing half his brain and most of it is plastic’; so in saying this, I have edited this podcast with Paul’s encouragement to cut out pauses that he may be using to gather his thoughts as his brain does work at 50% capacity. I have left a couple of authentic and vulnerable moments in there on purpose, for us to truly connect with some of Paul’s challenges when it comes to his daily life; and what really impresses me is despite these challenges in this form of communication, Paul continues to write award-winning books, with his most recent book ‘The Mountain Path’ taking him 6 years to complete; typing each key with one finger ever so considered. So I think there is certainly an indirect lesson of embodying patience, particularly when it comes to your goals, from Paul too.

If you are enjoying this podcast, please rate, review, subscribe, share with friends and family, become part of the To Be Human Collective, and be present, be inspired, by this raw conversation with Paul Pritchard.

Connect with Me
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Paul
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/_paulpritchard_
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/paulpritchard.com.au
Website | http://www.paulpritchard.com.au