Áine speaks with Mel Greenhalgh, Neuro-coach, Collective Wisdom Coaching and Consulting. Mel is presenting workshops for women, as a part of the Women’s Safety Program running from February - June 2024. The workshops are funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

Mel has 30 years of experience working in the community, youth work, in policy, research and higher education. She shares aspects of her personal lived experience and how that has led her into work as a Neuro-coach. We discuss the impact of the Covid Pandemic and how that affected us and our communities. How we feel about ourselves, and how we can progress through a journey of healing recovery, and by using strategies to build self-awareness and self-care, we can embrace greater understanding and empowerment.

We also discuss the upcoming workshops focused on women’s safety and unpack some of the reasons why it is hard to say, No.

Ben opens up to Áine about his personal lived experience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He discusses his recovery journey, his work with Rebus Theatre as a community arts worker and how music creation helps him to raise awareness about ADHD as well as be who he truly is - a talented writer and composer.

Please Note - This interview features two original songs by Ben Drysdale which are available to stream on Spotify.

Lorena Flawn speaks with Dr Susanne Ilschner, Australian National University (ANU) School of Medicine and Psychology. Dr Ilschner has a BA in Visual Art and is currently a PhD Candidate pulling together her experience in lab, clinic and art to evaluate pathways to and meaning of a diagnosis of endometriosis, and gaining deeper insight into the socio-political context of disease. Her current project is engaging with biological questions of pathogenesis and fluid biopsy for diagnosis, involving extracellular vesicles analysed by microspectroscopy and microscopical methods.

"There is growing clinical and public awareness of the impact the common condition of endometriosis can have on the lives of sufferers. Women have long faced significant challenges in communicating the experience and reality of the condition to scientists, therapists and clinicians as well as within their everyday networks.

This exhibition explores communicating endometriosis through different forms of expression and response, including visual arts, music, dance, language and lab science. In this dialogue, we learn more about our bodies, emotions, embodied experiences, and their various understandable signs, fingerprints, or developed artistic expression." (Retrieved, 5, October 2023, from https://health.anu.edu.au/news-events/events/communicating-endometriosis-through-art-artists-respond).

World Sexual Health Day is the 4th September 2023 and this

 Áine Ní Tighearnaigh speaks with Jessica Grahame, Lecturer Sociology and Gender Studies to discuss the World Sexual Health Day Theme - Consent – Unpacking Affirmative Consent, power dynamics in sexual and intimate

Jessica discusses why it is important to engage in an open dialogue in our communities and with intimate partners about affirmative consent. She shares from her expertise in gender research how we can share honestly and without coercion to better understand equal and affirmative consent.

Áine speaks with Thomas McIntyre, Executive Director of Service Strategy and Growth at ‘Act for Kids’. Recent research shows that 40% of young people aged between 14- 17 don’t speak to anyone when they are worried. Thomas shares about the Act for Kids campaign ‘Get Comfy Switching On by Switching Off’ which provides tips and ideas for kids, parents and carers to get conversations happening to ensure your people are being heard. - www.actforkids.com.au/get-comfy

Transforming Perceptions brings its segment Energising Your Life.

This month Matt and Erin Pepar team up to bring you an interview with Kellie Hermes a certified birth and postpartum doula.

Kellie Hermes a certified birth and postpartum doula. https://www.adorabirth-kelliehermesdoula.com/about

Kellie's motto is: "What the mind believes, the body achieves." Her business aims to support you to have not only a confident birth, but a truly empowered transition into your new self as a mother. We discuss with Kellie the support that she provides which includes - Pregnancy and birth doula support; education and birth preparation, plus on call home to hospital labour support-Postpartum doula support; feeding and settling support, emotional support, caring for your baby while you rest, cooking and light housework-Ayurvedic meals.

Andrew Aspinall, veteran of the Australian Navy speaks with Áine Ní Tighearnaigh and Matt Pepar from Transforming Perceptions about his experience of recovery from PTSD through participation in the Veteran Surf Project on the south coast of NSW. Andrew rides out on a lone bike adventure to raise funds for the Veteran Surf Project on Saturday the 15th July 2023 and will spend 4 months traversing Australia.

Andrew joined the Royal Australian Navy as a Commissioned Officer in 1985 and studied Applied Science at the Royal Australian Naval College at HMAS Creswell at Jervis Bay. On graduation he undertook further professional training as an Executive Branch Officer in the surface fleet. He volunteered to train and serve in the Submarine Squadron, for the remainder of his service in the RAN which ended when he resigned in 1994. After leaving the RAN he studied for a Bachelor of Laws and worked within the Defence Industry. Over time he held increasingly senior roles within major multinational defence industry businesses, but knew something was “not quite right” with his mental health and instead of obtaining professional guidance he resorted to alcohol to deal with his mental health issues.  His use of alcohol became a chronic long term addiction. After decades of chronic addiction his brother stepped in and guided him towards some professional help and support. He discovered he was dealing with the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Addiction very commonly flows from PTSD which has a vastly higher rate of occurrence amongst defence veterans and emergency services first responders than it does in the general population.

Andrew is undertaking an around the country solo adventure bike ride, raising awareness and more importantly funds for the Veteran Surf Project. This Project has had limited funding support from the Federal Health and require $150,000 to keep it going. The VSP has been incredibly beneficial to Andrew and hundreds of other veterans, serving ADF personnel and emergency service first responders and their families in recovering from PTSD and sometimes the impacts of addiction.

Donations for the VSP can be made at GoFundMe “Andys Adventure Around Australia”. Anyone interested in his solo motorcycle journey around the country can follow me on Facebook @Andys Adventure Around Australia.

We chat about her latest children’s book Old Nana Quokka and its themes of caring for country, environment and our elders. The beautifully illustrated and crafted book helps younger children to understand and learn about our Australian animals, aboriginal storytelling and how if we look after Country, it will look after us. We yarn about Naidoc Week, and why it is so important for all Australians; the devastating impacts of being stolen; about racism and truth telling. Aunty Rhonda says “it’s hard to speak about and hard for people to hear, but we need to hear.” We need to strengthen our youth and have a strong voice and advocacy for our people. I ask Aunty Rhonda her thoughts on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and what our Indigenous Elders think. Speaking with Aunty Rhonda is always an extraordinary experience. It is full of insights into our first nations peoples, of learning, of stories that support understanding, wisdom and build a strong connection with our country.

Áine and Matt are joined in the studio by Alan and Jasmine to talk about the challenges of seeking connection and dating in the 2020's. 

We share from our personal experiences of dating and relationships mainly from a hetersexual perspective. We chat about our serious concerns about dating, values, communication, dating apps and also have a laugh and find common themes and threads, hopes and dreams that are experienced by others seeking to connect for companionship, or to find a partner.

The opinions and experiences expressed in this podcast are based upon the personal experience of the participants and not necessarily those of either Transforming Perceptions or 2xx 98.3 FM Community Radio on which we broadcast our live shows.

We apologse that this is mainly from the heteresexual perspective and hope to bring you more diverse perspectives on the same topic in the future.

Matt Pepar interviews Neil Shepherd on Mindfulness as part of the 'Energising Your Life' segment. What is mindfulness and how can it help me manage difficult emotions and improve my wellbeing?

Neil Shepherd at Inner Synergy has professionally trained thousands of people in corporate and public programs for over 7 years. As his passion, he's also been learning and growing various practices for over 23 years - so has a rich background of knowledge & experience to draw on. Neil loves helping people develop skills in an often overly busy, challenging & exploding information age. It’s a time where skills in self-awareness, emotional regulation, personal leadership, stress management and resilience are no longer just “nice to haves”. He helps people build relatively simple, science-backed skills - that most of us just aren’t taught, or aware of. Neil defines this as "Growing Mind Intelligence”.