Unicorns and Hand Grenades

This week we're hanging with Genevieve Mora, a mental health advocate who is GM and  Co-founder of Voices of Hope and co-creator of Love your Kite.  Gen is incredibly generous in  sharing her story. 

It's a story that's led to her using  her lived experience, her truth and her voice to help others fight their way through, and out the other side, of mental illness.  

She's one wise old soul, and has lived more life than most in her 26 years and she's living proof that we all have what it takes to survive whatever our universal crash and burns might be.  

Gen remembers with vivid clarity the moment she stepped into anxiety,  and how from there her anxiety then morphed into her experience with Anorexia..  There's so much gold held in the container of this conversation. 

We also talked about. 

• How to support a loved one, or friend,  whose going through mental health challenges
• How do to hold hope for them, until they're healed enough  to hold hope for themselves
• The importance of having a toolbox to support wellbeing & what's in hers
• Isolation, healing & getting back amongst life
• Plans not going to plan, and that actually being part of the plan
• Her excitement for the future
• Challenges she's face as she's moved into her role of GM for Voices of Hope
• Celebrating the small stuff
• The power of stories & how you can help Voices of Hope

... and so much more.  We hope you enjoy this conver as much as we did. 

Big love Jax & Kim x

You can check out the amazing Gen & her team and the work they do at www.thevoicesofhope.org or www.flyyourkite.com.  Or head over to insta and follow them for some great content. Insta:  @voicesofhope and @loveyourkite

If you need emotional support please head to www.findahelpline.com, where you can find the helpline number for whatever country you live in.  They are also on Insta @findahelpline 

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When life drops you to your knees you're faced with a choice.  To either stay down, or fight your way back to standing with a healthy dose of surrender, humility and hope.  Janelle Brunton-Rennie chose the latter & today she generously shares her story with us.  

At 36 years old Janelle lost her soulmate and husband Kurt to Blood Cancer.  Her story is a love story with an ending neither of them saw coming.  At the time of Kurt's diagnosis their daughter Sage was 4 months old  & Janelle was navigating a journey with post-natal depression as well as some other hand grenade moments.  She was also running a full time PR business.  Less than a year on from his diagnosis Kurt was gone.  

This conversation took our breath away, for so many beautiful reasons. We're pretty sure it will take yours away too.  As well as leaving you with a sense of gratitude and perspective it will leave you with some real gems of wisdom around how powerful  & resilient we are as human beings. Gems that are true across any of life's hand grenade moments. 

One of Janelle's super powers is her ability to find words for expressing big feelings and using her story to shine a light of healing & hope for others. 

Within her story we also explore:

• Trusting our divine guidance
• Living a life led by intuition
• Starting to feel alive again
• Bringing grief into the present vs grieving for a future story
• Losing friendships 
• Honoring what feels right for you
• Excitement for the future
• The importance of doing the inner work
• How the universe guides us
• You can go through hell & come out the other side
• Balancing the Divine Masculine & Feminine
• Losing the Yin to your Yang

Janelle is the founder & director of PR Company Media Jam.  She's also a speaker, writer & storyteller whose committed to helping others on their journey of healing and hope.   You can find her on instagram @janellebruntonrennie and at www.janellebruntonrennie.com

If this brings up anything for you and you need support please text 1735 in NZ or go to www.findahelpline.com to find the right support contact for your country.  You can also find Find a Helpline on instagram @findahelpline

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A near death experience.  A moment where everything changes. A moment where you no longer take for granted the notion of having a future, because that potential is threatened.   Where you lie on the side of the road wishing for death to take away the pain & suffering. 

That was reality for Kim some 18 years ago when she was involved in a head on car collision & her whole life changed.  Not only did she defy the odds by surviving, but she did so with a spinal fracture in 3 places, facial lacerations, internal organ damage. Oh, & she was Surrounded by very real uncertainty as to whether she would ever walk again.  

In this episode we get naked in public again, metaphorically speaking, (aka vulnerable),  as we discuss the recent road trip that helped support closure around this experience, the spreading of her parents ashes, & how we get up each day with the hope & knowledge that every days' a clean slate.  

Us Humans... we're resilient beyond all bounds.  Sometimes we just don't know it.  This is an episode where we share some of the further light bulbs we've had around healing & surviving trauma based on recent events. It's a convo where we weave through the below plus much more.  We also share with you some tangible tools we've recently used to help support us:

• Lightning never strikes twice & the other stories we tell ourselves
• What Closure looks like
• How we can dive head first into healing
• Surrender, acceptance & choice ... the part they play in healing
• Grounding ourselves in the present, & some tools to support that
• How EVERY day's a fresh start
• The Magic's in the mess
• Planning not to plan
• We are either victims OR survivors of our circumstances
• How to keep doing the work
• Therapy & tools shared

We've outlined the tools we talk about; R.A.I.N & S.T.O.P on our instagram page, if you want to revisit them.  

You can find us on insta & FB @unicornsandhandgrenades.life or contact us via www.unicornsandhandgrenades.com

We love hearing from you & thanks again as always for your incredible support & interaction.

Jax & Kim

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"Just take the next breath"....  sometimes our hand grenade moments are so life shattering that the only thing we can do to start moving ourselves through them is to take the next breath, then the next... & wash, rinse, repeat, until we can figure out some bigger steps that will get us out the other side of 'surviving' & back to 'thriving'.

That was the case for this week's guest Tania Stewart.  

If the School of Hard Knocks dished out degrees, Tania  would be graduating with a Masters majoring in resilience, personal growth & finding joy through loss & grief.  Plus an honorary mention for a wicked sense of play & humour. 

Tania's story is one of hope, heart  & resilience.  It's shared openly in the  spirit of helping anyone who has (or will) suffer loss & therefore grief.   Whether it be loss of a relationship, a job, a child or a parent. 

10 years ago Tania experienced every parents worst nightmare.  She lost her beautiful daughter Enya, who was 2 at the time.  And that's not the only hand grenade moment she's grown herself through.  

Yes, it's a deep conversation,  at the same time it's inspiring and uplifting.  It holds so many gems of wisdom around resilience & personal growth we know you'll find insightful. Plus we  have some laughs along the way too.  

This episode is dedicated to Enya Stewart, a beautiful, bright, shining light. 

If you are in NZ & this episode brings up anything for you, that you need support on please text 1737 any time for trained counsellor support.  

Thanks again for listening in. You can leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, we read all of our reviews and we love our two way convos with you too, so keep reaching out to us on insta or f book @unicornsandhandgrenades.life or contact us at www.unicornsandhandgrenades.com

Big love Kim & Jax x

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*Trigger warning: parts of this episode reference suicide, depression & domestic violence 

This week we're joined by Richie Hardcore.  Richie is an educator, keynote speaker & activist, working in violence prevention, masculinities, mental health & wellness.  So it's no surprise this convo is full of the real, the raw & everything inbetween. 

Our pain, suffering & mistakes can be our best teachers, especially if we look to find our own role in what's gone wrong, vs looking to blame others & outside situations.

We discuss  the tough stuff,  as well as celebrating lessons learned from mistakes made, opportunities missed & heartbreaks suffered.  Because heart-breaks lead to hearts-"full",  full of learning, love & hope.

And all of that stuff,  is the stuff of life.  It's what underpins our growth, our humility & our humanness. 

It's how we deal with the tough in life that defines & shapes us, that will make or break us. 

We explore all this plus:

Moving the needle on traditional definitions of Masculinity
Role modelling as parents
Relationships... until death do us part?!?... OR....
Learning from the past & tools to support our growth
Anchoring ourselves in the past vs shedding the ballast & forward growth
Love is a verb
Talking about & coping with death, feelings, grief & loss
Our personal journeys are ALWAYS a work in progress
Our stories leading to our purpose
Taking ownership of our choices

We all get things right, we all get things wrong, the power is in our learning & growth.  And remember, part of that learning is compassion & forgiveness for ourselves & others travelling along the same road.

To learn more about Richie & his work you can find him at:
www. richiehardcore.com
or follow him on insta @richiehardcore

A shout out & a reminder around some of our support services in NZ:

National Helpline: text 1737 for 24/7 support from a trained counsellor
Lifeline Aotearoa: on 0800 LIFELINE (0800 543 354) or text 'Help' to 4357 for 24/7 trained counsellor support
Women's Refuge: crisis line: 0800 REFUGE or via [email protected]
Safe to Talk: Sexual Harm Helpline: 0800 044 334 or text 4334
Immediate threat or harm contact emergency services on 111.

If you are listening elsewhere around the world, it's always a good idea to be across the support available in your country so you know where to go if you need it or where you can direct friends & family if they need it.

Big love Jax & Kim xx

PS: We love hearing from you so keep it coming...
www.unicornsandhandgrenades.com
Insta and FB @unicornsandhandgrenades.life
We love hearing from you so keep it coming.  

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This is one powerhouse of a convo with a powerhouse of a women. Megan Alatini is a Singer, Performer, Performance Coach, Presenter, MC, Mum, Wife & an all round epic Human.

She's graced our TV Screens on Popstars (as a member of True Bliss), Dancing with the Stars, & as a judge on NZ Idol, amongst other things.

There's so much goodness & gold for the taking throughout this chat. 

When we can be who we want to be and do what we want to do, we get to step into our power & shine our light.  But being true to ourselves sometimes comes at a cost, especially when it involves popping your head above the parapet & into the spotlight.  

We explore how Tall Poppy Syndrome is alive & kicking in NZ & what drives the behaviour that sees people delight in tearing others down.  

Megan shares with us the most transformative moment of her life.  Be warned, eyes may leak.  We also get to yarn about: 

Making the most of our experiences
How to become a little softer & less critical on ourselves
Transitioning from South Africa to NZ 
The importance of family support & connection
Inner Strength through Adversity
Dancing, singing, laughing, crying

...and loads more.  

We hope you enjoy this convo as much as we did,  and as always thanks for listening in & for your feedback.  Keep connecting, we love the two way convos. You can find us on Insta & FB: @unicornsandhandgrenades.life or at 
www.unicornsandhandgrenades.com

If you'd like to learn more about Megan or Au Consulting,  you can find her on Insta: @megan_alatini
FB & Linked in: Megan Alatini 

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We're getting real about getting real in this episode.  Authenticity,  is a word that's been thrown around more than a hot potato of late.  Wouldn't life be easy if we could all just show up as our true selves and trust that others were doing the same?!  No *BS, radars required.  Bringing ALL of us to ALL situations.

Ahhh... Nirvana.  But alas not the case,  that would be way too easy, which is what we explore in this convo.  Because authenticity calls for us to be vulnerable enough to show up as our whole selves on the daily.  

When we do that we're letting people see beyond the veil of the masks we've been  curating for ourselves since childhood.  And that takes some work.  Oh and that freakin pesky thing again, called courage. 

In this convo we jumped of the diving board and into the deep end around: 

• Holding back parts of yourself from others 
• Different levels of authenticy, is there such a thing?
• Dropping the masks & trusting others  to do the same
• What happens when they don't
• Showing up in a way that feels comfortable to you
• Showing up as different "yous" in different situations 
• Evolving your *BS radar when it comes to authenticity
• Re-realising the things that make you feel aligned & alive
• How to bring ALL of you to ALL situations
• Dropping the masks we wear 

And loads more... Plus we leave you with a few questions to mull over. 

We hope you enjoy the convo, and thanks for keeping it a two way one. We've loved hearing from you, so keep it coming.

On... Insta & f book @unicornsandhandgrenades.life or by visiting us at www.unicornsandhandgrenades.com.   

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Adversity can be a bit#h!  It can also be our biggest teacher and the catalyst for some of our most transformative personal growth. 

This is one heart warming, deep and humorous ride of a convo with Mary Haddock-Staniland! She shares with us her journey through the fires of adversity and how those fires helped shape her into the women she is today.   Mary's not only successfully navigated the path to finding her truth she's grounded herself firmly in it.  It's the place from which she lives & speaks and it's the enabler to the amazing work she does today.

Mary is a Keynote Speaker, MC, Lifeline Ambassador, Board Member, a champion for diversity and inclusion and an advocate for the transgender community.  She also knows how to have a damn good laugh and how to not take herself, or life, to seriously!

We yarn about...

• Accepting our true selves & others
• We all have our stages to stand on & shine from
• Using the stage you stand on to be the change
• Diversity
• Seeking help
• The important work of Lifeline Aotearoa 
• The good ole Social Media
• Taking the time to find your truth
• Having the courage to speak your truth
• How our body's never forget trauma
• Shining a light for others
• Laughter, love and so much more...

You can learn more about Mary here: www.maryhadstan.com or you can check her out on insta: @maryhadstan

If you need support or want to learn more about the amazing work Lifeline Aotearoa does you can find them here: www.lifeline.org.nz or on insta @lifelinenz

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Welcome to Part 2 of our Relationship series.  In this episode we have a go at cracking the code on the uncrackable.  You guessed it, relationships.  You'll have to listen in to figure out how close we got! What we can say though is whether you're single or loved up, you're sure to get some insights, tools and tips that will help make life a bit easier in this area of your life.  And who doesn't want that right? Plus we have a few laughs along the way. 

We're joined again by Relationship Counselor, Rachel Hamilton.  Rachel joined us for Part one of this series (Season 1; Episode 17) and it was our most downloaded guest episode. We're  also joined by Courtney McGuigan, whose studied psychology and is curious around what make people's lives more harmonious & happy. 

We dive deep into:

• Jealousy... with an interesting twist
• Singledom; the stigma, the positives & the resistance around entering new relationships 
• Attachment Styles
• Love Languages
• Triggers; unhealthy dynamics in relationships & how to flip them
• Mental loads & the link between doing everything in a relationship, control & resentment 
• What happens when one partner steps into the dominant mode (hint, it's closely related to the above point!)
• Relationships as teachers
• The attraction/can't keep your hands of each other zone & how to navigate what comes next
• Can you start off as friends & develop the attraction/can't keep your hands of each other zone

and much more.

You can find Rachel at www.mountcounselling.co.nz if you want to touch base.  If you'd like to follow us for more insights & what we're up to you can find us on f/book & insta:
@unicornsandhandgrenades.life or www.unicornsandhandgrenades.com

Thanks as always for your support, feedback and the heartfelt reviews you've been leaving us, it means alot.  Jax & Kim xx

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In this ride of a convo we're joined by an honorary third unicorn,  Bree Le Roux.  Bree is host of her own show, "The Human Experience",  she's a speaker, workshop facilitator, holds a bachelor of counselling and is a global coach & business mentor.  She's also just launched her new course "How to have the Relationship you Deeply Desire"

Life can be a bitch at times... she can also be a saint, a sinner and one hell of a rollicking ride.  But one thing's for sure - life, relationships and growth all require work.   Cue the collective groan... We hear ya, doing the inner work is hard,. But the pay-offs are well worth it.   Because work, play & living from a place of aliveness all go hand in hand. 

Bree shines her vulnerability like a light in this episode, sharing with us her personal journey.  She also shared her deep, professional expertise around so many areas including relationships.  We yarned about:

• Relationships (& 6 key areas of focus)
• Burn-out & stress
• You're powerful beyond measure
• Imposter syndrome
• Drink, drugs & advertising
• Balancing masculine & feminine energies
• Inner child work (what that actually means & how to do it)
• How our body is always speaking to us
• Self-compassion
• Hitting the notes & being where you're supposed to be

Plus loads more.  We hope you enjoy this conov as much as we did.

You can find out more about Bree & the work she does by visiting www.breeleroux.com or her youtube channel, insta & f book @breeleroux

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