It’s time we reflect on season 1 of We Need to Talk… share some news about what’s next and give you some tools to tackle RUOK day.

As always, we would love to hear from you with your suggestions for topics, guests, ideas or even a challenge you are struggling with, by heading over to weneedtotalkpod.com/suggest

With RUOK day happening on 9 September, make sure you reach out to your friends, family and colleagues to checkin with them and see how they are coping with this crazy world we're in right now.

And why not go the extra step?

Challenge yourself to build these check-ins into your day and your week. Or go further and seek to build connections. In the episode, P runs through her top 10 questions for deepening that connection, from the game We're Not Really Strangers

• Have you changed your mind about anything recently? 
• What title would you give this chapter in your life? 
• What question are you trying to answer most in life right now? 
• When you’re asked how are you, how often do you answer truthfully? 
• What do you crave more of? 
• What’s a compliment you wish you received more frequently? 
• What lesson took you the longest to unlearn? 
• What’s your father’s name? Tell me one thing about him? 
• In one word, describe how you feel right now. 
• What can I help you with?

Until Season 2, stay well, stay safe, keep talking and above all keep listening.

P & Will

Alicia McKay (international strategy consultant) talks good strategy, how to challenge people’s thinking about organisational strategy, how to drive big change and cut through the distractions and creating a seat at the table for yourself and filling it with confidence. 

Kyle Goodwin (advocate for safe work practices), talks about dealing with a terminal diagnosis, processing and overcoming adversity and injustice that changes your life, using your voice to advocate for those who can’t advocate for themselves and supporting people through a terminal diagnosis.

Amy Brown (CEO for Investment NSW) talks about authentic leadership, the difference between the public and private sectors, driving your team to reach new heights with purpose and passion, and building a personal brand. 

Simon Longstaff talks about living an ethical life, what ethics are and why should we care about it, the difference between values, principles, purpose and ethics, how the individual and organisation influence one another and living an ethical life.

Gillian Massey (pediatric intensive care nurse) talks building a career as a specialist nurse, mental health and support for emergency services workers, constructive and destructive coping mechanisms for dealing with the stress of work, experiencing work-trauma then dealing with the leftover PTSD at work, decision fatigue and training for trauma.

Justin Noble (men’s mental health mentor and coach) talks about what’s going on with men and mental health in Australia, how to normalise conversations, bring awareness and generate better support for mental health, building community in the age of a pandemic and changing careers if your values don’t align to the job.

Myles Lind recounts his leadership journey and talks about how his expectations differed from reality when entering the workforce after studying, becoming an expert in something he didn’t train for, building and bringing teams together, the lessons he learned from failure, reprogramming his leadership brain, and style and supporting staff through mentally tough situations.

Stephanie-Kate Bratton (Senior Lawyer for Amazon) discusses challenging traditional gender roles, the impact of telling people what they can and can’t do, being the expert in an industry where there isn’t a great deal of expertise to lean on, challenging the glamorous perception of being a lawyer, life as an Executive expat and coming home to Australia in the middle of a global pandemic.

Todd Hopwood discusses how he became a mental health advocate, supporting a child through mental health struggles, our duty as a leader to have conversations around mental health, creating and caring for people in your tribe, lifting the lid of shame around mental health at work and mental fitness.