What Doesn't Kill Us by Dr Marion Piper

Today's guest is an absolute DYNAMO. We dive into all things grief and loss to extract lessons and insights you can apply to life and business.

Fiona Killackey is a podcaster, award-winning author, speaker, accredited business coach and human trying to navigate life and go to bed feeling like she has done something good that day. With more than two decades of experience working with large and small brands alike (think Amazon and Country Road Group, through to CULTIVER and Collective Closets), Fiona understands what it takes to create a business that is financially secure and emotionally fulfilling.

Fiona was raised by incredible parents who promoted education and kindness as two of the most important facets of life. It’s these beliefs that fuel My Daily Business — which offers free education via a popular twice-weekly podcast, weekly Sunday email and Instagram and Tik Tok posts, as well as affordable courses, our Sidestep the Hustle group coaching program and a range of 1:1 business coaching packages.

If you loved this episode, you'll enjoy The Creative Urge.

Getting activated by your peers when they achieve creative success is inevitable. But, just like with trauma, it's not what happens TO us... but what we do next that makes all the difference.

In this episode, I get vulnerable and share a recent experience of getting mega triggered by seeing someone I consider a peer achieve something I've been working towards.

Instead of just complaining about it, I show you how I use the concept of posttraumatic growth to move through the yucky feelings and 'get unstuck'.

If you loved this episode, you'll devour The Creative Urge.

Today's guest is a dear, dear friend of mine and an incredible Artist. I'm super proud to introduce you to Megan Phillips.

In this episode we talk about her creative journey navigating healing from childhood trauma, how a Vipassana meditation retreat changed her life and you'll get to meet her adorable cat, Spot! Here's a bit about Megan:

Actor, singer, comedian, and writer Megan Phillips is the best friend you didn’t even know you need! Trained in Musical Theatre Performance from Mountview Academy in London, UK, Megan has toured solo shows, standup, and sketch comedy across the country since 2012, and her co-written musical People Suck (Ed Mirvish Entrepreneurial Award, Best of Fringe 2015, Patron’s Pick 2015) has been produced by Salty Theatre in Melbourne, AUS and optioned by Second City Theatricals in Chicago. She's an OG member of the NYC-based digital sketch team Get Me a F*cking Shovel, directed by thrice-Emmy-nominated Ana Breton, her articles have been published by GOLD Comedy, and you may recognize her from that quirky office girl in the YouTube commercial. Megan really, really, REALLY loves wombats. 

If you loved this episode, you'll devour The Creative Urge.

Today's guest was on my 'dream guest' list for so many reasons: he cofounded an incredible trauma-informed education platform. He embodies the concept of posttraumatic growth after healing from addiction and trauma. And his knowledge and experience in the field of trauma-informed practice is extensive and impressive.

Meet Ryan Hassan, Co-Creator of Embodied Processing & Founder/CEO at The Centre for Healing.

In this episode, we talk about:

Ryan is lived experience practitioner with nearly a decade of experience seeing clients one-on-one and is trained in various modalities around trauma and alternative healing. He's been a Trauma Therapist for many years and successfully helped countless people get past their Addictions & Mental Health issues through his experience, understanding and knowledge. Ryan started by creating and managing an outpatient clinic in Melbourne for years, launching a holistic program to help clients achieve amazing results. With a team of practitioners and hundreds of programs delivered, Ryan attributes the centre's success to its 'human approach', which see the uniqueness of the individual and not a label or diagnoses. The Centre for Healing is now an online education/practitioner training platform with over 60,000 students worldwide.

If you loved this episode, you'll devour The Creative Urge.

Today's episode is really special. It's a conversation that will undoubtedly change your perspective on what it means to be creative. I'm joined by Caitlin Marshall and Lizzie Rose, the founders of MakeShift, an award-winning agency that provides trauma-informed creativity and mental health programs for communities, workplaces and groups throughout Australia.

In this episode, we talk about:

Since 2013, makeShit have worked with thousands of people, including first responders; communities affected by bushfires and floods; corporate clients such as Atlassian, Canva, AMP Capital and organisations including Sydney Opera House, Support Act, Creative Australia and more.

Caitlin is a qualified social worker and trainer in vicarious trauma management and gender-based violence, who has had one foot in the creative arts since adolescence. Lizzie is a community development practitioner, sustainability educator and qualified yoga teacher.

Their new book is called Creative First Aid: The Science + Joy of Creativity for Mental Health (2024, Murdoch Books).

Follow MakeShift on Instagram or check out their website.

If you enjoyed this conversation, you'll flip for The Creative Urge.

A lot of the work I do overlaps and intersects with the modality of Creative Art Therapy. I didn't realise this for a long time, so when I connected with Hayley McCann, founder of Art for Big Feelings, so many things started to align!

Hayley is a genuinely authentic soul who uses creative arts therapy to empower busy-brained humans to live bloody lovely lives.

As someone who grew up labelled the "too sensitive" kid, art has always been Hayley's trusty sidekick - a way to safely express, make sense of and feel all the feels.

Now, after over a decade as a teacher, artist, coach and therapist, Hayley guides you to explore and disrupt patterns through gentle curiosity and delightfully weird and wonderful artmaking.

Based on the mid-north coast of NSW, Hayley is all about sharing art's ability to cultivate self-acceptance. With warmth and just the right amount of awkwardness, she'll help you take bold action towards your dreams through expressive artmaking that feels weird but really good.

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you subscribe to my Substack, The Creative Urge.

One of the thing's I love most about today's guest is her energy and aura. When you first meet Vinisha, you can't help but be drawn in: her empathy, warmth and vitality are absolutely infectious!

In this episode, she shares a bit about her journey and why she is comfortable in her discomfort and her pain, allowing others to do the same. 

Vinisha Rathod is the Managing Director of p3 Studio, an agency that partners with local and global leaders on their growth journey. Her experience across different sectors has helped her develop a key understanding on how leaders can effectively navigate the commercial and people agenda. 

Vinisha harnesses her expertise in partnerships, public speaking, and commercialisation to provide fresh perspectives for founders, investors and operators. She is a sought after speaker, who is renowned for her authenticity, and creating safe spaces to explore nuanced perspectives and complex problems.

As a heads up, we touch on some sensitive topics, like domestic violence and trauma, so if you're feeling extra sensitive today, make sure you've got support and take care of you!

Today's guest is a wonderful human I had the joy of meeting in 2022 at NO/BS Vol. 2 in Melbourne. We became fast friends and, as you'll learn, there's more to Ben than first meets the eye.

In this episode, we talk about a range of different ideas all connecting back to neurodiversity. From how our brain's can be our biggest challenge, to the pressures that society places on us in a world that's designed for neurotypical people.

Ben Sorensen is quirky, eccentric, bearded, media personality, voiceover guy, writer, music lover, presenter of stuff & unable to leap tall buildings. Known as the "Master of Banter", Ben is an MC for many events all over Australia.

Ben is also available as a keynote speaker and consultant in the areas of Autism/Aspergers, Conscious Kindness, Comedy, Advertising, Social media, Marketing. But most of all is a neurodiverse "Brain for hire."

If you enjoyed this episode, you'll love The Creative Urge, my newsletter dedicated to helped you turn those creative urges into epic creations in the world.

To kick off this year's creative conversations, I'm beyond excited to introduce you to Astrologer and cosmic beauty, Kristy Gray.

In this conversation, we dance through a range of different ideas, from Kristy's creative process to what's happening in the stars when it comes to our creative energy.

Kristy's career started in Learning and Development in the beauty industry, working for the likes of Clinique and the global beauty giant, Sephora. A passion for developing people and brands blossomed into a 10-year career. Yet, attending another leadership course or picking up the latest self-help book had lost its spark. Something was missing. In 2018, she found herself seated in front of an award-winning astrologer who became her mentor, gifting her a profound understanding of herself and her circumstances, something she couldn't articulate on her own. Five years on, Kristy has become one of Australia's leading astrologers. Through her signature formula, Astrostrategy®, Kristy combines essential tools, profound insights, and empowering actions to help you reach for the stars and attain your desires. Her vision is to make the power of astrology accessible, demystifying this cosmic language. When she's not stargazing, you'll find her at the beach, with a great novel and a green juice in hand.

If you've enjoyed this chat, you're going to love The Creative Urge, my monthly newsletter. It's how we can stay in touch between episodes and you can get an injection of creative inspo when you need it most.

After an enforced podcasting break, WE'RE BACK BABY! Dr Maz is on the mic yet again and ready to introduce you to some incredible folks doing amazing creative work out in the world.

In this episode, we dive into how the 'fear of finishing' might be the biggest creative block stopping you from fully living out your most creative life.

Dr Maz also shares a bit of a life and business update, too.

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