What Doesn't Kill Us by Dr Marion Piper

Did you know that your body is always giving you information about what it needs? From hunger cues to pain, there's an endless feed of 'tells' you can pick up on to move better, heal and start living the life you've dreamed of. 

That's what today's guest, Claudia Domancie, is all about: how we can let our bodies lead us forward, rather than hold us back, from everything we want to do in life 🥲 

In this episode, we cover: 

👉🏼 Claudia's traumatic childhood in South Africa 

👉🏼 How her relationship with her own body created the Body Story Method, and 

👉🏼 How the body leaves us clues for healing in how it moves (or refuses to move!). 

Follow Claudia on Instagram and get your FREE Body Story Reading online.

If you enjoyed this episode, you'll love The Creative Urge.

The relationship we share with our parents is complex, especially the one between mothers and daughters. Today's guest, Shelly Sharon, is here to share her experience and work with you on the concept of 'the mother wound'.

In this episode, we cover:

- Shelly's creative background and traumatic childhood

- What the mother wound is

- The 5 thresholds for under-mothered daughters, and more.

Shelly Sharon helps women heal the wounds of a complex mother–daughter relationship so they can thrive in their lives and careers.

After a childhood marked by neglect, and abandonment, she turned her story on its head and built a life of purpose and healing.

Shelly’s been a professional ballet dancer, a coffeeshop owner, and a sought-after social change strategist and researcher. But it was through years of intense meditation practice and Buddhist psychology studies with leading international teachers that she came to own her mother wound — and discovered her calling to serve others on the same path.

Shelly is a certified Hakomi therapist and trauma-trained by Janina Fischer. She is the co-host of the Healing the Mother Wound Summit and is currently working on her first book on the subject.

When she’s not supporting clients, she can be found swimming in Alpine lakes, riding horses, picking wildflowers, or cooking enough food to feed a tribe. She lives with her soulmate and their beloved cat.

On What Doesn't Kill Us, we don't shy away from the difficult conversations about trauma and growth – and today's episode is no exception. If you're someone who has struggled with addiction or overcoming unhealthy behaviours, you'll want to listen to what Hayden Burgess has to say.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How binge drinking didn’t kill Hayden, but it stopped him from being creative and available to his family
• Hayden’s journey from being the ‘party guy’ to ‘purposeful creative’, and
• Why his entire world view (and creative style) changed after giving up alcohol.

Hayden Burgess is a creative mentor, business coach and consultant (as well as an amazing artist!). After over a decade working in corporate sales and training (while moonlighting as a designer/artist) he started his business, Pitchr, to help creatives build successful and profitable solopreneur businesses. He works with clients all over the world from his home in Hawkes Bay New Zealand, and when he's not working, he's painting, selling paints, reading about painting, or spending time with his two beautiful girls and amazing wife.

PS: I also talk about similar themes over at The Creative Urge.

If you're a creative human, chances are you're not interested in just ONE thing. You might write and sing, draw and act, run a business and cook. So in today's world, how do you make room for it all? My guest on this episode has a few ideas...

Meet Hayley Campbell, a Brisbane-based copywriter and dance fitness instructor. Originally from the UK, she moved to Australia chasing sunshine, beach walks and a fresh start.

On the outside, she was doing all the “right” things… climbing the corporate ladder, staying busy, holding it all together with perfectionism.

But behind the scenes, she was silently dealing with generalised anxiety and an eating disorder.

That experience became a turning point and pushed her to completely reshape her life.

These days, Hayley runs a heart-led copywriting business, teaches high-energy dance classes in person and online, and speaks openly about the stuff she used to hide because she knows how powerful it is when someone finally says, “me too.”

Follow Hayley on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Find a gem of creative wisdom? Unearth more on The Creative Urge.

Do you know where ideas come from? Or why you might be having trouble focusing these days? These are the kinds of questions today's guest LOVES to tackle.

Haley Forest is a behavioral scientist, innovation strategist, and self-proclaimed nerd for how the brain actually works. With a background that spans neuroscience, marketing, and a culinary degree, Haley brings a uniquely interdisciplinary lens to leadership, creativity, and decision-making. She’s currently completing her doctorate in Leadership Psychology, researching how attention and cognitive flexibility shape innovative thinking. Haley’s worked with startups, Fortune 500s, and global telecom brands to turn behavioral science into business strategy, and she’s on a mission to help people think better, lead smarter, and design with the brain in mind. When she’s not consulting or running workshops, you’ll find her fostering kittens or asking weirdly specific questions just for fun.

Follow Hayley on LinkedIn.

Welcome back to another season of What Doesn't Kill Us! I'm so pumped to bring you another round of incredible guests, but let's kick things off with a solo episode... all about what it's like to be a multi-passionate creative.

Are you someone who has a million and one creative pursuits? SAME. Do you ever find yourself saying, "oh I WISH I could focus on just ONE thing, it would make my life soooo much easier!"

Rather than asking yourself, "how do I choose", perhaps a better question is, "what do I need to focus on today".

Dr Maz sets you a challenge at the end of the episode that you won't want to miss out on!

If you loved this yap, you'll love The Creative Urge.

As you may know, What Doesn't Kill Us explores the nexus between creativity and post-traumatic growth. Today's guest is a living and breathing example of this in so many ways.

Meet, Caroline Brunne: a Trauma Survivor Coach, Breathwork Facilitator, and the founder of INSupport Community, a peer support network for survivors of child sexual abuse.

Caroline’s work is deeply informed by her journey of resilience and healing and her commitment to empowering others to reclaim their lives. Through coaching, breathwork, advocacy, and community building, Caroline provides survivors with the tools to move forward, break cycles of shame, and find strength in their stories.

In 2022, Caroline self-published her memoir, More Than One Thing Can Be True, an unflinching look at the complexities of family dynamics, generational trauma, and recovery.

In this episode, we dive into:

• What trauma-informed practice is
• How we can find purpose in our pain
• Caroline’s therapy dog Louie 
• What the goal of living with trauma could be, and much more.

If this conversation felt expansive, then you're going to be wowed by The Creative Urge.

To say I'm excited about sharing today's guest with you would be an UNDERSTATEMENT. From the moment we connected, it was clear to me that I'd met a kindred soul. In fact, I knew it when I read her most recent book, which t his podcast episode is named after.

Of course I'm talking about the wonderful, generous and uber-creative Holly Ringland.

Holly Ringland is the author of two internationally best-selling and multi-award-winning novels, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart and The Seven Skins of Esther Wilding, one nationally bestselling work of non-fiction, The House that Joy Built, and she writes a beloved and bestselling Substack, The Joy Rise, on the intersection of creativity and connection. 

Her books have sold over 500,000 copies and have been published in over 30 international territories. 

In 2021, Holly made her TV debut co-hosting the ABC TV factual series Back to Nature which aired in prime time and to critical acclaim. 

In 2023, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart was adapted for an award-winning seven-part series starring Sigourney Weaver.

This episode broke me open and I know it’s going to do the same to you. We traverse a LOT of territory here, from Holly’s books and writing process, to the magic and mystery of the creative process. Being in Holly’s presence is like being in the company of an old friend, so settle in, get ready to take notes and enjoy this conversation with the bighearted Holly Ringland.

If this episode was your cup of tea, you need to get on board with The Creative Urge.

When you've got a big dream, it can be a real slog. One of the most underrated parts of the creative journey would have to be the effort that goes into simply 'trying'.

In today's solo episode, I spotlight why the quality of our 'trying' is what we need to focus on instead of the destination (aka the creative product). It's in the 'trying' that we learn, grow, get challenged and ultimate are led to unexpected places!

If this one tickled your fancy, you'll be giddy over reading The Creative Urge.

I'm thrilled to introduce you to today's guest, Jeff McCann, a full-time Australian artist, illustrator and maker.  He’s well-known for his colourful murals, engaging community projects and workshops for councils, cooperates and schools.

Jeff’s personal practise explores identity, nostalgia, world building, games and the natural world. Primarily working with cardboard to make wearable art, illustrations, art object, and small batch products, his love of the humble material is infectious! 

He’s a queer person who grew up in regional NSW (Dubbo via Wagga) and has been living in Sydney on Gadigal land for the past 15 years. 

In this episode, we talk about:

• Cardboard, yes, cardboard
• How Jeff embrace play in his practice 
• Why ‘Young Jeff’ is the my muse for his art - 
• How Jeff explores queerness through art 
• The niche of community art projects in Sydney and regional NSW 
• How making space for community can be a part of art and placemaking, and so much more!

Follow Jeff on Instagram and check out his amazing Youtube channel!

If you found this chat encouraging, you'll get a kick out of The Creative Urge.