Have you ever heard yourself utter the phrase "no one understands me" after you've been through a challenging situation? I know I have! In today's poddy, I dive into the third life area of posttraumatic growth (PTG), which is all about deepening your relationships with others. Creativity is a relational practice – more on this in the episode – and one that can be the bridge between you and the people you want to spend more time with. If you enjoy this one, make sure you're signed up to my Substack newsletter, The Creative Urge. 

Life has a funny habit of getting in the way, doesn't it?! It's been a long time between drinks for us, but I'm here now, continuing the series I started last year. It's all about the 5 life areas of post-traumatic growth (PTG) and part 2 deals with cultivating personal strength. I'm not talking about physical strength, but about building and amplifying the positive and good personality traits and characteristics you have. What does this look like on the day-to-day? How can you pinpoint what traits to nurture? That's what we'll dive into today. And if you haven't already done so, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter The Creative Urge (it's where I'm my most unhinged). 

Aaaaaand we're back! Sorry for the hiatus friends, life has been a little wobbly lately. Listen to this episode and you'll find out why. It kicks off a 5 part series exploring the posttraumatic growth (PTG) life areas. This first one, 'spiritual or existential change', is a DOOZY. It's that moment you realise that everything has changed. That YOU are changed – and NOTHING makes sense anymore. If you like this episode, you'll probably also dig my Substack newsletter called "The Creative Urge", which you can support at: https://thecreativeurge.substack.com/ ❤️ 

In this episode we meet Nicole Avery, a Melbourne mum to five beautiful kids aged 23 to 13. Nic loves to be organised so she can spend more time being with her family and making space for her creative endeavours. She shares how she organises herself and her family on one of Australia's most popular parenting blogs Planning With Kids. It is through this platform that she has helped 1000s of women to organise the chaos of family life and find purpose in the day to day.

We cover so much ground, from goal setting and the concept of 'tilting', to some of Nic's hardest moments in business. I hope you enjoy this chat as much as we enjoyed having it! 

I just went on a business retreat and the insights just keep coming! In this episode, I unpack why creativity isn't a zero-sum game. So often the divide is between those who are creative and those who are not. It's simply not how it is. Join me as I meander my way through this concept and hopefully inspire you to start redefining creativity on your own terms. Oh, and lots of shout outs for this episode, including: legendary bold business coach and speaker Suz Chadwick; my gym, Body Fit Training North Melbourne; and Father Bronques, maker of the excellent podcast Make Art Not Content. Enjoy!

This episode is going to give you ALL the feels. I've known Professor Lexi Lasczik for more than half my life. How? We first met when I was 15 as she was my high school art teacher! Fast forward to today, and Lexi is kicking goals as Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University (where I did my PhD with Lexi as my main supervisor!). Needless to say, we cover a lot of ground, particularly focusing on how important an arts education is for young people. This conversation is so special to me as Lexi is a mentor, friend and fellow artist who is fighting the good fight to make sure kids receive an education in the arts. You can learn more about her and her work at https://www.alexandralasczik.com/ or follow her on the 'Gram at @lexi_lasczik  

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Alexandra Lasczik is currently Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Education at Southern Cross University and is co-founder and Research co-Leader of the Sustainability, Environment and the Arts in Education Research Centre [SEAE]. She is a Professor of Arts and Education, and she teaches in Art education and research methodologies, as well as  supervising a large team of bright doctoral candidates. Her areas of research include arts-based research, critical walking inquiry, diaspora, belonging and environmental education, which she mostly does in partnership with children and young people (aged 4-18), and more recently Seniors. Alexandra was previously a high school Art teacher for 25 years, and led the Creative Arts department in 6 schools, including for 16 years in Mount Druitt in Sydney’s West. She has a particular interest in working with disengaged and marginalised youth.

Dear friends, I'm excited for you to meet the amazing Alexis Guttridge from Pause. She's a meditation teacher with an amazing backstory (we go into it in the episode). Alexis is my first guest on What Doesn't Kill Us and the last episode for 2021! Inside this episode, you'll learn 👉🏼Why meditation has been a game changer for Alexis 👉🏼How she changed her relationship to alcohol 👉🏼plus, a small gift at the end (so stick around!). Alexis will be launching the next round of her 8 Week Mindfulness Practice on February 1, 2022, so if you dig her vibe, make sure you book into her program, you won't regret it. All that being said, I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as Alexis and I enjoyed having it ❤️ 

It's been a hot minute between episodes friends but for good reason. Life has been changing faster than ever and I've been scrambling to keep up! But, never fear – I'm back on deck. In this episode, we explore what it means to fuel your creativity. I mention how I've been working on my message via Father Bronques' online course The Mystery School (keep your ears peeled for my message in the ep!) and I leave you with 3 great tips on how to keep the fire burnin'. Search for @bronques on Instagram and check out https://makeartnotcontent.com/ to learn more about The Mystery School. 

Do you feel flat? Have your creative juices dried up? It's not your fault – we're still in a pandemic. In this, the third episode of What Doesn't Kill Us by Dr Marion Piper, I tackle the topic of creativity in a crisis. You might be asking yourself, "is now the right time to create, even if I'm exhausted?" The answer – it could be, but it doesn't have to be. One of the mantras of posttraumatic growth that I tell myself is this: I can turn my pain into power. The last 18 months have truly been a test of that mantra and in this episode I share parts of my creative journey through the longest lockdown in the world and leave you with 3 tips for how to navigate this time and still create magic. I hope you enjoy ❤️ 

HEADS UP: This episode contains mental health themes that some listeners may find difficult to hear. 

Welcome back legends! In this, the second episode of What Doesn't Kill Us by Dr Marion Piper, I plunge myself into the deep waters of posttraumatic growth. Why? It's important that you understand what this concept represents and how powerful it can be to help you reframe your lived experience and start your own journey of growth.

In this episode, I talk about:

No matter where you are in your growth journey, you'll want to tune in for the 3 messages and 2 questions I mention at the end of this episode.