Inspirational, intimate and heartfelt conversations about living our most vibrant lives through wellness. Join host Kayla Robertson as she interviews leaders in the health and wellbeing industry about the practices, lifestyles and philosophies they swear by, navigating the space between who they are…
Explore the intersectional qualities of pleasure, presence and embodiment in this rich conversation with the luminous Vanessa Muradian, a sexologist, embodiment explorer, yoga facilitator and founder of womxn-focussed sexuality and wellness business Mia Muse.When Vanessa launched Mia Muse 10 years ago she was filling what she saw as a crucial gap in the market – sex-positivity that was neither far-out nor tacky. Today that offering has expanded to workshops, sensual yoga and sexual education to support womxn on their journey towards intimacy, eroticism and pleasure. This episode explores:The relationship between masculine and feminine qualities (or yang and yin, shiva and shakti, or active and receptive) within us and our wider worldCultivating and elevating your erotic identityKnowing your pleasure deep listening to your body’s needsHow sensuality has been sexualised, and expanding it to a much broader experience of daily life through our sensesUnlearning and relearning (redefining) our relationship with sensuality and unravelling inherited or cultural beliefsIt’s a full and deep (and sometimes sticky) conversation and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.Find out more about Vanessa over on Mia Muse's website and Instagram.As I mention in the show, I'm preparing to wrap up this season of Moving Inward shortly. To stay in touch make sure to sign up to Moving Inward's newsletter, which will be the primary place to connect.
Birth educator, counsellor and attendant Rhea Dempsey supports women and birthing people to feel empowered and more prepared when navigating child birth.Known around the world for her earthy pragmatism, she's attended more than 1,500 births and is transforming our attitudes and and approach to birth.This episode originally aired on the Dumbo Feather podcast and is a modern exploration of birthing babies, birthing mothers and healing the birth narrative with great care.Show Notes:You can learn more about TEND: Yoga and Relaxation for Anxiety here.You can learn more about Rhea’s work over at Birthing WisdomRhea’s conversation with Berry Liberman, Dumbo Feather’s heart-stirring editor-in-chief hereYou can find out more about Dumbo Feather over at their website, instagram or podcast page.
Today’s guest jo buick (she/her) is a wise and thoughtful voice on the intersection between healing, embodiment and social justice. As an educator, meditator and trauma-informed yoga facilitator, her work explores the role of somatic and body-focused practices in fostering an alignment of our inner values and outer actions, especially in relation to mending the broken structures and systems of our time that need repair.To begin this work, say jo, we can first look to nurturing the needs of our minds and body and their role within broader healing.jo is the Director and Co-Creator of collective being, a not-for-profit that offers trauma-informed and healing-centred yoga and mindfulness programs in community. I've had the great pleasure of training with jo and it's an enormous privilege to have her on this show.We discuss:- Trauma-informed yoga: What it is and how it might deepen our connection with our body.- The role of our healing in social justice and social change work.- How to integrated embodied mindfulness and body-based practices into daily life.- Healing inequity within yoga and wellness spaces.- Creating an alignment between our inner values and outer actions.- The fascinating neuroscience behind nervous system regulation.- How personal care practices can allow us to 'show up' for the causes we care about.Show notes:- Join me for Moving Inward's first course, TEND: Yoga and Relaxation for Anxiety- jo buick: website and instagram- jo's REST course- collective being: website and instagram- Resmaa Menakem, On Being- Yoga for HumanKIND Trauma-Informed TrainingFULL SHOW NOTES HERE
Could this unique moment in history be experienced as a rite of passage, individually and together? Dr Arne Rubinstein believes so. As the founder of The Rites of Passage Institute, he says it provides an opportunity to experience transformation where we might emerge from the 'cocoon' of this experience into a way of being that is more meaningful, more loving and more whole. In this episode we discuss:What does a rite of passage look like during a pandemic?What is a ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ rite of passageHow we can reframe our thinking of major challengesHow we might create a new vision for our livesHow to introduce ritual and reflection into our experiencesThis episode is an invitation for you to consider how you might frame this enormous experience in your own life and how you might want to live on the other side.Find out more about Dr Arne’s work over at The Rite of Passage Institute’s website or Facebook or Instagram.Dr Arne’s facilitating a six-week online course on the Rites of Passage framework that can be found here.Keep in touch with Moving Inward on the website or Instagram.Receive three guided practices to create calm.
We often talk about the importance of promoting mental health, but what can we do on a practical level to change the cycle of negative thinking and create healthy habits for our mental wellbeing? Pippa Baker a Principal Master Instructor with Mental Health First Aid Australia (MHFA) and offers training in schools, workplaces and the community to help people effectively respond to mental health issues.It's a brilliantly practical and compassionate training about helping ourselves and helping those we love.In today's episode, Pippa shares:+ What are the signs to look out for if someone is struggling?+ If they are, how can you hold space for them without trying to "fix" the problem?+ How can we improve our confidence to have these conversations with those with love?+ What are the routines we can create to foster our own mental wellbeing?This episode is a must-listen - whether it's for yourself or for supporting the people you love.You can find out more about Pippa over on the podcast's show notes:www.movinginward.com/episodes/pippaLifeline on 13 11 14Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800Headspace on 1800 650 890
Berry Liberman embodies a way of being that is steeped in purpose. As the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the beloved Dumbo Feather magazine, and the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Small Giants, she lives in service to meaning and gifting the next generation a way of life that is richer, deeper and more whole. In today's episode, Berry shines a light on the big ideas, frameworks and practices that she draws upon in service to leading a meaningful life; a rallying call to stand up and consider what meaningful difference you might like to offer too.Learn more in the show notes: movinginward.com/episodes/berryFollow the conversation over on Instagram: instagram.com/moving.inward
The world has been upended in 2020. What began as a decade with great hope has become a time that’s turbulent and tender. As Moving Inward comes back for season four, Kayla asks old and new guests from the show how we can meet this moment and what does wellness look like in a global pandemic? Their response:Crisis can create great change.Here’s how.You’ll hear from:Kate James, Best-Selling Lifestyle Author, Coach and Mindfulness TeacherBerry Liberman, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Dumbo Feather and Co-Founder and Creative Director of Small GiantsJamie Marloo Thomas, Wayapa Wurrk Co-FounderPippa Baker, Principal Master Instructor with Mental Health First Aid AustraliaDr Arne Rubinstein, Doctor and Founder of the Rites of Passage InstituteThe show notes about these incredible guests and their offerings are available on the website: MovingInward.com.Keep in touch with the show over on Instagram at @moving.inward
There is power in people and places that hold us when we are at our most vulnerable.Gabrielle Nancarrow is a birth and pregnancy loss doula, circle holder and the founder of Gather, an inclusive space for women and non-binary people to come together and witness one another’s journeys. It’s a special place.As you’ll hear in this conversation, Gabrielle came to this work from a sense of deep inner knowing that the culture and expectations that she was encountering while pregnant were not serving her, and it inspired a shift in her life and career to retrain as a doula to help women and to hold safe spaces.This episode centres around about the power of growing quiet to listen to the deep well of wisdom within, of community care and of allowing ourselves to be held by others - particularly when we’re at our most vulnerable.It’s a heartfelt, warm and tender conversation.If you’d like to explore Gather’s offerings, head to the website at: https://www.gatherwomenspace.com/ or at Instagram at @gatherwomenspaceAnd another note here that this episode deals with themes of pregnancy loss and miscarriage, and that this may be challenging for some people to listen to. If you do find this, and want somebody to talk to, you can call Sands at any time. They offer confidential, non-judgemental, compassionate phone support to anybody experiencing grief from the loss of a pregnancy or baby. Their Australian number is 1300 072 637.If you'd like to reach out at any point, you can contact me over at instagram at @moving.inward or at hello@movinginward.com.Enjoy X
Tara Judelle is an internationally renowned yoga teacher and the co-creator of Embodied Flow, a school of transformational yoga that weaves together hatha yoga, somatics, movement meditations, tantric philosophy, and transpersonal psychology. It elicits the experience of stepping into flow as meditation in action.I have admired Tara's beautiful work through Embodied Flow for many years, so I was delighted to sit with her for this conversation. It surpassed even my wildest expectations.We explore:Embodied movement - how we experience our essential selves through the body-mindFlow states - what they are and how we can step into themTara's life path and how she moved from filmmaking in Hollywood to co-creating Embodied FlowThe language and instruction of the bodyStepping into resistance as a doorway to the practiceIf you'd like to practice with Tara, she generously recorded a meditation to accompany this episode. You can also find her over at Embodied Flow, TaraJudelle.com and Glo.com.
This meditation is a bonus companion to an interview with internationally renowned yoga teacher and the co-creator of Embodied Flow, Tara Judelle.If you haven't listened to that episode yet, head over there first to hear more about the philosophy and approach of Embodied Flow, which is a school of transformational yoga that weaves together hatha yoga, somatics, movement meditations, tantric philosophy, and transpersonal psychology. It elicits the experience of stepping into flow as meditation in action.Once you're ready to practice, find a comfortable place to turn inward and enjoy this beautiful recording with the illuminating Tara Judelle.And, if you'd like to practice further with Tara, you can find her over at Embodied Flow, TaraJudelle.com and Glo.com.Enjoy.
Tom Cronin is a meditation teacher, speaker and the founder of The Stillness Project, a global movement to inspire one billion people to sit in stillness, daily.Tom is passionate about reducing stress and chaos in people’s lives, propelled by his own experiences of crisis after working for 26 years as a bond and swap broker in Sydney - something he likens to a Wolf of Wall Street existence. Tom discovered meditation in the early stages of this career, when the anxiety and chaos he was experiencing hit a crisis point, and it completely transformed his world - both personally and professionally.Today Tom is a leading meditation teacher, coach and speaker, and has an unwavering commitment to cultivating calm and promoting a sense of abundance. Tom’s dedication to this life-giving work has seen him spend the past seven years working on a documentary and book - called The Portal - an experiential and genre-defining approach to personal change. The Portal asks the question - what would happen if 7 billion people all meditated? How can we really change the world? Could it shift the trajectory of our planet from the current crisis we’re in?We discuss the science, benefits and potential of meditation, the opportunity within crisis and moving from breakdown to breakthrough.Tom is generous in sharing advice and resources - you can download resources through The Portal and read his tips on breaking phone addiction here.Enjoy!
Clare Bowditch is an ARIA-award winning singer, actress and storyteller, who has touched hundreds of thousands of lives with her heart-stirring work.Clare is as beloved as she is successful because she embodies a way of being in the world that is both bold and brave, and beautifully vulnerable.And it’s this vulnerability that is one of her most treasured gifts. It’s evident within her songs, and now it’s laid bare in her new book, Your Own Kind of Girl, which details her struggles with her very loud, very destructive inner critic, who has threatened to keep her life very, very small.This conversation is for anybody who has an inner critic of their own, who has times where they struggle to believe in themselves, who sometimes has dark days, and yet despite all this knows deep deep down that they are worthy and capable of having an amazing life.Our conversation covers:- Clare’s playful way of working with her inner critic, called Frank- What happens with complex grief and the creative life- Her breakdown (dubbed a "break through” by her psychologist) and recovery- The practical, brilliant and surprising resources that have supported her to live her own amazing life todayEnjoy!
No one can gift you power. True personal power does not come from an external source, but is generated within.Learn about stepping into personal power from the life and wisdom of Kemi Nekvapil. Kemi is an ICF-accredited coach, a compelling speaker, author and a 'Dare to Lead' facilitator. She's an absolute force.Our conversation covers:- How to ask for what you want and need in life- How her disempowered childhood shaped her into who she is today- Tapping into your inner strength and power- The gap between who we are and who we want to beKemi recently released her own podcast that is a must listen to, called The Shift Series. It offers short 'coaching prods' that allows listeners to tap into their inner resources, create actions and move forward in their lives.If you'd like to find out more about the show, head to the website - www.movinginward.com - or find the show over at Instagram: @moving.inward
Today’s episode is a treasure, honouring a woman at her most powerful and profound - when in labour.I was invited to guest host an episode of the heart-stirring Dumbo Feather podcast earlier this year, interviewing birth attendant, childbirth educator and counsellor Rhea Dempsey.For more than thirty years, Rhea has been helping women/birthing person and their partners to feel empowered and more prepared when navigating child birth. Known around the world for her earthy pragmatism as a birth support attendant and educator, she’s attended more than 1,500 births (!) and knows a thing or two about how our attitudes to birth can be better.We cover:How we can empower women through childbirth and postpartumHow doula’s create a space to mother the motherHow a woman’s brainwaves change during birth (which is *fascinating*)Why we need the “love-bomb” hormone oxytocin and how we get itUsing pain as a compassListening to the wisdom within the bodyRhea has the most poetic and lyrical expressions in the way she describes birth, that I was hanging on every phrase. You’ll notice it too, it’s a joy to listen to. We spoke about everything from why our attitudes towards birth have changed so dramatically since the 1980s, how we can hold sacred space between a mother/birthing person and their baby, and how we can provide unconditional support however their story unfolds.Enjoy!+Show Notes:You can learn more about Rhea’s work over at Birthing WisdomRhea’s conversation with Berry Liberman, Dumbo Feather’s heart-stirring editor-in-chief hereYou can find out more about Dumbo Feather over at their website, instagram or podcast page.
Zero waste campaigner Erin Rhoads from Rogue Ginger once famously put 18 months worth of her rubbish into a single glass jar.But Erin hasn’t always had a low waste lifestyle. In fact she says it used to be “fast food, fast living” kind. She’s shared her journey to reducing her impact on the environment through her blog The Rogue Ginger - one habit, one blog post at a time.Today Erin’s a sought-after writer and speaker. She was a consultant on ABCs War on Waste, and shares skills and practical help to hundreds at workshops, talks and forums, and founded Zero Waste Victoria and Plastic Bag Free Victoria.One of the things I love most about Erin is her complete honesty and transparency with the journey that she’s undertaken, and the emphasis on meaningful change. She acknowledges herself that she doesn’t always get it right, but that small steps every day can make an incredible difference over time.This conversation is an empowering one for anybody who wants to take small steps to make the world a better place.Enjoy!+Show notes:You’ll want to follow Erin online at The Rogue Ginger - I particularly love her Instagram accountErin’s book Waste Not is available nowThe Clean Bin Project documentary - or follow it on Facebook or TwitterBag It The MoviePlastic Free July - Facebook and TwitterWar on WasteShareWaste.com - community shared food waste and compostResponsible Cafes - promoting reusable coffee cupsBoomerang BagsIf you like this episode, you’ll love this episode with Tim Silverwood on the Power of Conscious Choice++Keep Listening:Sign up to our All Being Well’s newsletter - Mindful Mail - to receive updates on the best wellness news and resources from the web.Have you been enjoying All Being Well? It would mean so much to me if you would Subscribe, rate and leave an honest review. It helps other people to discover the show.Better yet, share this episode with a friend or family to spread the word.+++Thanks for listening.
Meeting Julia Busuttil Nishimura is like catching up with an old friend. She’s warm and grounded and full of life.Julia is also known as “Julia Ostro” - the beloved foodie, recipe writer, and best-selling author behind Ostro. While Julia is humble as can be her work has raving fans. Nigella Lawson called Ostro “life-enhancing” and Jamie Oliver called it “brilliant” and Kayla Robertson calls it “a must try”.Julia is full of beautiful wisdom and advice, including:Julia’s slow approach to food and life, and how she used this approach to chase her dreams;The powerful role food plays in self-care;Honing your intuition - in and out of the kitchen;The joy of gathering together at the table.Today Julia lives in Melbourne with her husband Nori, son Haruki and lively cat Momoko. In this conversation you’ll fall in love with cooking all over again.Buon appetito!+Show notes:You’re going to want to head over to Julia’s instagram and pinterest.Julia’s website can be found here.Her beautiful book ‘Ostro’ can be found over here.Love this episode? You’ll also love the episode with Paul West from River Cottage Australia
This special companion episode accompanies a conversation with Dr. Elise Bialylew, a psychiatrist, mindfulness and meditation teacher, and the founder of Mindful in May. Give that episode a whirl first before coming back here and practicing this beautiful companion practice.Our conversation is FILLED with wonderful, practical, realistic advice so that everybody can walk away with the resources they need to begin exploring mindfulness and meditation. Today.How do I know? Because they’ve been working for me.When I recorded this episode, I had fallen off the meditation bandwagon. I used to have a regular practice, but life had gotten in the way and I’d stopped. I was feeling disappointed in myself and struggling to integrate it back into my everyday life, trying little things and then stopping again.So I asked Dr. Bialylew every question I could think about - that you’ve probably thought about too - on how I can create a daily habit around mindfulness and meditation. She has given so many resources to us today, alongside the scientific evidence that supports it, so that everybody who listens can try a number of things to practice mindfulness and meditation.Our conversation includes:Tips and tools for enhancing your wellbeing, balance & joy through mindfulnessHow to transform your stress and worryWhat the difference is between meditation and mindfulness, and how you can try bothHow mindfulness changes the brain for the betterWhat do to when you’re too busy to meditateResources that you can try for free todayAll of this to say that this is a great conversation and you should absolutely listen to it. And then share it with your partner, your friends, your mum. Let’s help everybody transform their minds and lives.And ps: I’m proud to say that I’ve meditated for the last eight days back-to-back following this conversation. I hope it offers it to you too.Enjoy!
Today’s episode is with Dr. Elise Bialylew, a psychiatrist, mindfulness and meditation teacher, and the founder of Mindful in May.Our conversation is FILLED with wonderful, practical, realistic advice so that everybody can walk away with the resources they need to begin exploring mindfulness and meditation. Today.How do I know? Because they’ve been working for me.When I recorded this episode, I had fallen off the meditation bandwagon. I used to have a regular practice, but life had gotten in the way and I’d stopped. I was feeling disappointed in myself and struggling to integrate it back into my everyday life, trying little things and then stopping again.So I asked Dr. Bialylew every question I could think about - that you’ve probably thought about too - on how I can create a daily habit around mindfulness and meditation. She has given so many resources to us today, alongside the scientific evidence that supports it, so that everybody who listens can try a number of things to practice mindfulness and meditation.Our conversation includes:Tips and tools for enhancing your wellbeing, balance & joy through mindfulnessHow to transform your stress and worryWhat the difference is between meditation and mindfulness, and how you can try bothHow mindfulness changes the brain for the betterWhat do to when you’re too busy to meditateResources that you can try for free todayAll of this to say that this is a great conversation and you should absolutely listen to it. And then share it with your partner, your friends, your mum. Let’s help everybody transform their minds and lives.And ps: I’m proud to say that I’ve meditated for the last eight days back-to-back following this conversation. I hope it offers it to you too.Enjoy!+
Yoga Nidra is also known as 'yogic sleep' and is a beautiful yoga practice for deep relaxation.This bonus practice is a companion episode to my conversation with the magnetic Irene ‘Izzy’ Ais from Om People Yoga, where she explores her journey to the self through yoga. It's a beautiful conversation and I so recommend you listen to it to learn more about the practice.Enjoy!Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:Find Irene Ais on InstagramOm People Yoga - Website and Instagram1 Giant Mind meditation
This episode is a truly beautiful conversation about the life enhancing benefits of yoga. If you’ve ever been curious about yoga, or perhaps attended a class and not quite felt ‘it’, or you regularly attend classes and are keen to learn more - this episode is a doorway into explaining and understanding the depth of the practice.Irene Ais is a yoga and meditation teacher, and the co-founder of nomadic yoga school OM People Yoga - offering students the ancient and dynamic practice of yoga on and off the mat.We start with Irene’s own journey to the practice. For many years she wasn’t nurturing herself, travelling the world and disconnected from herself. However she believes that yoga finds us when we’re ready, and that it found her at just the right time with an opportunity to “experience herself”.Since then, Irene has spent 15 years exploring the ancient practices of yoga and meditation, and takes her own students on a journey of self-discovery by combining the physical poses with an invitation to drop into the energetic practice and the self.This knowledge coupled with an innate understanding of the mind/body connection makes for a powerful combination, and a powerful episode on the invitation we all have to know ourselves, and that that journey is a winding and imperfect one, starting exactly where we are when we’re ready to take it.Enjoy!Things to Check Out After Today’s Episode:Find Irene Ais on InstagramOm People Yoga - Website and Instagram1 Giant Mind meditation‘The world’s happiest man wishes you wouldn’t call him that ’ - GQ article on Matthieu Ricard
Madeleine Dore is the writer, interviewer and creative force behind Extraordinary Routines, the brilliant interview project that investigates the intersection between creativity and imperfection - featuring the lives, challenges and triumphs of our favourite creatives.This episode is a bonus companion to our interview on the podcast about creating extraordinary routines - and is based on Madeleine's month-long experiment on morning routines to see how they could help her win the day.She experiments with famous morning routines - from working from bed, to 'eating a frog' - to see how they can improve her morning, and her entire day. Try them for yourself and let us know how you fare!You can also download the Morning Routine's Workbook where this experiment is shared in detail over at Extraordinary Routines.Enjoy!
Madeleine Dore is the writer, interviewer and routine explorer behind Extraordinary Routines, the brilliant interview project that investigates the intersection between creativity and imperfection - featuring the lives, challenges and triumphs of our favourite creatives.In this episode we explore:how our habits create our liveshow we can move through fear and blockswhy we should focus on our strengths rather than our weaknessand how routines can help us win the dayMadeleine herself is a creative force, growing Extraordinary Routines while also launching the event series Side Project Sessions for a “peer-pressured productivity session”. Madeleine has a wealth of knowledge about routines, habit setting, habit tracking and bullet journalling, and has written for ABC Life, Arts Hub, The Design Files, Kill Your Darlings and countless others.I hope this conversation provides some inspiration for translating your goals into a reality, embracing your imperfections and your humanness, and for moving through fear to create an extraordinary daily routine.
This companion practice accompanies episode #1 with Kate James on living with purpose. This 'Future Self Meditation' takes just under 15 minutes and can bring about powerful results. That being said, if you're feeling stuck you might initially find it difficult to visualise your ideal life. Trust that the meditation will begin to work on your subconscious mind. Listen a few times over coming days and you'll find the answers become more clear.Please note this practice is bonus content that's not part of the longer episode, and I recommend listening to episode #1 before beginning.Enjoy!+I'm thrilled to announce that Season Two will be launched in partnership with Dumbo Feather, and we'll be co-hosting an event on healing towards the end of January. Head to this link to book your ticket.++Have you been enjoying the show? Please Subscribe, Rate and Leave an honest Review in your podcast app. It helps others to find the show. Another option is to share your favourite episode with a loved one!++Thank you for listening!+++
I’ll be eternally grateful for this conversation with Kate James. Kate is an internationally renowned career, business and life coach, and a mindfulness teacher based on the Mornington Peninsula. She's full of wisdom and thoughtfulness on how we can live with purpose, gain clarity about our direction and feel confident to pursue a career and life we love.This episode relates to this month's focus on finding our “why”. Our “why” can be called lots of things. In yoga it’s called your sankalpa. It can also be called your purpose. Or your true north.Essentially, your “why” is the purpose, values and beliefs that underpin everything you do. It is completely unique to you, and it’s the reason why you do what you do.Kate works to help her clients identify their values and strengths so that they can define their own version of a meaningful life. She is bursting with integrity and honesty, and I feel honoured that she was so generous with her thoughts and energy for this episode.She provides a number of brilliant resources that can help you to identify your own “why”, develop your strengths, and then guides us through a beautiful meditation to support this process. I truly hope that you get as much out of this conversation as I did!Enjoy, and have a wonderful start to 2019.+I'm thrilled to announce that Season Two will be launched in partnership with Dumbo Feather, and we'll be co-hosting an event on healing towards the end of January. Head to this link to book your ticket.++Have you been enjoying the show? Please Subscribe, Rate and Leave an honest Review in your podcast app. It helps others to find the show. Another option is to share your favourite episode with a loved one!++Thank you for listening!+++
We've all day-dreamed about throwing in the towel and heading out on adventure, but what happens if you actually followed that instinct?Caroline Clements and Dillon Seitchik-Reardon are creatives in Melbourne who did just that - they sold their possessions, moved out of their home, and left in an old four wheel drive with a single goal: to discover Australia’s best swimming spot.With the holiday season upon us, it’s not always possible to take a year off to travel the world - or necessary. This conversation is an invitation for anybody hankering for an adventure, where you need nothing more than a cozzie (if that) and willingness to embrace nature and the unknown.
Today’s conversation with permaculture educators Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar from Milkwood is dose of goodness for anybody looking to connect with the earth, and themselves.Hearing from Kirsten and Nick is an absolute joy, as they share their gentle and exploratory journey towards creating a meaningful life.Their story begins in central Melbourne, working as art-makers and VJs, before undertaking an enormous challenge and moving to Nick’s rural family farm in NSW in the hope of transforming it into a new life and their new livelihood. With a lot of love and effort, this eventually blossomed into their permaculture business Milkwood Permaculture - that has trained and inspired thousands of us with it’s message of building a better world.Nick and Kirsten focus their efforts around taking care of the earth and stewarding the planet’s resources, and have a delightful time along the way. They make a compelling case for us all to slow down and consider what really matters - whether that’s learning to keep bees naturally or grow tomatoes, making things with our hands or considering our individual impact on our surroundings.Whether you’re craving a major life transformation or to introduce something as small as growing mushrooms, Kirsten and Nick have a thoughtful philosophy to change that we can all adopt: make incremental changes where we are, with what we have, doing what we can.
I’m going to interrupt business as usual broadcasting here because it’s November... and we need to talk.We need to talk about men.This episode is inspired by Movember, which uses this month to talk about improving the quality of life for men and raising funds to do something about it.The reason for this conversation is pretty clear when we see the numbers:In Australia three in every four suicides are menMen die on average six years earlier than women for reasons that are largely preventable.And lastly - 70% of men say their friends can rely on them for support, but only 48% say that they rely on their friends. In other words: they’re here for their mates, but worried about asking for help for themselves.Helping to improve the health and wellbeing of the men in our lives is so important, and this episode covers that from a variety of different angles. I’m incredibly proud of it and I hope you find it useful too.I speak with four men from very different areas of expertise on men’s health. There’s personal trainer and TV personality Sam Wood, Sam Gledhill from the Movember Foundation, award-winning filmmaker Damon Gameau and anthropologist Dr. Monty Badami.Together they share rich and nuanced view of how we can better support the boys and men in our lives and how we can have conversations with them that matter.Share this episode with your partner, your brother, your father, your son or your friend. Let's change that statistic that says that only 48% of men believe that they can rely on their friends.Be the person that they can rely on.Let's get the conversation started.
What is the role of money and business in creating the world that we want to live in?That’s the question that Danny Almagor has dedicated his life to, creating Small Giants with wife Berry Liberman, the magical storyteller behind Dumbo Feather.Together they’ve formed a dynamic partnership that uses business to create change, and as a tool for positive social and environmental impact in the world.Small Giants creates, nurtures and empowers businesses and entrepreneurs who are looking to use their work to create a sustainable, socially equitable world - and is behind well-known and loved brands like TOM Organic, STREAT, Dumbo Feather and The School of Life.In this rich and hopeful conversation, Danny shares his views on how we can all create the world that we want to live in by building a new economy - where we vote with our dollar, where we invest in good leadership and where we align our purchasing decisions with the needs of humanity.This episode focuses not on disconnecting from the world around us but connecting with it deeply.This is an invitation to be a part of a better world, and I hope that you feel as energised by Danny's thoughts as I did.Enjoy!
Knowing how to get the most out of the people we meet, live with and love is so important to living a meaningful life.But too often we struggle to communicate our true selves. We fail to connect deeply or have conversations that allow us to reveal our vulnerability and naturally relate to others. Instead, our chitchat can feel like it’s in a rut - mundane, dull and filled with innocuous nonsense about events, plans or the weather.According to Tim Dean, the ability to be sociable and to relate to other people is a learned skill, and one that requires emotional intelligence - enhancing our ability to connect with those around us, and ourselves.Tim Dean is a philosopher, science journalist and a faculty member of The School of Life - and in this rich conversation we discuss some big and bold topics, including:How we can be better listeners to our friends and family;How we can use social media mindfully;How we can ask better questions so that we have richer conversations;How we can handle family events where we have to interact with people that we don’t agree with very much.Tim has so many wonderful tips for deepening our relationships and embracing difference, that I’ve found it’s enhanced the connection I have with my own friends, family and colleagues since trying his advice. I hope for you that it does the same.This episode is a must listen for anybody looking to have richer conversations, more meaningful interactions, and to share your imperfections with others in a way that’s true, honest and joyful.Enjoy!
If you're looking to introduce more plants into your diet - whether you're a vegetarian, a meat-eater, a flexitarian or simple hearty lover of food - this episode is for you.Gemma Davis is a qualified naturopath who blogs about ethical eating at The Compassionate Road about how we can make kinder choices through food and in life, from questioning leather, the conditions behind free range eggs, and plant based cooking inspiration.The timing of this episode is rather poetic, as a number of charities are coming together to promote Meat Free Week - a challenge for people to reduce their meat products for seven days to raise funds for great causes. With serious concerns over the impact of a meat-heavy diet, there's never been a better time to educate yourself and your family about food and plant-based eating.I’m also trying my hand at a vegan health plan under Gemma’s guidance and I’d love for you to join me and follow along! More information in the episode, and the show notes below.Enjoy!
*Enjoy second part of my special conversation with Paul West*Paul West is a chef, sustainable food advocate, and the host of River Cottage Australia, famously bringing Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s beloved series of farm life to Australian television screens. However, for Paul, life wasn’t always so rosy.In our conversation, we go behind the scenes to explore his own story of discovering the River Cottage lifestyle - from overworked, overstressed and undernourished chef, through to re-defining what success meant to him and his growing family. A simpler life; a meaningful life - with slow food at its heart.I’ve been such a big fan of River Cottage and was delighted to discover that Paul’s even more warm and lovable in real life - although meeting his border collie Digger was obviously the real highlight!We spoke for more than an hour and I couldn’t bear to cut his interview in half - so I’ve released it in two parts. I hope you enjoy this special edition of All Being Well, and I’d love to hear your feedback on whether this works for you!For now, enjoy this celebration of seasonal growing, slow cooking and communal gathering around food.
Paul West is a chef, sustainable food advocate, and the host of River Cottage Australia, famously bringing Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s beloved series of farm life to Australian television screens. However, for Paul, life wasn’t always so rosy.In our conversation, we go behind the scenes to explore his own story of discovering the River Cottage lifestyle - from overworked, overstressed and undernourished chef, through to re-defining what success meant to him and his growing family. A simpler life; a meaningful life - with slow food at its heart.I’ve been such a big fan of River Cottage and was delighted to discover that Paul’s even more warm and lovable in real life - although meeting his border collie Digger was obviously the real highlight!We spoke for more than an hour and I couldn’t bear to cut his interview in half - so I’ve released it in two parts. I hope you enjoy this special edition of All Being Well, and I’d love to hear your feedback on whether this works for you!For now, enjoy Part 1 of our conversation and this celebration of seasonal growing, slow cooking and communal gathering around food.
Dr. Richard Chambers is an internationally recognised mindfulness expert, psychologist, and part of the team who created Smiling Mind. I've personally benefitted from his knowledge, alongside thousands of others, to harness the power of mindfulness in everyday life.Mindfulness means being aware and fully engaged in each moment of life. It starts with paying full attention to what we are doing, staying in direct contact with what is actually happening, and not getting caught up in judgment. Research has shown that this reduces stress and anxiety, improves productivity and performance and helps with our overall health.It doesn’t take a lot of practice. As little as five to ten minutes a day of mindfulness meditation produces significant benefits in a short period of time.To deepen your wellness practice I whole-heartedly recommend that you listen to this episode, and try some of the free resources available in the show notes.Can you find five to ten minutes a day to enhance your wellbeing?
Alexx Stuart is a health activist and change agent. She coined the term 'low tox' many years ago after seeing a lack of transparency in our food system, personal care and cleaning products. At the time the decision seemed to be filled with black and white binary distinctions of 'no tox' and 'zero chemical' lifestyles that felt unrealistic for her to integrate into daily life.Instead, she founded the blog Low Tox Life and began to research simple steps that she could take to reduce the overall amount of chemicals and toxins from her life - one nasty at a time.Today Low Tox Life is not just a blog, podcast and facebook community - but a growing movement.I must admit - I felt that I was fairly educated in this area before speaking with Alexx in this interview.But I have a spoiler alert: I was not.
‘Grow, feed, educate’ is Emma and Tom Lane’s motto for their beloved business, The Farm in Byron Bay. The ethos underpins all they do, and stems from their deep belief that firsthand experience of seeing how food is grown and produced makes eating so much more pleasurable - and equips us to make better food decisions for our health and the health of our planet.The family lived on Sydney’s Darling Harbour, where Tom led his family’s business, the fashion label Oroton, and Emma worked in advertising. But when they discovered their three-year-old daughter in their veggie patch, devouring green beans she’d grown herself, they wanted a healthier life for their young family.The seed of an idea was born to launch a working farm, offering this same food connection for other families.“People did think we were crazy,” Tom says.This is what happened next.Spoiler alert: it's all kinds of incredible.
Kate McCready is a work, business and life coach, and her goal is to activate the best in us to better our lives and world.Kate is the host of the Good Work Revolution podcast, which I’m a big fan and listener of, where she explores side projects to ignite our purpose, navigating transitions and creating heart-centred and human-centred workplaces.Kate is the warmest and wisest person I’ve been able to sit with and ponder deeper meaning behind bringing our conscious selves to all facets of our lives. We discussed the separateness people often feel with our ‘professional selves’ and our ‘personal selves’ and how we can eliminate the barriers that hinder us from becoming our most authentic selves while at work. Whether you work in an office or in nature, in a 9-to-5 or 5-to-late or thinking about starting work or ending work, you’ll discover a lot of helpful prompts and advice from Kate to steer your work life to a place that is filled with purpose, progress and passion.
Georgina Reid is the soil-savvy force behind The Planthunter, an independent online magazine that has developed a cult following, weaving together a rich story of connection between humans and plants. Celebrating plant life in all its forms, it offers an intelligent, inspirational and sometimes wonderfully wacky mix of content that delights readers away from their computers and into their garden.When Georgina had a seed of an idea to create a website exploring the connections between people and plants, she had no idea that it would grow to become a wild and rather rampant online publishing venture that would be loved by so many people.Today The Planthunter has developed into a thriving community of green thumbs that delight in the wonders of the natural world. As one of her biggest fans, I’m not alone in my support for this online love letter to plant life.I asked Georgina about her rambling journey to where she is today, her personal tools for grounding into the earth and how we can weave nature into our everyday lives - whether we live in cities, suburbs or the countryside.She'll make a planthunter of you yet.
Ask yourself this question: What does my inner and outer self look and feel like at this time in my life? Your outer self being the part of you that you show to the outside world. Your inner self is a private world of sensations, feelings, memories and thoughts. It’s private and it’s precious and it’s ours alone. Just close your eyes and meditate on it for a moment.Now ask yourself this. Does anybody else truly get to know my inner world?Maud Léger spent many years hiding her inner world. As a vinyasa and yin yoga teacher with an expansive practice she unites movement, meditation and the breath, but she held a secret cocoon of shame that she rarely revealed.Maud is originally from France, and the displacement she felt physically as she settled in to Australia is one that she felt within her physical body as well as her emotional and spiritual bodies. As she journeyed inward to find a path to healing, she was also called to tune into her body’s deeper wisdom, to enhance her health and to find a home within.Today Maud empowers people to embrace themselves to become who they really are. We discuss the messy and beautiful journey of finding self-love and the steps that we can take to find peace within.
My next guest needs little introduction. Lola Berry is a nutritionist, a yoga teacher and is the author of ten best-selling books. Her name is synonymous with her happy-go-lucky persona and her vivaciousness for life, but what she rarely reveals is the criticism that she receives behind the scenes. As a well-known personality, Lola has faced a barrage of unkind criticism judging the way she looks, what she wears, her weight, and her very being.I actually met Lola nearly ten years ago when both of our lives looked very different. At the time, Lola had began to regularly appear on television, and was featuring in segments that didn’t always reflect her true values. Lola and I discuss how we can tune into our guiding principles and true self to transform our inner and outer worlds. Lola shares the strategies that she’s adopted that’s allowed her to be the version of herself, and to be an active and joyful participant in her own life.
Rarely has a book captivated and delighted readers as much as My Heart Wanders by Pia Bijkerk, an author, artist and visual storyteller. It honours what Pia calls our heart wanderings - the journeys that we take physically and emotionally when we’re guided by our intuition.Pia believes that we have the opportunity to flourish as human beings when we tune into our inner child and our deeper yearnings, rather than being guided solely by our thoughts. Through her work and her mentoring sessions with creative clients, she supports others to do the same.In this episode you’ll walk with Pia on her heart-centred escapades and discovers tools to release creative and emotional blocks that might be holding you back.
Did you know that almost three quarters of our planet’s surface is covered by ocean?This has lead Tim Silverwood to believe that we should be calling it Planet Ocean rather than Planet Earth. As an environmentalist, a campaigner, and the co-founder of Take 3. He’s a dynamic voice within the movement away from single use plastics, and a refreshingly optimistic presence within the environmental movement.As a keen surfer, Tim has closely watched the evolution of the ocean and its responsiveness to human life. In 2011 he sailed 5000 kms across the North Pacific Ocean to study the infamous Great Pacific Garbage Patch and has shared these experiences through his popular TedX talk, appearance in the ABC’s unmissable War on Waste, and as an ‘ocean guardian’ in the documentary Blue.When reflecting on his connection with the underwater world, Tim says: “The ocean is a place where I can step away from the normal realm of terrestrial existence and dabble in the fringes.”In this episode you'll discover simple tools to reduce your single use plastic pollution, and Tim's advice on the one thing you can start doing today that will change your relationship with nature.
In many homes worldwide, David Holmgren is a beloved name. As the co-creator of the global permaculture movement, his work has touched millions of lives, and can be seen etched into the gardens of inner city projects to community co-operatives to large-scale farms.The term permaculture was created back in the mid-1970s by David and university professor Bill Mollison, and is a combination of the terms ‘permanent’ and ‘agriculture’ to create a symbolic union. Its 12 principles are based around three pillars - care of the earth, care of people and return of surplus - and over the last forty years it has evolved into an organic, adaptive movement to expand alongside modern times.Behind the movement, David is not only promoting a sustainable lifestyle, but a powerful alternative life away from dependent consumerism. As such, the principles of permaculture transcend the humble garden to see homes flourish through non-monetary economies, communities blossom through connection and to celebrate a life handmade through the imperfect art of creation.Kayla had the pleasure of interviewing David at his home of Melliodora in Central Victoria, one of the best documented and well known permaculture demonstration sites worldwide.In this episode you'll learn David's tips for the first place to start when greening your home, and the easy ways that you can introduce permaculture into your life.
Did you know that wellbeing has sustained Aboriginal Australians to be one of the world’s oldest continuing living cultures for more than 80,000 years?It’s an honour for this podcast series to be introduced with a conversation with Jamie Marloo Thomas, a proud Aboriginal Australian and the co-founder of Wayapa - the first formalized wellness and connection practice based on Indigenous Australian knowledge.Wayapa is also known as Wayapa Wurrk, which means connect to country. It focuses on taking care of the Earth as a starting point for healing ourselves. It’s a physical practice and an earth meditation, that has been likened to eastern practices such as yoga and tai chi.In this episode you'll discover tips on how you can introduce ancient Aboriginal Australian practices into your own life to reconnect to earth.