Some Of My Favourite People

Jimmy Kyle is a singer-songwriter, fronting the Australian band Chasing Ghosts. Kyle is a Thungutti descendent from the mid-north coast of New South Wales. He has worked alongside Indigenous communities in various roles for well over a decade. We got into talking about music, the hardcore scene, activism, Australia's history of colonialism, the difference between activism and education, maturing in the social justice space and a whole lot more. It was an absolute pleasure and I hope you guys enjoy the conversation. Thank you Jimmy! Please don't forget to like and subscribe! You can follow Jimmy here: Insta: @chasingghosts Facebook: @chasingghostsmusic

Ada is a Youtuber, social commentator and content creator based in the U.K focused on race and racism. She started the project not seeing a more diverse range of thought presented when it comes to talking about social and political issues, so a different voice was created. We had a cool conversation about Ada's views and opinions. We got into acknowledging looking at the balance between personal responsibility and social causatives of disparate outcomes, going against the grain of popular ideas, and giving people hope and a reason to be optimistic. You can follow Ada: Twitter: ada_akpala YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DifferentVoiceInitiative

Marcus Dibb is a trans educator, and Youtuber, based in Denmark. I had a really fun, illuminating and interesting conversation with Marcus. We talked about his journey with gender dysphoria and transition and his politics. We have different views and values on some things, agreed on others and we laughed a lot, it was cool to talk! Thank you Marcus! Youtube: The Offensive Tranny Instagram: @theoffensivetranny/ Twitter: @marcus_dibI

Aaron Tau is a pro-MMA fighter, with a  background in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing and Kickboxing.  He fights out of UFC star Dan Hooker's Combat Academy, in Auckland New Zealand. We had a really deep conversation about Aaron's life. Aaron was very open and intimate about the experiences that shaped him growing up, and how he became who he is today.  Aaron grew up with a life rich in Maoritanga (traditional culture and way of life) in a  rural community.He experienced extreme hardship and adversity within his family. However, he's not let the hand he was dealt, he says, define who he is, and he speaks about his philosophies of forgiveness, compassionate and unconditional love that underpin his way of life. This was one of the best conversations I've ever had the privilege to have, and I'm sure everyone will get a lot from it. Thank you Aaron!    

Aaron Henerae is a proudly Māori pro wrestler competing in Japan as a part of the New Japan Pro Wrestling team. He majored in sociology and politics with a focus on International Relations at the University of Auckland before following his dreams and heading to Japan. He graduated from the New Japan Pro Wrestling Dojo in 2018. We had a rad chat about his journey in martial arts and wrestling, family, individualism, politics, masculinity, thanks for your time bro! You can follow AaronInsta:       @HenareNZ Twitter: @HenareNZ  

Max Rashbrooke is a Wellington-based writer and public intellectual, with twin interests in economic inequality and democratic renewal. His latest book is Too Much Money: How Wealth Disparities are Unbalancing Aotearoa New Zealand, based on research he carried out as the 2020 J. D. Stout Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington. His previous works include Government for the Public Good: The Surprising Science of Large-Scale Collective Action and Inequality: A New Zealand Crisis, both published by Bridget Williams Books. A senior associate of the Institute for Governance and Policy Studies, he writes a fortnightly column for Stuff, and his work appears in outlets such as the Guardian and Prospect magazine. His TED.com talk on upgrading democracy has been viewed over 1m times.We had a fascinating conversation about his research and writing, what drives him in his advocacy, how poverty affects people and what we can do about it all. Thanks so much for your time Max! You can follow Max:www.maxrashbrooke.netTwitter: @maxrashbrookeInstagram:@maxrashbrooke 

Jess Hill is an award-winning Australian based investigative journalist, author, and campaigner against domestic and family violence. In addition to winning the Stella Prize, her book See What You Made Me Do: Power, Control and Domestic Abuse was a finalist for both the 2019 Walkley Book Award and 2019 Australian Human Rights Commission Media Award, and shortlisted for the 2020 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Non-fiction book. It also happens to be the best book I've ever read on the topic. I had a brilliant conversation with Jess, about her work, what motivates it, the complexities and difficulties of working in activists spaces, how we bring men into the work of ending gendered violence, we explored ideas around the patriarchy. It was brilliant and I'm a better person for having the conversation. Thanks so much for your time Jess! You can follow Jess and her work at: https://www.jesshill.net/ Twitter: @jessradio Insta: @thetrappod See What You Made Me Do Documentary https://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/program/see-what-you-made-me-do:

Aaron is a youth worker, writer and advocate, working with homeless youth in Tāmaki Makaurau/ Auckland. He works as the youth housing for Lifewise, a charitable organisation that does the difficult work of trying to help some of the country's most marginalized and hard to reach people into housing. Aaron is also a writer and social change advocate. We had a wonderful conversation looking at what underpins his work, how we can be better activists and constructive in our desire for social change. You can follow Aaron at: https://whenlambsaresilent.wordpress.com/ Twitter:@AeJayHendry Insta: @a.j.hendry Thanks AJ!

Kenzie does a lot of work talking about diet culture, body image, self-esteem and self-acceptance. This conversation was super fun, insightful and educational. We learned how to have constructive discussions about Kenzie's own story, shame, coping mechanisms, and drivers of our behaviours. I really enjoyed it, and I hope you do too. You can follow Kenzie ⤵️ Insta: @kenziebrenna @conversationswithkenzie TikTok @kenziebrenna TThanks so much, Kenzie!

Kate Parker is based in Melbourne and is a volunteer at the global environmental organisation Sea Shepherd. She is a divemaster, and is also is the co-founder of the not for profit Daughters of The Deep, which helps underprivileged women gain access to education and marine conservation work. I reached out to Kate, who I had met briefly in Australia, to know more about what Sea Sheppard was doing. I had read an article on the Chinese Fishing Fleet horrific squid fishery practices off the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos are a UNESCO world heritage site that inspired 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin and is home to some of the world's most endangered species, from giant tortoises to hammerhead sharks. Kate explained her work, what Sea Shepherd does, how we can help; we talked about some of the complications of activism; it was an entertaining talk. Thanks so much, Kate! Insta: @ladyparker1984 @daughtersofthedeepofficial @seashpherd  

I met Sam in maybe 2012 when Architects were supporting The Amity Affliction on the Chasing Ghosts Tour in Australia, and we've been friends ever since. Here we had a great conversation, where we really got into it. Sam opened up very candidly about his mental health journey. We talked about grief and depression, and getting well again, how we can support one another, all the things. It was a really nice time. Thanks so much for your time Sam! You can follow Sam and Architects ⤵️ https://www.architectsmerch.co/ Insta: @samarchitects @architectsuk Twitter: @samarchitects @architectsuk

Meghan is a writer, podcaster and founder and editor of the Canadian based website Feminist Current. We had a fun conversation about the culture wars, politics, our respective journeys moving away from identifying strongly with a political tribe, the nature of activism, and getting pneumonia from partying too much. Thanks so much for your time Meghan, it was great to talk! You can follow Meghan and her work: https://www.feministcurrent.com/ Insta: @meghanemilymurphy @the_samedrugs Twitter: @feministcurrent @the_samedrugs

With her husband Mataio, they work with men in prisons, have recently published a best selling book, have created viral social media content to spread their message, that change is possible and lives full of love and free from violence are possible. This was a powerful interview and Sarah had so much trauma-informed knowledge and wisdom to share. Thank you so much Sarah! You can find Sarah and her work at https://www.sheisnotyourrehab.com/about Insta: @SarahClareBrown // @sheisnotyourrehab

Lydia and I talked through her long history of competitive running, from primary school to finishing 20th in the New York Marathon and beyond. We explored the image pressures on female athletes and runners, in particular, body dysmorphia, mental health.  Lydia explained just how understudied the differences between male and female athletes have been and how female-specific understanding of physiology plays an essential role in performance.   It was super fun and exciting conversation; thank you, Lydia!  

I was 17 when I first Jason. He was already a bona fide champion, with a huge reputation. He was always super cool, and approachable and helpful to me as an eager kid, and would go on to become a good friend. I had a great time hearing his stories from his years fighting, the changes parenting have made in him and the move from being a fighter, to a healer. Thanks for your time Jase! You can follow Jason: www.jasonsuttie.co.nz Insta: @psycho-suttie // @ etkhq

Dr. Christine Marie is a survivor, who has used her experiences to become a media psychologist, author, speaker, educator, activist and life story coach. In addition to her PhD, she has an MBA, an MA in psychology, a specialization certificate in Positive Psychology and Media, and is a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist. In 2021, she won the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Psychological Association, Division of Media Psychology and Technology. I met Christine on Instagram, and I was stoked to have an in-depth conversation with her about her life and work. Thank you so much for your openness and your compassion, you give me hope. https://christinemarie.com/ Insta: @dr.christinemarie Twitter: @christinamarie.

To share what he's learned, he's become an excellent public speaker, author and podcaster. We had an enjoyable conversation about how far we've come as a culture talking about mental health issues, the rise of mental health influencers, and we got into the politics around mental health.Thanks for your time Jimi!You can find Jimi atwww.jimihunt.cominsta: @thejimihunt

Thomas Sainsbury is a New Zealand based actor, comedian, playwright, author and director. He is well known for his political satire, and caricatures of middle New Zealand. We had a really fun conversation about insecurity, empathy and mellowing with age. Thank you so much for your time Tom! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tomsainsbury6 Instagram: @thomassainsbury

Dr Paul Wood has an amazing story. Convicted for murder as a teenager, Paul transformed his life, became a Doctor of Psychology, top-selling author and motivational speaker. We had a super candid conversation about his life, work, and thoughts on creating a culture of safety. We talk about Paul's new book 'Mental Fitness', his second, after his best selling 'How To Escape From Prison', and taking radical responsibility for our lives. Thanks so much for your time, Paul! https://paulwood.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/drpaulwood/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drpaulwood Insta: https://www.instagram.com/drpaulwood/