The Understanding Boys Podcast

Kylie Rogers is one of Australia's leading commercial and media executives. Her current role is Executive General Manager, Customer and Commercial at the Australian Football League (AFL). Her previous roles include National Commercial Director and National Head of Generate at Network Ten, and Commercial Director and Managing Director at Mamamia, Australia's largest women's media company, where she oversaw significant growth and profitability for the organisation in Australia and internationally.  In this episode Kylie shares her experience working with purposeful organisations, gender equity in the workplace, and the types of conversations we need to be having with our boys. We hope you enjoy this episode. 

Film director and producer Maree Crabbe has worked with young people and issues affecting young people for more than 20 years. She has developed and delivered programs that focus on sexual violence prevention and sexual diversity and has contributed to public conversations through interviews on television and radio and articles in online and print media. Maree co-ordinates the program Reality Risk: Pornography, young people and sexuality which seeks to support young people and the broader community to critique the messages about gender and sex and to promote the understanding of relationships and sexuality that are based on respect, equality, mutuality, communication and consent. Maree is also co producer and co-director of the documentary films, Love and Sex in and Age of Pornography and The Porn Factor, both broadcast on SBS. She is also the author of In the Picture,  a resource that supports secondary schools to address the influence of explicit sexual imagery Maree talks about the impact of pornography, and steps we can take to ensure we are raising healthy boys.

Genevieve is best known in her role as National Head of PR and Talent Relations for News Corp Australia. She has also worked on a number of advisory boards including the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and Melbourne Press Club, as well as helping out at local sports clubs her children are involved with. Join us for this authentic and genuine conversation with this amazing mum as she shares her stories about her own life and her learnings along the way. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Kim Kane is an award-winning Australian author of 25 books for children and teenagers. Kim's books have been published throughout the world and translated into a number of languages. Before she began writing for children, Kim practised commercial law for a decade. Kim is an advocate for children's writing and sits on the board of the Australian Children's Laureate Foundation.  Kim's books include the CBCA short-listed picture book Family Forest, and her time-slip children's novel When the Lyrebird Calls and the Ginger Green series.  Kim is a mother of two sons and lives in Melbourne. 

Dr Sarah Meachem is an academic research scientist and health research advocate in the area of male reproduction.  Sarah's research has a clinical relevance for men's health in the better management of male infertility and her work is recognised globally.  She is the author of over 80 publications and has received awards for her vision for the nation's health sector. Sarah completed her PhD at Monash University where she studied the hormone control of testis function. She is a Director of the Australian Institute of Policy and Science, a Manager for the co-badged PhD International Research Training Program between Germany and Australia and serves on the Advisory Group to the Board of the Australian Society for Medical Research and is the Chair of the national steering group. In this episode we talk to Sarah about her fascinating work in men's health.   

Roshena Campbell is a barrister and Melbourne City Councillor who is passionate about contributing to Melbourne's re-emergence as a vibrant and thriving city. She has expertise in commercial law and corporate governance and has represented some of Australia's largest companies and state and local government bodies. Roshena holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from Monash University and a Masters of Laws from the University of Melbourne. She is a mother to three children. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Martine Oglethorpe is a digital wellbeing and online safe educator, speaker and writer. For over 10 years, Martine's blog, The Modern Parent, has been a trusted resource for parents on the challenges faced by families in the cyber world and has recently authored a new book, The Modern Parent – Raising a Great Kid in the Digital World. Martine has a background in secondary education, holds a Masters degree in Counselling and is a Mental Health Education Consultant at headspace. She is an accredited speaker with the Office of the eSafety Commission of Australia and has presented to parents groups, schools and teachers across Australia.   If you have ever wondered if you should let your child watch Squid games, play Fortnite, get Tik Tok, Instagram, or play Call of Duty, then this episode is worth a listen.

Daisy Turnbull is a teacher, director of wellbeing, counsellor and now inspiring author of two books, 50 Risks to Take With Your Kids – A guide to building resilience and independence in the first 10 years and the follow up 50 Questions to Ask Your Teens – A guide to fostering communication and confidence in young adults. The books are underpinned by research and her own experience as a teacher of teens. Daisy is an accredited Lifeline crisis support counsellor and regularly volunteers on the crisis support line and a mother of two children. We hope you enjoy this episode.

Matt and Robyn Cronin endured great loss when their son Pat was killed by one coward punch. Since April 2016, Matt and Robyn have dedicated their lives towards research, awareness, and education in ending the coward punch through the Pat Cronin Foundation. The foundation provides free presentations to schools, clubs and community groups, helping young people create solutions to Be Wise, Think Carefully and Act Kindly. Hear Matt and Robyn's inspirational story, and their fierce determination to honour Pat's life by bringing about change so we can have a world free from the coward punch.

Dr Zac Seidler, is a clinical psychologist, researcher and leading men's mental health expert. Zac is the Director of Mental Health Training at Movember and Senior Research Fellow with Orygen at the University of Melbourne, Dr Seidler has dedicated his academic and professional career to men's mental health and masculinity. His goal is to help reduce the staggering rate of male suicide worldwide. Through his research, Dr Seidler has advocated for a change in the way we think about treating men's distress, with a focus on creating mental health services that account for masculinity. This has evolved into a fully funded project, Men in Mind, the world's first training program for mental health clinicians to help them better understand and respond to men's distress and suicidality.

Jacqueline Hey is the Chair of the Board of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank and is also serving on the Board of Qantas Airways, is a School Council member at Brighton Grammar School and a member of Chief Executive Women. Between 1987 and 2010, Jacquie held several executive positions with Ericsson, including Managing Director, in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Middle East. She was the first female Director of Cricket Australia from 2012 to 2020. Jacquie holds a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Economics from the University of Melbourne, a Graduate Certificate of Management from Southern Cross University, and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. We're pleased to welcome Jacquie to the podcast as she talks about her amazing life in business and as a mother.    

In a career spanning 30 years, Paul Roos has been an Australian Rules Football player (Fitzroy, Sydney Swans), Head Coach of the Sydney Swans and Melbourne Football Club, media broadcaster and men's wellness advocate. In 2005, he guided the Sydney Swans to the AFL Premiership, breaking a 72-year drought, and was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame. He was named All-Australian seven times and, in his prime, was rated the best footballer in Australia. In 2018, Paul founded the Roos Men's Wellness and Leadership Club. He is currently the founder and director of Performance by Design, which builds high-performing cultures by helping role model leaders bring team behaviours to life. In this episode, we talk to Paul, who is the father of two sons, about his career and his learnings from it.

Join us for our latest podcast with Jennifer Keyte an accomplished journalist and broadcaster who we all recognise as the news anchor on Network Ten's, Ten Eyewitness News. Jennifer is one of Melbourne's most trust and respected presenters with decades of experience. She brings sophistication and glamour to our screens delivering news on politics, crime, justice, general Australian and worldwide news demonstrating an illustrious career. Jennifer commenced her career in radio quickly establishing herself as a journalist where she moved to television first joining Network 10. She has worked alongside some iconic journalist across all three commercial television networks.   In 1990 she became the first female solo primetime news anchor on Australian commercial television. In 2009, Jennifer was proud to receive the Walkley Award for Television News Reporting on behalf of the Seven News Melbourne team, for their coverage of the Black Saturday bushfires and in 2010, a TV Week Logie Award for Most Outstanding News Coverage for the Victorian Bushfires.  Jennifer has two sons, James and Alexander and is an avid theatre enthusiast.

Dennis Barbour is the President/CEO of Partnership for Male Youth, Washington, DC which was formed to fill a gap in the health care system for adolescent and young male adults. Dennis attended Georgetown University and Washington College of Law, where he graduated with a JD.  He has decades of experience in the non-profit health field, as a CEO and adviser to national and international organisations, and more recently his work has focused on disease co-morbidities and how they relate to the need for interdisciplinary medical collaboration. Join us for our latest podcast where we talk with Dennis Barbour, a man dedicated to working with adolescents and young adult males to optimise their health and ensure that they thrive. 

Jon Muir OAM a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia for services to mountaineering, a Centenary Medal and the Australian Geographic Society's Adventurer of the year. He started climbing full-time as a teenager and since then, he has gained ground-breaking solo records in climbing the south side of Mount Everest and navigating the Kedarnarth Peaks as well as walking to the South and North Poles without huskies or mechanical vehicles.  In 2000 Jon paddled a kayak for 52 days along the east coast of Cape York Peninsula, living off the natural environment. In Jon's fourth attempt in 2001, he and his dog Seraphine began a journey from Port Augusta in South Australia to Burketown on the Queensland North Coast, dragging a cart, taking 128 days on foot and covering 2500 kilometres, reaching Burketown. Jon is also the first person to complete a solo and unsupported walk across the Australian continent.  In addition to achieving all this and more Jon and his wife Suzan are living in the forest surrounded by the Grampians National Park and living a sustainable life. We've tried to capture his enormous life in this episode, which we know you'll enjoy.

Join us as Dr Margie Danchin talks to us about balancing work life as a parent, raising healthy boys and about vaccination, health and impact of the global pandemic.  Associate Professor Margie Danchin, an immunisation expert who is a Clinician Scientist at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute at The University of Melbourne and consultant paediatrician at The Royal Children's Hospital.  Dr Margie is chair or a member of many Australian and international immunisation and advisory boards, including the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) COVID-19 working group. This group provides advice to the Federal Minister for Health on the immunisation program for COVID-19 vaccines as they become available in Australia.  Her interests include vaccine research and clinical work, vaccine hesitancy and the development of new approaches to addressing parents' concerns regarding immunisation. As well, she provides education about vaccines to nurses, GPs and parent, and her teaching focuses on understanding parents' attitudes and concerns about vaccinations, and how health care providers can address them.  Beyond her work as a doctor, Dr Margie is a mum to four children, and appreciates that striking a balance between career and family life is challenging at the best of times.   

Alex Rathgeber is an Award-Winning Australian actor, best known for his work as Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, the Tin Man in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Wizard of Oz and his UK performance of Raoul in the 21st Anniversary cast of The Phantom of the Opera in the West End. Originally from Horsham, Alex graduated from the world renowned Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) in 2003, and established an amazing reputation across many performance disciplines including: musical theatre, television, cabaret, concert, album recordings, solo shows, voice-overs as well as the development of original stage and screen works. He appeared in several household television programs such as Rush (Network 10), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (ABC) and Winners and Losers (Seven Network). In 2015, Alex was awarded the prestigious Helpmann Award for his performance in Anything Goes, and earlier in his career he received a Civic Reception by the Mayor of Horsham for his outstanding work and success in London. In addition to these, Alex has received many other notable nominations including both the Sydney Theatre Awards and Green Room Awards for various performances. On top of his career success, Alex is also a keen ambassador for Entertainment Assist, where he advocates for increased mental health awareness and support for Australian entertainment industry workers. Additionally, he continues to support his hometown and is ambassador for the Horsham Town Hall Performing Arts Centre. More recently, Alex has also collaborated with Global Citizen Australia in their endeavour to increase Australian vaccination numbers against COVID-19. In this episode we talk to Alex about change and challenge, what it's like to be a performer and about finding your voice. This episode will also help parents who have children who want to work and live in the Performing Arts world discover what is required of them, and they can help their sons bounce back and maintain a sense of optimism or resilience in a changing world.

Emma Murray is one of Australia's leading mindfulness practitioners and high-performance mind coaches. As a former national-level athlete and with a Bachelor of Communications, majoring in Psych, Emma has always been passionate about the mind and performance. Emma works with elite athletes in all sports, corporate executives and companies, students and actors. Her work has played pivotal roles in Richmond Football Club's 2017, 2019 and 2020 AFL Premierships, Dustin Martin's three Norm Smith Medals and Brownlow medal, and Scott McLaughlin's 2018, 2019 and 2020 V8 Supercar Championship wins and his 2019 Bathurst 1000 win. Emma is also mother to Will, a teenage boy who was destined to be an elite athlete but suffered a tragic accident that left him with a quadriplegic injury. Emma has guided Will's rehabilitation and rebuilt his and her own vision for the future. She draws parallels between life changing lessons, from the challenges of living with spinal cord injury to finding peak performance in sport, business and life. In this episode Emma talks about her own story, about being a mum and some of the challenges she has faced, and what we can gain by thinking about not only who we are but how we think about who we are.  

Hunter Johnson is co-founder and CEO of The Man Cave, a charity that focuses on and teaches emotional intelligence to young men (boys aged 12-16) across Australia. He also leads STUFF™, a men's personal care brand that champions healthy masculinity. With a background in emotional intelligence, facilitation and social entrepreneurship, Hunter has worked with thousands of young people across Australia and his work has led to speaking engagements at the United Nations, Government House, Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Town Hall, and Universities. Previously, Hunter has co-managed FYA's Young Social Pioneers, a leading incubator program for Australia's top social entrepreneurs and advised the Nexus Australia Youth Summit, a global movement of philanthropists, impact investors and social entrepreneurs collaborating to fast-track social change. Hunter was a Finalist in the 2020 Young Australian of the Year Awards (Vic), one of Harper's Bazaar's Visionary Men of 2019, a 2018 Queen's Young Leader and the 2018 EY Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Southern Region). Join us as we talk to Hunter about his life and what led him to this work. They talk about boys and their relational capabilities, about how for some it is difficult to find the words and the language about what is going on. Hunter also provides some great takeaways for parents, including creating authentic spaces for our kids to engage with.  

Dr Kylie King, PhD is a Senior Research Fellow at the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health at Monash University. Dr King has a decorated career as a psychologist, with her main focus in suicide prevention research (male focus). Her work centres around developing, implementing and evaluating interventions that can have positive impacts on men's mental health.   Join us for this episode where Dr King talks about her family life, work and research and some of the factors leading to the prevalence of suicide (particularly in males). Dr King shares ideas around prevention, how to hold conversations and some great resources for parents. Finally, we get her thoughts on what it is to be a good man. We hope you enjoy this week's episode.

James Tomkins, OAM, is one of Australia's most established and decorated rowers, having competed in 6 Olympic Games and countless other World Championships and Rowing Cups. He is also the only rower in history to win world titles in every sweep oar event.  In 1997 James received an Order of Australia, was named as the Victorian Father of the Year by the Father's Day Council of Victoria in 2008 and in 2010, he was inducted as a member of the Rowing Victoria's Hall of Fame as well as being awarded with the International Rowing Community's highest award, the Thomas Keller Medal for his outstanding career.   In addition to achieving all of this, James inspired many by holding down full-time employment, studying and working in the Finance sector, as well as being a dedicated husband and father to three daughters. He is now heavily involved in sports administration as a member of the International Olympic Committee and Australian Olympic Committee.   His passions include sport and the benefits that a positive and healthy lifestyle it brings, and with this, he continues to challenge himself in events like Ironman events, ultra-marathons and island crossing in kayaks.   Join us for the next episode of the podcast, where Dr Swann talks to James about what elite sport taught him, how he applies those lessons today, as well as what he thinks about mental health and what he has learnt from being a parent.   We hope you enjoy this week's episode. 

Dr Matt Englar-Carlson's work focusses on educating and training professionals about male mental health needs as well as how to work more effectively with boys and men. Matt is a professor of counselling and the Director of the Center for Boys and Men at California State University, Fullerton and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. Dr Englar-Carlson's scholarly interests are focused on how masculinity influences well-being, interpersonal relationships and self-identity. In particular, his research in this area looks at how men ask and receive assistance in relation to mental health field. In 2007, Dr Englar-Carlson was named the Researcher of the Year by the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity. He has over 35 publications and 60 national and international presentations, most of which are focused on men and masculinity. Dr Englar-Carlson is a co-developer of the of Positive Psychology Positive Masculinities model, which adopts a prosocial and strength-based approach of understanding men. In addition to this, he has authored several books, including: In the Room with Men: A Casebook of Therapeutic Change, Counseling Troubled Boys: A Guidebook for Professionals, A Counselor's Guide to Working with Men, and is co-editor of the 24 volume book series, Theories of Psychotherapy that features the world's leading authorities on various theoretical approached to psychotherapy. In his role as a clinician, Dr Englar-Carlson has taught and worked with hundreds of children, families, schools/universities and community groups across the United States. He is also a teacher at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, where he leads annual experiential workshops for men focussed on wellness and growth. Join us for the next episode of the podcast, where Dr Swann talks to Matt, about what led him to his work, how he understands men and masculinity, about the profound impact his dad had on him and how in turn he is truing to be a great dad for his kids, as well as what it means to be a good man these days. We hope you enjoy this week's episode.

Father of three, Daniel Petre, talks about his book ‘Father Time', an Australian classic. About being a dad and about being mindful as parents, on how to attain balance in a working life, especially as someone who had great success in the corporate world as well philanthropy. Daniel Petre, a philanthropic internet entrepreneur, has been at the forefront of the technology industry in Australia for over 30 years. He is a successful technology executive, and has extensive experience in running large organisations and developing new business models. Daniel was the former lieutenant to Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, where he spent nine years working at Microsoft, including three as Managing Director for Australia. He is also the co-founder of AirTree Ventures, an early and growth stage venture firm that partners with world-class Australian and Kiwi entrepreneurs. Daniel's contribution to the not-for-profit sector is also extensive, with positions held on the Area Health Advisory Council for The Children's Hospital at Westmead, the Advisory Board of HealthInsite and The UNSW Foundation, among many others. He and his wife set up the Petre Foundation in 2000, which has funded research chairs both at The Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Garvan Institute, as well as a scholarship for University Medallists at UNSW. Daniel has a Doctorate in Business (Honoris Causa), a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration. He holds a Graduate Diploma in Counselling, is a published author, and was made an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) in 2005, for distinguished service to Australia. We really hope you enjoy the conversation today.

Dr Monty Badami looks through an anthropological lens to explore how we can help boys find their place in the world and offers some useful tips that you can use at home. Dr Surmant (Monty) Badami holds a PhD in anthropology and is the founder and CEO of Habitus, a social enterprise that uses anthropology, emotional intelligence and educational psychology to re-humanise schools, communities and businesses. Monty works with schools and communities to help teachers, students and parents to connect through stories and learn through play. He works closely with men and boys, running Rites of Passage programs and the Brave Conversations series where he uses his anthropological knowledge to challenge the norms of toxic masculinity and stereotypes of class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and race. Apart from being a passionate educator, Monty is a jazz singer, martial arts instructor, and an officer in the Australian Army Reserve. He co-hosts The Meaning Of… podcast with philosopher and friend Dr Tim Dean. In this episode Monty offers some useful tips that can be used immediately at home to provide safe spaces to unpack the prejudices and ideas we have set within ourselves. He shares a beautiful story about his own experiences that led him to the work that he does.

Dr Robert Blum is currently managing a global research project looking at the impact of gender and gender norms in society.  In this episode Dr Blum talks about gender norms, the impacts on boys (and girls) while telling some incredible stories from his lifelong experience working with adolescents and paediatric medicine.  Dr Robert Blum (MD, MPH, PhD) is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has edited two books, and has written nearly 250 journal articles, book chapters and special reports.  In 2006, Dr Blum was made a member of The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, and in 2007 was named the Director of the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute. He is also a consultant to The World Bank and UNICEF as well as the World Health Organization where he has served on the Technical Advisory Group of the Child and Adolescent Health Department as well as the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group of the Human Reproductive Program.  We hope you enjoy this week's episode. 

In this week's episode, we're joined by psychologist and international parenting expert, Megan De Beyer. Based in Cape Town, Megan travels the globe promoting positive parenting through workshops in which she guides mothers and helps them navigate the challenges of teenage years. Megan's mission is to educate parents to help foster connected and meaningful relationships with their children. Megan talks about her new book, the role of nature in a post-pandemic world, and some tips about managing your son's anger. We hope you enjoy this week's episode.

Dr Arne Rubinstein is an internationally recognised expert in Rites of Passage, adolescent development and parenting. With over 30 years' experience as a medical doctor, counsellor, mentor, speaker and facilitator, Dr Arne has helped over 100,000 people globally with his program to support young people in making a safe and healthy transition into adulthood. Dr Arne was nominated for Australian of the year in 2008 and is the proud father of two wonderful young men (as well as a mentor to many others). In this episode Dr Swann talks to Dr Arne about the Rites of passage program and some of the elements you can use at home. Dr Swann and Dr Arne share some stories and also talk about the powerful effect of Rites of Passage that Dr Arne has witnessed in the community. We hope you enjoy this week's episode.

Dr Jacqui True is Professor of International Relations at Monash University where she is Director of the Monash Gender, Peace and Security Centre. She is also a Global Fellow at the Peace Research Institute, Oslo, an Editor of European Journal of International Security, and a former Australian Research Council Future Fellow. Jacqui's main area of research is focused on the political economy of violence against women, investigating the gender dimensions of violent extremism and terrorism in order to prevent violence, and analysing how to make peace processes more gender-sensitive. During her career, she has worked with multiple NGOs, governments and international organisations.  She has authored 14 books and over 125 articles on gender and international relations. In this episode we speak to Jacqui about her parenting, what she learnt during Melbourne's Covid lockdown and also a bit about how we can connect our boys into understanding better ways of being for the benefit of all.

Major General Stephen Day, DSC, AM, is a highly decorated soldier who has held senior positions in the Australian Army.   General Day's established reputation as a distinguished and compassionate leader has seen him formally recognised by the Australian Government, the governments of France and the United States and the Queen, who presented him with the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership in East Timor. However, General Day says that it is the failures that have most shaped his leadership philosophy. In this episode, Dr Swann talks to General Day about his career as a solider, his current work at PwC and the lessons he has learnt along the way such as, leading with emotion, integrity and reason, how to find moral courage and the importance of humility.

In this episode we are joined by Will Pucovski, a professional cricketer playing at State level and having been selected to the Australian squad. Will chats to Ray about his professional life, his work as a cricketer and what it has taught him. Will also shares four key questions that he wished he knew as a young man.   We hope you enjoy this week's episode.

In the final episode for series 2, our podcast is turned on its head in an interesting twist with Micah Swann.  Micah interviews our host Dr Ray Swann, who shares his insights into why the podcast was started, what he has learned and who he looks up to. Ray also shares some book recommendations, tips for Year 12 students and dealing with expectations, and of course the question that all guests have been asked – a story he would tell a young boy.   We hope you enjoy this episode.  

We spoke to Angie as Melbourne came out of lockdown.  She shares her thoughts about people and rules, how schools have handled COVID-19 and what it's been like in school during this period, including what it has shown her about herself. We hope you enjoy this episode.  In this series we speak to young people about life and their stories. What do these boys and girls think it is to be a good man these days and if they had a story to tell an adult, who'd listen, what would that story be? In these short interviews we explore these questions and much, much more.

In speaking with Angus, he talks about what makes him happy about being the eldest child, about online boundaries and parental controls as well as some of the male stereotypes and portrayals of men that he encounters. We hope you enjoy this episode.  In this series we speak to young people about life and their stories. What do these boys and girls think it is to be a good man these days and if they had a story to tell an adult, who'd listen, what would that story be? In these short interviews we explore these questions and much, much more.

This recording was made during the time of lockdown in Melbourne Australia and we explore a little about what's been happening with Kaya, a reflective person with great ideas and a real enthusiasm for life. She has a great story to tell too. We hope you enjoy this episode.  In this series we speak to young people about life and their stories. What do these boys and girls think it is to be a good man these days and if they had a story to tell an adult, who'd listen, what would that story be? In these short interviews we explore these questions and much, much more.  

In an enjoyable conversation speaking with Taj, he talks about what he wants to do with his life and what he's learned about himself while being in high school. He shares his view about boys, and why he thinks they test themselves and boundaries. There's a fantastic story from him too about being seen. We hope you enjoy this episode. In this series we speak to young people about life and their stories. What do these boys and girls think it is to be a good man these days and if they had a story to tell an adult, who'd listen, what would that story be? In these short interviews we explore these questions and much, much more.    

In this series we speak to young people about life and their stories. What do these boys and girls think it is to be a good man these days and if they had a story to tell an adult, who'd listen, what would that story be? In these short interviews we explore these questions and much, much more. In episode two we speak to adventurous Juliet who shares her experiences sailing, working on a boat, and being at sea, and what that has taught her about her relationship with her father. Juliet talks about society and schools as well as life in lockdown in Melbourne, Australia.  We hope you enjoy this series.

In this series we speak to young people about life and their stories. What do these boys and girls think it is to be a good man these days and if they had a story to tell an adult, who'd listen, what would that story be? In these short interviews we explore these questions and much, much more. For the first episode we speak with Aubrey who tells us what he's been doing with his time, about fixing his motorbike and what he enjoys about being in Grade 5, camping and the future.  We hope you enjoy this series.  

Ross Featherston is the eighth headmaster of BGS. Since his start in 2014, he has brought about positive change in every domain of the school. He is loved by parents, staff and the boys. Ross talks with us about his wisdom and understanding on how to raise boys, he gives us some takeaways, and gives his thoughts about what it's like to be a parent.

Raelene Plozza is an Instructional Coach and Head of Literacy at Brighton Grammar School, where she also teaches a very motivated Year 8 English class. Raelene trained as a Primary teacher and later completed a Masters in Literacy, with her research focused on motivating adolescent boys to read. Her teaching background is diverse, and she considers one of her greatest achievements to be even more passionate about her career choice today as she was when she began teaching in 1989. For the past 15 years, Raelene has been a teacher of boys. Her expertise in Literacy, and her natural curiosity about how we might maximise literacy outcomes for our boys, drives her to keep working in the field. She doesn't have all the answers, but she strongly suspects that reading is the answer to most of her questions.

Andrew Lauterstein is a triple Olympic medallist and World swimming champion, making him one of Australia's most successful international level swimmers of his time. Since his retirement from professional swimming, Andrew is now a successful business owner of a swimwear company and swim centre. He has remained active and healthy, putting a lot of his energies into the sport of Crossfit. Andrew continues to inspire, motivate, and coach upcoming athletes through clinics and educational presentations in which he shares his insights of being an Australian and international athlete. He mentors young athletes on the importance of attaining life balance and planning pathways for life after sport.

Professor Damien Bolton is an academic, a researcher, and a surgeon. He holds numerous positions, as Professor, Head of Department at the Austin Hospital, to an honorary fellow of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. He's published hundreds of papers, book chapters, reviews, and supervised many PhD students. He is also the proud dad of three boys and has a focus and a passion for mens' health. He provides a particular insight, as a specialist in urogenital cancer and urology working with an aspect on which men perceive their identity, on the changing landscape of the discussion around mens' health. Damien talks about parenting, medicine, and shares his thoughts on the importance of teaching boys to ask for help.

Nathan Lovett-Murray, former AFL footballer and now Indigenous Mentor at Brighton Grammar School, has had an interesting career. He was listed by the Essendon Football Club in 2003 where he helped to establish the first Reconciliation Action Plan for an AFL Club.  He also found the time to launch his own indigenous hip hop label, Payback Records.  Since his retirement from AFL, Nathan has committed himself to improving the lives of people within Victoria's Indigenous communities. He is an Indigenous Welfare Support/ Development Coach at St Kilda Football Club, producer of a documentary on Nicky Winmar and an educator on raising awareness of racism and its impact on wellbeing. Nathan is the proud father of two sons and his tribal ancestry can be traced back to the Wamba-Wamba and Guditjmara.

Dawn O'Neil AM received her Order of Australia for services to the community and to Mental health. A thought leader, she is currently the Ambassador of the ‘Breathing Space Executive in Mental Health & Wellbeing Program' at Fisher Leadership. Dawn was the chair and founding member of homelessness social enterprise STREAT, where she created a legacy that has seen many young people at risk feel a deep sense of belonging and connectedness. Previously the CEO of Lifeline Australia, one of Australia's largest charities, and CEO of BeyondBlue, Dawn's extensive work in this space saw her receive the Outstanding Contribution Award from Suicide Prevention Australia in 2010. It's fantastic to have Dawn on the podcast to share her knowledge and experience.

David Leser is well known for being a journalist, feature writer and public interviewer. He's an Australian author of seven books, most recently ‘Women, Men and the Whole Damn Thing', a twofold investigation following the #MeToo movement, patriarchy and toxic masculinity. David embarked on this journey despite the criticisms and appropriateness of a male responding to a women's private hurt publicly revealed by the #MeToo movement. He believes that the story of women's oppression can't be told without examining men's role as oppressors.  David is passionate about the injustices of discrimination against women and unearths how men can be part of the solution.

Dr Judy Chu is a lecturer in Human Biology at Stanford University.  At Harvard for her doctorate, she researched boys' gender socialisation, relationships and development during early childhood and adolescence.  Judy is the co-author of When Boys Become Boys, which offers a new way of thinking about a boy's development. Her work aims to help foster a healthy resistance in boys against the pressures they face to conform to expected masculine behaviours, and looks at how they cope with identity and their place in society. Judy has a fantastic insight into this area so join us as we delve into masculinity issues that are relevant to all men and boys.

Trevor Hendy AM is a household name. A former Ironman Australia and professional lifesaver, Trevor Hendy AM, is now a life coach, mentor, author and wholistic personal trainer. Trevor's journey from lifesaver to sought after motivational speaker is an interesting one - he has won six Australian Open Ironman titles, is a four-time winner of the Uncle Toby's Super Series and an Australian champion kayak paddler. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2000 for services to the community and surf lifesaving. Trevor acknowledges that fame came at a price early in his career and is now able to reflect on how that made him a better man today.

Professor Dianne Vella-Brodrick is Head of Research at the Centre for Positive Psychology at The University of Melbourne. Dianne's research interests include the development and evaluation of wellbeing programs, particularly positive education and performance optimisation.  Dianne's current project is Bio Dash, a world first program that is being tested with Brighton Grammar students, using biofeedback to improve performance, develop mindfulness and stress-management strategies. Dianne serves on numerous research advisory boards.  Her research has a special focus on young people.  She has worked with not for profit organisations, schools from all sectors, community services and large commercial organisations to assess and promote wellbeing for all. 

In today's podcast we speak with musician – singer/songwriter Jim Lawrie. For the past decade Jim has made a name for himself as an emerging independent artist. Jim Lawrie's songs explore a range of ideas and emotions from love, loss to the joy and wonder of life.   Today's podcast will be a little different to our usual format we'll explore Jim's artistry as a young man, talk about growing up and his thoughts on masculinity. 

Dr Michael Reichert is a world renowned psychologist and author of several books including 'How to Raise A Boy' which aims to help boys grow into strong and compassionate men. Based in Philadelphia, Michael runs a practice specialising in work with boys, men and their families and is involved in a number of research projects.  He has conducted global studies for the International Boys' School Coalition in relation to effective practices in boys' education and served as the supervising school psychologist at an independent boy's school.  Today, Michael explains how the paradigms about boys needing to be stoic and ‘man like' can actually be destructive and the key to changing the culture lies in how parents, educators and mentors help boys develop socially and emotionally. 

Megan De Beyer is a psychologist, parenting expert and mindfulness coach. Based in Cape Town, Megan travels the globe promoting positive parenting through her parent workshops, in which she guides mothers and helps them to navigate the challenging teenage years.  Megan's mission is to educate parents in order to foster connected, meaningful relationships with their children.  Her strategies and tips are designed to empower parents through better understanding with the aim of developing boys into strong and caring men.  

The Hon Jeff Kennett AC is a former politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999 and a member of Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1976 – 1999. He is the founding Chairman of Beyond Blue, a national organisation that has worked to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety in the community since 2000. He is President of Hawthorn Football Club and currently works as a media commentator. Jeff and his wife Felicity are the proud parents of four children.