Behind The Mask

Ageing—it’s the one journey we all share, the unavoidable unfolding of life. Yet for many of us, we spend our lives avoiding it rather than embracing it, suppressing rather than surrendering. But maybe we’re in a societal shift, with biohacking and longevity science providing us with the tools to not just extend the quantity of our life but improve the quality. On this episode we’re going behind t...

We all know that life can give us lemons from time to time, but how to we turn them in lemonade? How do we work through life’s inevitable challenges, especially our mental health challenges. This week’s guests have some pretty fantastic answers and plenty of wisdom. In a world that rushes, they speak to what’s real—gentle voices cutting through the noise with clarity, calm and care. From the brigh...

On this episode Im joined by author, entrepreneur, winner of the TV show Survivor and of course former SAS officer Mark Wales, and award winning Channel 9 journalist and news presenter, who’s covered some of Australia’s and the worlds biggest news stories and has certainly experienced more than his fair share of war zones, Brett McLeod, to go Behind the Mask of War stories. This episode includes:...

For centuries possibly even millennia, cultures have used psychedelics and plant medicines such as psilocybin (mushrooms), ayahuasca, wachuma and more to heal deep trauma and to awaken themselves to altered states of consciousness, and expand their sense of spirituality. In July of 2023 The Therapeutic Goods Administration here in Australia, permitted the use of psilocybin for the treatment of cer...

Pablo Picasso once said “The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away” However, whether it’s due to a lack opportunity, financial and family pressures, or simply conditioning, many people don’t find their gift or follow the path of their soul’s purpose. They stick to the status quo and continue on the treadmill of the daily grind. But what really is purpose and...

On this week’s episode, Josh is joined Bryony Cole, the founder of the ‘S3X Tech School’, the host of the ‘Future of S3X’ podcast, who’s has been featured in Vogue, Wired and The New York Times and, Eleanor Hadley, a certified s3x educator, coach, writer and speaker who is all about elevating our intimacy, dating differently, lust & libido, pleasure & desire menus, and tongue tactics.&nbsp...

On this weeks episode, Im joined by Social Justice Lawyer and the head of Policy, Advocacy and Government Relations at Melbourne City Mission, Shorna Moore, and multi-award winning international speaker Elvis Martin to go behind the mask of the Youth Homelessness Crisis in Australia. In this episode we explore: -How the current system is not set up to support the 40,000 homeless youths we now have...

In this season 3 opener, Josh is joined by founder of Spinal Energetics, Dr Sarah Jan Perri and Yoga Teacher/Kirtanist Heidi Mellican to go behind the mask of somatic and sound healing. In this episode we explore: -What somatic and sound healing actually is. -What Spinal Energetics and Kirtan are. -The healing is a two way street, but ultimately we are responsible for our own healing. -The power o...

Recently the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation celebrated a week of woman with ‘March Forward - Allies In Action’ as a part of International Women’s Day. The Behind The Mask podcast was invited to take the show on the road for a special bonus episode at their home base, the ‘Mission, Whitten Oval’. In this episode Josh was joined by Western Bulldogs senior coaches Tamara Hyatt, Luke Beveridge,...

Death is often considered a morbid and taboo topic, socialised silence teaches us to avoid speaking about it, to cast it in the shadows, to hide it away until we’re ultimately faced with it’s inevitable presence. But if death is the culminating adventure of the adventure of life, how can we best approach that final instalment and how does the idea of death help us to live life more fully...

Success is a word that we aspire to embody. Western culture often associates it with achievements, realised dreams, wealth or fame. But success is generally in the eye of the beholder. Our own markers of success may be very different from those looking at our lives from the outside, and who knows what’s happening behind the mask of a seemingly successful person. This weeks guests are no strangers...

We all want to look and feel our best, but health, fitness and wellness can be incredibly overwhelming and confusing for people, especially with the breadth of information out there on social media. So how do we navigate our way through the wild west of wellness and how can we create a positively sustainable relationship with health & fitness that promotes longevity, vitality and fun. It’s tim...

Part 2 of ‘The Hero’s Journey’ with Ben Crowe & Asher Packman Ben is one of the worlds most acclaimed and respected mindset coaches. Ben’s organisation Mojo Crowe empowers everyone from athletes ( including Ash Barty, Daniel Riccardo and even Andre Agassi), to performers, CEO’s and World leaders to all those using the Mojo app, to look inward and ask themselves 3 simple and equally challenging...

Ben Crowe is one of the worlds most acclaimed and respected mindset coaches. Ben’s organisation Mojo Crowe empowers everyone from athletes ( including Ash Barty, Daniel Riccardo and even Andre Agassi), to performers, CEO’s and World leaders to all those using the Mojo app, to look inward and ask themselves 3 simple and equally challenging questions. Who am I? What do I want? How do I get there? As...

Political debate is almost as ancient as the human experience. But in a world more divided than ever, where nuance is often lost and the capacity for healthy discourse is becoming less and less apparent, I thought it was time to shake things up and see where and how some of our finest federal politicians from opposites sides of the political persuasion come together or teach us how to disagree bet...

Australia accounts for .33% of the worlds population yet it houses 20% of the worlds pokies machines. On any given single day, you’ll find 943 sports betting ads across our free to air television networks. I’ll just leave you with those numbers for a moment. On this episode of the Behind The Mask Podcast, Im joined by chief spokesperson for the Alliance of Gambling Reform in Australia, Tim Costell...

In Australia alone we lose 1 man everything 3.5 hours to suicide. That’s 7 men a day, 213 a month and 2555 a year. In the US its every 13mins. In the UK, it’s the biggest killer of men under age 45. We have a growing mental health crisis that affecting men and all their relationships.  In 2022 acclaimed Aussie performer Rob Mills wrote a book Putting on a show: Manhood, mates and mental healt...

Carpe Diem or Seize the day is quote made famous by Roman poet Horace. It’s also the title of the 1986 film starring Robin Williams, and mentioned in several of his other famous films including; Hook, Mrs Doubtfire and Dead Poet’s Society. Our mutual love and appreciation for the late great actor, acts as a gentle vehicle for both the harrowing heaviness and belly laugh hilarity of this episo...

Jeremy Fernandez and Michael Rowland are two of Australia’s most well-respected broadcasters and journalists. Jeremy has worked in various roles at the ABC, the 7 network and CNN International. He is one of the countries most versatile presenters, having hosted live broadcasts of Sydney Mardi Gras, New Years Eve, Australia Day Live and both state and federal elections. He currently co-hosts “...

Ali McGregor and Reuben Kaye are two of Australia’s most talented, versatile and unique performing artists. Between them they’ve traversed the world and the worlds of opera, jazz, television, cabaret, comedy, musical theatre, drag…. and pottery. But their stories and journeys are far from simple or linear and they’ve endured various hardships and adversities in ways that have asked them to embody...

Ella Pike and Nathan Freeman are co-owners and founders of Australia’s only studio purely dedicated to breath work. Breathwork is scientifically proven to have many mental and physical health benefits including; reduced stress, increased focus, reduction in negative emotions, increased positive emotions, increased present moment awareness. Their paths to finding breath work could not be more polar...

Bonnie Anderson is a singer/songwriter, who won AGT at aged 12, she’s starred on Neighbours, is a presenter on Ch9’s postcard and was the winner of the masked singer 2020 (the irony of that is not lost on me) Taylor Henderson is also a singer/songwriter who came fourth on AGT in 2010 and was a runners up on the X factor in 2013, his self titled debut album went platinum and to number 1 o...

Celia Pacquola is an actor, writer and comedian, who’s worked extensively in Australia and the UK and is known best for her work on ‘Utopia’, ‘Rosehaven’ and her prolific stand up comedy career. She is the current host of the hit TV show, ‘Thank God You’re Here!’ Sammy J is an Australian comedian, writer, composer, and broadcaster. He's played in Edinburgh, Montreal and London, had a sitcom on Net...

Cody Weightman & Riley Garcia are AFL footballers currently playing for the Western Bulldogs.  Cody was born and bread in the South-Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He attended Haileybury College, and was drafted in 2019 with pick no.15. He’s played 66 games, is a passionate surfer and over the past couple of years has begun re-exploring visual art as a creative outlet. Riley’s from Western...

Alinta Chidzey & Lucy Maunder are two astonishingly talented, well renowned and award winning ‘Leading Ladies’ of Australian Musical Theatre. For well over a decade, they’ve wowed audiences with their phenomenal performances. Alinta has played many roles including; Velma in Chicago, Anita in West Side Story, Svetlana in Chess, Kathy in Singin’ in the Rain, Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Supers...