gwunspoken

Send us Fan Mail From eye-rolling skeptic to daily practitioner, my mindfulness journey wasn't sparked by spiritual awakening but by necessity when burnout finally caught up with me. After years of dismissing mindfulness as fluffy self-indulgence for those who had the luxury of sitting still, I reluctantly gave it a try—starting with just 30 seconds while brushing my teeth. The science ultima...

Send us Fan Mail Ever feel like your brain has 47 tabs open at all times? You're not alone, and more importantly, you're not broken. In this thought-provoking exploration of modern mindfulness, we dive deep into the real reason behind our collective struggle to stay present in today's world. The startling reality? Your brain is processing more information in a single day than our an...

Send us Fan Mail Ever noticed how mindfulness has been co-opted by wellness influencers and luxury retreat centres? What if I told you that the people who need mindfulness most aren't those already perched serenely on meditation cushions, but those of us drowning in chaos, overwhelm, and burnout? In this season opener, we're stripping away the crystals and incense to reveal mindfulness f...

Send us Fan Mail Gratitude has been packaged and sold to us as a miracle cure. Be grateful and your anxiety will vanish. Start each day with thankfulness and watch your life transform. But what happens when you do all the "right things" and still feel broken? What happens when gratitude doesn't save you? In this raw, honest finale to our season on gratefulness, we tear down the fals...

Send us Fan Mail Ever notice how your perfectly good phone suddenly feels outdated after a new release? Or how scrolling through social media leaves your life feeling small? That's not an accident—it's by design. Our entire economic system thrives on your perpetual dissatisfaction. In this rebellious exploration of gratitude, we challenge the "more culture" that dominates our l...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever forced yourself to say "thank you" when you actually wanted to scream? That awkward, gritty feeling isn't a failure of gratitude—it's what happens when we're honest about its complexity. Gratitude has been packaged and sold to us as an emotional cure-all, a path to happiness paved with positive thinking. But this perspective misses something...

Send us Fan Mail Ever been told to "just be grateful" when you're genuinely struggling? That well-meaning advice might actually be harming your mental health. Welcome to the darker side of gratitude—where positive thinking transforms from helpful practice into emotional manipulation. The science behind this is fascinating. When someone dismisses your pain with toxic positivity, your...

Send us Fan Mail We've all been there: something heartbreaking happens and someone cheerfully tells us to "focus on the good memories" or "be grateful for the time you had." These well-meaning but misguided sentiments are what we call "grief washing"—using gratitude to bypass pain rather than truly processing it. This episode dives deep into the complex relations...

Send us Fan Mail Could your approach to gratitude be completely wrong? The latest episode of gwunspoken challenges the fundamental belief that some people are simply born more grateful than others. Diving deep into surprising research from Harvard Medical School and neuroscience studies, we uncover how gratitude functions more like a muscle requiring consistent training than an innate personality...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered what it would be like to conduct a podcast interview while soaring 3,500 feet above the ground? That's exactly what happened in this extraordinary episode of gwunspoken, where we literally elevate our conversation during a tandem hang gliding flight. Meet Lisa, a veteran hang gliding instructor with 27 years of experience whose inspiring journey began a...

Send us Fan Mail The battle between gratitude and comparison is happening silently in your brain every day, and you probably don't even realise it. One moment you're content and appreciative of your life, and the next—after a quick social media scroll or hearing about someone else's success—your sense of fulfillment vanishes into thin air. Why does this happen so consistently, and w...

Send us Fan Mail Forget everything you thought you knew about gratitude. In this refreshingly honest exploration, we crack open the massive misunderstanding around thankfulness and reveal why it's simultaneously one of our most underrated psychological tools. The problem isn't gratitude itself—it's our approach. When gratitude becomes performative or is used to mask genuine feelings...

Send us Fan Mail Are you secretly sabotaging your own sleep? In this season finale on sleep, we tackle the confronting truth about sleep accountability and the excuses we make that undermine our rest. Most of us aren't "just bad sleepers" – we're making conscious choices that hurt our sleep quality. From that friend who drinks coffee after dinner while complaining about insomni...

Send us Fan Mail Ever noticed how a bad night's sleep sends you straight to the pantry for carbs and sugar the next day? That's not a character flaw—it's biology. When sleep goes missing, your body's chemistry fundamentally changes, setting you up for weight gain even when you're eating well and exercising regularly. The science is startling. Sleep deprivation increases yo...

Send us Fan Mail Sleep perfection is destroying our rest. We've created a culture where anything less than eight uninterrupted hours feels like failure, where morning routines are glorified, and where sleep trackers dictate our mood regardless of how we actually feel. But what if everything we've been taught about sleep is wrong? This eye-opening episode challenges the two most damaging...

Send us Fan Mail What if the secret to a more fulfilling life lies in the simple act of reading a book or sharing an impromptu moment with loved ones? Join us as we recount a memorable weekend getaway in Yamba, where the chaos of traveling with our two rambunctious dogs revealed the beauty of life’s small joys. From diving into Matthew McConaughey's "Greenlight" to reflecting on lif...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wake up feeling like you haven't slept at all? That sensation of true rejuvenation seems increasingly rare in our modern lives, yet it's exactly what sleep should provide—a complete reset for body and mind. This episode takes you on a journey through personal memories of deeply restorative sleep experiences—from childhood nights spent under starlit country skies to...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the teacher becomes the student, the interviewer becomes the interviewed? Join us for a special edition of gwunspoken where Nigal DeMaria steps in to turn the tables on our regular host, Garry. Candid insights and heartfelt stories unfold as Garry opens up about balancing fatherhood and professional commitments while his wife is away. His journey doesn't sto...

Send us Fan Mail Is your cherished coffee habit silently sabotaging your sleep? Unravel the mysteries of caffeine's impact on your rest as we explore its role as a powerful stimulant that can disrupt your sleep cycle by blocking adenosine, the neurotransmitter responsible for helping you wind down. With caffeine lingering in your system for up to 7 hours, even a late afternoon pick-me-up can...

Send us Fan Mail Can late-night screen time be sabotaging your sleep without you even realising it? In this episode of gwunspoken, we uncover the addictive relationship between our screens and our sleep quality. Promising eye-opening insights, we tackle how the dopamine-driven lure of screens disrupts our natural sleep patterns by suppressing melatonin and delaying REM sleep. Explore actionable st...

Send us Fan Mail Ever wondered why your chronic fatigue just won’t vanish, no matter how much you sleep in on weekends? On gwunspoken, we reveal the unnerving truth about sleep debt—a silent epidemic that’s quietly wreaking havoc on our minds and bodies. Picture your body as a bank account with no overdraft protection; every hour of missed sleep is a loan you can’t repay easily. Our latest episode...

Send us Fan Mail What if your late-night Netflix habit is secretly sabotaging your health and happiness? Join me in the first episode of season eight of gwunspoken, where we peel back the layers of our modern sleep crisis. I share my personal journey of battling through days on minimal rest, feeling moody and forgetful, and uncover the often-overlooked impact of sleep on our cognitive function and...

Send us Fan Mail Nigal DeMaria's journey from a school principal to a thriving business owner is nothing short of inspiring. Tune in to hear how this transition fueled his passion for making a genuine impact in the disability services sector through his company, EngageUs. With a refreshing focus on authenticity and personal connection, Nigel shares how the heartwarming discovery of his long-l...

Send us Fan Mail Is sitting the new silent killer in our lives? Physical inactivity has shockingly become the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, yet we seldom recognise the urgency of this issue. Welcome to gwunspoken, where today we declare that "Movement is medicine." This episode challenges the norms of a sedentary lifestyle, highlighting how our modern routines—from long commut...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever wondered how a simple dance class could transform a life plagued by loneliness? On gwunspoken, we unpack the surprising power of movement to build community and enhance well-being. With over 26 years in teaching, neuroscience and well-being, I bring you compelling stories of how engaging in group activities—like fitness classes or local sports—can significantly boost...