The Mindful Men Podcast

Welcome to Episode 64 - ChatGPT on the importance of male friendships Over the past few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has increasingly become a norm in our everyday life.  AI personalises our social media use, whilst Siri, Alexa and Google Home are infiltrating our home and office spaces, making it easier to perform tasks like find a Spotify playlist.  In recent months, ChatGPT has...

Welcome to Episode 63 - Meth, mental health and music with Skip Sams The Mindful Men Podcast is a show that inspires men through vulnerable conversations. And this week, we get pretty vulnerable as I talk about drug addiction, mental health and the healing power of music with Skip Sams. Skip is an award-winning composer, performing artist, multimedia producer and sober coach. He has over 16 years...

Welcome to Episode 62 - Climate and Eco Anxiety with Katharina Hellmann The impacts of Climate Change is an ongoing concern in our communities. Bushfires, floods, droughts, and coral reef bleaching all come to my mind as Australia experiences increasingly devastating weather events every year. And these events are not isolated to Australia. Whilst the scientific evidence has been readily available...

Welcome to Episode 61 - MasterChef and Mental Health with Aaron Sanders It’s a new year, which means a new season of MasterChef is not too far away from our television sets! And like many, I’ll be tuning in to see what the cooks are conjuring up… and salivating away even though I’ve devoured my own dinner merely an hour before. But MasterChef isn’t just about food, it’s about people. It’s about ch...

Welcome to Episode 60 - Book Review: Chasing Excellence This week I'm diving into another book review following a plug from one of my earliest guests on the podcast.  In episode 17, I interviewed fellow Social Worker Anthony Simons about exercise based therapy. At the end of the episode, Anthony plugged Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron. Anthony recommended it because (a) it was a good read,...

Welcome to Episode 59 - Kids Mindfulness with Maryanne Eve Its social worker chat time, and this week I'm joined by a social worker who is supporting children through Kids Mindfulness.  Maryanne Eve is a mental health social worker and private practice owner, and runs group mindfulness programs that help children to overcome challenges like anxiety. She is also a podcaster and YouTube star, a...

Welcome to Episode 58 - Man Becoming with Kyle Hamer Mindful Men aims to inspire men to do some inwards reflecting. From who we are and how we're showing up in the world, to identifying areas within ourselves that need a bit of TLC in order for us to live authentically.  But to do this means we sometimes need to touch on some topics that many men don't care to engage with, like masculinity...

Welcome to Episode 57 - Disability, Housing and Support with Perry Cross and Vitori Buatava Since 2018 I have been working in the disability sector, and through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), I've met hundreds of people with disabilities, their families, carers and support teams.  I've heard stories of heartbreak, adversity and discrimination - But also stories of triumph, h...

Welcome to Episode 56 - Goodbye 2022, Hello 2023! This episode marks the first birthday of the Mindful Men Podcast! Yep, 1 year ago I released the very first episode. As I move into 2023, I've been reflecting on the highs and lows of the past year. From a deep depression in early 2022, to graduating my Masters in Social Work, and starting a business in August 2022... it's been a huge year of emoti...

Welcome to Episode 55 - Creating Financial Freedom with Andrew Logan As we start 2023, many of us will have financially-focussed goals. We yearn for more freedom in our lives, but we're stuck doing the 9-5. But as we learn in this week's episode, there is an infinite number of ways we can create financial freedom... we just need to know how. Enter Andrew Logan from Leverage to Legacy.  And...

Welcome to Episode 54 - Dads, Family and Sport with Bryan Ward  This week's episode is all about dadding; and helping me talk about everything fatherhood is Bryan Ward.  Bryan is a proud father of 2 sons, a husband, US Marine Corps Veteran and the host of the Dad Up Podcast. He opens up about the traumatic entries his two sons had as they entered the world, including the incredible stren...

Welcome to Episode 53 - Intuitive Eating with Jeff Ash A timely episode as we celebrate the Christmas and New Year of 2022. After gorging ourselves with holiday delights, I'm sure many of us (myself included) are thinking about healthier days ahead.  This week, I'm joined by Jeff Ash. Jeff is a nutritionist, personal trainer, and Intuitive Eating coach.  Jeff takes us through the 10 princi...

Welcome to Episode 52 - Putting on a Show with Rob Mills In this week's episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with a bloke that millions of Australians know as Millsy - Rob Mills.  Millsy burst onto our telly's in 2003 on Australian Idol, and since then he has starred in TV shows like Neighbours and Dancing with the Stars, whilst also performing in musical theatre on shows Wicked, Gr...

Welcome to Episode 51 - Suicide, Pineapples and Social Work with Gabbey Prosser This week I'm joined by Accredited Mental Health Social Worker (AMHSW) Gabby Prosser from Hope and Healing. Gabby shares her story of raising a son as a single mum, her journey into social work, and the suicide of her best friend Ky and how this tragedy blossomed into the Take Your Pineapples Out campaign for suici...

Welcome to Episode 50 - 50 episodes, gratitude and a plea for help! This week we celebrate the first 50 episodes of the Mindful Men Podcast! Since January 2022, I have shared my story and insights on a wide ranges of topics that matter to men. I've also had 31 amazing guests get mindful with me! In this episode, I reflect on the journey with 3 things I am grateful for - including an easy way I pra...

Welcome to Episode 49 - Bipolar, Mental Health and Fatherhood with Jarrod Gentle This week we're diving into what it's like to live with Bipolar from husband, father and mental health crusader Jarrod Gentle.  Jarrod has an inspiring story to tell, from misdiagnosis to finding mindfulness and meditation. It's a story of how we can shake off the shame and stigma associated with mental illness,...

Welcome to Episode 48 - Burnout, Work and Family with Sophie Scott The literature around burnout tends to focus on burnout being a workplace issue. But as we know in life, what happens at work can impact us outside of work too.  This week I'm joined by Sophie Scott, an award winning journalist and broadcaster as the national medical reporter with the ABC.  Sophie is also an author, an Ad...

Welcome to Episode 47 - Patriarchy, Feminism and Relationships with Bev Joy Ehrlich When we think of patriarchy and feminism within the context of men's issues, we often think of a clash of titans. These concepts place men and women against each other, and the discussions can often become heated.  But a critical reflection on these concepts can help us to understand where we've come from, and...

Welcome to Episode 46 - Borderline Personality Disorder with Paul Edmundson Another week, another great chat with a bloke opening up about mental health! This week, Paul Edmundson from MMH Warriors joins me to talk about his mental health journey that includes misdiagnosis, unhealthy coping strategies, suicide attempts, self-harm and then recovery once he was correctly diagnosed with Borderline Pe...

Welcome to Episode 45 - Swim to Safety with Selena Willows With the Australian summer fast approaching, backyard pools are getting cleaned up, public swimming pools are getting busier, and beaches and waterways are seeing an increasing influx of people keen to cool off as the days get hotter. As summer edges closer, it's a timely reminder that learning to swim and being safe in the water is crucia...

Welcome to Episode 44 - Addiction, Hope and Sobriety with Tim Lodgen This week, I am joined by former US Marine, Junior Olympic Boxer, MMA fighter AND husband, father and grandfather, Tim Lodgen.  Tim shares his story of 27 years fighting a drug and alcohol addiction, suicide attempts, and mental illness. He paints a stark picture of how addiction influenced his life, before shining a bright...

Welcome to Episode 43 - Money, Finance and Investing with Equity Mates Money is a huge stressor for many of us. We feel like we work hard to earn our pay, only to wave it goodbye the day after payday to all of our bills.  So this week, I thought it would be great to get mindful about money, and in particular - to discuss how we can put our money to work for us. Joining me in this chat are Ale...

Welcome to Episode 42 - Let's Talk About Mental Health with Jeremy Godwin The release of Episode 42 coincides with Queensland Mental Health Week (8-16 October), World Mental Health Day on 10 October and International OCD Awareness Week (10-15 October). In this bonus episode, I'm joined by Jeremy Godwin - a writer, podcaster and YouTuber with his own private therapy practice.  Jeremy shares...

Welcome to Episode 41 - Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Kimberley Quinlan The release of Episode 41 coincides with Queensland Mental Health Week (8-16 October), World Mental Health Day on 10 October and International OCD Awareness Week (10-15 October). In this bonus episode, I'm joined by Kimberley Quinlan from CBT School to talk about anxiety disorders such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OC...

Welcome to Episode 40 - Stress and Burnout with April Likins The release of Episode 40 coincides with Queensland Mental Health Week (8-16 October) and World Mental Health Day on 10 October.  And what better way to improve our mental health and wellbeing, than with an episode dedicated to mental health! This week I chat with April Likins, who is a board-certified health coach that specialises...