A future me problem

You may remember Joey Brogden on the podcast mid-last year (listen here if you haven't already⁠: https://apple.co/3TeiVt9), discussing the BHP Foundation's Right care, first time, where you live program with Brain and Mind Centre (BMC) for Canberra. Joey and Elian discuss core learnings that have come from this research program, the increasing youth involvement, and what their newly appoin...

You may remember Andrew Shim appearing on the podcast mid-last year (listen here if you haven't already⁠: https://apple.co/40gU2OS ⁠), breaking down the history of advocacy over the years with fellow Brain and Mind Centre (BMC) Lived Experience Working Group member Rachel Laidler. Andrew returned to open our consciousness to the prevalent interrelationship of mental health and autism. Andrew p...

Smart tech is forever improving, more accurate, intuitive, personalised, and accessible. However, evidence of the helpfulness this technology can be to the individual is scarce. These improvements mean clinicians can better deliver and support you and your mental health. Particular smart tech can track/ record core health aspects like sleep, activity and exercise, overall movement, light exposure...

Professor Ian Hickie is co-director of the University's multidisciplinary initiative, the Brain and Mind Centre. He is an internationally renowned researcher in clinical psychiatry, particularly regarding medical aspects of common mood disorders, depression and bipolar disorder in young people, early intervention, new and emerging technologies and suicide prevention. He is a dual winner of the...

Professor Ian Hickie is co-director of the University's multidisciplinary initiative, the Brain and Mind Centre. He is an internationally renowned researcher in clinical psychiatry, particularly regarding medical aspects of common mood disorders, depression and bipolar disorder in young people, early intervention, new and emerging technologies and suicide prevention. He is a dual winner of the...

I chat with Brisbane youth mental health advocate Jordan van Rusmalen and director of Strategy and Service Development at Metro South Health Wendy Hawkins about their community of the Brisbane South Primary Health Network participating in the BHP Foundation and Brain and Mind Centre program Right Care, first time, where you live. Jordan and Wendy both speak from their expertise within the communit...

I wanted to provide an update on where I have been, how I have been feeling, and why I have been AWOL. I have mentioned sleep/wake cycles before so thought I would finally chat about what it is, its nuances, and how I experience it. S

This week I spoke with Dr Haley LaMonica on the Minderoo Foundation’s project Thrive By Five. The Brain and Mind Centre has been working closely with the foundation to change the lives of so many families by employing the proverb that "it takes a village to raise a child" through evidence-based research in early childhood development. This program aims to give every child a chance to reach their f...

On this podcast I speak about my experience taking ketamine—don’t fret, in a clinical setting—for my mental health. I try to briefly explain how it works, why I am doing it, and my experience. It has been an episode I have recorded many times as I have wanted to get it right. However, I figured that this episode is an opener; therefore I am open to record and discuss more. Biting the bullet, here...

This week on the pod, I got to sit down with Brain and Mind Centre’s new Youth Lived Experience Research Stream’s clinical head, Dr Sarah McKenna. Sarah is a clinical psychologist interested in the dynamics of the parent-young person relationship and how qual. and quant. data can shed light onto the nuances within those relationships and further inform the young person’s developmental outcomes. Sa...

I 👏🏻 AM 👏🏻 BACK 👏🏻 The second half of 2022 was equal parts a touch-and-go shit show, an absolute privilege, and a great teacher. When it comes down to it, I overcommitted, and as a result, I became quite unwell, let people/ teams down, and learned a lot about not being an island (constant journey). In this new first episode of 2023, I briefly go over the last 6–8 months, the new year ahead,...

Rounding off this year we have an episode from University of Sydney’s research program, right care first time where you live, funded by the BHP Foundation. We are checking back in with ACT Health– chatting with Joey Brogden (mental health advocate) and Sam Huntley (BMC). These two women have worked hard to change the inclusion narrative of health service design and delivery within ACT Health. I ge...

This episode is brought to you by The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre (BMC). I get the great pleasure of sitting down with two of BMC’s lived experience working group members (LEWG) to chat about the role lived experience members have played in the history of mental health understanding – going right back to ancient Egypt!!

This week I was joined by the world's first Minister for Loneliness Tracey Crouch. In 2018 the UK announced a new ministerial position within, then Prime Minister, Theresa May's cabinet; this was the result of late Labor MP, Jo Cox's extensive advocation to address the threat their nation was facing in loneliness. In 2016 Jo Cox was horrifically murdered in a shooting and stabbing in Birstall, UK....

If you haven't had IG's algorithm suggest the account @sitwithwhit I suggest you write a letter. The woman behind, and in-front I guess, of this account is Dr Whitney Goodman. Whitney is a therapist who uses her platform to help us understand and identify things that impact our mental health, often when we don’t even realise it. The concept I got to dive into with Whitney was toxic positivity. Whi...

The incomparable Chris Sweeney is on the podcast this week. Chris talks with me on the challenges being faced by the LGBTQIA+ community in mental ill-health – navigating us with his experiences. You might be familiar with Chris' work as a writer, director, and host of Homo Sapiens the podcast. His latest projects Back to Life, starring Daisy Haggard, and 'The Tourist' starring Jamie Dornan & Danie...

Following on from last week, I got to catch up with the University of Sydney’s research program, right care first time where you live, funded by the BHP Foundation. However this week I spoke with their first program site ACT Health. ACT HEalth services the nations capital here in Australia. I interviewed trailblazing lived experience advocate for youth mental health, Josephine Brogden alongside th...

This episode checks in with the research program from the university of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre, right care first time where you live. Grace Lee, whom we interviewed last season about this research program, is a PhD candidate with the university of Sydney, and the evaluation manager for this research program. Leon Young is the founding CEO of Cogniss—a for profit tech company that creates h...

I feel confident in saying that we have all been affected to some degree by the horrific events unfolding in Ukraine. It feels surreal to be witnessing a pivotal world-event through the palms of our hands. ​ ​ Last week I shared an article published by Mashable, 'Watching footage from Ukraine? Here's how to protect your mental health', written by journalist Rebecca Ruiz; a frequenter of many large...

This is part two of my conversation with the radiant Kirthana Selvaraj, finalist in the 2021 Archibald Prize (most prestigious art prize in Australia) with her self portrait titled, 'The Green Suit, a Self-portrait'.  Kirthana and I sit together in some difficult and uncomfortable topics in order to learn and understand better each other's experience ❤️ EDITING | Podlike MUSIC | Sampson

Launching our 2022 season is the radiant Kirthana Selvaraj, finalist in the 2021 Archibald Prize (most prestigious art prize in Australia) with her self portrait titled, 'The Green Suit, a Self-portrait'. This is part one of a two part conversation. Kirthana and I sit together in some difficult and uncomfortable topics in order to learn and understand better each other's experience.  EDITING | Pod...

Continuing our mini-series on Men’s mental health for this month of November. I had the great pleasure of chatting to Hunter Johnson, cofounder and CEO of Man Cave a preventative mental health and emotional intelligence charity that empowers boys to become great men. Hunter and Man Cave have also launched a new men’s personal care line for your face, head, pits, and bits; brilliantly called STUFF....

This month of November is Men’s Health Month, and so here on The Informed we are going to focus on men’s mental health briefly for this month. We know in mental health that men account for approximately twice the amount of suicides as women, boys account for 52.5% of reported eating disorders, girls are 80% more likely than boys to seek professional support and in adulthood women 50% more likely t...

In this episode I had the chance to speak with A/Prof Louise Freebairn and Dr Ante Prodan, who’s work is contributing to The University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre and BHP Foundation’s research Program 'Right care, first time, where you live'. Louise is Senior Research Fellow at the Brain and Mind Centre, the Director of Knowledge Translation and Health Outcomes in the Epidemiology Section a...

This week I spoke with Melbourne based psychologist and educator, Chris Cheers on a subject I’m sure we are all feeling to a degree in this present time; the anxiety of returning to life after lockdown. Chris is passionate about creating accessible, accepting and safe spaces where people become empowered to live a meaningful life. Through extensive training and lived experience, Chris has also dev...