Crappy to Happy

Cass explores the concept of being fully committed to goals while remaining unattached to the outcomes. She discusses the balance between giving your all and not letting the results define your self-worth. Through examples and personal insights, Cass emphasises the importance of understanding commitment, non-attachment, and the role of personal values in achieving true fulfilment. The conversation...

Cass talks with Jessica McGuire, a physiotherapist and author of The Nervous System Reset, about the importance of the nervous system in physical and emotional health. Jessica explains the role of the vagus nerve in regulating our emotions, balancing our physical health, and facilitating social interactions. She explains the different states of the nervous system and provides strategies for regula...

In this solo episode, Cass discusses the concept of upper limit problems as described in the book 'The Big Leap' by Gay Hendricks. Upper limit problems refer to self-imposed limitations that prevent individuals from achieving greater success, happiness, and fulfillment. Cass explores the four core beliefs that contribute to upper limit problems. She also highlights the importance of expanding one'...

In this solo episode of Crappy to Happy, Cass discusses the importance of quality friendships and what makes them thrive. She highlights three key ingredients of high-quality friendships: consistency, positivity, and vulnerability. Cass emphasises the need for regular contact, positive interactions, and the ability to share personal and intimate experiences. She encourages listeners to assess thei...

In this solo episode, Cass explores the concept of narrative identity theory and how the stories we tell ourselves about our lives shape our sense of self and well-being. She discusses the importance of personal agency, belonging, redemption, meaning-making, and coherence in our life stories. Cass emphasises the power of reframing our narratives to focus on growth, learning, and positive outcomes...

In this episode, Cass recaps what she covered in her live online workshop, "How to Cultivate Unshakeable Self-Confidence".She outlines the key difference between self-doubt and the imposter experience, which runs much deeper, and the importance of having tools and strategies which address both. She shares her views on the limitations of 'mindset' strategies for cultivating confidence and why emoti...

In this solo episode, Cass shares one of the common reasons people struggle to make progress on the things they say that want to achieve. "Competing commitments", sometimes called competing desires or conflicting values, are the (often unconscious) desires that run counter to your stated goal, and cause you to spin your wheels or sabotage your progress. When you uncover your competing commitments,...

Cass talks with fellow psychologist, Ariane Beeston about Ariane's experience of severe postpartum depression and psychosis. They discuss the feelings of failure that can prevent new mothers from asking for help, the lack of support available for mums beyond their babys' infancy, and the added shame of being a mental health professional experiencing mental illness. Ariane speaks candidly about how...

In this solo episode, Cass discusses the importance of goal-setting, but understanding why you want the things you want when you're aspiring to achieve or create something in your life. She talks about the trap of attaching your happiness to a goal or outcome, and offers some tips for how you can overcome that. Cass also discusses the concept of "memetic desire", which is when social trends influe...

Cass chats with Monique Mitchelson, a clinical psychologist and host of The Neurodivergent Woman podcast, about neurodiversity in women, specifically autism and ADHD. Monique shares that neurodivergence is often under-diagnosed, especially in girls and that many women are doing life in 'hard mode' when they don't have an accurate diagnosis. Monique shares some of the masking and compensatory strat...

In this solo ep, Cass shares her decision to take an extended break from alcohol after quitting drinking for (almost) two years in 2020 and then taking it up again in 2022.She highlights all the best things she experienced during two years of being alcohol-free, as a way to remind herself of the benefits to be gained from staying sober, and as motivation to anyone else who might be toying with the...

Johann Hari began taking Ozempic in 2023, and subsequently spent 12 months traveling the world talking to experts about every aspect of the obesity crisis and the new weight loss medications which offer a solution to the millions of people who struggle to lose weight on their own. In his book, "Magic Pill", he details the extraordinary benefits of these new medications, as well as outlining 12 dis...

In this solo episode, Cass discusses the fear of making the wrong decision and the desire for certainty. Cass emphasises the importance of taking action as a way of gaining clarity, as well as the importance of getting comfortable with uncertainty. She also explores the role of the body in decision-making and suggests practicing feeling into what feels right or wrong. Cass encourages listeners to...

This week Cass chats with Samantha Skelly, founder and CEO of Pause Breathwork about the power of the breath to reduce stress and anxiety, heal your body, create clarity in your mind and connect with your intuition. Samantha shares her own story of going from skeptic to devoted student of breathwork, to eventually realising her mission to bring breathwork to a wider community. She's achieving this...

This week Cass talks with Dr Ann Kelley, licensed psychologist and co-host of the Therapist Uncensored podcast, about the importance of updating our understanding of attachment styles and the limitations of categorising ourselves and others. Ann proposes a more helpful approach of thinking about attachment as a spectrum. She introduces the idea of secure relating (as opposed to secure attachment),...

Cass responds to a listener who is experiencing body dissatisfaction during pregnancy. She highlights that while this is relatively common, it can be a concern if it contributes to poor maternal mental or physical health. She shares strategies for managing uncomfortable thoughts and feelings about your changing body and the importance of women feeling free to share their experience of any aspect o...

Cass chats with Victoria Vanstone, host of the Sober Awkward Podcast and creator of the Drunk Mummy Sober Mummy blog and website, about her decision to leave behind her partying days in order to be a happier, less anxious, more present parent by giving up alcohol. Vic admits she didn't like sober people and that she feared no-one would want to be around her anymore if she stopped being the life of...

Cass answers a listener question about what to do when you feel disappointed by people in your life. She shares ideas about how to manage your expectations, how to take responsibility for your own part in the situation, and how to heal from painful feelings of disappointment. Our social connections are the single most important factor contributing to happiness and wellbeing so it's critical we hav...

Cass talks with Lizzie Williamson, the founder of Two Minute Moves, about the astonishing benefits of building micro-movement breaks into your day. Whether you're at home or in the office, taking tiny opportunities to move your body will reduce your risk of a range of diseases while improving your productivity, creativity, energy and mood. Connect with Lizzie: www.lizziewilliamson.com Connect with...

Cass explains why 'mindset' approaches to overcoming self-doubt and imposter syndrome are limited and won't achieve a lasting transformation and what you need to do instead.  She shares how imposter syndrome is an activation of your body's threat response triggered by a fear of judgement and rejection. She also explains that self-criticism can perpetuate imposter syndrome by keeping you stuck in a...

Cass chats with Jodie Rogers, a counsellor, sexologist and the relationship coach featured in the hit series, "Love on the Spectrum". Jodi shares her journey of working with people with disabilities and the importance of access to sexuality education and relationship counselling. She discusses the challenges faced by autistic individuals in developing relationships particularly around trust and vu...

Cass breaks down some of the key aspects of Buddhist philosophy and practice as they relate to living a happier and more peaceful life.  She shares a little about how modern approaches to therapy have incorporated some of these key ideas to help people improve their mental health and wellbeing. You don't have to be a Buddhist to appreciate the relevance of some of these ideas and apply them to you...

Dr Sue Johnson is a psychologist, author, a pioneer in the psychology of relationships and the creator of Emotionally Focused therapy, which focuses on creating secure emotional bonds between partners. EFT is widely acknowledged as the gold standard in evidence-based couples therapy. Dr Sue emphasises the importance of vulnerability and emotional safety in relationships, and shares how EFT can hel...

If you're trying to break a habit, start a new one or achieve a goal, there are some very predictable stages everyone goes through during the process. In this episode, Cass shares the stages of change to help you identify where you're at, understand what to expect at each stage, and what to do if you have a setback or slip-up so you can get back on track quickly. Connect with Cass: www.crappytoha...

In this episode, Cass chats with financial educator and host of the Australian Finance Podcast, Kate Campbell, about how to invest your time and money to build your very best life. Whether you have a lot of money or not much at all, Kate and Cass discuss what the research says about how you can invest your most precious resources to gain maximum meaning and fulfilment in life. Happiness can't be b...