The R4R Podcast: Road to Zero

Yash Varma is a high performance coach, founder of Empress Capital — one of Australia's first AI-focused venture capital firms — and an early investor in Anthropic. Born in India and raised in Canberra, Yash spent 20 years building a global software business before turning his focus to backing the next generation of AI founders. Grateful to have him on the pod for what turned into a really hon...

Ben Wilson is a Canberra-born ultra runner now based in Brisbane. He grew up running fire trails in Tuggeranong, spent a decade living life to the fullest, and when he moved to Brisbane he lost his social network and found himself in a pretty dark place. A psychologist told him to start moving again... and it changed everything. What followed was years of patient, consistent training that took him...

Stephe sits down with Georgie MacDiarmid (Canberra Grammar), Mark Nicholson (Torrens Primary), and Mark Robson (Forrest Primary) — the teachers behind Recess for Resilience in Canberra. They unpack how a simple walk at recess is transforming school culture, building emotional language in kids, and supporting teacher wellbeing too. From student captains to a selectively mute student finding her voi...

It’s National Volunteer Week , and to celebrate, Running for Resilience co-founder Matt Breen sits down with Stuart Coates and Renee Watson for a powerful conversation about volunteering, community, purpose and the impact of simply showing up. Big Stu is an R4R stalwart who contributes more time, energy and care than we could ever hope for. Renee Watson is the CEO of Rise Above , a local Canberra...

Connor Hogan was diagnosed with schizophrenia, anxiety and depression in 2019. In December 2022, he tragically took his own life. Since then, Connor’s mates have honoured who he was by bringing people together to raise money and awareness for schizophrenia research. What struck me most about this conversation was the amount of love I could see in these blokes’ eyes. It was clear Connor was a speci...

Matt Breen sits down with Pip Seldon, founder of The Healthy Tradie Project, to talk about grief, suicide prevention, blue-collar mental health, and the legacy of her brother Dale. Pip shares the heartbreaking story of losing Dale to suicide in 2009, the shock and unanswered questions that followed, and how that loss became the driving force behind her mission to help prevent suicide in the constr...

On the 10th of November 2025, Andrew Logan received the news no parent ever wants to hear... that no parent should ever hear... that his Son, Johannes Logan had died. In this deeply moving episode of the Running for Resilience Podcast, Matt Breen sits down with Andrew Logan to talk about the life and loss of his son, Johannes Logan. Johannes was a talented rugby player, artist, friend and deeply s...

In this episode, Manly Sea Eagles, NSW Blues and Kangaroos forward Jake Trbojevic sits down with Ben Alexander and Mark Trbojevic to talk about the highs and lows of elite sport, dealing with pressure, social media criticism, concussion, mental skills training, family, recovery and the importance of perspective. Jake opens up about the emotional side of rugby league, learning to separate his ident...

Dr. Shannon Kara is an Occupational Therapist, Clinical Director and Doctoral Student based in Canberra, specialising in nature-based interventions for neurodivergent and intellectually disabled populations. In this episode of the Running for Resilience Podcast, Shannon joins Matt Breen to share her powerful story of surviving domestic violence, rebuilding her identity, navigating burnout and disc...

In this episode of the Running for Resilience podcast, Matt Breen is joined by Tim Fulton and Lauren Geatches to explore the lived reality of rare disease in Australia through the story of Lauren’s child, Sage. They talk about diagnosis, day-to-day resilience, and what it takes for families to keep going when the path is uncertain. The conversation also looks at how advocacy and community can redu...

What makes Running for Resilience more than just a run club? In this episode of the R4R Podcast, Ben Alexander sits down with Dr Joanna Wall Tweedie, Dr Andrew Flood and Dr Annaleise Naylor from the University of Canberra’s Research Institute for Sport and Exercise to unpack the research behind Running for Resilience and the role community, physical activity and social connection can play in menta...

In the 20th episode of the R4R Podcast, Benny A sits down with George Vlachos from Digital Nachos. George has travelled around the world, developing is software skills, meeting people, and seeing what works elsewhere, looking for ways to create more collisions and third spaces in Canberra. He's also the man behind our Volunteer App, which has helped us immensely in unlocking volunteers desire...

In the final episode for 2025, Benny, Lili, and Breeny sit down to review this year's highlights.📞 Support ServicesMedicare Mental Health Centre Canberra – 1800 595 212Lifeline – 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 | https://www.beyondblue.org.au🔗 Connect with Running for Resilience🌐 Website: https://www.runningforresilience.com📸 Instagram: / runningforresilience 📘 Fa...

Parkrun has become one of the great community success stories… a weekly ritual that brings people together, gets them moving, and gives them a sense of belonging they can rely on. In this episode, Benny A and Lili sit down with Tim Oberg, the founder of parkrun Australia, to talk about how the movement began, how it scaled, and what Tim's up to now.🔗 Episode Links & Guest Resourcesparkrun...

Just over 15 years ago, Matt checked his phone and heard a voicemail from his dad:“Hey Matt, I just want to let you know that I love you.”Those could have been the last words his dad ever said… they would have been some of the last thoughts he ever had. In preparing for this episode, Matt wondered what could have been if instead of calling him, his dad had picked up the phone to Lifeline. In this...

Cancer doesn’t just arrive as a medical diagnosis — it arrives as uncertainty, fear, chaos, costs, and a powerful hit to your mental health. In this episode, Matt opens with the night his mum’s world changed, and the moment he realised he couldn’t control everything. From there, the conversation turns to what so many families know too well: the ambiguity of diagnosis, the whirlwind of treatment, a...

What does “bouncing back” really mean after unimaginable loss? In part two of our conversation with Heidi Prowse OAM, we explore what life looks like after losing her husband, Andrew... and how she’s found new ways to move forward through grief, purpose, and service to others. Heidi shares how resilience isn’t about “getting over it,” but about learning to live with the ache… to say yes to coffee...

What does resilience really look like after losing the person you love most? In Part One of Episode 15 for the R4R Podcast, Heidi Prowse opens up about life with her husband, Andrew, the man she fell in love with, and the reality of living with his cystic fibrosis diagnosis. Together, they turned hardship into hope, founding the Santa Speedo Shuffle to raise awareness and funds for Cystic Fibrosis...

In this episode of the Running for Resilience Podcast, Ben Alexander sits down with Steph O’Neill and Mark Nicholson from Torrens Primary School, and Adam Hall from Canberra Grammar School, to explore the first year of Recess for Resilience. Recess for Resilience is a simple school-based wellbeing initiative helping students build healthy habits through movement, friendship, emotional literacy and...

What happens when we stop waiting for change — and start building it together? In Part 2 of our conversation with Menslink’s Ben Gathercole , we move from awareness to action: exploring what it actually takes to build a culture of care in schools, worksites, and communities. From mentoring young men to empowering tradies and apprentices, this episode focuses on the systems of support that can help...

What happens when we stop treating mental health as a side conversation — and start seeing it as a community responsibility? In this episode, Matt Breen revisits the origins of Running for Resilience — born from the loss of his dad — and the gap it left in male role models and connection. From there, he’s joined by Menslink’s Ben Gathercole to explore how community, mentoring, and education can re...

In this episode of the R4R Podcast Murray sits down with LTGEN Cheryl Pearce for a discussion on resilience, vulnerability, courage, persistent disadvantage and support for others.  If you or someone you know is struggling, you’re not alone — support is always available: 📞 Medicare Mental Health Centre Canberra - 1800 595 212 📞 Lifeline – 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support) 📞 Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4...

In this episode of the R4R Podcast, Lili sits down with John and James from The Sunday Sippers. In this chat, the team cover everything from 100km efforts to how the Sunday Sippers started. Check out the Sunday Sippers here: https://www.instagram.com/sundaysippersau/ Or listen to their Podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5MsvLOXLJri8otjXzxs7Kv If you or someone you know is struggling, you’...

In this episode of the R4R Podcast, Jess Peil chats with Mark Trbojevic from Peak Health Canberra about all things running, injuries, and mental health. If you or someone you know is struggling, you’re not alone — support is always available: 📞 Medicare Mental Health Centre Canberra - 1800 595 212 📞 Lifeline – 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support) 📞 Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 or https:www.beyondblue.o...

In this episode of The R4R Podcast, Benny A and Breeny sit down to have their weekly R4R chat on air. There's so much happening at the moment and we thought it would be a great idea to pull the curtain back on some conversations behind the scenes. We'd also love to hear your feedback if you've got any! If you or someone you know is struggling, you’re not alone — support is always available: 📞 Med...