The Reality Check Podcast

Mental illness can dramatically impact your ability to function. On a bad day, it is important to realise that a win may be as simple as having a shower and feeding yourself. QOTD: When you are in a bad place, what has constituted a win for you? Links mentioned: What defines a good day (video) Upgrade (Fiction: sci/fi - dystpoian) How To Get Your Sh!t Together If this episode has resonated with yo...

I have just completed a 24 hour Grapple-A-Thon, which is 24 hours of continuous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and I want to share the lessons that I have learnt from this experience. 03:40 - General Takeaways 06:50 - BJJ Specific Takeaways 11:48 - Mindset 17:30 - Nutrition and Recovery Links mentioned: What I Learnt Grappling for 24 Hours Straight (Written Blog Post) Fearless Motivation's Greatest Hit...

We rarely consider it, but each social media platform is in fact a business competing for our attention... If this episode has resonated with you, I would love your support . Click here to find out more about my 1:1 coaching & counselling sessions.

The importance of self care cannot be understated. There is no point in working yourself so hard that you have a break down. In this episode, Zachary shares his recent experience of overworking himself to the point of break down, as well as the lessons that he has learnt from the experience. QOTD: How do you practice self care? If this episode has resonated with you, I would love your support . Cl...

Finding the balance between work and relaxation is vital for both mental health and productivity. Work too much, and you run the risk of becoming run down. Relax too much and your dreams will forever stay as dreams. In this episode I discuss my continuing journey to finding a balance between these two aspects of life. How do you find and maintain the balance between relaxation and work? Fiction pi...

Short Thought - Australia has just voted "yes" for marriage equality - 66.6% yes - 38.4% no, with 79.5% of eligible voters participating. Clearly this issue is quite important for a lot of people. In this video I discuss my reaction to the vote, what it will mean moving forward, as well as some of the reasons that I heard supporting the "no" camp. Today is a great day for civil rights, and hopeful...

Writing therapy is one of the core components of my ongoing mental health plan. When I feel a build up of mental pressure - I write! The page listens and does not judge, and therefore you can tell it anything without fear. Writing enables me to collect, organise and express my thoughts. By writing them down, I am able to detach from them and let them go. From there, I often turn those pages into a...

Developing assertiveness is key to ensuring a stable mental state. By actively addressing issues as they arise, you cut them off before they can fester and derail you into bouts of rumination. In addition, assertiveness easily overcomes bouts of indecision that can plague groups, individuals or businesses. If it is ultimately of little importance, take the initiative and choose. Join the " Ноw То...

In this episode I share chapter one of my first book 'Under The Influence, Reclaiming My Childhood' ”By the end of year seven, I was starting to realise just how different my father was from those of my friends. He rarely worked in a conventional setting, and I had never known him to have a full-time job ..." I will be releasing a chapter here each month, so stay tuned, but if you would like to ow...

Travelling and reading have a unique way of expanding your mind. They open you up to new possibilities, new ways of living and new concepts. In this episode, Zachary discusses the lessons learnt from his recent trip to Indonesia. Books mentioned: Tribe - Sebastian Junger  |  My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult Videos mentioned: My Sisters Keeper review ​​​​​​​If this episode has resonated w...

Grief comes in waves. In this episode, Zachary discusses what grief feels like, as well as the feelings that arise when someone commits suicide. Regardless of your proximity to the person, their death can be confusing and can significantly impact you. If this episode has resonated with you, I would love your support . Click here to find out more about my 1:1 coaching & counselling sessions.

In this episode, Zac discusses why people get trapped working in a job that they don't like and suggests ways that they can change into a career that they actually enjoy and look forward to performing. "Counting time until retirement is not for me" Books Mentioned: I Will Teach You To Be Rich - Ramit Sethi The 4 Hour Body - Tim Ferris Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink 10% Happier - Dan Harris The...

When I am depressed, the 'pointlessness of life' becomes overwhelming. "My life will end, so will yours. Our bodies will rot and eventually the universe will experience heat death. We will be forgotten. Therefore, what's the point?" These thoughts become particularly troublesome to people like myself who don't have a strong faith or ideology to prescribe an external meaning upon our existence. In...

It will never feel like a good time to follow your dreams. There will always be barriers, blocks and reasons not to. But if you don't do it now, when will you? When I realized that if I didn't do it now, I would still be thinking about it 10 years later, I had to act. Yes it will be tough, yes I will have to work but it will be worth it because I will be living a life that I am happy to live. I no...

You have the ability to change yourself. Just like you are what you eat, you are also what you put into your mind. The books you read, shows you watch and the company you keep literally shape you. They will change how you think, feel and ultimately behave. So choose them wisely. Only take advice from people who are doing what you want to be doing successfully. If you want to write, take advice fro...

This is a follow up to Zac's blog post " Your Passion Is Detrimental To Your Cause - Why Militant Veganism Doesn't Work " In this episode he responds the significant amount of feedback (positive and negative), as well as offers further advice for anyone who wants to convince someone to change their opinions/behavior - make slow and incremental changes rather than using the 'cold turkey' approach....

Maria Phillips once again joins Zachary, to provide a follow up on how they are now finding parenthood. Recorded at three months in, they cover the joys and challenges that they have faced, as well as provide advice as to which information and purchases were useful and which were not. Related posts from Zachary and Maria: What to Buy When You’re Expecting – a Comprehensive List of Items and Helpfu...

Teachers and parents often push the importance of reading. But what they often fail to do is explain why it is so important. In this episode, Zachary discusses how widely reading (particularly of fiction and autobiographies) increases detachment and allows you to live someone else's life. "When the characters in our books face moral dilemmas, overcome obstacles, learn and grow, so does the reader....

Zachary talks about his day off from life, spent in solitude meditating. No social media, communication, reading, writing or eating; just observing the mind. "I noticed that my mind would throw up strong urges and emotions. I started to act on them before I realised that I was doing so. This led me to wonder (in normal waking life) how much do my emotions, thoughts and feelings control me? I alway...

Zachary discusses a study that found that people would prefer to be electrocuted rather then being alone with their own thoughts . From there he discusses his pertinacity (as well as the general populations) to avoid facing their mind through constant distractions. "I am planning on taking a day off everything to just meditate. I want to see what my mind throws up at me, and what I am often strivi...

Zac discusses what anxiety feels like - recorded during a bout of anxiety. "For me, a lot of the symptoms of anxiety are physiological: shortness of breath, headache, coldness, and clumsyness. I get trapped in rumination, often overthinking everything. This has an impact on my ability to cope in social situations as there is a lot of stimulus to take in and process. I find myself creating multiple...

When you open up and start to talk about your traumatic experiences, a few things will happen. More memories will come flooding in and that may become overwhelming. In addition, people will react differently to what you will expect. Some will be supportive and will share their own experiences, while others will disbelieve what you say. In this episode Zachary shares his experience of sharing the c...

Protect your mental state, that way you are in the best place to help others. It is important to realise that your mental state is the lens in which you view the world, if it is compromised, so to is your ability to judge the people, events and actions of your life. In this episode, Zachary explores the reasons why he protects his mental state as well as covers why it is a good idea to do so. If t...

Writing has been one of the most therapeutic things that I have done. I started with poetry, but quickly moved into a longer format of fiction and blogs, culminating with a book. The process it self was amazing, I feel like I have reclaimed some of my past back through writing - I am better able to look at my past, the events that happened and how I now feel about them. I encourage everyone to wri...

There is a tendency to avoid silence - TV, Podcasts, Music, Books, Movies, Social Media etc are all great as entertainment and education, but they can become an addiction, serving as an effective block against painful ruminations of the mind. In this episode, Zachary reveals how he discovered his obsession with avoiding his own thoughts, the addictive pull of social media as well as how creativity...