Wag Tales

Dr Lori Desautels is an educator, author, and assistant professor whose work in applied educational neuroscience has influenced schools and educators around the world. Through decades of teaching, research, and professional learning, Lori has helped shift the conversation from managing behaviour to understanding the nervous system, relationships, and the conditions that allow both children and adu...

Dr Michael Gerlich is a researcher, sociologist, educator, and author of  The Convenience Trap , a book exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping the way we think, learn, connect, and make decisions. With a background spanning technology, business, and human behaviour, Michael is interested not just in what AI can do, but what its growing presence means for us as humans. In this conversat...

Skye Staude is an experienced educator and leader who has spent over 15 years working in alternative and re-engagement education settings with young people who have experienced significant adversity. Now a Deputy Executive Principal across multiple campuses at MacKillop Education, Skye brings a deep commitment to trauma-informed practice, system-level change, and supporting both young people and t...

Ruby Sait is a passionate advocate for young people with lived experience of out-of-home care , whose work is shaped by her own journey through homelessness, education, and life beyond the system. Through her advocacy, mentorship, and community work, Ruby is committed to ensuring that young people who have grown up in care are not defined by their circumstances but supported to see what is possibl...

Zach Mercurio, PhD, is a researcher, speaker, and author whose work centres on one of our most fundamental human needs: to feel that we matter. Through his research in organisational psychology and his work with schools, workplaces, and leaders around the world, Zach explores how simple, everyday interactions shape our sense of value, connection, and wellbeing. His work offers a powerful reframe —...

Dr Kate Renshaw is a play therapist, educator, and researcher whose work centres on the role of play in children’s emotional development, learning, and wellbeing. Through her clinical practice, teaching, and advocacy, Kate has spent many years helping adults better understand the language of play and the profound insights it offers into children’s inner worlds. Her work bridges therapeutic practic...

Jesse Diggins and Nathan Castle are psychologists and co-founders of Psychs in Schools, an initiative working alongside schools to strengthen mental health support for children and young people. Their work focuses on increasing access to psychological services within educational settings, building strong partnerships with educators, and ensuring that support is relational, practical, and responsiv...

Danielle Murphy is a foster carer, writer, and advocate who has spent the past six years walking alongside children and young people in care. Through her lived experience, Danielle brings an honest and grounded voice to the realities of foster care — the deep love it invites, the uncertainty it holds, and the emotional labour required to keep showing up. She is the author of Hearts in Transition ,...

Dr Nathan MacArthur is a grief counsellor, researcher, and the founder of Sydney Grief Counselling. His work centres on helping people navigate the many shapes and seasons of grief — from bereavement and relationship loss to the quieter, less spoken-about forms of grief we carry throughout our lives. Nathan’s approach blends clinical insight with deep humanity, offering gentle, evidence-informed s...

Content warning: This episode includes discussion of childhood violence, self-harm, and suicidal ideation, which may be distressing for some listeners. Support services are listed below. Aaron Stark is a writer, speaker, and mental health advocate best known for his viral TED Talk, “I Was Almost a School Shooter.” His story has reached millions of people around the world, offering a raw, honest lo...

Benjamin Perks is a global child-rights advocate, educator, and author of Trauma Proof. Working for the UN in New York, he campaigns on human rights and child development and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Jubilee Centre, University of Birmingham, and an associate member of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. Today, he joins the podcast in a personal cap...

Liam Casson is an educator turned wellbeing leader whose work spans schools, sport, and the corporate world. A former Director of Wellbeing in education, he now leads education and wellbeing at Seafeld Investments and serves as CEO of Reset Moves, a gamified movement platform designed to help children and adults reset their bodies and brains. Liam and Megan first met in the Master of Applied Posit...

Danielle Mifsud is the Academy Director at Humans of Purpose Academy , a social impact organisation supporting women and non-binary people with lived experience of domestic and family violence. The Academy provides a pathway for survivors to rebuild confidence, develop skills, and create brighter futures for themselves and their families. Through community, peer support, and a strengths-focused ap...

Emma Gentle is an educator, parent, and advocate for reshaping schools through trauma-informed and emotionally intelligent practices. Drawing on her own journey in mainstream education, Emma brings both lived experience and professional expertise to the work of creating classrooms and communities where wellbeing, connection, and authenticity sit at the centre. She is passionate about supporting te...

Matt Pitman is an educator, author, and advocate for rethinking how we build connection in schools. His latest book, The Connection Conundrum , explores why connection is so often overlooked in education and what it takes to make it central to student engagement, wellbeing, and learning. Drawing on years of leadership experience, Matt brings both practical strategies and a deeply human perspective...

Luke Anderson is the founder of Fair Threads, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting families of incarcerated individuals and creating pathways for those reintegrating into the community after prison. With lived experience of incarceration himself, Luke brings a raw honesty and deep commitment to making practical change. In this episode, Luke and Megan explore the story behind Fair Threads, a...

Dr Corey Keyes is a sociologist and psychologist best known for developing the dual continuum model of mental health and for coining the term languishing , a word that gave language to the emptiness so many felt during the pandemic. His new book, Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down , offers both research and reflection on how we move from surviving to thriving, not j...

Ahmed Sulaiman is a language teacher, entrepreneur, and one of the kindest, most generous people I know. We first met nine years ago when I moved to Nablus in the West Bank to volunteer as an English teacher and study Arabic. What started as a professional connection quickly became a friendship that has remained across distance, years, and the ever-changing reality of life in Palestine. In this ep...

Jaime de Loma-Osorio Ricon is a long-time advocate for equity and inclusion in education and community work. As Deputy CEO of Banksia Gardens Community Services and Director of the Northern Centre for Excellence in School Engagement, Jaime has helped shape one of Victoria's most respected models of school–community partnership. With over 20 years of experience in Broadmeadows, Jaime brings b...

Dr Kerry Hinsby is a clinical psychologist with a background in forensic mental health and the clinical lead of the West Yorkshire Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (Hub), a groundbreaking, trauma-informed initiative supporting health and care workers across the region. Megan first met Kerry in Leeds after multiple professionals insisted she meet her and hear about the work happening at th...

Dr Michelle McQuaid is an author, workplace wellbeing strategist, and founder of The Good Girl Changemakers. With a PhD in Appreciative Inquiry and years of experience working at the intersection of wellbeing, leadership, and psychological safety, Michelle is shifting the conversation around how we care for ourselves and each other in professional spaces. Her work weaves together evidence-based we...

Margaret Thorsborne is a leading figure in restorative practices, dedicated to transforming the way communities address conflict and harm. As the Managing Director of Transformative Justice Australia and Thorsborne and Associates, she has pioneered the implementation of restorative justice methods in schools, workplaces, and communities worldwide. Margaret co-founded Restorative Practices Internat...

Richard Rose is a leading expert in therapeutic life story work, a consultant, trainer, author, and international speaker dedicated to improving the lives of children who have experienced trauma. With decades of experience in child protection, social work, and therapeutic practice, Richard has worked extensively with children in out-of-home care, helping them make sense of their histories and find...

Bea Palya is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, entertainer, amateur actor, business manager, trainer, writer, mother and woman. Bea bundles all of her experience, knowledge, and learning into voice and singing coaching, exploring the deep connection between our voice, embodiment and healing. Through her music and teaching, she helps people reconnect with their authentic voice, moving past fear and...

Content Warning: This episode discusses domestic homicide, family violence, and trauma, which may be distressing for some listeners. Support services are listed below. Ashton Kline is a survivor, advocate, and ambassador for the Alannah & Madeline Foundation. After losing his mother to domestic homicide as a teenager, Ashton's life was thrown into upheaval—navigating the foster care syst...