Episodios
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Choices - the end of life. Bringing Voluntary Assisted Dying Legislation to QLD. Dr Harry Jacobs and Fiona Jacobs.
I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to chat with Harry and Fiona Jacobs. Through their medical background and their personal story of loss, they have taken action where action was urgent and overdue. Harry and Fiona explain with such clarity and sensitivity the various avenues involved with Voluntary Assisted Dying, they discuss when and how these choices need to be available to us, and the political terrain that they (and their colleagues) had to overcome to bring this end of life choice to QLD.
This podcast was such a valuable learning curve for me, I'm excited to share it. Harry and Fiona, my warmest heartfelt thankyou for sharing your personal story and challenging journey through this complex area. We Queenslanders now benefit from you providing us with choice at a time when we are our most vulnerable.
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Those in the know come along to Couples Therapy to tweak and further strengthen their relationship. But most couples come along at absolute breaking point, where their long held patterns of behaviour have created a huge chasm between them that is difficult, but often not impossible to recover from.
We can learn from this. There is so much to learn about ourselves and our partners. There is so much misunderstanding and hurt to be resolved. I thought I'd overview the advantages of Couples Therapy for those who are curious. It definitely can be a life changing choice. -
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Podcast: Domestic Violence against men. Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan
It is estimated that 1 in 4 women (27%) experience domestic violence. Sadly, this is a known fact. What isn't known is that 1 in 8 men (12%) also experience domestic violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Men are routinely left in the shadows when they experience DV (coercive control, physical violence, psychological and emotional abuse, verbal abuse etc). Because men are considered the 'stronger sex', society can often not make sense of the fact that they too can be on the receiving end of a tormenting partner. Men are often not believed, which makes their trauma exponentially worse.
Plenty of women are controlling, manipulative and set on eroding their partner's self believe and choice. Let's take a moment to chat about the men on the receiving end, the hidden population.
Thanks Kristen for joining me as we shed light on this topic together. -
Podcast: Transitioning our children with Autism into adulthood; a parent's perspective. Special Guest Dr Karen Glasby.
Karen wears so many hats when it comes to this topic. She is an academic, and an advocate for parents, but most importantly she is a mother of a young man with Autism. Karen, like many parent's, has been to hell and back with her son. Her family have watched helplessly as their son struggled with his adult independence, without the cognitive capacity to match this new life stage. As their son was an adult, he theoretically could make his own choices, but they as a family were left to pick up the pieces again and again.
Karen took her search for answers beyond her own front door, and into academia. Her research findings humble us even further. I will let her explain. Thank you immensely for your time Karen and for sharing your story and your wisdom. I truly appreciate the fire in your belly in trying to open everyone's eyes to this issue. -
Are you critically judgmental or compassionate judgemental, there is a difference.
I have clients come into session worried that they are judgemental, that they are critical of others. This opens up a fascinating topic of what it means to observe your world and how you respond to what you see.
I thought I would add this topic out of interest because it always creates such interesting responses.
Have a think, where do you sit? -
Podcast: The gender roles that have shaped you. Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan
Have you ever thought about who your role models are with regard to your masculinity and femininity? With regard to your sense of your gender? It's a fascinating personal question. Are there adults who you swore you'd wouldn't turn out like, or other's in your personal world or in a more far off role that have inspired you? Where do you get a sense of what kind of man or woman you want to be? What is your yard stick?
I surprised poor Kristen with this topic with not much notice, and she didn't disappoint. I really loved us chewing through our personal experiences here. Fun and thought provoking... -
Podcast: It's nice to be nice; why volunteering is amazing. Special Guest 'Krazy Kevin' Howarth.
Kevin is one of those big personalities that leaves a lasting impression. Kevin is a man of many talents, he is 'Krazy Kevin' radio and DJ personality, he is Toowoomba's Town Crier, he's officially the loudest person in Australia, he has won the 'Best DJ in the UK' and he is an active member of our community who seems to pop up all over the place. But what people might not know about Kevin is that he has an impressive history of contributing truly meaningful volunteer work in the most varied and bizarre places and international situations. Kevin is a huge advocate of volunteering (the second biggest workforce he educated me), and Kevin is involved in acknowledging this vital role of volunteers.
Kevin is such a kind hearted enthusiast in life. I'm sure you'll find his energy contagious.
Thank you so much Kevin for sharing your experiences and your passion. We are all spoilt! -
Do you know the difference between OCD and OCPD?
Over my 25 years as a Clinical Psychologist, I've seen this misunderstanding come up time and time again. A client comes in complaining that they or their partner has OCD, but they actually have OCPD, and vice versa. One presentation is a debilitating anxiety condition, the other is a personality type.
Have a listen. You might recognise these conditions in people in your life? -
Podcast: What do your pet peeves say about you? Co-presenter Kristen Coggan
You know those things that irritate you, and drive you nuts? We all have pet peeves. We can I'm sure all list them easily. What is interesting is that our pet peeves are unique to each of us and this is a very interesting thing. Our pet peeves actually say a lot about us. They are a reflection of our personality traits, our values and our previous experiences.
So have a listen. I wonder what your pet peeves say about you? It's a glance in the mirror... -
Podcast: Murder of my 8 year old brother - Change in DOCS legislation. Special Guest: Chantelle Deetlefs
The media made a living off this 1982 tragedy, but up until now, Chantelle Deetlefs, the key witness has never told her story.
This tragic story is about so many things; mental health, dangerous critical assumptions and decisions, ignoring multiple cries for help, duty of care, risk assessment procedures and dismissal of a youth's voice. Chantelle tells me that for herself personally, it was about learning to survive.
This is a powerful historical story that sadly still resonates today.
Chantelle, I am honoured that you chose this platform to finally set the story straight. It was brave of you. I hope it was yet another step toward healing. -
Quick Chat: Can parents tell their children not to smoke if they are smokers?
This controversial topic comes up surprisingly often in session. Parents don't want their children to smoke, but what if they themselves are smokers? What if they are modelling smoking as a normal way of life to their children?
This is super tricky issue and I have loads of empathy for adults caught in this situation as quitting smoking is argued to be the most difficult addiction to overcome. More the reason to desperately try to discourage our children from smoking right? But then the child says 'Yeah, but you do it...'
Jump on and see what you think about this controversial topic. -
Podcast: Why should we cry? Our chemical release. Co-Presenter Kristen Coggan
Do you know what happens to your neurochemical self when you cry? Our bodies are pretty clever in their design. When you hear what the physical perks are of releasing a good cry you might just embrace the opportunity when next it comes up.
I personally feel extremely comfortable with tears. I don't feel unsettled when my clients cry in session, I give them all the space they need to be in that moment and release. And when I feel a tearful release, I really value how good it is for me. Find out why for yourself.
Hope you enjoy. -
When Suzie Holt wins the Federal election in 2025 for the seat of Groom (come on Toowoomba... surely!), our region is in for a much needed shake up. I never put my hat in the ring for politics, but with Suzie Holt I'll make an exception. I've known Suzie for perhaps 18 years, and I can tell you she's got brains, a strong community conscience, brilliant communication skills and the warrior heart of a pioneer. The reason that I'm so confident for a win is that in the last election, before Toowoomba had much time to get to know Suzie, she came second place on two-party preference. That's truly extraordinary for a new comer! But now that Suzie has proven that she's a woman of action, I'm busting to see Toowoomba step out of the cobwebs and embrace some fresh initiative in 2025.
Now onto our podcast... 'The Justice Response to Sexual Violence.' This topic was chosen as Suzie excitedly informed me that there is currently a review happening into how our Justice channels respond to sexual violence. What is working for sexual abuse survivors, and what is not? Unfortunately the report card is not a good one, and Suzie is grabbing the opportunity to look to international justice practices (Spain!) to see alternative models we can embrace.
I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Suzie about how she came to politics, and what has fuelled the incredible fire in her belly to advocate for the community's needs. We circled through some great topics, with sexual violence reform being our punchline.
Thanks Suzie for your time, your thoughts and your passion.
Everyone... jump on Suzie's website (attached in comments) and check her out. You can't get a more determined, practical and relatable Federal candidate for our region of Groom. Grab her for a chat. She'd love that!
linktr.ee/suzieholt4groom -
Podcast: The importance of financial independence for women; breaking the cycle. Special Guest Bec Balfour
It's very difficult to leave a toxic relationship. One of the most daunting and practical barriers can be our finances. Financial independence of some sort means that we have more freedom and choice to leave.
Bec Balfour comes at this topic from many angles. She has her personal story of finding the strength to leave a DV relationship, she set herself up with a new career, independent finances, and her own business. She now also provides financial independence for her staff. Furthermore... what's her work area? Finances no less. Bec is eager to join all of these threads and discuss how important it is to be mindful to be empowered rather then vulnerable in your financial position.
This not just relevant for young woman, we can all relate to the importance of knowing we have choice.
Thanks Bec for sharing and for your passion to educate and inspire. -
Quick Chat: What is forgiveness really?
Forgiveness is one of those words that we use, but we don't really think about what exactly we are referring to. From a psychological viewpoint, forgiveness is far from straightforward. How have you gone with forgiveness in your past? Have you discovered that it's actually a multi-layered thing to do.
Let's talk... -
Podcast. What is age anyway? Co-presenter Kristen Coggan
Age is such a subjective thing! How you feel within yourself, how you feel physically, your outlook, how you feel in the world... there are so many elements to age. I know some very old young people, and some very youthful older people, which begs the 'what is age anyway'.
As always Kristen and I enjoyed diving into this question together.
How do you feel with your age? How has your sense of age changed over time? Interesting! What can we learn from our own lived experience? -
Podcast: Being a great leader for self and others. Special Guest: Vanya Hinton
Every since I started these podcasts I have wanted to interview Vanya. Not only is she extremely experienced and knowledgable in this organisational psychology field of leadership, but she is my dearest friend since childhood and through all of our adult life chapters together. This opportunity to hear more about her field was such a treat.
No matter our field, if we work in a team, we are all going to have experience with the importance of clear and supportive leadership. What a wonderfully relevant area to have a podcast about.
Thanks so much Vanya! Appreciate your time, and as ever that beautiful brain of yours. -
Consent and the importance of being a good human. Special Guest: Adair Donaldson
Adair is a respected Solicitor who has a history of taking on community issues. He doesn't let things go when he takes on a passionate cause. Fortunately for those who have benefited from hearing him speak on the topic, he is passionate about educating youths and the public generally about the urgency and importance of consent.
Adair visits schools and other educational forums to speak about consent. He can see the danger and the ripple effect of poor choices, and how common it is to have a lack of knowledge on the topic of consent. I was especially interested to hear his broader view regarding the importance of men taking a stand amongst other men, and speaking up.
Thankyou Adair for you time and for sharing your knowledge and experience. I truly appreciate how community minded you are. -
QUICK CHAT: Protect your child from adult information.
This is an issue that we all face when parenting our children. How much information is appropriate for our child? It sounds so simple, but so often our children are exposed to, and left to deal with adult information.
Let's chat about it for a moment... -
Losing your baby after birth (CDH), you're not alone. Special Guest: Carmel Chesterfield
I had never heard of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), nor had this kind of in-depth conversation about losing a baby after birth. Carmel generously opened her world and my knowledge to these two painful experiences.
Carmel is one of those people that finds a way through, she is also a communicator. These traits are evident in this podcast where she shares her family's experiences as they had no choice but to crash through this life chapter of learning about their daughter's Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, and coming to terms with losing her so soon after her birth.
Thankyou Carmel for sharing your experiences and educating us about CDH. I truly appreciate your matter of fact attitude and capacity for healing.
For more information:
Web: cdh.org.au
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