WA Real

This week we welcome back WA Real’s first ever guest Paul Newsome, founder of Swimsmooth, who opens up on his recent experience and realisation of being a workaholic.  Paul, a very driven and competitive man, very candidly shares how the re-occurrence of a major back injury minutes before departing on a family holiday was the entry in a very dark period that has brought about some very significant revelations about the manner in which he has been living his life and the required changes that he’s beginning to make.We cover a variety of topics including the importance of sleep, how we carry stories from our childhood that shape how we live as adults, the nature of being very achievement focus and how we don’t necessarily listen to those closest to us.The beauty of this conversation is that it freshly captures a superb example of someone waking up to the control and impact of the events and stories that lie deep within us. It captures how if left unchecked these events and stories can such a grip on us that it

Delve behind the scenes of Perth’s most prominent ‘What’s On?’ website, Perth Happenings, and into the stories of founder Pieta Sharpe.  With a focus on building a more connected community across WA, Pieta tells where the idea for Perth Happenings came from, how she has grown the platform and how she likes to champion small local events.Pieta goes on to tell how she has found ‘her voice in the world’ through Perth Happenings and how she now expresses that more through her own personal social media channels. She talks about the state of social media, how she deals with haters as well as providing a fascinating example of the workings of mass media to present a rather singular view of society by excluding those who don’t fit their shape.  In addition to being super insightful from a business sense, this is a superbly authentic conversation with a very real lady who is at ease with owning where she is in life, sharing her observations and ‘going there’ to speak up to champion causes and challenge stereotypes.  

This not only did I get the honour of listening to the story and lived knowledge of Paul Holliday but I also experienced firsthand the magic of his creation The Human Excellence Project.Starting at 5.15am, I joined a large group to enjoy meditation, cold water exposure and then real conversations over a coffee.Paul tells of how a culmination of losing his wealth in the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 and the terminal cancer that took his father cracked him open to truly living life and serving those around him to reach the potential that lies within.He shares the story of how the Human Excellence Project came to be, his coaching with men and the current state of ‘being a man’.This podcast is truly packed full of golden life nuggets that are so beautifully and simply put forward by Paul who himself is a wonderfully magnetic character – something you’ll feel from the minute he begins to speak in this conversation!!

LEARN ABOUT THE ROLE OF EXERCISE IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCER AND OTHER SERIOUS HEALTH DIAGNOSES.This week I was super fortunate to spend time talking with physiotherapist & exercise physiologist, Jeremy Ingram. Jeremy is deeply passionate about improving the health-related quality of life for those who are dealing with chronic pain, disease or cancer treatment and has created Western Integrated Health to meet this aim.Jeremy tells of how he began his career with a focus on professional football, working with Claremont Football and the West Coast Eagles, before ‘out of left’ field a side role in a clinic focusing on pain management started the trajectory to where he is today.Jeremy superbly presents a wealth of information of evidence and knowledge in an approachable manner about the role of exercise to counter the physical side effects of cancer treatment and how it plays a key role in improving survivorship from these episodes. But despite the science research and stats, there’s a real key point that Jere

ACCESS GREATER LEVELS OF WISDOM - THERE’S SO MUCH MORE TO YOUR HEART THAN YOU EVER WOULD IMAGINEJump into the science of your heart and the surprisingly greater effects it can have on your everyday experience with HeartMath trainer and mentor Willow Francis.Unwittingly, moment to moment, we bombard ourselves with judgements and negative thoughts that can leave our bodies a stress hormone cortisol waste ground.Willow provides a wonderfully entertaining and detailed explanation about the importance of heart rate coherence and how, through scientific biometric feedback lead techniques, anyone can enjoy the benefits of this state which brings about improved physical and emotional well-being and resilience to everyday life – in fact Willow also puts forward that the state of heart coherence can also bring about access to  greater levels of wisdom from within.This is episode is packed full of fascinating nuggets that leave you with the realisation that the heart may be just as, if not more, important than the brain

DEVELOPING THE SKILLS TO SHAPE AND CHANGE TOMORROWJourney into the process of creating tomorrow’s changemakers with Elaine Olsen, founder of Fourth Space which creates space and guidance to shape the changemakers who will shape the world we will live in.Elaine tells of the 3 pivotal events that influenced her awakening from her 20-year career in public sector government to work in a manner that made her feel truly feeling alive and creative and in turn lead to her focus with Fourth Space.Elaine beautifully explains how the key elements to future changemakers rest with deeper levels of listening, questioning and connection to those around you in such a way that you are more open to new ideas, collaboration and actually feel moved to want to change from the inside out. It is focusing on the actual experience, letting go and leaning into what presents from the unknown that yields the most pertinent learnings and solutions rather than an overemphasis on results and outcomes.This is a super powerful conversation f

Learn about impact of the tension we store in our bodies from our past and how to release it with Richmond Heath - the man who brought the Trauma Release Exercise Tremoring to Australia 10 years ago.Richmond talks about his own chronic pain and fatigue that resided in his body and how he was thrown out of 10- day vipassana meditation retreat when is body literally re-awoke and began to move by itself – thus beginning his quest to understand more as to why this occurred.Richmond is a hugely energetic and entertaining man who provides a wonderful mixture of technical knowledge with real lived examples and stories. He goes super deep and vulnerable to provide some very personal insights as to how he tracked the onset of physical patterns in his own body to past traumatic events and how he overcame the impacts.  Richmond also puts forward a fascinating concept of where our subconscious truly resides.This is a gamechanger of a tool and one that is just as powerful as talk based therapy, so it is well worth listeni

Truly engage with the future with Futurist and Innovation Strategist Adam Jorlan, who is also a leader of the Enkel Collective, which provides events and workshops for people to engage in a deeper level with the future and how it can change Western Australia.Adam tells of how he became a futurist, how it is more of a calling than a career choice and provides insight into the actual work and the typical clients he works with. Adam eloquently provides some simple models of relating to human learning that provides great context for deeper understanding of how we deal with change and therefore the future. He also talks about the barriers and frustrations that he sees individuals have in interacting and engaging with the future through his work.What becomes clear from this conversation is the cyclical non-linear journey of growth and learning that underpins the human journey and how that growth will accelerate faster when we become more accepting of this truth and act in line with it.Adam is a wonderfully deep-thi

Ever wondered what it’s like to be a Social Media Influencer?This week we go behind the scenes with Tazz Wright – prominent Perth influencer – who provides and very real and honest insight into the life behind the posts.Tazz shares how, as a mother and model, she became a social media influencer and how she built her following to make an income from it.Tazz also goes deep on how her life began to significantly differ from the one she was portraying and the impact it had on her personally which forced her to step away from social media for 2 years – highlighting one of her key points that influencers themselves are not exempt from the challenges of life regardless of what their profile might look like.This is a very brave share from a wonderfully passionate woman who has to date kept her private life private. What is most interesting from the trials of her journey is the realisation of an inner need to return to something authentic and to have real connections to people beyond the output of a keyboard.

Explore the benefits and the wisdom that can be gained from one of the oldest and most globally prevalent forms of meditation – Vedic Meditation – with teacher Dr. Lana Loxton.Lana, also a chiropractor, shares her journey to finding Vedic Meditation and the rigorous process she underwent to becoming a teacher. She also provides insight about what is actually involved in the technique. What is of most interest from this discussion is the role our nervous system plays in defining our everyday experiences and the specific focus of Vedic Meditation on restoring the nervous system to reducing stress and improving our quality of life. Lana also put forwards the importance of developing a personal daily practise to create space and capacity so that we are not left at the whim of life or more importantly the reactions of our own nervous system.Lana brings with her a wealth of lived experience with Vedic Meditation which makes this a very pragmatic and approachable conversation about this 5000-year-old practice. 

Get clued up on the level of toxins that are part of everyday life with the Low-Tox Lifestyler Renae Carroll.Renae tells how thyroid issues, Hashimoto's Autoimmune disease and lack of direction from doctors forced her to take control of her own health and properly investigate what she was consuming in terms of food, cosmetics, cleaning products and may other areas.Renae goes on to tell how she has taken her knowledge through regaining her own health to create her business Low-Tox Lifestyler so she can share her message and educate others about living a more consciously low-tox life style.Again, the theme of taking responsibility for yourself, your health and your choices and not leaving in the hands of governments and large businesses plays a key theme. Renae talks with a lot of passion and lived experience. She also shares loads of tips and advice throughout her story of how you can begin to make these choices for yourself.

This week we deep dive into the Law of Attraction with Tash Kelly, who creates workshops, events and individual sessions for people to explore their ability to consciously create for themselves.Tash takes time to explain and expand on the Law of Attraction.  She tells of her personal journey and events that lead to her firm belief in her ability to consciously create as well as sharing how she actually goes about consciously manifesting in her own life.Central to Tash’s explanation is that aided by contrast, life is a learning experience and that manifesting is about actually allowing things and events to happen. She repeatedly puts forward the need to trust in yourself and overcoming our intense need for control.Tash also talks about her 20/20 Vision and ‘The Gathering’ event that she is creating which will be at Optus Stadium on 22/02/20 and will feature spiritual leaders from all around the globe consciously creating in one large circle of people.It was a real privilege to be in the space of someone who is

Go behind the story of local endurance sport nutrition company Bindi Nutrition with Founder and Director Belinda Dennis.Belinda, originally a practising vet, tells the story of how her refusal to accept the standard sugar laden products was the original inspiration to create her own endurance sports nutrition that she went on to sell and build Bindi on.Drawing heavily on her science background in veterinary science, Belinda shares how she has built Bindi applying the same methodology that got her to the Ironman World Championships – that being methodically focus on one task in front of you, complete it and then move on to the next one.She also tells about continually refining the products, building a loyal local customer base and competing with the ‘Big Boys’ of the sport nutrition market.Belinda is wonderful and family orientated lady whose focus and go forward attitude was absolute treat to tap into. 

This week we follow the journey of Julia Grintsina from Estonia to Western Australia, from the depths of a body image obsession to serving others to pull themselves out of their own pit of despair through her coaching company Reveal Coaching.Julia shares how unresolved issues from her childhood played out first in sedation through drink and video games and then in the ‘healthy’ pursuit of gym training that soon went too far. She then tells how circumstances lead her to the realisation of the impact of her actions and how she overcome the baggage that was weighing her down.We discussed how physical training can be a real gateway to greater ‘work’ if supported in a more considered manner and Julia passionately explains how she is focused on helping others who display similar symptoms through specific support and guidance.This is a very honest and brave share of a personal journey. It is made brave by the complete ownership of the journey by Julia despite the sources and synchronicities that played their role. I

Go exploring with Steve Choate as he retells how he and a friend walked unsupported for 35 days travelling 650k through the Great Sandy desert with 5 camels during 2018.Steve, the product of a family of adventurers, shares how the adventure came about, the months of camel training and the sheer logistics that went into even getting to the starting position.Once on the journey, Steve tells about the daily routine, the threat of rutting bull camels in the area and the immensity of being in such an isolated part of the country and world! He also shares how this was as much a journey within as it was across a desert and how he was overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of others.This is a hugely engaging and enlightening conversation and as Steve says ‘It’s amazing just what we’re capable of when we just give it a crack’!

The theme of investing in key life skills comes up again in one of the most important areas of life – relationships – with Amanda Lambros, one of Perth’s most prominent relationship counsellors, coach and public speaker.Amanda puts forward with simple, humorous yet painfully obvious clarity how at no point are we taught the foundations of how to hold and navigate ourselves within our relationship set against a context of increasing divorce rates.She shares some of the key elements and steps of the relationship foundations that not only bring more connection and meaning into your life but can extend it too.This podcast is packed full of golden nuggets and it was a true pleasure to tap into Amanda wealth of knowledge, she is a wonderfully engaging speaker, which plays a key part in delivering her message and impact.

Enjoy a fascinating journey through one of the most prestigious science careers in Western Australia with Professor Lyn Beazley, former Chief Scientist of WA.Lyn shares key moments of serendipity from earlier in her life that set her on the trajectory to where she is today. Lyn also modestly tells of how her weekend research project played a key foundational role in the development of the field of neuroplasticity – how the brain has the ability to change continuously throughout an individual's life – this is a key foundation of the whole focus of self-development.We go deep on what is the actual scientific methodology, building a career in science, the state of science in WA and other super interesting topics that include the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope project in Murchison, shark repelling strips on wetsuits and much much more.During her time as Chief Scientist of Western Australia, Lyn’s key ethos was ‘Do Science, Translate Science and Communicate Science’ and it is exactly this reason as to why

This week I talk with Stephanie Gorton who founded House of Hobby, which creates the perfect space for ladies to express their creativity and femininity.Stephanie bravely shares how it was through the rather painful realisation that she herself had no hobbies of meaning in her life that lead her on the journey of self-discovery which resulted in the concept of House of Hobby.She explains how her goal is to produce a creative focused space for women to be vulnerable and real about where they are in life, a space where they can feel connected, understood and part of a community.Stephanie also talks through how she took House of Hobby from a side hustle in November 2017 to quitting her job 8 months later to go full time on it.Male or female, there’s lots to learn from on many levels in this conversation with this beautifully down to earth lady who’s superbly passionate about women being Real and being the best that they can be as individuals.

To quote this week’s guest, CEO of the Fathering Project Wayne Bradshaw, “you often make an effort to learn new skills when it comes to your job, but when was the last time you learnt new skills relating to how you father you children?”.And so this week we go deep on fathering and father figures [a subject so very close to my own heart] and how The Fathering Project, through its focus on linking dads together at their children’s school, is providing the well needed structure into the whole conversation of fathering among men and how to step up into the role.This isn’t just about fathering, it’s about better outcomes for children through real and honest father figures that will influence and shape the next generation of Western Australians and Australians at large.Wayne is a wonderful unassuming man who has a such a strong sense of community and giving back and it is through this that he makes such a strong impact.Wayne dishes up many studies and examples to back up the focus of the work but you only have to l

Listen to a real-life story of how the practise of meditation has the power to enable someone to bring about significant life changes with Erin Lane.Erin, a single mother who now works as a bus driver here in WA, shares how through the introduction of meditation 6 years ago, she was able to overcome her personal history that held her in a cycle of drink, drugs and a toxic relationship.Erin tells of the pivotal moment of how she was able to see the repeating ‘film tape of her life’ that she was stuck in and how she realised that her life didn’t have to be that version and that she could write a new story with new options for herself.Erin goes further talking about her journey with meditation, at the two centres of Perth Meditation and Mandurah Mediation, and the many broader benefits it has brought her particularly in her own self-confidence, parenting and work.This is a raw and real story with a very courageous woman that really underlines the power of this practise as well as the fundamental impact the stori