Episode 42 Collective Conversations | with David Burroughs

Collective Conversations | with David Burroughs

In this episode of Collective Conversations we share a radio interview between two of Australia's leading advocates for men's mental health, Rae Bonney and David Burroughs.

In this episode of Collective Conversations we share a radio interview between two of Australia's leading advocates for men's mental health, Rae Bonney and David Burroughs.

In her Sunday morning show Rae talks to Dave about the establishment of Mantle, a telehealth psychological service for men. The podcast is informative and discusses the mental health needs of men. are still not being addressed adequately.

Episode 41 Collective Conversations | with Luke Foster

Collective Conversations | with Luke Foster

Join in this easy to listen to podcast and you will  see why Luke Foster is considered one of Australia's most down to earth, and approachable psychologists. 

As the new year approaches in this Collective Conversation Suzanne Jones catches up with AHPRA Registered Psychologist LUKE FOSTER to talk about the best ways to manage our mental wellbeing after an unpredictable year. Luke talks through signs to look for that we may not be OK, and to take one day at a time, and he has practical advice on the use of social media. He also talks about what he is getting his Mum for Christmas.

Join in this easy to listen to podcast and you will  see why Luke Foster is considered one of Australia's most down to earth, and approachable psychologists. 

 With 12 years’ experience as an accomplished Psychologist in military, national and global organisations, he has extensive experience working with men in predominantly male environments. Luke also works as the lead facilitator for LIVIN, a mental health charity, delivering mental health awareness and stigma reduction education initiatives for schools, sporting clubs, local communities and workplaces. Passionate about philanthropy, travel, visual arts, exercise and sport (especially his team the Bombers), Luke is highly regarded professionally for his ‘on-the-level’ conversational and very relatable therapeutic approach.

Affiliations & Experience: Mantle Health Co-Founder & CMO, ChekMate Co-Founder & Principal Psychologist, LIVIN Lead Facilitator & Principal Psychologist, Senior Psychologist Australian Army.

Episode 40 Collective Conversations | with Josh Reid Jones

Collective Conversations | with Josh Reid Jones

Just be nice. It’s not that hard! It's not about huge hero moves right away, you don’t have to start by being the nicest person in the world, just kick off each day with the goal of trying to be nicer.

Every day. In every interaction. With every person... a little bit nicer. It shouldn't be that hard , right? Given all the changes that are going on around us and the uncertainty the ideal of being nice for some of us is really hard. Mentally we are struggling. JOSH REID JONES the Founder of the Just Be Nice Project is on the frontline and knows only too well it's the little things that can have the biggest impact.

In this podcast with Suzanne Jones, Josh explains that it's OK to be feeling uneasy and it's a time to look after our own well being and check in on those around us.

It really is ok to not be ok, none of us should feel uncomfortable with experiencing the full gamut of regular human emotions. Independent of mental health statistics, at one point or another, each of us will have a moment of ‘not being ok’. The causes of not-being-ok are infinite, and if we were to examine every individual reason or cause that leads to someone ‘not being ok’, we will be here for a long time. The current uptake in the proclamation of this sentiment; “it’s ok to not be ok” “it ain’t weak to speak” “speak up” etc; is usually related to the discussion of where you may be sitting in the broad spectrum of ‘mental health’, letting people know that it’s ok if you have feelings, and ok to talk about them.

Episode 34 Collective Conversations | Talking Mental Health in COVID-19 with Rae Bonney

Collective Conversations | Talking Mental Health in COVID-19 with Rae Bonney

As Stage 3 restrictions take affect we check in with Rae Bonney, Integrated Wellbeing specialist on understanding stages of grief and loss that we may be feeling at this time.

In todays Collective Conversation podcast, broadcaster Suzanne Jones talks to Rae about understanding our emotions and tips on keeping a routine while in isolation.

Many people associate grief primarily with death and loss of significant relationships and things. During this time of extraordinary change where many freedoms are being denied, daily activities banned and isolation from others is a lifesaving necessity, you may be having difficulty coming to terms with your emotions.  Becoming familiar with the process of grief may be useful in helping make sense of yours and other’s out of character behaviour.

Everybody is experiencing some kind of loss during this time, whether it’s the tangible loss of a job or security, the loss of personal freedoms, the loss of friends or loved ones when we can't see them regularly, or the loss of our mental/physical health if we become unwell.

There’s little denying that recent events have affected how people are feeling and our mental health is being compromised, emotions stretched, and the sense of fear is palpable.  Our ability to share our reactions to a rapidly changing world is shifting from human interaction to the endless void of social media pages.  What’s difficult to track, is the emotional challenge of people living in isolation, whether it’s alone, in families or groups.  We are rapidly losing touch with physical support environments to express their feelings and let off steam.

The Five Stages of grief a theory was developed by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross in1969 kübler-ross stages of grief

It’s a useful model to help break down the way in which we deal with the feeling of loss and how it may relate to how you and others are coping during this period. 

Kate Carnell Australian Small Business & Family Enterprise Ombudsman Influencing change to help small business

Crisis helplines

Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 224 636

Suicide Call Back Service* 1300 659 467

Episode 33 Collective Conversations | Talking COVID-19 with Warren Roberts

Collective Conversations | COVID-19 with Warren Roberts

Death. It's a topic that can silence a conversation. Many of us just don't want to talks about it. However, given the current pandemic it is in our face every day.

In this Collective Conversation podcast Warren Roberts, the Founder of Living Legacy Forest is calling on us to talk more about our own mortality and how we can honour the lives of our loved ones.

Warren talks with host Suzanne Jones, on how Covid-19 is affecting our traditions.

About Living Legacy Forest and Warren Roberts

Our mission is to connect people to beauty that life creates by planting living memorial forests which honour and perpetuate life.

We provide the highest calibre of memorial experience with world-class soil science and biotechnology that sustains life.

Living Legacy Forest Pty Ltd was founded in Melbourne, Australia in 2013 to establish best practice standards for green memorials in cremation. Our leading organic technology has been adopted by Government-regulated cemetery trusts and is suitable for both Native and Exotic Trees in a range of soil conditions.

We are an Australian profit for purpose family company. When you plant a tree with us you are a part of a growing community that are creating new forests around the world.

For every Legacy package purchased we donate 200 supplementary trees to be planted in each persons honour.

Why 200 trees? …Because that’s how many trees it takes to create more air than a person breathes in a lifetime.

Just imagine the impact 20 million Australians could make if we all left a legacy with trees.

Episode 30 Collective Conversations | Talking COVID-19 with Josh Reid Jones

Collective Conversations | COVID-19 with Josh Reid Jones

JOSH REID JONES, the Founder of the JUST BE NICE project is calling on business to stand up and set a high bar during this crisis to set a solid foundations for moving forward.

Suzanne Jones chats with Josh about leading through today and the days and weeks ahead.

This Collective Conversation episode to a must for those feeling a little directionless with the every changing events.

In this podcast Josh talks about-

In times of crisis or not, building things to the bare minimum, conducting yourself with the bare minimum amount of care, executing contracts and looking after people to the bare minimum letter of the law… is not leadership.

In times of crisis, we need to do better for each other, and for those who have no choice.

-         Vulnerable people and communities

-         Healthcare workers

-         The healthcare system

-         Those with unstable/cancelled employment

-         Workers supporting those of us who cannot work.

The current situation is such that we are being encouraged to spend as little time as possible interacting with people we do not live with. Every interaction becomes exponentially multiplied by the follow up interactions that each person has after that, raising not only the risk of infection, but the risk of death and health system overload.

Just because they haven’t technically cancelled your business, doesn’t mean we should all just carry on at the maximum capacity possible if it will put people at risk.

Just because you can afford to, and haven’t been told not to buy all of the items in a shop, doesn’t mean you should.

When the crisis is over, just because you can technically hire, fire, pay less, not pay contracts, build poor quality buildings and products, can technically market things that don’t work or are bad for people, can sell lies and keep people in the dark about things, doesn’t mean you should.

Banks have been practising poor leadership for years in this space, doing what they can get away with, rather than what they should do.

Construction companies have been practicing poor leadership in this space, in a never ending race to the bottom for cheaper places, with more waste, poorer construction and less utility in their apartment buildings and new house and land building suburbs.

Governments have done it by slashing public services, investment in public education, science and sustainability and privatising industries for short-term gain, or letting whole industries die, shutting the door on economic opportunities in that space going forward.

There are dozens of examples, from dozens of industries. Lauding adherence to minimum standards and loopholes as being good business, or clever business people, regardless of the auxiliary cost in the long term.

Real leadership is not about adherence to the minimum standards. Real leadership is stepping up and doing the best possible thing, every, single, time.

Real leadership is doing things that are right in the long term, because that is the most important decision to make.

Real leadership is about making decisions and standing by them, and then learning from them.

Real leadership is compassionate, understanding, informed and accountable. It is forward thinking, consistent and it relates to human beings above all.

If you are in charge of an organisation, move away from minimum standards, and set high bars for yourself. High ethical bars, high performance bars, high bars for how you care about people and the community.

In your personal conduct, set high bars. High bars for your own performance, your character, your ethical standards and how you treat each other.

Lead by doing more for others, not simply doing more for short term economic gain. Do more to develop people and bring them along. Do more to teach, and do more to help. Do more to help build environments that allow people to thrive, and lean into opportunities.

Leadership is not about just adhering to minimum standards, and we should not celebrate any ‘leader’ who conducts themselves or their organisations in this fashion.

The Just Be Nice Project

If you'd like to make 2020 the year where your impact is amplified and your leadership and impact is of the highest possible quality don't hesitate to get in touch. Or support the Just Be Nice Project for the long-term here, we cannot do it without you, and our work in 2020 is now more important than ever.

Episode 24 Collective Conversations | Talking Business with Josh Jones

Collective Conversations | Talking Business with Josh Jones, JBN Project

Viral Fundraising is not the way to tackle long term recovery in the current bushfire crisis, that’s the opinion of Josh Jones, Founder of the Just Be Nice Project (JBN).

In this podcast Josh is frustrated at the lack of long term foresight going into many of the fundraising efforts.

He shines a spotlight on how charities operate and gives some advice on how to best donate.

He’s honest and controversial, take a listen and decide for yourself.

Episode 22 Collective Conversations | Talking Mental Health with Josh Reid Jones

Collective Conversations | Talking Mental Health with Josh Reid Jones

What's the difference between being "nice" and doing "good' ?

A lot.

In this podcast I chat with Josh Jones (no relation) the Founder of the Just Be Nice Project (JBN) on how being nice and being good are very different.

Looking forward to your feedback on my chat with Josh as we talk about the way we act and how we can better use our skills to help others.

You'll feel a lot more inspired after listening to Josh!