Episode 9 - IFS Tammy on Remembering Our True Self

Tammy Sollenberger (also known as IFS Tammy), is a wonder!

She is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and an Internal Family Systems (IFS) Certified Supervisor. She has all the training and experience one could need to be working authentically in this space but above all, she is a kind and generous and funny human. I so loved my conversation with her.

In this episode we learn more about the model of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and how we can apply it both formally and informally in our daily life. Tammy takes us through quite a few practical tools and generously shares a bit about her own “internal family” family dynamics as she explores her own “parts” for us.

She has her own fabulous podcast called The One Inside https://tammysollenberger.com/podcast/ which is how I discovered her work), a great website https://tammysollenberger.com/ and has recently published her first book https://books.google.com.au/books/about/The_One_Inside.html?id=nyGpzgEACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Episode 8 - Me on Polyvagal Theory & The Cloud Perspective

In this episode I am interviewed by my old colleague Gen Ward who hosts a radio show on mental health called “Mind Ya Head”. This is a copy of the interview which Gen has “gen”erously let me share. We specifically talk about polyvagal theory and my understanding of it and how it relates to my dad. My Dad has lived with bipolar disorder his whole life and is probably the reason I became a psychologist. I passionately discuss how we largely neglect the language and intuition of the body when we diagnose and treat mental illness. I share some of my all time favourite mental health tips, one being The Cloud Perspective. Finally, like a broken record, I go on and on that, at the end of the day, love, compassion and connection is the greatest healer.

Episode 7 - Emily Toner on Pipe Dreams and Growth Mindset

In this episode, we chat about Growth Mindset, what it is and how we can apply it both in our lives and in our parenting. I love the way Em teaches about growth mindset because she also LIVES IT! She shares her remarkable story of how she went from having “musician” as a pipe dream to founding her own record label (Wye in the Sky) and becoming an active player in the music scene in Australia. During our conversation she shares practical tools about how we can invite adopting a growth mindset into our lives and my favourite quote from the episode is “It is impossible to know what we can achieve through regular daily practice and effort if we never try”. Em makes me feel like anything, with the right effort, is truly possible.

Emily Toner is a clinical psychologist and musician. She is also the founder of an online meditation platform offering daily live practices called Creating a Safe World within - learn more about her work here: https://emilytoner.com/

Episode 5 - Clea Wallage on Burnout and Building a Better Relationship with Stress

Clea Wallage is a Registered Psychologist who worked within a clinical practice at the beginning of her career before working in the Corporate space for 15+ years. In 2019, Clea had her own experience of burnout and now her life’s purpose is supporting others going through a similar experience. She is also passionate about providing preventative education and training to both individuals and organizations.

In this conversation, she and Liv reframe stress and our relationship with it as well as with the big hairy emotions we all face as part of this human life. They explore the personality characteristics that can make us more susceptible to burn out (ouch!) as well as the tendency many of us have to be even harder on ourselves when we are struggling. Clea shares pearls of wisdom when it comes to preventing and recovering from burnout and lays the responsibility for our wellbeing fair and square in our laps - ouch again!

Episode 4 - Fleur Chambers on Moving from Go Go Go to Slow Slow Slow

Fleur Chambers is one of Australia’s top meditation teachers, with her own app named The Happy Habit and thousands of followers on Insight Timer. She has helped many many people learn and maintain thier own meditation habit and does so with grace, warmth and humour.

In this chat, Fleur opens up about her own struggle with pain and how building a deep understanding of how her body communicates has been key in her ongoing healing. She shares with us many tips for navigating our own pain, some of these include: shifting our mindset around rest and our contribution to life, building self-compassion to sooth and support our body and getting to know our thoughts and how we speak to ourselves.

We dive deep into what meditation can really feel like when we first start (hint: it ‘aint always pretty!) and how meditation doesn’t always have to be a “quiet mind and back straight”. We explore the lighter side of our personal and spiritual development through cultivating joy, play and gratitude. She brilliantly highlights that while these things are lovely, in order to maintain and grow them, we need to first do the deep work of building our self-awareness and uncovering the “weeds” in our thinking. He motto is: “pull the weed then plant the seed”.