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 3 - Nikki Smith on Connecting to our Strengths, Gratitude and Choosing Love over Fear

Nikki Smith https://www.nikkismithcoach.com/ is a friend and a registered Psychologist with a focus on performance and career coaching, including career change. She sees opportunities and connections between ideas where others’ don’t. She elevates the vision and confidence of others through strengths coaching. And, she helps individuals to value their strengths and see them as their superpowers and give them the knowledge and tools to use them every day. Nikki coached me when I was at a career crossroad and, I can honestly say, she changed my life for the better. You can find some awesome free resources to help you to uncover and play to your unique strengths on Nikki’s website which is https://www.nikkismithcoach.com/?page_id=2991

Episode 2 - Caroline Weinstein on finding comfort in discomfort

Caroline is a Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years of experience working in mental health across a range of sectors. She specialises in working with adolescents and adults experiencing the challenges that can come with being a deeply feeling and thinking human - ranging from stress at work to clinical anxiety and depression. Liv and Caroline have known each other for over 20 years and thier conversation centres around how it is OK to feel uncomfortable sometimes - we just need to learn to ride the waves of life and Caroline shares some tips to support us all to manage the constant change we are all experiencing during Covid19. We hope you enjoy listening to this conversation as much as we enjoyed recording it.