Potential Psychology

"Most humans have been training for anxiety their whole life. We live in a mostly anxious society where it's all about hustling, getting straight A's...it's just really stressful. So (our) brain is designed for an anxious life. If we give our brain the practice in relaxing every single day, it's gonna get better at it." - Erika FlintWhen we think of hypnosis we often imagine the magician with a swinging pocket watch. But hypnosis is more than a stage act. It's a genuine psychological therapy that helps us access deeper parts of our minds. Yet many of us still fear it. Today's guest is here to dispel common media misrepresentations and myths surrounding hypnosis.Erika Flint is a Board Certified Hypnotist and Accredited Certified Professional Hypnotherapy Instructor. Her lifelong goal is to help bring hypnosis into mainstream healing and thinking.In this episode, we talk about: •What is Hypnosis and how does it work •Dispelling fears surrounding hypnosis with science based facts •How much is our behaviour drive

Today's podcast guest is the energetic Cassandra Dunn. Cass is a clinical & coaching psychologist and mindfulness meditation teacher. She is also a podcaster, author, online course creator, speaker and workshop facilitator. In this episode, Cass and I talk about the importance of job satisfaction for our happiness and how we can craft our work circumstances to increase our fulfilment without having to make a major career change.We also discuss: •The origin story behind Cass's hugely successful podcast "Crappy to Happy" •Real life tools and strategies that we can use to move from crappy to fundamentally happy •What does living according to your values mean and how does that help us live more authentically and feel more fulfilled? •How changing our perception of work or changing the scope of what we do can help us feel happier about our current job •How to incorporate play and creative elements to invigorate your job and become more engaged in your work •Cass's book, Crappy to Happy: Love What You DoCass is

Do you have conversations about sleep in your workplace? Do you know what shift work, working across time zones or catching up on work into the night can do to your safety, productivity and wellbeing? Ever wondered about the strategic use of caffeine and naps to mitigate the risks of interrupted sleep?Today's guest on the Potential Psychology Podcast is a researcher and the Co-Director of the Behaviour-Brain-Body Research Centre at the University of South Australia, Professor Siobhan Banks. We're talking about a topic that might interest you because, despite the fact that it has been a huge part of the universal human experience and is a favourite activity for many of us, sleep remains one of science's greatest mysteries. Siobhan will help explore and explain the mysteries of sleep and its significant role in health and wellbeing.In this episode, we discuss: •Why sleep is important to our wellbeing and how we function. •How much sleep do we really need and how do we know if we are indeed getting enough? •What

We all struggle at times with our relationships, in parenting, at work. We all get sad, stressed and worried. We might feel lonely or isolated. We might feel fear, guilt or shame. These are all forms of suffering, much of which comes from rumination, self-criticism and the complex work of our minds. The good news is that we can alleviate much of this suffering by uncovering our Compassionate Self - the key to a healthier mental life.Today's guest is an expert in compassion, Clinical Psychologist, Adjunct Associate Professor, and Author of the insightful and beautifully written book: "The Gifts of Compassion: How to understand and overcome suffering", Dr Stan Steindl.In this episode, Stan gives us a starting point to understanding compassion and guides us through discovering our most compassionate selves.Join us today as we answer the following questions: •What do we mean by compassion? •What is the difference between empathy and sympathy as interpersonal skills? •Why understanding suffering is the key to unlo

Happy New Year, everyone! After a restful and well deserved break, we're back for Season 10 and we've got a very timely topic: training our body and brain to improve our wellbeing and perform at peak state. This episode is perfect for those who need a motivational nudge with their new year, 'new you' resolutions.My guest is the multi talented Andrew May. He is an author, entrepreneur, speaker, CEO and founder of StriveStronger.com, a boutique media and digital consultancy that delivers workplace wellbeing, coaching and leadership programs. Andrew's unique background in professional sport, academia, performance coaching and business positions him perfectly to discuss mind-body training for peak performance. In addition, Andrew's media experience, communication skills and experience as a coach allow him to cut through by asking simple, yet profound questions that inspire individuals, teams and organisations to reach their full potential.In this thought provoking episode, Andrew and I discuss: •How the stories w

Today's international episode is an extra special one and got me thinking "why haven't done this earlier?" It explores the dynamics of remote working teams and gives us a peek inside the inner workings of the Potential Psychology Team. My guests on the podcast are the people who make Potential Psychology possible: podcast producer, Jaie Obillo, podcast audio producer, Andy Maher, and online business manager Tamsin Parry.In this episode, we discuss: •What has life been like Covid-style in each team member's part of the world? •What have been their the challenges and upsides? •What have they done to maintain self-care? •A little Christmas wish for our audienceJaie is a freelance content writer, licensed teacher, and disaster response volunteer. Andy Maher is an audio producer and voice over artist with 25 years of experience in Australian media. Tamsin Parry supports entrepreneurs build healthy and profitable online businesses, through systems, automations and team management.Are You Ready to Fulfil Your Potent

Our guest today is self leadership coach, speaker and author Eric Winters. His book, "Swipe Right on Your Best Self: Simple steps to a bolder life with fewer regrets", is an uplifting and informative guide that describes simple strategies backed by science to meet challenges more effectively, in our professional and personal lives.In this episode, we delve into: •What is Self Leadership? •Applying Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) in your personal and professional life •Practicing courage and developing the capacity to take action •Working through and working around self limiting mindsets and expectations •3 human predicaments that cause most people to live smaller, timid lives •Recognising alternative effective motivating strategies •Steps to help you prepare for meeting challenges more effectivelyEric is English by birth and now based in Sydney. He has lived and worked in Scotland, Germany, the Middle East and Australia. He is a leadership development specialist, performance coach and speaker with pa

Do you move your body to improve your mind?We are all aware the mind and body connection and how one affects the other, but this connection goes well beyond common cliché. Movement actually affords us a host of physical and neurological benefits that can help us make better decisions, keep physically fit and stay psychologically sound.Today's special guest on the podcast is neuroscientist, neurologist, and esteemed author, Dr. Scott Grafton. He joins us from sunny California.In this insightful episode, Scott and I explore: •What is Physical Intelligence? •Why the mind and body connection is not merely a metaphor •The wonders of the human body and how wonderfully designed we are •How our brain benefits from movement •Cool stuff about advancements in the engineering fields with regard to movement •The concept of 'optic flow' and the profound difference between physical engagement in complex environments versus exercise •The importance of body identity •The impact of fatigue and perseverance on mood and choice.S

What are your beliefs about anger?Is it a 'negative' emotion? The cause of distrust and destruction? Does it equate in your mind to aggression? Indignation? Rage?Can anger be helpful? Does it fuel action? Motivate? Even inspire?Our guest today, Dr. Steven Laurent is an expert on anger and the co-author of 'The Anger Fallacy: Uncovering the Irrationality of the Angry Mindset.' He argues that there is always an alternative to anger. That's not just touchy-feely psychologist-speak either. He contends that anger doesn't make sense strategically. No matter your goal or the relationship context, it turns out that getting angry does you in the eye. There are wiser ways, he says, of making your point.In this intriguing episode, Steven and I discuss: •Why anger is the most commonly experienced negative emotion •The paradox of anger or why people actually like holding on to anger •Anger fallacies, beliefs and misconceptions •How people find themselves in a rage spiral and how to get out of it •More progressive and usef

Today, speaker, media personality, and Australian-based neuroscientist Dr. Sarah McKay, returns to our podcast to talk about our emotions, our brain, some misconceptions about reptiles and why we're not beholden to emotional and behavioural triggers.In this information packed episode, we get our geek on about: •What we're getting wrong if we talk about 'lizard brains' and emotional triggers •Why getting the scientific fundamentals right is vital when talking about our brain and behaviour •An alternative to fear, fight and flight and how the words we use shape our physiological responses and emotional experience •Current theories of constructed emotion and how our feelings might be an emergent property of the meaning we make from the world around us •Taking control through choice and mindset •Science education and watching the scientific method unfold during a pandemicSarah is an Oxford University-educated neuroscientist, presenter of ABC Catalyst, director of The Neuroscience Academy, and author of The Women'

My guest today is a licensed clinical psychologist from sunny California. Dr Patricia Zurita Ona, fondly known as Dr. Z, is talking to us about overcoming the challenges of fear-based responses, an experience she knows well. Growing up in Bolivia in the midst of a dictatorship, she understood at a early age what it meant to be shaped by fear. This lead to her passionately pursuing her practice, helping others to overcome anxiety and trauma.In our conversation, Dr Z and I explore the questions: •What are fear-based reactions, and how do they shape us? •Why do we get stuck and find it hard to change our safety seeking patterns? •What is perfectionist behaviour and how we can use it in a more functional, helpful, and workable way? •How we can learn to be more flexible, mindful and adaptive?Dr Patricia Zurita Ona gives us a few tips and tools to reshape our fear based thinking and make incremental but important improvements to achieve personal growth.Tune in to learn how to face your fears, get unstuck and fulfil

After taking a long-ish hiatus from the Potential Psychology Podcast to focus on introspection, self-care, and exploring available opportunities in the midst of a pandemic, I am back with inspiring guests and engaging episodes for you.But first, let's get up to speed with what's happening on PPHQ: •What happened on Potential Psychology since our last episode (if you missed it, catch it here: Finding Antifragility in a World of Failure with Dr Paige Williams) went on air. •Exploring deeper community involvement and taking on an exciting new role. •Growth opportunities within the PP Team and fruitful partnerships. •And more importantly, The Self Care Club - what is it and why you should be in it.Also, please keep an eye out on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for our "Lockdown Life" tips - a tips series on living in the 'new normal', with thought provoking notes on topics such as ambiguous loss, surge capacity and adjusting to a 'new normal'.--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/p

"As complex adaptive systems, it's actually struggle that helps us thrive."I am so pleased to be joined in this episode by Dr. Paige Williams to chat about her work in learning and teaching others about resilience and becoming 'antifragile'. Paige is an incredible author who just released her new book, Becoming AntiFragile: Learning to Thrive Through Disruption and Challenge.In her career, Paige has honed her focus on resilience and helps others to become antifragile leaders. She is both a captivating conference speaker and leadership development program specialist that insights change and cultivates resiliency in leaders. Paige also shares her passion for resiliency by continuing her research as an Honorary Fellow of the Centre for Positive Psychology and teaching at Melbourne Business School at the University of Melbourne.After the recent release of Becoming AntiFragile, Paige is delighted to share her vast psychological knowledge of resiliency and what it means to be antifragile.In my conversation with Pai

Today I am joined by Andrew Martin, Scientia Professor, Professor of Educational Psychology, and Co-Chair of the Educational Psychology Research Group in the School of Education at the University of New South Wales, Australia. In addition to his many accolades, Andrew has passionately dedicated his career to studying educational psychology.It's through this study that Andrew has gained a remarkable understanding of the best ways to learn, grow and adapt. His insight is enlightening and informative, especially in the face of our current state of transition and change. In this episode Andrew offers his vast knowledge of learning to adapt and tapping into our capacity to be adaptable.In my conversation with Andrew, I uncover: •What "adaptability" is from a psychological perspective. •How to adapt through the Coronavirus Pandemic. •Employing, facilitating and teaching healthy ways for children to adapt to change. •How to address children's learning and adaptation at every stage of maturity. •The link between our

"Sometimes, the true act of self-care is the thing you least feel like doing. It's tying up incompletions. It's looking at what's depleting you and taking action on that. Sometimes, it's addressing areas of pain and discomfort" - Suzy Reading, psychologist & authorI'm thrilled to welcome Suzy Reading back to the show today to discuss the topic of self-care. Suzy is an accomplished Chartered Psychologist that has devoted her practice to stress management, wellbeing, and shifting to a healthy lifestyle as well as a talented yoga teacher and personal trainer.Suzy's passion is offering a cohesive approach to wellbeing by connecting with the head, heart, and body, and work to empower people through self-care practices. She shares this passion with us by offering advice, tips, and useful approaches to self-care.Suzy's new book, Self-Care for Tough Times, speaks magnificently to the current state of the world by defining and teaching the underlying skills that help us navigate stressors, such as anxiety, grief,

"There are some fundamental principles that parents want kids to follow: respect themselves, respect other people, and, in a nutshell, if they're doing those things, they'll be able to enjoy themselves and stay safe wherever they go online." - Martine OglethorpeLife lately has been unusual. With school, work and socialising conducted from home, the pressure has dialled up for juggling parents. Where do 'screen time' rules fit in? What's reasonable device use right now? And how do we adapt when screens are all we have?As parents we try to do right by our kids and in the digital world that often means a battle over technology. Screen time is inevitable especially now when we are confined to home but my guest, Martine Oglethorpe, says that it's still possible to raise a great kid in a very digital world.In this episode we explore how to arm ourselves with the right tools, awareness, and mindset to ensure our kids partake in healthy, constructive and enjoyable screen time.In my conversation with Martine, we discu

Is working from home working for you? Are you running staff meetings from your kitchen? Home schooling in the lounge? Have you discovered your partner's 'work persona' - a side you've never seen before? And is your dining table still there, beneath the laptops, monitors, notebooks and files? Working from home, once the ultimate office-worker perk, is rapidly becoming a major wellbeing challenge as we're thrust into a new world, largely unprepared. In today's conversation I ask Dr Joe Sweeney, industry analyst for digital workforce innovation, policy and education and a researcher in workforce transformation to share his tips and insights into working and schooling from home. Joe has worked for a fully distributed (remote) work-from-home organisation for the past 16 years and successfully home-schooled his son. He is currently advising employers on establishing simple, effective work from home policies, tailored to employer and employee needs during this global pandemic. Joe knows what works and what doesn't

Hello wonderful humans. I'm mixing things up for this episode of the Potential Psychology Podcast. I had planned an episode on Personality and How It Drives What We Do for this week on the back of our fun webinar with some members of the PP community last Monday morning. But given the state of uncertainty we're in right now due to this new coronavirus, COVID-19 and its impact on almost every facet of life, I've parked that and decided to share some tips that might help us face some of our more immediate challenges.In this solo episode I talk you through: •How our brain responds to uncertainty and why we're seeing the best and worst of human behaviour right now •What to do when you can't control what's happening and why focusing on your 'inner circle' gives you power •Breaking the negative cycle of worry, checking and more worry with one simple question •5 simple strategies for maintaining calm and building emotional resilience - because we might be in this for the long haul!Two weeks ago I could not have imag

In the midst of COVID-19 uncertainty and the anxiety it is provoking it can do the heart and mind good to be distracted with positive stories of people doing good in our world. We need that right now.My guests for this episode are Naomi Hunter and Jeremy Hunter, the co-Managing Directors of Empowering Resources, a boutique publisher of children's books that encourage meaningful conversations between kids and their trusted adults.Their books handle tough topics with nurturing and understanding. They allow conversations to evolve to where kids need them to go.Naomi is the author of A Secret Safe To Tell, a gentle book that encourages meaningful conversations about body safety, the importance of not keeping secrets and confiding in trusted adults if something is making you uncomfortable. Naomi wrote it when she became a mother, working through her own experience of childhood sexual abuse. She hoped that she could empower other children to share their experiences and get the help and support that they need much e

I'm delighted to have Dr Suzy Green back on the show today. Suzy was one of my lecturers when I completed the Masters of Coaching Psychology at The University of Sydney (some time ago now) and today I'm proud to call her a colleague. I'm also thrilled to be introducing you to her new book, The Positivity Prescription: A six week wellbeing program based on the science of positive psychology.Over the past 20 years Suzy has asserted herself as a pioneer of Positive Psychology. She is the founder of the Sydney-based The Positivity Institute and her evidence-based psychological strategies have helped thousands of Australians prevent and overcome mental health issues.With the release of The Positivity Prescription, Suzy is excited to be sharing her knowledge and experience with a broader audience.In this conversation Suzy and I discuss: •What it means to 'flourish,' psychologically-speaking. •Her hopes for The Positivity Prescription and bringing positive psychology to a broader audience. •How positivity and happin