Better Thinking

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Renee Adair about End of Life Doulas and how their services provide support, options, and education assisting the needs of those who are facing death. Renee Adair is the founder and director of the Australian Doula College, the Groundwork Program and the ADC’s charity-arm Doula Heart Network. She first began working with women and babies in 1994 as a massage and Aromatherapist and Reiki Practitioner and in 1998 after the home births of her two biological children she began studying and working as a Doula and Childbirth and Early Parenting Educator. Renee then worked for the Australian Red Cross at a young women’s health program/refuge in Sydney’s East, setting up both the outreach and childbirth and early parenting education programs for that service. Working In collaboration, Renee helped produce the first research on Doulas in Australia which was published in the Journal of Perinatal Education in 2013. She has spoken on a variety of radio programm

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Michael Duhig about medicinal cannabis trials and research for treating various symptoms in children. Michael Duhig is an Educational and Developmental Psychologist who has completed post-graduate training in Psychology and Health Management. While completing his studies, Michael developed his clinical skills in government and non-government sectors specifically focused on Child and Youth Mental Health. Michael has experience in counselling children and adolescents experiencing a range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, emotional and behavioural regulation, trauma, and relationship issues. Being heavily involved in sport and a former international rugby union player, Michael is able to weave physical activity into therapy to engage and benefit clients. Michael is also proficient in academic and cognitive assessments. When not practising clinically, Michael is the Clinical Research Manager for the Centre for Clinical Trials in Rare Neurod

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Professor Alex Haslam about identity leadership and its implications in social and organisational settings. Alex Haslam is Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology and Australian Laureate Fellow at the University of Queensland. His research focuses on the study of group and identity processes in organizational, social, and clinical contexts. Together with colleagues, Alex has written and edited 15 books and published over 300 peer-reviewed articles on these topics. His most recent books are The New Psychology of Health: Unlocking the Social Cure (with Catherine Haslam, Jolanda Jetten, Tegan Cruwys and Genvieve Dingle, Routledge, 2018),The New Psychology of Leadership: Identity, Influence and Power (2nd Ed. with Stephen Reicher & Michael Platow, Psychology Press, 2020), and Social Psychology: Revisiting the Classic Studies (2nd Ed. with Joanne Smith, Sage, 2017). Alex is a former Chief Editor of the European Journal of Social Psychology

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Gwen Adshead about the psychological mechanisms that give rise to violence and life threatening behaviour toward others. Dr. Gwen Adshead is one of the UK’s leading forensic psychiatrists and psychotherapists. She has spent thirty years working in Broadmoor, England’s largest secure psychiatric hospital, with groups and individual patients convicted of serious violent offences, as well as with people in prisons and in the community. Gwen has a Master’s degree in medical law and ethics and has published several academic books and over one hundred papers and commissioned articles on forensic psychotherapy, moral reasoning and ethics, and attachment theory. She is a founder member of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy and has been a visiting professor at Yale University and Gresham College in the UK. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/gwen-adsheadSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Alice Shires about the possible effects of mindfulness training on anger, grief, and chronic pain. Dr Alice Shires is a Clinical and Research Psychologist, Director of the UTS Psychology Clinic. She was Chair of the Australasian Psychology Clinic Directors association (AAPTC) for over a decade and is a member of the NSW Mental Health Tribunal and Health Professions Council Australia. She was an inaugural board member of ACPA. She has long been involved in research and development of teaching, supervision and training in clinical psychology. Particularly in the areas of ethical and professional practice, the process of supervision and assessment of competencies in clinical psychology, and the inclusion of mindfulness training in the Clinical Psychology training process. She has established the Mindfulness-integrated Research Clinic at UTS and her PhD research includes the efficacy of Mindfulness interventions in chronic pain. Alice is a training a

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Tanya Cole-Lesnick about why a group is powerful for the same reason that it's intimidating to join. Tanya Cole-Lesnick has been a licensed clinical social worker since 1995, after receiving her master’s degree in social work from New York University. She has extensive experience in both outpatient hospital mental health and private practice settings. Tanya’s role at the Lighthouse is both as Director of Client Programs and as psychotherapist. In her role as Director of Client Programs, she focuses on the vision of what the Lighthouse offers to clients—always striving for the most impactful, innovative, and effective offerings. With that intention in mind, she works to ensure that communication amongst the Lighthouse team and flow of work with clients goes as smoothly as possible. In her role as psychotherapist, Tanya helps people to address issues related to anxiety, depression, relationships, careers, self-esteem, life transitions, day-to-day habi

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Cassandra Chapman about the psychology of charitable giving, trust in nonprofits, and public responses to charity scandals. Dr Cassandra Chapman holds a PhD in the psychology of charitable giving (University of Queensland) and is now an Associate Professor of Marketing and ARC DECRA Fellow, specialised in donor psychology and fundraising. Having come to academia with a background in nonprofit marketing, Cassandra’s research focuses on the psychology of charitable giving, trust in nonprofits, and public responses to charity scandals. She uses diverse methods to understand when and why donors are more (or less) willing to give to particular causes and the implications such preferences have for how charities communicate. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/cassandra-chapmanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Michael Noetel about effective altruism, existential risk, and decision-making Michael Noetel is a psychologist and an academic trying to find the best way of helping others, and to then put them into practice. He’s an awarded educator, including awards from the Australian Awards for University Teaching. He’s a prolific early career researcher with over 30 publications in the last 4 years. He’s a Senior Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland and is the Chair of Effective Altruism Australia, a charity trying to help Australian donors to do the most good with their donations. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/michael-noetelSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Annabelle Neall about the effects of bullying and harassment in organisational settings. Dr Annabelle Neall is a Lecturer of Organisational Psychology at the University of Queensland. Her research aims to tackle negative workplace behaviour through bystander intervention and psychosocial risk management. Her work has been translated into practical solutions designed to optimise the psychosocial hazard assessment and management in organisations such as SA Health, Correctional Services NSW, and the Department of Infrastructure and Transport. She has published a wide range of highly cited peer-reviewed articles, chapters, and reports, and collaborates with national and international research partners to solve theoretical and practical problems in the workplace safety and wellbeing space. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/annabelle-neallSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Jolanda Jetten about the consequences of economic inequality for the social and political vitality of society. Jolanda Jetten (PhD, University of Amsterdam, 1997) is Professor of Social Psychology at the University of Queensland. She has been employed as an ARC Future Fellowship, UQ Development Fellowship and was recently awarded the 2018 Belgian Francqui fellowship and an ARC Laureate Fellowship (2019-2013). Her research is concerned with group processes, social identity and intergroup relations, as represented by her most recent books: Together apart: The psychology of COVID-19 (with S. Reicher, S.A. Haslam, and T. Cruwys; Sage, 2020), The wealth Paradox: Economic prosperity and the hardening of attitudes towards minorities (with Frank Mols; Cambridge University Press, 2017) and The New Psychology of Health: Unlocking the Social Cure (with Catherine Haslam, Tegan Cruwys, Genevieve Dingle and Alex Haslam; Psychology Press, 2018). She has published

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with James Kirby about examining Compassion Focused Therapy and his book entitled ‘Choose Compassion’. James N. Kirby, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychologist, and the Co-Director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at the University of Queensland. He has broad research interests in compassion, but specifically examines factors that facilitate and inhibit compassionate responding. He also examines the clinical effectiveness of compassion focused interventions, specifically in how they help with self-criticism and shame that underpin many depression and anxiety disorders. James also holds a Visiting Fellowship at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University and is an Honorary Member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation UK. In 2022 he authored Choose Compassion, and in 2020 he co-edited Making an Impact on Mental Health. He serves as an Associate Editor for two international journals Mindfulness and P

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Michael Sugrue about his new best selling book entitled RELENTLESS COURAGE: Winning the Battle Against Frontline Trauma. Michael Sugrue is a retired police sergeant with the City of Walnut Creek with over 14 years of service including specialized assignments as a Field Training Officer, SIU Detective and Undercover Special Agent assigned to California Department of Justice Drug Task Force. Before becoming a police officer, Michael served 6 years in the U.S. Air Force as a Captain (Security Forces) specializing in Global Force Protection, Anti-Terrorism, Air Base Ground Defense, Nuclear Security and Law Enforcement. As a new police sergeant, Michael encountered a situation that was not only tragic and surreal but it was a call for duty that changed his life forever. Michael found himself in reckless abandon and on the verge of self-destruction until he mustered the courage to ask for help. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/michael-sugru

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Kristy Goodwin about practical brain-based hacks to tame tech habits and strategies to decode the neurobiology of peak performance in the technological era. Dr Kristy Goodwin is one of Australia’s leading digital wellbeing and performance experts (and mum who also deals with her kids’ techno-tantrums!) She’s a researcher, author, speaker and media commentator who provides science-backed solutions to optimise wellbeing and productivity in a digital world. Kristy draws on cutting-edge neuroscience and research to explain the profound impacts technology has on our performance and health, without prescribing digital detoxes and going #laptopless. Kristy worked as an educator before becoming an academic and speaker. She’s worked with clients including Apple, Westfield, Bank of Queensland, Macquarie Bank, Foxtel, the National Broadband Network, JP Morgan, McDonalds, NSW Department of Education and Optus. She’s spoken at national and international conferen

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Kirrilie Smout about the common elements of mental health treatment planning for children and adults. Kirrilie Smout is a qualified clinical psychologist specialising in working children and teenagers about finding a life vision, creating community among each other, persistence, self-belief, study skills and overcoming obstacles. Kirrilie has presented at several National youth leadership forums, national adolescent health conferences and has spoken to approximately 20,000 young people across Australia. She has achieved the second highest speaking accreditation recognised by the National Speakers Association of Australia, and is one of only 10 in South Australia to have done so. Kirrilie also speaks to parents, teachers and youth leaders about youth issues in Australia; focusing on young people's needs and desires, and how to inspire and effectively lead young people. In 2000 she was awarded the Australian National Speakers Association "Rising Star"

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Piers Steel about how procrastination shows up in one's life and the related forces that make it irresistible. Piers Steel likes to think he is among the world’s foremost researchers and speakers on the science of motivation and procrastination. Well, he is a Distinguished Research Chair at the University of Calgary, where he teaches human resources and organizational dynamics at the Haskayne School of Business. His research has appeared in several outlets around the world, ranging from Psychology Today and New Scientist to Good Housekeeping and The New Yorker. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife and two sons. Aside from being a practicing procrastinator from an early age, Piers started formally studying the phenomenon while getting his doctorate in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Working with Dr. Thomas Brothen, he had access to a class administered through a Computerized Personalized System of Instruc

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Associate Professor Alan Pegna about cognitive neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. Alan Pegna is a neuropsychologist whose interests lie in the field of cognitive neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology. After receiving a Masters degree in Psychology from the University of Geneva (Switzerland) and a second Masters degree in Human Physiology from University College London (UK), he obtained his PhD from the University of Geneva, using brain imaging techniques to study spatial processing in both healthy controls and brain-damaged patients. He worked for over 20 years as a clinical neuropsychologist at Geneva University Hospital, and as an academic at the University of Geneva, where he supervised numerous research projects in the field of visual processing, again in healthy participants and in persons with focal brain lesions. He joined UQ in 2015, where he now explores the neural basis of visual and spatial processing of emotional stimuli. Mor

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Steven Hayes about Process Based Therapy, psychiatric medications, and other global issues relating to mental health. Dr Steven C. Hayes is Nevada Foundation Professor in the Behavior Analysis program at the Department of Psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of 44 books and nearly 600 scientific articles, his career has focused on an analysis of the nature of human language and cognition and the application of this to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering. He is the developer of Relational Frame Theory, an account of human higher cognition, and has guided its extension to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), a popular evidence-based form of psychotherapy that uses mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based methods. Episode link at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/steven-hayes-2See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Debbie Anderson about her experience practicing as a neuropsychologist. Debbie Anderson works exclusively as a clinical neuropsychologist. She trained at the University of Melbourne and has practised in Queensland since completing her course in 1989. She initially worked in public hospital settings before moving into full time private work. She evaluates clients both at the referral of treating doctors and as an independent expert in medicolegal cases (personal injuries civil matters and cognitive aspects of capacity to stand trial in criminal matters). She enjoys the challenge of fully evaluating complex cases, and had given evidence in legal proceedings on a number of occasions. She has several publications and conference presentations related to this work, which demonstrate her commitment to evidence-based practise. Debbie is also very active in the Australian Psychological Society, and most recently chaired the College of Clinical Neuropsycholog

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Maggie Dent about the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. Maggie Dent is an author, educator, and parenting and resilience specialist with a particular interest in the early years and adolescence. Commonly known as the “queen of common sense” she is also an undisputed ‘boy champion’. Maggie’s experience includes teaching, counselling, and working in palliative care/funeral services and suicide prevention. She is an advocate for the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. She is a passionate, positive voice for children of all ages. Maggie is the host of the popular ABC podcast, Parental As Anything. She is the author of nine major books, plus several e-books and other resources for parents, adolescents, teachers and early childhood educators, and others who are interested in quietly improving their lives. Maggie is the mother of four sons and

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr David Demmer about the mental health challenges of the LGBTIQ+ community. Dr David Demmer is a clinical psychologist based in Melbourne, Australia. He is a respected therapist and speaker with expertise in gender and sexual diversity, self-worth, and resilience. He is the founder and practice director of Wellington Street Psychology, a leading psychology practice in St Kilda. Through his dynamic and authentic approach to psychological wellbeing, he leads a team committed to delivering high-quality mental health support to clients. Dave is the current chair of the Australian Psychological Society College of Clinical Psychologists Victoria Section and a consultant to Movember as a Subject Matter Expert in mental health. He previously lectured in psychology at Deakin University, where he chaired counselling units and was the principal researcher on numerous projects. He continues to bring his experience to numerous research projects. As a respect