Bryn Edwards at The WA Real

The purpose of this conversation is to hopefully expand your frame of reference of what it is to be in your bodies 24/7, what that means to your experience of life and where a movement orientated practice can take you through the lens of my specific personal example. Earlier this year, I successfully completed the 20km solo Rottnest Channel Swim. I had previously completed the challenge in 2016, but, despite successfully crossing, that ended up being a net negative experience physically. Therefore, this time around I enlisted the help of Mark Bernacchi, experienced explorer of all things ‘movement’ and the co-founder of Modus Movement Studio in Myaree Perth. Originally, I approached Mark for guidance with preparation for the swim with the aim of increasing the integrity of my body so that, at the age of 47, I would come out of it in a net positive physical position. However, by embracing the culture and philosophy Mark has created at Modus and its application to the challenge of swimming 20km in open ocean, I started to experience the movement of my body in a deeper and broader context that exceeded the swim itself and spread out to all aspects of my life. This has given rise to a movement practice that continues to be an integral part of my life today. The practise has redefined my physical experience in life and yields so many exciting possibilities for future exploration that far exceed swimming. This conversation charts that journey. So, who would benefit from this conversation? To learn more about Mark and Modus visit: modusmovement.com

Rebecca Dawson returns to share a deeper lens on what many of us are experiencing through some of the major themes of her recent book ‘FU – The Return of the Magnetic Human’. As always with Rebecca, this was a playful, expansive and exploratory conversation that put its roots in to many of the surrounding recent events. Explore further with Rebecca at - www.rebeccadawson.net/

Despite our best efforts to ‘wipe our feet’ of our personal life on the doorway before we go into work, the reality is that this does not occur and that we take all of us to work – the good bits, the untidy bits, the contradictory bits; whether we like it all not. But when the typical workplace is only set up to deal with a small part of All That We Are, how does this play out? What is the impact on the individual? This is the focus of my conversation with Gabriella Braun, who specialises in bringing psychoanalytic and systems thinking into workplaces and has authored the book ‘All That We Are’. Find out more about Gabriella and her book - www.gabriellabraun.co.uk

More and more of us are undertaking amazing challenges in life – such as an Ironman triathlon, marathon, climbing Everest or for me very recently, swimming 20km in the ocean to Rottnest Island. These are amazing, life affirming feats that require a lot of time, focus and energy. There is a wealth of information relating to leading up to and during the event, but there’s been very little focus on what happens afterwards and the journey post event. In this very honest conversation, I talk and reflect with Perth swim coach Paul Newsome about this very ‘live’ issue for me and his experience both as a competitor and coach of many others who have undertaken such feats.

Many will tell you the importance of reducing stress, lowering anxiety and calming your nervous system, but how is that journey experienced in real life and what are some of the points along the way as you unwind where you’ve come from? In this brutally honest conversation, I reflect on my journey over the past 3 years of practising Trauma Release Exercise Tremoring with Richmond Heath, Founder of TRE Australia. Together we explore the changes, impacts and growth over time that this simple but powerful practise has had on my nervous system and way of being in life. From a start point common to many - a state of high anxiety hyper-vigilant functioning in the world where I genuinely thought “I was ok” - to a place of being where I can begin to meet the complexity of the outside world with an inner existential trust and truly begin to grow. It’s certainly not all blissful states of ease and grace serenely passing through life because, as you will find out, that concept is a response to an early point on the journey. Why did I record this conversation? I am no different to millions / billions of people who heavily wear the anxiety, depression, despair and stress resulting from the everyday living in the current human experience – but does it have to hang so heavily upon us? I believe not, but what is the journey ahead and what can be done about it? I believe more conversations like this need to happen so that we can chart the journey ahead and normalise it into our collective way of being. Link to online Richmond’s TRE course: https://www.trecourse.com/ Link to Richmond’s High Anxiety Functioning Video: https://www.treaustralia.com/product/tre-for-high-functioning-anxiety/ Learn TRE Tremoring in Western Australia with Fran Fuller: https://www.treaustralia.com/providers/listing/frances-fuller/

In a complete change around, I was interviewed by Shaun Nannup, Si Lapping and Mark Booth. The focus - the wisdom gleamed from the journey of 4 years and 200+ conversation with the WA Real Podcast. A big thank you to all guests and listeners who all helped to make this happen - gratitude overwhelms me.

This week I enjoyed another great deep conversation into philosophy with Dr. Alan Tapper. Alan has lectured philosophy at Curtin University, informed policy and has also been instrumental in leading philosophy being taught in schools. This is another great journey into philosophy, starting during the Age of Enlightenment and Rationality working to present day, discussing the how this period influences our modern day and illuminating many elements we may take for granted. This is a great and deep conversation that will educate you while taking you on a journey.

This week I welcome back Mike Dyson onto the podcast, who talks about his continued work with men through his company Good Blokes Co. It's been three years since Mike was on the podcast last, in this conversation he shares with us many of the patterns and consistencies that he sees across his work. He talks about the ‘Man Box’, which seems to be a crappy version of masculinity that is passed down generation by generation, that involves a lack of emotional literacy and a lot of shame and guilt. He also talks about how a lot of this can play into the hands of violence. Mike also talks about opening up a space for healthy masculinity and what that involves in terms of men defining what they want to be into in terms of their masculinity. This is a great conversation; Mike gets very passionate, sharing a lot of wisdom and knowledge from his years of doing the work in the men's space. https://www.goodblokes.co/

This week I had a great conversation with Perth-based comedian Bonnie Davis, who is better known for her alter ego, the comedic character Famous Sharron - who is famous for absolutely nothing at all. In this conversation, you get a really great insight into the amount of work and the process that goes into being a comedian and developing a character like Famous Sharron. We hear about the history and the development of this character and what Bonnie's been through to take her to where she is today. Now famous Sharon doesn't actually appear in this conversation, which is maybe disappointing to some of her fans, but her theme of ‘celebrate yourself really shines through in this conversation and it's really interesting to hear how Bonnie has embraced that herself. Bonnie is a lot of fun to talk to and this is fascinating conversation from a behind the scenes of being a comedian point of view. www.famoussharron.com/

This week I explore theology and our relationship with something bigger than ourselves with Dr. Jim Cregan, former lecturer of theology and Notre Dame University in Fremantle. Jim explains what the study of theology is and delineates it from institutionalised and organised religion. Jim explains how considering the questions that theology raises helps us to orientate ourselves in life and society and, as a consequence, develop stronger existential strength and inner compass within ourselves. Jim also puts forward how a lack of orientation in life could be behind much of the anxiety and mental health issues that we see arising today. This a great conversation with a lot of depth and will leave you with much to consider. Jim is a very thoughtful gentleman and it was a real pleasure to speak with him.

When considering interior design, many of us will be aware of different styles whether it's in our home or the spaces we move through. We may be familiar with overseas styles such as the Hampton style, European. But ask yourself, what does an Australian style of interior design actually look like? Or let’s go deeper - what would the style of design that's influenced by the land and the deep culture here in Western Australia looked like? It’s actually a difficult question to answer because very few designers are following this path, that is with the exception of this week's guest Leah Bennett of Leah Paige Design. Leah talks through the nuances and intricacies of interior design, so that we can understand it in more clarity and more depth. She then adds the layer of culture and land so you can really begin to get a feel of how she's designing spaces that we can really connect to. Leah also talks about the challenges of putting forwards this new approach to the interior design world and how often many people want to get involved but are just a bit too worried about where to start and getting ‘things wrong’. Leah is a fantastic and articulate lady with a real drive and passion that shines through in this conversation and which is sure to underpin her impact in the future. Website: leahpaigedesigns.com

Following on from the highly acclaimed episode #164 with Nick Duffell about the reality and dynamics of Boarding School Syndrome, this week I traced the impact in Australia with Christine Jack. Christine has spent 35 years in teacher education and educational history, authoring the book ‘Recovering Boarding School Trauma Narratives’. In this conversation Christine tracks how the concept of boarding school came from England to Australia, as a colony of the British Empire, and then the ensuing impact within our education system and beyond. Again, it was another great conversation about how difficult it is to put privilege and trauma in the same sentence. Links - Recovering Boarding School Trauma Narratives’ – https://www.routledge.com/Recovering-Boarding-School-Trauma-Narratives-Christopher-Robin-Milne-as/Jack/p/book/9780367819521 - Episode #164 with Nick Duffell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPHxGYAqbuU

This week I explored grief - the very natural but overlooked process that affects all of us - with Victoria Volk who specialises in coaching and supporting people who are struggling with loss. As Victoria puts forward, grief is so often narrowly associated with death, however it is much much wider than that as it is the result of any loss and so we incur grief more widely than we realise. Victoria shares the six common myths relating to grief and how they have been perpetuated intergenerationally, becoming part of our current culture resulting in a collective lack of emotional discernment and literacy. Victoria is really good at breaking down the dynamics of grief and walks us through the process to release its grip. This conversation covers a lot of ground, there's a lot of interesting emerging questions that come up, which really provides a full picture in this area that affects you, me and everyone. Find out more about Victoria and her podcast at www.theunleashedheart.com

Measuring your heart rate variability, or HRV, may be one of the most important measures that is easily accessible to you in terms of our health, fitness, and overall life longevity, but what exactly is heart rate variability? and how can you measure it? That's exactly what I explored this week with Coach Joel Jamieson who has over 20 years of working with heart rate variability while training Olympic athletes, MMA fighters, Navy Seals, NBA and NFL stars. Joel explains exactly what HRV is – a measurement of recovery - while also breaking down the basic principles of exercise. He explains how under recovery is at the heart of most injuries. We then discuss how you can measure HRV and what are key features to look for in selecting a measurement device. Joel then explains how HRV is scored and how to interpret the score and what to do with it. The conversation then broadened out to explore the impact of stress on our HRV and how a high base level of HRV places us in good stead to face the stresses and uncertainty of the world we operate it. This is a super important measure, because as Joel puts forward – it is non-invasive and easy to track over a long period of time giving you a real indicator of life longevity. Joel is super clear and concise throughout this whole conversation dispelling many myths along the way. Whatever level of exercise or focus of well-being you are at, by the end of this conversation you'll have a clear idea of what the heart rate variability is, and how important it is to you and how you can go measure, track it and make some significant changes in your life. Joel: www.8weeksout.com/ Morpheus: www.trainwithmorpheus.com/

We are all aware of the negative impacts that are happening to our surrounding environment and nature. But how do we begin to acknowledge that within ourselves? How do we begin to navigate our emotions to avoid overwhelm, so that we can get to a place where we can actually do something about it? And just what can we do? This is exactly what I explored with Shona Hunter, Community Organiser for the WA Forest Alliance. Shona brings a wealth of experience of working in this area to open up a space to journey through this tricky journey from a real personal point of view.

This week I enjoyed a far-ranging yarn with Tyson Yunkaporta – member of the Apalech Clan, Senior Lecturer in Indigenous Knowledge at Deakin University and author of the book Sand Talk: How Indigenous Thinking Can Save the World (which he’s suggests you shouldn’t buy but borrow from a friend). In this conversation we cover a lot of ground including the impact of an extraction economy, the rise and fall of civilisations and where we are in the that cycle, a deeper history of Britain, ask where the grown-ups have gone, our trajectory from the printing press, systems, the 1000 year clean up and much more. I also learnt a huge amount about Western Australia, seeing it from a different perspective. Tyson mixes his wealth and depth of knowledge together with his great sense of humour and openness to share to make for a great yarn that will take you on a journey.

How can you make sense of the problems that face us when our capacity to make sense of the problem is the problem itself? This week I explored sense making and the media with David Fuller, founder of the Rebel Wisdom Channel who is also a former BBC and Channel4 journalist. David talks about how sense making is the fundamental issue that faces all of us - our inner capacity, both individually and collective, to make sense and meaning of the outside world and then to agree on what is truth and what are the key problems we need to focus on. This issue is further exacerbated by the incentive structures, drivers and failures of both legacy media and alternative media, which is then accelerated by technologies that are purposefully designed to mine and capture our attention and concentration. These factors and their impacts, which are being left unchecked, are causing a mounting existential crisis of disconnection that potentially sit at the heart of many of the recognised mental and emotions health issues we now encounter. With financially incentivised decentralised flows of information straight to the individual now a feature of life, it is time for each of us to do our individual work in terms of ‘cleaning house’ and developing our relationship with the truth and how we make sense of the outer world so we can live a meaningful life.

This week, survival expert and instructor Mike House returns back to the podcast to talk about resilience. Spurred to investigate resilience by the recent impacts of COVID and specific requests of clients, Mike carried out an extensive research study into resilience through interviewing a range of leaders which he’s collated in his book (Un)Shakeable. In this conversation, we dive into just how the differing personal definitions of what resilience means to different people plays out in in their lives; we have a particularly interesting exploration into the delineation between adaptability and resilience. Mike puts forward that a key part is acknowledging that we as humans are resilient and we are impacted by events. And this, in and of itself, then starts to build an amount of trust not just in ourselves, but in the collective among us. As always, chatting to Mike is a real treat. He has a unique perspective and depth of thought that he brings from his experience as a survival expert that makes this a great conversation.

This week I had the great pleasure of speaking with Anthony James, who is the host of the Regen Narration Podcast which focuses on the regeneration of life on this planet. This conversation was the meeting of two ‘meta-nodes’ discussing much from across the range of people that we have both talked to on our respective podcasts. The topic of systems came up - those that are serving and those that are not serving us. Anthony spoke about how development involves a period of unravelling and the gentle stripping of old frameworks to reveal dissolutions as well as the need to be solid in the wilderness within. He also shared a beautiful story from Archie Rose about the elders that are sitting around the campfire waiting for us to come home – a theme that has significant meaning throughout this conversation. This was a fantastically delicate but powerful and strong conversation with a lot of humour - particularly listen out for Anthony talking about lasting change.

If you regularly attend or participate in an ‘alternative healing modalities’ or are drawn to searching further ‘within’ then the content of this episode is important for you to take on board. This week, we go further into the world of spiritual and psychological emergencies with a presentation of the findings from a recent qualitative research project that explored the experiences of people here in Western Australia that have been through such an experience. The research was conducted by Bryn with help from a number of ‘like-concerned’ friends. The presentation shares some of the emerging patterns from the research and sheds some light into naturally occurring human growth experience. Following the presentation there is a Q&A in which the exploration continues from the ensuing discussion. If you wish to get in touch as a result of listening to this please feel free to email me at warealbryn@gmail.com