Unfortunately, we all know what bad leadership looks like, for many of us, it doesn’t take long to think of examples…but what does it actually take to be a ‘good leader’? This week in the Academy of Imperfection, Hugh, Ryan and Josh are joined by a legend of the sport, former rugby league player and current coach of the Queensland Maroons, Billy Slater. Billy has been called the best fullback ever to have played the game. As a player, he’s won more awards than we c...
Jun 02, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 6Ep. 27
How kind is your inner voice? What does it say to you when your with friends, having family dinner, at work, when you mistakes, or, when you look in the mirror? We all have an inner critic and for lots of us, that voice can be loud and relentless - holding us back from thriving, from living the life we want to live and being the person we want to be. In this episode of the IMPERFIX, we jump back into an episode with Dr Em and get up close and personal with ‘our inner critics’. In thi...
May 31, 2024•17 min•Season 6Ep. 26
Its hard to imagine a life more remarkable, or as unique as that of Nathan Cavaleri. Nathan rose to fame as an 8 year old blues prodigy, regularly appearing on Aussie TV screens in the 90’s, but there is so much more to Nathan and his story than that. Whether it’s touring Australia with the likes of Jimmy Barnes; or touring America with blues Legend B.B. King; being signed to Michael Jackson’s label; or starring in a Baywatch spin off with David Hasselhoff; Nathan’s life ...
May 26, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Season 6Ep. 25
After his sister, Niki, was murdered by her ex-partner, Tarang Chawla made a decision - that he wouldn’t allow Niki to be remembered as just another statistic. Since then, Tarang has become an activist, working to reduce incidents of all forms of violence and abuse towards women in Australian. In this episode of the IMPERFIX, we reflect on a conversation we had with Tarang back in 2022. Here, Tarang discusses the importance of believing and supporting women when they disclose abuse, and un...
May 24, 2024•18 min•Season 6Ep. 24
Taking a risk, by definition, is hard. A lot of us spend most of our life avoiding risks, under the assumption that it’s the ‘safe’ thing to do. As Dr Em explains, we have an evolutionary instinct for self-preservation; tendencies to overestimate danger and underestimate our ability to cope; and we often have early childhood experiences and messages around safety that can coalesce into ‘playing it safe’ behaviours. In this episode, Dr Em reveals that paradoxically, ...
May 19, 2024•58 min•Season 6Ep. 23
We mean no disrespect to any of our other guests, but when Hugh says that Dr. Kiran Martin, is the most impressive person he has ever met, it’s hard not to agree. Dr. Kiran Martin is the founder of ASHA in India. It’s a not for profit, that for over 35 years, has provided healthcare and education to millions of people living in slums in India. In this clip, Dr Kiran tells us of the time she decided to wash the feet of a Dalit woman (an ‘untouchable’ in the caste system of...
May 17, 2024•11 min•Season 6Ep. 22
All too often when talking about infertility, we only tell one side of the story. Traditionally in the public discourse, it has very much fallen into the category of a ‘women’s issue’. However, as our guest this week Reece Conca can all too painfully attest, 40% of infertility issues are actually male factor related. Reece Conca is a former Australian Rules Footballer, who played over 150 games for Richmond and Freemantle. When Reece and his partner Bell were finding it difficu...
May 12, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Season 6Ep. 21
In this episode of the IMPERFIX, we revisit our chat with Australian comedian Luke McGregor. Many of us live with Anxiety, Luke McGregor has for a lot of his life. For Luke, his anxiety became so overwhelming that it resulted in him having panic attacks on stage in front of audiences. In this clip Luke explains what anxiety looks like for him and what he now does to manage his anxiety, allowing him to continue to work and to get the most out of life. You can hear the original episode in full, wi...
May 10, 2024•13 min•Season 6Ep. 20
Every Thursday over 3 million people want to hear what James Clear has to say. They do so in the form of his ‘ 3-2-1 newsletter’, one of most popular newsletters on the planet. In 2018 James Clear published his book Atomic Habits , a comprehensive, practical guide on how to change your habits and get 1% better every day. And that book has now sold over 15million copies. So you won’t be surprised to hear how excited we were to have Jame Clear as this weeks guest lecturer i...
May 05, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Season 6Ep. 19
In this episode of the IMPERFIX we revisit one of our many conversations with Johann Hari. However this IMPERFIX starts with Josh, delivering what may be one of the most powerful and moving acts of vulnerability we’ve ever seen on this podcast, when he felt compelled to share a realisation, that he had been addicted to the internet for much of his life. Johann’s response was as always, heartfelt, engaging, hopeful and empowering. And we thought it was worth revisiting. You can hear t...
May 03, 2024•20 min•Season 6Ep. 18
What would you do if a teacher said you couldn’t achieve your dreams because your hair and skin colour weren’t acceptable? When this became Pallavi Sharda’s reality she moved to India by herself and became the first Australian women to lead a Bollywood movie In this episode we meet Pallavi Sharda, a powerhouse actress, who grew up in Taylors Lakes, a suburban area in Melbourne’s west, who went on to not only clock Bollywood, but see tremendous success on screens in Austra...
Apr 28, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 6Ep. 17
In this week’s ImperFIX, we revisit an episode from season 2 with Australian BMX racer, world champion and Olympian, Sam Willoughby. In 2016, Sam experienced a life-changing neck injury which left him a tetraplegic. In this snippet, we hear Sam describe the bike accident that lead to his injury and his incredible journey of recovery. Most importantly, he shares how meeting NASCAR crew chief, Booty Barker, inspired him to live life again. You can hear the full chat with Sam Willoughby here ...
Apr 26, 2024•22 min•Season 6Ep. 16
Have you ever felt so elated, that in that very moment, you felt yourself and the world around you were in perfect harmony? That feeling is joy! But for many of us, ‘joy’ can seem elusive, almost impossible to experience, or an emotion that we feel we just don’t have time for. And for some of us, it may feel like we have lost the ability to experience joy altogether. In this episode, our resident psychologist Dr Em explores the experience of Joy. What is it and how ...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 6Ep. 15
In this bonus episode of The Imperfects, Hugh, Ryan and Josh have an imperfect conversation about mens violence against women. To say it's a massive problem in Australia is an understatement. Violence and aggression can take many forms that span from small micro-aggressions all the way through to rape and murder. It effects ALL women, with the most vulnerable and marginalised in our community, at the greatest risk. We don’t have the answers to solve it. But we don’t want to remain si...
Apr 18, 2024•32 min•Season 6Ep. 14
In this episode, Scottish comedian, Fern Brady joins us in the The Vulnerabilitea House. In pulling the card “how would your ambitions change if you only had one year to live?”, Fern shares a very recent story, after receiving a terrifying phone call from her doctor. Fern also discusses being diagnosed with Autism in her 30s, 20 years after telling a doctor she thought she was Autistic. Fern talks with with great insight and humour, not only about life since her diagnosis, but ...
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Season 6Ep. 13
Imposter syndrome and self doubt aren’t necessarily things you think when you think of Australian comedian Hamish Blake. However when Hamish visited us for a VulnerabilTea House in season 4, that’s exactly what came up. In this episode of The IMPERFIX, we revisit a vulnerable moment where Josh shared his very real self doubt about his role on the show. This evolves into a beautiful conversation about the self doubt we all feel in the work we do, and culminates in Hamish droppin...
Apr 10, 2024•11 min•Season 6Ep. 12
Imagine being falsely imprisoned, in a foreign country, where you barely speak the language, during a military coup, with no guarantee of a trial (fair or otherwise) and no idea whether you’ll ever be allowed home? That's what Australian economist Sean Turnell lived through for 650 days, when in 2021 he was arrested during a military coup over-throwing the democratic government of Aang san Suu Kyi. Sean is a remarkable person and a brilliant story teller who radiates positivity. In t...
Apr 07, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 6Ep. 11
In 2018, writer, author & change advocate Jamila Rizvi was met with horrible news. She was diagnosed with a rare brain tumour and needed surgery. In this episode of The Imperfix we revisit Jamila’s story; the tumour and its varied complications, the surgeries and how Jamila and her husband communicated the news to their son. Jamila is an all round wonderful human being and this is an incredibly moving episode. You can hear the entire chat with Jamila here: https://apple.co/4icJmt...
Apr 03, 2024•23 min•Season 6Ep. 10
We’re not sure if podcasts can date. But if they could we would want to date Elizabeth Day’s podcast - ‘How to fail?’. (A proposition Hugh awkwardly put to Elizabeth in the final moments of the show). This conversation covers a lot of ground. Elizabeth vulnerably discusses her journey through infertility, IVF and her eventual decision to stop fertility treatment; we explore the role exercise and strength training can have in reclaiming one's connection to their body; Ryan...
Mar 31, 2024•1 hr 39 min•Season 6Ep. 9
In this episode of The Imperfix we revisit one of our most popular episodes ever and in it, a topic that is very close to Hugh, Ryan and Josh’s respective bones. The ongoing battle of Truth vs Harmony. Do you choose to live truthfully? Or harmoniously? And what does that even mean? And how does living ‘truthfully’ or ‘harmoniously’ affect us and the people around us? To listen to the full Truth Vs Harmony episode, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3IW3gbw To listen t...
Mar 27, 2024•19 min•Season 6Ep. 8
Very few people have experienced Gary Barlow’s level of success and fame. He’s the lead singer of the nineties British pop band Take That, he’s won 6 Ivor Novello Awards for song writing & composing, sold more the 50 million albums and filled stadiums of screaming fans across the world! But despite all this, as we’ve come to learn, he’s one of the nicest, most genuine people going around. In this episode, Gary shares his experience of rising to such fame, and wh...
Mar 24, 2024•57 min•Season 6Ep. 7
In 2018, Christian O Connell was one of the most successful people in British Radio, he was on top of his world, and then…the panic attacks began. The attacks got so bad and so regular that he couldn’t perform live and it nearly cost him his career. In this episode, we revisit Christian’s experience, the physical and mental toll of his panic attacks as well as the societal pressures and expectations he felt as a man - his need to appear strong and provide for his family. And w...
Mar 20, 2024•15 min•Season 6Ep. 6
“Get your butterflies in formation”. If you take one thing away from this episode, it’s how to handle the nervous, anxious, flutter of stomach butterflies that arises when we’re socially anxious. Social interactions can be challenging. You may believe that everyone else has all their shit figured out and can effortlessly walk into a social situation and just be themselves. But it turns out, we all, at some point, get social anxiety. In this episode, our resident psycholog...
Mar 17, 2024•1 hr 23 min•Season 6Ep. 5
Kate Langbroek, in our humble opinion, is a very special person. We absolutely love her, and we’re clearly not alone. Kate, has experienced decades of success on Australian TV and radio - whether it was every Wednesday night on The Panel; with her mate Hughesy on the radio; or in countless podcasts, and radio shows since. On this episode of The Imperfix, we revisit, when in 2022, Kate generously shared with us what it was like when her eldest son Lewis was diagnosed with Leukaemia, and how...
Mar 13, 2024•16 min•Season 6Ep. 4
World leading organisational psychologists, Adam Grant is this week's guest in The Academy of Imperfection and honestly, we can’t believe how much ground the brilliant man managed to cover in this episode. I mean, sure, you might expect him to touch on the value of embracing our imperfections. Or perhaps he might explore imposter syndrome & the importance in believing in others' belief in yourself. Or how procrastination can actually be a creative force. Or maybe even some tips f...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Season 6Ep. 3
In this inaugural episode of the imperfix , Hugh takes us back to our very first Academy of Imperfection, where special guest Ben Crowe explores what it actually means to define your purpose. We discuss Ryan, Hugh & Ben’s purposes, how they defined them, and how important they are in shaping their respective every-days. We also delve a little deeper into Josh’s seeming ‘lack of purpose’ and find that he might actually have a bit more purpose there than he realises. To...
Mar 06, 2024•19 min•Season 6Ep. 2
They say that by the time he retires, Pat Cummins could be one of Australia’s most successful cricket captains. And if 2023 is anything to go by, "they" might be right. Pat captained the team winning The ODI World Cup, The ICC World Test Championship and retaining The Ashes. And individually, he was not only named The ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year, but also signed a record-breaking contract to play in India in the IPL this year. So yeah, Pat wins a lot. But this episode isn't just about ...
Mar 03, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Season 6Ep. 1
We’re back… almost! As has become tradition, Hugh, Ryan and Josh catch up for a formal welcome back episode to chat about the season ahead. They talk about their brand new extra weekly episode called The ImperFIX, the show’s foray into YouTube, aaaand just build general hype around the exciting upcoming guests on the show. Oh. And Hugh demonstrates his brand new sleeping position. It’s so, so good to be back. To watch this episode on YouTube (and see Hugh's sleeping posi...
Feb 25, 2024•26 min
To look after our loved ones, we need to start by looking after ourselves. And according to parenting expert Lael Stone, that means looking back and showing compassion to our younger selves. In this b-b-b-bonus summer episode we’re very lucky to have Lael back for a third time (her previous episodes are linked below) as we prepare for a new year with new challenges. But don’t worry. You’ll be ready for anything after an hour with Lael Stone. To learn more about Lael and her wor...
Jan 21, 2024•54 min•Season 5Ep. 49
Heads up: Mrs Claus is VERY close friends with comedian, Urzila Carlson. As such, this Special Christmas Episode is definitely not appropriate for kids. Last year, we were honoured to sit down with the one and only Santa Claus as he joined us in The Vulnerabilitea House. A big thank you to Glenn Robbins for organising that interview for us! Link below if you missed it. This year, Hugh, Josh and Ryan meet the woman who claims to be the brains behind the operation, Mrs Claus (or is it Ms Claus?). ...
Dec 17, 2023•32 min•Season 5Ep. 48
