“Sport set me up for life." Today I chat with Dr Amber Halliday OLY. Amber and I talk about her professional sporting career first in rowing, where she won numerous gold and silver medals at the Rowing World Championships and represented Australia at the Olympic Games twice. Amber then moved to cycling, training at the South Australian Sports Institute, where success came to her swiftly. Barely a year into the sport and she’d won the Women's Tour of New Zealand. In January 2011 disaster struck; ...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 5 min
Today I chat with Katie Sarah, an extraordinarily accomplished person. Katie is the first woman in the world to have completed the Seven Seven, that is the Seven Summits (the highest mountain peaks on each of the seven continents) plus the seven volcanic summits of each continent. She is now edging towards the Explorer's Grand Slam. Obviously, Katie's achievement includes the one-and-only, mother-of-them-all, Mount Everest which she summited in 2010 from the northern side (i.e. Tibet). We chat a...
May 11, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Most of us know that dietary fibre is good for us, especially for our digestion. What we may not have a grasp on is how much do we really need, what does that amount look like as food and what does dietary fibre do in the body that makes it so good for us? If you’re interested in the answers to these questions, tune in to my Five Minute Food Facts (5MFF) podcast on dietary fibre and I’ll explain the answers, and more, for you. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me at: https...
May 04, 2020•12 min
When Paul graduated from Nursing in the 1980s, he started working in renal (i.e. kidney) care. His career, which has included further study and eminent research roles, has remained focussed on caring for patients with kidney disease. Currently, Paul is the Director, Medical and Clinical Affairs, at Satellite Health Care in California, an institution that aims to improve the quality of life of dialysis patients. Paul has conducted extensive research into this area including resistance exercise fo...
Apr 26, 2020•41 min
This week I am excited to welcome back athlete, coach and author Nick Muxlow to chat about his latest book, "Journey to Kona: How to finish your best Ironman triathlon, qualify for Hawaii and have fun doing it”. This is a great episode for all triathletes (even if you don’t aspire to race Kona) because Nick shares his considerable knowledge about triathlon training principles. In order to train effectively, it is important to understand the different training techniques, such as using training z...
Apr 19, 2020•59 min
Today's guest, Ness Stonnill, founded Job Pair, an organisation that helps individuals and businesses make flexible work (including part-time, job sharing and working from home) possible. This podcast is a topical one for Coronavirus times as we go into detail about how to work from home successfully. Ness openly shares her story that led to the founding of Job Pair. She had worked in high pressure senior executive marketing roles in Adelaide and Sydney that eventually caused her to burn out. Th...
Apr 13, 2020•51 min
Today I chat with Sarah Lee who generously shares her inspiring story. Sarah was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2017 and what she did whilst living through the treatment is truly remarkable. When her oncologist said she should get some exercise, like walking around the block, Sarah knew she could do better than that so she set herself challenges like hiking up a steep trail every week, she decided to run to her chemotherapy treatments and then Sarah challenged herself to run the City to B...
Mar 29, 2020•39 min
Today I have an inspirational chat with Beck Butler, endurance athlete, adventurer and owner of dedicated trail store, BKT-Trail. Beck's enthusiasm for all things trail - running or hiking - is contagious. She shares some crazy stories of her Marathon de Sables (MDS) experience. In case you have had your head buried in the sand (ha ha) and have not heard of the MDS, it is a multi-stage race through the Sahara desert (250km in 7 days) in the searing heat where you have to carry everything - all y...
Mar 22, 2020•1 hr 12 min
Today I chat with John Stamoulos about Breathwork. Breathwork is a safe, non-invasive breathing technique known as conscious connected breathing that works on many different levels, for example, at a physical level it relieves tension and stress from the body and at an emotional level people connect to and release suppressed emotions which activates a natural healing process that can ultimately lead to self-mastery. On his website, John says; "Breath is life. Breathwork opens the door to experie...
Mar 15, 2020•32 min
This week I chat with Adrian Barei, founder and owner of Podium Physio, a boutique physiotherapy practice in Adelaide with a special niche in professional bike fitting. Adrian and I discuss common cycling injuries, the importance of complementary strength work for cyclists and the benefits of a professional bike fit. Who knew you could attend a four day conference entirely dedicated to bike fit / optimisation? I certainly didn't. We also chat about Adrian's 13 year career in athletics as a pole ...
Mar 08, 2020•55 min
Today I am honoured to be chatting with Dr Tim Crowe, career research scientist and educator, and founder of Thinking Nutrition blog and podcast. Tim has had a long and interesting scientific career ranging from medical research in cancer and diabetes, to dietetics and teaching in the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at Deakin University for 16 years - where our paths crossed. Tim’s real passion is communicating and translating nutrition research - three years ago he left academia to pu...
Mar 01, 2020•32 min
Today I have a candid and entertaining chat with the dynamo that is Melissa Stefano! Mel worked in education for 25 years, she's worked as a consultant and as a coach, plus, she's a highly awarded choreographer. Suffice to say, Mel had a lot going on; she was a busy and successful business woman and then she was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Mel's world changed but in ways that you might not imagine. Mel was struck by the language around cancer which is often hostile and full of war metaphors an...
Feb 23, 2020•55 min
Today, I chat with an old school friend of mine, Anna Howard, who happens to be extraordinary. Anna has lived all over the world including in some very remote places - think mud huts in west Africa when she worked in the mining industry. Since her early 20s, Anna has loved cooking and has been drawn towards plant based eating. Her passion for vegetarian and vegan food has now become the basis of her work at Plantmade WA, the plant based lifestyle company she's established. At Plantmade WA Anna o...
Feb 16, 2020•31 min
My chat today with Rachelle Martin and Olaf Sorensen is anything but dull! These two are the ultimate self-experimenters, particularly when it comes to diet (and, in Olaf’s case, finding the perfect exercise regime but that will be the subject of another podcast). Both Rachelle and Olaf started experimenting with a low carb diet several years ago, Rachelle, to correct some health issues and Olaf, to find the optimal way to manage his energy for long distance running e.g. ultra marathons. We hear...
Feb 09, 2020•54 min
"Eat less processed food" - you hear it all the time. Today I discuss what that really means. Some forms of processing, like freezing, to increase shelf life is not necessarily a bad thing. The problems lie with ultra-processing where multiple ingredients like fats, sugars and starches are mixed with other substances e.g. artificial colouring and flavourings to come up with some palatable food-like product. This ultra-processed "food" (if you can even call it that) is not health-promoting. Consu...
Feb 05, 2020•15 min
Today’s podcast guest, Tony Karoussis, is a Ninja Warrior, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) purple belt, personal trainer and former engineer. Is there anything this Ninja can’t do? Tony was drawn to martial arts after he left school and fell in love with BJJ. Apart from the obvious physical benefits of enhanced strength and fitness, one of the tenets Jiu-Jitsu is that it builds character and Tony attests to that. We chat about how BJJ has played a big part in who Tony is today - BJJ has taught him to ...
Jan 26, 2020•48 min
Today’s podcast guest, Melissa Anderson, has had a long association with dance, beginning tap dance at the age of three. Fast forward and Mel completed a Bachelor of Dance Performance during which she took Pilates classes. As Mel pondered her career options, which included doing a Diploma of Specialist Makeup Services and Cross Fit instructor training, she was always drawn back to Pilates and that is where her career has landed. In 2018, Mel opened up her very beautiful Pilates studio, Korpermot...
Jan 19, 2020•59 min
Did you know that one third of all the food produced in the world is lost or wasted? That is 1.3 billion tonnes of food costing the global economy around $940 billion every year. This is crazy, right? Especially when 11% of the global population does not have enough to eat. Today I’ll chat about food waste, what the major causes of it are and what is being done about it. There is some innovative and effective action in this space, especially from charities like OzHarvest. I’ll also talk about wh...
Dec 23, 2019•16 min
When many of us think of health and wellbeing, we don’t automatically think of oral health but imagine life with a constant toothache, or not being able to chew properly or speak clearly due to tooth decay or gum disease. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare states that, “Good oral health is fundamental to overall health and wellbeing.” There is nothing ambiguous about that statement! Today I chat with my dentist, Dr. George Forrest, about this crucial aspect of our wellbeing. George e...
Dec 15, 2019•30 min
Today’s podcast guest, Helen Hyde, runs her own personal training business, Helen Hyde Fitness. I was interested in Helen’s story because, like the majority of women I have interviewed, she has moved away from a corporate career into something that is more compatible wth family life and that developed from following her passion - in Helen’s case, movement and fitness. Helen lived a busy expatriate life for two decades that included moves from Adelaide to London to Sydney and then to Chicago, New...
Dec 08, 2019•41 min
Today's podcast guest, Catherine Sayer, is CEO of Food South Australia (SA). Food SA is the peak body supporting SA's food and beverage industry; an industry that contributes $19.7 billion dollars to SA's Gross State Product. I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion, because who doesn't love talking about food, but mainly because it was such an interesting insight into some of the behind the scenes factors that food and beverage producers have to take into account. We chat about the South Australian...
Dec 01, 2019•41 min
Alcohol, like it or loathe it, has been part of the human diet for thousands of years. Today I explain how it is metabolised, what comprises a standard drink, the causes of a hangover and what the latest research has to say about the risks of alcohol consumption. Most importantly, I talk about the short and long term health effects of alcohol consumption. The safest option, from a health point of view, is to eschew it altogether. However, if you do choose to drink, I conclude with some tips abou...
Oct 27, 2019•16 min
Today's podcast guest, Chris Chapman (AKA Chicken), established The Running Company in 2009 at Bondi Beach, Sydney. Fast forward 11 years and he now has 10 stores all over Australia. The Running Company is unique in its approach because they sell only running shoes and the staff gain an in depth knowledge about every style they carry. They also do a full gait analysis and, where appropriate, work with other health professionals like physiotherapists and podiatrist, to ensure that each customer g...
Oct 20, 2019•53 min
Today's podcast guest, Tina Jameson, is the founder of Strong Daughters, bushwalking and camping adventures for girls and their mothers (or grandmothers) that are designed to equip girls with a "tool kit" of skills that help them recognise they are capable and resilient. The adventures also foster the mother-daughter bond. Tina, as a school librarian, noticed a real "confidence gap" in girls between the ages of 11 and 13. Through hiking and camping with her own daughter, Tina observed her daught...
Oct 15, 2019•46 min
Today's podcast guest, Jamie Wetherell, is a physiotherapist at Active Bodies Physiotherapy with a background in chronic pain education and research. We begin our chat by discussing chronic pain which results from a complex interplay between the body and the brain including how fear and anxiety around pain can be a relevant factor in approaching treatment. Jamie talks about his philosophy around his physio practice; rather than simply treating a condition and sending a patient on his or her way,...
Oct 06, 2019•38 min
Today's podcast guests are Sarah Sutter and Jason Tyndall, CEO and GM of Nature Play SA respectively. Nature Play SA is a not-for-profit organisation, the vision of which is to "inspire the South Australian community to engage children in nature through outdoor learning and play". Nature Play SA runs numerous events in outdoor spaces and national parks around South Australia including events for families where kids can engage in cubby house building, potion making and other activities where they...
Sep 29, 2019•43 min
Today's Podcast guest, Lisa Murphy, is the founder of Big Heart Adventures, a travel company specialising in unique, culturally authentic, hosted group active and adventure travel experiences. Lisa and I discuss some of the amazing benefits travel, especially travel involving a physical challenge like trekking, can bring to peoples lives. Lisa believes that travel encouragesempathy, cultural understanding and open mindedness. When combined with physical challenge, it can also help to build resil...
Sep 22, 2019•40 min
Today's podcast guest, William Pullen, is a London-based psychotherapist, TEDx speaker and author who has developed a unique treatment method called "Dynamic Running Therapy" (DRT). DRT has been described as a "revolutionary method" and as "a radical new approach to mindfulness". According to William, movement combined with talking exploits something deep within our DNA and DRT is based on this concept. DRT helps people work through issues like anxiety, depression, anger management or decision m...
Sep 15, 2019•34 min
Today's podcast guest, Dr Scott Coussens, is the first guest to return for a repeat episode! Scott, I have discovered, has expertise in many aspects of neuroscience. In Episode #11 we discussed sleep. In this episode we consider the benefits of nature play for children. Set against a back drop of rising mental illness in children, it is important to identify mediating factors and unstructured nature play appears to be one such factor. Nature play positively impacts resilience and resilience is a...
Sep 12, 2019•39 min
Today’s podcast guest, Dr. Tom Nehmy, is a clinical psychologist, author and founder of the Healthy Minds Program. The Healthy Minds Program is a preventative mental health program taught in secondary schools (and businesses). During his years as a clinical psychologist, Tom realised that those receiving psychological help and learning how to support their mental wellbeing were the ones who ended up in a therapy setting. He increasingly felt that it would be of great benefit for a wider audience...
Sep 01, 2019•40 min
