Ahmed Sulaiman is a language teacher, entrepreneur, and one of the kindest, most generous people I know. We first met nine years ago when I moved to Nablus in the West Bank to volunteer as an English teacher and study Arabic. What started as a professional connection quickly became a friendship that has remained across distance, years, and the ever-changing reality of life in Palestine. In this episode, Ahmed and I reflect on our shared memories of Nablus and the ways the city has changed over t...
Jul 09, 2025•58 min
Jaime de Loma-Osorio Ricon is a long-time advocate for equity and inclusion in education and community work. As Deputy CEO of Banksia Gardens Community Services and Director of the Northern Centre for Excellence in School Engagement, Jaime has helped shape one of Victoria's most respected models of school–community partnership. With over 20 years of experience in Broadmeadows, Jaime brings both deep local knowledge and a bold systems-thinking lens to the work of supporting vulnerable young peopl...
Jun 24, 2025•56 min
Dr Kerry Hinsby is a clinical psychologist with a background in forensic mental health and the clinical lead of the West Yorkshire Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (Hub), a groundbreaking, trauma-informed initiative supporting health and care workers across the region. Megan first met Kerry in Leeds after multiple professionals insisted she meet her and hear about the work happening at the Hub. She found a model of care that centres relationships, community, and proactive support for th...
Jun 12, 2025•54 min
Dr Michelle McQuaid is an author, workplace wellbeing strategist, and founder of The Good Girl Changemakers. With a PhD in Appreciative Inquiry and years of experience working at the intersection of wellbeing, leadership, and psychological safety, Michelle is shifting the conversation around how we care for ourselves and each other in professional spaces. Her work weaves together evidence-based wellbeing science with deeply human insight, helping individuals and organisations create cultures tha...
May 26, 2025•40 min
Margaret Thorsborne is a leading figure in restorative practices, dedicated to transforming the way communities address conflict and harm. As the Managing Director of Transformative Justice Australia and Thorsborne and Associates, she has pioneered the implementation of restorative justice methods in schools, workplaces, and communities worldwide. Margaret co-founded Restorative Practices International, the first global membership organization for restorative practitioners, and has authored seve...
Mar 31, 2025•50 min
Richard Rose is a leading expert in therapeutic life story work, a consultant, trainer, author, and international speaker dedicated to improving the lives of children who have experienced trauma. With decades of experience in child protection, social work, and therapeutic practice, Richard has worked extensively with children in out-of-home care, helping them make sense of their histories and find a sense of belonging. As the Director of Therapeutic Life Story Work International (TLSWi), he trai...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 1 min
Bea Palya is an acclaimed singer, songwriter, entertainer, amateur actor, business manager, trainer, writer, mother and woman. Bea bundles all of her experience, knowledge, and learning into voice and singing coaching, exploring the deep connection between our voice, embodiment and healing. Through her music and teaching, she helps people reconnect with their authentic voice, moving past fear and limitation to express themselves fully. Singing is a whole-body experience—a fast track to accessing...
Mar 04, 2025•1 hr 11 min
Content Warning: This episode discusses domestic homicide, family violence, and trauma, which may be distressing for some listeners. Support services are listed below. Ashton Kline is a survivor, advocate, and ambassador for the Alannah & Madeline Foundation. After losing his mother to domestic homicide as a teenager, Ashton's life was thrown into upheaval—navigating the foster care system, taking on the responsibility of caring for his younger brother, and facing the shortcomings of a child...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 16 min
Content Warning: This episode includes discussion of child sexual abuse, trafficking, and trauma, which may be distressing for some listeners. Please take care of yourself as you listen, and don't hesitate to pause or stop the episode if needed. Support services are listed below. Gloria Masters is a survivor, advocate, and author dedicated to protecting children and supporting adult survivors of child sexual abuse. Drawing from her own childhood experiences of abuse and trafficking, Gloria has t...
Jan 23, 2025•57 min
Dr. Jeremy Goldberg is a Dad, partner, writer, speaker, and creator of Long Distance Love Bombs, a platform dedicated to making kindness cool and building a more compassionate world. Known for his heartfelt words and raw honesty, Jeremy's work explores vulnerability, personal growth, and the power of human connection. Now stepping into parenthood, he brings his passion for kindness and introspection into his evolving role as a father, offering a unique perspective on the intersections of caregiv...
Dec 17, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Dr Lori Desautels is an author, educator, and pioneer in the field of applied educational neuroscience. She focuses on bringing a neurobiological understanding of behaviour and connection into classrooms, equipping educators and students alike with tools to navigate stress and adversity. As the creator of Applied Educational Neuroscience at Butler University, Lori's work bridges research and practice, transforming how we think about teaching, learning, and relationships in educational settings. ...
Dec 05, 2024•38 min
Zinny Hunt is our youngest guest on Wag Tales to date. At 17, Zinny works as a Student Voice Support Officer and Youth Advocate, bringing a fresh perspective to the table. After graduating high school last year, Zinny dedicated himself to working alongside schools and youth organizations, ensuring that young people's needs and voices are front and center in decisions that affect them. In this episode, Zinny shares his insights on several pressing issues, including what schools can do to best sup...
Oct 28, 2024•59 min
Content warning: In this episode, we discuss the themes of sexual abuse and childhood trauma. If you or someone you know is/are struggling, please seek professional support. If you are in Australia you can call LifeLine 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636. Dr Donna Lyon is the founder of Left Write Hook, which started as a program incorporating boxing and creative writing to support female-identifying and gender-diverse adult survivors of sexual abuse. After battling with a laundry list of symp...
Aug 09, 2024•47 min
Linda Rowley is a positive psychology interventionist, workplace wellbeing facilitator and coach, She is known for facilitating environments of trust and collaboration (even amongst groups with diverse perspectives) where individuals can codesign and commit to shared wellbeing goals. Linda has a reputation for communicating complex information in easily digestible and actionable ways, and this podcast episode is no exception. In this episode, Linda and Megan discuss the topics of social anxiety ...
Jul 26, 2024•53 min
Adela Holmes is a passionate advocate for children and young people in the child protection system, having 51 years of experience in the field (so far). Adela has worked with some of the most vulnerable young people in Victoria, centring her work on those residing in out-of-home care. She wrote the Berry Street submission for Take-two (a therapeutic outreach service) and the model for Hustrbridge Farm (the Victorian government's flagship model of therapeutic residential care) and was the foundin...
Jul 08, 2024•1 hr 29 min
Content warning: In this episode, we discuss experiences of mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder and high-risk pregnancy. If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek professional support. If you are in Australia you can call LifeLine 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636. Diana Nicholls is a mother to twins, author of 30 Weeks 1 Day: A memoir of strength, survival and mental health , a personal trainer, mental health coach, and a long-distance runner. Diana is passionate about...
Jun 25, 2024•51 min
Jack Greig is a teacher, facilitator, and a Doctor of Education candidate at the University of Melbourne. He has worked in urban and remote communities, advocating for wellbeing and equity across school systems, and culturally responsive teaching in collaboration with First Nations and superdiverse school communities. Jack co-founded Teachers' Well , a community of practice for teachers leading wellbeing initiatives, and was a senior teacher on Yolŋu country in Northeast Arnhem Land, NT. Jack an...
Jun 11, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Ben Sacco is the Managing Director of Education Economy , working alongside schools and organisations to amplify their connection to purpose and passion. He has over 20 years of experience in education and business management, bringing a unique perspective to some of the challenges emerging in the education sector. Ben and Megan met a couple of years ago, connecting over their shared vision of seeing better wellbeing for everyone in schools. In this episode, Ben and Megan discuss the conditions ...
Jun 02, 2024•55 min
Rebecca Harris is the author of Safe to Learn: Embedding Trauma-Informed Student Wellbeing Practices . She also works as a counsellor and consultant. Rebecca has held various wellbeing roles in schools and is deeply passionate about supporting teachers to better understand the stress and needs of students (and themselves) to improve outcomes. Rebecca and Megan had not met before the day of recording; however, they discovered they view the world and education in very similar ways, both focusing o...
May 16, 2024•49 min
Jen Willis is a mother, an educator, speaker, coach, and high altitude mountaineer with Multiple sclerosis (MS), who climbed Mount Everest in 2023. Jen's MS diagnosis began in 2008 after the birth of her third child, but wasn't formally confirmed until 10 years later. Upon receiving the formal diagnosis, Jen decided it was time to live her dream of mountaineering, knowing that MS may one day confine her to a wheelchair. Everest wasn't always the goal, but in an attempt to raise funds for MS rese...
Apr 21, 2024•1 hr 16 min
Belinda Jankowiak is an Occupational Therapist (OT), zealous child advocate, and founder of Project Classroom, where she supports educators to create classroom spaces that are soothing and meet the needs of all students and teachers. Belinda has worked alongside educators for over 20 years and shares the science behind the work in ways that are accessible and applicable for all. Megan and Belinda have been following each other's work for awhile and Megan was eager to dive into a conversation wit...
Apr 14, 2024•43 min
Liam Wood is a parent, teacher, school leader, and Director at Cor Effect. Liam's career in education began as he was working in education support while writing a book and he realised he loved the time in the classroom more than the time spent writing. He dived right into teaching through the Teach For Australia (TFA) program, having real experience in the classroom while completing his studies. Since then, Liam has dedicated himself to supporting students most in need, working in schools experi...
Mar 12, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Martin Bisp is the co-founder of Empire Fighting Chance, a boxing gym in the UK that provides Boxing Therapy to vulnerable young people. In 1972, Empire Amateur Boxing Club opened in Bristol, producing a long line of champion boxers, and like most boxing gyms, have a strong community. In 2006, the direction of the club took an unplanned turn when Martin Bisp and Jamie Sanigar decided to have a conversation with 2 young people who were dealing drugs across the road from the gym. To try and get th...
Feb 26, 2024•36 min
David Cerrone is a comedian, clown, actor, teacher, humanitarian, art therapist, and author who travelled the world to understand laughter. In 2016, David set off on a 12-month adventure with the plan to visit 11-12 countries, volunteer, meet people and create a documentary along the way. In 2016, Megan also set off on an adventure, which led her to cross paths with David while they were both volunteering as teachers in Palestine. Megan and David bonded quickly, sharing a deep connection to educ...
Feb 03, 2024•1 hr 18 min
In this episode, Graeme Baird and Megan Corcoran come together to discuss the Senate Inquiry on disruptive behaviour in Australian schools. Both Graeme and Megan are passionate about this topic, having worked extensively with young people who present with behaviour that could be considered “disruptive.” To try and make sense of the inquiry, Graeme and Megan unpack the 2 approaches used by schools and in various settings with young people. The first approach they refer to is behaviourism (the mor...
Jan 21, 2024•58 min
Marissa (Riss) Williamson Pohlman is a proud Ngarrindjeri woman, who was raised on Wadawurrung Country in Victoria and very recently became the first Aboriginal woman to qualify for the sport of boxing in the Olympics. At the 2023 Australian Elite Boxing Championships in August, she also made history being the first woman to win the Arthur Tunstall Trophy, which is given to the best boxer at the tournament. She will be representing Australia at the 2024 Olympics and has started a very busy train...
Jan 14, 2024•38 min
This episode of the Wag Tales is a special edition to shed light on life in Palestine. In this episode, Megan is joined by one of her favourite people and good friends, the first Palestinian she met when she visited the region. This guest is the BEST tour guide in Palestine, an almost 35-year-old, living just outside of Bethlehem with his wife and 2 children. The first time Megan visited the West Bank, she was with a group of friends, and they did not have a lot of time to navigate the best way ...
Dec 21, 2023•52 min
Content warning: In this episode we discuss the topic of suicide and mental illness. If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek professional support. If you are in Australia, you can call LifeLine 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 . Shane Kelton is an author, speaker, podcaster, personal trainer, husband, and parent of 2 boys. He recently published his book “I didn't want to die, I just wanted the pain to end” which shares his personal struggle with mental illness and suicidal tend...
Dec 10, 2023•1 hr 4 min
This episode of the Wag Tales is a special edition, unlike other episodes you may have previously heard. In this episode, Megan is joined by her good friend, Yahya. Yahya is a Palestinian man, and an optimist, living in Ramallah in the West Bank, Palestine. He has studied extensively and worked several different jobs, including as an Accountant, a researcher, and an advocate for workers' rights. Megan and Yahya met when he received a scholarship to come to Australia and study social sciences and...
Nov 28, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Dr Peggy Kern is a Professor at the Centre for Wellbeing Science at Melbourne University, with a BA in Psychology, and a Masters and PhD in social/personality psychology. If you were to start reading some academic papers or recent texts on wellbeing science or positive psychology, you would quickly come across Peggy's name! Peggy and Megan met in 2018 while Megan was completing her Masters of Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) at Melbourne University and was completing her capstone on belonging....
Nov 28, 2023•50 min
