Better Thinking

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Martin Fisk about helping young guys reach their full potential and become the great adult men they want to be through mentoring and counselling. Martin Fisk is the Chief Executive of Menslink and joined in March 2011 after a twenty-five year career in both the private and public sectors, including nearly ten years running his own business. Since joining Menslink, he has significantly expanded the reach of Menslink’s support programs, with nearly ten times the number of young men accessing their free counselling, mentoring and group programs than at the beginning of the decade. An active campaigner  for young men, Martin speaks to schools, businesses and community groups across the region about issues facing young men, their families and communities, including family violence, gender issues, youth mental health, drugs and suicide – still the leading cause of death in men under 40. In 2012, Martin designed the award-winning Silence is Deadly campaign to reduce the stigma of admitting to problems and encourage more young men to get help when faced with troubled times. This program has been successfully rolled out to tens of thousands of students across high schools, colleges and universities across the Canberra region and has resulted in significantly more young men opening up about their hassles in life and getting help when they need it. Martin is currently the Vice President of the ACT Council of Social Services (ACTCOSS) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). He serves on the ACT Government’s Gambling and Racing Commission’s Advisory Committee. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/martin-fiskSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Steve Zolezzi about outdoor learnings, spirituality, symbolism, and nature as a therapeutic aid. Steve Zolezzi is a Registered Psychologist with 25 years experience in education and psychology and is a leading expert on school well-being and positive psychology practice. He consults widely both nationally and internationally in helping schools move to integrated academic and well-being excellence. Steve has been a School Psychologist since 1994, having worked with the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay, St Aloysius College, and currently as the Head of Positive Education at Knox Grammar School where he received the Knox Headmaster’s Award for Leadership in 2013.  Steve is also a Founding member of The Australasian Biofeedback Society and International School Psychologists Society.  He is a Qualified Teacher, certified Sports Psychologist and Physical Education Instructor. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/steve-zolezziSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Prof David Sloan Wilson about how human attempts to solve problems from an evolution perspective can have unintended consequences. David Sloan Wilson is an evolutionary biologist with a wide range of interests, including natural selection as a hierarchical process, the nature of intraspecific variation, the evolution of ecological communities and human evolutionary biology. He is also SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He applies evolutionary theory to all aspects of humanity in addition to the rest of life, both in his own research and as director of EvoS, a unique campus-wide evolutionary studies program that recently received NSF funding to expand into a nationwide consortium.  Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/david-sloan-wilsonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Shaun O’Gorman about living a life with strength, tenacity, resilience, optimism, nurturing & generosity. Shaun O’Gorman has seen his fair share of violence and depravity throughout his life. In fact, more like many lives worth. But it has not defined the man he has become today, despite it trying its very best. Despite his parents' divorce, a violent 13-year Police career, a diagnosis of PTSD & depression, an extended battle with suicide, a bitter divorce, and a prolonged family court custody battle, he never gave in. Shaun now lives an amazing life, he has a beautiful relationship with his daughters, a fantastic loving partner, and he lives his dream career helping others and having an impact. Now he uses his experience to inspire other people to LIVE THE STRONG LIFE. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/shaun-ogorman See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Will Henshall about personalized music that can help you focus, reduce distractions, and maintain productivity when working and studying. Will Henshall has achieved notable global success both as a musical/visual artist and as a technical inventor. In 1987, he founded the British pop soul band Londonbeat and had two Billboard #1 hit records, “I’ve Been Thinking About You” (91) and “Come Back” (95). He founded Rocket Network, a Paul Allen/Cisco-funded San Francisco company, in 1995 and created the professional audio media transfer system, DigiDelivery. He sold the company to Avid/Digidesign in 2003. Focus@Will started in Los Angeles in 2011 when founders Will Henshall and John Vitale became interested in why people like to listen to music while at work and studying. Research showed 2 out of 3 of people like to listen to music while they work or study, but it’s difficult to find and manage sounds that consistently work well. So we created a new neuroscience based music service that helps increase your focus by reducing distractions, energizing you and helping you hit those critical deadlines. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/will-henshall  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Hugh van Cuylenburg about finding happiness through gratitude, empathy, and mindfulness. Hugh van Cuylenburg has been working in education for more than 17 years, teaching both primary and secondary in a range of educational settings. He has completed postgraduate studies looking at resilience and wellbeing, and has developed and facilitated programs for more than a thousand schools Australia-wide.  In 2015, the National Rugby League asked Hugh to design and implement a series of comprehensive workshops at every single club in the competition. Since then, he has worked with the Australian cricket team, the Australian netball team, the Australian women’s soccer team, the Australian women's rugby league team, ten AFL teams, the Australian Olympic Committee and every soccer team in the A-League. Beyond the team environment, Hugh has worked one-on-one with individuals such as Steve Smith, Billy Slater and Dustin Martin. Outside of schools and elite sport, Hugh has presented to hundreds of corporate organisations as a keynote speaker, and for three years running his national speaking tour has sold out. He is also co-host of the popular podcast The Imperfects. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/hugh-van-cuylenburgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Rick Hanson about overcoming the brain's negativity bias and finding more happiness, self-worth, love, and peace in life. Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, and New York Times best-selling author. His books are available in 29 languages and include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture – with 900,000 copies in English alone. He edits the Wise Brain Bulletin and has numerous audio programs. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, he’s been an invited speaker at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. Dr Hanson has been a trustee of Saybrook University, served on the board of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and was president of the board of FamilyWorks, a community agency. He began meditating in 1974, trained in several traditions, and leads a weekly meditation gathering in San Rafael, California. His work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, and NPR, and 150,000 subscribers receive his free Just One Thing newsletter every week. He has a variety of popular online programs in positive neuroplasticity – with scholarships available for those with financial need. He enjoys wilderness activities and taking a break from emails. He and his wife have two adult children. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/rick-hansonSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Mary Andreadis about career paths, selecting an organisation, finding a supervisor, and other pieces of advice for early career psychologists.  Nesh Nikolic is a Canberra-based clinical psychologist with over 15,000 hours of one-on-one therapy experience. He has trained in a number of therapy modes including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Schema Therapy and he is also recognised by Medicare Australia as a qualified provider of specialist clinical psychology services. His therapeutic passion lies in utilising Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for his clients and has trained clinicians around Australia in ACT. Nesh holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), Association for Contextual Behavioural Science and Fellow of the APS College of Clinical Psychologists. Mary Andreadis is a Melbourne-based provisional psychologist. She has completed a Bachelors and Honours Degree in Psychology and is completing a Masters Degree in this field to become a qualified psychologist. Mary has worked as a mental health community support worker, counsellor and facilitated monthly anxiety support groups. Alongside all of this, she also writes a blog at MindIntertwined.com. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/nesh-nikolic-early-career-adviceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Dr Gemma Sharp about the tremendous increase in demand for cosmetic surgery like labiaplasty, butt lifts, boob jobs, etc., and its impacts concerning body image. Dr Gemma Sharp is a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Early Career Research Fellow and Clinical Psychologist. She leads the Body Image Research Group at the Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre (MAPrc) at Monash University in Melbourne. Her research broadly focuses on the impacts of media on body image concerns, which can lead to body image related disorders and the pursuit of cosmetic surgery. She has a particular interest in the use of novel technologies, including artificial intelligence, to assist people with body image concerns and is currently developing a conversational agent/"chatbot" together with the Butterfly Foundation. She also runs her own private clinical psychology practice, where she specialises in the treatment of body image concerns, body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/gemma-sharpSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of Better Thinking, Nesh Nikolic speaks with Carla Ferrari about Forensic Assessments & Reports. Carla Ferrari is the Director and Principal Forensic Psychologist of Ferrari Consulting Group and established the practice due to the growing demand for services for forensic clients, and to satisfy her interest in exploring the interface between law and psychology. Carla holds full registration as a psychologist with the Psychology Board of Australia and endorsement as a Forensic Psychologist. She specializes in providing psycholegal assessments and reports for Court, having completed her Masters degree in Forensic Psychology in 2010. Carla is often required to give evidence in Court as an expert witness and has experience working with clients of diverse backgrounds requiring psychological assessment for criminal charges, family law, Victims of Crime, and for civil matters including personal injury claims, immigration, and institutional abuse. Episode links at https://neshnikolic.com/podcast/carla-ferrariSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.