How many of us meander and stumble along in “a life that is expected of us?” For Rochelle Pattison, that meant pursuing a successful career in law and finance, getting married and having kids. Growing up as a young boy in a regional NSW town, Rochelle knew that she was different, but believed she had to hide that difference. As a teenager, she worked hard, and excelled at sport, music and academia while boarding at an all-boys boarding school in Melbourne. So, when her Dad pulled her aside to tell her she was “too prissy,” she was hurt and terrified. After living under a painful cloak of secrecy, lies, and shame for decades, Rochelle made a decision to explore her agony in therapy, as well as open up to the only person who knew her secret, in a quest to discover her true self. In this conversation with Rochelle, we learn what it’s like to live with unbearable shame and the distress of living a life that’s inauthentic to who you are at your very core. We also glean emotional insights into what can ensue when you tell your partner of 29 years that you’re not who they think you are. However, don’t be fooled. This is not only a conversation of gender dysphoria, but a powerful story of the fight to live as the real you, the you that you always sensed you were. And that makes it a profoundly human story that could be yours or mine, but luckily for our treasured Human Cogs listeners, this is Rochelle’s story. Guest: Rochelle PattisonSocials: Instagram, LinkedIn Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People throw around words like kindness and empathy like empty packets. They don’t deeply feel those values, really know the lived truth of them or take them and use them to give comfort or a safe cradle to the people around them. But Lucy Thomas does.  As the Co-founder and Co-CEO of the phenomenally successful social enterprise Project Rockit, her vision is of a world where kindness and respect thrive over bullying, hate and prejudice, and where all young people are free to realise their unique potential.  Since 2006, Project Rockit has reached half a million young Australians by delivering powerful in-school workshops and online resources to teach kids to stand up to and not stand by bullying, and to help them navigate the complex individual, relational and societal human skills of inclusion, respect, diversity and empathy.  In this conversation, Lucy shares the Project Rockit story to now, and how after building her career as an indomitable social crusader tackling bullying, her life was fundamentally changed when she herself became the target of an extended pattern of bullying.  Lucy wrapped up these personal learnings in her widely received TEDx talk, Kindness: The ultimate rebellion against bullying, has recently received an Order of Australia Medal for service to youth and against bullying, and has now stepped out to create impact on the global stage working with Facebook, Google, Instagram and Twitter to combat cyberbullying.   This conversation with Lucy strikes to the heart of things. Unseats us all a little bit. But it matters. Because it reminds us so we won’t forget, that imagination is the birthplace of empathy, unconditional positive regard is the bedrock of all real human connection, and that no matter what, kindness conquers all. Guest: Lucy ThomasWebsite: projectrockit.com.auSocials: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The final report of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System was tabled in a special sitting of the Victorian Parliament in March 2021. The landmark final report outlines changes to create a future mental health and wellbeing system that provides holistic treatment, care and support for all - and a system that is finally co-designed by those who have lived experience of mental illness, so the services have the community, families and consumers at the centre of it.  The Victorian government has since committed 1B dollars to implement the reforms. One of the psychiatrists who provided key recommendations for the mental health reforms is Dr Paul Denborough, a Director at the Alfred Hospital and Headspace Australia, a specialist in anorexia treatment, and mental health expert who has worked with thousands of adolescents, young people and their families over decades.  Paul also helped establish Discovery College - who create and run courses on mental health, recovery and well-being, and who help people come together to learn from each other, share experiences and reach new understandings of mental health. In this conversation, Madeleine Grummet and Paul talk about the missing middle in the mental health system, why early intervention is so critical to recovery, and why Paul believes seeing the person, not the illness, is a more humanist, compassionate and personalised care model that should be available to all who are struggling with complex mental health challenges. While Paul admits mental health crises and the pressures on professionals have skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are currently seeing a mental health tsunami as a direct result of the early 2020 bushfires, pandemic and the increased conversations around sexual assault, he ultimately has faith that we are moving toward a mental health and care model that has humans at its heart. And a warning that this episode covers some heavy topics and themes. If you or anyone you know needs help you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14. Guest: Dr Paul DenboroughSocials: LinkedIn Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of you will have seen Osher Günsberg’s smiling face whizzing past on billboards, or on TV, or have heard his voice on the radio airwaves, sizzling with musicality and a truckload of energy. An author, television and radio presenter, musician, journalist and podcaster – his podcast Better Than Yesterday has been downloaded 4.3 million times – Osher is one of Australia’s most recognisable media personalities and has been a guest in the living rooms of Australians for decades. However, behind the talented and entertaining face and voice loved by many, in this conversation we meet a soulful, reflective and wise human who has not only worked hard for his extraordinary success, but dug deep in the darkest of places to explore the complexities of living with mental illness, so he can forge a way to live an authentic, rich and fulfilling life.On the cusp of the age of 50, we learn what it’s really like being him, where he finds his moments of flow, how his wife Audrey saved his life - and why his different brain is his absolute superpower.   Guest: Osher GünsbergWebsite: oshergunsberg.comSocials: Twitter, Instagram Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Motherless Daughters Australia co-founder Danielle Snelling was 23 when her mother Rosa died. The experience left Danielle feeling isolated and misunderstood. When she connected with Eloise Baker-Hughes, who was also grieving the loss of her mum, they uncovered a shared understanding and validation in each other’s stories. Together they founded @motherlessdaughtersau with the aim of connecting some of the 3.7 million Australian women who have lost their mum. In this conversation with Human Cogs host Sabina Read, Danielle debunks the 5 stages of grief, suggests tips for coping with the relentless triggers and difficult times that arise during milestone and annual calendar events and shares what NOT to say to someone who is grieving. If your mum has passed and you have a deep yearning to pick up the phone and ask her just one more question, or if you’re a mum facing health issues imagining what it might be like to die early and not see your children live into adulthood, or if you wish to cherish and honour the mother-daughter relationship, then this episode will likely resonate with you. Guest: Danielle SnellingWebsite: motherlessdaughters.com.auSocials: Facebook, Instagram Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Julia May believes that visibility — to self and others — is not about vanity but about building influence and impact. An ex-journalist, who spent five years as a foreign correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald before holding senior roles at Reuters and The Times of London, Julia has now found her sweet spot and nexus for real impact as the Founder of Visibility Co - a leadership consultancy. As a parent to two young daughters,  her vision is that, when they are grown, the world will have been brought back from the brink. She tells them regularly; ‘It’s ok. Whoever you are is good’. And yet, the women and global leaders she works with so often grapple with persistent impostor syndrome, struggle to identify their values, and are frustrated by not knowing how to create real and lasting impact in the areas they care passionately about.  Julia thinks we all have the ability to lead ourselves and lift others up no matter we’re at, and that once we know - and own - our story, we can elevate others, to then in turn, elevate others, and pay it forward.  Guest: Julia MayWebsite: visibilityco.comSocials: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bernard Salt is an Australian newspaper columnist, keynote speaker, business advisor and author of six best-selling books, but he is most widely known as a thought leader in demographic patterns and predictions.  He is also credited with globally popularising concepts such as the ‘Smashed Avocado’, VESPA and Seachange Shifts – changes that are currently reshaping Australia’s culture, economy and society. But for all his outward-facing and portfolio career success, it turns out that Bernard’s worst nightmare is rocking up to a party and being asked what he does for a living… because in his own words, “well, it’s complicated.”  From humble beginnings growing up as a working-class kid in a Housing Commission home in country Victoria to today, Bernard has been passionately curious about using statistics to tell stories that inform social trends and human behaviour in Australia, which he still describes as the lucky country. In this conversation, we go a level under the statistics with Bernard, and discuss how education freed him; and why the pandemic world we’re living in needs a Control / Alt / Delete moment, so we can take the learnings, wake up to where we’re at, and rethink the future of Australia, for ourselves and for future generations. Guest: Bernard SaltWebsite: The Demographics Group Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Evans is a renowned psychologist who has worked in private practice for two decades and now works in the challenging space of the rehabilitation of sex offenders in Australia, and with young men struggling with issues of consent. In this episode, we step into some difficult and dark areas of the human psyche with Tom, as we explore primitive drivers and sexual dictates, how young men learn about ‘normalised’ sexual behaviour, what consent really means, and what we should be teaching them about healthy, mutually consenting sex.Tom also shares his own harrowing story as a victim of crime, and how this traumatic experience has informed his clinical practice, and the way he works with - and understands - the complex psychology of young men. This conversation deals with some very difficult topics, especially in light of what is currently playing out in the Australian Federal Parliament, and in a week that has seen thousands of people join 40+ Women's March4Justice rallies across the nation demanding an end to gendered violence and inequality.But despite this backdrop to the conversation, this episode provides a point of light because within the darkness Tom sees in human behaviour, he works to enable hope - and ultimately healing - for perpetrators, victims and for humanity at large.  Please note opinions and statements in this episode are the express views of Tom Evans and not those of his employer. Guest: Tom EvansSocials: LinkedIn Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dom Price sees the future. But he’s not a late-night hotline psychic. Dom is the globally renowned work futurist at Atlassian – Australia’s first multi-billion dollar software company. Dom’s superpower is his ability to inspire people to transform the practices of their working lives, so they can work anywhere, with real flexibility and purpose – and design the futures they want to intentionally step into.  But what first strikes you about Dom is that he is unmistakably from Manchester, has boundless curiosity and is infectiously joyous.  In this episode of Human Cogs, hosts Sabina Read and Madeleine Grummet go deep with Dom on how we work, why we work, how his recent battle with cancer catalysed his own work-life shifts – and why we should all be doing audits on ourselves every Friday afternoon. In the current COVID world, we, unfortunately, couldn’t be in the room together for this chat, so we apologise if the sound quality is a bit dodgy in this episode. It’s well worth a listen though – this conversation is loaded with heaps of gems. Guest: Dom PriceWebsite: DomPrice.meSocials: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TedX Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the age of 16, Matija Squire was close to being classified as just another statistic. Pregnant, a school dropout and estranged from her family, she was isolated living in a small country town, contemplating her next steps. This episode of Human Cogs tells the remarkable story of what happened next, when against all odds and with the judgement of society against her, Matija chose to have her son.  The years that followed were tumultuous and uncertain, as she navigated raising a child when she was still a child herself. At 19, with a 3-year-old in tow, unemployed and nearly broke, she felt destitute and broken. Fast forward to now, and Matija is today an accomplished Lecturer, Speaker, Business Owner, Board Director, Startup Mentor and COO, who found a new way forward for herself and her son through the life-changing gateway of education, and the catalysing power of a stranger seeing the potential in her that she couldn’t see in herself. Matija believes your circumstances should never dictate your potential, and that “The only person you are destined to become, is the person you decide to be.”  Guest: Matija SquireSocials: Instagram, LinkedIn Hosts: Sabina Read and Madeleine GrummetProducer: Daryl Missen at Purple Wax Human Cogs is available on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts or via our website. Got some thoughts on today's episode you'd like to share? Join in the convo at insta @human.cogsWant to support our show? We will sprinkle you with loving kindness and all good things if you CLICK FOLLOW on Apple and Spotify! Or if you're really feeling it, please leave us a REVIEW.Thanks for listening! Learn more and support the show: https://www.humancogs.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.