

The Imperfects
Hugh van Cuylenburg, Ryan Shelton & Josh van Cuylenburg
We’re all imperfect. On this podcast, founder of The Resilience Project Hugh van Cuylenburg, his good friend Ryan Shelton, and only one of their brothers, Josh van Cuylenburg, talks to a variety of interesting people who vulnerably share their own struggles and imperfections, or expertly pass on their wisdom on the subject of imperfection. Whether it’s in The Vulnerabilitea House, The Academy of Imperfection, or with our very own psychologist, Dr Emily, The Imperfects are here to find some valuable takeaways we can all apply to our own imperfect lives.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 15, 2023 • 1h 27min
Taryn Brumfitt - Every Body Is Perfect
Taryn Brumfitt, body image campaigner and documentarian, discusses her own body image journey and the impact of her documentaries. They challenge societal body standards and highlight the negative effects of body image issues on individuals and society. The speakers share their personal struggles and emphasize the importance of prioritizing mental and emotional well-being over physical appearance. They also discuss the upcoming film 'Embrace Men' and finding common ground with organizations to promote body positivity.

Oct 8, 2023 • 1h 46min
Tim Minchin - Lucky To Be Here
Tim Minchin is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, poet, composer, and songwriter. He’s probably best known for his music, his comedy, and well… his ‘Matilda: The Musical’… but has it really all been “luck”?Tim talks with Hugh, Ryan and Josh about so many different things in this fascinating chat about art and creativity, family, free-will, success, failure and the importance of taking life one level at a time.For tickets to Tim's new show, An Unfunny Evening with Tim Minchin and His Piano, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3ZxAGVsTo watch Tim perform White Wine in The Sun, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3RzwORSTo purchase The Resilience Project's journals, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3RUBke7 To listen to our episode with Dr James van Cuylenburg, mentioned in this episode, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3ZFS0YA See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 4, 2023 • 18min
Vulnerability Update: Josh Wrote a Song!
If you know, you know. And if you do know, you’re just as bonkers excited as we are.Buuut if you don’t know, that’s totally fine too.Those that were able to make it along to our Live On Stage show this year were treated to the debut performance of a song, written and performed by our very own Josh van Cuylenburg. But this song was not without context.In Season 3 Josh shared a vulnerable story from 13 years ago that resulted in him losing the confidence to realise his lifelong dream of writing music (link to that episode below). But when we were planning our Live on Stage Show, we asked Josh to consider writing and performing an original song. And ohhhhh boy… HE DELIVERED. Today we are very proud and excited to announce that “We Were Here” has not only been recorded, but the song is now available on Spotify, with a seriously moving official music video that you can WATCH on YouTube. Links below.To listen to Josh's song on Spotify, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3Zyg3bG To watch the film clip on YouTube, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuMrC0AZ4koTo listen to the original Vulnerabilitea House episode where Josh first talked about losing his confidence to write music, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3tdYkKI To purchase our Vulnerabilitea House cards sets, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3PBFlkRSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 1, 2023 • 54min
Dan Sultan - Stopping The Bullshit
Dan Sultan, 5-time ARIA Award winner, talks about his struggles with addiction, the joy he finds in his family, and his love for creativity. They discuss the importance of mindfulness in the creative process and reflect on Paul Keating's Redfern speech. They also emphasize the significance of honesty in overcoming addiction and the importance of respecting different opinions.

Sep 27, 2023 • 1h 18min
Jack's Gambling Addiction Story
For Jack, it’s progress, not perfection when it comes to his battle with gambling addiction.This one is a slightly different episode for The Imperfects. Jack isn’t a celebrity, or an expert. But he is a person with imperfections, just like everyone else. And Jack has been kind enough to share his all-too-familiar story with Hugh, Ryan and Josh.Jack discusses his crippling battle with sports gambling, his experience at rehab, and how he was finally able to escape his life of keeping secrets.Jack’s story of gambling addiction is not a story we hear often, but it’s sadly a very common one - particularly in AustraliaTo contact Gambler Helpline, call 1800 858 858To learn more about BetStop, and the national self exclusion register, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3Zzub4l To learn more about Gamblers Anonymous, and find GA meetings near you, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3ZuXmpnFor app recommendation, My Spiritual Toolkit, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3RCa04a For mindfulness, meditation and sleep app recommendation, Calm, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3RxzIGVThis episodes contains a discussion around addiction and mentions suicidal thoughts, if this feels like too much for you to listen to right now, we recommend skipping this one and only listening when you feel ready. The Imperfects is not a licensed mental health service and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment. The advice given in this episode is general in nature, but if you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional, or call lifeline on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 24, 2023 • 1h 10min
Dr Emily - Other People Matter
Dr Emily is back - and once again proving why she is increasingly becoming the most popular person on The Imperfects.This Emisode is all about a fundamental part of Positive Psychology… the beautiful idea that OTHER PEOPLE MATTER.Now, you’re probably thinking… of course other people matter, right? Seems pretty obvious. But here, Dr Emily explains what it is about ‘other people’, that matters so much, and how much it relates to our never-ending search for that elusive thing we call “happiness”.To learn more about positive psychology and Christopher Peterson's work, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3t7AvnP To learn more about the impact of physical touch to build trust and corporation and to read about the NBA basketball study mentioned in the episode, follow this link: https://bit.ly/48puJ0R To learn more about Eudimonic and hedonistic happiness, and Martin Seligman's work, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3PRs88wFor Josh's recommendation, This Is Water, by David Foster Wallace, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eC7xzavzEKY&t=6s For book recommendation, 'The Happiness Trap' by Russ Harris, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3tbjkl0 For book recommendation, 'The Courage To Be Disliked', by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga, follow this link: https://bit.ly/452d8cAFor book recommendation, 'On Living', by Hospice Chaplain Kerry Egan, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3rz3tfE For book recommendation, 'Love 2.0' by Barbara Fredrickson, follow this link: https://bit.ly/48psM4BThe Imperfects is not a licensed mental health service and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment. The advice given in this episode is general in nature, but if you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional, or call lifeline on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 17, 2023 • 1h 16min
Brooke Blurton - The Path Of Most Resilience
Brooke Blurton, a First Nations bisexual Bachelorette and advocate for cultural awareness, shares her inspiring journey of resilience. She discusses her transition from youth work to reality TV, aiming to promote inclusivity and representation. The conversation dives into her experiences with trauma, loss, and the importance of storytelling in Indigenous culture. Brooke reflects on advocating for Indigenous rights, emphasizing education and empathy, while exploring the transformative power of love and personal growth through significant life lessons.

Sep 13, 2023 • 46min
Penny Moodie's New Book - OCD & Finding Joy Again
Penny Moodie first shared her OCD story on The Imperfects in 2020. Since then, we and she have been flooded with incredible feedback from OCD sufferers who finally felt seen. Now Penny is back because she’s written an incredible book about OCD called The Joy Thief and it’s out now (link below).In this beautifully moving episode, Penny talks openly with Hugh, Ryan and Josh about some of the confronting moments from her book. The reason Penny calls OCD ‘the joy thief’ is because it attempts to steal so much of the joy from your life. In Penny’s case, it almost stole her blossoming relationship with Hugh in the early days, and as a child it tried to take the one thing she held most sacred - the safety of her mother.This may be a b-b-b-bonus episode, but it’s also a v-v-v-very special one.To purchase Penny's book, The Joy Thief, follow this link: https://bit.ly/3RkMTuCTo learn more about OCD and to access resources to assist with getting help and how to manage it, follow these links: So OCD - https://soocd.com.au/ This Way Up - https://thiswayup.org.au/ The International OCD Foundation: https://iocdf.org/ The Imperfects is not a licensed mental health service and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice, treatment or assessment. The advice given in this episode is general in nature, but if you’re struggling, please see a healthcare professional, or call lifeline on 13 11 14.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

4 snips
Sep 10, 2023 • 1h 6min
Professor Tim Spector - Food Fight
Professor Tim Spector, one of the world's top 100 most cited scientists, discusses the mysteries of food. Topics include debunking low fat labels, the impact of exercise and calorie reduction on weight loss, changing perspectives on food, reevaluating commonly believed healthy foods, and exploring fasting, individualized nutrition, and gut health.

Sep 3, 2023 • 1h 41min
Grant Denyer - Self-Worth Was Worth Fighting For
Grant Denyer, TV personality known for his joy and vulnerability on screen, opens up in a raw and vulnerable chat about his past dependence on pain medication and how it jeopardized his career, marriage, and family. He shares his story of hope and resilience, highlighting the importance of self-worth and fighting for his life.