31. Mark Mathieson: the psychology of soldiers and the impact of combat

34. Stephanie Case - 'The Ultimate Outlier', a UN Human Rights Lawyer who breaks running conventions

"There is a value doing work where you are able to support one person or are able to shift the landscape in the tiniest way and move a millimetre in the right direction. You have to believe wholeheartedly in what you are doing or you will lose your mind." Stephanie Case is a human rights lawyer and women’s rights advocate with expertise in conflict settings and humanitarian emergencies. Starting her career as a corporate lawyer in NYC, the Global Financial Crises offered her an opportunity to take a year off. She did a series of international law consultancies before accepting her dream job - a volunteer position for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in 2012. Since then her career has taken her to some of the world's most vulnerable populations. She has done multiple deployments for the UN in Afghanistan, the International Rescue Committee in South Sudan, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Kyrgyzstan, and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Gaza, Palestine. As Covid-19 broke out, Steph was in Kabul, working for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan as the. Head of Protection of Civilians and Child Protection. Steph has witnessed first-hand the harmful effects of conflict and the disproportionate negative impact on women and girls. She founded not-for-profit organisation Free to Run to use the power of sports to transform lives and communities in the places where it's needed most. An accomplished ultra trail athlete for over a decade, Steph has found a way to continue her training while many would have been resigned to the complexity whilst living in situations of conflict. She's logged laps on a treadmill and around the UN compound in Kabul and hitched helicopter rides to train in the mountains in Western Afghanistan. Steph has won or placed in a number of international running events, ranging from 250 km multi-day desert races to 200-mile non-stop mountain races. Stephanie is a passionate advocate for women’s rights, and a TEDx speaker. This impactful conversations discusses: * Her path from corporate law to humanitarian lawyer for the UN. * How she’s learned to package her emotions through experiences that have extended her. * The subjective nature of suffering yet her approach to placing personal suffering into perspective. * Insights on pathways into development and the ethics of volunteerism. * The process to establishing Free to Run - the why, how, challenges and iterations. * Pivotal life & death situations that Steph has experienced from her time in South Sudan, Afghanistan and on a mountain top in the Italian Alps. * How she’s coped with trauma and her path to recovery. * Her empowering stance that her personal journey & timeline is uniquely HER OWN. Something that makes her happy, which is the most important thing. To discover more about Steph you can follow her oninstagram: @theultrarunnergirlPersonal website: https://ultrarunnergirl.com/Free to Run website: https://freetorun.org/How to get involved with Free to Run: https://freetorun.org/get-involved Thank you for your support with this podcast throughout 2020... don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and I cannot wait to bring you some stellar tales of adventure in 2021!!

33. Rich Roll (part 2) - Path towards Healing, Redemption and Wholeness.

This is PART 2 of my conversation with Rich Roll - jump back to episode 32, if you haven't heard PART 1. * * * It's with great pleasure that I release two episodes (Part 1 & 2) with the thought provoking and thoughtful Rich Roll. Episodes which I believe will serve those who know and do not know his story. Rich is an explorer of ideas and he has mastered multiple mediums in which to share these insights from his wildly popular Rich Roll Podcast, one of the top 100 podcasts in the world with over 100 million downloads. He is also a best selling author and host of wellness retreats around the world. Rich is named one of the “25 Fittest Men in the World” by Men’s Fitness and “The Guru of Reinvention” [https://www.outsideonline.com/2406993/rich-roll] by Outside. Rich is a globally renowned ultra-endurance athlete, wellness advocate, bestselling author, husband and father of four. Rich shares his inspirational story of addiction, redemption and optimal health in his #1 bestselling memoir Finding Ultra and the cookbook & lifestyle guides The Plantpower Way and The Plantpower Way: Italia, which he co-authored with his wife Julie Piatt. Rich has been featured on CNN, on the cover of Outside magazine and been profiled everywhere from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal. His latest book, Voicing Change, features timeless wisdom and inspiration from the Rich Roll Podcast. This conversation discusses: * the 2020 shift in the Rich Roll Podcast * personal advice through his experiences on the path towards healing, redemption and wholeness * the importance to invest in yourself and look for opportunities during periods of chaos. * how to create new neural pathways * his position on 'seeking balance' * what it looks like to have commitment to continual growth * what it looked like to hit 'bottom', and his slow path of enquiry and work to figure out who he was and the path he was best suited to pursuing * the trauma created when you are ask people to fit into a limited set of parameters. * advice when you don't feel as though you belong * what was needed to tackle his addiction: personal willingness, humility and letting people in * how Rich has channeled his intensity in productive ways * the place he learned to 'listen, be present, be empathetic and reserve judgment' * his practice of self care * partnership with his wife Julie * the stories of those who have influenced his life Rich has just released his beautiful hardcover book Voicing Change - timeless wisdom and insights from 50 podcast guests. You can purchase a copy via his website [https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/voicing-change/]. To discover more about Rich you can find him on his website [https://www.richroll.com/] (richroll.com), instagram (@richroll), youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpjlh0e319ksmoOD7bQFSiw].

32. Rich Roll (part 1) - Path towards Healing, Redemption and Wholeness.

"I didn't change my diet and become an endurance athlete to stay there. These are tools for growth. That growth continues, it's ever lasting. You should always be committed to iterating and growing - so whats next. If I was so blind about how i was living in certain ways, I am still blind to so many things now. How can I pull the blinders off. What other areas of my life needs redress right now.. Let's go there, let's see what that's about." It's with great pleasure that I release two episodes (Part 1 & 2) with the thought provoking and thoughtful Rich Roll. Episodes which I believe will serve those who know yet also do not know his story. Rich is an explorer of ideas and has mastered multiple mediums in which to share his insights. From his wildly popular Rich Roll Podcast, one of the top 100 podcasts in the world with over 100 million downloads. He is also a best selling author and host of wellness retreats around the world. Rich is named one of the “25 Fittest Men in the World” by Men’s Fitness and “The Guru of Reinvention” [https://www.outsideonline.com/2406993/rich-roll] by Outside. Rich is a globally renowned ultra-endurance athlete, wellness advocate, bestselling author, husband and father of four. Rich shares his inspirational story of addiction, redemption and optimal health in his #1 bestselling memoir Finding Ultra and the cookbook & lifestyle guides The Plantpower Way and The Plantpower Way: Italia, which he co-authored with his wife Julie Piatt. Rich has been featured on CNN, on the cover of Outside magazine and been profiled everywhere from The New York Times to The Wall Street Journal. His latest book, Voicing Change, features timeless wisdom and inspiration from the Rich Roll Podcast. This conversation discusses: * the 2020 shift in the Rich Roll Podcast * personal advice through his experiences on the path towards healing, redemption and wholeness * the importance to invest in yourself and look for opportunities during periods of chaos. * how to create new neural pathways * his position on 'seeking balance' * what it looks like to have commitment to continual growth * what it looked like to hit 'bottom', and his slow path of enquiry and work to figure out who he was and the path he was best suited to pursuing * the trauma created when you are ask people to fit into a limited set of parameters. * advice when you don't feel as though you belong * what was needed to tackle his addiction: personal willingness, humility and letting people in * how Rich has channeled his intensity in productive ways * the place he learned to 'listen, be present, be empathetic and reserve judgment' * his practice of self care * partnership with his wife Julie * the stories of those who have influenced his life Rich has just released his beautiful hardcover book Voicing Change - timeless wisdom and insights from 50 podcast guests. You can purchase a copy via his website [https://www.richroll.com/shop/books/voicing-change/]. To discover more about Rich you can find him on his website [https://www.richroll.com/] (richroll.com), instagram (@richroll), youtube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpjlh0e319ksmoOD7bQFSiw]. I hope you enjoy!!

31. Mark Mathieson: the psychology of soldiers and the impact of combat

"To pretend that we didn't know people were burning out, becoming dysfunctional and most likely that was collectively happening across the Command - was at the best naive and at the worst it was intentional neglect." Mark is a registered Psychologist and over the past 20 years has worked in some of the strangest, harshest and least 'clinical' environments on the globe. This includes working as a former SAS regimental psychologist who deployed to Afghanistan six times and now founder of 'Psyched Up' - an industry psychology leader supporting individuals, organisations and communities in extreme environments. This conversation is an inside look into the minds of combat soldiers. Mark discusses how war can fundamentally change a human. Moreso how repeated combat can impact one's moral fabric and lead to a challenging transition when a veteran returns home from deployment. Not exclusively we discuss: * the value of listening to our returning warriors * the consequence of a lack of purpose and clear strategy * The stigma of mental health in the military * Moral injury & the impact of heavy deployment * Rights of passages across the military and reality TV world. Other areas of Mark's work include: * Debriefing wintering expeditioners for the Australian Antarctic program. * Designing and implemented local recruitment and induction programs in Papua New Guinea for oil companied. * Establishing culture change programs. * Assessing and recruited indigenous youth into mining jobs in North Western Australia. * Managed cast and crew of reality TV shows (where we first met!) You can follow Mark on instagram @markmathieson_psychologist & www.psychedup.com.au

30. Mark Wales - 'The Transformer', Former SAS Troop Commander: how to improve remote chances & the potency of trust.

For episode 30, I have interviewed a man I consider to be the best TRANSFORMER I know. Someone who has gone from the being a Troop Commander with the SAS, a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, Consultant at McKinsey & Company, starting his own tough luxury fashion label 'Kill Kapture [https://www.killkapture.com/]', compelling and in demand Keynote Presenter and Author [https://markwales.com.au/]. He also happens to be my husband and we recorded this podcast after spending over 100 days in stage 4 lock down in Victoria and on the final day of a 2 week quarantine in Perth. So that is a lot of intense time in each other's company. I am not going to lie, we are both worn - physically and mentally from this year. We also have discovered so much about each other and our conversations have deepened through this period of uncertainty. Mark grew up in the red dirt of West Australian mining towns in the Pilbara. After deciding he wanted to join the SAS in high school, he embarked on a career in the Australian military that would eventually lead him to the battlefields of Afghanistan. As a Troop Commander in charge of 30 elite soldiers, Mark’s role was to lead combat missions against senior enemy commanders, deep behind enemy lines. Through this unique and harsh environment, Mark developed his skills in leadership, teamwork and high performance. Undoubtedly he encountered high stress situations where personal and team performance means the difference between life and death. Transitioning out of the military he went back to the bottom of the totem pole as a student at the Wharton School of Business. Both a fish out of water and well out of his depth, his humility and capacity for growth grew rapidly in this environment. This conversation discusses: * His early wanderings as a quiet dreamer and laser focused on joining the military. * Early deployments to East Timor & the Solomon Islands. * The tragedy of losing his Mum at 23 years old. * Realising that time might not be plentiful or on your side, so you need to put aside your fear & ego to pursue what you want. * Training for selection & transforming himself * What SAS selection was really like: 'mission & team' * Shared values creates trust * The pitfalls of mission creep without a clear strategy * Afghanistan - 4 back to back deployments * Coping with trauma. * Realising he had PTSD and his ongoing road to recovery * The humiliation and humility of being the rookie again. Warning: in the final 10 minutes there is a sensitive discussion around a historical sex abuse incident. "You can increase your chances from remote to good by the accumulation of tiny incremental efforts over the years and focusing on what you can control." "The minute you get to the top of your game the clock is ticking for your obsolescence." You can discover more about Mark via his website [https://markwales.com.au/] (markwales.com.au) and instagram (@mark.a.wales).