Bryn Edwards at The WA Real

#91 Wayne Bradshaw – Fathering

To quote this week’s guest, CEO of the Fathering Project Wayne Bradshaw, “you often make an effort to learn new skills when it comes to your job, but when was the last time you learnt new skills relating to how you father you children?”.

And so this week we go deep on fathering and father figures [a subject so very close to my own heart] and how The Fathering Project, through its focus on linking dads together at their children’s school, is providing the well needed structure into the whole conversation of fathering among men and how to step up into the role.

This isn’t just about fathering, it’s about better outcomes for children through real and honest father figures that will influence and shape the next generation of Western Australians and Australians at large.

Wayne is a wonderful unassuming man who has a such a strong sense of community and giving back and it is through this that he makes such a strong impact.

Wayne dishes up many studies and examples to back up the focus of the work but you only have to listen to him to know that the direction of the Fathering Project just makes so much sense from a deep level of knowing.

He also leaves the listener with some very tangible and straightforward steps to take action and step up within your own fathering

#90 Erin Lane – The Real impact of meditation

Listen to a real-life story of how the practise of meditation has the power to enable someone to bring about significant life changes with Erin Lane.

Erin, a single mother who now works as a bus driver here in WA, shares how through the introduction of meditation 6 years ago, she was able to overcome her personal history that held her in a cycle of drink, drugs and a toxic relationship.

Erin tells of the pivotal moment of how she was able to see the repeating ‘film tape of her life’ that she was stuck in and how she realised that her life didn’t have to be that version and that she could write a new story with new options for herself.

Erin goes further talking about her journey with meditation, at the two centres of Perth Meditation and Mandurah Mediation, and the many broader benefits it has brought her particularly in her own self-confidence, parenting and work.

This is a raw and real story with a very courageous woman that really underlines the power of this practise as well as the fundamental impact the stories we tell ourselves have in how our life maps out and how we can rewrite them.  

#89 Carmen Braidwood – Maintaining community through radio

Take an insight into the world of radio broadcasting with news presenter and breakfast show host Carmen Braidwood. Carmen tells how her taste for performing at school was the catalyst for her career. She talks about how she’s drawn to the ‘Olympics of live broadcasting’ that is breakfast show radio as the ultimate test and expression of her and all her capabilities. Self-confessed change junkie, Carmen gives insights into the nature of the broadcasting industry, how her mindset has aided her to meet the challenges of career setbacks, how she is able to consistently be present and show up with high energy levels as well as the future of radio and media. What is of particular interest is how, from her traditional radio training, she has embraced new mediums that have come from the digital space, like podcasts, as well how she sees radio as a key element in maintaining a sense of community, particularly talk back radio, by bringing people together through shared experience. This was a super entertaining and energetic conversation with a fantastic lady who continually looks to the future as a sea of endless possibilities and opportunities.

#88 Jarrod McKenna – A man of belief and faith

Enjoy a hugely thought-provoking conversation with pastor, activist and globally recognised nonviolent social change trainer Jarrod McKenna. To use Jarrods own words, throughout this conversation you get to ‘know less about him personally, but all of him is present’.

From the start we get deep into numerous ideas, issues and topics that include:

- the state of the Australian national identity

- being real about what’s going on around us and acknowledging the ‘Canary birds’ in our society

- what is Grace?

- the number of questions Jesus posed throughout the bible

- the value of engaging in considering something bigger than yourself

- taking stock of who do you actually look up to shape your desires

- and much much more

This conversation will stretch and expand your perspective in all sorts of directions – it certainly did me on a very deep level.

It was a true pleasure and privilege to speak with Jarrod and be in the presence and energy of a man who truly lives by his beliefs.

#87 Tomás Ford– Performing and sharing your authentic weird self.

Step into the life of a niche weirdo performer with Tomas Ford. Tomas shares how he went from being a nerdy kid to building his performance career through the global fringe scene over many years. He cover a variety of topics including the journey of refining his material and craft to find his audience over time, the inner journey of what can be lonely path of putting yourself out there and how family life keeps him grounded. Tomas explains how running a well-attended but loss-making show was a key lesson that helped him to develop his entrepreneurial skills that make his career sustainable. He also marvels at how he now finds himself doing some quality adulting while still retaining his early 20’s rebel punk identity. Finally, Tomas shares a rather enlightened and often overlooked key point that bigger benefits come from strengthening your collective by investing and serving in the individuals and community that surround you.

#86 Rhys Paddick – Cultural application

Take a deep dive into culture, what does it means to you and what does being culturally aware actually translate into with Rhys Paddick, creator of Aboriginal Awareness Programs. Rhys shares how he began this work by returning to his own school as an Aboriginal Education Officer and how this led to where he is today. After challenging what culture actually means, Rhys goes on to move the discussion to answer the ‘so what?’ question of how cultural awareness can be applied and how he is developing a specific program with this aim. Rhys talks about how aboriginal people ‘walk between two worlds’ and he invites you to do the same. There is a wealth of knowledge and insight into Aboriginal culture and way of life and thinking that comes from this very free flowing and engaging conversation.

#85 Dave Clare – Prophet for Purpose

         

The source of our power in life comes from our ‘why’ or purpose, so join me today as we deep dive into understanding this source with Dave Clare. Dave is an author, speaker and leadership coach with a mission to create and inspire 90,000,000 purpose driven leaders in organisations across the world. Dave shares how the catalyst to where he is today came early in his banking career, when a key leader saw something in Dave which he himself couldn’t at that point. Dave ties passion and purpose to essentially finding the problem that resonates down to your deepest core, so much so that you’ll be relentless in wanting to solve it for others. Dave puts forward how when organisations and individuals work from a place of purpose, they are on average 40% more productive. He shares how he is able to hack the strategy and culture on an organisation towards being purpose driven through his three key pillars and how demise of any organisation is set as soon as they switch their primary focus from fixing the customers problems to serving the profit sheet and shareholders. What is most impressive is the clarity and simplicity that Dave presents working on purpose and how so critically important it is and how easy it can be.  

#84 Fiona De Stefanis – I’m still here with so much to share

Take on board a different view and perspective on the human journey from the trenches of chronic renal failure with Fiona De Stefanis.

#83 Garry Ryan – Breathwork: how you do life

Journey into the powerfully transformative effects of your own breath with breathwork specialist Garry Ryan of A Living Journey.

Garry talks about his own journey to finding breathwork and the powerful effect it has had on his own life. He explains how as a practise breathwork moves your mind out of the way to allow your body to heal itself and also exposes ‘how you do life’.

From his broad experience, Garry goes into details of

- how he observes patterns from childhood play out and reveal themselves in adult life,

- how by asking ourselves ‘who’s driving the bus?’ reveals the hidden programs and emotions that take over much of our lives, and

- how bringing light into the darkness of what we hide is key to removing limiting beliefs and patterns.

This is a very deep and powerful conversation with a man who has been called on a higher level to his work.

#82 Tom Young – Udrew: Natural Curiosity to fix Big Problems

Tom Young talks about harnessing natural curiosity to fix big real-world problems as he shares the journey as Founder of Udrew, which offers a platform for home owners to get council approvals faster and make building structures simple and more affordable. Tom shares how it was the catalyst of his own 9-month experience of trying to gain approval to merely erect a fence, coupled together with his extensive background in geo-engineering and drafting, that was the catalyst to work back from the end point to design a solution that would prevent others from the same experience. Tom is very open about the process of deciding to leave his safe job to follow the entrepreneurial path and how close he has come to losing everything along the way – yielding many interesting real-life stories from the trenches of business start-up. What is impressive is both Tom’s natural verve and energy to want to solve problems and learn as well as his moral compass that has led him on his journey to date.