Bryn Edwards at The WA Real

#21 Catherine Merritt – Create your village

Catherine Merritt talks openly about suffering from Post Natal Depression following the birth of her second child and her admission to the Mother and Baby ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital. In this brutally honest conversation, Catherine talks about her journey through life and the highs and lows that lead to the that point. She talks about ‘the prison’ she created in her head and how being your won hero and creating her own village around her have form the foundation of her recovery. Doesn’t matter whether you’re a mother or not, there’s so much in this humbling episode to reflect and take action on. 

# 20 Dr. Angel Alessandri – Connecting with Humanity

Dr. Angela Alessandri shares her journey as consultant clinical paediatric haematologist/oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital. Angela talks very openly about her personal journey to becoming a doctor, connecting and being present with humanity in the most challenging of circumstances and the process of breaking the news of a cancer diagnosis to parents. She also shares the personal impact and toll caused by the role and how this has reshaped her future focus and views on how to treat patients. This is a very confronting conversation in places, but worth the journey to reflect upon our own mortality so we can live the most fullest life. 

#19 Jen Jackson – Reinventing yourself and Childrens book

Jen Jackson talks openly and honestly about growing up in Perth, life as a child physiatrist, her decision to return to Perth having moved away, motherhood and how she took the opportunity presented to her with all 3 children in primary school, to reimagine herself in a new career as a children's bookshop owner Paper Bird. There’s loads in this conversation about reading to your children (whatever age), completing with market forces and letting a business evolve organically based on instinct and what feels right.

#18 Tony Wiles – Market Disruptor

Journey with Tony Wiles from landing in Western Australia in the 60s, through living in Port Hedland, owning a nightclub in Northbridge and training horses to creating ANREPS, which was the first company to actually support people to sell their own home and save on the large Real Estate agents fees. This approach disrupted the Real Estate market to such an extent that the establishment actively sought to take everything away from him, discredit hid name and close his company – it even included death threats. 

#17 Lois Keay-Smith – Career Coach

Lois Keay-Smith, Career Coach and Managing Director of Career Wisdom, shares what is a career coach, how she became a career coach before there the role really existed and how to navigate your career while remaining true to yourself and your values. Lois talks about her own career transition and how to draw on the many skills accumulated in the past that can shape your future. 

#16 Mike House – Adapt and Thrive

Outdoor and survival expert, Mike House, shares how he has made a business out of applying his learnings from extreme and complex survival situations to everyday and working life. In this fascinating episode Mike shares how his childhood shaped his life outdoors, his connection to land, how to navigate life with more focus, simple tools to achieve ‘guerrilla mindfulness’ and his relationship with death. 

#15 Dandapani – Real Purpose

Journey with former Perth resident and now world-renowned speaker and Hindu Priest Dandapani as he talks about how he left WA to spend 10 years in a Hindu Monastery before testing all his learnings and teachings in his new home New York. In this hugely insightful, focused and amusing conversation, Dandapani talks about the importance of finding your life’s purpose, the similarities between expending your energy and spending money, how to get to know yourself better as well as his take on reality. This episode is packed with great thought pieces and practical tips. 

#14 Kathryn Choules - Explaining Mindfulness & Meditation

Former Lawyer and now Founder of Mind and Movement Kathryn Choules clearly explains mindfulness and meditation and their significance in everyday life and becoming all you can be. Kathryn shares her journey from social rights lawyer, introduction to meditation by her mother, undertaking rigorous research based mindfulness training, and then to how she made the transition to developing a business from her learning and passion. In an area that a lot of us know deep down we need more of but often are faced with such conflicting messages, Kathryn draws on her years of practical and research based approach to bring some much need clarity in this area that is so critical to mental health and growth. 

#13 Bourby Webster - Making real music happen

Journey with me through the story of Founder of Perth Symphony Orchestra Bourby Webster. Listen as she shares her experience studying and rowing at Oxford University, being thrown out of Bond (electric string quartet) just before they sold multi-platinum albums, her time in the corporate world and then, seeing an opportunity/gap in the market, how she created Perth Symphony Orchestra to be the success it is today. This is a great story about hard work and making things happen; it also provides a fascinating insight into the high-performance world of symphony orchestras. 

#12 Peter Lyndon-James - Real Transformation

Peter Lyndon-James shares his journey from a broken childhood experience, ice addiction and criminal background to becoming Founder and CEO of one of Australia’s most successful men’s rehabilitation centres – Shalom House. This brutally truthful and confronting story goes deep into how we are programmed by our experiences, dealing with spiritual awakening and transformation, and how out of the heart flow the issues and consequences of life.