Bryn Edwards at The WA Real

#189 The Pattern of Life; Realm Theory – Roslyn Snyder

This week’s conversation with Roslyn Snyder is all about patterns – the patterns that underpin the human experience and patterns of nature.

Roslyn takes time to talk through Realm Theory that sets the framework of understanding for patterns she’s noticed across her life, vast studies and 20+ years as a practising Clinical Psychologist.

Throughout the conversation, she gives plenty of examples to provide the context for deeper understanding of how it all comes together.

It’s rare to find someone who works at this meta level of connection and who can see such deep patterns; patterns that have been understood and shared for hundreds and thousands of years previously in indigenous cultures. Indeed, Roslyn talks about how she’s not only captured the pattern mathematically but has also sang and danced the patterns.

This is a very deep conversation but right now I personally believe that this is a level of thinking and sensemaking that is missing from the overall conversation that directs where we’re going in the human experience.

#187 Human Connection during COVID – Emma Gibbens

How has COVID impacted our connection with one another?

This is the focus of this weeks conversation with Emma Gibbens who, based on her previous work as a political campaigner, now holds space for deeper searching conversations on a range of topics.

In this exploratory conversation we got into the need for boundaries; how social media has impacted the relationship between community, the market and government; we question the underlying structure of many assumptions that we connect upon; and we also consider how connection will differ, particularly for countries like the US and UK, as we come out of COVID.

Emma is obviously a bright and passionate lady, which produced a hugely thought provoking conversation.

#186 Stretching Forward into New Possibilities from COVID – Andy Lamb

The focus of this week's conversation is about how organisations, whether private or governmental, stretch forwards into what is possible rather than snapping back to the ‘old normal’ in this post COVID world.

I explore this with Andy Lamb, an experienced organisational disruption consultant who specialised in unlocking creativity within businesses.

What makes this conversation super interesting is its fractal nature in that Andy started by noticing small changes that he needed to make himself on a personal level, and then spotted the patterns that emerged applying them to larger organisations in his work.

We also dived how to remain open to learning, complexity, ecosystems, and much, much more.

While on the surface this might seem like a very heavy topic, Andy is a super articulate guy and he's tonnes of fun to talk to, which makes this a very approachable conversation that will lightly provoke quite deep thought.

#185 Exploring Complexity – Rod Griffiths

What is the opposite of complexity?

That is the starting question from which I explored complexity in this wonderful conversation with the wise owl and elder that is Rod Griffiths.

Just what is complexity? Can it be defined or is it felt?

In exploring complexity, we went through many areas in this conversation ranging from beauty in design, existentialism, aesthetics, the role of our nervous system, as well as how we actively move away from complexity and why we protect ourselves from it.

We live in a highly complex world, something COVID has painfully revealed to us.

We also talked about surrendering to complexity and just being in it, as opposed to restlessly needing to do something.

This is a fantastically gentle yet deep conversation that has so much to offer as we continue to face an uncertain, complex, ever changing and ambiguous world.

#184 Lovego: Using play and Lego to Deepen Human Connection in Dating – Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie

Dating is broken - that is the real-life observation that returning guest Dr. Kate Raynes-Goldie is fixing with Lovego, a very clever combination of play and Lego that is designed to help those in the dating scene find a deeper and more meaningful relationship quicker and in a way that is more transparent to the deeper aspects of ourselves.

In this fun and playful discussion, Kate shares her real-life journey that brought together the mix of play, Lego and dating together.

We also broadened out the conversation to focus on the general state of human connection and the barriers to that.

NOTE: Kate is currently launching Lovego and she offering all ‘Badass Professional’ Lady WA Real Listeners the opportunity to work with her personally to journey further into their dating with Lovego; all you have to do is email her at: Kate@lovegomethod.com

Whether you're currently dating or generally in need of greater quality human connection, there’s plenty in this discussion for you.

For more info go to: lovegomethod.com

#183 The growth of Identity through Death – Joseph Andrin

This week, I had a fantastic conversation with a young gentleman called Joseph Andrin about death; not just death in terms of the end of life, but death in terms of the end of ideas, or stories or narratives that we might tell ourselves.

In this conversation, we talked about letting go, the process of letting go, about actually sitting and being with death and how death can question our identity as a source of its greatest growth.

Joseph is a fantastic person to talk to; he's very thoughtful and considered. He is very transparent with his emerging thought process as he shares it.

Also, there is an extra 10 minutes after the end of the conversation about the stories of death that we told ourselves probably before the period of rational enlightenment and how those mythical stories now play into our rational scientific view of the world.

#182 100 Coffees with 100 Strangers - Alex Waters

When was the last time that you actively went out to meet a stranger? To expand your perspective, to truly listen to and engage with other people?

Meet Alex Waters, who set himself the challenge of having 100 coffees with 100 strangers throughout the year in 2020.

Alex shares his journey throughout the challenge and talks about how it brought a new sense of humility to him, how he learned to receive feedback, how he really zoned in on his own listening and the importance of human connection, as well as just undertaking a challenge for no other reason that you feel called to.

Alex gets raw and candid about his journey, which makes it a fantastic, fun and engaging conversation.

Hopefully, it might just inspire you to go out and meet strangers and expand your own network and perspective.

#181 - Inside WA Real & Podcasting on the Experts Podcast

I was recently invited on to the experts podcast, which is hosted by Lana Hill and Nick Hayes, a former guest.

We talked about podcasting, and the art of podcasting. And so I thought it would make for a great little episode, as it provides a fantastic behind the scenes look of what goes into creating WA Real.

Also in this, I think there's a lot of pointers in there for just how to have a more deeper and engaging conversation. It's a lot of fun, and I thought it would make for a great episode with a different viewpoint.

#180 Asking The Big Questions: Philosophy – Meera Finnigan

This week we go further into our inquiry and exploration into philosophy with local WA philosophical lecturer, Meera Finnigan.

Meera sets the scene of what philosophy and philosophical inquiry is all about, before sharing some of the big questions that she herself is wrestling with currently.

She takes you on a fantastic tour, through the origins of philosophy and introduces some of the great thinkers that have come before us. She also introduces you to the three main areas that of metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics, or in other words, questions relating to our reality, our knowledge, and our sense of right and wrong.

This is a fun and engaging conversation where we exchange many views.

What you will soon begin to realise is just how some of those bigger questions that many of the great thinkers that have come before us have wrestled with, still apply to today, and our current situation.

#179 Where Psychology Ends and Your Moral Philosophy Begin – Richard Grannon

Where does psychology and philosophy begin in our human journey?

What is good? What is evil? How should I live my life?

Richard Grannon returns to discuss the importance of continuing to wrestle with important questions just like these to develop your own moral philosophy.

Previously, we spoke about co-dependency, people pleasing, and the impact of trauma. In this conversation, we go further into why a lack of moral philosophy will leave you in a weakened and a unboundaried state that can be so easily preyed upon by the outside world.

This is about our thinking, our decision making, and how we implement boundaries to live a more healthy life.

Considering your moral philosophy is not as difficult as you think, but it's possibly more important than you may ever consider; there's a strong suggestion that this may sit at the heart of some of our rising mental health issues.

As always, speaking to Richard was a true privilege and honour; he is incredibly articulate and has an amazing sense of humour. This conversation pushed me right to the forefront of my thinking currently, and possibly right to the forefront of my use of language.