The Ebbs and The Flows.
The Ebbs and The Flows is a podcast revolving around the essential questions about the light and shade of our life. The adventures, the challenges, the journeys through grief and trauma, the humour we find in the struggle, the beauty and depth of the experiences we hold close to us individually and the lessons we take from them universally. Warts and all conversations about mental health, the art of feeling and healing, the power of connection and the absurdity of the paths we have trodden and the roadblocks we have encountered.
#46 with Carmel Balme: A candid conversation with my favourite person
An episode with Carmel Balme. My mum.
It's a beauty.
Thanks for coming along for the journey...
WE AIN'T DONE YET!!!
The Ebbs and the Flows is an emotional health movement focused on openness and transparency about the light and the shade of the lives we led and journeys we encounter. The Ebbs and the Flows is not a licensed mental health service and therefore if you are seeking mental health advice, assessment or treatment, you should seek expert advice with a GP, psychologist, psychiatrist or in a crisis, call...
#45 with Justin Lehmann (Part I): 'As The Garden Grows So Does The Gardener'
#45 with Justin Lehmann: 'As the Garden grows so does the Gardener'
Justin Lehmann owns a prestigious acting studio in Melbourne, and has been teaching for over two decades, particularly focused on the Meisner Technique. In his own words, the Meisner Technique is about the truth, not the bells and whistles often associated with Hollywood and big screen acting. Actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Sam Rockwell, Christoph Waltz, Diane Keaton, Naomi Watts and Chadwick Boseman are trained in the technique. A student of Bill Esper, Justin Lehmann is as transparent, open and honest as they come, and his...
#44 with Allie & Viv: Youthful wisdom, reflections upon the halcyon days of year 8 homeroom and never talking about ATARs again with two of my incredible ex-students
A podcast with two of my former students/sensational human beings.
#44 with Allie & Viv: Youthful wisdom, reflections upon the halcyon days of year 8 homeroom and never talking about ATARs again with two of my incredible ex-students.
Featuring The 90 Second Nugget, The Art of The List, A Note to Self and of course, Weird Fishes.
Weird Fishes from around the 45 min mark.
Album: Gracie Abrams - The Secret Life of Us and Jamie T - Carry on The Grudge
Film: Love, Actually and Paddington II/Trainspotting (lol)
Book: The Midnight...
#43 Oscar O'Shea: Learning every corner of the room while finding his way after being lost in the light
Oscar O'Shea is a musician from Tasmania who quit his teaching degree to go all in on turning his music from a hobby into a passion. Along the way, he has encountered a struggle with his identity, and come to terms with depression and rather than detach from his pain, he has embraced the notion of learning every corner of the room. Welcome to Episode 43 of The Ebbs and The Flows.
This episode features discussions about Oscar's fledgling music career, his mental health, his love of Tasmania but his desire to travel and play as a solo...
#42 Ned Balme: What you see on the ground as a newsreporter at a crisis, how we can be the champion of teenagers and why community sport is deeply important to the Australian psyche
Ned Balme is a newsreporter and journalist based in Queensland working for Channel Nine and a few years back was a punter for the University of Central Oklahoma. His story is winding and engrossing and his own struggle with his mental health has left a mark for the father he is his two children and how he reports the news.
Sadly, technical issues mean 'Weird Fishes' was wiped and unsalvagable, however the rest of this episode is a ripper. Covering The Art of the List around Ned's experience playing College Football in the United States of America...
#41 Dan Sultan: The Dan Sultan Story: From Old Fitzroy to Kimberley Calling: A story of an artist finally arriving at himself.
This is the Ebbs and The Flows: The Dan Sultan Story: From Old Fitzroy to Kimberley Calling: A story of a true artist finally arriving at himself. At the End of the Day we’re all just a work in progress. The Ebbs and the Flows is an emotional health movement focused on openness and transparency about the light and the shade of the lives we led and journeys we encounter. The Ebbs and the Flows is not a licensed mental health service and therefore if you are seeking mental health advice, assessment or treatment, you should seek expert advice wi...
#40 with Michelle Gerdtz: ‘Reading The Play, building and fostering connection in vital parent/child relationships and a fork in the road leads to a pot of gold.’
#40 with Michelle Gerdtz: ‘Reading The Play, building and fostering connection in vital parent/child relationships and a fork in the road leads to a pot of gold.’
Michelle Gerdtz is an administrator and General Manager in the Geelong and Barwon region. She has been the Chairperson at AFL Barwon for the past few years, but has always been invovled in community sport. Her passion for community connection and building relationships has become her career path, as she works as the General Manager at 'Read The Play', an organisation that sets out to build mentally strong communities, particularly with...
#39 Geoff Lemon The self feeding cycle of depression, the intersecting crisi-tunities cricket is facing and how a performing poet came to be a podcaster from a multifaced man with a flavoured milk obsession.
#39 Geoff Lemon The self feeding cycle of depression, the intersecting crisi-tunities cricket is facing and how a performing poet came to be a podcaster from a multifaced man with a flavoured milk obsession.
Geoff Lemon is a wildly talented artist, writer, podcaster and poet who not so much fell, but ground his way into a career in cricket writing and journalism. As co-host of the revered podcast 'The Final Word' with Adam Collins, Geoff has turned an obsession with cricket into a career, starting with White Line Wireless, all the way to covering tours as a freelance...
#38: Ferg Linacre: ‘Clap Trap, the fundamental importance of friendship and The Honesty-Kindness Spectrum’
Fergus Linacre. Kingswood founding member. Award winning musician. Writer. Lover. Appreciater of life. Here is in the form you've never heard him before. Candid, considered, hilarious and telling. Fergus is a pretty special guy who has seen and experienced so much. The highest highs, some exceptionally deep lows around loss and grief, however he has a knack in embracing life as it is, and gains great joy from his relationships with his family, his mother, his bandmates and other music lovers. This is one of my all time favourite Ebbs chats. I thoroughly enjoyed recording, editing and putting this...
#37: The Things We Carry V: Gender, Sexuality and The Backlash against Diversity
The Things we Carry is a title inspired by a book that had an indelible impact on me, and still does. Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ changed me in many ways. It explored the depths of the emotional experience of the Vietnam War for soldiers. As an 17 year old, going to a quality school, surrounded by wealth and privilege, it was an eye-opening exploration of things I’d thought about previously, but put to the side because of course, surely they can’t affect me!?! Trauma, death, the duality of man, the lasting impact of war on soldiers...
#36 with Bardie Somerville: ‘The Seasons of Life and Death: Go Toward Life but Recognise Death’
It's been a bit of a hiatus for The Ebbs and The Flows but the show is back with a guest, and this is a thought-provoking, challenging and bloody fascinating chat with tradie, businesswoman and advocate Bardie Somerville. There are some heavy themes relating to suicide in this episode, but we do tread lightly.
The reason I titled this: ‘The Seasons of Life and Death: Go Toward Life but Recognise Death’ is because Bardie referenced this line during her 'Note To Self', which is a gorgeous look at the seasons of our lives, and we had a robu...
#33: The Things We Carry II - SHAME.
A seven part series of short podcasts revolving around challenging discussions and topics. The Things We Carry. On this episode, we focus on Shame and the impact it has on individuals, groups and society externally and internally.
The Things we Carry is a title inspired by a book that had an indelible impact on me, and still does. Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ changed me in many ways. It explored the depths of the emotional experience of the Vietnam War for soldiers. As an 17 year old, going to a quality school, surrounded by wealth and priv...
#35: The Things we Carry IV - A frank conversation about suicide, grief and some hard lessons to learn.
The Things we Carry is a title inspired by a book that had an indelible impact on me, and still does. Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ changed me in many ways. It explored the depths of the emotional experience of the Vietnam War for soldiers. As an 17 year old, going to a quality school, surrounded by wealth and privilege, it was an eye-opening exploration of things I’d thought about previously, but put to the side because of course, surely they can’t affect me!?! Trauma, death, the duality of man, the lasting impact of war on soldiers...
#34: The Things we Carry III - Gender Based Violence and why our words and actions matter
The Things we Carry is a title inspired by a book that had an indelible impact on me, and still does. Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ changed me in many ways. It explored the depths of the emotional experience of the Vietnam War for soldiers. As an 17 year old, going to a quality school, surrounded by wealth and privilege, it was an eye-opening exploration of things I’d thought about previously, but put to the side because of course, surely they can’t affect me!?! Trauma, death, the duality of man, the lasting impact of war on soldiers...
#33 The Things We Carry: Shame
A seven part series of short podcasts revolving around challenging discussions and topics. The Things We Carry. On this episode, we focus on Shame and the impact it has on individuals, groups and society externally and internally.
The Things we Carry is a title inspired by a book that had an indelible impact on me, and still does. Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ changed me in many ways. It explored the depths of the emotional experience of the Vietnam War for soldiers. As an 17 year old, going to a quality school, surrounded by wealth and priv...
#32: The Things We Carry - the darker side of booze
The Things we Carry is a title inspired by a book that had an indelible impact on me, and still does. Tim O’Brien’s ‘The Things They Carried’ changed me in many ways. It explored the depths of the emotional experience of the Vietnam War for soldiers. As an 17 year old, going to a quality school, surrounded by wealth and privilege, it was an eyeopening exploration of things I’d thought about previously, but put to the side because of course, surely they can’t affect me!?! Trauma, death, the duality of man, the lasting impact of war on soldiers...
#31 with Jack Davis, founder of It's Cool to Cry: Normalising and frothing our mental health, soaking up the simple pleasures and being proactive when it comes to the hard conversations
Jack Davis from It's Cool To Cry joins The Ebbs and The Flows for episode 31. There are some heavy themes relating to suicide in this episode, but we do tread lightly. There's also plenty of swears. Other than that, it's a bloody ripper chat with a bloody ripper bloke.
Jack has a message that really resonates with me, and many others, when it comes to emotional expression. Crying is cool. It's important to express your emotions, it's important to learn about them, because it allows you to simultaneously feel more connected to yourself and also connected to...
#30 with Madeleine Thornton-Smith: Fighting for the rights of precarious workers, solidarity forever, searching for more equitable and safer systems and why the arts are so vital to culture.
It's our thirtieth episode! And we want our fair share! How come artists and creatives are so often undervalued for their contribution to culture and society? Madeleine Thornton-Smith is an artist, a ceramicist, an art teacher and an activist fighting for fair conditions for creatives and artists across creative industries. She is passionate about the simplicity yet astounding power of what artists can produce, and how much more can be done to support their work and guarantee their emotional and physical safety at work and at home.
Join Madeleine and William for a winding conversation about the...
#29 with Eliza Hull: 'The Way You Walk is not something you need to hide', Hope is an Action, Love is the way and Running Underwater.
On this episode of The Ebbs and The Flows, Soft Chats about Hard Stuff, musician, advocate and writer Eliza Hull joins us for a gorgeous, moving and compelling conversation. Eliza is a musician living in rural Victoria, who has released 'Here They Come', an EP in 2023, representing her journey as a person who has come to terms with living with a disability and now performs and champions a vulnerability and acceptance that is contagious. It's also just really beautiful music. As well as a musician and writer, who has performed on ABC's Q and A, opened for Coldplay for...
#28 with Reagan Morel: Education Matters, 20 years old, feelin' pretty fine, a passion for community and an ingrained love of music, family and the beach.
On this episode of The Ebbs and The Flows, Soft Chats about Hard Stuff, Reagan Morel joins us for a chat with our youngest guest on le pod. Reagan is a 20 year old studying teaching, but it is at The Reach Foundation where he does some fine and compelling work with young people across Australia. A beacon of happiness and joy for others, but underneath the veneer is a person working through his own challenges. He is a captivating young voice and a wonderful community person. Tune in for more.
These notes got edited for some unknown...
#27 with Kierren Robinson: Finding your identity in the aftermath of grief, why early intervention is the way for young people and climbing mountains in search of universal truths
On this episode of The Ebbs and The Flows, Soft Chats about Hard Stuff, Kierren Robinson is a boxer, the founder of Awakened Warrior - a mentoring and coaching platform to connect people to a greater truth, a husband and a quiet leader seeking to find his voice.
We discuss empathy, compassion, leadership and the unending journey of grief on another Soft Chat about Hard Stuff. Kierren's beautiful 'Note To Self' is one of the highlights of this episode featuring 'Me and The World on a Page', 'The 90 Second Nugget', 'Weird Fishes' and 'The Art of The...
#26 with Matt LaFontine: Pulling Up for Mental Health, Building Beautiful Gardens and finding deep and meaningful connection and community after rock bottom
Matt LaFontine, founder of Safe Space Mornington and a man who belies expectation of a footy bloke is on a mission for mental health. On October 12, he will be Pulling Up for Mental Health. Join us as we discuss this venture, Safe Space, creating beautiful gardens (metaphorically and physically) and how he counters the notion of what it is to be a 'Footy Bloke' by opening his heart and working hard to be a better man.
On this episode, we navigate the '90 Second Nugget', compile our thoughts on 'Art of The List', wash over our life's...
#25 with Andy Bull - 'The prize for making music is you made music and you get to do it again', finding the essence of your art and accepting life is kind of pointless gives you freedom to truly be who you want to be
Welcome to episode 25 of The Ebbs and The Flows with musician and creative Andy Bull who is currently writing an album in sixty days. This is a long form podcast because I just really enjoyed every last minute of this conversation. I know it’s not popular as we talk ourselves out of ‘the rambling man screaming into the wind’ length of anything these days – but I just found myself in the fortunate situation of talking to one of my favourite artists in a really candid, authentic and warm discussion about the creative process, doing your homework so you can enjo...
#24 Mia Dyson on 'The Tender Heart', panic, living through life and death and the healing utility of love and meditation
On the 24th episode of The Ebbs and the Flows and our first recorded remotely, Mia Dyson, multi-nominated ARIA artist, acclaimed musician and writer of the rugged and the radiant joins us to discuss her new album 'Tender Heart', how she faced panic and her deepest fears, her cataclysmic brush with the gap between life and death and her tender perspective on love, meditation and the study of the meaning of life and death. This is a most tender and gentle conversation. Welcome to The Ebbs and The Flows, soft chats about hard stuff.
As a precursor, M...
#23 Shane McCurry on the value of leadership, culture and living and breathing your values, loving the rollicking, sometimes rickety ride of life and his love of storytelling
“I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.”
Shane McCurry is the guest on the 23rd (!!!!) episode of The Ebbs and The Flows, and what a timely guest he is...
Remote Community Musing #3: A Reflection upon an experience my heart will never forget
The third and final installment of Remote Community Musings from Balgo in the Kimberley in the North East of Western Australia. A conversation about broken systems, the little wins, the power of community and an enormous nod to an experience I will never forget. An important acknowledgement of the community I worked within - The Wirrimanu Aboriginal Community. Thank you.
The Ebbs and the Flows is an emotional health movement focused on openness and transparency about the light and the shade of the lives we led and journeys we encounter. The Ebbs and the Flows is n...
EBBS with Raphael Wong (Part II) on the perspective we gain from rejection, the greatest pain his eyes have seen and the advice he'd offer to his demoralised 21 year old self
Part II of our two part conversation with Raphael Wong, Opera and Musical Theatre performer who has just finished a run in The Phantom of The Opera at the Sydney Opera House. Raphael is a performer, but also a teacher, a mentor and a family man. Join us for a conversation about the highs and lows of performance, the bittersweet nature of rejection, fatherhood and which idol he'd bring along for a long lunch with his son.
Part II features Me and The World on a page, where Raph delves into a heartwrenching part of his job a...
EBBS with Raphael Wong (Part I) on the changing face of Opera, the thrill of live theatre and The Phantom of The Opera
Part I of our two part conversation with Raphael Wong, Opera and Musical Theatre performer who has just finished a run in The Phantom of The Opera at the Sydney Opera House. Raphael is a performer, but also a teacher, a mentor and a family man. Join us for a conversation about the highs and lows of performance, facing rejection and the changing face of Opera in our post-Covid world.
This conversation focuses on Raphael's triumphs in one of the most brutal industries in the creative world, as well as the many setbacks and lessons he has t...
Remote Community Musings PT. II - Delving into Despair - Iron Claw, Wrasslin', letting the thing you love kill you and finding meaning in the 'sad and bad stuff'
Welcome back to The Ebbs and The Flows, Soft chats about Hard stuff. Today is our second edition of Remote Community Musings and we chat about despair. Why does despair send shivers down our spine? We look at the state of despair in the context of the recently released film 'The Iron Claw' which is a biopic based on the Von Erich family - a wrestling family out of Texas, who were struck by so many cruel blows they were deemed to be 'cursed'. Spoilers galore so be careful if you want to see the film soon.
I...
Remote Community musings PT. 1 - The whole (well)being, Jan 26th, reactiveness and are there any benefits in isolation?
A twenty minute ramble with Willie from Balgo in remote WA - the Tanami desert. The first of the Remote Community musings.
William mumbles and murmurs about wellbeing, misconceptions, January 26th and the implications of not observing history and whether there are any benefits to periods of isolation. A chance to reflect, regroup and rehash a busy start to the year and a good chance to do some thinking.
A couple of numbers for First Nations folk who found Jan 26th difficult - 13 YARN (13 92 76), Brother to Brother 1800 435 799 and Lifelife below.
The Ebbs and...
EBBS with Stephanie Williams on culture, grief, the healing nature of community and how love and hope is the only way
The remarkable Stephanie Williams joins us for this special episode of The Ebbs and The Flows. Stephanie is a woman on the move. AFLW player, artist, young leader and compassionate, resilient and big hearted - and just 21 years old. We chat footy, culture, grief, hope and love on this spellbinding episode. Stephanie is a Larrakia woman from the top end who moved down south for school and sport at the tender age of 11 - her journey from here is something to behold.
This episode is about homecomings, grief, setbacks, mental health struggles but also a celebration of c...
S2 E6: EBBS with Carter O'Regan on gender identity, dysphoria and trauma, how inclusion is far more than just the changeroom and how finding your true self will let your spirit soar
Carter O'Regan is our first guest on The Ebbs and The Flows for 2024. Carter is a fiancé, a footballer, a nurse and a creative soul. He also happens to be a trans advocate who affirmed his gender over the course of several years. I met Carter several years ago at Kew Football Club and have heard him speak as part of Pride Round, and while also acknowledging the excellent chats we always had at the football club, I have learnt a lot about the importance of gender affirmation and why inclusion and acceptance is so important. This conversation captures t...
S2 E5: Mental Health Matters on The Festive Season challenges and a few trifles and tidbits with a bit of Nick Cave
Welcome to The Ebbs and The Flows, soft chats about hard stuff.
Edited by The Ebbs and The Flows
Thank you to Chantelle Clark for designs used to promote this episode
On this episode of The Ebbs and The Flows, William talks about why Mental Health Matters in a solo chat about the challenges some of us face in a period where we are expected to feel joy and happiness, be it struggling to cut back, loneliness, difficult conversations with relatives or friends, grief and loss, as well as a conversation about conflict and...
S2 E3B: EBBS with Pat Kennedy - part II of a candid conversation about alcoholism, addiction, seeing people in colour and not doing the thinking for everybody else.
For part I, check the episode out here (https://the-ebbs-and-the-flows.simplecast.com/episodes/s2-e3a-ebbs-with-pat-kennedy-a-candid-conversation-about-alcoholism-love-letters-to-the-things-that-are-destroying-us-crying-in-the-toilet-and-taking-vulnerable-risks-in-recovery)
Pat Kennedy joins The Ebbs and The Flows for episode 3 (Part II) of Season 2. This was initially supposed to be a discussion that fit into one episode, however things took a turn for the better and what has been produced is two parts of a candid and open conversation about the respective struggles of two people connected by one season of footy in 2017. Pat Kennedy is a political staffer-cum-small business owner who has been sober for two and a half years...
S2 E3A: EBBS with Pat Kennedy - a candid conversation about alcoholism, love letters to the things that are destroying us, crying in the toilet and taking vulnerable risks in recovery
Pat Kennedy joins The Ebbs and The Flows for episode 3 (Part I) of Season 2. This was initially supposed to be a discussion that fit into one episode, however things took a turn for the better and what has been produced is two parts of a candid and open conversation about the respective struggles of two people connected by one season of footy in 2017. Pat Kennedy is a political staffer-cum-small business owner who has been sober for two and a half years after an exhausting and painful battle with booze ending in two visits to rehab and he is now...
S2 E2: EBBS with Jake Leslie on preparing for the worst, hoping for the best, the perils of comparison, transitions and the essentials of the wackiest of adventures in fatherhood
Jake Leslie joins The Ebbs and The Flows for episode 2 of Season 2 (number 12! We did it!!!) Jake is a strength and conditioning coach, sports therapist, lecturer across clubs such as the Western Bulldogs, the Melbourne Storm and the Melbourne Rebels, and a high performance coach at Optimus and The Hurt Locker, joins us as he is in transition, namely in work as he moves into medical device sales and in fatherhood. His effusive take on life is infectious with many great lessons from a life of embracing learning, consistency and showing up.
When I asked Jake to...
Season Two: EBBS with Ainslie Wills on finding your centre, drafting, how we can salvage the good parts from a lost relationship and why we should keep studying life
Ainslie Wills is the first guest of season two of The Ebbs and The Flows - this time we gonna keeeep going (til we get tired). Ainslie is a singer/songwriter who has been deeply influential here and abroad, while also the owner of Hello Daydream studio, a mentor and a mother. This conversation touches many bases from the difficulty finding your centre to 'awe' in live music to yoga, waves and being a lifelong learner, all the way to the existential bliss Ainslie is feeling as a mother who has moved back to the country. This is a...
The Ebbs and The Flows on Living in a Remote Community, The Season That Was and an Isolated Conversation without the mask
Welcome to The Ebbs and The Flows, soft chats about hard stuff.
Edited by The Ebbs and The Flows
Thank you to Chantelle Clark for designs used to promote this episode
On this episode of The Ebbs and The Flows, William talks about living in a remote community in Balgo, Western Australia. The history of Balgo coming into the 45th referendum since 1901 - we talk about The Voice to Parliament. Should we care? Is it doomed? Why does it matter? We also reflect upon the first season of the Ebbs and The Flows as...
The Ebbs and The Flows with Simon Hogan: On memory, the trouble with impressiveness and rediscovering silliness and curiosity in fatherhood
Welcome back to The Ebbs and The Flows: soft chats about hard stuff.
The Ebbs and The Flows with Simon Hogan, former AFL footballer, mental health advocate, community leader in the health sector and proud girldad.
Edited by The Ebbs and The Flows
Thank you to Chantelle Clark for designs used to promote this episode
We also acknowledge the idea of Ainslie Wills which we have adapted for the use in the segment 'Me and the world on a page/stage'
This week's guest is Simon Hogan, former Geelong Cat, mental...
The Ebbs and The Flows with Claire Marshall: On Compassion, neurobiology, equality, justice and the validity of our experiences.
Welcome back to The Ebbs and The Flows: soft chats about hard stuff.
The Ebbs and The Flows with Claire Marshall; human rights lawyer, social justice reformer and podcast host. A conversation on neurobiology, compassion, equality and the validity of our emotions and experiences.
Edited by The Ebbs and The Flows
Thank you to Chantelle Clark for designs used to promote this episode
This week's guest is Claire Marshall, lawyer, speaker, podcast host and justice reform activist and passionately curious about relationships, life and love. Claire is one half of 'The Good S...
