Don't Quit on Me
Don't Quit on Me is a podcast series about alternative ways to manage the inevitability of stress and pain. Through conversations with a wide range of people, it shares personal stories, practical strategies, and different perspectives. The show aims to inspire hope, confidence, and belief that things can get better regardless of where you are.
Episodes
Healing the Unseen: Chronic Illness, Mental Health, and Hope - A Conversation with Shianne Hammond
Healing the Unseen: Chronic Illness, Mental Health, and Hope with Shianne Hammond In this episode, I sit down with Shianne Hammond, exercise physiologist, researcher, and PhD candidate, to explore the complex relationship between chronic illness, movement, mental health, and hope. Shianne shares her journey from elite horse riding and personal training into exercise physiology, a path shaped by he
When a System Learns to be Compassionate - Professor Liz Grant
What does it look like when a system learns to be compassionate? In this thoughtful and timely conversation, we explore that question with Professor Liz Grant from the University of Edinburgh. Liz is Professor of Global Health and Development at the University of Edinburgh, where her work brings together global health, compassion, planetary wellbeing, and systems change. Across research, policy, e
Quiet Strength - Caring Deeply Without Burning Out - a Conversation with Margaret Cullen
In this episode, I'm joined by author, and mindfulness and compassion teacher Margaret Cullen for a thoughtful conversation on equanimity - the steady, grounded quality that helps us meet life's uncertainty without being swept away by it. Together, we explore her new book Quiet Strength, and what equanimity really means, how it differs from detachment, and why it matters in a world that often pull
Empowering Wellness: Exercise as Medicine for Mind and Body
Empowering Wellness: Exercise as Medicine for Mind and Body Welcome to another episode from our series exploring the profound impact of taking deliberate actions on various aspects of health, where today, we're delving into the interplay between physical exercise and mental health - particularly in individuals living with chronic illnesses. In a deeply engaging conversation with Dr. Sue Broadbe
A conversation with Dr Lara Boyd - Harnessing Neuroplasticity & Mastering Change in Uncertain Times
"The brain is always capable of change ... behaviour is the price of admission." How much can the brain really change - and what does it take to make that change last? In this episode, Dr Lara Boyd shares her winding journey from sport and physical therapy into neuroscience, sparked by a deep fascination with how the brain adapts through learning and recovers after damage. Along the way, she unpac
Embracing Compassion: A Journey through Mindfulness and Resilience - An Interview with Nick
Embracing Compassion: A Journey through Mindfulness and Resilience Welcome.This conversation is one I've been sitting with for a while. It was originally published in November on World Compassion Day in 2025. I had the chance to be interviewed by Jesse Spurr and Liz Crowe, from the 5 Things Podcast at Metro North, and together we explored compassion - not as a theory or a nice idea, but as somethi
Finding Space in a Chaotic World - Ralph De La Rosa
Welcome to this special holiday episode as we approach the end of 2025. As the year draws to a close, many of us find ourselves reflecting on what we've been working through - both personally and professionally. Today, we explore a profound question that I have been working with this year: What is the difference between pain and suffering in meditation? Pain is the raw, unavoidable sensation - ph
The Art of Being: Embracing Mindfulness and Compassion During Challenging Times with Cortland Dahl
The Art of Being: Embracing Mindfulness and Compassion During Challenging Times with Cortland Dahl In this enlightening episode, we delve into the transformative journey and work of Dr Cortland Dahl, a meditation expert, scientist, translator and researcher at the Center for Healthy Minds. Cort's true passion is using ancient wisdom and modern science to help people flourish. Cort shares his perso
Never Quit: Lessons in Leadership and Life - A conversation with Greg Robertson
Never Quit: Lessons in Leadership and Life - A conversation with Greg Robertson In this episode, Greg Robertson shares his extensive military background, from joining the Army at 17 and serving for 25 years, including 15 years as a sniper in special forces and regular army. Greg was inspired by the US Army Sniper Association, and after a few key experiences, established the Army Sniper Associati
Crisis and Compassion: Meredith Parfet on Transforming Loss into Meaning
Crisis and Compassion: Meredith Parfet on Transforming Loss into Meaning In this episode, we delve deep into the multifaceted world of grief, crisis management, and emotional resilience with Meredith Parfet, a CEO, hospice chaplain and death doula. Meredith shares her poignant and personal journey with grief, having lost her sister during the early stages of the opioid epidemic, followed by a s
The Generous Exchange: Maria Sirois on Burnout, Resilience, Beauty and Excellence
The Generous Exchange: Maria Sirois on Burnout, Resilience, Beauty and Excellence In this heartfelt conversation, Nick interviews Maria Sirois, Psychologist, Leadership Consultant and Author about her journey and her book 'The Generous Exchange.' Maria shares her experiences working with families facing life-threatening diseases, encountering resilience in its most profound form. We discuss t
The New Happy - A Journey into Compassion and Resilience - Stephanie Harrison
The New Happy A Journey into Compassion and Resilience - Stephanie Harrison In this insightful episode, we start with a tribute to the life and work of friend of the show Ralph De La Rosa, who graced our show on three different occasions, offering profound insights, support and wisdom. We are so grateful for their contributions and the light they brought. In our interview, we discus the impor
The Future of Behavioral Science with Steven Hayes: Beyond Bell Curves
The Future of Behavioral Science with Steven Hayes: Beyond Bell Curves In this captivating episode, Dr Steven Hayes returns to discuss the significant developments in the landscape of behavioral science and the ACT model over the past four years. Steven explores the limitations of traditional scientific methods in characterizing individual human behavior and introduces innovative approaches tha
The Healing Power of Expressive Writing: An Interview with Dr. Jamie Pennebaker
The Healing Power of Expressive Writing: An Interview with Dr. Jamie Pennebaker In this enlightening episode, we delve into the transformative world of expressive writing with Dr. Jamie Pennebaker, a leading researcher in the field. Dr. Pennebaker recounts the fascinating journey from his initial studies on the impact of journaling on overcoming trauma to the development of the computer program, L
Embracing Self-Compassion: A Conversation with Chris Germer
In this insightful conversation, Chris Germer talks about his journey in discovering and co-creating mindful self-compassion with Kristen Neff. Chris shares his personal struggles with anxiety, shame and public speaking, and how practicing loving-kindness meditation transformed his experiences of fear and shame. He discusses the complementary roles of self-compassion and mindfulness in managi
Building Resilience in Ukraine with MMFIT - Liz Stanley
Dr. Liz Stanley is a renowned expert in resilience, stress, and trauma recovery. As a professor at Georgetown University, she has dedicated her career to understanding the social structures that drive human behaviour, especially during times of stress and conflict. Dr. Stanley is the creator of Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT®), a groundbreaking program that has been empirically vali
Dr Shauna Shapiro - Transforming Lives with Self-Compassion and Mindfulness
Transforming Lives with Self-Compassion and Mindfulness: An Interview with Dr. Shauna Shapiro. In this heartfelt and insightful interview, Dr. Shauna Shapiro, a renowned psychologist and professor, shares her journey into the field of mindfulness and self-compassion, shaped significantly by a life-changing spinal surgery at age 17, Shauna discusses how she overcame pain and anxiety through mind
Ralph De La Rosa- Finding Meaning Amidst Chaos: A Journey Through Trauma, Compassion and Healing
Finding Meaning Amidst Chaos: A Journey Through Trauma, Compassion and Healing In this moving episode, I have a chat with freind of the show Ralph, who is a trauma therapist, meditation teacher and author. Ralph shares candid details about his recent harrowing experience of facing sudden liver failure. Despite dealing with immense physical and emotional pain, he offers valuable insights on tr
Nikki-Szabo-Building-Resilient-Individuals-and-Communities
Nikki Szabo is a dedicated and compassionate professional with over 25 years' experience in community welfare and the education sectors. Nikki holds a graduate diploma in social science and a degree in Community Welfare from Southern Cross University, and has worked in various roles including program and project management, advocacy, wellbeing support and case management. At the Iris Foundation,
Dr Jane Compson Being Mindful of Trauma in Meditation
Dr. Jane Compson is an Associate Professor in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at the University of Washington, Tacoma. With a rich background in religious studies and ethics, she passionately applies insights from Buddhist traditions to contemporary contexts, including higher education, environmental education, and healthcare. Dr. Compson is a trained facilitator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Re
Venerable Robina Courtin - The Boundless Potential of the Human Heart
The Transformative Journey of Venerable Robina Courtin: Insights from "Don't Quit On Me" Podcast The latest episode of "Don't Quit On Me," is an an extraordinary conversation with Venerable Robina Courtin, a Buddhist nun whose life epitomizes the boundless potential of the human heart. Her journey from a rebellious youth in Melbourne, Australia, to becoming a beacon of wisdom and compassion in th
Nick Propper Rest and Recovery the Keys for Long Term Success
Rest and Recovery - the Keys for Long Term Success Nick Propper is a sought after expert, keynote speaker and facilitator on the topic of building sustainable human performance. Nick works extensively within the senior leadership groups of some of the world's leading organizations, including Yale School of Medicine, Goldman Sachs, Procter & Gamble, Morgan Stanley, DaVita, G100, United State
Mark McConville- Humour and Laughter as Protective Factors for Mental Health
Mark McConville is a seasoned comedian and a respected lecturer in Suicidology. With over two decades of experience in the entertainment industry, he has become one of Australia's most reliable and professional comedians. Mark's academic journey in mental health is equally impressive; he graduated from Griffith University with a Master's Degree in Suicidology and received the Griffith Award for Ac
Maggie O'Shea - Is Self Compassion The Antidote To Burnout
Maggie O'Shea is a relationship therapist and mental health social worker in private practice with over 30 years of experience in the field. Maggie lives in Castlemaine in Australia and teaches Masters of Counselling students in Melbourne at Swinburne University and Relationships Australia. Maggie's practice MindfulPresence specializes in group-work and retreats for individuals and couples. She
Amber Lea Starfire - How Journaling Can Help To Relieve Stress
Amber Lea Starfire is a writer and writing coach who has published two memoirs and several journaling how-to books. She has also developed a series of online classes and workshops that have helped many people journal and deepen their writing practice. Amber says "Bringing truth and creativity into the world — and empowering others to do the same — is the work of my life. I truly believe that ther
Dr Rick Hanson - Compassion - Good Medicine For Difficult Times
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His seven books have been published in 31 languages and include Making Great Relationship, Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha's Brain, and Mother Nurture - with over a million copies in English alone. He's the founder of the Gl
When The Pain Sets In - The Role of Meditation in Chronic Pain
" … it's really fascinating actually like the human, at the biological level at the psychological level, we are built to tolerate pain, and we're built to grow stronger from enduring difficulty, we're actually made for it. That's like how it works. Joy matters too - don't get me wrong, you know, but the difficult stuff is always there. So, we might as well get good at utilizing that end of the spe
Deon Bird - Playing Above The Line
Deon Bird is a husband, a father of four, an ex professional rugby league player, a mental health advocate, a proud Aboriginal man, a trainer, a coach, and one of the wellbeing and education officers at the Redcliffe Dolphins for both the NRL team and the state league. Deon says that he once thought that he was put on this earth to play rugby league, but through becoming a mentor for Aboriginal a
Dr James Kirby - Choosing Compassion
James N. Kirby, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer, Clinical Psychologist, and the Co-Director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at the University of Queensland. He has broad research interests in compassion, but specifically examines factors that facilitate and inhibit compassionate responding. He also examines the clinical effectiveness of compassion focused interventions, specifically in how th
Edwina Kempe - Walking a Path Through Trauma
Edwina Kempe lives and works on Turrbal, Jajera and Jinibarra Country in Meanjin, also known as Brisbane. Edwina is an accredited mental health social worker and a qualified yoga teacher. Edwina's, also qualified in trauma center, trauma sensitive yoga as a facilitator, trainer, and mentor. Her framework is trauma informed and committed to social justice issues that underpin her work. Having work
Kelly Boys - The Deepest Sorrow & the Deepest Joy
Kelly Boys is a mindfulness trainer and author of The Blind Spot Effect. She has created mindfulness programs for UN humanitarians and veterans with PTSD, and directed a teacher training for Google. She has worked with the United Nations Foundation, Search Inside Yourself Institute, and the Integrative Restoration Institute, and is the founding advisor for the Simple Habit meditation app. She cur
Dr Jakqui Barnfield - Courage & Compassion in Crisis
Dr Jakqui Barnfield FACMHN, MACN - Director of Clinical Services As a registered nurse, focusing her career in the area of mental health, Jakqui has held various roles in the tertiary public health sector and is a passionate advocate for mental health and suicide prevention. She is committed to holistic care, ensuring services strive to meet the needs of consumers, their families and our commun
Brett Lee - A Human Centered Approach to Staying Safe Online
Brett Lee is the Founder of Internet Safe Education,Brett is a former detective who took his 20+ years of working and training in cyber crime to helping parents, educators, and the general public to understand how to protect themselves and, most importantly, their children online. Brett has worked on some of the most high-profile crimes for the likes of the Department of Homeland Security, FBI, a
Celia Roberts - Pain as a Teacher
Celia Roberts introduces us to deeper dimensions of Yoga, Meditation & Lifestyle Medicine. Celia runs the BioMedical Institute of Yoga & Meditation in the foothills of Brisbane, Australia, and reaches a global online audience with Yoga and Meditation Teacher Training. She invites people from all walks of life to merge science and spirituality for betterment of their health and well-being, to ultim
Piotr Nabielec - Four Step Productivity Part 1 - Focus and Distractions
Piotr Nabielec is the author of the 4 Step Productivity concept and courses. Piotr has a background in Engineering and Music, and loves connecting the world of logic and science with the world of emotions and intuition. Piotr has spent over 10 years in IT, first as a software developer and then a manager, and started programming as a teenager and started his professional career at Motorola in 200
Ralph De La Rosa - Making Space for You
Festive Season Special on working through holiday times with a heavy or tired heart. Ralph De La Rosa, LCSW, (he/they) is the author of two internationally published books. He is a psychotherapist in private practice and seasoned meditation teacher known for his radically open and humorous teaching style. His new book, Don't Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Fr
Sharon Salzberg - Somethings Just Hurt
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books
Dr Daniel Harvey - The Path Through Pain
Daniel is a Lecturer in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and a pain scientist at the University of South Australia. His research focuses on new approaches to chronic pain that leverage new technologies and modern understandings of body-related perceptual processes. Along with Lorimer Moseley, Daniel is an author of the book 'Pain and The Nature of Perception: A New Way to Look at Pain' which uses vi
Dr Stan Steindl - On Being Kind To Yourself
Dr Stan Steindl is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice at Psychology Consultants Pty Ltd, and an Adjunct Associate Professor at School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He is also co-director of the UQ Compassionate Mind Research Group, and convenor of the annual UQ Compassion Symposium. Stan has over 25 years experience as a therapist, supervisor, trainer and
Matt Cowdroy - Ninja Skills for Managing Stress and Attention
Matt Cowdroy is a Productivity Ninja and the owner of Think Productive Australia. Having spent the first 20 years of working life in the corporate world, Matt has first hand knowledge and experience to understand the pressures faced in todays fast-paced environment. Matt's formal qualifications are in Business and Marketing. He is passionate about people - understanding what motivates them, their
Elizabeth Stanley - Compassion and Insight Through Trauma
Liz Stanley is a Georgetown University professor and the creator of Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT)®, referred to as MMFT® for short. Elizabeth A. Stanley, Ph.D., is a professor of security studies at Georgetown University. She speaks, teaches, and writes about resilience, political psychology civil-military relations, and international security. She is the award-winning author of
Rob Buyea - A Conversation on Adversity & Fun
ROB BUYEA taught third and fourth graders in Connecticut for six years before moving t Massachusetts, where he taught high school biology for seven years at Northfield Mount Hermon. In addition to teaching, Rob was also a high school wrestling coach. He is best known for his Mr. Terupt series, which has won numerous awards and has been translated into a dozen languages. He is also the author of
Krishna Das - Calming the Mind and Opening the Heart
KD has been described by the New York Times as "the chant master of American yoga" - Krishna Das is an American vocalist known for his performances of Hindu devotional music known as kirtan. He has released seventeen albums since 1996. He performed at the 2013 Grammy Awards, where his album Live Ananda was nominated for the 2013 Grammy Award for Best New Age Album. He's taken the call-and-respon
Piotrek Nabielec - Human Centered Productivity
Piotrek Nabielec is a huge fan of human-centered productivity and the founder of the 4 Step Productivity system. For the last 6 years Piotrek has created courses that help people organize chaos, stop procrastinating and find the time for hobbies and dreams. Before this he spent 10 years as a software developer and IT manager. Piotrek loves creativity and is a part time musician. 4stepproductivity
Matthew Jackman - Mad Pride and Living Experience
Matthew received Australia's National Mental Health Advocate award by the Mental Health Foundation of Australia in 2020. Matthew is the Founder/CEO of The Australian Centre for Lived Experience, a peer run centre for lived experience persons seeking alternative peer approaches. They live with Bipolar Affective Disorder and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( 'as defined' by DSM/Psychiatry), i
Lisa Jones - Lived Experience and Recovery
Lisa Jones is the Director of Recovery for Metro North Mental Health. This is a lived experience role that sits within the Metro North Mental Health Executive Leadership Team and provides leadership to the Metro North Mental Health lived experience workforce. Lisa has experienced acute mental health challenges in her life and now uses her passion for mental health and recovery to ensure the lived
Michelle Mitchell - Chaos, Simplicity, and Kindness
Michelle Mitchell is an award-winning speaker, and bestselling parenting author. She has been termed 'the teenage expert' by the media and is sought after for her compassionate and grounded advice for parenting tweens and teens. Michelle started her career as a teacher, but soon discovered a special interest in wellbeing. She left teaching in 2000 and founded Youth Excel, a 'boutique' health promo
Dr Christine Runyan - Mental Health and Covid - On Forgiveness and Healing
Christine Runyan, PhD, ABPP Christine Runyan is a clinical health psychologist, Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and the Co-Founder of Tend Health. After starting her career as a psychologist in the US Air Force, she focused her research, clinical service, and teaching on behavioral science in family medicine as
Ralph De La Rosa - The Heart of Compassion
Ralph De La Rosa (he/they) is an internationally published author, trauma-focused psychotherapist, and seasoned meditation teacher. Ralph began practicing meditation in 1996 and has taught since 2008. His new book, Don't Tell Me to Relax: Emotional Resilience in the Age of Rage, Feels, and Freak Outs (Shambhala Publications) was celebrated as one of the "Top 10 Books of 2020" by Mindful Magazine.
Dr Amanda Rebar - Habits that Help
Dr Amanda L Rebar is an associate professor at Central Queensland University, an NHMRC Early Career Fellow, and the founding director of the Motivation of Health Behaviours (MoHB) Lab. She obtained her PhD from The Pennsylvania State University in 2013. Dr Rebar is a health psychology and public health researcher with interests in the motivation of health behaviours, specifically the non-conscious
Dr. Cathy Kezelman - The Journey of Healing
Dr. Cathy Kezelman AM is President of Blue Knot Foundation – National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma, a medical practitioner by training, and has a lived experience of childhood sexual and emotional abuse. She is committed to supporting people who have experienced violence, abuse and neglect to find pathways to healing and a trauma-informed approach to care which puts the humanity back in
Chony Bowden - The Essence of Humanness
Chony Bowden is an experienced and qualified educator who began witnessing the positive inner healing work that a regular arts based practice has on people's mental health and well being. She is a big hearted adventurer and truth seeker, who throughout her life chose to find answers to the 'deeper' questions in life by taking risks. Her journey's took her to places such as; Papua New Guinea, some
Dr Justin Chapman - Moving with Anxiety and Depression
Dr Chapman completed his doctorate in measuring and positively influencing the physical activity patterns of adults with mental illness in 2016. His work spans research, mental health service and community sectors. He leads a multi-centre randomised controlled trial of interventions to promote physical activity in adults with mental illness, a health service improvement initiative to improve the
Dr Jud Brewer - How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear
Dr. Jud Brewer is an internationally renowned addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist. His TED Talk "A Simple Way to Break a Bad Habit" has over 16 million views on YouTube. Dr. Jud is an associate professor at Brown University and executive medical director at Sharecare. His new book is called Unwinding Anxiety: New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your MindDr. J
Janet Reich Elsbach - Recipes for Caring, Connecting, and Building Community.
Janet Reich Elsbach writes about how all the numerous things going on in the average life collide with making dinner on her blog, A Raisin & a Porpoise. She is also an editor and writing teacher who loves to make space for people to get their point across. Her book, Extra Helping: Recipes for Caring, Connecting, and Building Community One Dish at a Time, was recently published by Roost. araisinand
Sebene Selassie - Belonging in an age of disconnect
Sebene Selassie is a teacher & author who guides people to remember and trust their belonging. Born in Ethiopia and raised in Washington DC, she began studying Buddhism 30 years ago as an undergraduate at McGill University where she majored in Comparative Religious Studies. She has an MA from the New School where she focused on race and cultural studies. For over 20 years, she worked with childre
Lama Christopher Coriat - The Stillness inside Stress
Lama Christopher is a Lineage Holder in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. For more than 20 years he has studied and practiced intensively under the guidance of his root teacher, Lama Kunzang Tenzin, as well as many other accomplished masters, both Himalayan and Western. Besides being committed to the authentic and accessible transmission of this timeless wisdom tradition, he is also a j
Dr. Steven Hayes - Psychological Flexibility in Times of Uncertainty
Listed by the Institute for Scientific Information as the 30th "highest impact" psychologist in the world, Dr. Steven Hayes is a Nevada Foundation Professor of Psychology in the Behavior Analysis Program at the University of Nevada. An author of 46 books and nearly 650 scientific articles, he is especially known for his work on "Acceptance and Commitment Therapy" or "ACT" which is one of the mos
