Challenges That Change Us

Motherhood can be absolutely exhausting and devastating, especially if you feel like you have no support. That was Stephanie Trethewey’s experience before she founded a life changing charity.In 2019, she swapped city life for rural Tassie, navigating the highs and lows of rural motherhood. Her struggles with postnatal depression and isolation inspired her to create Motherland; a national charity changing lives through services that reduce isolation and improve mental health outcomes for rural women.As the Founder & CEO of Motherland and the 2024 Australian of the Year for Tasmania, Steph is a voice of vulnerability, connection, and hope for women on the land.In 2022, Stephanie was named the national winner of the AgriFutures Rural Women's Award and in 2023, she celebrated the release of her debut book, MotherlandIn this episode she shares:Why elite sport taught her discipline, grit and resilience from a young age.How leaving a successful journalism career behind to move to a remote farm changed everything.The identity shift of becoming a mum while feeling isolated and without a village.What her mental health struggles looked like behind closed doors.How asking for help became the turning point in her recovery.Why she believes you can turn your pain into purpose.How creating Motherland has helped thousands of rural mums feel less alone.Why success now looks more like balance, family and contentment than hustle.Key Quotes"I felt very untethered and out of control.""I really believe that you can turn your pain into purpose."More about StephFollow Motherland on Facebook, Instagram, via their website and listen to the podcast.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. Imagine being a regional farmer living in remote Australia. Then imagine deciding to swim the English Channel.This is part 2 of our chat with Brendan Cullen. I highly recommend listening to part 1 first. After his journey with his mental health, Brendan decided to make some big changes, and one of those was getting into swimming. But he didn’t just dabble, Brendan decided to go all in on swimming.In this episode he shares:-      His unexpected journey into swimming and how a simple local event sparked something much bigger-      The obsessive progression from short swims to extreme endurance training-      What it really took to prepare for the English Channel, including isolation, sacrifice, and relentless discipline-      The mental toll of training in remote conditions and the grind of simply accessing water-      The reality of the Channel swim itself, from brutal conditions to complete physical and mental exhaustion-      The moment he reached France and the emotional release after years of effort-      How this physical challenge compared to his earlier struggles with trauma and depression-      The importance of saying “yes” and how that decision shaped the entire journey-      The unexpected difficulty of life after achieving such a massive goal-      How sharing his story and writing his book became a way to help others and find purposeKey Quotes“After 12 hours, it was dark. I had no idea where I was. I had no idea how long I'd been in the water. I had no idea how far I had to go. I've completely gave myself over to the boat hoping that they would get me there.”“I got caught in a four and a half knot rip not far out of France, and that's a solid rip… so, you know, mentally really tough.”More about BrendanFind his website here. And his book here.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE.  We’ve heard before about receiving a diagnosis later in life, but imagine the confronting experience of being admitted to a psych ward as an adult and being told you have bipolar disorder.Laura Schiller is a self-proclaimed hot-mess wife, mom of 3 and retired lawyer.  Five years ago she was a content wife, mom, lawyer, and successful entrepreneur and then she found herself unexpectedly in a mental hospital.  She is thankful for the experience and learned so many great lessons in the mental hospital. Now she signed on with a publisher for her book about her mental health journey. In this episode she shares:-      Her life before hospital-      Her experience of going to hospital-      How the psych ward differed to the mental hospital-      What she wishes she knew back then-      If she sees signs in your past that you had bipolar disorder-      What happened when they told her she had bipolar-      Her book and what she hopes to do-      What it was like leaving the hospital Key Quotes “They put me on suicide watch.  I had never been more confused in my life and I didn't know I was on suicide watch.” You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book in for our next burnout masterclass here.Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. TW: child sexual abuse and traffickingWe have discussed the horrors of child sexual abuse before, but Robyn Cameron’s story reveals a level of depravity an injustice that is truly shocking.Growing up in a cult she was subjected to abuse and mistreatment from an incredibly young age, but somehow survived and now is healing and sharing the lessons she has learnt.From a young age, Robyn has been deeply curious about how childhood experiences across cultures, beliefs, and social systems shape adulthood, leading her to begin exploring healing tools as early as 13. Her own healing journey in the 1990s, combined with lived experience, inspired the creation of Golden Keys Healing, which she later supported with formal training including rehabilitation counselling and ongoing professional education.In this episode she shares:-      Her deep emotional connection to the ocean as a place of safety and grounding-      Her life being born into and growing up in a cult-      What trafficking looked like in her childhood and the systems that enabled it-      The sexual abuse she suffered-      The burden she carried trying to protect other children and the guilt she held for years-      How she survived psychologically by creating different inner parts and personas-      The hidden reality of her teenage years living outwardly bright but inwardly shattered-      How trauma resurfaced through body memories and the long process of validating what happened-      The lifelong work of healing from cult conditioning and confronting internalised beliefs-      What it meant to leave the cult and lose her entire community and identity overnight-      Learning how to live, form relationships, and rebuild a sense of self after survival-      How she now finds purpose in healing work and helping others through creative and somatic practicesKey Quotes“What brings up the most amount of pain and grief is that there were other children that I wanted to protect from being raped and I failed.”“It was a death sentence for me to write to this group and say… I no longer want to be one of you.”More about RobynYou can follow Robyn on Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook and her website.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Challenges That Change Us –Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. We’ve talked about experiencing a health issue and not knowing the cause and we’ve talked about the impact of suddenly losing mobility from an accident. But what if you suddenly became paralysed, but no one knew why?That was the experience for Ro Clark in 2019.Ro is a Sunshine Coast based acrylic painter and graphic designer with over 14 years’ industry experience. After acquiring a spinal cord injury in 2019, she found solace and expression through her painting. Now, Ro works from her home studio, creating original acrylic artworks, limited edition prints and seamless repeat pattern designs. With a lifelong passion for art and design, Ro brings both technical skill and emotional depth to her practice.In this episode she shares:-      Her life before the accident-      The accident and what happened to her-      What she was like personally as she realised what was happening to her-      How realising the secondary aspects of being paralysed made life much harder for her-      The significant pain she lives with every second-      What the hard days of recovery looked like-      What tools from her past life did she pull on to survive-      Examples of her experiences with low accessibility-      How she looks forward now and what brings her joy-      Her art and how it helps herKey QuotesI could see my husband’s face and he could see the doctor and that is when I knew something was wrong.”“The pain is the hardest part for me now.”More about RoFind out more about Ro via her website and Instagram.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. Claire Torkington has lived a life. That means there have been big highs, as well as some big challenges.Besides dealing with burnout, and fighting fires as a firefighter, Claire has lived through numerous other close calls and just avoiding multiple deadly incidents, including 3 terror attacks.Her career spans the globe as she has moved and adjusted to whatever life has thrown at her.Now she works with Ability Enterprises, a not-for-profit, social enterprise providing meaningful employment opportunities to marginalised individuals living in regional Queensland.In this episode she shares:-      Her childhood experience moving around the world-      The major attacks and disasters she happened to live through-      What she learnt from living through these incidents-      How she ended up looking after her dads mum in the UK and how that changed er life-      Her time as a firefighter-      the moment she collapsed-      The realisation she made about her mental health-      What she does when she realises she is going down the path of her health getting bad-      The mantras and lessons she has taken from her challengesKey Quotes"By the time I got to the gate of the complex, I was physically ill.""I was actually on a plane on September 11th flying to New York, and we were pulled out of the air...""I refused to accept initially that this fall over moment was anything to do with my mental health whatsoever or stress."More about ClaireFind out more about Ability Enterprises here.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Challenges That Change Us –Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE. Trigger warning: suicide, depression, acts of war.Many of us have seen war movies, but nothing can truly explain the horrors and intensity of war. So we can only begin to understand the mental impact that going to war can have on the brave soldiers who are involved.Dave Payne has carved a difficult path from the frontlines to the boardroom. He has served as a leader in Iraq and Afghanistan wars and, as a security supervisor at the Regional Processing Centre on Nauru.Dave has battled PTSD, depression, substance abuse, and suicide attempts. He has since rebuilt his mind, body, spirit, and purpose.Now, bringing this skill set to Lifespan Supplements as Director, Dave delivers top quality health products that help people live stronger, longer, vibrant, and more purposeful lives. He also uses his hard fought and won skills to support and enrich the lives of veterans through Sage and Sovereign Group, as well as his Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) coaching business.In this episode he shares:-      His early upbringing in Australia with his parents and why it was good and paved the way for him to have the life that he has now-      The things that built resilience in his youth-      What life in the military was like-      The accident he had while off duty-      How he was made to go back to military work when he hadn’t recovered-      His time in Iraq and the horrors he witnessed-      How he realised he was in trouble while back home on leave-      The damaging response he was given when he opened up about his struggle-      How bottling up his feelings lead to drinkingKey Quotes“I just felt this, like a hole just appeared in me. These thoughts and feelings were creeping in. There was lots of sadness.”“They were testing chlorine bombs…and it just literally melts skin. It just melt human.”More aboutYou can find out more about what Dave does via the Lifespan Supplements website.You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.Grab your burnout workbook HERE.  Trigger warning: sexual abuse For many survivors of child sexual abuse, the moment the truth comes out can almost be another form of trauma while for others it can be cathartic. In fact as Alison Mau knows very well, the needs of survivors are infinitely varied.Alison is an award-winning journalist with more than thirty years in major television, radio, and print media roles. A long-time advocate for gender equity, in the wake of the global #metoo movement, Alison created a ground breaking investigative journalism project at NZ’s largest news platform in 2018. Over five years, the #MeTooNZ project published dozens of major investigations and supported hundreds of survivors to tell their stories, leading to widespread change in the way sexual harassment is reported by media.In many ways her experience helped her when it came to exploring and sharing her own personal experience with childhood sexual abuse.In 2023, Alison co-founded Tika, a tech-first access to justice charity designed to remove the barriers survivors experience when seeking justice and accountability.Her #1 bestselling memoir, No Words For This, was released in April 2025. In this episode she shares:-      How her curiosity, optimism, and likely undiagnosed ADHD have shaped who she is-      Why she wrote No Words for This and the lack of language around sexual harm-      The decision to tell her family’s story and why leaving it out felt dishonest-      The unexpected impact of the book and how it helped survivors feel less alone-      Her role leading Me Too NZ and changing how survivor stories are reported-      What trauma-informed journalism looks like in practice-      How a phone call from her sister brought buried childhood abuse into the open-      The relief and complexity of discovering she was no longer alone-      Why justice and healing are not one-size-fits-all for survivors-      How she transformed anger, struggle, and grief into advocacy and systemic changeKey Quotes “I spent my whole life pushing it down just so I could survive, until one moment made it impossible to stay alone with it.” “Struggling isn’t weakness, it’s what happens when you’re carrying something that was never meant to be carried alone.” “The hardest part wasn’t what happened to me, but learning to believe it wasn’t my fault.” More aboutFind out more about Tika here. You can get involved with the podcast online On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeusOr on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeusIf you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.comOr check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.