Bountifull Podcast

“Find things that you’re passionate about and go and work on those.”
In this episode, Michael Fox shares the story behind Fable and the journey that brought him to the world of mushrooms, food innovation, and purpose-driven business. We talk about entrepreneurship, the lessons he’s learnt across his three startups, failure, changing your mind as you learn, and how life experiences can quietly reshape what you care about and the work you want to do. We also talk about burnout, family, nature, gratitude, and what he values now.

Episode highlights
Michael’s upbringing across small mining towns in Australia and the entrepreneurial instinct that showed up early

The lessons he’s learnt across three startups and how each business shaped the next

Failure, burnout, and what it takes to start again

How his father’s cancer diagnosis changed the way he thought about food, health, and the wider food system

Why changing your mind as you learn can be a strength

The story behind Fable and why mushrooms became the foundation of the business

What makes shiitake mushrooms so interesting from a flavour, nutrition, and processing perspective

The difference between mushrooms and mycelium, and why that matters

Michael’s thoughts on fibre, vitamin D, protein, and the health potential of mushrooms

Raising money again and building with more discipline the second time around

Family life, nature, gratitude, and what matters most to him now

Chapters
00:01:56 Michael introduces Fable and explains the company’s mushroom-based product
00:02:49 Growing up in Australia and early entrepreneurial instincts
00:05:17 What a bountiful life means to Michael
00:05:40 Advice for his 25-year-old self
00:06:10 Why passion for the product matters in business
00:07:01 His three startups and lessons from building consumer businesses
00:08:33 The original idea behind Shoes of Prey and what it taught him
00:13:27 Burnout, stress, and perspective during difficult seasons
00:15:43 How food, health, ethics, and the environment reshaped his thinking
00:18:02 Changing your mind as you learn
00:19:07 Why trying to convert people did not work, and what does
00:24:29 Why mushrooms
00:28:00 Shiitake stems, supply chains, and how Fable thinks about production
00:31:45 Mycelium vs mushrooms
00:36:13 Fibre, protein, calories, and vitamin D
00:40:16 Mushroom foraging tours and the Zac Efron Netflix feature
00:42:43 Fable’s restaurant and meal kit partnerships
00:44:11 Building a business that feels more aligned
00:45:39 Product-market fit, raising less capital, and building differently
00:48:05 Raising money and starting again after failure
00:52:40 Moving from the Sunshine Coast to Brooklyn
00:55:28 Nature, city life, and staying connected to what matters

Guest bio
Michael Fox is the co-founder of Fable, a food company creating mushroom-based products designed to help people eat less meat. Before starting Fable, he built earlier consumer businesses including Shoes of Prey and Sneaking Duck. In this conversation, he shares what those experiences taught him about entrepreneurship, customers, product-market fit, and starting again. Michael grew up in Australia, studied at the University of Queensland, and now lives in Brooklyn, where he moved to help grow Fable in the US market.
https://www.fablefood.co/
linkedin.com/in/michaelfox1

About the Bountifull Podcast
The Bountifull Podcast explores what it means to live a bountiful life through conversations on personal growth, happiness, emotional wellbeing, resilience, health, creativity, and meaningful work. Hosted by Sian Simpson, each episode features interesting people from diverse backgrounds sharing real stories, practical insights, and life lessons to help us live with more joy, purpose, and connection.

https://bountifullworld.com/

“Music is one of the most powerful tools we have, and most of us aren’t tapping into what it can actually do.”
Music surrounds us every day—on the radio, in our headphones, in the background of our lives. But what is it actually doing to our brains, our emotions, and our bodies?
In this conversation with neurologic music therapist Emily Polichette, we explore why music has such a powerful impact on how we feel, think, and connect with others. Emily shares insights from neuroscience, mental health, and their own clinical work to explain why music can unlock emotions that words sometimes cannot reach.
Along the way we explore everything from why certain songs stay stuck in our heads, to the role music plays in emotional processing, anxiety, community, and even trauma recovery. Emily introduces the idea of “emotional constipation”—how modern life encourages us to suppress difficult emotions—and how music can help release and move those feelings in healthy ways.
The conversation moves between science and lived experience, touching on topics like neuroplasticity, mindfulness, cultural identity, and why singing or listening together can transform isolation into connection.
You’ll likely never listen to music in quite the same way again.

Episode Highlights
Why music activates so many different areas of the brain at once

How music can access emotions that words sometimes cannot reach

The concept of “emotional constipation” and why modern life suppresses feelings

How playlists can be used intentionally to support mood and mental wellbeing

The role of rhythm, tempo, and sound in regulating the nervous system

Why singing or making music together builds connection and community

Music’s role in trauma recovery and collective healing

The power of silence and listening in emotional processing

How music can become part of your personal toolkit for difficult seasons

Why curiosity, play, and creativity matter more than musical ability

Chapters
00:00 Why music preference is so fascinating
00:32 What it means to live a bountiful life
04:54 Discovering music therapy and the science behind it
07:30 What a music therapy session actually looks like
11:00 Why music activates the whole brain
13:26 How music can rebuild neural pathways after injury
15:15 Using music to support mental health and anxiety
18:45 Music as mindfulness and attention training
21:30 The idea of “emotional constipation”
27:50 Neurologic music therapy and the science of rhythm
34:10 Why the brain is so responsive to music
40:10 Music, identity, and living authentically
44:10 Silence, sound, and emotional awareness
51:00 Music and healing in trauma-affected communities
54:35 Building a personal music toolkit for life

Guest Bio
Emily Polichette is a neurologic music therapist working at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute in Utah. Their work explores how music can support emotional wellbeing, neurological rehabilitation, and human connection.
Emily specialises in neurologic music therapy, an evidence-based approach that uses rhythm, sound, and musical engagement to support cognitive, emotional, and physical health. Their work spans mental health care, trauma recovery, and community research projects exploring the role of music in healing and cultural identity.
Through both clinical practice and research, Emily is deeply interested in how music engages the brain, regulates the nervous system, and creates spaces where people can express emotions that may be difficult to put into words.

About the Bountifull Podcast
Bountifull is a podcast about personal growth, wellbeing, and how to build a more joyful and meaningful life. Through conversations with interesting people from diverse backgrounds, we explore psychology, resilience, science, and practical wisdom for living well.
https://www.bountifullworld.com/

What happens after trauma? Western culture often gives us a binary: move on or stay broken. In this episode, psychologist Dr. Thea Comeau offers a more nuanced and humane alternative: integration.
We explore post-traumatic growth not as a neat redemption story, and not as a requirement, but as a possibility that can sit alongside pain, grief, confusion, and ongoing struggle. Thea explains how trauma can shatter our assumptions about safety, identity, and how the world works, and why healing is rarely neat or linear. For some people, recovery means finding their way back to who they were. For others, it means building something new.
We also talk about what helps in the aftermath of trauma: surviving minute by minute, finding 1% more comfort where you can, taking manageable bites of processing through titration, and letting go of the idea that there is a “right” way to suffer or heal. Thea shares why “at least…” statements are so often harmful, why support matters, and how trauma can sometimes clarify what matters most.
This is a grounded conversation about complexity — about making room for suffering without reducing someone to it, and allowing space for growth without forcing it.

Key points covered / episode highlights
What post-traumatic growth is, and what it is not

Why trauma can disrupt identity, safety, and a person’s sense of meaning

The difference between surviving, healing, and growing

Why healing after trauma is often non-linear

The five areas of post-traumatic growth

The role of titration: processing a little, then stepping away

Why “at least…” statements can minimise pain rather than honour it

The importance of being heard, supported, and taken seriously

How trauma can shift values, priorities, and relationships

Why integration can be a more honest frame than “moving on”

Chapters
00:00 Introduction: trauma, suffering, and the idea of integration
07:16 What is post-traumatic growth?
07:16 What is trauma, and what helps in the early days
15:10 Why growth is not the “right” outcome
16:53 Thea’s Northern Ireland research and values change after loss
20:50 The five key areas of post-traumatic growth
23:39 Misconceptions about growth, and why it should never be expected
34:08 Why disruption matters, and what happens when core beliefs break
38:37 How growth happens, what helps, and why social support matters
46:36 The harm of “at least…” statements and how to better support someone
53:12 Matching the right tools to the right phase of healing
55:08 Trauma, complexity, and the false binary of “move on or stay broken”

Guest bio
Dr. Thea Comeau is a registered psychologist, researcher, and Assistant Professor at Concordia University of Edmonton, where she directs training for the PsyD in Clinical Psychology program. Her work sits at the intersection of trauma and thriving. She's spent years studying how people find positive transformation after some of the worst experiences of their lives. Her doctoral research at McGill University took her to Northern Ireland, where she explored how personal values shifted among families who had lost loved ones to the conflict. That question, how do people hold pain and still build something meaningful, continues to drive her research, her teaching, and her clinical practice. She's also deeply invested in the wellbeing of the next generation of therapists, studying how training impacts clinician development and wellness.

About Bountifull Podcast
Bountifull is a personal growth and wellbeing podcast exploring how to live a joyful and meaningful life. Through conversations with interesting people from diverse backgrounds, we explore psychology, science, resilience and practical wisdom for living a good life. 
https://www.bountifullworld.com/

“Sometimes not knowing the rules is the thing that lets you see what’s possible.”
Mallun Yen’s life and career have been shaped by not quite fitting the mould — and learning to see that as an advantage.
Growing up as the daughter of immigrants, Mallun often felt like an outsider. She spent years trying to blend in, to understand the unspoken rules around her. But over time, she realised that being on the edges gave her a different perspective — one that allowed her to observe more closely, spot patterns, and see opportunities others might miss.
Her career reflects that same thinking. From starting as a lawyer, to leading intellectual property at Cisco, to building a company from zero to public in just three years, Mallun has consistently taken paths that didn’t quite follow the traditional route. Not having the “right” background became a strength — freeing her from assumptions about how things are supposed to be done, and allowing her to think differently.
In this conversation, we explore the deeper lessons behind that journey — from the importance of relationships and feedback, to the courage it takes to speak openly about things that are often left unsaid.
Mallun shares candid reflections on identity, grief, mental health, and menopause — and the power of talking about experiences that many people carry quietly. Her perspective is grounded and thoughtful, offering a reminder that connection often starts with honesty.
We also explore her work with Operator Collective, a venture fund built around community, bringing together experienced operators to support founders based on real-world experiences with people who have been there, done that, and are currently doing it.
This is a conversation about perspective, courage, and rethinking where value comes from — and a reminder that not fitting the mould might be the very thing that allows you to build something meaningful.

Episode Highlights
Why being an outsider can become a powerful advantage

The freedom that comes from not knowing “the rules”

How feedback can shape better decisions and relationships

Rethinking what it means to be “political” at work

The role of community in building companies and careers

Why sharing personal stories creates connection

The reality of grief, mental health, and high performance

Opening up conversations around menopause and women’s health

Building a different kind of venture capital model

What it means to live a bountiful life

Chapters:
00:00 – Thinking differently by not knowing the rules03:00 – Growing up as an outsider and trying to fit in10:00 – Observation, pattern recognition, and advantage15:00 – Learning relationship building and feedback20:00 – Sharing stories, grief, and mental health25:00 – Menopause, identity, and workplace realities30:00 – Career journey from law to founder to VC35:00 – Building Operator Collective40:00 – Feedback, naysayers, and decision-making44:00 – What it means to live a bountiful life

Guest Bio:
Mallun Yen is the Founder and CEO of Operator Collective, a venture capital fund and community designed to bring experienced operators into startup investing. The fund manages over $150 million and brings together operators from leading technology companies including Salesforce, Stripe, and Slack.
With more than two decades of experience across law, technology, and venture, Mallun has built and scaled organisations from startups to Fortune 100 companies. She previously served as Vice President of Worldwide Intellectual Property at Cisco, where she led global strategy and played a key role in major acquisitions.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mallun/

About Bountifull:
Bountifull is a podcast where we explore what it means to live a bountiful life in a world that often feels fast, noisy, and complicated. Through thoughtful conversations with interesting people from diverse backgrounds, we explore the ideas and experiences that shape how we live, and how we can have more joy in our lives, every day.

“Notice the nature around you — and take time to just be.”
In this conversation, Holli-Anne Passmore explores the powerful relationship between nature, wellbeing, and meaning in life. Her work focuses on how small, everyday interactions with the natural world can shift how we feel, think, and experience our lives.
We often think of nature as something we have to travel to — mountains, oceans, national parks. But what if the real shift comes from simply paying attention to what’s already around us?
Holli-Anne shares that it’s not just time in nature that matters — it’s the quality of attention we bring to it. Noticing the sky, the trees, the small details in everyday life can create a measurable impact on wellbeing, helping us feel more connected, calm, and alive.
The conversation also explores the difference between feeling good and living a meaningful life, why boredom is essential for creativity, and how slowing down can help us understand what truly matters.
This is a grounded, practical conversation about how to live more fully — not by doing more, but by noticing more.

Episode Highlights
Why nature is not “out there” — it’s all around us

The science of nature and its impact on wellbeing

Why noticing nature matters more than time spent outdoors

The emotion of “elevation” and feeling deeply connected

Meaning vs feeling good — what actually matters

Why boredom is essential for creativity

Living at “human speed” instead of constant hustle

How nature can reduce loneliness and increase connection

Understanding the environments where you feel most alive

The concept of “enough” and letting go of more

Chapters
00:00 — How nature impacts wellbeing03:00 — What makes life feel meaningful09:50 — What a bountiful life really is11:20 — Why boredom matters19:20 — What is nature connectedness24:20 — Nature prescriptions and mental health29:00 — Cognitive benefits of nature33:30 — Meaning vs feeling good36:00 — Nature, time, and “enough”39:20 — Finding environments that suit you46:00 — Nature in cities and everyday life54:40 — What people misunderstand about nature58:50 — Tools for tough days01:03:30 — Final reflections on living well

Guest Bio
Holli-Anne Passmore is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Concordia University of Edmonton and a leading researcher in nature connectedness, wellbeing, and meaning in life. She is the Director of the Nature-Meaning in Life Research Lab and her work focuses on practical, everyday interventions that help people improve mental health, reduce loneliness, and live more meaningful lives through their relationship with the natural world.

The Bountifull Podcast explores what it means to live a bountiful life through thoughtful, honest conversations with interesting people from diverse backgrounds. Each episode weaves together real stories, practical ideas, and personal reflections on topics like well-being, resilience, connection, creativity, and meaning. In a world that can often feel noisy and disconnected, Bountifull offers a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what matters, helping listeners find more joy in their lives, every day.
https://www.bountifullworld.com/weekly-question/