Clear the air

Clearhead acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

Suicide rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are more than three times those of non-Indigenous Australians. In this episode, we will explore First Nations approaches to developing indigenous models of psychology and suicide prevention projects and how they differ from Western models. We learn the importance of empowering communities to develop solutions that reflect their own strengths, knowledge, and lived experience, which includes the impact of colonisation, trauma and racism.

Pat’s biography:
Our guest today is Professor Pat Dudgeon AM, a Bardi woman from Western Australia. She is a professor at the School of Indigenous Studies at The University of Western Australia. She is also the Director of the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention, the lead Chief Investigator for the national Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing research project. Finally, she was also part of a group of Indigenous psychologists who developed the widely used Social and Emotional Wellbeing model. 
In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions.

00:00 – Introduction
02:15 – Why Pat became an Indigenous psychologist
06:20 – The emergence of Indigenous psychology
07:25 – The Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project
10:00 – The Australian Psychological Society’s apology to Indigenous people
11:55 – The impact of colonisation on Indigenous mental health
13:35 – Findings from Indigenous suicide prevention research
15:15 – How Indigenous psychology differs from Western models
17:35 – The Social and Emotional Wellbeing model and its determinants
24:00 – How Indigenous-led models are used in clinical practice
28:45 – What clinicians need to deliver culturally responsive mental health care
30:15 – Creating inclusive workplaces for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees
32:55 – The impact of racism on Indigenous suicide rates
35:30 – The impact of the 2023 Voice referendum on Indigenous people
37:20 – Programs that strengthen cultural identity and combat racism
40:55 – Why cultural identity can be a protective factor
43:40 – What happened to Indigenous populations following colonisation
45:20 – The power of truth-telling in reconciliation
47:15 – Co-design and upholding Indigenous self-determination
50:20 – Indigenous suicide prevention projects that have worked
52:50 – Learning from projects that have failed
58:00 – Pat’s personal wellbeing practice

Learn more about Professor Pat Dudgeon and her work: 
https://boorn.org.au/
https://timhwb.org.au/ 
https://indigenouspsyched.org.au/

Learn more about Clearhead
https://www.myclearhead.com/

In this episode, we explore the growing evidence connecting gut health, nutrition, mental health and men’s physical wellbeing, including how everyday lifestyle factors can influence long-term gut health outcomes. We’ll look at how diet can support mood, energy, sleep and the gut–brain connection, as well as simple, practical changes men can make to support both their physical and mental wellbeing.

Alice’s biography:
Alice Fitzgerald is the CEO of The Gut Foundation, a national health charity focused on research and education, helping people understand their gut health and take action to protect it. She’s a keynote speaker, strategist and storyteller who believes humour, honesty and the occasional swear word are powerful tools for prevention… and she’s not afraid to talk about poo if it helps people live longer.

0:00 – Introduction
2:05 – How did Alice get involved with the Gut Foundation?
4:22 – What is the purpose of the Gut Foundation?
6:15 – Why excess sugar consumption has contributed to bowel cancer in young people
9:45 – Why telling people to stop eating certain foods is unhelpful
11:00 – What can you add to your diet to improve your gut health?
13:35 – How to have effective conversations with men about changing their diet
16:05 – What is the microbiome?
18:00 – What is gut health?
20:00 – How to eat 30 different plants a day
22:30 – The impact of nutrition on the gut-brain connection
25:40 – Should you take probiotic supplements, or is fermented food best?
29:00 – How to use the stool chart to check for signs of bowel cancer
32:45 – What age should people start screening for bowel cancer?
35:45 – What are the common misconceptions about gut health?
37:50 – Should you only buy organic vegetables?
39:30 – Why is there stigma around talking about digestive issues?
42:30 – The role of workplaces in improving gut health
45:20 – The impact of gut health on physical health and sleep
46:35 – How eating kiwifruit provides a triple benefit
48:10 – Why exercise is important for gut health
48:50 – The negative impact of restrictive diet culture on gut health
51:30 – Steps to avoid feeling overwhelmed when changing your diet
54:40 – How your next meal can immediately improve your mental health
57:30 – How exercise improves the diversity of the gut microbiome
1:00:00 – Alice’s one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Alice & The Gut Foundation
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alice-fitzgerald-a0211226/ 
https://www.thegut.org.nz/ 

Learn more about Clearhead
https://www.myclearhead.com/

Bullying can leave lasting impacts on mental health and feel very personal to the victim, it shapes how people then cope, connect, and work throughout their lives. In this episode, we’ll explore how bullying show up in workplaces, and what truly prevents bullying at a organisational level in the workplace. 

Michelle’s biography:
Professor Michelle Tuckey is the Professor of Work and Organisational Psychology at Adelaide University. She is a leading researcher whose work has reframed bullying as a structural issue and not just an individual’s bad behaviour. Michelle investigates how workplace systems and environments drive bullying and harassment, and how to redesign them to prevent interpersonal harm. This work underpins an award-winning prevention program reaching nearly 10,000 employees, and has shaped national policy through bodies including Safe Work Australia and the Australian and Queensland Human Rights Commissions.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions: 

0:00 – Introduction
2:10 – How Michelle started specialising in bullying
2:55 – Defining bullying
4:15 – A real-world example of bullying at work
6:05 – How a power imbalance can exist in peer bullying
7:15 – Can managers be bullied?
8:05 – What are common misconceptions about workplace bullying?
9:35 – What conditions make bullying more prevalent in certain industries?
13:25 – Why rebuilding relational fabric is the key solution to reducing bullying and improving workplace culture
16:00 – How to create psychological safety in an organisation that lacks it
20:10 – How to end toxic cultures that promote bullying
21:05 – Early intervention and peer feedback as a way to reduce bullying
22:05 – How to align organisational systems with company values to reduce bullying
23:45 – How grassroots interventions can drive small culture change even without senior leadership buy-in
25:45 – Types of harm caused by workplace bullying
28:15 – Gaslighting through a network of silence
29:20 – Why you should see bullying as a systems issue rather than taking it personally
29:50 – How to take back power when you are being bullied
30:45 – Are there gender-specific types of bullying?
33:15 – Toxic culture, role clarity and leadership as organisational red flags
34:55 – Why the number one risk factor in bullying complaints is how leaders give constructive performance feedback
36:25 – The benefit of strong workplace relationships when giving constructive feedback
38:15 – Examples of how leaders can build a relational foundation with their direct reports
41:55 – Values alignment as the number one thing organisations can do to reduce bullying
43:15 – What are the early warning signs before bullying occurs in an organisation?
45:35 – What should individuals do if they are being bullied?
48:45 – Why bullying persists even when interventions have been introduced
53:05 – Why bullies do not see themselves as bullies and may feel they are bullied themselves
54:15 – How a country's culture can contribute to a bullying culture
56:30 – Why proactive intervention is key in bullying prevention policies
58:20 – Is moving the target away from the perpetrator enough to deal with bullying?
59:50 – Why HR and Health and Safety need to work together to reduce bullying
1:01:40 – Michelle's one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Michelle
https://www.linkedin.com/in/prof-michelle-tuckey/ 

Learn more about Clearhead
https://www.myclearhead.com/

Women continue to face unique pressures, balancing professional, family, and social expectations while carrying the often-invisible mental and emotional load. In this webinar, we’ll explore the experiences of women in leadership roles and what organisations can do better to support women into senior roles and maintain their wellbeing.  

In this episode, we sit down with leadership coach and consultant, Dr. Amanda Sterling, to delve into questions on gender equity in the workplace and closing the gender representation gap. Dr. Amanda will share insights from both her research findings on women in leadership and her own experiences in the field.  

Amanda's Biography: 
Dr Amanda Sterling is an award-winning consultant who partners with organisations to remove barriers for women into leadership and create inclusive workplaces where people and businesses thrive. 

Amanda combines her decades of experience working in corporate leadership development and culture change, as well as deep expertise on leadership, gender, and inclusion, to help organisations attract and retain more women in leadership and close their gender pay gaps. 
Amanda’s groundbreaking PhD research (completed in 2023) revealed critical insights into what is still holding women back from leadership roles and the opportunities to address this. Her research has been featured in multiple media channels such as RNZ,  and was highlighted by Global Women and the University of Auckland. 

Amanda is originally from the Kaipara region but has called Tāmaki Makaurau | Auckland home for the last 20 years. She is also a proud parent to one son. 

0:00 – Introduction
2:20 – Why Amanda decided to research women's leadership
4:35 – What barriers prevent women from becoming leaders?
6:05 – What assumptions perpetuate these barriers?
7:55 – How can we challenge societal assumptions about mothers in leadership roles?
9:30 – Why men are key to increasing leadership opportunities for women
11:00 – How can we help men feel comfortable being part of the solution?
14:05 – How can women influence men in the workplace to change the status quo?
16:50 – Why women's leadership development programmes alone are not enough
17:55 – Why representation does not equal inclusion
20:00 – How to develop the measures needed to drive organisational change
21:15 – The case for men's leadership development programmes
22:20 – What are the benefits of having more diverse teams?
23:55 – Why women leaders leave leadership positions
25:45 – The false assumptions behind the belief that women are less confident than men
28:05 – Are organisations acknowledging the additional emotional burden women face?
30:00 – The four-factor framework for increasing women in leadership roles
31:55 – Factor 1: Flexible work
32:19 – Factor 2: Partner support
33:10 – Factor 3: Manager support
33:35 – Factor 4: Women's leadership development programmes
34:40 – How workplaces can shift gender expectations around parental leave
37:00 – When is there a place for women-only safe spaces?
39:15 – What can workplaces do to create more supportive managers?
42:45 – How the four factors change across career stages
44:33 – Making the case for change in the workplace
46:15 – Case study: Z Energy
49:20 – What are the long-term measures for assessing the impact of inclusive teams?
50:04 – What is one thing organisations can do to create change?
51:00 – Amanda's one wellbeing practice

Learn more about Amanda
https://dramandasterling.com/ 

Learn more about Clearhead
https://www.myclearhead.com/

Bringing out the best in ourselves and others is something many of us strive for - but how do we realistically work towards it, especially in the workplace? In this episode, behavioural psychologist Dr. Scott Geller explores how motivation, Actively Caring for People (AC4P), and evidence-based behaviour-change strategies can support personal wellbeing, leadership, and more connected, high-functioning teams. This episode highlights the role of community and coaching in empowering both ourselves and those around us.

Scott’s biography:
Professor Scott Geller is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Virginia Tech and the former Director of the Center for Applied Behavior Systems. He has authored 55 books and more than 300 research articles looking at behavior-based interventions to improve human welfare on a large scale. His talent is well-recognised and he has received multiple awards for his work.

In this episode, we dive deep into answering the following thorny questions.
00:00 – Introduction
02:10 – Why Scott became a behavioural psychologis?
03:35 – What is the definition of motivation?
05:00 – The three factors that drive self‑motivation.
08:15 – Applying the 3C framework to motivate yourself to go to the gym.
10:30 – The importance of learning and social support when trying something new.
13:00 – How to stay motivated to help others when you’re struggling.
14:30 – Self‑transcendence and the top of Maslow’s hierarchy.
18:00 – What is the Actively Caring for People (AC4P) framework?
20:50 – How to give corrective feedback with empathy.
21:40 – The COACH framework for inspiring people to care at work.
24:50 – The role of leaders in creating a safety culture.
26:55 – How to build interdependent communities where everyone benefits.
7:45 – Three steps to empowering employees to try something new.
31:05 – How to get teams to actively care.
32:25 – The role of leaders in encouraging active caring.
34:35 – How to sustain choice, competence, and community in an organisation.
36:35 – Example: eliminating bullying in a school using caring principles.
38:00 – Summary and final reflections.

Learn more about Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-geller-3045211/
Learn more about Clearhead https://www.myclearhead.com/