The Mind Mate Podcast

My latest podcast deals with something very close to my heart and that was my relapse (from a year ago now) in my fears associated with Hell and Eternal suffering. To provide a short background story, I awoke one morning (half asleep if that makes any sense) to demonic faces coming at me from all angles before they eventually subsided. In truth, this experience scared the shit out of me and took me right back to where I was three years prior. I was on the phone to my dad at 5am, began thinking of compulsions to perform in order to prevent myself from eternal damnation and felt the panic rising and rising. . . What's great about this experience however, is that the relapse humbled me greatly yet also allowed me to put #tommystencommandments to the test and I'm pumped they worked a treat (for me). The relapse lasted a total of 2 WHOLE days and that's it. . . . Now again, I don't want to be someone saying they have the answers to an anxiety free life because clearly, that would be a lie but I do want to be someone promoting the benefits of self awareness and personal management strategies to which can work absolute wonders and lead to a, more often than not, super fucking happy life! My tools work for me. I'm positive they work for millions of others too but if they don't then that's cool.

Welcome back friends! This episode touched on a few topics (I got a bit excited). We hit up Joseph Campbell's perspectives on ancient myths and religions, anxiety as an emotion—and therefore, the relevance of the term 'recovery'; my book launch which is set for the 1st of November as well as some passages from the Gospel of Thomas which relate to intrapsychological, meditative experiences. A lot of JC's stuff does seem to point to 'awakening' and, from a Jungian perspective, a reconciliation of the conscious with the subconscious mind. Carl Jung coined the phrase 'Individuation' for its reference to the above. Below is a passage of writing for the video I made a year ago about the intricacies of anxiety and its wider concepts. Enjoy! *** One thing I always used to tell myself was that I wanted to be fully 'recovered' and free from anxiety for the rest of my life. I wanted to go back to the way things were and I wanted to control my emotions. Looking back, what I have come to realise is that you can never recover from an emotion because an emotion is as part of you as the back of your hand. It's about learning how your emotions rise and fall and how you interact with the world. It's a change in perspective. I wanted to do this video today as I have been feeling anxious lately and I never wanted to be someone to preach recovery methods or ways to 'kill life'. I just want to speak about my experiences honestly and right now my anxiety emotion is killing me! What a classic.

Hey guys, welcome back. This episode of the podcast combines the old with the new. I recorded the meat of this sandwich last year, in an attempt to bring to the table a conversation about the extreme manifestation of anxiety; panic attacks. But the bread talks about some stuff I've been looking into lately which I think can really help us within our "earthly pursuits", as Carl Jung puts it. That topic is about happiness, meaning and fulfilment, as a triad. I don't think that our goal is to be happy because that's pretty arbitrary—there's no reason to it. I think our goal is to be fulfilled and, if that is the case, then there must be some meaning behind what we're doing that makes us happy. If meaning is to be included, then—to unpack this completely and pose the question—what is it you're doing that makes you happy BUT also is useful and provides a service to others? Let me know what you guys think and as always, I'm bloody grateful for you in taking the time to listen to my ramblings

Alex Deken is a powerlifter and authentic legend. He is the head coach at PTC South Melbourne and 10th all-time powerlifter in the 90kg class. Yet despite these accolades, our episode took on a slightly different approach this week. The first time I met Alex was, as you'll see, on an unreleased episode of AdventureFit Radio. Alex spoke to us about his fear of public speaking or as he puts it, 'self expression'. Immediately after a panic attack, the vibe became authentic and purposeful. Myself, Alex and the other boys sat and spoke about the ways anxiety manifests itself within our worlds. A few months later, I was lucky enough to catch up with Alex for another chat focused more specifically on how both he and I deal with our fears (of public speaking among others) and how communicating, utilising subjective tools and practicing confidence as an adaptable mindset can make all the difference. Enjoy!

WARNING*** The audio can get a little dodge in this episode guys but it's still clearly audible and rad so stick through it and get a dose of spirituality in ya! Do yourself a favour and follow this man @manojdias_ on da socials! Manoj is the co-founder of @_aspace, a meditation centre and runs workshops all over the world, preaching the good word of inner calm. The best way to get to know yourself is to spend time with yourself! We spoke about how Manoj's old life in the corporate world led to a disconnect from self, culminating in a panic attack at work. This was a rad show, I truly loved it!

This was a fantastic episode of the podcast with co-founder of The Mind Room, Jo Mitchell. I sat down with Jo and had a chat about the different approaches to combatting mental health issues today from a clinical perspective but what interested me most was Jo's anecdote of a panic attack she herself suffered in a theatre. Listen to the way she describes it from an objective, detached sense as opposed to identifying with the thoughts, feelings and symptoms. There's much to be learnt from this!

The audio is a little dodge on this one but we loved it! This week on the show I had a chat with the great man Gabriel Villarreal. Gab is the founder of Lost Boys Strength and Conditioning, the host of his very own podcast 'Informed Consent', a counsellor to young boys diagnosed with ADHD and an all-round legend. We dived right in here and spoke about the changes in perspective with mental health disorders from weakness to superpower. Another ripper team!

Ever since I listened to Johann Hari on the Joe Rogan Experience, I knew I had to get in touch with him. His book 'Lost Connections' was one of the most fascinating I have come across in recent times and my deep passion for mental health (partly because of my own experiences) no doubt forged some of these interests. I caught up with Johann Hari whilst he was on book/speaking tour promoting his book. Some of the causes and cures for depression and anxiety today may shock you as they once did me! Here, we got into why we have become so disconnected as a species from our being, our primitive values and social needs and why some of the potential cures i.e. psychadelics, meditation and a connection back to self and to our community may be more important than you think! You can also find his other book 'Chasing the scream' online which I highly recommend you do!

This week's episode of The Mind Mate Podcast brings to you a very special guest; none other than my uncle John. I have always been fascinated by John's experiences and by his perception of reality, which lead him to prioritise spirituality above all as a lifestyle. Finally, I was able to sit down with him and discuss Christianity and how it has transformed, shaped and helped him to grow into the man he is today. What I found is that the way we view the world was more similar than I'd previously imagined.

Jason and I have been mates since high school. We grew in different direction after graduating but have since rekindled as the universe threw signs that a strong friendship may be blossoming. Jason is a swim teacher, movement coach, spiritualist and psychedelic adventurer. His views on the world, personal experiences and message offer great insight into how to find inner peace, learning to brave the darkness (however that manifests for us) and how to lead a fulfilling lifestyle.