Positive Psychology and Wellbeing expert Sue Langley joins us this week to bring the SCIENCE, bebe!
Sue is a world-renowned wellbeing speaker and thought leader, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to pick her brain about my midlife crisis.
Sue specialises in the practical applications of neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and positive psychology, synthesising the science and research into simple, practical tools that anyone can use. Her research – aimed squarely at the sweet spot between emotional intelligence, positive emotions, and brain science – inspires people to get the best from themselves and from their peers and teams.
Hannah Bushell returns to talk dating and app profiles, reality tv, activewear and ankle socks, loneliness, marketing magic tricks, Erik Erikson's 8 stages of development, and more...
References
Fox Gillen is a philosopher, an Egyptologist, a former Lifeline Crisis hotline trainer, and all-round interesting and clever human being.
This is a wonderful chat about pathways, identity, relationships, philosophy, and all the good stuff in between.
You're gonna love it.
References:
Hannah returns for this week's Dash for some big chats about mental health, identity vs labels, good intentions, a deeper dive into Hannah's work in psychedelic-assisted therapy, and matters of the heart.
Book reference:
The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm
If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach out to the amazing folks at Lifeline.
"I need purpose... nope, you need almonds"
with Tattoo Artist Kitty Dearest
IT'S HERE - THE FIRST DASH.
The original concept of Dash was to explore sliding doors moments in people’s lives – where forks in the road have led them, if they have unfulfilled dreams, questions or FOMO that keeps them up at night.
And it’s not NOT about that now.
But as I’m facing my own existential / midlife / identity crisis – big themes around purpose, meaning and identity have continued bubbling up as I pick other people’s brains to help me get back to knowing myself… what I’m hoping is that these are all little stepping stones on a path back to optimism.
Finding out what to hold onto, and what to let go.
I’ve chatted with mental health professionals, artists, psychologists, academics, comedians –anyone with big juicy brains that don’t mind me having a good ol poke around in there.
This first episode I recorded with my dear friend Hannah Bushell, who I’ve known for over 25 years. Hannah is a mental health nurse and a Senior Research Officer in Psychedelic Assisted Therapy at Monash University.
The one where The Imposters finally learn what 'self care' means.
In episode 70 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Jessamy is joined by Alice Imposter and returning guest, artist Carissa Karamarko. We chat about going all in, feeling like you’re always behind, relationship to the word ‘artist’, the relief of letting things go, choosing the quality of your problems, partnerships, balancing inputs & outputs, worrying about what your work day looks like to other people, not acknowledging progress as it happens, the seduction of busyness and newness, having the space to see the big picture, mindset shifts vs opt-outs, the binding nature of gossip, all-girls schools, preparing young people for the real world, and the value and limitations of old friendships.
In this episode we time travel all the way to January to give you this great chat with Natalie Katona from the To All The Men I've Tolerated Before podcast.
We chat cat names, talking in movies, covid silver linings, self-imposed barriers, starting a podcast with no experience (LOL relatable), fear keeping you creative-adjacent, middle-school plays, getting the acting bug, self image, podcasting as storytelling, managing friendships with professional partnerships, Days Of Our Loves, Fiona the Hippo, the safety in believing you’re never the expert, being a cock-block to your own healing, being ok with being bad at stuff, imposter syndrome and dating, fluid sexuality, Encino Man, and Gen Z saving us all.
(For those playing at home, we did eventually find Encino Man and it was wonderful)
In episode 68 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice Imposter Dr Marion Piper returns to dive into The Little Box of Fuck Ups, harvested from Finders Keepers Creative Business Summit back in March (soz we fucked up and forgot to do it earlier).
We cover diary fuck ups, spelling fuck ups, file deletion fuck ups, not getting it in writing fuck ups, how you respond to other people’s fuck ups, and importantly - how do you learn and grow from your fuck ups and be honest about what you need.
In the second episode of our ‘Alice Imposter’ mini-series, Jessamy sits down with her pal of 25 years, comedian, writer and producer Andy Balloch.
We chat about inviting the bull into the china shop, the funniest joke in history, the relationship with an audience, balancing serious subjects with silliness, growing, learning and doing better, unlearning our social conditioning, growing up gay in Australia, running out of time, comparing yourself to Chris Hemsworth, the preciousness of time, feeling cheated out of time, the importance of representation, fighting for a seat at the table, where great ideas come from, the structure of a show, building a set, and being old.
In our first mini-series of ‘Alice Imposter’ episodes, Jessamy sits down for a chitty-chat with the brilliant Dr Marion Piper.
This chat covers sobriety and being “sober-curiousity”, the drinking culture in Australia, being honest with ourselves and others about how we feel about our relationship with booze, personal development, social lubrication and connection, what the research says, shifting into a new version of you, the value of doing less rather than more, avoiding things that threaten your identity, transferring your loves, how belief becomes identity, dissecting your experiences to understand what you value and crave, the twisted cultural narrative, being afraid to be a beginner, sitting in uncertainty, rebelling against yourself, having a support crew, focusing on how alcohol makes us feel, outsourcing decision making, the hardest bit being just not doing it, being terrible at editing, being confronted with presence, setting expectations and controlling what you can, and that it’s actually none of your business what’s coming for you… so find comfort in the unknown.
Tix to Marion's journalling workshop
Andrew Huberman's pod on What Alcohol Does to You Body, Brain and Health
In episode of 65 of The Imposter Syndrome Club Alice and Jessamy start with an important announcement, then chat about Alice imposters, the seven types of rest, the shitstorm of 2023, the long tail of pandemic recovery, the pressure of making up for lost time, the value of mental models, napping, sensory rest, the quality of silence, morning routines, social media timers, rebelling against yourself, mental rest, hot firey brains, productive procrastination, the power of changing your environment, the long term impact of big life events, being scared of the dark, the difference between scary and creepy, ghost trains, emotional rest, impression management, emotional literacy, and the experience of change.
In episode 64 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy chat about triggering covid zoom calls, emojis in the workplace, emoji signatures, sms grammar, capital letters on the “what’s not” list, liberation from being “cool”, role models and influence, a Barbie deep dive, representation of women on the big screen, hope for the next generation of women, the “feminist agenda”, men’s rights douchebags, Mitch Buchanan and Baywatch, the unfair power structures and expectations of women in the public eye, The Rock and the dentist.
This week Alice and Jessamy chat to the incredible comic artist and author Gillian Goertz about accomplished friends, hype girls, undermining local recognition, shamelessness, confidence, the energy of the States, working in sales, the benefits of working lots of different jobs, being a late bloomer, resisting the golden handcuffs, opportunity cost, access to representation in the arts, setting the bar high, having basic needs met as a requirement for creativity, hanging out with people who are better at the thing than you, the importance of having people to talk shop with, why comics, the power of finding mentors, self-gatekeeping, writing for kids, using real references to create imaginary worlds, the joy of seeing things you recognise in art, the weight of research, being a stickler for details, tying up loose ends in writing, character design, the personhood of children, terrible haircuts, early vs late development, the “period toilet”, wanting your childhood to last, the convention of adulthood, what we can learn from kids, playfulness and flow states, creativity as an asset everywhere, finding friends that want to have the same fun as you, costume parties, drunk feminist films, and the hard work that goes into fun projects.
@gilliangdotcom
In episode 62 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy chat about friendship evolutions, love & gratitude, friend crushes, being awkward with babies, the shame of being un-maternal, faking it, parental inequality, being honest about the realities of the inequities of the world, patriarchy, puppies, dog washing, Barbie, why Jessamy loves LA, being inside the TV, realising fairytale landscapes exist, the holiday you, rollerblading, plan b’s, public speaking, diversifying your portfolio, putting all your eggs in one basket, proverbs & sayings, sloganeering, and the illusion of truth.
In episode 61 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy chat about hostels, hammerhead sharks, tuna & cheese, eggs or farts?, the power of storytelling, puke jars, ethical conundrums, urgency trumps embarrassment, shitting, jumpsuits & vulnerability, pissing injustice, she-pees, body vs brain, the limits of preparation, dancing on planes, work energy limitations, peaks & troughs, opting in to the pros to balance the cons, and that if you paid the entry fee - you better go on the fucking ride.
In this PACKED interview with Jaz Designs (aka Your Pricing Queen) Jessamy chats with Jaz about the one thing that makes most creatives squirm in their seats - money, honey.
We chat about how a rising tide lifts all boats, not devaluing work just because you enjoy it, the myths of the starving artist and work/life balance, resting in your own way, the power and detriment of going all-in, feeling creatively inspired by running a business, identity shifts, confidence coming from mind shifts and information cultivation, you’re not “asking for money” - you’re letting them know the ticket price, you are giving - not taking, the importance of information gathering, client red flags, creating processes and checklists, boundaries, worth vs value, businesses exist to make money (the client’s AND YOURS), your self worth is not tied to what you create, quantifying outcomes not creativity, imposter syndrome and comparison, reframing imposter syndrome as a sign you’re trying something new, saying yes when you know it should have been a no, resentment pricing, FAFs (fuck around fees), being a service provider and advisor, not an employee, white label situations, taking a problem-solving lens, cheese puns, pro bono work, reciprocal value, being big enough to serve someone but small enough to know them, everything is currency - you just need to get creative with it, collaborating with clients, and how working together builds mutual respect.
In episode 59 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy try to hold it together on a Friday afternoon and chat about art vs design, rejecting the terms of a question, listening not waiting to talk, creme brûlée, making things, playing poker, re-learning, adobe subscription conspiracies, Elf, sleepcasts, sleep hygiene, story time, life drawing, drawing dicks, weddings, vow renewal, friendships changing and ending, incompatible love languages, and the sex lives of nursing homes.
In episode 58 of The Imposter Syndrome Club, Alice and Jessamy chat about country people, inter-generational relationships, deep dive on our work as graphic recorders, managing energy, Alice’s tour guide career, “top deckers” (it’s not what you think), history and learning, the value of imagination, the subtle art of not giving a fuck, choosing the quality of your problems, are there “shit” values?, toxic positivity, you don’t always have to make lemonade out of your lemons, learning to fight with your partner, being biased toward the meaning that you make, everything is wrong, but all change comes from being wrong, you are responsible (but not necessarily to blame) for everything, entitlement, and that with great responsibility comes great power - not just the other way around.
Book: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck by Mark Manson