S4E20 – Senator David Van – Politics and Conflict, at home and abroad

In this RV Ben and Tim discuss the years events, trends and ‘best ofs’ now that the world has opened back up and life has returned to having velocity. From books, global change, travel, music ….. and what challenges have the boys set themselves for 2023.   01:30       What is an RV? 03:15       Let’s start with some stats 05:30       What is the 5th rated country by download? You’ll be surprised! 07:00       Some of the guest episodes…. Reflecting 14:15       How guests fight back…. Maccas Christmas Card to the boys. 18:00       Musical interlude…. I on U by The Externals 18:45       What was the biggest world development in 2022? 25:45       Tim will be easy meat when AI take over the world 27:15       Best book read this year?                  Mastery by Robert Greene                 About Cicero                 Farnam Street Blog 37:45       Talking best travel in 2022 39:40       Project NEOM and the giga projects in Saudi Arabia 43:30       Music discoveries in 2023?                  And Enjoy Band play Mojos Bar in Perth on 28 January 2023        opening to Humble Armada 47:00       Ben’s listens outside of Kpop….. back to the future- rediscovering albums 52:10       Coolest discovery in 2022? 53:00       About Gravel Bikepacking 56:30       About Snake Island 57:30       The privilege of Walking Country with the Nyamal Rangers 58:30       What about quitting? When is it right to quit? 1:07:15    Goals for 2023                  Bikepacking Mawson Trail and Munda Biddi Trail 1:09:00    Info on Tim’s ‘Longest Marathon’ is here 1:15:15    Sam Bloom dominating …. Her episode on the U60 is here. 1:17:00    Talking about the 2022 Resilience Retreat…..   Have a great holiday period…… don’t forget to fill that unforgiving minute with 60 second worth of distance run!     Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60       Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify And Enjoy – available on Spotify ….and playing Mojos Bar on 28th January 2023      

Ben and Tim are interviewed by Emily and Callum from Golds Gym. *********** The SAS guys with MBA's and Authors of the best-selling book 'The Resilience Shield' join us on the Gold's Gym podcast! Tim Curtis and Ben Pronk are leaders in their field and chat to us about all things resilience. You can also take their test to find out how resilient you are. Assess, understand and improve your resilience here: https://resilienceshield.com/assess-your-resilience/ Resilience is a lifelong individual endeavour and you can get active in your own rescue. Here's a brief overview of what you can expect to learn in this episode: What is resilience and why is it important? What is the Resilience Shield and what are the layers? How does stress affect your resilience? How do you foster an environment to develop resilient kids? Fitness vs Toughness Show me your friends, show me your future: Why this statement determines whether or not you are flourishing Can you train mindset? Gut microbiome Wim Hof breathing Transcendental meditation Being curious about who you are and surfing your thoughts How self-compassion and self-forgiveness is linked to meditation What is the secret to being successful? Transferability of techniques This is an episode you're going to want to listen to multiple times over to absorb all of the information. Download today! Find the guys on social media: @resilienceshield   Music by The Externals

Senator David Van is a Liberal Senator for Victoria, who was elected to the Senate in 2019.   As part of this, and arguably as the main reason many Australians might recognise him, David has recently been very prominent in his support for the people of Ukraine.  In this discussion, we speak with David about what this cause means to him and what the situation there might mean for all of us in Australia.  We also explore David’s fascinating background, which includes time as a horticulturalist, in public relations and as a ski instructor, as well as his extensive interest in, and study into the current geo-political environment – David holds a Master of International Relations degree from Monash University and is undertaking a Master of Strategy and Security degree at UNSW at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA). With all of this going on, we also ask David what he does for himself – exactly how does he stay healthy, happy and sane in the course of his busy and diverse life? 1:20         David’s upbringing – and experience in horticulture, public relations and ski instructing (all, as it turns out, very useful preparatory skills for a career in politics!) 7:22         Why the career change into politics? (and how do you get into politics?) 10:00       David’s support for Ukraine – and his frontline experience there 15:30       Is the conflict winnable (or loseable?) 18:30       What more should the West – including Australia – be doing? 22:30       What does the Ukraine situation mean for our region – and in particular, Chinese attitudes towards Taiwan?  And what should Australia be doing about this? 29:10       David’s views on the current state of democracy – and its ability to stand up against emerging totalitarian regimes 32:00       David’s reflections on the current state of the Liberal party 35:00       How does David stay sane, fit and healthy? 36:50       On Josh Frydenberg 39:40       David’s reading recommendations… 41:40       …and his power song! 44:40       What’s next for David?     www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60   External Links   David’s website   Music The Externals – available on Spotify Ben Frichot - available on Spotify  

TRIGGER WARNING. This episode discusses the 2002 Bali Bombing and involves content that some might find disturbing. ‘Macca’ is a knock about Aussie guy who 20 years ago at 19 years old played some pretty sub amateur footy at Kingsley Football Club in Perth. In October 2002, they won the team's first premiership and 20 people flew to Bali for an end-of-season trip to celebrate their victory. But only 13 of the teammates made it home. The remaining seven were killed in the Bali bombings, a terrorist attack which claimed the lives of 202 people, including 88 Australians.  Macca remembers seeing and hearing the blast. He was sitting around a table in the Sari Club with some mates and some girls they had befriended that night. What happened in the aftermath, including his response, and the selfless response of his teammates is quite remarkable. This episode is powerful, but it also shows the caring side of Macca who has been profoundly affected by the incident. But it also shows his commitment to his own post traumatic growth.   07:30       Elite research on our guest 08:00       About Kingsley Football Club 08:30       Kingsley Football Club really sucked in 2001! 11:00       The win the Grand Final… and off to Bali they go! 14:00       Into the Sari Club…. Macca recounts the situation 19:00       Recall…. How our brains trick us…. Macca’s brains response 22:00       The startling result at Macca’s table. 8 metres from the bomb. Why/ How did Macca survive? 24:45       The Football Club refuse to leave…. Counting the cost. Trying to find their teammates. 26:30       How is Macca’s emotional state? 28:20       How long before the realisation that mates had been killed? 33:25       Coming home 45:00       After year one… revenge or forgiveness? 51:00       Maccas advice to those going through trauma     Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60       Music The Externals – available on Spotify Tongue Charge- not good enough to be available anywhere!! Mitchell Martin Nik Kali     Helplines.   For those who might be troubled here are some health support lines   Lifeline on 13 11 14 — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Beyond Blue aims to increase awareness of depression and anxiety and reduce stigma. Call 1300 22 4636, 24 hours/7 days a week, chat online or email. Blue Knot Foundation Helpline is the National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma. It provides support, education and resources for the families and communities of adult survivors of childhood trauma and abuse. Call 1300 657 380, Monday – Sunday between 9am – 5pm AEST or via email [email protected] eheadspace provides free online and telephone support and counselling to young people 12 – 25 and their families and friends. Call 1800 650 890, 9am – 1am AEST / 7 days a week, chat online or email. FriendLine supports anyone who's feeling lonely, needs to reconnect or just wants a chat. You can call them 7 days a week on 1800 424 287, or chat online with one of their trained volunteers. All conversations with FriendLine are anonymous. Kids Helpline is Australia’s only free 24/7 confidential and private counselling service specifically for children and young people aged 5 – 25. Call 1800 55 1800. Lifeline provides 24-hour crisis counselling, support groups and suicide prevention services. Call 13 11 14, text on 0477 13 11 14 (12pm to midnight AEST) or chat online. MensLine Australia is a professional telephone and online counselling service offering support to Australian men. Call 1300 78 99 78, 24 hours/7 days a week, chat online or organise a video chat. MindSpot is a free telephone and online service for people with anxiety, stress, low mood or depression. It provides online assessment and treatment for anxiety and depression. MindSpot is not an emergency or instant response service. Call 1800 61 44 34. SANE Australia provides support to anyone in Australia affected by complex mental health issues, as well as their friends, family members and health professionals. Call 1800 18 7263, 10am – 10pm AEST (Mon – Fri), or chat online. Suicide Call Back Service provides 24/7 support if you or someone you know is feeling suicidal. Call 1300 659 467. Open Arms — Veterans and Families Counselling provides 24/7 free and confidential counselling to anyone who has served at least one day in the ADF, their partners and families. Call 1800 011 046. Head to Health provides free advice, assessment and referral into local mental health services. Call 1800 595 212 between 8:30am to 5pm on weekdays (public holidays excluded).    

Through their work with The Resilience Shield, Ben and Tim have become fascinated with the topic – and in particular, with evidence-based research related to it.  A few months back, they saw an article talking about an Australian academic conducting a range of ground-breaking research into this exact topic and reached out to see if she would be interested in sharing her perspectives with the Unforgiving60.  Associate Professor Justine Gatt is Lead Scientist of the Gatt Wellbeing & Resilience Group at Neuroscience Research Australia and the School of Psychology, UNSW. In this capacity, she leads a research program looking at the neuroscience of wellbeing and resilience to stress and trauma, and the ways that wellbeing and resilience can be promoted via various intervention platforms.  In this episode, she shares some of these findings with Ben and Tim, including a range of practical methods of building resilience that anyone can adopt. 0:25         A very special introduction – some original poetry from Jackson, a participant in Rick Pedley-Smith’s Rite of Passage program.  For more on Rick and the work he is doing to re-engage and support boys who are considered ‘at risk’, see our discussion with him exactly two seasons ago, way back in Season 2, Episode 18. 7:05         Justine’s background – and how she got to her current role as lead scientist of the Gatt Wellbeing and Resilience Group 10:10       Justine’s definition of wellbeing and resilience 12:00       How much – and what parts – of our resilience is hereditary? Plus an explanation of Justine’s COMPAS-W scale 17:24       The impacts of early life stress on our resilience (and the physical structure of our brains!) 23:00       What can we do in our own lives to increase our wellbeing and resilience? 30:30       Social media and resilience – how are our screens impacting our wellbeing (particularly amongst teens)? 34:45       The ‘goldilocks’ effect at play in terms of screen time 38:30       Where to next for Justine? (And, importantly, can twins actually read each others’ minds?!)   43:15       What does Justine do for her own resilience? 45:45       ….and how does she try to build resilience in her daughter?   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60   External Links   NeuRA (Neuroscience Research Australia), where you can find more about Justine’s work, and register your interest for their soon-to-be-released app Justine’s publications   Music The Externals – available on Spotify Ben Frichot - available on Spotify  

Our chat today is with world champion para-surfer Sam Bloom, and her husband Cam. Born on the Northern  Beaches of Sydney, Sam had everything she had always dreamed of. She’d travelled extensively, fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a nurse and was a happily married mother of three young boys. But without warning, the dream turned into a nightmare when on a 2013 family holiday in Thailand, Sam fell through a rotten balcony railing and crashed six metres onto the concrete below. Lucky to be alive, she’d suffered devastating injuries, including severe damage to her spinal cord that left her paralysed from the chest down. Broken and hopeless, Sam reached her outer limits of physical and mental suffering. But with courage, determination and a little help from an unlikely feathered friend, she made her way back from the edge, scarred but undefeated. 'How' is the subject of this podcast episode.   6:00         Sam and Cam’s background, and how they met… 11:30       Talking the importance of travel in the like of the Blooms 16:00       That fateful trip to Thailand 18:30       Moving hospital to hospital… to hospital 19:40       Sam’s recollection of the incident 21:20       ‘Memories are so subjective’ 25:00       When Sam realises the severity of the incident… 26:20       Cam is mopping up and trying to hold it together while Sam spends months in hospital 30:00       Sam arrives home… and its not how you think she would be 32:00       Enter penguin .. a fluffy magpie chick. Life changes 36:00       Cam and his accompanying photography. What he couldn’t photograph 38:20       How about the impact on the boys? 43:00       How the book started 52:00       Recruiting the actors for the movie version of the book 54:10       Doing time with their Hollywood counterparts… and shooting in their own home 59:15       Sam reconnects with her passion of surfing 1:02:00    SurfLakes Yeppoon … artificial surf facility in Queensland 1:05:00    Australian Championships- Surfing …and what’s next   External Links   https://sambloom.com.au https://www.facebook.com/sambloomaustralia https://www.instagram.com/samjbloom/   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     THE RESILIENCE RETREAT INFORMATION Be guests of the authors of The Resilience Shield between 27-30 October 2022 on Fitzroy Island off Cairns, North Queensland, Australia Info and bookings here: https://resilienceshield.com/retreat/   Music The Externals – available on Spotify Mitchell Martin- – available on Spotify  

We first spoke to David way back in Season 3, when he was kind enough to dial in from Antarctica and talk about his experiences as an Australian Antarctic Division Station Leader.  At the time of that episode, David’s team’s trip had already been extended due to COVID, however at that point, he didn’t realise just how long he would be on the ice for, nor what sorts of challenges his trip would present him with.  Turns out, the total deployment time was 537 Days, which ended up being the name of his outstanding new book.   In this episode, we catch up with David to talk about how the remainder of his time on the ice panned out and what leadership challenges he faced while deployed – including right up until the very last minute!  In the process, we’ll ask him about the specific leadership challenges he faced, how to deal with an extreme medical emergency in such austere conditions and the significance of the midwinter celebration for expeditioners.  Along the way, we'll also explore how he found the writing process and find out what was the first thing he did when he got back to Australia.    5:00         Picking up where we left off (from our last chat with David, Season 3 Episode 3) 6:02         On the writing process – what was it like collating his experiences into his book 10:10       How did David break the news to his team that they wouldn’t be going home when they expected to? 17:50       How do you galvanise the team after such disappointing news? 24:00       The importance of affiliative leadership in the AAD environment – plus the other leadership styles David found himself using 26:30       How can you achieve work-life boundaries when you are living at work? 28:30       The medical capability that David’s team had – and how they used this during an emergency 31:00       The very real threat of a COVID outbreak on station 34:06       After 537 days on the ice, surely nothing else could go wrong?!  Incorrect – Dave talks about the fire on the vessel during his return journey 43:05       The significance of midwinter for expeditioners 46:30       What makes a good Antarctic expeditioner? 48:00       What are David’s most memorable ‘#Antarctica’ moments? 50:40       What was the first thing David did when he got back to Australia? 56:50       What’s next for David?   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60   External Links   David’s website Signed copies of David’s book Media and reviews on David’s book at these links:  here, here and here. Hear David’s story at your next corporate function – click here for speaking engagements   Music The Externals – available on Spotify Ben Frichot - available on Spotify  

Beau Miles is an award winning filmmaker,  PhD, a poly-jobist, speaker, writer and oddball. His YouTube Channel houses his movies which have been watched millions of times. One short film, ‘Running a marathon a mile at a time’ has been viewed over 4 millions times.  It’s a bit better that our YouTube channel! We talk life and living. The importance of art and where Beau gets his mad ideas!  Tune in. Beau is certainly filling his unforgiving minutes with 60 seconds worth of distance run.    6:00         Who is Beau Miles…. And introduction 8:40         Giving kids space to find themselves 14:10       What is a poly-jobist? 16:30       Has Beau found his Ikigai? 18:30       Talking YouTube…. Crazy tasks and whacky ideas. What was the most punishing? 24:00       Do we have free will? Where are we relative to computers and AI? 28:15       Where do the ideas come from? 38:00       Talking art and pop. 40:40       Can you make it on YouTube? What’s the recipe? 46:00       Talking about the book-  ‘The Backyard Adventurer’ 50:00       How does the family keep up? 54:00       Talking music with Beau…..     External Links   https://beaumiles.com/books/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm325cMiw9B15xl22_gr6Dw   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     THE RESILIENCE RETREAT INFORMATION   Be guests of the authors of The Resilience Shield between 27-30 October 2022 on Fitzroy Island off Cairns, North Queensland, Australia   Info and bookings here: https://resilienceshield.com/retreat/     Music The Externals – available on Spotify  

When many of us think about marijuana, our immediate thoughts are of illicit use. But across the world, this attitude is changing as researchers uncover the benefits of medicinal marijuana across a range of conditions.  Progression within Australia has been relatively slow, however our guest this week aims to speed things up in this groundbreaking area.    Dr Michael Mumford started his career as an Australian Army engineer and saw operational service in Afghanistan with the Special Operations Engineer Regiment.  He then studied postgraduate medicine through the army and is now working to increase awareness of the medicinal benefits of cannabinoids, including for the treatment of PTSD in the veteran community.    5:05         About Michael – early years… 5:20         ..and into the Army as an engineer within the Special Operations Engineer Regiment, and then into postgraduate study as a doctor with the Army 14:50       How Michael got interested in the potential of cannabinoids as a treatment protocol (including perspectives from Michael’s German Shorthaired Pointer!) 17:35       Given the amount of research supporting its use, why has it taken so long for medicinal marijuana to be accepted within medical applications? 19:05       How does medicinal marijuana differ from what you might buy on the street? 25:55       Current resistance within the medical community 30:30       Michael’s research project with the University of Wollongong 35:30       What is the Veteran Access Scheme – and how can people can access it through the Provocatus website 39:50       What’s next for Michael – and what he hopes to see in the medicinal marijuana space   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60   External Links   Provocatus   Music The Externals – available on Spotify Ben Frichot - available on Spotify  

Let’s talk how to focus! Nir Eyal’s is an incredible thinker- describing himself as a ‘behavioural design expert’- which is the point of intersection between psychology, technology, and business. Then add some behavioural economics, and a twist of neuroscience. Our conversation in this episode ranges from how to be ‘indistractable’- the title of Nir’s book (and a word he invented), but also what tools and techniques can bring us to a pont of focus. And what about neurochemistry- is it real, or do we use it as an excuse? How can we correctly allocate time to things ….. and can we be bored!? Nir has a Stanford MBA  and is a best-selling author, who later went back to teach a course on product design at the Stanford University School of Engineering. Nir’s books are Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life.   Your toolkit to being Indistractable is after the timeline….   5:00         Nir’s background and explanation of his expertise. 8:40         Old philosophy on distractions- everything old is new again! 10:00       The four pillars of becoming indistractable 17:25       Does neurochemistry  and the reward pathway drive our distract-ability? 19:50       The place of Locus of Control when considering distraction. Ben talks self awareness…. Curiosity instead of contempt 22:50       How do we get motivated? 29:50       Work, you and relationships- how they nest. 35:50       Psychological transitions and deliberate breaks. 39:45       How do we surf the urge? 48:10       How do customers get hooked on products? 51:20       What is Nir’s power song!?   External Links   https://www.nirandfar.com/about-nir-eyal/   -Link to the book:: http://geni.us/Indistractable -Indistractable bonus content is here: http://nirandfar.com/indistractable -Indistractable summary article: https://www.nirandfar.com/skill-of-the-future/ -Distraction guide here: https://www.nirandfar.com/distractions/ -Habits vs routines article here: https://www.nirandfar.com/habits/ -Why schedules are better than to-do lists: https://www.nirandfar.com/todo-vs-schedule-builder/ -Time boxing article: https://www.nirandfar.com/timeboxing -Values article: https://www.nirandfar.com/common-values/ -Habit tracker - https://www.nirandfar.com/habit-tracker/ -Also, the schedule maker tool Nir mentioned is here: https://nirandfar.com/schedule-maker/     Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     THE RESILIENCE RETREAT INFORMATION   Be guests of the authors of The Resilience Shield between 27-30 October 2022 on Fitzroy Island off Cairns, North Queensland, Australia   Info and bookings here: https://resilienceshield.com/retreat/         Music The Externals – available on Spotify Ben Frichot - available on Spotify