The Unforgiving60

Ashley Semmens is a former Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver who served for 18 years, specialising in explosive ordnance disposal. He has deployed multiple times, including to Afghanistan, and participated in Australia's military withdrawal in 2021. After surviving trauma from an IED attack, a sniper incident, and a horrific shark attack aftermath in Sydney Harbour, Ashley was medically discharged due to PTSD. Now, he's preparing to swim the English Channel — not just any swim, but on his back, using fins. It's a fundraising mission for the Navy Clearance Diver Trust and a deeply personal journey into fear, resilience, and purpose. In this episode, Ash opens up about overcoming fear of the water, losing close mates, post-service mental health, and how he’s turning pain into a platform for support and recovery. Key Moments 00:00 – Ben and Tim intro the episode and Ash’s unique goal: finning across the English Channel 01:14 – Comparison to Sam Penny’s Channel swim (Season 1, Episode 27) 01:40 – Ash’s clearance diving background and fear of water after trauma 02:45 – Military and Afghanistan service; PTSD and recovery journey 04:00 – Ash joins the conversation, starts with early life and growing up in Adelaide 06:00 – Competitive swimming as a teen; early struggles and successes 07:45 – 2003: Racing against Grant Hackett at Nationals 09:18 – Backstroke vs freestyle debate; Ash’s short course gold medal (with caveats) 10:00 – Natural transition to the Navy from competitive sport 11:01 – Joining as a direct entry diver and diver vs boatswain's mate decision 12:01 – Clearance Diver selection process explained — 10 days of being wet, sandy, and psychologically tested 14:07 – What Ash learned about focus, fatigue, and resilience during selection 15:00 – 2009 shark attack incident: Ash explains what happened to Paul de Gelder 17:34 – Ash’s role in the aftermath: trauma from cleaning the boat, psychological impact 18:29 – Lingering fear of large bodies of water, even lakes 20:00 – Later incident at Jervis Bay: panic before dive leads to difficult team moment 21:12 – Realisation of responsibility and shame around not seeking help 22:30 – Stigma and lack of psychological support during service 23:45 – What clearance divers do: diving, EOD, underwater repair, and land-based ops 25:16 – How Ash ended up doing EOD work in Afghanistan despite being too junior 27:22 – Becoming the most junior sailor to deploy for combat operations in Afghanistan 28:46 – Motivation to deploy: “It’s like a footballer wanting to play a grand final” 29:00 – Getting targeted by an IED during deployment 31:30   About the Bushmaster 34:42   Pressure builds up 39:30   PTSD, cracks, symptoms and care 44:00   ‘More to live for’ – side story 49:10   Medical discharge… and there are no protective factors in the military uniform 51:00   Role identity fusion 54:30   Finning the channel- breaking it down     External Links Navy Clearance Diver Trust Paul de Gelder – Shark Attack Survivor & Advocate S1E27 – Sam Penny swims the English Channel Contact Us www.unforgiving60.com Email: [email protected] Instagram & Twitter: @Unforgiving60   Music With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify

Jade MacDonald Razvi is a prominent Australian free diver and occupational therapist. She holds the second deepest dive in Australian history and recently won a bronze medal at the Free Diving World Cup. On this episode we talk about Jade’s growing up and freediving- how it works and how she trains. As well as EH4AR (‘everything happens for a reason').   00:40       Starts with Ben’s hijack! 04:15       Jade on her lineage and growing up. 07:15       Sign language demonstration for the podcast audience 11:45       Jade’s swimming background- swimming into life! And swim times. And injuries. 19:00       What is an OT? 23:58       What is freediving? 25:20       Mermaids and Merbutlers 30:05       How Jade got into freediving and explaining competitions 39:00       How Jade rains for freediving…. without deep water. 46:30       Professional freedivers- are they a thing? 48:45       Breaking records! 1:01:33    How does Jade get herself through profound discomfort? 1:04:20    Applying a mantra and meditation in her diving 1:10:15    Can you lose the edge? 1:12:15    What is Jade’s limit? 1:14:00    EH4AR… Jade explains 1:18:20    Book recommendations and audiobook 1:20:45    Jade’s Power song and country music 1:23:25    Underwater predators       External Links Jade’s Insta Martin McPhilimey episode is here   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify Mitchell Martin - available on Spotify  

We first had the privilege of meeting Leigh Anderson on the 2022 Resilience Retreat and have been stoked to stay in touch from there – particularly so given the recent publication of his book, ‘The Paramedic Mindset’.  In this episode, Leigh talk with us about that book, as well as his 14+ years as a paramedic.  Leigh discusses the ups and downs of the role including not only the amazing lifesaving assistance he has provided on countless occasions, but also those rare moments when his best wasn’t good enough.  Along the way, he’s developed some impressive practical tools for grappling with pressure, trauma and failure, which he shares with us as well.    06:00       Leigh’s backstory – paramedicine via a close brush with professional rugby league! 11:15       Ben reveals his ignorance and asks ‘what exactly is a paramedic?!’ 15:30       The human side of paramedicine 17:20       What DON’T you learn at paramedic school?! 19:20       What technique does Leigh recommend to stay calm and think clearly during high stress situations? 23:20       How partners can assist in high pressure situations 29:00       The (often unspoken) excitement of a really nasty job…and how paramedics can deal with continued exposure to trauma 34:00       An alternate (and brilliant) definition of success 37:00       Dealing with failure – and growth from trauma 40:00       The perils of role/identity fusion within paramedicine 46:00       Leigh’s experience on the 2022 Resilience Retreat (on a related note, sign up now for the 2024 Resilience Retreat – 24-27 Oct 2024 in the Gold Coast hinterland!) 48:15       How does Leigh put trauma behind him? 52:00       What is Leigh’s powersong?!  (Maybe not what you’d expect – check it out!)   External Links Leigh’s website and Insta Buy Leigh’s book or audiobook Monica Lewinsky’s TED talk on shame   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify

Kat Rae is an artist who works across an incredible variety of media.  Her confronting work, Deathmin, was recently recognised as winner of the 2024 Napier Waller Art Prize and represents the fourth time Kat has been shortlisted for this prestigious award.  In this podcast, Kat talks about her artistic journey, including her first career within the Australian Army during which time she met her husband Andrew.  Tragically, it was Andrew’s death that inspired her prizewinning piece and Kat very bravely talks to this devastating event and how she channelled this grief and frustration into Deathmin.    06:30       Kat’s background and early years – how she got into art….and the Army! 07:15       Some of Kat’s artistic inspiration included the ‘Angry Penguins’ – many of whom had completed military service 07:40       Art and Army – does that mix?!  11:30       Kat’s time at ADFA – the Australian Defence Force Academy 15:00       The Royal Military College Duntroon – not as much fun as ADFA…. 16:00       Into the big world of Army – Kat’s military career, including a stint within the prestigious Australian Federation Guard 23:00       The tragic death of Kat’s husband Andrew 29:00       Kat discusses her Napier Waller prizewinning piece, Deathmin 36:30        So what is the Napier Waller art prize?  And a little about Kat’s previous entries, including… 40:30       Cloud Slide, Coming Home and Reckoning 48:00       How did it feel to win on her fourth submission? 51:00       With all that she’s experienced – positive and negative – how does Kat now feel when she looks at the Australian Army? 1:02:40    What’s next for Kat – including within the art space?   External Links Kat’s website – katrae.net Kat’s Insta - @kat_a_rae Kat’s 2024 prizewinning Napier Waller submission   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify

This week we host Bill Lennan who will teach us how to be 40% better! He was a kit who was introverted and had social anxiety.. so Bill built his own toolkit.   As Bills tells his story...   Friend: How'd you get that role? Me: Talking with strangers. Friend: What? Talking with strangers is a gateway skill. It enables you to talk with team-mates, stakeholders, leaders, execs, and clients. It also makes interviews way easier.   Let’s get into it     04:50       Bill growing up… and Tim needs to grow up (according to Ben) 06:15       Bill working on cars- Ferraris and more…. 07:30       More beautiful car ever made?                  Ferraris or Lamborghini? 10:15       Life after playing with supercars 12:00       Introversion and anxiety-  Bill’s toolkit 13:45       Everything is a system…. And so understand the mental models 15:00       Dialectical behavioural therapy 20:40       Getting use to discomfort- that is about growth! 22:50       Critical thinking skills- is this unsafe or not. How do you look at scary things? 24:30       The value in physical risk 29:20       Talking AI and software. The future? 33:11       The phones not the problem. It’s the absence of alternatives that is the problem! 34:20       Risks and growing up 36:00       Farming and how rural setting change our focus 38:15       Leaders- system, reps and recipes- ‘latticework’s’. The big models for leadership development 44:15       What is kaizen and why does it work? 46:30       Talking people and performance 52:20       Making tough and unpopular decisions- how to do it if we are overly familiar? 55:50       What’s in Bill’s library 1:00:00    Bill’s Powersong!                          External Links   Bill on Linked In   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify

Tim and Ben love breathing.  Not just for the fact that it keeps them alive (although that is undoubtedly a strong benefit…) but also for the opportunity it gives to tap into the body’s autonomic nervous system and impact its emotional state.  In this episode, they speak with Martin McPhilimey – someone who was researching the impacts of breath long before it was cool - and find out how the differences between some popular breathing techniques and when these are best applied.   07:30       Breath as the ‘core of the dynamic interplay’ between mind and body 08:30       Martin’s background – how he got interested in stress, breathing and sleep 10:30       The link between breathing and sleep 15:00        The importance of being a scientist and a practitioner 16:00       How Martin starts with a new client 21:00       The impacts and requirements for oxygen and carbon dioxide within the body 22:00       What is air hunger, why is it so powerful and what triggers it? 28:50       The benefits of increasing our air hunger tolerance 33:20       Using wearables to monitor and improve your breathing 36:15       Martin’s take on the utility and applicability of some of the more popular breathing techniques, including: 37:00       Box (or combat!) breathing… 38:30       …4-7-8 breathing… 40:25       ..and could 4-7-20 be better than 4-7-8?!... 41:00       …the physiological sigh, and… 43:45       Wim Hof or tummo style hyperventilation techniques 47:30       What Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu can teach you about breath 51:00       Tips and trick for increasing our tolerance to air hunger? 54:30       Martin’s business – Performance Through Health 59:15       The Performance Through Health breath science certification 1:01:30    How to incorporate breathing techniques for children 1:04:00    What does Martin do for Martin?  (Including his jiu-jitsu practice with Ground Control Jiu-Jitsu) External Links Performance Through Health Martin’s Insta – some great stuff on here, give him a follow Martin’s LinkedIn   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify

Dr Andrew Bengsen talks to us this week about controlling ferals! Animals that is. Andrew has over 15 years’ experience in pest animal management or research and has been with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit for a decade.  But also we discuss Andrew’s first career in the military- including serving in Rwanda over the period of the tragic and confronting Kibeyo massacre.  We talk about luck- both good and bad. And perspective. As well as Andrews ‘role’ (very poor choice of words Tim) in the recent NSW floods, where Andrew’s family home was destroyed by the rising flood waters.     06:00       Andrew’s growing up and not finishing school. Joining the Army 11:45       Operational deployments being rare. Enter Rwanda 15:00       The complexity and challenges of peacekeeping operations 20:24       22 April 1995, the Kibeyo Massacre 24:00       Post Rwanda study … even without finishing school. 27:20       Being a bouncer in Townsville and learnings 34:00       Continuing study and enter into feral research (zoology and tropical ecology). The impact of feral animals and how we control them 47:20       Complexity! 55:00       Talking about the impact of the NSW Floods 1:01:00    The importance of community during the disaster    More on NSW DPI and Andrews Work is here: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/staff/profiles/andrew-bengsen https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bengsen-b7913a193/   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify Mitchell Martin- available on Spotify

Ruth Clare, quite rightly, describes herself as a “multi-passionate human who doesn't fit neatly into a box!”  Her formal credits include being a TEDx and motivational keynote speaker, award-winning author, embodied speaking coach, performer, mental health and child voice activist, as well as a qualified scientist with demonstrated expertise in authenticity, resilience and change.  In this podcast, Ruth speaks with the boys about her traumatic childhood, which she captures in her truly moving memoir Enemy. But more than this, she also speaks about her growth from that point, and what she’s learned about the mind, the body and human interaction along the way.    04:42       Opening with a sobering quote from Ruth’s book 06:45       What was it like to be living as a child under the spectre of domestic violence? 10:30       Why Ruth wrote her book Enemy and what she’s learnt about some of the drivers for her father’s violence 16:30       Did Ruth ever feel safe at home? 20:30       How Ruth has worked to deal with the trauma that she suffered as a child, including focusing on her internal locus of control 27:00       Broaching the issues of PTSD with people who may be suffering…and the potential downsides of ‘trigger warnings’ 37:15       Discussions on contemporary treatments for PTSD 47:30       Ruth’s resilience tools 52:20       Ruth’s power song!   External Links Ruth’s website Ruth’s Insta Ruth’s book, Enemy   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify

CONTENT WARNING- This episode discusses mental health challenges and suicidal ideations as well as discussing the tragic death of a veteran. Adam Blum had a troubled start to life, plagued by health issues and enduring a debilitating series of surgical procedures. His school years were a torture. Experiencing health and weight issues and diagnosed with ADHD, Adam faced constant bullying. His self-esteem was shattered under the weight of the relentless taunts and physical abuse of his peers. The persistent bullying continued into adulthood and in the workplace. At the age of 22, while suffering from severe depression, Adam decided to take his own life. But one vision and then  a phone call changed his destiny.  We discuss forging fortitude, and how, Adam’s life was saved to enable him to become Adam V2.0  Adam lives in the foothills of the Blue Mountains and is currently a firefighter with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS). He is the creator and host of a highly successful podcast called True Blue Conversations (Formerly True Blue History).  Adam is the author of ‘Easy Target’ which he hopes will help others build their own inner strength and self-worth.    04:00       Adam talks growing up, health issues and bullying- and its impact 09:10       Adam’s social networks to combat the negativity 12:30       Adams advice now to his high school self 15:05       ‘I’m not a victim’- the mindset 16:30       Adam talks about the catalytic moment that triggered his suicide attempt 26:13       The psychological angle and link to Adam’s weight and physical appearance. 30:55       Losing fingernails in trying to get through repeated obstacles… what else was Adam doing outside the medical and psychological- the positive people 35:15       Happiness and people/ social connections. Where did Adam find his tribe? 39:05       Adam enabled and facilitated his own turn around- & the secret to success 41:50       Silencing the voice in your head…. And creativity 47:25       Creativity and inspiration- and discipline! 48:55       Why write the book? 49:33       Ben and Tim are two -thirds of an author 54:00       Talking about Nick Hill who Tim and Adam both knew             External Links   www.Adamblum.com.au https://www.bigskypublishing.com.au/adam-blum/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-blum-b49249218/?originalSubdomain=au https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/true-blue-conversations-podcast/id1508857453   Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com   Email us at [email protected]   Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60   Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify Mitchell Martin- song ‘Hope’

On Riana during SAS Australia: “She’s a brilliant human. No bullshit, no ego, she just knuckled down and suffered well on the show” - Dr Dan Pronk  In this episode, Ben and Tim speak to television personality, SAS Australia candidate and all round superstar Riana Crehan- footnote that she is also a fellow West Coast Eagle supporter!  Brought up on a chicken farm Riana spent most of her childhood outdoors and dancing. In 2007 Riana got a work experience role with the V8 Supercars working on their onsite broadcast. The rest is (Supercars) history. She is a journalistic icon on the screens of motor sports in Australia. Married to Will Davison (Dick Johnson Racing Supercar driver), Riana balances work and life (including motherhood)-  juggling demanding travel schedules.   You will also have seen Riana when she took part as a contestant on SAS Australia, and she aced it.   And amidst it all Riana manages to also stay fit including through cycling and triathlon.   SHOW NOTES 03:00       On growing up on a chicken farm; dancing and playing sports 08:20       Riana decides to study nursing 09:45       How and where does car racing fit in?! 14:15       Riana the introvert- and talking about how many introverts occupy a ‘stage’ 15:20       Leadership roles and natural talent- does it exist? 17:50       How does Riana deal with criticism- particularly social media warriors 22:20       How can one get interested in Supercars? What is it like? 24:40       Tim talks about working with a Supercars Team- athletes and high performance. Riana gives context? 28:20       The narrowing of sporting margins 31:00       Riana talks about her time on SAS Australia 36:10       Talking imposter syndrome… how to take stock of that. 38:50       Talking shared hardshop and team building 42:10       Dr Dan says that Riana knows about ‘suffering well’. Riana responds and gives context on how she suffers well and what got her through the difficult moments 50:30       On motherhood, and the juggling game of life 55:00       Riana’s power song is here       External Links https://www.rianacrehan.com/about https://www.instagram.com/rianacrehan/?hl=en https://www.supercars.com     Contact Us   www.unforgiving60.com Email us at [email protected] Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60     Music …. With thanks to: The Externals – available on Spotify And Enjoy Band – available on Spotify