Resilience Unravelled

In the final episode of Resilience Unravelled, Dr Russell Thackeray reflects on recording nearly 450 episodes that began as a way to build interest in resilience thinking, once focused on topics like burnout, mental toughness, and emotional intelligence.He explains his growing frustration with repeatedly revisiting old ideas and with organisations requesting “resilience training” to compensate for poor leadership, low psychological safety, and workplace burnout without changing systemic issues.Emphasising that resilience includes building capacity to bounce forward and seize initiatives, he recalls standout guests who challenged, debated, or collaborated with him, and notes that early guests have gone on to do great things.Concluding that it’s time to move on when it’s no longer fun or adding value, he thanks listeners and agents, teases three new projects, and says goodbye for now.00:00 Final Episode Announcement00:39 Why Resilience Got Recycled01:02 Resilience Training vs Culture01:45 Podcast Highlights and Guests02:19 Knowing When to Move On02:47 New Projects Ahead02:58 Thank You and Farewell03:29 Closing WishesYou can contact us at [email protected]#resilience, #burnout, #intuition

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled, Dr Russell Thackeray and guest Carol Murray discuss her resilience after a skydiving accident 29 years ago in which both parachutes failed, causing a 3,100-foot fall; she endured 26 surgeries, chronic pain, two and a half years in a wheelchair, and relearned to walk, noting fear was a major psychological barrier and that hydrotherapy helped rebuild confidence.Murray reflects on risk, emphasising considering consequences and ripple effects, and critiques inadequate safety training and oversight at the skydiving school. She explains her career as a professional fundraiser who has helped raise over $50 million, describing fundraising as donor-centered relationship building across mail, major gifts, and legacy giving. Murray shares a resilience framework focused on community, values, perspective, and mindset, and encourages being true to oneself, not giving up, and “borrowing strength” from others; she can be found at carolmurray.ca.00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:33 Meet Carol Murray01:55 Skydiving Accident Story02:36 What Went Wrong05:16 Aftermath and Recovery05:47 Risk and Consequences07:52 Learning to Walk Again10:50 Career in Fundraising11:49 How Fundraising Works15:12 Resilience Framework17:17 Borrowing Strength19:22 Connect and ClosingYou can contact us at [email protected]

Host Russell Thackeray welcomes guest Andrew Gregor, a British-born, California-based architect and residential remodelling contractor who has transitioned into publishing novels.Gregor recounts being born in Beirut, sent to UK boarding school at 10, studying architecture, building an award-winning practice in Germany, then moving to the US and starting a renovation company.He discusses how architecture taught him practical skills like managing people, money, and materials, and reflects on AI’s potential impact as he plans to retire and write.Gregor’s novel ‘Roscoe,’ set over 12 hours in the life of a homeless man in San Francisco, draws heavily on his own voice and experiences, including briefly sleeping in his truck after the 2009 crash and divorce.He describes outreach work, the need to treat unhoused people with dignity, and endorses Housing First; the book won first place at the New York Book Festival and is available on major platforms.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:46 Andrew’s Global Journey01:52 From Building to Books03:11 Architecture Skills and AI05:19 Beirut Roots and Languages07:07 Writing Roscoe and Voice07:49 Orwell and Experiencing Homelessness10:19 Close to the Edge in 200912:29 Dignity and Outreach Stories15:32 Humanising Homelessness Solutions17:56 Veterans, War, and Hypocrisy19:41 Where to Find the Book20:15 Connect and Closing ThanksYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

In this Resilience Unravelled episode, host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Dr. Joel Davis Brown about consciousness as worldview and self-positioning within society, and how marginalised communities often lack the “luxury” of drifting through life unaware of systemic inequities.Brown defines marginalised communities as those denied full access to life, liberty, and freedom, and discusses causes of marginalisation including discomfort with difference, scarcity thinking, greed, apathy, and historical inequality.He explores reclaiming the term “queer,” describing it as a generationally contested but increasingly inclusive political and cultural umbrella within LGBTQ+ identity. Brown outlines his work as an author, poet, professor, and organisational development consultant focused on culture, strategy, and leadership, arguing effective leadership requires self-interrogation, inclusion, and resisting groupthink.He explains why he wrote Souls of Queer Folk (2023) to uncover LGBTQ+ values and leadership lessons, and previews his upcoming healing book, I Had to Become the Father, releasing mid-August.00:00 Welcome and Banter00:53 Who Is Joel Brown02:02 Defining Consciousness04:08 Awake in Margins06:58 What Marginalised Means10:19 Why Marginalisation Happens13:37 Reclaiming Queer19:38 What Joel Does23:02 Souls of Queer Folk Origins29:54 Leadership Lessons From Queer Culture41:16 Healing Book Preview43:43 Where to Find Joel44:18 Closing ThanksYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Georgina Woodley in Perth, Australia about her background in big-four consulting, strategy, and 20+ years in market research, and her interest in applying personal-development “energy” concepts to organisations.They discuss how people sense workplace culture, how individual mood and “underlying human state” affects meetings, authenticity, and leadership responsibilities to support mental wellbeing.Woodley introduces Joy-o-meter, a measurement framework/program that assesses customer and staff experience plus the underlying human state to reveal patterns, capacity, and friction points affecting performance, loyalty, burnout risk, absenteeism, and turnover.She argues joy is a strategic advantage linked to creativity, flow, and psychological safety, and contrasts joy measurement with satisfaction and NPS. Joy-o-meter uses succinct quantitative surveys with open-ended comments, can isolate current issues from past experiences, and is delivered flexibly via reporting, workshops, or dashboards.Contact is via LinkedIn and joy-o-meter.com.00:00 Summer vs Aussie Winter01:39 Meet Georgina Woodley02:30 What Energy Means at Work06:19 Authenticity and Mood Responsibility10:11 Measuring Joy with Joy-o-meter12:59 Why Joy Drives Performance16:36 Beyond NPS and Satisfaction19:34 How Joy-o-meter Works in Practice21:57 Finding Friction and Burnout Risk26:30 Expectations and Better Signals29:08 Where to Learn More29:56 ROI Proof and Closing ThoughtsYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Host Dr Russell Thackeray welcomes Fort Lauderdale–based visual artist, therapeutic arts practitioner, author, and two-time cancer survivor Nerissa Balland, who discusses her work at the intersection of creativity, resilience, and personal growth.After being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma in 2016 while pregnant and parenting a toddler, she navigated surgeries, immunotherapy, later recurrence, chemotherapy she stopped due to low odds and side effects, and advocacy challenges including being told to terminate a pregnancy; she is now 8.5 years NED.Balland distinguishes therapeutic arts from art therapy and reframes resilience as engaging with adversity and moving forward, focusing on process over product, identity, and what can be controlled.She describes interviewing 100+ young mothers with cancer and her book, "Canvas of Courage," featuring 19 stories with practical “grace notes,” addressing gratitude, creativity, and how to show up for others.00:00 Heatwave Welcome00:48 Meet Nerissa01:47 Art and Resilience Mission04:07 What Visual Artist Means05:20 Redefining Resilience07:24 Therapeutic Arts Explained10:24 Identity and Honest Expression12:12 Corporate Toxicity Lessons17:51 Control and Moving Forward19:38 Creative Coping Stories21:48 Melanoma Diagnosis Journey30:14 Advocacy and Treatment Choices32:28 Canvas of Courage Book38:14 Where to Find Nerissa38:57 Final Thanks and GoodbyeYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Melbourne-based clinician and BBM (Brain Benefit Movement) founder Aram Cargill, a father of nine and former musician who developed a protocol to improve self-regulation and executive function, informed by raising a daughter with level 3 autism and two sons with ADHD and publishing multiple journal papers.They discuss ADHD diagnosis via DSM indicators, how ADHD traits vary by individual, and how ADHD-like symptoms can arise from stress, trauma, environment, and modern “base load” pressure.Cargill differentiates ADHD and autism, describing autism as more insular and emphasising expectation management and transition “thresholds,” and explains hyperfocus and detail-noticing as strengths.They explore higher burnout in neurodivergent people, concerns about short-form scrolling (including a child’s stutter resolving when iPads were removed), and his book “Seven Pillars of Mental Fitness,” arguing for proactive mental fitness in schools and a physiology-first lens; he outlines pillars including vision, attitude, awareness, adaptability, grit, recovery, and connectivity, and shares where to find the book and his research.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:27 Aram Background and BBM01:58 What ADHD Really Is04:01 Symptoms vs Diagnosis07:10 ADHD and Autism Differences08:23 Autism Expectations and Safety12:16 Hyperfocus and Tech Careers15:41 Burnout and Modern Stress18:21 Social Media and Kids Brains22:20 Why Mental Fitness Matters27:10 Seven Pillars Overview29:45 Physiology First Psychology31:14 Who the Book Is For33:51 Where to Get the Book34:58 Find Aram and ClosingYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

Host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Dr. Kim Foster, an MD and former family doctor now living on Vancouver Island and spending summers in London, about identity and change.Foster explains identity as the “I am” stories people tell themselves, often inherited from parents, teachers, or society, and argues even positive labels can be limiting.She shares her own shift from being “the artistic one” to embracing science and medicine, and describes her current work as an author, speaker, YouTube creator, coach, and educator.Foster outlines her three-step process—recognise, redesign, ritualise—emphasising building “identity evidence” through small daily actions rather than affirmations, illustrated by her learning golf in her 50s.They discuss gendered identity pressures around work and motherhood, the risks of over-identifying with diagnostic labels, and her new book, "Redesigning You: Change Your Inner Story, Transform Your Health," plus her website drkimfoster.com.00:00 Welcome and London Intro00:31 Canada UK Summer Life02:07 From GP to New Career05:10 What Identity Means06:59 Identity Shifts in School08:58 Reclaiming Your Identity10:47 Building Identity Evidence12:18 Golf and Bridge Identities14:30 Gender and Role Identity19:20 Three Rs Framework21:51 New Book Redesigning You24:39 Labels and Being Unwell26:55 Client Success Story29:04 Where to Find Kim29:39 Closing ThanksYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled with Dr Russell Thackeray, Antonio Michael Downing discusses growing up in Trinidad and Tobago with his grandmother, who taught him to read from the King James Bible and to sing Anglican hymns, before her death led to his move at age 11 to rural Northern Ontario.He describes the shock of migration, being renamed “Michael” at school, and how losing familiar culture and language prompted questions about identity, belonging, and the self, shaping a lifelong focus on fluid identity and resilience.Downing links resilience to flexibility and performance across contexts, from multiple musical personas to a corporate career at BlackBerry, and notes that those who migrate between ages 9–14 often become “a third thing” between cultures.He connects these themes to his memoir Saga Boy and novel Black Cherokee, explains his creative process as a “visitation,” and shares that Black Cherokee has an Audible audiobook, a paperback coming in August, and that he can be reached on Instagram @antoniomichaeldowning.00:00 Welcome and Introductions01:24 Growing Up in Trinidad02:22 Grandmother’s Gifts04:26 Move to Canada07:01 Reinventing Identity11:17 Neither Here Nor There13:45 Two Jackets Life19:08 Resilience Through Fluidity23:13 Themes in Music and Books26:24 Toronto and Belonging28:37 Writing as Visitation33:35 Books Formats and Where to Find34:53 Final Thanks and GoodbyeYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com#resilience, #burnout, #intuition

In this Resilience Unravelled episode, host Dr Russell Thackeray interviews Chris Hill, a London-based “lived experience practitioner” who helps people with mental health and addiction by teaching an educational “separation model” that distinguishes the conscious self from mind/body mechanisms.Hill shares his own 20-year history of addiction and explains addiction as dopamine-driven habitual wiring that can be harmful when it causes damage to self or others, spanning substances (nicotine, alcohol, drugs) and behaviours (gambling, sex, porn, shopping, social media).He argues modern society “hacks” survival mechanisms, highlights environmental risks such as youth vaping and its gateway effects, and criticises willpower-only approaches.Hill outlines his book Get Your Life Back, his private mentoring via beatmyaddictions.com, and his charity robhillfoundation.org, founded after his twin brother’s fatal overdose in 2014.00:00 Welcome and Introductions00:37 Chris Hill Background01:10 Personal Addiction Journey02:49 What Addiction Means05:46 Physical vs Behavioural Addictions08:24 Who Is Most Vulnerable10:33 Environment and Youth Vaping13:48 Education and Rewiring Solution16:59 Separation Model Explained22:13 Natural State and Breaking the Cycle23:38 Book and Program Options26:24 Support Community and Faith28:01 Charity Links and ClosingYou can contact us at [email protected] can be found online or link to our website https://resilienceunravelled.com#resilience, #burnout, #intuition