Chats From A Chair

In this episode, I speak with 21-time extreme world record holder, Damien Rider as we explore why he takes on such extreme and world first challenges. Damien shares intimate and shocking details of his childhood, how close he came to losing his life while undertaking his first major challenge of paddling from the Gold Coast to Sydney, why he continues to push the limits and he shares the moment that everything made sense as he found true happiness and purpose in life.

In this episode, I chat with Judy Collins about her husband, Matt and his health conditions of Alzheimer's and paralysis. Judy shares details of the change in Matt's behaviour that led to his diagnosis of Alzheimer's, the medical journey that they went on that resulted in his paralysis, the surprising little things that can trigger his memory and the way that they still look for the little moments of joy amongst very difficult circumstances.

In this episode, I chat with Thomas Delloiaco, as he shares the different types of difficult circumstances he has endured. He talks to me about the s*xual abuse that he suffered at a young age, we chat about the many years he spent battling addiction to meth, the events that led to him being sentenced to jail by a magistrate, how he reached 200kg in bodyweight and the way he was able to turn his life around to now have a positive outlook on life and a bright future.

In this episode, I chat with Jai Arrow about his diagnosis of MND at just 30 years old. We discuss the first signs that led to him seeking medical advice, how he handled the diagnosis while in the prime of his NRL career, he explains why he's choosing to fight his battle publicly, the surprising positive impact that it's had on him and we chat about how he found out that he was going to run out again for the Rabbitohs and reach the 100 game milestone for the club. All of this and much more.

In this episode, I chat with Karina Irby, as we discuss her experiences as the daughter of a quadriplegic. She takes us back to the moment that she watched her dad sustain the injury, she shares the moment she was told that her dad would never walk again, we explore the way that their relationship has developed, with their time together now more intentional and we chat about how this experience has given her a different outlook on life.

No topic is off limits as I answer questions put to me by all of you. My injury, rehab, support workers, sex, dating and relationships are all discussed in this tell all solo podcast.

In this episode, I speak with Declan Kluver as he shares details of the events that led to him making an attempt on his life. Experiencing a manic episode, Declan portrayed erratic behaviour that ultimately lead to a decision that still impacts him physically and emotionally to this day. This raw and honest recount of events is sure to leave you speechless.

In this episode, I speak with Sharni as she bravely shares her experiences of an abusive relationship. We explore the early warning signs that the behaviour wasn’t acceptable, the extent it reached, the moment she was held against her will and I ask the question, why didn’t you leave?

In this episode, I speak with Dr of psychology and fellow quadriplegic, Nicole Sugden. Nicole shares her vivid memory of the moment that she became paralysed, the challenges and rewards from her years of study to become a doctor of psychology, the travel adventures that she's been on, as well as I pick her brain with questions about psychology and human behaviour.

In this episode, I speak with Karly Campbell about her challenging and somewhat traumatic childhood and how she was able to overcome that to now own and run an NDIS community nursing company. We discuss her family dynamic, including the complex health conditions of family members and how the experiences associated with those conditions shaped her from a young age, the subtle but very important push that led her to study nursing, as well as how she now leans on her early experiences to be an effective and caring nurse as she runs her community nursing company.