In this episode I talked to Joshua Ruff who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. His life is an inspiration to us all.

Joshua Ruff,

With everything I do, at the root of it is to find a way to give back and inspire to my younger self. It would’ve been great to see others like myself in similar life experiences achieving and making dreams a reality.

Henle Gardens provides a calming space for me to gather my thoughts and to find peace and tranquility. Throughout the many seasons of my own life gardens and gardening has given me a sense of solace to find comfort and acceptance with what life throws at me. I’ve come to learn valuable lessons and to find true meaning. It’s actually quite fitting for the next Castlemaine & District Festival of Gardens 2026 to take on the theme “The Solace Of Gardening”.

I had a cardiac arrest and was in a coma for three days, recovery was tough, relearning to talk, eat, and drink. With family help, I was able to come up with a design of the garden and the family helped me create it.“It gave me a lot of hope and motivation to push myself to get out of hospital and make this dream come true,”

Watch the full story on ABC… To keep up to date with my garden story, dreams and adventures please

Catch the full story on this episode of Gardening Australia: https://iview.abc.net.au/show/gardening-australia

Joshua Ruff's Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/JoshuaRuff19

If you would like to contact Anwyn for Hypnotherapy:

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com

In this episode I was interviewed on Main FM our local radio station by Pete Dawson from a show I sponsor called,

In Didj 'in' Us . I discuss the reason for my interest and why Indigenous music has been a big part of my life. Pete Dawson has travelled to many parts of Australia and has been a part of the Indigenous music scene for a few years now. This is an important time in history, as Victoria has just passed Treaty legislation for the first time formally for First Nations People.

My Parents, particularly my dad was involved in the original AAL started by Sir Pastor Doug Nicholls and William Cooper and then NADOC .

Pete talks about his involvement with Jirrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary in Chewton and also the Nalarun Grandma tree in Chewton Me Mandook Galk - Sacred River Red Gum birthing tree on the Forest Creek. Both worth checking out when on Jarra country.

Jirrahlinga

https://www.jirrahlinga.com.au

If you would like to reach out to me or book a session :

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com

My playlist on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0yAHIWOBypjdBLWEVNRtvB?si=WZ8gdN7xQRioSwhFw2TchQ&pi=pzc_nOgqR9u90

This is a very special episode of "Break the Mould" where I speak with the well known communication expert, keynote speaker and magician Vinh Giang all about relationships and communication. He is an extremely proficient communicator and yet so down to earth and real. It was truly an honour to have this time to hear his pearls of wisdom. The discovery of his love of cooking was really delightful. Which just goes to show any direction in our life is possible, if you're passionate enough about it. As Vinh says,

"Don't be so attached to who you are in the present, that you don't give the future version of you a chance."

This can also apply to our relationships. Sometimes we may have put someone in a box and they may have changed without us realising it. So it's like giving them another chance.

Watch this on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/nOKNoJCPVrY

Vinh takes courses on how to have better conversations. He does them online and in person here in Australia.

You can find him by going to vinhgiang.com

or on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/askvinh/

Go out and Break the Mould

And if you would like to get in touch with me:

Here is a link for my RESPECT relationship cooking program:

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Welcome-to-RECIPE-FOR-RESPECT-Program.pdf

Hayley has hosted DEAD AIR a weekly, live radio on Main FM since Nov 2021 and she has been Vice-President and co-hosted Death Cafés 2013-23; a committee member of the Natural Death Advocacy Network; a member of the Australian Home Funeral Alliance has been on the Castlemaine Cemetery Trust 2018-22; and is a supporter of the Melbourne Queer as Death Collective. These are all amazing credentials, but most of all she is a fabulous caring person and our discussion was so in depth that we couldn't stop talking. It ended up 90mins , but I couldn't cut any more out. This is really great information and I believe if you are experiencing grief, it's great to know your options. Even if you are planning ahead, which I thoroughly recommend after hearing some stories that can happen. I know this topic is tricky for some, but hey we all will go one day so why not know as much as possible to be prepared? Our topics are across Love, Death and Dying with all relationships that are important in life. I suppose I have had a good example with my parents who spoke freely about death and it is a natural conclusion to a life lived. To me it's about celebration and how we can honour those loved ones. Please enjoy.

Find this episode on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/YRKnRgHXRd0

Hayley can be reached on :

https://www.thedeparture.com.au/about

And Anwyn can be on:

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com

In this discussion with Nick Kemp he discusses Ikigai. Ikiru is to live and Gai is valueIt's essentially a Japanese word that means, A reason for being or what brings you a sense of fulfilment, joy and purpose in your life. It's a subtle difference to the popular version so widely used. Part of that is the Japanese culture and how it plays out in the individuals life. It's a fascinating conversation. He talks about Mieko Kamiya's seven Ikigai needs as well as the fact that Ikigai academics say that we can't have Ikigai without relationships, which totally makes sense to me. Ikigai is proactive and it's about being more present, which Is definitely something I want to strive for. That is why I took the communication course where we met and participated in together, which is Vinh Giang's Stage Academy Workshop. There are a couple of references to this. Also at the end, the movie we reference is the presidents speech that I read from "Independence Day" which I think was a really fun experience in Stage Academy and had to include it.

Also our chat can be found on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/6_gl6vER7wc

You can find Ikigai Tribe on YouTube:https://youtube.com/@ikigaitribe?si=Xj4wGSWxKRSgKb49

And this is Nick's Website:https://ikigaitribe.com

Awakenings with Anwyn's Website is:https://awakeningswithanwyn.com

In this interview I chat with Jane Usher about food and wellbeing which is a passion of mine. Delving into the idea that what we eat impacts all our health.

Jane is a certified nutritional coach who works with adults over 40 to promote healthy aging well into their golden years. She believes that making simple changes to diet and lifestyle will cure most of what ails us – like joint pain, stiffness, fatigue, low energy, brain fog, weight gain, mood swings and sleep issues, to name a few!

She walks her talk, having solved her own mystery of impaired mobility due to all of the above! Her mission in life is to help others do the same.

Jane received her nutrition coaching certification through her studies at the globally recognized Food Revolution Network. She holds a BA in Communications from Calgary’s Mount Royal University.

I think you will find it fascinating and send me a private

DM to get a discount on my Recipe for RESPECT program if this kind of thing is your jam! Also contact me for her Mushroom Bourguignon or her essay that's

part of her memoirs.

Jane can be reached on :

https://foodismymedicine.ca

Anwyn can be reached through her website on:

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com

In this interview I am joined with Louise Kerwin of

"Discover the power of touch" She is a women’s hormone naturopath and Kinesiologist based in Queensland, supporting women, particularly those dealing with hyperthyroidism, PCOS, endometriosis, perimenopause, or menopause. Often busy mums who are full-time workers or small business owners, feeling stuck, tired, overweight, and struggling with confidence or anxiety. She combines naturopathy, empowerment coaching, and hypnotherapy to address all aspects of health—nutrition, gut health, mood, stress, sleep, and exercise using techniques like NLP, Timeline Therapy, and kinesiology to help women release limiting beliefs, overcome old patterns, and transform their mental and physical well-being. She supports women towards achieving healthy hormones, more energy, and a stronger slimmer self. She runs a program called, slim your body slim your mind.

She can be found on :

https://discoverthepoweroftouch.com/contact/

If you are interested in working with me:

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com

Or my Relationship Program, " A Recipe for RESPECT" here are the details:

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Welcome-to-RESPECT-Program-QR-Code-2.pdf

Anyone that knows me understands my connection with mental illness, so this interview with Gen Ward I can really relate to. She speaks very honestly about her lived experience. Mental illness has always been a bit of a taboo subject, but we are now starting to talk about it and making it more mainstream. With such things as mental health days off in work places for example. It is also said that youth are the most anxious today than any other time, which is very alarming. This is something that impacts our relationships in a big way. In the world of psychology and personal development it is said that we need to take responsibility for our actions, yet with mental illness this line is blurred. I have thought about this for years. People who suffer from mental illness such as my mother, how much can they control? It's really important here to have compassion. I hope you enjoy this interview.

You can find Gen's show "Mind Ya Head" on Main FM Castlemaine

94.9 on the dial on Wednesday morning at 9am - 10am

https://www.mainfm.net/program-guide/

I can be found on my Website here:

https://awakeningswithanwyn.com

And if you would like to book a complementary session with me, I would be honoured to assist:

https://calendly.com/awakeningswithanwyn/discover-a-new-level-of-respect-with-introspect