Trigger warning: domestic violence and racial slurs

Find out about our High Performance Leadership Summit here: https://events.highperformanceleadershipsummit.com.au/october-summit-2024

Today, amongst other things we will be talking about the very nuanced topic of the foster system, but also growing up as an Aboriginal Australian.

Dave Widders is a proud Anaiwan man from Armidale and also has strong connections with the Gomeroi people from Moree NSW.

Dave has worked in and alongside government for over 30 years. Dave has run his Consultancy Business for the last 19 years delivering programs in Urban, Regional and Remote Aboriginal communities.

A family man with 6 kids and been Fostering kids for the last 29 years, Dave loves working with youth to get them on the right track in life, connect them to culture and inspire our next generation.

He has a passion for bringing people together and creating long life partnerships that work towards a common goal based on personal values.

In this episode Dave shares:

- How he was affected by racism daily at school

- How he got into soccer and how it changed things for him

- How he handled losing his dad when he was quite young

- The difference between ignorance and racism

- How he got into working for council

- What led him to start foster caring

- What happens when an aboriginal child enters the foster system

- His experience as a foster dad of 29 years

- What he has loved about being a foster uncle

- The hardest time of being a foster uncle

- His personal experience with domestic violence

- How he handles it when kids he has cared for are returned to unsafe environments

- How he discovered 'who' he is and how he anchored himself

Key Quotes

“Aboriginal kids are being placed with non aboriginal people as a first option.”

“I used to wake up and think, I wish I could be white.”

“Growing up in my community I didn’t know a single word of my language.”

More about

You can contact Dave via his email: davewidders6@gmail.com

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

For her other business you can find it through the websites:www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trigger warning for suicide and sexual assault and domestic violence.

When it comes to resilience, there are few who have survived as much as Melanie Eyles.

Mel is a breathwork and trauma informed mindset and wellness coach and she has a lot of experience to draw from.

With a childhood founded in domestic violence and sexual assault Mel already a hard start and the health issues that raised their head later in life definitely had a connection to this start.

On top of that, Mel has faced a very different challenge later in life as the mother of children on the spectrum. While not trauma based, the position of carer has pushed her close to burn out, but her love for her children and her incredible mindset has helped her continue

In this episode Mel shares:

• Her life until 15 years of age was influenced by domestic violence
• How she was raped at the age of 14
• The shocking reaction police had when she went to report her assault
• The experience of having her son at the age of 17
• How she had her concerns knocked back because she was a young mum
• What changed after her son was diagnosed at 14
• What it’s been like having other neurodivergent children
• What it was like being the only neurotypical person in a family of neurodivergents
• How she handles carer burn out and what it’s like
• How she started making room for herself
• The disorders she was diagnosed with and how not being able to medicate impacted her recovery
• How breathwork became essential to helping her recover
• How FND shows up in her world

Key Quotes

“I didn’t get to wear mum cap, it was carer cap I wore 90% of the time.”

“For a long time I thought there was something wrong with me.”

More about

Her breath work community on facebook is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/286134581194941/?ref=share&mibextid=K35XfP&rdid=x1acgs6B4gBWiw2q&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fqs82oiwgXj5io3Q7%2F%3Fmibextid%3DK35XfP

To access her ebook you can email her here: melanieeyes@gmail.com

You can follow her on Instagram at: eyles.melanie

You can get involved with the podcast online

To try out our resilience course: https://www.challengesthatchangeus.com/surviving-2-thriving-course1

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

For her other business you can find it through the websites: www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Damien Thomlinson is someone who has seen his fair share of adversity.

Damien is an Australian Afghanistan war veteran, inspires globally who lost both his legs to a Taliban bomb in Afghanistan.

He undertook intense rehabilitation, learned to walk with prosthetics and from there he kept going.

He authored his best-selling autobiography "Without Warning.", took on various challenges like the TARGA Tasmania rally, Kokoda Track, snowboarding and the Invictus Games.

He acted in "Hacksaw Ridge," and appeared on "Australian Survivor."

He’s now even ranked among the top 3 Multi-Amputee golfers worldwide.

But it is the challenges of being a special forces soldier and the PTSD that he battles with after that part of his life that he has chosen to share with us today.

In this episode shares:

- The special show he has produced and will be touring the country with

- What the special forces means to him

- What the process to get in was like

- How he made connections despite not being able to tell people what he did

- How his relationships outside of the military struggled while he was in it

- How his PTSD presents for him

- The first time he felt good after his PTSD

- How he handles his PTSD and his weaknesses now

Key Quotes

“Everything shuts down. My voice gets broken into a monotone that I don’t even know if I could do if I was trying to act.”

“I’d much rather get it wrong and get it right the second time.”

More about Damien

You can find out more about Damien, including the production he is touring here at his website: https://www.damienthomlinson.com/

You can get involved with the podcast online

To try out our resilience course: https://www.challengesthatchangeus.com/surviving-2-thriving-course1

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

For her other business you can find it through the websites:

www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au

@trialtitudeperformance

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.