Brain Dates

Ed Jenkins is the former captain of the Australia national rugby sevens team. The father-of-one experiences his own mental health challenges, especially since his recent career transition. Ed attributes regular brain dates to keeping himself feeling mentally and physically well. His brain date of choice: GOLF.

Former MKR contestant Jordan Bruno takes us on this week's Brain Date. Jordan finds many aspects of his local farmers' market prevent him from the winter blues. From socialising to stall holders, to being surrounded by doggos. From the vitamin D and early morning chirping birds to indulging in gourmet and nourishing fresh food.

Rugby Union Player, Nathan Charles, shares his number 1 tip for coping with anxiety. Nathan goes on regular Brain Dates to switch off. Golfing is his time to be surrounded by nature, doing something he loves, and being completely present in the moment. When he is at the golf course, Nathan feels a sense of clarity and peace in his mind.

Lachlan is a speaker and host of the mental health podcast, Open Up. A while back, Lachlan experienced depression as a FIFO worker which led him to a suicide attempt. Now, Lachlan is working hard to make mental health mainstream. One thing he does for his own mental health is committing to a morning routine. Meditation, cold shower, gratitude journalling, and his morning walk are the four things Lachlan now does daily to keep himself mentally well.

Local radio announcer Ross Wallman makes the time each weekend for his brain date which is walking along City Beach with his wife and their dog; rain, hail or shine! Ross finds that spending time with his two favourite souls and being outdoors while active really lifts his mood. The father-to-be describes his walks as “meditation” like. Congratulations to Ross and his gorgeous wife Annabelle on their exciting news. We know that you both have the tools to raise one happy and healthy child.

Asha from Alternatively Healthy has a passion for wellness. As a mindset coach herself, Asha stresses the importance of regular Brain Dates for mental health. When Asha was younger she suffered with anorexia. After a long recovery from over-exercising and under-eating, Asha is now an advocate for positive body image. One thing Asha does to keep her mental health in check is simply getting outside of the house. Her Brain Dates include, going for walks on the beach, writing her thoughts down, going to cafes by herself, and simply being around people.

Solonge is a bereaved mother to twin boys Leo & Cruz. To cope through her grief Solonge has found great relief in going on regular brain dates. Whenever she can, Solonge will grab a coffee, pack some lunch and a book and head down to Pinneroo Memorial Park to spend time with her angel babies. 📖 Solonge finds that the nature, wildlife and sunshine there always lifts her mood. The grieving process is about accepting and making time for our feelings and allowing them to truely show up. We are so proud to feature Solonge in our brain dates as she has made great impact on other bereaved parents by openly sharing her journey of grief.

Chantel is a national youth ambassador for Headspace. What motivates her be a passionate mental health advocate is her own lived experience. Being hospitalised for an eating disorder and anxiety as a young vulnerable woman led Chantel eager to create change in the mental health system. Chantel is now living her life trying to make other people’s recovery journies that little bit easier. Chantel is also a peer support worker for NSW health, a migrant support educator for the Red Cross, teachers aid for high school kids experiencing mental ill health, coordinator for St Vincent de Paul foster children support program, volunteer for The Big Anxiety, and recently started volunteering for White Ribbon Australia. Chantel attributes self care to playing a vital part in her recovery and wanted to share her go-to brain date with you, all the way from Sydney.

To celebrate NAIDOC week, we caught up with local Whujuk man, Samuel-Yombich Pilot Kickett. In his Brain Date Samuel shows us what he likes to do for his mental health. Taking a break for Sam includes heading to his local park and embracing nature. Sam is a radio broadcaster, actor, didjeridoo player and cultural educator. In 2017 he won a NAIDOC Perth Award for his work within the community. Samuel believes that to reduce the suicide rates in our youth, we need to encourage them to get talking, to get back into the community and to get back into nature.

Carla is the founder of The Women’s Wellness Movement, so, she is all about teaching others how to live a healthy lifestyle. Carla’s favourite brain date is going for a run along the beach. Getting out of her own head is easy when she’s forced to focus her energy in the present moment and by that we mean the temporary physical pain of running on sand, ouch. If you’re not into fitness, Carla’s other go-to brain date is catching up with friends. She attributes her positive mindset to spending time with uplifting people.

Fox Sports Reporter, Daniel Garb lives in Bondi Junction Sydney and makes the most of his location by walking along the coast once a week. Although his dream job, working in the media can be quite stressful, which is why Daniel priortises exercise to keep himself physically and mentally fit. Daniel says walking, whether at the beach or at the golf course, helps him declutter his head and feel refreshed and relaxed.

Carla is a holistic health coach who also co-hosts a local podcast. From a young age Carla was diagnosed with anxiety and depression. Over the past decade she has tried numerous things to help with her mental health. One thing that has helped her, is taking the time each day to have a brain date. For Carla what works best is having her brain date first thing in the morning in her living room. She rolls our her exercise mat, gets her foam roller and takes 30 minutes to spend working on her body and mind. Carla has made, stretching, foam rolling, meditating and priming all a part of her morning routine.

Alice is a wellness blogger and mental health advocate from New Zealand who currently lives in Sydney. This week, Alice shares with us the tools she's adopted to help her manage her PTSD and anxiety. Check out her go-to Brain Date.

Eloise is a small business owner who works from home. Eloise talks openly with her followers online about how working from home takes a toll on her mental health. "It's very hard to switch off. Your work space and your home space collide and it really got to me at the start." Eloise offers content creation services to small business owners but she also preaches advice, encouragement and reminders for her clients to take a break and create a work life balance. Have you effer suffered burnout?

Matt & Ruth from @thrivingwithPTSD . The pair shared with us their experiences with PTSD; Ruth a witness to the Bali bombings and Matt a veteran of the Australian Army for ten years. These two are advocates for PTSD awareness. They have their own ebooks, workshops and more resources for mental health. Matt is also working with The Happiness Co, travelling around Australia to host workshops on depression & Ruth a meditation teacher. These two have such a gorgeous Brain Date. You can practically see the love beaming out of them and I think their brain date might have a little something to do with that.

This week @eloise.pascal shares with us her go-to brain date. Eloise is a mental health advocate who openly shares her history with binge eating and mental illness with her online following. Eloise is in a great place right now and she attributes this to continuously working on her self. Eloise makes time for herself each day. One thing which never fails to make her beam from the inside out is dancing! We’re sure many of you can relate to this one!

Ashley Matkovic founder of Perth networking group @fusionbizbabes shares with us her Brain Date. Ashley had the biggest event of her career this year which left her in a state of burnout. The first-time mum usually prioritises her mental health but finding a balance between motherhood and running a business took its tool on Ash. Ash believes if she had of stuck to her self-care routine of regular exercise and meditation that she would have handled the stress and anxiety a lot better. The community Ashley has created at Fusion is always there to support each other. There is nothing easy about being a small business owner which is why these women use each other for advice, support and guidance. Ash encourages all small business owners to get out of the house and find a community that you can lean on & learn from.