Podcast
Short talks on meaning, mental health, and what it actually takes to live a more examined life. Listen below or via: iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, & YouTube.
Want to go deeper? Book a 1:1 session.
Focusing On Failure Despite Lots Of Success | Ep 214
My brain tends to dwell on failure and quickly disregard success.
In this episode, I share my recent failure (and some successes) and discuss the reasons why it may be the case that we cannot easily move beyond our failings, despite them being insignificant and probably irrelevant to our current life.
I also read It Is Never The Right Time So Stop Stalling & Do It Now, from How To Get Your Shit Together
I Can’t Tell If I Am Hungry | Ep 213
Am I starving or full? What am I actually craving to eat? When should I stop? And why does it feel like love and food are intertwined?
Recovering from trauma is a long and complex. My current, and longest, battle is around re-establishing the mind-body connection. I want to be know what I am feeling and what those feelings actually mean.
To do this I will be counting-calories. Not to lose weight, but to teach myself what the feelings that arise actually mean - without the added fear, anxiety and ignorance. Please help me to stay on track with this!
The Problem With Labels - On Gender Identity, Mental Health, & Race | Ep 212
Who and what I am cannot be condensed into a label. What is a diagnosis other than a collection of symptoms?
In this episode I talk about my experiences with mental illness and gender identity, and how the attempt to fit a label can have detrimental consequences…
Embracing The Irrational Mind | Ep 211
How much of our decision making process is a function of the unconscious mind? How many of our choices are rationally justified after the fact? Join me for an investigation into the workings of the mind and consider if we are fated to do as we do.
Can Art Ever Be Pure? | Ep 210
In this episode I discuss the impact of over-analysing emotions of others and how excessively reading into tone/facial expressions/word choice can lead to the exact opposite outcomes from what was intended.
I also discuss my positive experiences with the initial stages of EMDR…
Do You Love Me, Or Just The Idea Of Me? | Ep #209
In this episode I discuss the impact of over-analysing emotions of others and how excessively reading into tone/facial expressions/word choice can lead to the exact opposite outcomes from what was intended.
I also discuss my positive experiences with the initial stages of EMDR…
Abortion, Religion, Guns & The Fall Of An Empire | Ep #208
Some of my responses to the current state of political turmoil engulfing the United States, as well as the potential flow on impacts for the rest of the world….
Stepping Into The Future While Running From The Past | Ep 207
Why does growth feel like escaping from quicksand? In this episode I discuss some of the new projects I am working on, and the impact of taking these steps is having on my mental state.
Growth is both my goal and a necessity, but that just adds to the pressure. Thus the risk of failure is increased.
Trigger warning on the introductory poem.
Finding Peace In The Present Moment - Talk & Guided Meditation | Ep 206
Embrace the present moment with this guided mindfulness meditation.
Our goal isn’t to ‘empty our mind’ or ‘attain bliss’. Our goal isn’t to do anything, other than returning our focus back to the breath.
With a focused mind we can then explore the wonder of the universe, both inner and outer.
A Unique Approach To Coaching & How You Can Hire Me | Ep 205
A unique approach to coaching and how you can hire me.
This is just a short message to inform you of the coaching options that I now have available should you want them!
It would be a pay what you can/what you think it’s worth model.
Hit me up on social @zacpphillips or email: zac@zachary-phillips.com for more information and to get started.
Talking About Suicide Ideation *trigger warning* | Ep 204
A follower asked me to share my experiences of suicide ideation. This podcast is my response, hopefully it helps them, and you to heal, grow, recover and connect.
Mental illness is both invisible and insidious. Perhaps the reason we lose so so many to suicide and addiction; those suffering will do anything to end it, other than reach out that is.
So please, check on your friends. Even the strong ones. Especially if you notice a change, and even if you don’t.
Trust your intuition and risk an awkward conversation. Because doing so may avoid having to endure the worst phone call of your life.
Explaining The Paradox Of Dissociation | Ep 203
How can you pin down a feeling of unreality? When even the act of focusing causes you to drift?
In this episode I attempt to explain the reality of dissociation from within the condition. Obviously this is somewhat of a paradox, but through poetry and introspection I hope to explain the state of my mind…
Fever Dreams & The Problem of Connecting With 'Society' | Ep 202
COVID fever dreams are wild!
In this episode I discuss how stories impact our ability to connect with our lives in a meaningful way, as well as the impact of dissociative identity disorders have on connection to the self and society at large…
The Slap That Stopped The World … | Ep 200
Yes, Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. Yes, it was shocking. But perhaps there are far more shocking and consequential acts of violence occurring as we speak?
Here is my take on the event, as well as a meta discussion of our collective response to it, and the implications of that response.
As I say in the episode, if I am wrong, please enlighten me!
Paying My Rent, One Poem At A Time | Ep 199
Big news, I’m now earning enough from my online work to pay the rent. That’s right, my poems are paying the bills baby!
Breaking this milestone came as somewhat of a surprise. Given that I have multiple sources of income, it took until tax time for me to do the math, and realise that I had, after five years, in-fact ‘made it’.
True, I’m not living off my work, I’m not uber wealthy or well known, but the fact remains, the rent is paid, and next year is looking even better.
It’s with this in mind that I wanted to give you a rundown of my approach. What follows are the techniques, strategies, and mindsets that I am currently employing…
Perhaps You Shouldn't Listen To This Episode | Ep 198
One of the benefits of this podcast is that I can talk freely, using this medium as a form of therapy.
If you are interested in listening to me break down my woes and come to some semblance of sanity, perhaps take a listen. But be warned, I am offloading my issues here, not providing solutions.
Guided Meditation Session - Escape From A Busy World, De-stress & Recharge | Ep 196
Escape from the stress of the world with this amazing guided meditation. Using a combination of mindfulness, breath work, body scanning, and visualisations, this session will serve as a mini day spa for the mind. Use it whenever you are feeling overwhelmed, or in need of a recharge. Enjoy.
How Much Should I Be Offended? | Ep 195
What worries me more than the details of the latest controversy is the cycle of controversies that we are continually exposed to.
Wait a week and that issue will be replaced by another one - just as ‘offensive’, just as ‘important’, just as ‘impactful’.
I don’t buy it.
This episode explores some of the recent issues from a meta-perspective, focusing on the value of detachment and introspection to determine how we really feel about a topic, and using ‘offence’ as a way to learn more about ourselves.
I wish you well for the year to come!
#194 How I Survived (& Maybe Even Thrived) This Christmas
Writing therapy saved me this Christmas. My therapist recommended that I take note of all of the things causing mental duress. Doing so was revolutionary. Most of the anxiety and rumination simply disappeared and I was left with a list of stimulus overloads that I could now see clearly and thus manage.
In this episode I reflect on the Christmas season, discuss the process of writing therapy, as well as discuss my creative plans for 2022.
I wish you well for the year to come!
#193 Ahhhhhhh Christmas!
It’s that time of year again, when festive joy is replaced by obligation and overwhelm.
In this episode, I share how December is something for me (and many of you) to endure. Survival is put at a premium and strategies to maintain some semblance of normality are introduced.
I also have a meta discussion as to the point of this podcast, coming to the conclusion that I use it as another form of writing therapy - offering up a model for you to potentially replicate for your own healing (it never has to be shared of course).