We first had the privilege of meeting Leigh Anderson on the 2022 Resilience Retreat and have been stoked to stay in touch from there – particularly so given the recent publication of his book, ‘The Paramedic Mindset’. In this episode, Leigh talk with us about that book, as well as his 14+ years as a paramedic. Leigh discusses the ups and downs of the role including not only the amazing lifesaving assistance he has provided on countless occasions, but also those rare moments when his best wasn’t good enough. Along the way, he’s developed some impressive practical tools for grappling with pressure, trauma and failure, which he shares with us as well.

06:00 Leigh’s backstory – paramedicine via a close brush with professional rugby league!

11:15 Ben reveals his ignorance and asks ‘what exactly is a paramedic?!’

15:30 The human side of paramedicine

17:20 What DON’T you learn at paramedic school?!

19:20 What technique does Leigh recommend to stay calm and think clearly during high stress situations?

23:20 How partners can assist in high pressure situations

29:00 The (often unspoken) excitement of a really nasty job…and how paramedics can deal with continued exposure to trauma

34:00 An alternate (and brilliant) definition of success

37:00 Dealing with failure – and growth from trauma

40:00 The perils of role/identity fusion within paramedicine

46:00 Leigh’s experience on the 2022 Resilience Retreat (on a related note, sign up now for the 2024 Resilience Retreat – 24-27 Oct 2024 in the Gold Coast hinterland!)

48:15 How does Leigh put trauma behind him?

52:00 What is Leigh’s powersong?! (Maybe not what you’d expect – check it out!)

External Links

Leigh’s website and Insta

Buy Leigh’s book or audiobook

Monica Lewinsky’s TED talk on shame

Contact Us

www.unforgiving60.com

Email us at debrief@unforgiving60.com

Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60

Music …. With thanks to:

The Externals – available on Spotify

Kat Rae is an artist who works across an incredible variety of media. Her confronting work, Deathmin, was recently recognised as winner of the 2024 Napier Waller Art Prize and represents the fourth time Kat has been shortlisted for this prestigious award. In this podcast, Kat talks about her artistic journey, including her first career within the Australian Army during which time she met her husband Andrew. Tragically, it was Andrew’s death that inspired her prizewinning piece and Kat very bravely talks to this devastating event and how she channelled this grief and frustration into Deathmin.

06:30 Kat’s background and early years – how she got into art….and the Army!

07:15 Some of Kat’s artistic inspiration included the ‘Angry Penguins’ – many of whom had completed military service

07:40 Art and Army – does that mix?!

11:30 Kat’s time at ADFA – the Australian Defence Force Academy

15:00 The Royal Military College Duntroon – not as much fun as ADFA….

16:00 Into the big world of Army – Kat’s military career, including a stint within the prestigious Australian Federation Guard

23:00 The tragic death of Kat’s husband Andrew

29:00 Kat discusses her Napier Waller prizewinning piece, Deathmin

36:30 So what is the Napier Waller art prize? And a little about Kat’s previous entries, including…

40:30 Cloud Slide, Coming Home and Reckoning

48:00 How did it feel to win on her fourth submission?

51:00 With all that she’s experienced – positive and negative – how does Kat now feel when she looks at the Australian Army?

1:02:40 What’s next for Kat – including within the art space?

External Links

Kat’s website – katrae.net

Kat’s Insta - @kat_a_rae

Kat’s 2024 prizewinning Napier Waller submission

Contact Us

www.unforgiving60.com

Email us at debrief@unforgiving60.com

Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60

Music …. With thanks to:

The Externals – available on Spotify

This week we host Bill Lennan who will teach us how to be 40% better! He was a kit who was introverted and had social anxiety.. so Bill built his own toolkit.

As Bills tells his story...

• Friend: How'd you get that role?
• Me: Talking with strangers.
• Friend: What? Talking with strangers is a gateway skill. It enables you to talk with team-mates, stakeholders, leaders, execs, and clients. It also makes interviews way easier.

Let’s get into it

04:50 Bill growing up… and Tim needs to grow up (according to Ben)

06:15 Bill working on cars- Ferraris and more….

07:30 More beautiful car ever made?

Ferraris or Lamborghini?

10:15 Life after playing with supercars

12:00 Introversion and anxiety- Bill’s toolkit

13:45 Everything is a system…. And so understand the mental models

15:00 Dialectical behavioural therapy

20:40 Getting use to discomfort- that is about growth!

22:50 Critical thinking skills- is this unsafe or not. How do you look at scary things?

24:30 The value in physical risk

29:20 Talking AI and software. The future?

33:11 The phones not the problem. It’s the absence of alternatives that is the problem!

34:20 Risks and growing up

36:00 Farming and how rural setting change our focus

38:15 Leaders- system, reps and recipes- ‘latticework’s’. The big models for leadership development

44:15 What is kaizen and why does it work?

46:30 Talking people and performance

52:20 Making tough and unpopular decisions- how to do it if we are overly familiar?

55:50 What’s in Bill’s library

1:00:00 Bill’s Powersong!

External Links

Bill on Linked In

Contact Us

www.unforgiving60.com

Email us at debrief@unforgiving60.com

Instagram, Twitter: @Unforgiving60

Music …. With thanks to:

The Externals – available on Spotify