Elkan Spiller has brought us a gem of a film in 'L'Chaim to Life!'. It is a touching, witty and haunting documentary about his cousin Chaim Lubelski, a true 'Mench', and how war affects us from one generation to another "It is like a big cloud that hangs over us" and is logical for those who experienced the trauma first hand but the consequences are clearly thrown to the next generation as their expression of love and ability to speak honestly about the abuse that was experienced is measured by what keeps them safe from their continuing perceived danger.
The film asks us to question the deeper intergenerational effect of war and shows how one man found that his purpose at that time in his life was to offer a reflection of love to his mother and others who had experienced such hate and pain. There is much we can learn from Chaim and it is easy to understand why Elkan felt it was part of his life’s purpose to bring this story to a wider audience.

Do we have a picture of what intimacy is or isn't? Do we measure how intimate we are with different people depending on their relationship with us? "Of course!" I may hear you say but I would like you to suspend that indignation for an hour and listen to us unpack the possibility that we may have more to learn and understand about intimacy and it is so much more that sexual intimacy.  

If you are a few weeks in to a new resolution or commitment to change a pattern of behaviour you want to embrace and are struggling to let go of the old patterns, or perhaps you have people of any age in your life who have challenging or unwanted behaviours that are impacting on you, then this is the show for you! Tanya Curtis a Behavioural Specialist talks to Lucy Dahill about lasting behaviour change. Whether you are a parent or not, this episode will change the way you view your own behaviour as well as the behaviour of those around you.

With such a large increase in stories about sexual, verbal, emotional and financial abuse, with bullying growing as an issue faced by our youth and adults alike, I couldn't hold this episode back any longer. Today my guests are Annette baker and Gabe Caplice who share with us some of the insights they have gleaned from their years of couples and individual counselling.​

What is your Party Plan? Join Dusana and Tenee two members of the Future Problem Solving Team as they share with us their project called Wise Decisions all about safe party planning. Role modelling of alcohol use and parties by adults and parents also came up as a hot topic. well worth a listen! To see the top tips for having and going to parties below as well as links to useful websites.

There is no question this is a big topic but my two guests make it so much fun. Alison Coleman and Will Ferguson - hats off to you both and big thanks. The outcome - if you wouldn't say it to a baby - don't say it to yourself.

This weeks' show looks below the surface of dads taking leave around the time of their babies birth and in the early years. What transpires through the interviews is the notion that parental leave may be a step in the right direction for more gender equality in the workplace and in society. My interviewees are Johan Bavman and Emma Walsh. Johan works as a photographer and his exhibition 'Swedish Dads' is a series of pictures depicting fathers on parental leave. Emma Walsh, the CEO of Parents At Work has been curating many discussions and presentations furthering the discussion on how we can get more fathers taking parental leave and how companies and organisations can support new fathers by lessening the stigma around the topic. Let's be honest, have we invited men into the "who cares for our children" conversation? If not, and we consider the bonds that are built in the first 3 years of a child's life, then it is clear we need loving reflections from both parents and we need to support that to happen by lessening the stigma around taking time off from work to look after children and not consider it as an indication of a low value for their career. There is no 'one size fits all' solution but it takes a village to raise a child and the workplace is part and parcel of that village so let's get to work and support more parents to be engaged equally at home and at work.

We all have fathers in our lives, in fact we may have more than one father figure who brought us up, so how can we understand the relationship and what it offers in the family? This show looks at men and women and their recollections of their own fathers and the men share how the relationships with their fathers have influenced how they parent their own children.

My guests are Alexis, Shushila, Johan and Simon they each bring a different angle to the same relationship.

So what makes that relationship special?
Across all interviews a common theme is connection - wanting Dads to meet us for who we are not the behaviour and Dads wanting to be met for who they are below the responsibilities they carried to provide for their families. Spending time together with no outcome needed was high on the list.

So enjoy :-)

There is a real mix in this episode - children's meditation with Vicky O'Leary and homelessness awareness with Sleep in Your Car. Because they are so different I have actually split the downloads - enjoy!

Vicky and Ashleigh O'Leary and Clear Minded for Life

Daniel Neil, Amy, Adam and Rachel from Sleep in Your Car with Fusion