If you could recommend one step that anyone could take towards healing, what would it be? (Part 1)
This is my favourite question to ask each of our Wag Tales podcast guests, and so far, I’ve had the privilege of posing it to 35 incredible individuals (and counting). Some of our guests share from the perspective of working and leading in the field, while others offer insights drawn from their lived experiences. Together, they provide a wealth of helpful recommendations.
I feel incredibly grateful to host a podcast that allows me to learn from such brilliant people, and I’m even more thankful for the opportunity to share their wisdom with others.
In this post, I’m excited to share the first 15 answers. This is part 1 of a series, so stay tuned for more insights from other amazing guests in future posts.
I invite you to read through their suggestions (unedited, directly from our transcripts) and consider what might resonate with you or someone you’re supporting.
Have a recommendation of your own? We’d love to hear it—please share it with us!
Ronen Shoshan (Music therapist and Director of Mind Tune, Ep: 1) recommends:
“Know thyself”
“People need to stop what they’re doing and find out who they are. It sounds cliché and big. But there is a constant race from parent expectations, to school expectations, to work and always what’s next. Everything is directive. Let them find out who they are or if you can’t do that, go the other way- find out what you’re not or what you hate. If there are things that you hate- eliminate them and then you might find out the things that you want.”
Shayne Hood @shayne.hood (Director and lived experience consultant at Wounds & Wisdom, Ep:2) recommends:
“Gratitude”
“Spotting things in your experience that you can be grateful for. If you have a tough day or an anxiety-filled day and the breeze hits your face for 10 minutes and it feels good, capture it. If you eat something good, capture it. If you f$*k something up and you learn from it, capture it.”
Roz Rimes (MAPP, MEd) (Founder and coach, @livewithzest_au, Ep:3) recommends:
“Savour the dogs in your life”
“Whether you own them or they belong to family or friends. Dive into the neurobiological benefits- the oxytocin and benefits to your wellbeing.”
Graeme Baird (Psychologist and consultant, McAlpineB, Ep:4) recommends:
“Find someone you can talk to and just say how you feel”
“Tell someone what the emotion is that you’re experiencing. Not everyone can do that, it can be particularly challenging in traumatised populations. You need to say “I’m feeling this way” and the person has to listen to you and validate your feelings. That’s how you start.”
Perri Broadbent-Hogan (Principal at MacKillop Education and Director at @cor.effect, Ep:5) recommends:
“Connection”
“Connection is everything. It has to be safe and consistent connection. It’s what the world needs more of. Look up from your phone, look at people, actively engage with people and show kindness. When making a decision ask yourself, is this the kind way to go? If it is, it’s probably the right way to go.”
"J” (Lived experience, overcoming childhood trauma Ep:6) recommends:
“Peace”
“You need peace in your life. In all aspects of it. Once you are peaceful about most things, it is a weight off your shoulders. Sometimes it is hard to be the peaceful one, but it feels good in your body.”
Kit Wisdom (Physiotherapist and Somatic Therapy student, @wisewayskit Ep:7) recommends:
“Playfulness”
“Whatever emerges is beautifully required. Hold space for the whole. Get in touch with that part that is there, it's always been there—that silly part. Not having to go "let's play x, y, z" but letting whatever is there emerge. It's so good for us and the people around us.”
Joe Motley @motley_uk (Musician, hip-hop workshop facilitator, Ep:8) recommends:
“Identify where the struggles are”
“Learn as much as you can about that particular thing and about yourself. The more you can learn about yourself in particular situations, then you can take that and learn about that feeling and that situation and learn about how you may have been triggered and how it could have been different. Learn, Learn, Learn. Incorporate it. Embody it. Be something different.”
Tim Warwick (Founder at Education Equity Alliance, Ep:9) recommends:
“Create the space”
“Whether you create the space for yourself, internally, eg. write, or whether you create the space for other people. Just to acknowledge the feelings and what is going on. We want to rush to solutions and diagnoses, but ultimately, a critical part of the journey is acknowledging what is going on, naming it and sitting in it.”
Megan Corcoran (Director at Wagtail Institute, Ep:10) recommends:
“Connection between body and mind”
“I was going to say something about the nervous system, but it's more than that. If something is going wrong in the mind, check the body. If something is going wrong in the body, check the mind. Get more aware. Have more awareness of the experience that is going on for us. Learn ways to work with it, not necessarily against it.”
Mike Stainlay (Transitions Advocate and Team Leader in Youth Justice, Ep 11) recommends:
“Forgiveness”
“Forgiveness. Not only of people who have wronged you, or for your situation that you’re unhappy with, but also for yourself. Which is really huge. But, it’s not about the mistakes, it’s about what you do after the mistake.”
Tom Brunzell, (Director of Education @berrystreetorg, Ep 12) recommends:
“Something bigger than ourselves”
“It’s from Chris Peterson, Wellbeing is about other people and connecting to something greater than ourselves. Meeting one’s spiritual needs is about connecting to something greater than ourselves. We could have sacred rhythms for ourselves. That could be found in things like nature, with animals, or being in art museums.”
Mat Rad (@mr_mat_rad, Boxing coach and mental health advocate, Ep 13) recommends:
“Curiosity”
“Be curious. Whatever that gives you, sit with it. It’s hard, we’re human and it’s fine. Embrace that clunkiness. Whatever comes up embrace it. Once we do that, we’ll find a way.”
Penny Netherwood, (Compassionate Leeds Health Co-Lead, Ep 14) recommends:
“Different things for different times”
“The more we do this intervention end of the trauma work in Leeds, the more I know that there just isn’t one step that works for everybody. There are different things that work for different people. It all depends on what you need. So, it’s stopping and thinking ‘How am I doing, and what do I need?’ Then taking it one step at a time, because what you need then might not be what you need later.”
Matt Hartnett, (AFL Talent League Wellbeing Coordinator, and long-term educator Ep: 15) recommends:
“Don’t do it alone”
“Reach out. You’ve gotta reach out. Don’t do it alone. There are people out there that want to help. Don’t hesitate. Don’t let pride get in the way or feel embarrassed. Just ask the question. Connect with your inner circle. Seek the help you need.”
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The first 15 Wag Tales guests offer a variety of perspectives on healing, highlighting that there’s no single path that works for everyone, all of the time. What you need today might not be what you need tomorrow, and that’s why this list is so valuable. Whether you're looking for ways to connect with yourself, others, or something bigger, there’s a tip here that might just speak to where you are right now. Explore these recommendations and keep in mind that healing is a journey—feel free to revisit these insights as your needs evolve. There’s something here for everyone, no matter where you're at.
As we continue to record episodes for the Wag Tales, we will continue to explore this question with our guests. If you are curious to find out more, you can find each episode and subscribe to the Wag Tales on your preferred platform here.
