As a kid, I got mixed messages about anger. My parents were frequently angry. When they were angry, they would hit me or one of my eight siblings. It’s understandable they were mightily frustrated. Anger and aggression were very closely linked for me. I learned in church that anger was Read more…
During lockdown I spoke with Dan Kuschell, whose popular Growth to Freedom podcast has thousands of listeners around the world. These useful tips on understanding emotions can reduce stress and improve your life. Here are some topics we touched on: What drug addicts taught me that I never learned as Read more…
Anxiety and depression are the most common forms of mental distress that people experience in New Zealand. Help is close at hand for you or someone you know who might be struggling with these conditions. It’s free, confidential and you don’t even need to talk to someone face-to-face. Olly didn’t Read more…
In a conversation with Nicole Jansen, host of the Leaders of Transformation podcast, we discuss the question of how many feelings there are. She had heard there were around 4,000 feelings. I would say there could be four billion feelings, and more. You can say there’s an unlimited number of Read more…
In the video “It’s not about the nail” a woman sits on the couch with her partner and complains of terrible headaches that simply won’t go away. She has no idea what’s causing them. The camera pans out to reveal a large nail in her forehead. It’s a shocking picture Read more…
Imagine a stadium full of people shouting as loud as possible for a minute or two before the first whistle had even been blown. That was the scene at a recent rugby test match in New Zealand between the All Blacks and Tonga. The purpose was to encourage people to Read more…
This is the second installment about Maggie, a team leader in a government department who has been struggling with negative thoughts and the impact this has been having on her work, her life and her interactions with others. You can read the first part of her story here. Maggie the Read more…
Maggie, a team leader in a local government agency complained that she felt depressed. She was always thinking about their difficult customers and how bad things were in the world. This affected her ability to interact easily with her team and with the public they were serving. She had forgotten Read more…