Uncomfortable Is Ok Podcast

This week on the #podcast I'm speaking with with Bailey McCormack, a.k.a @fanciforiafoxglove . Bailey is a whole lot of things but above all she is a performer, in her pursuits and in life in general. Fanciforia Foxglove is who she steps into as one of New Zealand’s most experienced Burlesque performers. I’m sure the idea of performing burlesque makes a few of you uncomfortable, Bailey thrives on the challenge, and does so despite having already had a hip replacement, and she is all of the tender age of 30. Today we chat about + burlesque and the love of performance, and what has lead Bailey there. + We chat about optimal anxiety, how it drives performance up, and the wrong type of anxiety. +Bailey and I discuss how we try and keep and even keel through life with some modicum of balance. +Why it’s so important that the things you pursue come from you rather than from someone else. +Why you should crank the version of yourself up. +Why she is terrified to drive a car +And of course how she gets uncomfortable

Understanding that Uncomfortable situations and feelings are OK and normal, and actually taking action despite them are two very different things. It’s difficult for us to take action if we are in the middle of this discomfort, especially if we haven’t trained ourselves to do so. As we gradually train ourselves to get better with this dealing with the uncomfortable our ability to take action improves. There are strategies that we can use to help us get through this especially in the initial stages. Not all these techniques are going to work for everyone, and the techniques are often best utilised in different circumstances. Develop a mantra Art Green, episode 65, uses the technique of creating a mantra for himself. When faced with an uncomfortable task he’ll utilise a short phrase to help build confidence and to help create momentum to start the task. Digby Scott from episode 68 also uses this strategy to get uncomfortable. A manta should be short, positive, punchy, easy to repeat, and should increase your en

Today I’m chatting with Irma Schutte a holistic anxiety coach. This doesn’t mean that she teaches you how to be anxious holistically, but rather a holistic treatment approach to anxiety. Irma has had her own battles with anxiety, including trying to numb herself completely with substances, leading her to the point where she was faced with the choice to keep going, or to give up. Thankfully Irma chose to keep going and shares her experiences with me today. It’s a very vulnerable, raw chat, and Irma is really open about the experiences she has been through, with her previous battles, and her ongoing battles with anxiety, the inner critic, and experiencing the full gamut of emotions that we run as humans. The insights Irma has gained going out to meet this discomfort are profound and we’re lucky she shares some of them with us today. The conversation is mainly focused around being with anxiety differently, observing that it is there, rather than letting it define us. However there is heaps in here for people tha

When we begin to train ourselves to get out of our comfort zones often the first thing that we notice is that we start to feel anxious about what we are going to do. We may not be fully aware of the anxiety, but often we will experience physical symptoms associated with it. This can include; a raised heart rate, clenching of muscles, breathing more quickly, sweating, and an increased alertness. Anxiety is a perfectly normal human response. It’s designed for keeping us safe, and was incredibly important. It stopped us entering into potentially dangerous situations, and helped us get out of them if we somehow found ourselves there. Being in a dangerous situation our fight or flight response is heightened and can help our body get ready for action and can increase our stamina and performance. It’s an aptly named response as it helped us fight our way out of this situation or run away from it. You’ve probably all heard stories of people who have performed what seem like superhuman feats when placed in situations

Today I’m chatting with Lucy O’Connor the creative mind behind Monday Hustle. This is Lucy’s second appearance on the Uncomfortable is OK podcast. Long time listeners of the show will remember Lucy from way back in episode 18 from over a year ago. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to that yet make sure you go back and get into it because we really dig into Lucy’s backstory. A whole heap has happened since then. Including a tough run with her Achilles tendon, two ruptures and an infection that was slow to heal. This has forced Lucy to slow down and re-think, re-define, and re-invent both herself and Monday Hustle. The result is a self-awareness, eloquence and a tight plan! Lucy has infectious enthusiasm which is great to see after what she has been through. I always have a blast when I chat with her so hopefully you will listening. A few of the topics that we cover off today are; + Self-awareness + Sense of identity + The importance of exercise + Figuring out your values + That sometimes slowing down and s

What is your comfort zone? Each of us has a comfort zone. Mine is different to yours, yours is different to your neighbours. In fact no two people will have the exact same comfort zone. The interesting thing is that our comfort zones will change over time based on our thoughts, actions, experiences, and skillsets. You would expect that over time your comfort zone will expand as you participate in more experiences, however the opposite can be true if we continually have the same experiences our comfort zone can regress or shrink if we aren’t training it. The same thing happens to you muscles when you stop training them, they begin to atrophy. To train and improve our comfort zone we first need to understand what it is. The Oxford Dictionary defines the comfort zone as “As situation where one feels at ease or safe” it can also be “A settled method of working that requires little effort and yields only barely acceptable results.” We can all identify situations where we feel at ease or safe. For some this is sitt

Today’s I’m chatting with a brave young woman, Renee Kiri from Wellington. Renee has been through a significant amount and is currently waiting on her 5th brain surgery. She is telling her story and what she has learnt through this. I was pretty stoked that I got to speak with her about it. Some of the things that we converse about are; + going through identity shifts + being proud of yourself + building trust in yourself + the concept of self love to get your through tough times + and of course getting uncomfortable Renee has a ton of learning from the challenges she has faced and I'm sure you'll take away a lot from her story and insight. Show support: Learn how to make simple yet professional videos with the lads from howtomakesimplevideos.com. Enter the Promo code "uncomfortable" at checkout to receive $100 off and to support the show. Guest: Renee Kiri Renee Facebook Renee Instagram Host: Chris Desmond UIOK Instagram UIOK Facebook Chris Desmond Twiter Support the show on Patreon Jeremy Desmond Music

Today I’m chatting with Leslie Harrington. You’ll notice that Leslie doesn’t have a typical Kiwi accent. We’ll discuss why at the start of the show. Leslie was introduced to me by Eric Hodgon who you’ll remember from episode 74 of the podcast where we had a deep conversation about recovery from trauma. Leslie herself is no stranger to trauma, she lost a half-brother to suicide, her highschool sweetheart in a car accident, and her parents to disease. It’s been a tough road at times but Leslie has worked through the uncomfortable, those that have been listening for a while know that is something that never ends. She shares with me what she has done, how it has made her re-evaluate her life and values and the new incredibly exciting direction it has pointed her in. I took a lot away from this conversation with Leslie as she was so open and honest about her experiences. Show support: Learn how to make simple yet professional videos with the lads from howtomakesimplevideos.com. Enter the Promo code "uncomfortable"

Today I’m chatting with the ladies from Shut Up and Dance. Abby, Lesa and Clair kicked off Shut up and Dance in Wellington back last year and since then it’s gone from strength to strength. They teach dance routines inspired by music videos and films. Abby and Lesa roped Clair into teaching them Beyoncé’s single ladies dance than things have exploded from there. These ladies consistently get uncomfortable through growing a business, dancing up a storm and the amount of support and the way they interplay with each other is amazing to behold. If you’ve ever wanted to be a ballerina but couldn’t master the perfection then this is the episode for you. Remember that Britney Spears is a state of mind. Today we chat + Dance + Not being punished for being crap at dance + Not being perfect + Building trust in yourself + Writing a 5 year business plan after the first dance class + Keeping it real + Everyone being uncomfortable and no one else knowing what they are doing either + Feeling the fear and saying hi to it + N

Today’s guest is Tyson Franklin. Tyson loves a good challenge, whether that is building businesses, writing books, doing a 365 day mental and physical challenge, or hosting a podcast, he does a bit of everything. I first came across Tyson last year on his 365 hour mental and physical challenge when he listened to and reviewed a couple of my podcasts – much appreciated mate. He has since stared his own podcast – "It’s No Secret with Dr T" all about earning more, working less, and enjoying what you do each day Today we cover + Being 6 foot tall and bulletproof until one day he wasn't + Being thankful for what you have + Why we shouldn't compare ourselves to others + Being honest on social media + Envy and jealousy + Taking responsibility in his life + Being kicked in the guts by the death of his father and having a big detour in his life + Talking about the things that hurt help us heal + Accepting that things aren't always going to go our way + Getting ripped out by his Mum + Why he needs to continually rememb

Support the show on Patreon Today’s guest is Justine Hamill, co-owner and studio manager of Power Living Yoga NZ. Gestalt trained psychotherapist, mum of three, wife, vocalist, and No Beers Who Cares Ambassador. In fact I first met Justine in person at a No Beers Who Cares event in Wellington. No Beers? Who Cares! is an organization all about shifting attitudes around how and why we drink, and showing people that you can have a freaking good time without alcohol. Today I’m chatting with Justine about; +drinking +yoga +stopping drinking +trying to live life the way you want to live it +stepping in to your power +creating space for yourself +and looking after your mental health. We actually recorded this episode during Mental Health Awareness week in NZ and it would have been awesome to get it out last week, however my circumstances dictated otherwise, so you’ve got it to mull over this week. Guest: Justine Hamill Power Living NZ Justine Hamill Instagram Power Living NZ Instagram Host: Chris Desmond UIOK Instag

Today’s guest is Spike Edwards. Spike is a behavioural based safety expert originally from Australia but currently residing in New Zealand. Spike has worked in multiple different countries including, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Brazil, Singapore, China, Denmark and the USA. He also worked for the Australian army and spent time in working in the SAS. Oh and he is about to be a TEDx speaker. All of this has given Spike great insight into teamwork, creating shared values in a group or business, building relationships, risk management as well as getting uncomfortable. I really enjoy Spike’s take on building your risk management muscle, if we don’t take calculated risks then we don’t develop ourselves, our level of talent drops and the level of talent across the talent pool drops because we aren’t pushing anyone else forwards. We talk today about; + Developing the self-belief mindset +getting caught in the drift of life, + building your risk management muscle, + why safety is dangerous, + developing our comm

Today I chat with Grant Rawlinson, better known as Axe. Axe is what you would define as an adventurer, specifically a human powered adventurer. He has taken part in multiple human powered adventures, from Getting from the Summit of Mount Ruapehu to the summit of Mount Cook in three weeks. Climbing Mount Everest, twice among many others. His current adventure is called rowing from home to home, where he is rowing from his home in Singapore, to his birthplace of New Zealand, with a significant cycle through Australia on the way. His stories of adventure are epic, but what is even more epic is the insight he has gleaned from them. I enjoy his approach to risk mitigation, his concepts around preparation, and how he identifies what he wants to go after. Topics we chat through in the show include; + The reason he moved from New Zealand to Singapore + The pull of adventure + Playing in the Hong Kong sevens + Following curiosity until it turns into passion + The importance of planning + Grant's approach to risk manag

  Welcome or welcome back to the uncomfortable is OK podcast. I’m your host Chris Desmond and this is the show where I chat with fascinating people who have faced down the Uncomfortable. We hear their stories and jump into the strategies they’ve used for getting uncomfortable. Over the last couple of week’s I’ve appeared as a guest on a couple of other podcasts, The Willosophy podcast, and It’s no secret with Dr T. It’s been an interesting and uncomfortable experience being on the other side of the microphone and having questions asked of me. Thankfully after having over 70 conversations with people on this podcast I’ve probably got enough to say to fill up half an hour or so. Being a guest on someone else’s podcast to talk about getting uncomfortable has given me a greater appreciation of story telling. Being able to impart your viewpoint and experience through story is such an important skill, but also a difficult one to master. It makes me appreciate today’s guest, Eric Hodgdon even more. A few years ago E

This episode's guest is Traver Boehm. I first came across Traver on the Man Talks podcast and was enthralled with his conversation. Traver has always felt the call of adventure, whether that is surfing big waves, climbing mountains, or fighting in a cage. Every life has its ups and downs and Traver's was no different. He got to a point where he admits he thought he had it all, the wife, the business, the dog.  All of a sudden Traver's life changed. He was overcome with pain. It was time to sit with this pain and find out who he really was. Traver had the option of getting back onto the conventional path, or taking the path of outlandish adventure. No prizes for picking which one he chose. Today's conversation is shaped around his beginnings, the trauma he went through, discovering himself and humanity through his Year to Live Project, and becoming One Day Stronger. The conversation covers; +Moving to Japan, growing up in a different culture, then the challenges of returning to the states +Looking for somethin

Today's guest is Clive Neeson, Director of "Last Paradise". Last Paradise is is the lifetime work of Clive Neeson, a physicist, adventurer, technology innovator  and inspirational speaker.  Clive grew up on safari in East Africa as his parents filmed wild animals during the 1950’s. In New Zealand and Australia, he joined a group of young mavericks who would become the pioneers of today’s extreme sports. Last Paradise is a 45 year journey gives the audience an insight to how much the world has changed in one lifetime so they can get a first hand vision of  what “normal” was for the planet, WHY we need to innovate and HOW. Our chat is around the film Last Paradise, but it's also about Clive's stories of adventure, the life philosophies that he has developed. The main thrust of the film, and the conversation is to inspire people to pursue their life’s dream, to study the physical sciences and form a personal relationship with the natural wilderness in the hope that they will be moved to save it.   Guest: Clive N

Today I chat with Anna Guenther the Chief Bubble blower from PledgeMe. PledgeMe is a crowdfunding platform which helps Kiwi's fund the things they care about. They have run over 1000 successful campaigns and helped raise over $15 million dollars. We chat through the origin story of PledgeMe and Anna's story in getting to the point. Other topics we cover are: + Naievity in the beginning of projects and how it is important + Finding validation points + Shifting the goalposts when you need to + The difference between good and bad stress and managing both + Changing the landscape of crowdfunding + Why crowdfunding isn't dumb money + Dealing with internet trolls + The importance of diversity of perspective + Why we should have robust conversations about everything + Why people are both the best and worst things   Guest: Anna Guenther PledgeMe Anna Twitter Host: Chris Desmond UIOK Instagram UIOK Facebook Twitter   Support the show on Patreon

This week I got to chat with an awesome dude. He is a Rad Dad, and a Willosopher. That's right it was content creator Will Fleming. I've been wanting to chat with him for a while, ever since I first listened to him on the "My Kiwi Life" podcast. It's a little weird when you get to talk with someone that you've been listening to for a while because you think that you know them without ever having met them. We managed to get over that hurdle pretty quickly though. Will and I spend some time pondering life, figuring out what we want and what it's all about, and of course getting uncomfortable. Guest: Will Fleming Will Twitter Willosophy podcast Host: Chris Desmond UIOK Instagram UIOK Facebook Twitter Music: Jeremy Desmond   Support the show on Patreon  

Today I’m chatting with Lucy Revill creative genius behind The Residents. The Residents showcases the best of Welly, people, places, and products. Lucy is a born and bred Wellingtonian with massive love for this city and a beautiful platform. Lucy this year was the winner of Absolutely Positively Wellingtonian Award, she is the finalist in the New Zealand Social Media Awards, just hosted a Wellington on a Plate event an now to cap it off she has realised her dream of being a podcast guest on the Uncomfortable is OK podcast. Today’s chat covers; + Learning how computers and technology could unleash her creative side + Setting up the Residents and what choosing to commit to + How everything had been uncomfortable but that she had being ignoring it + Figuring out how to be comfortable with herself + Being around crazy, creative people and how that opened up her perspective on the world + The power of being consistent and disciplined within her creativity and the improvements she saw with that + The importance of

This week sees me having a chat with Digby Scott over a cup of tea and piece of cake. Among other things Digby is a leadership development thinker and practitioner. He specialises in accelerating the next generation of restless go-getters, which he’ll tell us about in the chat. Digby is all about finding your edge, the point where capability meets uncertainty in all aspects of life. Some of the topics we cover today include; + Being scared of the Ocean and the process of getting over that to the point the Ocean is now his mistress + The distinction between being pulled towards something rather than pushed + Doing something every day that terrifies you and excites you + Avoiding the flatline of experience and the value of peaks and troughs + The importance of consistently showing up + The Ocean as a metaphor for life + The importance of having people to nudge you along in the right direction + Finding your edge and staying true to it + How he identifies if he is going too far, or not far enough + Training your