Simple Minds Podcast

It’s Part 2 of the Simple Minds Live Show! This week, we drop audio of the lads answering questions from the audience at their first-ever Q&A Session. Fitness analogies are abundant and we’re fairly certain Conrad takes things far too literally at one point...

It’s the Simple Minds Podcast live! This time around, the lads record a new episode in front of an audience for the first time while covering a range of topics in the process in a throwback to the older content form adopted when the show first began in 2017!

As it turns out, the guys have been using words as a way to help them with their decision making and goals for every year. They usually keep it to themselves but Travis decided to be a nosey parker and make everyone reveal and reflect on what their word for last year was and what their word for this year will be.

Matt keeps on getting distracted these days, it seems like every day he has a new thing that keeps him busy and away from the creative stuff he’d rather be doing. The rest of the lads (except Conrad of course) feel it too and are keen to have a look into how they can also break the curse of being too damn busy all of the time!

Emotions are funny things, they’re inescapable parts of our lives and influence just about everything we do if we let them. Justin, being Justin, isn’t about to let that happen though and decides to go on a quest to figure out a way he can lock his emotions away so that he can do business better. Nothing bad could happen from this at all, right?

Did you know we have neurons in our stomachs and hearts, not just the brain? Yup. And that’s precisely what Travis hopes to speak about with the guys as he discusses the process of decision making and how our bodies’ own intuition can be a massive aid in that regard. Sometimes there’s simply more to a decision than simply being rational.

Conrad recently read a book that had him thinking extensively on the subject of depression. Particularly in men and the culture of modern stoicism that seemingly keeps men from speaking about the issue. The lads also join in and give accounts of their own experiences and methods for recovery.

Matt felt himself getting pretty judgemental of some other people recently and wanted to reach out to the guys to see if he was being unreasonable. This is especially perplexing considering the lads all went on a trip to tackle their own worldly perceptions.

Tough conversations are sometimes inescapable, but that doesn’t mean they have to be something to dread, especially if you know they’re coming. In this episode, Justin asks the guys about the tough conversations they’ve had to endure and whether they were as scary or difficult and they had anticipated.

How we talk about love is kind of a tricky thing. It requires a bit of vulnerability and honesty that most men aren’t really keen to actually do. Thankfully, Trav has found a source of enlightenment in his approach to love and tries to encourage the rest of the lads, and listeners at home, to learn some lave languages and how to apply that to their lives and relationships.

The lads are on the East Coast and halfway through a special course led by William Whitecloud through his Natural Success Academy and, for the most part, things sound like they’re going pretty well... Naturally, they want to make a podcast about it and pick at Williams brain as much as they can before heading back to sunny ol’ Perth.

Planning for success is usually considered a fairly simple thing to do. We know the usual tenants, stay consistent, keep organised and have a clear goal in mind. But we never really think about the actual “success” side of things. What is success? What defines a successful week? The lads have plenty to discuss... 

Justin keeps telling the guys to stop looking for “the silver bullet” as though we all know what that’s actually supposed to mean. But it's ok, the lads have him figured out and know to not look for excuses no matter how tall and strong and fresh from the fight that solution to their problems might be.

We're always looking for qualities that help us become better at our jobs and careers. Whether that's being more efficient or more consistent in our work. But what our ability to be better people morally? What kind of qualities do we have to develop to make ourselves more rounded people on a personal level? Conrad and the lads are here to find out!

The word “Virile” has been around for thousands of years, in one form or another. Yet, in the last 100 years the term has fallen deeply out of fashion, being considered often to “icky” or sexual to be used with any sort of seriousness. In this episode, Jacob asks the lads to deep dive into the term and discover what this terms means for men's perception of their own masculinity.

The lads knuckle down in this rewind episode to discuss the idea of toxic masculinity and how it impacts men and society. The lads also give their perspective on the famous Gilette ad that aired earlier this year and wonders the wider implications of the expectations men are held under. 

Jacob is feeling warm and fuzzy and tries to express gratitude to the lads for their support during a testing time in his business. Naturally, this raises eyebrows, with the group deciding to deep dive into the psychology of business ownership and the lessons they've learned to make them better entrepreneurs as well as better people. 

Big Trav is at it again and wants to chat to the guys some more on the concept of fatherhood! It's been three months since his son Farley was born and Trav wants to discuss with the lads the lessons he's learned in that time, both in how to be a father and how to be a better husband. The lads also reflect on the times their wives gave birth and the psychology of being there for their partners during an obviously stressful time. 

With Michael having recently left the show, we thought it would be great to do a throwback episode and showcase one of the more iconic topics that Michael brought in for the lads.  Things get trippy as Mike asks the guys to consider whether they're living inside of a simulation and whether artificial intelligence will supersede human brainpower within our generation.  Conrad also chimes in with some talk on eulogies and how to reflect on your own achievements as a motivation tool. It's not as depressing at it sounds. 

It's safe to say that Dads in the media get a bad rap, from Homer Simpson strangling Bart to the man-child that is Phil Dunphy in Modern Family.  The lads dive into these portrayals and discuss whether these have affected their relationships with their kids and how they perceive themselves as Dads.