The Bend Like Bamboo Resilience Podcast

Amanda Campbell
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Each week, Amanda Campbell interviews amazing people, who will share their inspiring stories of resilience. Amanda dives deep into 40-minute DNM’s with guests, exploring their stories of how they have overcome adversity in their lives professionally and personally.

  1. 1D AGO

    Darron Goralsky, Physiotherapist, Ep 63, From 60-Hour Weeks to Teaching Thousands: How One Physiotherapist Transformed TMJ Care

    From 60-Hour Weeks to Teaching Thousands: TMJ & Burnout How physiotherapist Darron Goralsky went from 60-hour burnout to teaching thousands. Learn his Craniomandibular Method, "the issue is in the tissues," and the formula for scaling through education. Darron Goralsky went on a mission to build his dream practice, but it came at a cost.At 48 years old, he was working 60-hour weeks—sometimes seeing 96 half-hour appointments in a single week. His Melbourne TMJ & Facial Pain Centre was thriving. Patients were booking months in advance. By every external measure, he'd "made it."But when he returned from his annual two-week holiday in January 2018, something broke."I said to my wife, I don't know if I can do this for 50 weeks before the next 2-week break," Darron recalls. "I honestly felt quite trapped."He gave himself an ultimatum: If he hadn't made significant changes by his 50th birthday in June 2019, he didn't know what he was going to do. This is a story about recognising you can be the bottleneck in your own business. About choosing to bend before you break. And about discovering that your greatest impact doesn't come from seeing more patients—it can also come from teaching others your method. Connect with Darron GoralskyMelbourne TMJ & Facial Pain Centre203 Balaclava Rd, Caulfield NorthWebsite: melbournetmjcentre.com.au Learn More About The 5-Step TMD Protocol:Darron's 2-day intensive course for dental professionals teaches comprehensive assessment, hands-on treatment techniques, and the multidisciplinary approach needed for lasting results. Connect on LinkedIn:linkedin.com/in/darrongoralsky Follow Melbourne TMJ & Facial Pain Centre:Facebook: @MelbourneTMJCentreInstagram: @MelbourneTMJCentre Your Next Step with Bend Like BambooWhether you're dealing with TMJ pain, chronic stress showing up in your body, or burnout threatening to break you—I'm here when you're ready. Book a call and we'll explore what support looks like for you—whether that's learning the Bamboo Method through Foundations, working together in HEAL or THRIVE, or simply connecting with others in our Bend Together community. Different paths for different seasons. We'll find yours together. Book a Free Clarity Call:https://calendly.com/amanda_campbell_/15min WHO THIS IS FOR:✓ CEOs and executives experiencing stress or burnout✓ People with autoimmune conditions seeking healing and transformation✓ Leaders wanting to build sustainable high performance✓ Leaders navigating chronic health challenges while maintaining demanding careers WORK WITH AMANDA:HEAL Program (Autoimmune & Stress):https://www.bendlikebamboo.com/heal-bamboo-methodTHRIVE Program (Executive Burnout): https://www.bendlikebamboo.com/thrive-bamboo-methodFoundations Program (The Bamboo Course): https://www.bendlikebamboo.com/bamboo-foundationsFree Clarity Call: https://www.bendlikebamboo.com/service-booking-clarity-callFree Resilience Toolkit: https://www.bendlikebamboo.com/thrive-subscribeJoin our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/680729421231191 The Podcast on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-bend-like-bamboo-resilience-podcast/id1536494209The Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/3bu07WcTq6VDbzTlK197zwYouTube https://www.youtube.com/@BendLikeBamboo CONNECT:Website: bendlikebamboo.comInstagram: @bendlikebambooFacebook: @bendlikebambooLinkedIn: amanda-campbell-resilience-coach

    1h 10m

  2. FEB 9

    Eli Singer, co-founded Entrinsic, Ep 62, Digital Overwhelm & ADHD: Why Confidence Beats Willpower

    Eli Singer co-founded Entrinsic, one of North America's first social media agencies. He led campaigns for Google, Coca-Cola, Ford, and MoMA. He published thought leadership in Harvard Business Review. He was literally architecting the digital world that so many of us now struggle to step away from. And then, as an adult, he discovered he had ADHD. What once seemed like a challenge—the relentless drive, the constant stimulation-seeking, the difficulty with executive function—turned into an opportunity. Eli learned to harness his neurodivergence, and now, as an ICF-trained coach with certifications from CADDRA and CAMH, he mentors neurodivergent professionals navigating high-pressure environments. At Offline.now, Eli helps people understand their relationship with technology—not through shame and judgment, but through practical tools and strategies that actually work. This conversation was eye-opening. Whether you're managing ADHD, chronic health conditions, or leadership burnout—or you're just exhausted from being always-on—this is for you. When Connection Became Extraction In the early days, Eli's agency was building communities and blog strategies, bringing together people with like-minded interests, helping them learn from one another. "We were really acting as translators," he explained, "helping companies transition from a broadcast world where you put something on TV and no one could ever talk back." It was exciting. They were inventing something beautiful. But then something shifted. "As the web started to evolve, it changed from community building to attention harvesting," Eli said. "Everything could be monitored and tracked. When the major social networks started to really collect that information at scale—people's interests, friend networks, psychological profiles through quizzes—it was pretty clear that what was being assembled could be used in a way that was a little dark." By 2014, when they exited the agency, the work had lost its meaning. They'd gone from building community strategies to just selling products online. "I remember being on Foursquare seeing other people checking into all these brands, and I'm like, oh wow, they've got tons of business and I don't, and it made me feel terrible," Eli recalled. "That's when I decided: I'm going to do my own thing, beat to my own drum, and stay away from the FOMO. It just didn't feel healthy." The Discovery That Changed Everything After the agency, Eli moved into coaching. And that's when he received his ADHD diagnosis as an adult. "Learning about how my brain operated was very helpful," he said. And something else became clear: He kept hearing the same themes from therapists, coaches, social workers, and practitioners like me. "You see it in people's physical bodies," Eli said. "Marriage counsellors see it in relationships. Parent coaches see it in frustration. People with anxiety, OCD, depression—it's magnified. Nutritionists see it in body image issues. There's LinkedIn FOMO, online dating rejection, online gambling, online shopping." The relationship with devices was showing up everywhere—but there wasn't a vocabulary for people to talk about it without shame. That's when Offline.now was born—to create a way for people to address their digital overwhelm without guilt, shame, or judgment, so they can achieve their own goals on their own terms. The Problem with "Just Put Your Phone Away" I wanted to understand: What's the difference between how digital overwhelm affects neurodivergent brains versus neurotypical ones? "If you've met one person with ADHD, you've met one person with ADHD," Eli cautioned. "People can have challenges with mood, with ruminating, with time management, being reliable to the people around you." But here's what Eli emphasized: "It's really important for people to take the time to get to know how their own brain works. What works for them." The ADHD brain needs to be engaged. It requires stimulation. It's heavily attracted to curious, engaging tasks. "So figuring out how to become more curious about the things you want to be doing, so you can get yourself into that hyper-focused state," Eli explained. "And really forgiving yourself and being gentle with yourself in the moments where it's just not working." This resonated deeply with me. I see this with my clients who have autoimmune conditions like MS—there are days where my body just won't cooperate, and instead of berating myself, I've learned to reframe those three days on the couch as an opportunity to rest and reflect. "It's about understanding where the pressure is coming from," Eli agreed. "The expectations others put on you, and the expectations you put on yourself." The Strategy That Changes Everything: Tiny Experiments Eli shared an example that completely shifted how I think about change: "Let's say you love to draw, but you haven't in a long time. You've always wanted to learn, but you're embarrassed. And you're always on your phone on your couch." His advice? Buy some pencils and put a drawing book on the coffee table. "Sit on your phone as much as you want. But maybe take one minute to draw one thing. Just a sketch. Then put the book back down and go back on your phone." Do it again the next day. And the next. "You might find, after 3 or 4 times, those drawing bouts instead of being 1 minute long, they're 4 or 5 minutes. Maybe 20 minutes. After a month or two, maybe you've got a book with 30 drawings in it, and you're like, hey, I've really improved. I've now got a skill." You've created an intervention around a habit without having to think too much about it. His book, Offline Now, includes 100 ideas to try instead of scrolling—simple things like sitting by a window for 5 minutes, humming through your favourite album from memory, washing dishes mindfully, or creating a do-nothing corner in your home. "The goal wasn't to give people a list of things to do," Eli said. "It was to get their creative juices flowing and give them permission to come up with whatever they wanted that made sense for them." The Matrix: It's Not About Willpower—It's About Confidence This is where the conversation got really good. I asked Eli about resilience for neurodivergent brains in a world designed to exploit exactly how those brains work—the dopamine hits, the constant stimulation, the difficulty with executive function. "For so many of my listeners," I said, "whether they're managing chronic illness or leading teams while burnt out, the always-on digital world is making us sick. Why does the traditional advice of 'just put your phone away' or 'use more willpower' fundamentally miss the point?" Eli picked up on the willpower piece immediately. "When it's just 'apply more willpower, apply more willpower,' it's like a brute force approach. Just work harder, work harder, work harder. It doesn't take the individual into account. Or work with your strengths." Enter: The Offline Now Matrix. At the core of Eli's book is a framework with two questions around motivation and confidence that identify four types of where you are whe...

    48 min

  3. FEB 9

    Karen Canham, Nervous System and Somatic Coach, Ep 61, Why Your Calm Is Contagious: The Ripple Effect of Nervous System Regulation

    The Corporate Leader Who Discovered That Success Wasn't About the Title Karen Canham had the title. She had climbed the Fortune 50 ladder. She was leading teams, making decisions, achieving the markers of success that society told her mattered. But something wasn't right. "I think it hit me a few times through my life where I was like, what am I doing? This isn't really me," Karen reflects. "But I didn't necessarily listen and continued to push through. A lot of that was chasing this title and these corporations." For years, Karen taught yoga on the side while working in corporate leadership. She loved the coaching and leadership aspects of her role, but the corporate structure—the red tape, the inability to fully show up as herself, the conflict between caring deeply about people and the reality that "this is a business"—kept gnawing at her. Leaders kept reassuring her: "That's okay that you don't love the industry necessarily, but you love leadership, and you love helping people, and that's enough." But it wasn't enough. "I couldn't fully express myself in the way that I wanted to," Karen explains. "I've always been a person who, if I saw injustice, I was going to stand up for that other person. I really care about people and humanity in this world, and that can come into conflict sometimes." When she moved to Florida two and a half years ago, she tried consulting for a startup she'd previously worked with. It lasted a month. "I was just like, what am I doing?" Karen recalls. "That was the time I knew for sure that it was time for me to really focus on the coaching business and really utilise the things that I saw make a huge difference in my life and with other people around me." Today, as a Nervous System and Somatic Coach, Karen helps professionals and entrepreneurs move from survival mode into grounded, sustainable leadership—not by achieving more titles, but by learning to regulate from within.The Eating Disorder That Taught Karen About Disconnection Behind Karen's corporate success story was a deeper struggle that began much earlier. From age 10, Karen lived with an eating disorder. It became severe at 16. But she didn't get the treatment she truly needed until her late 20s, early 30s. "I had to use a feelings wheel," Karen shares vulnerably. "In the middle, we'd start with the basic feelings of sad, anger, and then it branches out to get deeper—like, what that sadness is. Is it depression? Is it loneliness?" For almost a year, Karen used that wheel to access what her core emotions were, and then to build down from there to discover what was really underneath. "After you're able to access those emotions, then you can start to feel into the body," Karen explains. "That was my experience, and that's my experience with most of my clients." This is where most people get it wrong about meditation, mindfulness, and nervous system work. "People will say, oh, well, I suck at meditation," Karen says. "Well, yeah, you can't just hop right into it. There's a process that you need to go through to be able to build and access and titrate and start building that capacity in your system." The eating disorder taught Karen something fundamental: When we disconnect from our bodies, we disconnect from ourselves. And when we disconnect from ourselves, we can't truly lead—not others, and certainly not ourselves. Coping vs. Regulation: Why Most Leaders Are Just Surviving One of the most powerful distinctions Karen makes in her work is between coping and true nervous system regulation. "The biggest thing for me within regulation of the nervous system is digging into these patterns that are shaping the way that we're behaving," Karen explains. Sure, we can use neural tools in the moment to help us regulate. We can use somatic practices to get into our bodies and have awareness of what's happening. Our bodies tell us first, before our minds do. But the deeper work—the transformative work—is getting into those patterns. "If we become more aware of what those patterns are, and not just the awareness, but how do I shift those patterns, and how are those patterns affecting other people? How are those patterns affecting how I show up in my company, how I show up in my role, how I communicate with my team?" This is the piece that takes the most work. The most capacity. It's uncomfortable. "But it really is the basis of what leadership is," Karen says. "For a long time, leadership to me used to be a title, that I got to tell other people what to do, that I knew enough to be able to tell other people what to do. But ultimately, the more I progressed in my career, the more it was finding out that, no, ultimately, leadership is you being regulated." And this goes back to those patterns—how are we showing up, and how does that come off to other people, and how do we then communicate? "The work never ends," Karen acknowledges. "There's always going to be stuff there to work on. But it also doesn't have to feel really heavy. I think a lot of people think that it needs to, and it really doesn't have to be that way." The Body Leads Before the Mind Follows Karen teaches something I know intimately from my own recovery from paralysis: The body leads before the mind follows. When I was paralysed at 29, my body had to heal before my mind could fully believe it was possible. But vice versa as well—I had to believe it before more healing would come. This is the dance of healing. The interplay of soma and psyche. For people stuck in survival mode—their nervous systems constantly hypervigilant, always firefighting at work—the signs are showing up in the body first. Karen asks us to check in: Is there tightness in my chest? Is my breath shallow or deep? Am I breathing in my chest or my belly? Do I have tightness in my shoulders? In my hips? These aren't just physical sensations. They're your body's language, trying to tell you something your mind hasn't admitted yet. "This is all part of the healing," I shared with Karen, "because we don't want to be aware of what's around us and our bodies when we're recovering from trauma and stress." So the practice of bringing awareness back to the body, back to the environment, back to the present moment—this isn't complicated. It can be journaling, meditation, walking, movement. All these pillars of health that we take for granted. "It's really just bringing all of that into your awareness as a daily practice every day," I explained. "So that when the storm really does come, you can then bend, and you've got the tools because you've been doing it every day." Karen's response was perfect: "And if you weren't, then you wouldn't bend. You would snap." Why Slowing Down Isn't Weakness—It's Your Nervous System Strategy Here's where most people get stuck. They hear "slow down" and immediately think: "That's great, but I don't have time to slow down. I'm a mother, I work full-time, I have a husband, I have responsibilities." Karen gets it. That's real life. "It's not necessarily that we have to do less," Karen clarifies. "It's that we need to take the ti...

    42 min

  4. 11/25/2025

    Matt Rowe, Master Neuro-Plastician, author of Belief to Heal, Ep 60, From Paralysis to Ironman

    The 50-50 Chance That Changed EverythingPicture this: You're about to undergo spinal surgery. Your right leg isn't functioning. You can barely walk. You ask the surgeon about your chances of success, expecting reassurance. Instead, he says: "50-50." "50-50 chance it'll work?" Matt Rowe asked. "No," the doctor replied. "50-50 chance I don't paralyse you from the waist down." That moment could have destroyed most people. Instead, it became the catalyst for one of the most remarkable healing journeys in modern mind-body medicine—a journey that took Matt Rowe from paralysis to completing an Ironman triathlon, and now, to helping thousands of others discover that same transformative power within themselves. The Neuroplastician Who Defied Medical Odds Matt Rowe is a Master Neuro-Plastician, author of Belief to Heal, and a dedicated guide in the field of mind-body transformation. But before all the credentials and the coaching programs, he was simply a man lying in a hospital bed, being told his chances of ever walking normally again were slim. What happened next defies what most medical professionals would say is possible. After overcoming paralysis to complete an Ironman, Matt now teaches others how to harness the brain's power to heal and thrive. Blending science and spirituality, he empowers individuals to rewire limiting beliefs and step into their highest potential. As a meditation and Reiki practitioner, Matt helps people reconnect with inner peace and natural healing energy. His mission? To inspire hope, resilience, and the belief that healing is not only possible—it's a daily practice and choice. And now, he's back on the Bend Like Bamboo podcast for the third time to share his most exciting collaboration yet. The Missing Piece: When Body Meets Mind About a year ago, Dr. David Lyons approached Matt with a problem. David had been training individuals for over 10 years, helping them through chronic conditions by reactivating the muscles within their bodies. His program was scientifically proven, comprehensive, and getting results. But something was missing. "My program is incredible, scientifically proven," David told Matt, "but I'm missing the mind element that is so critical for us all." That conversation became the genesis of Optimal Body, Optimal Mind—a revolutionary program that finally bridges the gap between physical rehabilitation and mental transformation. "That's why I got so excited about doing this with David," Matt explains, "and actually building something that we're already seeing positive results for individuals." The Woman Who Couldn't Walk Across the Hallway One of the most powerful early success stories came from a woman who embodied the scepticism many of us feel when we've tried everything and nothing has worked. "I have so much cynicism," she told Matt. "I'm older now, I can't do this stuff." Matt could see it in her mind—she was already deflating herself, talking herself out of this powerful work before they'd even begun. But he encouraged her to sign up anyway. A month into the program, she messaged him with news that brought tears to his eyes: "Matt, I'm actually getting stronger. I walked across the hallway, and I haven't been able to do that in years." Her mind was creating possibility within her. And with that possibility came action. And with action came transformation. "This is different," Matt emphasises. "It's actually helping you with consistency and focus to create what you wish." Where Healing Really Begins As someone who's also recovered from paralysis, I know this truth intimately: the mind and body are absolutely connected. When you leverage the power of the mind, you don't just recover—you transform. During my own healing journey, I became fascinated by a question: Why do some people recover when they're not supposed to? And why do some people, despite eating well and exercising, still get really sick? What I learned was that the power of the mind and our deep beliefs about what's possible for ourselves in the future become the determining factor. And those beliefs can become dangerously skewed upon receiving a diagnosis, when we lose faith and fall into negative statistics. Matt puts it simply: "It all begins in the mind. Anything you wish to achieve in your life begins here. It doesn't happen with the body leading the way—it begins with the mind leading the way." He quotes Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right." Why? Because if you wake up each morning with a level of possibility—and you only need a little bit, you don't need a lot—you'll start taking action. You might wake up 15 minutes earlier to do an Optimal Body workout. You might actually sit down and meditate in the morning, bringing balance within yourself, which then encourages you to take another action step. "This all requires action," Matt says. "But if your mind doesn't think it's worth it, if you tell yourself you can't, you won't."The Pivotal Moment: When Matt Discovered His Brain's Power I asked Matt to take us back to that pivotal moment when he realised his brain had the power to rewire his body. After his surgery, with a 50-50 chance of being paralysed from the waist down, Matt made a critical decision. He decided to believe in the possibility even when medical probability said otherwise. "I had to rewire my thinking," Matt explains. "I had to create new neural pathways that said 'I can heal, I will heal, I am healing' instead of 'this is impossible, I'm broken, this is permanent.'" The first small shift was recognising that every single thought was either building his healing or tearing it down. There was no neutral ground. Every moment of doubt was reinforcing his paralysis. Every moment of belief was creating new pathways toward mobility. So he made a commitment: to practice possibility every single day, multiple times a day, until his brain had no choice but to believe it was true. And it worked. Not overnight. Not in a week. But slowly, consistently, neurologically, his brain began to rewire. And as his brain changed, so did his body. From unable to walk, to walking with assistance, to walking independently, to running, to swimming, to cycling—to completing an Ironman triathlon that medical professionals said was impossible. How Optimal Body, Optimal Mind Works The program Matt and Dr. David Lyons created is elegantly simple yet profoundly effective. It combines David's scientifically proven physical exercises (from 20 different programs tailored to individual needs) with Matt's mindset training. Here's how it works: Morning Routine (approximately 20 minutes): You receive an email and text message at your chosen time (6 AM, for example)5-minute visualisation exerciseYour customised physical workout from Dr. Lyons' program3-minute affirmationsStart your dayEvening Routine (8 minutes): Another email at your chosen bedtime (9 PM, for example)Mindset reinforcement exercisesAffirmations to rewrite your subconscious mind before sleep"This will take you 8 minutes," Matt says, "but it'll be the most important 8 minutes you'll ev...

    46 min

  5. 11/07/2025

    Jimmy Burroughes, High-Performance Leader, Ep 59, From the Battlefield to Boardroom

    When a Staff Sergeant's Wisdom Changed Everything Picture this: You're a young British Army lieutenant in the Iraqi desert during Gulf War II. You're exhausted, running on fumes, convinced you need to be the perfect officer—super fit, awake longer than everyone else, with all the answers at your fingertips. Then your staff sergeant, a veteran with 15 years of experience, pulls you aside. "Sir, with all due respect," he says, "your job is to make the decisions. Our job is to give you the information." For Jimmy Burroughes, that moment was a revelation that would shape not just his military career, but his entire approach to leadership—and ultimately, his mission to help thousands of leaders worldwide reclaim their time, energy, and strategic focus. The Accidental Warrior Jimmy didn't set out to become a military officer. With a degree in tropical medicine, he was still figuring out his professional direction when the military called. Having enjoyed his time in the Officer Training Corps at university, he thought it would be "a great way to see the world, do lots of adventure training, have lots of dinner nights, make lots of friends." "There was nothing really going on in the world when I joined up," Jimmy recalls with a wry smile. "And by the end of my training, we were in the midst of the Second Gulf War." His first assignment? Leading soldiers in what he describes as "essentially a supermarket on demand in the middle of the desert"—coordinating military logistics in Kuwait and Iraq. Those six years would prove transformative, teaching him lessons about leadership, resilience, and what it truly means to operate under pressure. The Expert Trap: Why Great Individual Contributors Struggle as Leaders The lesson from Staff Sergeant Dobbs cut through Jimmy's beliefs about leadership like a knife. He was holding onto a dangerous misconception that many high-performers carry with them as they advance: the belief that you need to be the expert in everything. "It works when you're an individual contributor, and it kind of works when you're a manager," Jimmy explains, "but when you move into managing managers and leadership roles, it doesn't work anymore. Actually, it's one of the quickest routes to burnout—you being at the center of everything." This realization became the foundation of Jimmy's work today. Now, as a Fortune 500 leadership expert and developer of the "Simplify to Amplify" methodology, he's transformed over 3,000 leaders across 20+ countries. His clients include some of the world's largest enterprises—Bank of America, Bank of New Zealand, and many others. But at its core, his message is beautifully simple: Your job as a leader is to make decisions, not to have all the answers. What Resilience Really Means: It's Not About Bending—It's About Removing the Weight When we think of resilience, we often imagine bending under pressure, bouncing back, or toughing it out. But Jimmy's approach is fundamentally different. True resilience, he argues, isn't about becoming stronger to carry more weight—it's about removing the unnecessary weight entirely. "Leaders don't need more resilience training to carry more load," Jimmy says. "They need operational friction removal to reduce the load in the first place." This philosophy is captured in what he calls "operational friction"—all the unnecessary complexity, unclear expectations, duplicate work, and inefficient processes that drain leaders of time and energy. By systematically identifying and eliminating these friction points, leaders don't just survive; they amplify their performance by an average of 47% in just 90 days. It's resilience through intelligent simplification, not through gritting your teeth harder. The Five Operational Frictions That Drain 6+ Hours Weekly Through his work with thousands of leaders, Jimmy has identified five core operational frictions that consistently rob managers of managers of valuable time: Unclear expectations – When leaders aren't crystal clear on what success looks like, teams waste time guessing, redoing work, or seeking constant clarification.Duplicate efforts – Multiple people doing the same work without knowing it, or reinventing wheels that already exist.Inefficient processes – Systems and workflows that made sense years ago but now create more problems than they solve.Poor delegation – Leaders holding onto tasks they should release, or delegating without proper context and authority.Reactive firefighting – Constantly responding to urgent demands instead of working strategically on what matters most.By systematically addressing these five areas, Jimmy helps senior leaders reclaim 6+ hours per week—time that can be redirected toward strategic thinking, team development, and the high-value work that actually moves the needle. The Calendar is Your Life: Designing Days Around Energy, Not Time One of the most practical pieces of wisdom Jimmy shares is how to structure your day for maximum effectiveness. The key? Plan your day around your energy, not your time. "Tackle the hard tasks when you're clear and agile," Jimmy advises. "Leave the administrative tasks or the basic tasks till you've got a little bit less energy." He recommends allocating two 90-minute or three 60-minute deep work windows—and here's the critical part—before you even turn your emails on. Get that important strategic work done first, when your mind is fresh and focused. "When you're feeling really overloaded, everything feels out of control," Jimmy acknowledges. But by taking control of your calendar and protecting time for deep work, you create islands of clarity in the chaos. The HEART Principle: Help as an Antidote to Overwhelm When I asked Jimmy what advice he'd give to someone feeling overwhelmed right now—whether by work, health challenges, or just life—his answer was both surprising and profound. "The first piece of friction that you can control is asking for or giving help," he says. He teaches a mnemonic called HEART, where the H stands for Help. But here's where it gets interesting: help works in both directions. Asking for Help "A problem shared is a problem halved. You get a second perspective, you get a sounding board. And often, when you're in the middle of it, you can't see it." There's wisdom in recognizing that we all have blind spots, especially when we're overwhelmed. It's easy to coach someone else on their problems, but incredibly difficult to see our own clearly. Asking for help isn't weakness—it's strategic clarity. Giving Help But perhaps even more powerful is the act of giving help when you're struggling yourself. "There's this beautiful neurochemical pattern that happens when you're giving help to people," Jimmy explains. "When you're volunteering, when you're being charitable, when you're helping somebody else walk the dog, when you're helping a child learn—it creates this incredible oxytocin response, which is the connecting and loving chemical. It also creates a beautiful dopamine and serotonin response...

    49 min

  6. 09/04/2025

    Rich Ellis, The Energy Coach, Ep 58, From Burnout to Breakthrough: Energy Management for Leaders

    When someone who calls themselves 'The Energy Coach' admits to burning out, it carries weight. Rich Ellis doesn't just teach energy management from theory—he speaks from the hard-earned wisdom of someone who normalised working long days, over-relying on coffee, and burning the candle at both ends until a cortisol test showed his daily levels at just 10% of where they should be. In our recent podcast conversation, Rich shared insights that perfectly align with the principles of our philosophy at Bend Like Bamboo, revealing why true leadership strength comes not from pushing through, but from learning to bend without breaking. The Wake-Up Call: When Data Meets Reality "I was burning the candle at both ends, in a good way, but a naive way," Rich reflected. The wake-up call came through numbers—something this self-described "data kind of guy" couldn't ignore. His cortisol test results were a reality check that forced him to reverse-engineer how he'd gotten to that point. One of his earliest signs was an over-reliance on coffee. When someone asked him what his natural energy levels were like, he realised he didn't know—he couldn't remember the last time he'd operated without caffeine support. That moment of recognition led him to experiment with weaning himself off coffee through decaf, eventually discovering herbal teas and understanding just how depleted his natural energy reserves had become. The irritability followed—becoming snappy, having a short fuse, and frankly, not being very nice to be around. These weren't just personality quirks; they were symptoms of a system running on empty. The Intersection of Energy and Resilience During our conversation, we explored how energy management and resilience building work together. As Rich explained, when you're already stressed and throwing multiple cups of coffee into your system daily, you're firing up adrenaline and cortisol—your stress response systems. For someone already operating in a high-stress state, this can push you over the edge. Rich's approach aligns beautifully with the Bend Like Bamboo philosophy: instead of forcing our way through with sheer willpower, there's a different kind of strength available. A strength that comes from understanding what our bodies and minds need to perform sustainably. Small Changes, Massive Impact: The Blood Pressure Story One of Rich's most compelling success stories involved working with a dairy company startup where he helped an employee drop their blood pressure from 140/90 to 110/70. The transformation didn't come from dramatic lifestyle overhauls—it came from identifying and addressing specific lifestyle factors. Through careful questioning and building trust, Rich discovered this person was consuming high amounts of sugar, under sleeping, hitting the gym twice a day (thinking more was better, when overdoing it can push someone further into a stress response), and had an unaddressed dairy sensitivity. The solution wasn't to do more—it was to do less, but more strategically. They addressed the dairy sensitivity, reduced the excessive gym sessions (recognising that too much exercise when already stressed drives cortisol higher), and focused on better sleep quality. As these small changes compounded, the need for extra coffee decreased naturally, and the blood pressure dropped significantly. "The doctor had said, 'I've never seen it this low before,'" Rich shared. The client was thrilled, and importantly, they volunteered the testimonial—Rich didn't need to ask for it. From FOMO to JOMO: A Leadership Mindset Revolution One of the most powerful concepts Rich shared was transforming FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) into JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). For driven leaders constantly worried about missing opportunities, this mindset shift is revolutionary. JOMO isn't about becoming complacent—it's about becoming strategic. It's the ability to say "No, I can't come to that party because I'm doing something else" and being genuinely comfortable with that choice. You're buying yourself time, calm, and the recognition that you don't have to do all the things. This concept perfectly embodies what we teach in Bend Like Bamboo: true strength comes from knowing when to bend and when to stand firm. Leaders who embrace JOMO aren't missing out—they're conserving their energy for what truly matters. The Values Conflict: Understanding Internal Tension Rich recently qualified as a personal values coach, adding another layer to his toolkit. Through this work, he discovered something profound about his own internal landscape: he has two values that directly oppose each other, creating natural internal conflict. "Sometimes I'm driven by this, and sometimes I'm driven by that, but they're quite opposite to each other," he explained. This internal conflict isn't just personal—it happens in teams and organisations too, and when you're constantly butting up against values you can't align with, it can be a direct path to burnout. This insight connects directly to our work in resilience coaching. Often, the stress we experience isn't just from external pressures—it's from internal conflicts between what we think we should do and what we value or need. Building High-Energy Cultures Rich's work extends beyond individual transformation to organisational culture. Using tools like the Maori health model Te Whare Tapa Whā, which has four pillars—spiritual health, physical health, mental health, and family/community—he helps teams understand that if one pillar isn't strong, the whole structure suffers. His approach is beautifully client driven. "I don't know their life, they know their life. They are the expert of their life," he explains. His role as a coach is asking the right questions to help people identify what they're prepared to do to make meaningful changes. The Power of Slowing Down One of Rich's most personal revelations was discovering that yoga became his friend—ironic, considering his mother was a yoga teacher. But like many high achievers, he'd initially dismissed anything that looked like slowing down. "As to what you just referred to, Amanda, in terms of slowing down can be the most useful thing. That was one of the key components to my recovery, was to do two yoga sessions a week for a considerable amount of time," he shared.  The Transformation Story: Trish's Journey Rich shared a detailed case study of his first official coaching client, Trish—a bookkeeper/accountant who was managing her own business while going through a divorce and raising two kids. She was caught in the classic entrepreneurial trap: always on the treadmill, trying to catch up with clients, never feeling in control. Rich helped Trish move from burnout to balance. The solution involved a shift in mindset that led to her bringing in more contractors so she could delegate work, addressing the background stress of always feeling behind, and finding a sustainable work-life integration. "We got to the place where she felt on top of things," Rich recalled. Trish found her energy again, entered a new relationship, and created a profitable business that didn't consume her life. "It was really rewarding for me, because it was like, yes, pat on the back, you've done all the right things, Rich." The One Thing Philosophy When I asked Rich for...

    33 min

  7. 08/19/2025

    Lisa Johnson, The Elements Kit Founder, Ep 57, Discovering Your Creative DNA: How The Elements Kit is Revolutionising Leadership and Self-Discovery

    In a world where traditional personality tests tell you which box you fit into, what if there was a tool that helped you discover your unique creative identity—one so individual that the chance of anyone else sharing your exact profile is virtually zero? I recently had the privilege of hosting Lisa Johnson, founder of The Elements Kit, on the Bend Like Bamboo Resilience Podcast. Lisa's journey perfectly embodies what it means to bend like bamboo—transforming her own periods of uncertainty and feeling stuck into a revolutionary self-discovery system that's changing how people understand their authentic selves and unlock their hidden potential. Beyond Traditional Personality Tests Having worked as a design consultant for years, Lisa experienced firsthand the limitations of traditional psychometric tests like Myers-Briggs and StrengthsFinder. Whilst these tools categorise people into fixed types, Lisa observed something concerning. People struggled to remember their results, often received different outcomes each time, and felt constrained by rigid categorisation. "What I was learning is that in that idea of really typecasting into those 16 types, people found it very challenging to remember the actual coding for themselves," Lisa explains. "Many people were experiencing getting a different result each time, which is not supposed to happen." This realisation sparked Lisa's mission to create something fundamentally different—a tool that guides individuals to discover their own one-of-a-kind creative identity rather than fitting them into predetermined boxes. The Power of Archetypes in Leadership The Elements Kit combines the ancient wisdom of archetypes with modern self-discovery methodology. Archetypes—recurring patterns of characters found in stories across cultures and time periods—serve as powerful metaphors for human behaviour. We use archetypal language daily: calling someone "an angel" to describe benevolent behaviour or recognising the "warrior" energy in a determined colleague. What makes Lisa's approach revolutionary is how it maps these archetypes across six distinct life elements: Expression: How you show up in the worldConnection: How you relate to othersLeadership: Your leadership style and approachKnowledge: How you learn and share wisdomNavigation: Your movement style through lifeBelief: Your values and spiritual foundationMy Personal Elements Kit Journey As someone who has personally experienced The Elements Kit, I can attest to its transformative power. My discovery chart revealed fascinating insights about my creative DNA: Expression: Storyteller, Entrepreneur, StrategistConnection: Counsellor, Intuitive, HealerLeadership: Challenger, Warrior, Guide, HeroKnowledge: Channel, Mentor, Teacher, FacilitatorNavigation: Seeker, Explorer, DriverBelief: Magician, Medium, Spiritualist, MysticWhat struck me most was how the chart revealed both my Yang energy—the driving, entrepreneurial, challenge-the-status-quo aspects—alongside my Yin energy—the gentle, intuitive, healing qualities. Understanding this dynamic has been invaluable in recognising when to lean into different aspects of myself depending on the situation. For instance, in a strategic business meeting, I might consciously access my Strategist and Challenger archetypes whilst allowing my Mystic to take a backseat. Conversely, when working with clients in my healing practice, I might lead with my Intuitive and Healer whilst my Entrepreneur supports from behind the scenes. Transforming Teams and Organisations Beyond individual discovery, The Elements Kit is revolutionising how teams work together. Lisa works with organisations through one-day workshops where team members complete their discovery charts together, sharing their authentic selves in a safe, guided environment. "By the time you get to the end of a workshop, not only do people know each other fully and wholly, but they also have worked out how to use other tools in the elements kit to assemble each individual around whatever the team goals are," Lisa shares. This approach is particularly powerful for teams with members spread across Australia, often meeting face-to-face for the first time. The process creates deep connection and understanding whilst aligning everyone around concrete business objectives and KPIs.Uncovering Hidden Potential One of the most profound aspects of The Elements Kit is its ability to reveal dormant potential—talents and qualities that may have been repressed through trauma, limiting beliefs, or societal conditioning. Lisa shared a powerful transformation story of working with a 21-year-old autistic man who had lost confidence in himself whilst working in an unsuitable role. Through his Elements Kit discovery, he was able to understand and embrace his unique talents and archetypes, leading to a new role that brought him major fulfilment. "This is very much about who are you in your own eyes, on your own terms, and what are the things that are not yet expressed within you that you want to bring to the fore," Lisa explains. The Shadow and the Light Like bamboo that needs both deep roots and flexible branches, The Elements Kit acknowledges that we all have shadow aspects alongside our strengths. Each archetype has a light side and a shadow side. For example, the Challenger archetype that helped me overcome my MS diagnosis and refuse to accept limitations can become problematic when it shows up as being overly argumentative or disruptive. The key is developing awareness of when our archetypes are serving us versus when they're creating conflict—with ourselves, our teams, or our goals. A Return to Self As Lisa beautifully puts it, "The Elements Kit is a return to self—it's knowing what to let go of and knowing a way forward. It's understanding dormant potential that is often repressed from trauma or difficult times. It's discovering unseen treasure." This philosophy aligns perfectly with the Bend Like Bamboo approach to resilience. When we understand our authentic creative DNA, we can navigate life's challenges with greater flexibility whilst remaining anchored in our core strengths and values. Resilience Through Self-Knowledge True resilience—the ability to bend like bamboo—comes from deep self-knowledge. When you understand your unique combination of archetypes, you can: Make conscious choices about which aspects of yourself to bring forward in different situationsNavigate conflicts with greater awareness and skillAlign your work and life with your authentic natureUnlock dormant potential that's been waiting to emergeLead others from a place of integrated authenticityAs Lisa wisely notes, "To know yourself is the key to designing a life that you love." Moving Forward Whether you're a leader seeking to optimise team dynamics, an individual navigating a life transition, or someone simply curious about your creative potential, The Elements Kit offers a pathway to profound self-discovery and authentic expression. In our conversation, Lisa and I ...

    55 min

  8. 07/17/2025

    Matt Rowe interviews Amanda about her journey, Ep 56, From Paralysis to Purpose: How the Bend Like Bamboo Method Was Born

    What if your mindset could change your biology? This isn't just a philosophical question—it's the foundation of everything I've discovered about healing, resilience, and sustainable success. My journey from MS diagnosis at 24 to paralysis at 29, and ultimately to becoming a thriving CEO with 16 years in remission, has taught me that our greatest challenges often become our most powerful strengths. The Breaking Point As a driven leader, I thought I had it all figured out. I was ambitious, hardworking, and determined to succeed. But beneath the surface, I was completely disconnected from my centre, pushing through chronic stress, chasing success but never truly achieving my goals. Sound familiar? I desperately wanted to feel better physically and emotionally, to thrive at work and in life. But my reality kept mirroring the struggle. Despite having all the right intentions and trying so hard, I wasn't attracting what I desired. My nervous system simply couldn't hold centre, leaving me feeling powerless and trapped in cycles of overwhelm. Then life forced me to completely stop. The Moment Everything Changed Paralysed in rehabilitation, unable to walk, wash, or feed myself, I was told I'd probably never walk again. In that moment of complete helplessness, I had no choice but to return to myself and anchor deep within my heart. It was here, in my darkest hour, that I discovered what would become the Bend Like Bamboo Method. Learning to Bend, Not Break I had to learn to bend like bamboo—grounding deeper mentally, emotionally, and energetically. This wasn't about positive thinking or pushing through pain. It was about discovering a different kind of strength entirely: the power of flexibility. Bamboo survives the fiercest storms not because it's rigid, but because it bends. When the winds of life threaten to break us, we have a choice: resist and snap, or bend and bounce back stronger. The Birth of a Method Through my recovery journey, I discovered that transformation happens when we: Transform limiting beliefs that sabotage success The stories we tell ourselves about what's possible directly impact our biology. When we shift from rigid thinking to flexible possibility, our entire system begins to change. Reset our nervous system to break through overwhelm Chronic stress keeps us trapped in survival mode. Learning to regulate our nervous system allows us to access the calm, centred state where healing and success naturally occur.Find courage to navigate impossible challenges True courage isn't the absence of fear—it's learning to dance with uncertainty while staying grounded in our core strength. Access the inner power to reimagine our leadership and life When we stop trying to control everything and start flowing with life's natural rhythms, we discover a power within us that's been there all along. From Patient to Practitioner My journey from disconnection and burnout to discovering the resilience that drives sustainable success didn't end with my personal healing. It became my life's work. Today, as both practitioner and patient, I help thousands of clients globally—stressed executives, burnt-out founders, and individuals navigating autoimmune conditions—discover their own capacity to bend without breaking. The Ripple Effect What started as a personal survival strategy has become a method that's transforming lives worldwide. The Bend Like Bamboo Method isn't just about healing from illness—it's about fundamentally changing how we approach stress, challenge, and change in every area of our lives.Whether you're facing health challenges, leadership pressures, or simply feeling stuck in patterns that no longer serve you, the principle remains the same: we're designed to bend, not break. Connect with Matt Rowe Website: www.mattrowecoaching.comInstagram: @identityofhealthFacebook: www.facebook.com/identityofhealth Work with Amanda Consultations with Amanda If interstate or international :Call us on 1300 188 882 or email hello@amandacampbell.com.au to find out how to book in for online coaching if you are outside of Melbourne / International. Speaking: Amanda presents her wellness workshops and keynotes virtually, live on zoom.To book Amanda to speak at your event or workplace please contact:www.amandacampbell.com.auhello@amandacampbell.com.au1300 188 882 Facebook: www.facebook.com/amandacampbellspeakerInstagram : www.instagram.com/amandacampbell_speakerTwitter: twitter.com/AmandaC_healthLinkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amandacampbellauBlog: www.amandacampbell.com.au/blog Podcast: Bend Like Bamboo on Itunes Online course: https://bendlikebamboo.teachable.com/courses/ Bend Like Bamboo Facebook: www.facebook.com/BendLikeBambooInstagram : www.instagram.com/bendlikebamboo

    28 min
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About

Each week, Amanda Campbell interviews amazing people, who will share their inspiring stories of resilience. Amanda dives deep into 40-minute DNM’s with guests, exploring their stories of how they have overcome adversity in their lives professionally and personally.

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