Emotional Fitness Recovery: CONVERSATIONS CYNTHIA MORTON

I was fortunate enough to meet Elitha a few years ago as she was going through her own dark night of the soul.  In a nutshell she felt she was barely surviving emotionally and wanted to learn how to thrive in her relationship with herself, those she loved and cared about, and also within her community and corporate career.  
So, in this Episode the foundation of her message is based on her belief that we are all entitled to strive for and actually fulfil our wildest dreams. For Elitha the journey to learn how to thrive started with her journey within discovering all of who she is and is not at a heart level then, accepting, loving and truly committing to herself. She shares with an open heart how her personal journey required that she finally surrendered and gave herself permission to take the time to heal, rest and ask for help to emotionally repair.  
Her journey from then to now as a single mother has been epic, including a solo spiritual trek of Spain’s Camino de Santiago Trail.   Elitha explains how the rewards of backing herself, and spending quality time alone on this pilgrim’s trek have been immeasurable, not just for her relationship with herself but for everyone in her life including her family, children, work colleagues and community. 
She truly is one bold, brave and beautiful woman, so thank you Elitha for sharing your unique recovery adventures with us all.
Social media links:
Face Book:  https://www.facebook.com/2020-Beyond-100956088073391/?modal=admin_todo_tour
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elitha-bouwer-7b352884/ 

I met the unforgettable Mr. Merlo back in 2009 during the early stages of his recovery.   I have been fortunate over the years to witness the wild, wise and wonderful stages of his journey.
In our conversation Chris shares unashamedly about his battles with addiction, his emotional challenges, his first-hand experience and perspectives on rehabilitation centres in Australia, his belief in physical fitness as an integral component of mental health and well-being and his deep love and commitment to be his best self for his beautiful sons and wife.
Chris is a charismatic man, who has an uplifting presence, often reminding me of the late Steve Irwin with his irrepressible enthusiasm, magnetic energy, cheeky humour and generous heart. He is a devoted student of the universe always open to learning, sharing and supporting others along the way.  Chris Merlo is certainly an inspirationally, unique human being who I wholeheartedly encourage you to follow on social media as he will never fail bring genuine warmth and a smile to your heart with his unbridled joy, and hard-earned wisdom.  Just search his name, Chris Merlo if you’d like to follow him on Facebook or on Instagram you’ll find him @fbombmerls.   He is entertaining, authentic and a great recovery resource for anyone seeking to become happier, healthier and stronger version of themselves.

I met Melanie a few years back and was immediately impressed by her no b******t attitude towards her own emotional recovery journey.  From day one she has rolled up her sleeves when there is emotional housework to be done on her side of the street … and as a result, she has rebooted her life.  Mel’s emotional work ethic even when her heart is breaking, and her grief has hit her like a tsunami wave is nothing short of admirable.  
Her work ethic in the corporate arena is no different.  She’s one clever cookie.  As a highly successful corporate communicator in the construction and resource industries, her day-to-day business is all about building and sustaining quality relationships. 
Now in her 40s, Melanie is more focused on maintaining healthier personal relationships following the end of her marriage. The knock-on effect of this major emotional upheaval has motivated her to reassess all of her friendships as she now looks forward to a life with her self-respect being her first priority.  
She truly is one bold and beautiful soul and her love of Dior and Dogs throughout her upsetting divorce is a perspective that is not only entertaining, but inspirational.  I wanted to share with you her story, smile, sass and her quirky sense of humour.  Thank you Melanie it was a real treat chatting with you, I hope you enjoy this Conversation as much as I did. 

I met this gentle hearted giant of a man a few years ago, and was immediately impressed.  He describes himself as a lifelong learner and a very dedicated husband and father to his incredible wife and wonderful kids. Luke genuinely loves to support people that want to reach their full potential.
 
At his New Farm personal training studio, he and his team are all about focusing on the big picture. The philosophies he uses to guide himself, his team, clients and fellow NRL players are refreshing to hear and founded in robust uncommon sense.  He reminds us that being healthy is so much more than just looking good - it's about looking, feeling and functioning at your very best! 
 
Body transformation he believes, should be a completely holistic process. Change isn't made by just addressing the "physical" aspects of life.  Mental, emotional and physical shifts must occur for there to be long lasting, significant results. If we don't address the reasons that caused us to be unhealthy and/or overweight in the first place, the chances of creating long term success are slim.  
 
So, I look forward to sharing my conversation with this lovely man, with you, as he shares openly about his personal challenges, father and husband hood, his vision and philosophy on how to reach your full potential and live your best life.  I just love this guy.  If you’d like to learn more or connect personally with Luke feel free to visit his website www.mpstudio.com.auor follow him on Instagram @lukeyarcher.

The beautiful Carla Haddan is not only a successful career woman, wife and mother, she is also a cancer survivor and one of Brisbane’s most influential charity fundraising Queens.
 
Carla is a proud Ambassador for Mummy’s Wish, a registered charity providing non-means tested practical support to mums and mums-to-be fighting cancer with children 12 years and under.  It’s a cause very close to Carla’s heart as she had her own battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2013 when her son Billy was only five.
 
This wasn’t the first-time cancer had touched her life, either. Carla got into real estate through the encouragement of her best friend’s husband, Damian Hackett, the CEO of Place.  Damien’s wife, Helen and Carla were best friends until Helen passed away from breast cancer in 2005, leaving behind three young children. Together, Damian Hackett and Carla went on to raise $550,000 over four years, enough to buy two digital mammography machines for Brisbane’s Wesley Breast Clinic.
These days Carla considers herself lucky as she’s now in good health, has a thriving real estate career, a loving husband and son and supportive friends and family. But she understands that not everyone is so fortunate, so giving back to the community is a non-negotiable component of her lifestyle.  I admire this humble, calm, charitable hearted woman so very much as I am sure you will too after you listen to her story and her gentle wisdom.
And lastly if you’re in Brisbane in March and you’d like to join Carla and myself at her next amazing Fundraising Charity event for Mummy’s Wish aptly named … Big Mumma’s Italian Feast … held at Ristorante Tartufo on Thursday March 26, 2020 please contact Carla via email carla@eplace.com.au mobile 0411 300 660 or follow on Instagram @carlahaddan_place and @bigmummasitalianfeast we’d both love to see you there!

Steve Haddan is one of Australia’s finest creative talents. In a richly textured career now extending beyond 30 years, Steve’s work as a comic satirist and performer, author, actor and keynote speaker has brought enormous enjoyment to many thousands of people.
Our paths crossed in our younger partying years but we lost touch reconnecting a decade later whilst he was hosting the morning variety show “In Brisbane Today”.  I was invited onto his show to discuss my recent trek through the Amazon Jungle with scientists from The Smithsonian Institute and Earthwatch back in 1991.  He hadn’t changed a bit, albeit now a husband and dad he was still funny as hell, charismatic and a lovely gentle man.
Steves career and life story is full of rich triumphs and confronting challenges.  He has shared the stage with Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, given show stopping performances as his alter ego “Molly” Meldrum, on “Star Search”, an earlier incarnation of the “Australian Idol” concept also on “Hey, Hey it’s Saturday” and “Celebrity Family Feud”.
In 2010 I worked with Steve once more as we presented along with Jodie Bache-McLean of June Dally Watkins a breakthrough workplace education programme – the Head Heart & Body Master Class.  In its first year we trained over 1200 staff at QR National, the Nine Network, Lend Lease and ANZ Private. 
In this Episode you will discover that Steve’s strength, good humour and resilience are a by-product of hard work, self-honesty, respect and good manners.  His attention to detail and love of his family, friends and work are indisputable.  He is a rare combination of traditional values and modern masculinity blended with genuine good humour.  I just love this bloke, he is a gifted storyteller, writer and a warm hearted human being … I’m sure you will too.
To contact Steve, purchase one of his books or have him present at your event visit … www.stevehaddan.com.au #stevehaddan @stevehaddan