Highly Functional

Sarah from lutruwita/Tasmania
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This is safe space for those who are the quietly prescribed, professionally exhausted, and chronically curious. For professionals managing burnout, anxiety, or neurodivergence who use medicinal cannabis but feel they can't talk about it, Highly Functional is the podcast that treats their experience with intelligence, evidence, and zero judgement. Hosted by Sarah, a TGA-approved patient, backed by peer-reviewed research, not wellness vibes. Not medical advice — talk to your GP.

  1. 3d ago

    18. The Aquarius Effect — Sowing the Seeds of Reform in Australia

    A fifty-year lineage from a 1973 arts festival in a dying dairy town to the reason medicinal cannabis is legal in Australia today. This week we trace the throughline from the Nimbin Aquarius Festival including its roots as an environmental movement and the landmark 1979 Terania Creek forest blockade, through the founding of the HEMP Embassy and MardiGrass, to the families including Dan and Lucy Haslam whose public advocacy helped push through the 2016 federal reform. We also honour the unnamed legacy growers whose illegal cultivation knowledge underpins today's licensed industry, look at the organic/sungrown growing methods now surfacing in that legal space, and talk about why every dollar the legal pathway pulls out of the black market matters for public safety, not just personal access. What we cover: The 1973 Aquarius Festival: how a student-organised counterculture event landed in Nimbin and never really left The Aquarian movement's roots as an environmental movement first, and the landmark 1979 Terania Creek forest blockade 1992: the founding of the Nimbin HEMP Embassy and the shift from informal use to organised political advocacy1993: how a police raid led directly to the first MardiGrass cannabis law reform rallyThe families who broke the law publicly — including Dan and Lucy Haslam's advocacy — and their role in the 2016 Narcotic Drugs Amendment ActWhat "sungrown" cannabis actually means, and the organic/living-soil growing movement now visible inside Australia's licensed industry Why the illegal cannabis market is also an organised-crime and public-safety story, not just a personal-access one SHOW NOTES — Sources: ABC Education / Four Corners (1973, archived footage notes via ABC Education). "Aquarius counterculture descends upon Nimbin, 1973." ABC Australia (YouTube, 2023). "'Aussie Woodstock' transformed conservative Nimbin into counter-culture heaven." [youtube.com/watch?v=eqUSPSv7O1c]ABC News (2019). "Terania Creek landmark environmental protest remembered four decades on." — On the Nicholsons, the 1979 blockade, and its status as Australia's first direct-action forest protest.The Echo / Byron Magazine — "Terania 40 years on" and "A Celebration: Nightcap National Park and the Terania Creek Protest."NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service — "Terania Creek protest 40th anniversary." Nimbin HEMP Embassy — "Our Mission," "About Us," and "A Potted History of the HEMP Embassy" (hempembassy.net).Milesago Festival Archive — "Aquarius Festival, Nimbin, 1973" (milesago.com). Nimbin MardiGrass official website and 2026 program (nimbinmardigrass.com)Nayanah Siva / Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing (AJAN) — "Navigating the complexities associated with medicinal [cannabis]." — Dan Haslam's story (Tamworth, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, bowel cancer) and its documented link to the timing of the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Act 2016.Office of Drug Control (ODC), Australian Government — "Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill 2016" and "Chapter 2: Cannabis regulation in Australia."Sunset Lake Cannabis, "What Is Sungrown Cannabis?" — General definition/distinction between "sungrown" and "outdoor" cultivation terminology (US source, used for definitional context only).Australian Institute of Criminology, Trends & Issues No. 586 (2020), "Australian outlaw motorcycle gang involvement in violent and organised crime."

    18. The Aquarius Effect — Sowing the Seeds of Reform in Australia

  2. Aug 25

    17. Hope is the Antidote

    Hope isn't a mood — it's a practice. This week: a global survey putting women's voices at the centre of cannabis research, an honest lap of Australian cannabis law reform, and the case for building our future homes out of hemp and a hopeful book recommendation too. What we cover: Doomscrolling, AI slop, and choosing hope as a practice, not a mood Pearle Global Women's Health & Cannabis Survey National cannabis reform wrap-up, and a deep dive into Tasmania's laws, penalties, and the current push for reform. Hempcrete: the carbon-negative, fire-resistant building material made from this plant's other half and my own 7 years living fully off-grid in a custom tiny house — including evacuating it from the 2019 Huon Valley bushfires Burnout Book Club: Utopia for Realists by Rutger Bregman  Links mentioned in this episode: Pearle Global Women's Health & Cannabis Survey: pearle.com.au  Green Budget Tracker: Green Budget Tracker - Etsy Australia  SHOW NOTES — Sources: ABC News, "NSW government to introduce medicinal cannabis driving reforms," 4 June 2026. Cannabis Council Australia, Road to Reform campaign news — survey of over 6,000 medicinal cannabis patients on driving law reform. cannabiscouncil.org.au Cannabiz, "Victorian cannabis plebiscite rejected despite 'furious agreement' for reform," August 2026. Cranbourne Star News / Star Community, "Cannabis referendum bid defeated," Aug 2026 — Victoria's defeated cannabis plebiscite bill, 80% public support figure. Friendly Aussie Buds, "Aussie Cannabis Laws: Tasmania" — penalty unit figures for possession implements. Go To Court Lawyers, "Drug Offences in Tasmania" and "Cultivating Controlled Plants Lawyers Tasmania," last reviewed 15 April 2026  Green Review, "Hempcrete's role in fire-resistant building design in 2026," Oct 2025 — including the Hester Brook, WA hemp block factory bushfire case. Pearle (Pearle Health), The Pearle Global Women's Health & Cannabis Survey, founded by Melanie Wentzel. pearle.com.au Pulse Tasmania, "Push to bring ACT drug reform to Tasmania rejected by state government," 4 June 2026 — ATDC evaluation citing ~70% diversion rate in the ACT; 4% Tasmanian support for imprisonment for possession; Health Minister Bridget Archer's rejection of decriminalisation. Pulse Tasmania, "Tasmanian MPs launch push for cannabis law reform," 31 March 2026 — Salvation Army Bridge Program peer worker cost comparison; ATDC board member on treatment-service presentation rates. Michael Hill on Magistrates Court caseload; Attorney-General's same-day rejection of the Australian Lawyers Alliance's draft decriminalisation bill. Natural Building Australia, "Hempcrete Home at Narara Ecovillage: A Blueprint for Low-Carbon Housing in Australia," July 2026 — case study from Western Sydney University, University of Melbourne, and Australian Hemp Masonry Pty Ltd. The Mercury, "Lawyers' cannabis move hits early snag," 2021 (cited via GoToCourt/investingnews.com secondary sources) — former chief magistrate University of Bath research on hempcrete carbon sequestration (cited via Margaret River Hemp Co, hempco.net.au) Disclaimer: This episode is educational commentary only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia. Please speak with your GP or a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health, medication, or treatment concerns, and consult relevant state authorities for current information on cannabis law and penalties in your jurisdiction. Connect with the Show: Have thoughts on this episode, or want to share your story? Email: highlyfunctionalpodcast@protonmail.com Instagram: DM me @highlyfunctionalpodcast

    17. Hope is the Antidote

  3. Aug 19

    16. Gardening Through Grief — What We Actually Know About Loss, Trauma & Cannabis

    Grief isn't just sadness; neuroscience shows it activates the same reward circuitry as craving, and complex grief overlaps heavily with trauma responses like PTSD. This episode widens the lens to include climate grief and "lost future" mourning for millennials, digs into what the actual cannabinoid research on PTSD and nightmares shows, and gets personal about the different shapes grief can take including estrangement, pet loss, and the loss of a chosen family member. Plus the evidence-backed, zero-cost case for getting outside, moving your body, and gardening through grief, and our new segment Burnout Book Club, reviewing Desmond Manderson's High Time. What we cover: The neuroscience of grief: why it feels like craving, not just sadnessClimate grief, eco-anxiety, and "lost future" mourning for millennials — and its links to depressionWhy complex grief and PTSD overlap so heavily, and what grief rumination has in common with trauma responsesThe endocannabinoid system's evidenced role in fear extinction, amygdala regulation, and stressWhat the actual human trials on cannabis and PTSD/trauma show, including a targeted study on cannabinoids and nightmaresThe difference between numbing grief and processing itPersonal reflection: ambiguous loss/estrangement grief, losing a mother figure, and disenfranchised grief for a companion animal Disenfranchised grief more broadly — miscarriage, infertility, friendship loss, career loss, and other millennial losses that don't get a ritualGardening, movement, and time in nature as evidence-backed, non-pharmacological grief supportBurnout Book Club: High Time by Desmond MandersonContent note: This episode discusses death, bereavement, loss, trauma responses including PTSD, and family estrangement related to abuse/neglect, in a medical/scientific and personal context — not as advice. Skip or save it if that's not where your head's at right now. Citations: Happy to provide them - just ask :) BURNOUT BOOK CLUB: Manderson, D. (2024). High Time: How Australia Changed Its Mind About Illegal Drugs. Connect with the Show:Email: highlyfunctionalpodcast@protonmail.comInstagram: DM me @highlyfunctionalpodcast

    16. Gardening Through Grief — What We Actually Know About Loss, Trauma & Cannabis

  4. Aug 13

    15. Manifesting in the End Times — Millennials, the Lion's Gate, and Why We're All Suddenly "Into" Astrology Again

    Episode 15: Manifesting in the End Times — Millennials, the Lion's Gate, and Why We're All Suddenly "Into" Astrology Again It's the 8/8 Lion's Gate, and millennial astrology culture is having a moment — but the research suggests this isn't random. We unpack why belief in astrology and "magical thinking" reliably spikes during periods of collective uncertainty, and what that says about living through a cost-of-living crisis, the climate crisis, and the AI-shaped future of work all at once. What we cover: 🔮 Why "woo-woo" belief spikes during crisis, not calm💸 The Deloitte 2025 data on Gen Z/millennial financial anxiety🌍 What the largest global study on youth climate anxiety actually found🤖 Where AI anxiety fits into the picture🌿 The difference between a grounding ritual and outsourced avoidanceSHOW NOTES — Sources cited: Escolà-Gascón, Á., Marín, F-X., Rusiñol, J., & Gallifa, J. (2020). "Pseudoscientific beliefs and psychopathological risks increase after COVID-19 social quarantine." Globalization and Health, 16, 72. — Found that reduced perceived control during crisis conditions predicts increased magical/pseudoscientific thinking as a coping mechanism.Hickman, C., Marks, E., Pihkala, P., Clayton, S., Lewandowski, R.E., Mayall, E.E., et al. (2021). "Climate anxiety in children and young people and their beliefs about government responses to climate change: a global survey." The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(12), e863–e873. — Survey of 10,000 young people (16–25) across 10 countries incl. Australia; 84% at least moderately worried about climate change, 75% found the future "frightening."Deloitte Global (2025). Gen Z and Millennial Survey. — 46% of millennials and 48% of Gen Zs report not feeling financially secure in 2025 (up from ~30–32% in 2024); 80%+ cite financial future as an anxiety driver; majority expect GenAI to reshape their work within 12 months. Disclaimer: This episode is personal reflection and commentary only, not medical, financial, or psychological advice.

    15. Manifesting in the End Times — Millennials, the Lion's Gate, and Why We're All Suddenly "Into" Astrology Again

  5. Aug 5

    14. Rest is resistance & other anti-capitalist love notes

    "Rest is resistance" shows up on tote bags and therapist Instagram stories — but where does it actually come from, and why does choosing to stop feel so hard when you're high-functioning and professionally exhausted? This week: the real origins of the phrase, what burnout research says about why guilt shows up the second you sit still, a very undignified Overland Track story involving medicinal cannabis and a muesli bar shortage, and the launch of two new segments. What we cover: 🌿 Where "rest is resistance" actually comes from, and why the origin matters 🌿 The psychology of productivity guilt (perfectionism trends, the Maslach burnout model) 🌿 NEW: Sesh Confessions, the voicemail segment (working title — send your vote) 🌿 My own confession: muesli-bar disaster on the Overland Track🌿 NEW: Burnout Book Club, featuring Desmond Manderson's High Time Contact me: Got a Sesh Confessions story, a segment name vote, or just want to say hi?Instagram: @highlyfunctionalpodcastEmail: highlyfunctionalpodcast@protonmail.com Citations: Hersey, T. (2022). Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto. Little, Brown and Company. — Foundational text; frames rest as resistance within Black liberation and womanist tradition, not a general wellness framework.Cornell Chronicle (2026). "Hersey ties rest to liberation in 2026 MLK Commemorative Lecture." news.cornell.edu — Recap of Hersey's Feb 2026 Cornell lecture on rest and productivity culture.Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2019). "Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time: A Meta-Analysis of Birth Cohort Differences From 1989 to 2016." Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 410–429. — Meta-analysis tracking rising perfectionism across generations; useful lens on internalised productivity pressure.Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. — Maslach Burnout Inventory / three-component burnout model (emotional exhaustion, cynicism, reduced accomplishment). Widely used clinical framework, referenced generally.Manderson, D. (2026). High Time: How Australia Changed Its Mind About Illegal Drugs. La Trobe University Press. Disclaimer: This episode shares personal experience and cultural commentary, not medical advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia. Please speak with your GP or an authorised prescriber regarding your own health or medication.

    14. Rest is resistance & other anti-capitalist love notes

  6. Jul 29

    13. Burnout for Millennials - CBD, Wellness Routines and Psychological Sabotage

    Burnout is chronic for millennials but what does the research say about the medicine we use to help us? Today we deep dive into the real research around CBD and the psychological sabotage of optimisation, wellness routines as another contributor to the burnout cycle and more. Buy the Highly Functional Medicine Journal 10% off with the listener code 'HIGHLYFUNCTIONAL10' SHOW NOTES Curran, T., & Hill, A.P. (2019). "Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time..." Psychological Bulletin, 145(4), 410–429Maslach, C. — burnout's three-component model (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, reduced personal accomplishment) Gundugurti, P.R., Banda, N., Yadlapalli, S.S.R., et al. (2024). "Evaluation of the efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of nanodispersible cannabidiol oral solution (150 mg/mL) versus placebo in mild to moderate anxiety subjects: A double blind multicenter randomized clinical trial." Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 97, 104073. — RCT, n=178, CBD 300–600mg/day vs. placebo over 12 weeks; significant reductions in GAD-7/HAM-A anxiety scores, secondary improvement in PHQ-9 and PSQI sleep scores. Note: industry-funded (Leiutis Pharmaceuticals). Wang, M., Faust, M., Abbott, S., et al. (2025). "Effects of a cannabidiol/terpene formulation on sleep in individuals with insomnia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover study." Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 21(1), 69–80. — RCT, n=125 enrolled/56 completed, CBD isolate (300mg, >99.9% purity) + 8-terpene blend vs. placebo; objective wrist-tracked sleep data; significant increase in SWS+REM sleep, larger effect in low-baseline and day-sleeper subgroups. Note: industry-funded (Defined Research Inc.). You, Z., Li, X., Ye, N., & Zhang, L. (2023). "Understanding the effect of rumination on sleep quality: A mediation model of negative affect and bedtime procrastination." Current Psychology, 42, 136–144. — n=1,103, ages 17–31; rumination predicts poor sleep quality via negative affect and bedtime procrastination as parallel/serial mediators.

    13. Burnout for Millennials - CBD, Wellness Routines and Psychological Sabotage

  7. Jul 24

    12. Chronically Curious: Tailoring Your Endocannabinoid System

    Chronically Curious: Tailoring Your Endocannabinoid System Everyone's endocannabinoid system is different — which means the strain that works wonders for me might do nothing for you (or the opposite). In this episode, I break down why terpenes, THC ratios, and CBD matter way more than "sativa vs indica," and why millennial burnout and anxiety need a personalized approach, not a one-size-fits-all fix. I'm sharing my own trial-and-error journey — the strains and THC levels that helped me sleep, the ones that backfired, and how I landed on vape carts as an easier daily option compared to flower. Plus, a first look at what I'm building: budget spreadsheet templates and strain journal tools to help you track what actually works for your body — because guessing gets expensive. This is my personal experience, not medical advice — if you're exploring cannabis for anxiety or burnout, talk to your GP or an authorised prescriber first. 🌿 What we cover: Why your ECS is as unique as your fingerprintTerpenes 101: pinene, limonene, caryophyllene and what they actually doMy real strain-by-strain journey (the wins and the misses)Carts vs. flower — which is actually easier day-to-dayA sneak peek at the budget + strain-tracking tools I'm building Buy it here: Highly Functional Medicine Journal - Etsy Australia

    12. Chronically Curious: Tailoring Your Endocannabinoid System

  8. Jul 15

    11. From Tim Tams to Chemo Wards: The Real Science of THC and Appetite

    The "munchies" is real neuroscience, not just a stoner cliché — THC hijacks the brain's hunger and reward circuitry, and this episode breaks down exactly how. But we take it further than the joke usually goes: how synthetic THC became an FDA-approved lifeline for AIDS-related wasting in the 1980s, why appetite loss is a common (and normal) side effect of ADHD stimulant meds, and whether a lesser-known cannabinoid called THCV really deserves its "diet weed" reputation. Along the way, a cautionary tale from pharma history — the CB1-blocking weight-loss drug that worked, until it very much didn't — and why GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic aren't cannabis's cousin, despite what wellness TikTok says. Content note: this episode discusses appetite, hunger, and eating in a medical/scientific context — not diet advice. Skip or save it if that's not where your head's at right now. Educational commentary only; talk to your GP about anything specific to you. THC, the munchies, and the hypothalamus Endocannabinoids: An appetite for fat — PNAS/PMC (mechanism of CB1 activation and food intake): pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3150924 Hypothalamic cannabinoid signaling: Consequences for eating behavior — PMC: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11331011 Cannabinoid CB1 Receptors Inhibit Gut-Brain Satiation Signaling in Diet-Induced Obesity — PMC: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6597959 Dronabinol / cancer & AIDS-related appetite loss Dronabinol — StatPearls, NIH Bookshelf: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557531 Dronabinol oral solution in the management of anorexia and weight loss in AIDS and cancer — PMC: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5896684 Jatoi A, Windschitl HE, et al. Dronabinol Versus Megestrol Acetate Versus Combination Therapy for Cancer-Associated Anorexia. J Clin Oncol, 2002. Stimulant medication and appetite (Vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine) Vyvanse full prescribing information — adult ADHD trial appetite data (FDA label, via RxList/GoodRx compilations) THCV ("diet weed") Tetrahydrocannabivarin is Not Tetrahydrocannabinol — Haghdoost et al., Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38995871 The role of tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) in metabolic disorders — PMC: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12011981 Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV): a commentary on potential therapeutic benefit for obesity and diabetes — Journal of Cannabis Research: link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s42238-020-0016-7 Rimonabant / Acomplia Requiem for Rimonabant: Therapeutic Potential for CB1 Antagonists after the Fall — MDPI: mdpi.com/2813-2998/2/3/35 Seventeen years since rimonabant's downfall: reassessing its suicidality risk profile — Cohen, Obesity, 2024. doi: 10.1002/oby.24019 GLP-1 / semaglutide mechanism  How semaglutide works — Mayo Clinic Diet: diet.mayoclinic.org Disclaimer: This episode is educational commentary only and does not constitute medical advice. Medicinal cannabis is a prescription medication in Australia. Please speak with your GP or a qualified healthcare professional regarding your own health, medication, or appetite concerns.

    11. From Tim Tams to Chemo Wards: The Real Science of THC and Appetite
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About

This is safe space for those who are the quietly prescribed, professionally exhausted, and chronically curious. For professionals managing burnout, anxiety, or neurodivergence who use medicinal cannabis but feel they can't talk about it, Highly Functional is the podcast that treats their experience with intelligence, evidence, and zero judgement. Hosted by Sarah, a TGA-approved patient, backed by peer-reviewed research, not wellness vibes. Not medical advice — talk to your GP.

Information

  • Creator
    Sarah from lutruwita/Tasmania
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Sarah from lutruwita/Tasmania
  • Show Website
    Highly Functional