Do Yourself a Favour

Tamaracallaghan
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Tamara (Tam-rah) Callaghan Cooke (or just Tam!) Uses the wisdom of the great thinkers to discuss the whole of life. Talking about not just the pretty shiny parts, but also the challenges and setbacks, and how these very things, when faced courageously, can most lead to growth, joy and success.

  1. 5d ago

    From Anxious to Free: The Surprising Power of Acceptance

    In this special storytime episode, Tam reads an article that stopped her in her tracks. The piece is From Anxious to Free: The Surprising Power of Acceptance, written by psychological counsellor Kris Nature and published by Tiny Buddha. Tam asked permission to share it because it says something she couldn’t have put better herself.  Kris describes years of waking at 3am, replaying every conversation, and treating socialising like an exam she kept failing. When a 15-year relationship ended and her home and job changed in the same year, the anxiety took over. The turning point came when she stopped trying to fix herself and started looking after herself instead.  From there it’s meditation that felt like punishment, the day she noticed a calm part of her watching the anxiety, and Morita Therapy, the Japanese approach that says we can’t control our feelings, only what we do next. Accept things as they are, then act anyway.  A gentle, practical listen for anyone who has spent years waiting to feel better before living better. It also sets up Tam’s next episode on starting the School of Awakening with Stephen Bodian.  In this episode:  Why Tam chose to read Kris Nature’s Tiny Buddha article  Waking at 3am and the anxiety loop  Growing up as a highly sensitive person scanning faces  When love, home and work all changed at once  Stopping the push to fix yourself and starting to care for yourself  Meditation that felt like punishment, and staying with it anyway  Finding the watcher: you are not your anxiety  Morita Therapy and accepting things as they are  Live first, and the feelings follow  Practical ways to act alongside anxiety, not after it  Read the original article on Tiny Buddha: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/from-anxious-to-free-the-surprising-power-of-acceptance/  Find Kris Nature’s work: https://krisnature.com  Tiny Buddha: https://tinybuddha.com  Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Introduction & Welcome  0:09 Permission & Acknowledgement  0:28 Source: Tiny Buddha & Author Intro  0:50 Article Title: From Anxious to Free  1:29 Opening Quote & Early Anxiety (3am Wake-Ups)  2:25 The Sensitive Kid Who Grew Up Scanning Faces  3:33 Life Changes in 2019 & Anxiety Intensifies  4:24 Quitting the Push to ‘Fix’ & Small Acts of Care  4:56 The Punishment Cushion: Self-Help & Meditation  5:54 The Moment I Found the Watcher  6:38 Morita Therapy: Accepting Feelings  7:54 Live First: What This Looks Like  8:29 Practical Steps: Let Feelings Stay & Act Anyway  9:43 Counsellor Perspective & Key Message  10:42 Closing & Host Remarks  ———————  #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #PodcastAustralia #TinyBuddha #KrisNature #Anxiety #Acceptance #MoritaTherapy #HighlySensitivePerson #Meditation #Mindfulness #SelfCompassion #MentalHealth #Storytime #InnerWork

  2. Oct 20

    Kylie Zeal - From LinkedIn Message to First Draft: How a Book Coach Changed My Story

    Tam Callaghan sits down with book coach Kylie Zeal, her former coach and now friend, for the first of two conversations. Kylie spent around a decade as an executive coach before moving into book coaching, and she works with writers on both fiction and nonfiction.  They start with how they met. Tam came to Kylie wanting to write nonfiction, and in their first call Kylie suggested something she’d only ever said to one other client: this might be a novel. What followed was a lovely first chapter, a second chapter that didn’t land, 36,000 words written in nine days to pitch the book, and two publisher responses that were far more encouraging than they first sounded.  They also get into how Kylie meets people through LinkedIn, why they both avoid the news, and what makes a coach good. For Kylie, confidence comes from knowing you don’t need all the answers. You need to ask good questions, listen well and leave the work with the person who owns it. She talks about adapting to writers who plot and writers who make it up as they go, giving objective feedback, and a client who took eight sessions to see that her book had the wrong title.  A generous, practical conversation for anyone with a book in them, or anyone who coaches.  In this episode:  How Tam found Kylie on LinkedIn, and why the fit felt right  Why Kylie invites every new connection to a conversation  Avoiding the news and finding the good stories instead  Choosing fiction, and the freedom it gave Tam  Plotters vs pantsers, and the risk of writing yourself into a corner  Getting hard feedback on chapter 2, and why it helped  Pitching a book and reading publisher responses  Why your first book might be for you  Coaching as asking questions, listening and holding space  Adapting to different writers and giving objective feedback  Coachability, patience and sitting with not knowing  Writing a book teaches you what you think  Find Kylie Zeal: https://www.kyliezeal.com  Part 2 of this conversation: Coming Soon! Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Intro & Guest Introduction: Kylie Zeal  0:47 How We Met: Book Coaching Beginnings  4:06 Finding Clients & LinkedIn Networking  5:56 Media, Social Feeds & Choosing What to Consume  11:22 Working Together: Confidence & Coaching Fit  13:49 Writers: Pantsers vs Plotters  15:02 Tough Feedback: Chapter 2 Rework  16:32 Pitching, Publishing & Emotional Work of Writing  18:52 Coaching Philosophy: Questions & Listening  24:34 Adapting to Client Styles: Pantsers in Practice  28:56 Planning, Objectivity & Giving Feedback  35:02 Coachable Clients, Titles & the Long Journey  40:17 Final Reflections on the Process  44:44 Outro & Part 2 Teaser  ———————  #KylieZeal #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #PodcastAustralia #BookCoach #BookCoaching #WritingABook #FictionWriting #AmWriting #PlottersVsPantsers #Coaching #CoachingSkills #HonestFeedback #WritingCommunity #PerthPodcast

  3. Oct 14

    Are We Ok? — A Love Letter for Jebediah's 30 Years from Tam Callaghan

    Tam went to see Jebediah: Are We OK?, the new documentary marking the band’s 30th anniversary, and came away wanting to say thank you. This episode is part movie review, part love letter to a band that soundtracked some of the happiest years of her young life in Perth.  She remembers seeing them leap about on stage at Planet Nightclub on Charles Street, and how much it meant to learn that the band were having just as good a time as the audience. She reflects on what each member brought, from Vanessa’s joy and artistry to Brett finding a way onto the stage despite hating it, something Tam knows well from years of training. Above all, she’s struck by a group that kept choosing joy over financial success and stayed committed to one another for 30 years.  There’s also a personal thank you to Kevin Mitchell. Tam walked down the aisle to Don’t You Think It’s Time, the song he wrote as Bob Evans, and this is her chance to finally tell him.  You don’t need to be a fan to get something out of the film. But if you grew up in Australia, and especially in Perth, it comes with a great memory lane bonus.  In this episode:  Seeing Jebediah: Are We OK? and meeting director Arlo Dean Cook  Memories of Jebediah at Planet Nightclub  Youth, freedom and looking back on a happy time  A band that started, and stayed, for the love of it  A 30-year bond that looks a lot like a marriage  Rethinking Vanessa and gratitude for each band member  Life’s ups and downs, and the film’s harder themes  Brett, stage anxiety and finding a way to go on anyway  Kevin Mitchell, Bob Evans and the wedding song  Why the film works even if you’ve never heard the band  The Molly Meldrum link to Do Yourself a Favour  Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Intro: Love Letter & Movie Review  0:05 Saw the Doco & Met Filmmaker Arlo  0:37 Why I Want to Celebrate the Film and Its People  0:45 Jebediah & Planet Nightclub Memories  1:16 Nostalgia: 30 Years Ago, Youth & Freedom  1:57 Band’s Origins: Doing It for the Love of Music  2:31 30-Year Bond: Like a Marriage  3:12 Reflections on Vanessa (Ness)  3:53 Gratitude for Each Band Member  4:41 Life’s Ups and Downs & Difficult Themes  5:41 Thanking and Recognising People  6:22 Brett, Stage Anxiety & Personal Parallels  7:39 Film’s Broad Appeal Beyond Fans  8:03 Q&A, Kevin Mitchell & the Wedding Song  9:37 Thank-Yous to the Band and Filmmakers  10:31 Conclusion & Call to Spread the Word  11:22 Final Thanks & Closing  ———————  #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #PodcastAustralia #Jebediah #AreWeOK #AustralianMusic #PerthMusic #MusicDocumentary #KevinMitchell #BobEvans #AustralianFilm #Nostalgia #Gratitude #LoveLetter #PerthPodcast

  4. Oct 6

    Tanya Hallett - Privilege, Luck & Empathy: Why Curiosity Beats Judgment

    Tam Callaghan sits down with Tanya Hallett from TIPT (Trauma-Informed Practice Training) for a conversation that starts with a Year 9 student working 30 hours a week to help his single mum pay bills, and ends somewhere most leadership conversations never reach.  Tanya has spent most of her teaching career in low socio-economic schools, and that experience shapes everything about how she sees the workplace. She and Tam dig into what naive meritocracy actually costs, why the "everyone gets a fair shot" story doesn't hold up, and how a trauma-informed lens replaces judgement with curiosity in a way that makes leaders genuinely more effective.  There's also a grounded, useful stretch on how leaders can acknowledge the limits of their own understanding without losing credibility, and why that honesty is actually the foundation of trust.  Warm, honest, and the kind of conversation that lingers.  In this episode:  The Year 9 student working 30 hours a week and what it reveals about inequality  Why the "everyone gets a fair shot" story doesn't hold up  Tanya's passion for working in low socio-economic schools  The limits of privilege and why sheltered perspectives create poor leaders  Luck, meritocracy, and the Veritasium research on success  Why naive meritocracy causes real harm in workplaces  Trauma-informed practice: replacing judgement with curiosity  How to communicate with care without losing authority  The interest rate example: leaders speaking with false confidence  How to acknowledge the limits of your understanding and build trust doing it  Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Introduction — Tanya Hallett & TIPT  0:29 Career-planning example with a teen working long hours  1:00 Student working 30 hours — family financial hardship  1:38 Reality of kids supporting families  2:31 Passion for working in low socio-economic schools  3:18 Limitations of privilege and perspective  4:10 Luck, meritocracy, and the Veritasium example  5:57 Critique of naive meritocracy  7:24 Trauma-informed practice: curiosity over judgement  7:51 Communicating with care in corporate settings  8:29 Personal growth, adversity, and self-reflection  9:12 Interest rate rise — lack of real understanding  10:26 How leaders should acknowledge limits of understanding  11:37 Closing & call to action  ———————  #TanyaHallett #TIPT #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #Privilege #Meritocracy #TraumaInformed #Leadership #Curiosity #WorkplaceWellbeing #PsychologicalSafety #Empathy #SocialEquality #PodcastAustralia #LeadershipDevelopment

  5. Sep 30

    Anger, Hurt and Courage: Lessons from the AFL Grand Final

    Tam Callaghan watched a beloved former West Coast Eagles player give an honest, vulnerable interview about why he left the club. Then she read the comments. And something clicked.  This episode starts with sport and ends somewhere much deeper. Tam uses the Tom Barras interview and the flood of bitter, abusive responses it attracted to explore what Peter Crone's idea that anger covers hurt actually looks like in real life — and then turns that lens on herself, her own history of sports tribalism, and one of the most personally honest reflections she's recorded.  It connects directly to the previous episode on keyboard warriors, but takes the idea further: what does it cost you to stay in the pain of being right, and what would it mean to choose differently?  Raw, funny in places, and one of the more quietly courageous things Tam has put out.  In this episode:  What the AFL Grand Final is, for those not in Australia  Tom Barras: why the abusive comments about him revealed something important  Peter Crone's idea that anger is always covering hurt  How Tam's own West Coast Eagles tribalism changed over two years  The emotional response that surprised her during the Grand Final  Being right vs being vulnerable: what each one costs  The Great White Whale: an honest reflection on her marriage  Which pain do you choose? The Mark Manson idea revisited  Small acts of love and why they matter more than grand gestures  The ongoing mission: get bravely happy and hurt others less  Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Intro: AFL Grand Final & Pain vs Suffering  0:12 What the AFL Grand Final Is (explainer)  0:48 From Keyboard Warriors to Pain Avoidance  1:02 Watching the Player Interview  1:28 Remembering Tom Barras  3:00 Reading the Abusive Comments  4:42 Peter Crone: Anger Covers Hurt  5:50 Connecting Hurt, Anger, and Disappointment  6:54 The Grand Final Story Begins  7:57 Changing My Tribalism: A Two-Year Process  10:33 Emotional Response: Crying for the Fans  11:21 Being Right vs Vulnerability  12:20 My Marriage: The Great White Whale  13:45 Which Pain Do You Choose?  15:08 Courage to Face Your Hurt  16:03 Small Acts of Love Change the World  17:00 Get Bravely Happy: Ongoing Work  18:17 Mission: Hurt Others Less / Closing  ———————  #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #AFL #WestCoastEagles #PainVsSuffering #PeterCrone #Tribalism #KeyboardWarriors #Vulnerability #Courage #PersonalGrowth #SelfCompassion #GrandFinal #PodcastAustralia #GetBravelyHappy

  6. Sep 22

    Tanya Hallett - De-escalating Difficult Situations

    Tanya Hallett from TIPT (Trauma-Informed Practice Training) returns for a new series with Tam Callaghan, this time focused on one of the most practical skills a manager or colleague can have: de-escalation.  Tanya brings a background that's unusual for a corporate trainer — years in classrooms with students who were already dysregulated before they walked through the door. She opens with a story about a child who told the principal "I don't trust you" mid-crisis, and how reading that correctly changed everything. That instinct for reading what's actually happening beneath the surface is what she now brings to workplace settings.  In this first part they cover why escalation spreads (the limbic system and contagion), what happens in the brain during an amygdala hijack, why tone and body language matter far more than the words we choose, and the practical steps anyone can take to manage themselves first before trying to manage the situation.  There's also a useful stretch on pausing difficult conversations properly, using honest language rather than throwaway lines, and how to have better EAP conversations that actually land.  In this episode:  Tanya's business growth and the tough decision to step away from teaching  The child distrust story and what it teaches about reading intentions  How escalation spreads through a room via the limbic system  The amygdala hijack: what happens when the prefrontal cortex shuts down  Communication basics: the 7% rule and why tone and body language dominate  Practical de-escalation steps: managing yourself before managing others  Grounding techniques and capacity checking  How to pause a difficult conversation without making it worse  Honest language vs throwaway lines  How to have EAP conversations that actually help  Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Introduction  0:30 Welcome and Episode Framing  1:59 Business Growth — Stepping Away from Teaching  3:57 Child Distrust and Reading Intentions  4:41 How Escalation Spreads (Limbic System)  5:30 De-escalation Strategies — Basics  6:19 Practical Steps: Managing Yourself  7:10 Amygdala Hijack and Prefrontal Cortex Shutdown  8:00 Communication: Tone, Body Language, and 7% Rule  9:38 Self-Regulation: Grounding and Capacity Checking  10:26 Pausing Difficult Conversations and Honest Language  11:24 Avoiding Throwaway Lines — Better EAP Conversations  14:51 Conclusion and Part 2 Teaser  ———————  #TanyaHallett #TIPT #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #DeEscalation #WorkplaceWellbeing #PsychologicalSafety #AmygdalaHijack #TraumaInformed #Leadership #SelfRegulation #DifficulConversations #MentalHealthAtWork #HRPodcast #PodcastAustralia

  7. Sep 16

    Keyboard warriors, Karen's and Karma - Using compassion as protection

    Being right is the self-esteem of the desperate. That's the line Tam Callaghan landed on after thinking about one of the most requested topics she's received: why do people become keyboard warriors, and what do you do about it?  Inspired by a conversation with a popular online creator who regularly receives hate comments on completely non-provocative content, Tam digs into what's actually driving this behaviour. She breaks it down into three groups: people who have an opinion and share it thoughtlessly because the screen removes the sense of talking to a real human being; Karens and Keiths driven by entitlement and a deep need to feel seen; and a smaller group with genuine psychological disorders including narcissism, sadism, and psychopathy.  She also turns the lens on herself, because the need to be right when we're feeling insecure isn't unique to trolls. It's just the same impulse in a different context.  Practical, compassionate, and more nuanced than the topic usually gets.  In this episode:  Why "being right is the self-esteem of the desperate" applies to all of us  Chris Lapping's experience of online hate and what it prompted  Why online distance makes people forget they're talking to a human being  Group 1: opinions, thoughtlessness, and what to do  Group 2: Karens and Keiths, entitlement, and the need to feel seen  Group 3: narcissism, sadism, psychopathy, and how to spot them  Practical coping strategies: love, boundaries, and when to block  Societal isolation and why online cruelty is getting worse  Why nuance and compassion are still the right response  Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 'Being right is the self-esteem of the desperate'  0:05 Keyboard warriors, Karens and Keiths  0:31 Example & source: online creator (Chris Lapping) and hate comments  1:34 Why people need to be right — personal reflection  2:17 Framework introduced: three groups of people  2:54 Group 1 — Opinions, online thoughtlessness and distance  4:57 Group 2 — Karens/Keiths: entitlement, not feeling seen  9:40 Group 3 — Psychological disorders: narcissism, sadism, psychopathy  11:10 Coping strategies: love, boundaries and practical responses  14:37 Wider causes & consequences: societal isolation and behaviour  16:30 Summary: nuance, bravery, love & boundaries; closing CTA  ———————  #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #KeyboardWarriors #OnlineTrolls #Narcissism #Karens #OnlineCruelty #SocialMedia #Boundaries #PersonalGrowth #PsychologicalSafety #BeingRight #SelfEsteem #PodcastAustralia #DigitalWellbeing

  8. Sep 8

    Kate Fandry - Breaking the Lid: Grief, Neurodiversity, and Finding Self-Love

    Part two of Tam Callaghan's conversation with Kate Fandry picks up where they left off, diving into the diagnosis itself, what it felt like to finally have an answer, and the grief that often comes with a late diagnosis even when it's a relief.  Kate shares the moment she told her mum over lunch ("of course you do"), the school story that reframed a lifetime of self-blame, and what it actually took to go from suspecting she had ADHD to getting formally assessed. They then move into OCD: what it looks like in daily life, the blueberry example that perfectly illustrates decision paralysis, and the medication that changed everything.  There's also an honest conversation about the stigma around psychiatric medication, why choosing medication is an act of self-kindness rather than weakness, and what quality of life actually looks like when treatment works.  Part 1: Late-Diagnosis ADHD: From Burnout to Breakthrough - https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-5g6w5-1b424ec In this episode:  The ADHD quote that sums up the late diagnosis experience perfectly  "If you do well at school, they just let you raw dog ADHD for the rest of your life"  The school window story and what it actually meant  The grief of late diagnosis and why it's valid  Hiding struggles and finally telling parents  OCD alongside ADHD: how it presents and what it costs  The blueberry example: OCD and decision paralysis in everyday life  OCD medication and the life-changing relief it brought  ADHD medication: focus, sleep, and what shifted  The stigma around medication and why it needs to change  Choosing medication as self-kindness  Why relationships matter more than Western success markers  Do Yourself a Favour is available on YouTube: https://linktr.ee/doyourselfafavour_podcast  Join the conversation! Do Yourself a Favour is on Facebook LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaracallaghan/  Do Yourself a Favour is recorded at Tailwind Studio: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tailwind-studio  Formerly known as the 50/50 Podcast.  ———————  Chapters  0:00 Introduction   0:08 ADHD & Late Diagnosis Quote  1:33 School Story and Getting Diagnosed  4:01 New Phase — Realisations & 'Going Out on Top'  5:02 Hiding Struggles and Telling Parents  6:28 Transition to OCD Discussion  7:00 Anxiety, OCD and Depression — Seeking Help  8:10 Asking Parents for Specific Support  9:23 OCD 'Blueberry' Example — Decision Paralysis  11:07 Practical Impact — Family, Shopping & Business  13:31 OCD Medication — Life-changing Relief  17:35 ADHD Medication Effects — Focus & Sleep  18:50 Stigma Around Medication & Getting Help  21:04 Choosing Medication — Self-kindness  22:54 Western Values, Success & Consumerism  24:58 Quality of Life: Relationships Matter Most  25:43 Closing   ———————  #KateFandry #TamCallaghan #DoYourselfAFavour #ADHD #LateADHDDiagnosis #OCD #Neurodiversity #ADHDMedication #DecisionParalysis #MentalHealth #StigmaAroundMedication #SelfKindness #ADHDWomen #PodcastAustralia #QualityOfLife

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About

Tamara (Tam-rah) Callaghan Cooke (or just Tam!) Uses the wisdom of the great thinkers to discuss the whole of life. Talking about not just the pretty shiny parts, but also the challenges and setbacks, and how these very things, when faced courageously, can most lead to growth, joy and success.

Information

  • Creator
    Tamaracallaghan
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2024 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Do Yourself a Favour

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