Season 2 Wrap Up with Sonia Nolan

Thanks for listening to Season 2 of My Warm Table Podcast.

In this episode, Sonia wraps up the season with highlights of the previous episodes.

Thanks to all of our wonderful, generous guests and to you our listeners for supporting a warm table of curious conversations, acceptance and spreading positivity in our communities.

Warm thanks to:
Sponsor: Females Over Forty-five Fitness in Victoria Park
Sound Engineering: Damon Sutton
Music: William A Spence
... and all our generous and inspiring guests around the warm table this season!

Transcript

Sonia Nolan: 0:03

Hello, and thank you for taking a seat at My Warm Table during season two. I'm Sonia Nolan, and I'm so grateful for your support of my podcast, passion project, and all that we have achieved together in our fortnightly episodes in our second year. Looking back, we have added to the eclectic season one catalogue of smart conversations with heart with 16 new episodes of Western Australians sharing their passion and purpose during season two. I've learned so much and I've been inspired by the conversations around the Warm Table, starting with our very first oxytocin fix with Charlotte Ingham Ellery, who shared her knowledge on how to hack our brain chemicals to make us happier, more connected, and calmer. Charlotte's was a super popular episode with so many of you sharing it widely and resonating with a deeper understanding of how we can show up in the world more intentionally, and even become better parents with this knowledge about how our brains work. And I know this because I was so delighted midway through the year to attend a high tea networking event, and as we were introducing ourselves, a woman named Hazel on the other side of the table exclaimed, "are you Sonia from My Warm Table podcast. I was just talking about your podcast at my book club the other night, and we all downloaded it and shared the episode on brain chemicals." Well, Hazel, you truly made my day. In fact, you put me on a high for weeks knowing that my humble little podcast was stretching its reach past family and friends who might feel they have to listen to an even wider circle of smart, kind and curious people are interested in listening and learning from our Warm Table conversations. Thank you, Hazel, sincerely for your encouragement. Passion and purpose have been our themes and we've amplified so many different reasons why people get out of bed each day, and they channel their skills and energies to make a difference to their communities and to our world. We had the magnificent Alicia Curtis talking about community leadership and her role in running programmes to encourage people to show up and step up in their community life to make a difference. I had the extended privilege of again being a mentor on one of Alicia's programmes which develop women from diverse backgrounds to gain confidence skills and networks for their leadership journeys. She is a true inspiration and I know that the ripple effects of the confidence she inspires through her programmes will impact for years to come. Christin Smith spoke to us about how she stepped up in her community by starting a petition, which led to the restoration of her neighbouring beach and highlighted the issue of coastal erosion, which her local council is now taking action on. From little things big things grow. In fact, Christin is a big fan of this saying and she's also started a movement very cleverly called EarthMAD, which stands for "everyone acting responsibly today helps make a difference." So clever. There are so many amazing women doing things in WA to lead change which is aligned with their passions. Alanagh Godderidge is another example of this. Alanagh gave up her job to start a charity called Motion by the Ocean to connect seniors and people with disabilities with the opportunity to feel salt and wind in their hair, as they breathe in the sea air on a trishaw ride along the Sorento beaches. Volunteer cyclists pedal with purpose and they share conversations, memories and special moments with their passengers. And Alanagh has been very rightly recognised for her wonderful efforts to connect community and make people less lonely in their days. Loneliness is a big topic, which we touched on briefly during our two part episodes on grief with the incredible Shelly Skinner and Professor Lauren Breen. Shelly is the CEO of Lionheart Camp for Kids. It's a charity focused on making grief a normal and healthy conversation, especially for children and families who've experienced the death of a significant person in their life. Lauren is on the Lionheart board, and she's devoted her career to researching and understanding grief, and she also shared her insights and wisdom with us. Lionheart continues to provide safe opportunities to talk about grief and loss. During the year Shelly launched a wonderful new children's book called Finding Fwebbers, which will continue to evoke these important conversations, answer children's questions, and normalise those really big feelings that children experience with death. The courage and strength of a lion featured twice in our topics this season from Lionheart Camp to kids here in Perth, to the savanna in South Africa, where we heard about both the beauty and the plight of lions. Fremantle woman, Donalea, Patman, shared the moment she locked eyes with the lion, and how it changed her life forever. She sold her house, gave up her corporate career, and founded a charity called For The Love of Wildlife, which addresses the plight of mass extinction, and specifically the tragedy behind the canned hunting industry. I spent most of our conversation speechless at the cruelty and the environmental crisis that our world is on the cusp of, because we're entering what scientists call the "sixth mass extinction." It was a real wake up call. Donalea remains hopeful, though, and continues to invest her energy and expertise in long term projects, to rewild our world. She was an amazing and inspiring guest to have graced My Warm Table. Underpinning many of our wonderful guests this season and their passion projects is a team of volunteers. So it was important to talk about the importance of volunteering and its impact on our communities. There was no one better to join me around the Warm Table on this topic than Craig Spencer, who was one of the pioneers in corporate volunteering in WA. He still sits on the WA government's volunteering board, and he regularly rolls up his sleeves as a volunteer firefighter, among other things. He was passionate about volunteering, and equally purposeful in talking about every home having a fire plan. Have you got yours sorted? It's a good question. If not have another listen to our Warm Table conversation with Craig and get your fire plans in place. I was also really humbled to have Jenny Baraga as my guest, Jenny is a trusted voice and experienced health and mental health practitioner, and a proud Garra Yarra woman. During our Warm Table conversation, Jenny also shared the legend of the painting she created some years ago, which tells her family's story of loss and pain and the legacy of being part of the stolen generation. As Australians, we have much to listen and learn about the stories and experiences of First Nations people. And it was a privilege to be able to amplify Jenny's knowledge and wisdom, especially during the year a very mixed discussion on 'the voice.' Lived experience is something I'm passionate about amplifying through the podcast. The lived experience of endometriosis was captured so eloquently from the point of view of two generations. Emma Dixon who's in her early 20s, and recently diagnosed with endo, and Kath Sloan, who's in her 50s and has endured endometriosis throughout her adult life. These two women helped us understand the debilitating pain of this invisible disease, and hear their passion and purpose and encouraging other women to advocate for a diagnosis and the roads that they've taken to live with the disease. I said it then and I'll say it again. Emma and Kath are two of the most generous, engaged and proactive women I've met. They are ready with a laugh and an encouraging word. And you'd never know that they were in almost constant pain or discomfort. We talked to experts in their fields this season too. Franca Sala Tenna, founder and director of EEO Specialists talk to us about the new laws in bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination. This was a popular episode especially thanks to Franca's contagious energy and the way she was able to explain the laws in a relatable and even fun way. It's a must listen if you have a job, or if you are leader in the workplace. Franca's message was clear. The laws have changed more in the last 18 months than in 20 years prior. So it's really important to know how to keep your workplace safe and free from these behaviours. From behaviours in the workplace to behaviours on the roads. We really did talk about everything this season. Ex-trucky Rob Sharpe joined us to remind us about road safety and sharing our roads with trucks. The number of trucks on our WA roads is set to double in the next decade, and then triple by 2050. That's a lot of trucks. Rob is the CEO of Transsafe WA and it's fabulous big purple project InsTRUCKta!, which is a truck decked out with a virtual reality goggles and games to give you a bird's eye view of what it's like to be a truck driver and all the close calls you see on the roads. Look out for InsTRUCKta at local fairs and schools and make sure you say hi, and of course that you heard about them on My Warm Table podcast. This season. I loved sharing the Warm Table with family and old friends. It was a real treat to invite my very much admired brother in law immunologist Dr. Richard Nolan to explain allergies to us. These are chats we don't often have around our extended family table. So I was able to ask him a heap of questions I had stored up and wanted to share with the Warm Table community. My old friend Vannessa Van Beek also popped over for a chat. I've watched Vannessa's career trajectory climb over the decades and now she is a cybersecurity expert with a passion for people and leadership. It's amazing how people are still at the heart of all things technical, and our psychology and ways of working deeply influence how safe we are online. With all the online shopping and transactions we do, it's important to remember Vannessa's biggest message, which is to pause, stop before you respond to something unknown online and ensure it's authentic, and that it really does need your attention. We are so connected in cyberspace, but it's imperative to know when to disconnect and pause. Connection was a key point in our final episode for season two, which honoured the legacy of Electric Power Transmission or EPT. This is the company which connected Australia by building electricity towers across the country from the 1950s. This work was the catalyst for energy which then powered our industries, especially here in WA, it powered our economy and the opportunities in modernising Australia. Matthew Quomi, an unconventional researcher, passionate historian and an architect joined me for this emotional conversation around the Warm Table. Both Matthew and my father worked for EPT and their legacies and stories have shaped us both. My Papa's legacy includes My Warm Table, as they were his words and passion about creating a Tavola Calda, a warm table of acceptance, curiosity, and positivity, and they inspired this podcast. All of these stories and Warm Table tears would not have been possible without the support of season two sponsor Females Over 45 Fitness, or FOFF as we lovingly know it. FOFF founder Kelli Reilly shared her journey and creating her women's only personal training sessions to help build strength, muscle mass, and inspire women as they age. She's created a sisterhood in something really special and empowering for women at her gym in Victoria Park. And I'm thankful for her encouragement of both my podcast and my fitness. Kelli joined us each episode with a health tip for women. So hopefully you listened to the very end of each conversation, and you were equally inspired to consider your own health and well being into the future. A big thanks to Kelli and Females Over 45 Fitness in Victoria Park for sponsoring Season Two of My Warm Table podcast. Thanks also to Will Spence for writing and producing the music of our episodes. And to Damon Sutton for his audio engineering and polishing up each episode ready for launch. Thank you to our generous guests. And of course to you, our listeners and people who join us around the Warm Table and make it a real community of learning and sharing. My Warm Table podcast is an independent podcast, which is unashamedly focused on Western Australia. It's my very small way of adding some positivity to our state's media landscape and amplifying the smart, kind values-driven people in our communities who are out there doing good and there's so many of them. There are so many more I could have highlighted during the season. But it just wasn't possible. But for all of the people who do amazing work in their small not for profits, or their large workplaces. If you're doing good, then you're doing it for our community. So thank you. It's now time for a break and for me to recalibrate to see what the next season might hold for the Warm Table. In the meantime, be sure to listen to any episodes you might have missed. Share the podcast with your family and friends. And please continue creating your own Warm Tables of curious conversations with your family and friends. Thanks for listening.

Kelli Reilly FOFF: 14:29

Hi I'm Kelli from Females Over 45 Fitness. I'm the owner and I have been the sponsor for Sonia's My Warm Table and oh, this has been amazing. I've learned so much. I've been inspired by Sonia. Information and feedback and stories that you can get from listening to podcasts. I've got new members which is absolutely fantastic as well from my sponsorship to My Warm Table and the knowledge and the ability to be able to share through My Warm Table. FOFF and its health and well being programme and how we inspire so many women who are over the age of 45. And I think it's been the most amazing collab. I've enjoyed it, and I would do it again at the drop of a hat. Yeah, listen to My Warm Table. It's amazing. So thank you so much.