In this episode of our Summer School, we are joined by Sophie Walker, creator, and host of Australian Birth Stories.

With over 17 million downloads, and 500 episodes, Australian Birth Stories podcast has been accredited by the Australian College of Midwives and has been instrumental in educating and empowering both people who are giving birth, as well as birthing partners.

Hugh shares the incredible trauma and fear involved with his first experience of birth, and how tools of education and empowerment, such as Lael Stone’s excellent counselling, helped him prepared for birth a second time around.

The power of information is invaluable, and Josh opens up about how Hugh’s experience with birth shaped his own, and what the experience was like for him.

Sophie, it was such a pleasure.

To watch this full episode on YouTube, follow this link: https://youtu.be/3sey26-L4Rw

🎧 Things to listen to:

• Australian Birth Stories Podcast - https://apple.co/4f3PgKx
  • Lisa Wipfli’s episode - https://apple.co/3CZ34sx
  • Lael Stone’s episode - https://bit.ly/3ZhaZZD
• Lael Stone on The Imperfects:
  • Creating Emotionally Intelligent Humans - https://apple.co/3V2vuIb
  • Take Care of Yourself - https://apple.co/4eAJNuw
  • Parent Yourself First - https://apple.co/3ZE28Tj
• Martin Heppell on The Imperfects:
  • The Vulnerabilitea House - Martin Heppell - https://bit.ly/3ZerqqN
  • Martin “Rac” Heppell - The other F word ….. FAILURE - https://bit.ly/4fUkDIk
• Jack Post - Natal Depression - https://apple.co/49AgxDb

💻 Things to check out:

• The danger of a single story TedTalk - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - https://bit.ly/4f16DM5
• Australian Birth Stories Birth Class Course - https://bit.ly/3BdMgxc

If you, or someone you know, is struggling with post-natal depression or anxiety surrounding birth, these are a few great websites we’ve found

• cope.org.au
• panda.org.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

B b b bonus episode!

We proudly present to you My Imperfect Life: a novel journal written by you. That’s right, we’re releasing a book, but making you do all the work.

With 100 questions inspired by episodes from 2024 on The Imperfects, My Imperfect Life is an introduction to vulnerability, allowing you to unpack your own imperfect life and be more vulnerable with yourself (because we know vulnerability with others can be A LOT).

To celebrate the launch of My Imperfect Life, we are inviting you to a reverse book singing at Readings Emporium Melbourne on Friday January 31st at 5:30pm, where we want to meet you, the author (and perhaps get a photo with you too, and maybe an autograph if you’re not too busy).

🎟️ To buy a ticket to the Reverse Book Signing (which includes a copy of My Imperfect Life that you will pick up on the day), follow this link – https://bit.ly/4hh0tcl

📖 To just purchase My Imperfect Life, click here – https://www.theimperfects.com.au/shop/

📃 To become our penpal, join The VulnerabiliTea-mail, a weekly newsletter where we’ll send you one vulnerable question inspired by the current episode, to help you unpack your own imperfect life. Subscribe at theimperfects.com.au

🎧 Things to listen to

• Nathan Cavaleri – The Ups & The Blues - https://apple.co/42aTmh6
• Michael Klim – The Race of His Life - https://bit.ly/4aiMyQr
• Rana Hussain – Belonging For Connection - https://apple.co/3NwftWC

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There will come a time for all of us (unless we REALLY make some improvements with bio-hacking) where we are faced with our own mortality.

Who is at your hypothetical bedside? Are you happy with how you’ve lived? Do you have any regrets?

In this Summer School edition of the Academy of Imperfection, we are joined by Bronnie Ware.

Bronnie found herself in palliative care, caring for, and listening to, the dying. And boy, are we glad she did.

Bronnie collated, and published, the Top 5 Regrets of the Dying (listed below for your convenience), and this episode is devoted to talking through what each of these might mean for Hugh, Ryan and Josh.

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

Perfectly timed for the New Year, we hope you get as much out of this episode as we did.

Bronnie, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom with us.

To watch this full episode on YouTube, follow this link: https://www.theimperfects.com.au/episode/bronnie-ware-wha…r-future-regrets/

📖 Things to read:

• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - Bronnie Ware - https://bit.ly/4ghIKkf
• Bronnie’s original blog post - Regrets of the Dying - https://bit.ly/4f2nmPd
• From Strength to Strength - Arthur C. Brooks - https://bit.ly/3BlahT1
• Strong Female Character - Fern Brady - https://bit.ly/3Vl5Uya
• Laughing Heart - Charles Bukowski - https://bit.ly/4g2DbGL

🎧 Things to listen to:

• Paul Kelly - I Wasted Time - https://bit.ly/4eZeWbc
• Fern Brady - Autistic in a Non-Autistic World - https://bit.ly/48nT3Ax

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.