A Wake Up Call

If you have ever wondered:

💭 “What if everything I thought I knew about my health was wrong?”
💭 “Why do I keep pushing even when I know I’m running on empty?”
💭 “How do I slow down without feeling like I’m falling behind?”

– this episode is for you.

In this candid and courageous conversation, Tess and Layne sit down with Damien Mu, CEO and Managing Director of AIA Australia, for a conversation that is anything but corporate. Damien opens up about wearing a biometric device for 48 hours and discovering his stress recovery sat at 23 out of 100 and his restorative sleep at 6 out of 100 – despite feeling like he had everything under control.

Damien takes us behind the role and into the reality: 152 flights a year, four hours of sleep, a first-generation migrant family’s work ethic running quietly in the background, and a deep-seated belief that slowing down was a sign of weakness. He shares what it took to face the data, find his why, and begin the slow, meaningful process of reprogramming a mindset that had served his ambition but was quietly costing him everything.

Together they unpack the difference between health span and lifespan, explore AIA’s 5590 model of modifiable lifestyle behaviours, and make sense of what Australia’s growing mental health claims really mean for all of us. But more than the data, this conversation is about presence, parenting, and what it feels like when your son finally leaves the card game first because his cup is full.

You will learn:

The truth about “healthy” when the data tells a very different story
Why the carry-on culture hides the true cost of high performance
How a first-generation work ethic can become both a superpower and a quiet trap
What 36 percent of AIA’s disability claims being mental health related really means for Australia
Why genuine leadership begins with taking care of the leader first

Season 3 is brought to you by AIA, a leading life, health and wellbeing insurer supporting healthier, longer, better lives. Protect what matters most, and AIA will help you do it for life. Complete your age calculator here https://www.aia.com.au/en/health-and-wellbeing/aia-vitality/age-calculator

Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses
https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/awake-collective-sales

Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself Grow Yourself to live a happier more purposeful life.
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/awake-academy-9781761345869

Follow Layne on Instagram @Laynebeachley

Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer

Follow Awake Academy on Instagram @awake_academy

Awake’s TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@awakeacademy_

Sponsor our podcast https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact

Book us for a workshop https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact

Disclaimer

The A Wake Up Call podcast is created for general informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The stories, tools, and insights shared are designed to support your wellbeing journey - not to replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. In fact, we believe therapy is non-negotiable in life.

If you’re experiencing a medical or mental health condition, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Never ignore or delay seeking professional advice because of something you’ve heard on this podcast.

Your wellbeing matters. Take care of yourself, stay curious, and remember the real wake-up call is listening to what your body and mind are trying to tell you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode Description:

💭 “Am I going crazy, or is this perimenopause?”
💭 “I’m exhausted all the time but I’m not depressed — what is actually going on?”
💭 “Do I have to grieve who I used to be to become who I want to be?”
— this episode is for you.
In this warm, honest and genuinely funny Q&A episode, Tess and Layne open the listener inbox and answer the questions you’re too afraid to Google in daylight. From the full truth about perimenopause (yes, brain fog and anxiety are often the first signs, not the hot flushes) to HRT, burnout, health span, friendship, and what it actually means to let go of an identity that no longer fits.
Layne opens up about going straight to menopause without realising it, visiting a cardiologist for what turned out to be a hormonal heart rate, and her decision to finally give HRT a full year instead of stopping and starting. Tess talks about prepping for perimenopause before it arrives, why the Flow app has become a relationship tool in her household, and the four-step energy audit she uses when someone says “I’m exhausted but I don’t know why.”

You will learn:

The real symptoms of perimenopause that have nothing to do with hot flushes — and why so many women are misdiagnosed
Why the story you tell about your treatment might be more powerful than the treatment itself
How Layne’s relentless pushing through eventually led to chronic fatigue — and what the body whispers before it screams
The difference between health span and lifespan, and why your 40s are your most important decade for building the body you’ll have in your 70s

Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses
https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/awake-collective-sales

Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself Grow Yourself to live a happier more purposeful life.
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/awake-academy-9781761345869

Follow Layne on Instagram @Laynebeachley
Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer
Follow Awake Academy on Instagram @awake_academy
Awake’s TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@awakeacademy_
Sponsor our podcast https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact
Book us for a workshop https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact

Disclaimer
The A Wake Up Call podcast is created for general informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The stories, tools, and insights shared are designed to support your wellbeing journey — not to replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. In fact, we believe therapy is non-negotiable in life.
If you’re experiencing a medical or mental health condition, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Never ignore or delay seeking professional advice because of something you’ve heard on this podcast.

Your wellbeing matters. Take care of yourself, stay curious, and remember the real wake-up call is listening to what your body and mind are trying to tell you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you have ever wondered:

💭 “Who am I without the role I have held for years?”
💭 “How do I start over when everything I knew has changed?”
💭 “What does real reinvention look like – not in theory, but in real life?”

– this episode is for you.

In this honest and deeply human conversation, Tess and Layne welcome broadcaster, author and mentor Mel Doyle to share the story of her reinvention – and why change, even the kind you did not choose, can become the most defining chapter of your life.

Mel opens up about 2020: the year her 25-year career at Channel 7 came to an end, her son flew to Seattle on a near-empty plane, she turned 50 in the middle of a pandemic, and the whole world fell quiet at once. She talks about the grief of losing an identity she thought she had separated from her work – and the slow, brave process of rediscovering who she was on the other side.

Layne describes making the phone call to Mel in the aftermath of her job loss, and what she said to remind her that the heart behind the career matters more than the career itself. Mel shares how she channelled everything into writing – producing two books during COVID, including 15 Seconds of Brave, drawn from extraordinary stories of human courage. The title comes from a child with a terminal illness who said he could only be brave for 15 seconds at a time. That idea changed how she approached every scary new beginning.

You will hear about:

The grief of losing a career identity and the slow, brave process of rebuilding a sense of self
Why keeping busy can be a lifeline and a barrier – and how to find the balance
How writing, creating and giving yourself a project is a powerful act of self-rescue
The story of the Abdallah family and what radical forgiveness can teach us all about letting go

Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses
https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/awake-collective-sales

Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself Grow Yourself to live a happier more purposeful life. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/awake-academy-9781761345869
Follow Layne on Instagram @Laynebeachley
Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer
Follow Awake Academy on Instagram @awake_academy
Awakes TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@awakeacademy_
Sponsor our podcast https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact
Book us for a workshop https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact

Disclaimer
The A Wake Up Call podcast is created for general informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The stories, tools, and insights shared are designed to support your wellbeing journey - not to replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. In fact, we believe therapy is non-negotiable in life.
If you’re experiencing a medical or mental health condition, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Never ignore or delay seeking professional advice because of something you’ve heard on this podcast.
Your wellbeing matters. Take care of yourself, stay curious, and remember the real wake-up call is listening to what your body and mind are trying to tell you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you have ever wondered:

💭 “Why does success feel hollow even when I have ticked all the boxes?”
💭 “How do I build a life that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside?”
💭 “What does it actually take to succeed without burning out, losing myself, or standing on the podium alone?”

– this episode is for you.

This is the launch of A Wake Up Call’s Sustained Success Series, and it starts with a question most of us never stop long enough to answer: what does success actually mean to you?

Tess and Layne open up about their own definitions — from Layne’s six consecutive world titles and the private cost of chasing worthiness through achievement, to Tess’s shift toward inner peace, consistency and being the same person behind the door as she is in front of it. They explore why success looks different at every life stage, why the shiny metrics are never the whole story, and what it takes to build something sustainable instead of just spectacular.

Layne shares the three-part framework she developed across her professional surfing career — values, dream team, and action — and why today she would lead with values, not vision. Together they unpack how fear drives us but also costs us, what it means to fill your life with things that inspire rather than deplete, and why the truest measure of success is the person you are when no one is watching.

You will leanr about:

Why Layne chased world titles but was really chasing self-worth — and what that cost her
The moment Tess realised her job had become her identity because she felt she had failed at building a relationship
The three-part Sustained Success Framework: values → dream team → action
Why values must come before vision — and how to identify yours
The difference between a Dream Team member and a Dream Thief
Why fear is a good motivator but a terrible compass for sustained success
 

Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses
https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/awake-collective-sales

Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself Grow Yourself to live a happier more purposeful life. https://www.penguin.com.au/books/awake-academy-9781761345869
Follow Layne on Instagram @Laynebeachley
Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer
Follow Awake Academy on Instagram @awake_academy
Awakes TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@awakeacademy_
Sponsor our podcast https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact
Book us for a workshop https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact

Disclaimer
The A Wake Up Call podcast is created for general informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The stories, tools, and insights shared are designed to support your wellbeing journey - not to replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. In fact, we believe therapy is non-negotiable in life.
If you’re experiencing a medical or mental health condition, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Never ignore or delay seeking professional advice because of something you’ve heard on this podcast.
Your wellbeing matters. Take care of yourself, stay curious, and remember the real wake-up call is listening to what your body and mind are trying to tell you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you have ever wondered:

💭 “Why do I keep getting in my own way right when things are going well?”
💭 “Is it really possible to train my brain to perform under pressure?”
💭 “How do I stop overthinking and just trust myself when it counts most?”

— this episode is for you.

In this science-packed and surprisingly fun conversation, Tess and Layne sit down with Dr Roy Sugarman — applied neuroscientist, former Director of Neuroscience and Performance Innovation at Team Exos, and the man who has built peak performance models used by the U.S. Congress, California Health Services and elite sporting organisations around the world.
Roy unpacks the neuroscience of why you sabotage yourself, why your emotional brain is faster than your logic, and how the six pillars of psychological flexibility — the hexaflex — can train anyone, athlete or everyday human, to thrive under pressure. Layne shares the Fat Bastard recitation that won her a prize purse, Roy explains why “believe in yourself” is actually a vulnerable strategy, and Tess discovers that the yeah buts in her head are a neuroscience phenomenon.

You will learn:
The two ancient brain systems running your every decision and why knowing the difference changes everything
Why trust is more powerful than belief in competition — and in life
How radical acceptance turns setbacks into stepping stones
The science of thought diffusion and why humour might be the most underrated performance tool you have

Join the Awake Collective Community for monthly masterclasses
https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/awake-collective-sales
Get Awake’s transformative book: Know Yourself Grow Yourself to live a happier more purposeful life.
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/awake-academy-9781761345869
Follow Layne on Instagram @Laynebeachley
Follow Tess on Instagram @tesscbrouwer
Follow Awake Academy on Instagram @awake_academy
Awake’s TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@awakeacademy_
Sponsor our podcast https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact
Book us for a workshop https://www.awakeacademy.com.au/contact

Disclaimer
The A Wake Up Call podcast is created for general informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The stories, tools, and insights shared are designed to support your wellbeing journey — not to replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. In fact, we believe therapy is non-negotiable in life.
If you’re experiencing a medical or mental health condition, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Never ignore or delay seeking professional advice because of something you’ve heard on this podcast.
Your wellbeing matters. Take care of yourself, stay curious, and remember the real wake-up call is listening to what your body and mind are trying to tell you.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.