It's a Mindset

Have you ever gone through a really tough time… and wondered how you could ever come back from it - let alone use it to help others?

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Graeme Cowan - resilience expert, professional speaker, Board Director of R U OK?, and author of five books, including his latest, Great Leaders Care.

Graeme shares his deeply personal story of experiencing a five-year episode of depression - a period his psychiatrist described as one of the most severe he had ever treated. What emerged from that time is not only a powerful story of recovery, but a mission to help others build resilience, improve wellbeing, and create meaningful change through conversation.

Drawing on the insights behind Great Leaders Care, Graeme explores what it really means to lead with empathy, create psychologically safe environments, and support the people around us - whether at work, at home, or in our wider communities.

Together, we explore how Graeme turned one of the most challenging periods of his life into a way to support others - particularly leaders - to create safer, more connected environments where people feel seen, heard, and supported.

I was incredibly moved by Graeme’s vulnerability in sharing his story, and how he has transformed that experience into something so impactful. It’s a beautiful reminder that even in our hardest moments, there is the potential for growth, meaning, and contribution.

This conversation highlights just how powerful a simple conversation can be - and how it can quite literally change a life.

Key Episode Takeaways:

How Graeme turned his personal experience of breakdown into a mission to support others

Why great leaders prioritise care and create psychologically safe environments

The power of humility in creating authentic connection and trust

How one meaningful conversation can have the potential to change a life

About the Guest:

Graeme Cowan is a resilience expert, professional speaker and Board Director of R U OK?, where he has seen firsthand how simple conversations can lead to meaningful change.

With a background in senior leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and AT Kearney, Graeme’s work today is deeply shaped by his own lived experience. In 2000, he went through a five-year episode of severe depression — a period his psychiatrist described as one of the most challenging he had ever treated. From that experience, Graeme developed a powerful new perspective on resilience, wellbeing and performance, which now underpins his work with leaders and organisations around the world.

He is the author of five books, including the internationally acclaimed Back From the Brink, and his latest, Great Leaders Care, which explores how empathy and care can transform leadership and workplace culture. Graeme has been described by the Australian Financial Review as a “resilience expert”, and is known for his authentic, relevant and thought-provoking style.

Based in Sydney near Lane Cove National Park, Graeme enjoys spending time in nature, connecting with family and friends, and sharing ideas that spark conversations — because he believes those conversations have the power to change lives.

Show Resources:

Follow Graeme on Instagram - HERE

Connect with Graeme on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Graeme's Website - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join The Next Chapter Collective Waitlist - HERE

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @graemecowan.

Take Care, Emma. X.

Have you ever found yourself trying so hard to be a “perfect parent”… only to feel like it’s not quite working the way you expected?

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Lisa Taylor - family therapist, relationships consultant, speaker and founder of Strengthening Families Australia. With over 25 years of experience supporting families, schools and organisations, Lisa brings a deeply heart-centred approach to helping us understand the patterns that shape how we connect.

Together, we explore what Lisa calls the “Perfect Parent Trap” - the pressure to get it right, to say the right thing, to respond perfectly - and how that can actually move us further away from the connection we’re really seeking. Instead, Lisa invites us to shift from control to connection, and to become more aware of the emotional imprints from our own upbringing - what she calls our heartprints - and how they influence the way we show up as parents today.

This conversation really resonated with me on a personal level. Lisa and I are at a similar stage of parenting, and as fellow authors in the Expert Author Community, there was such a natural connection and shared understanding between us. I absolutely love the work she’s doing to support families, and the insights she shared - particularly around our own heartprints - were incredibly powerful.

This is one of those episodes that gently invites you to pause, reflect and consider how you’re showing up in your closest relationships - not from a place of judgment, but from a place of curiosity and growth.

Key Episode Takeaways:

What the “Perfect Parent Trap” is and why trying to get it right can backfire

How your own childhood “heartprints” shape the way you parent

Why shifting from control to connection can transform your relationships

The importance of presence - being where your body is - in creating deeper connection

About the Guest:

Lisa Taylor is a family therapist, relationships consultant, speaker and founder of Strengthening Families Australia with over twenty-five years of experience walking alongside thousands of families, schools and organisations across Australia.

Her heart-centred approach helps parents, educators and leaders strengthen relationships, heal generational patterns and transform how they connect with one another. She lives on the Bellarine Peninsula with her husband Chris, their three children and Faith, their golden retriever.

Show Resources:

Follow Lisa on Instagram - HERE

Connect with Lisa on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Lisa's Website - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join the Waitlist for The Next Chapter Collective - HERE

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @lisataylor.au.

Your in Conscious Parenting, Emma. X.

Have you ever wondered what comes next… when the life you’ve built no longer feels like the life you want?

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Robyn Greaves - a highly regarded career change specialist and coach who has worked across some of the world’s most recognised organisations including BHP, Apple, Woolworths and Westpac.

Robyn brings a thoughtful, practical and deeply human approach to navigating career and life transitions, particularly in what she calls our “third chapter.” Together, we explore what it really means to step into this next phase of life - not as an ending, but as an opportunity to create something meaningful, fulfilling and entirely your own.

This conversation resonated with me on such a deep level. The idea of a “third chapter” feels incredibly aligned with where so many of us find ourselves in midlife - reflecting, recalibrating, and asking bigger questions about who we are and how we want to spend our time. It’s also why I’m so passionate about the work I do and why I’m about to launch The Next Chapter Collective - a space designed to help you reconnect with who you are, what you want, and how to move forward with intention. If you’ve ever felt that quiet nudge that there’s more available to you… this episode will speak to you.

Key Episode Takeaways:

Why your “third chapter” (your 50s and 60s) can be one of the most powerful and fulfilling stages of life

The importance of creativity and curiosity for healthy ageing and ongoing growth

How this phase is less about achievement and more about contribution and meaning

Why time isn’t as guaranteed as we think - and the importance of choosing how you want to spend it

About the Guest:

Robyn Greaves is a highly regarded career change specialist and coach with a background in senior leadership development and organisational change across BHP, Apple, Woolworths and Westpac. She is recognised for her thoughtful, practical and deeply human approach to late-career transition, helping experienced professionals create an epic third chapter.

Show Resources:

Connect with Robyn on LinkedIn - HERE

Check Out Robyn's Website - HERE

Learn More About Robyn's New Book, Your Third Chapter - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host - HERE

Join The Next Chapter Collective Waitlist - HERE

If you LOVED this episode, make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow.

Yours in Your Next Chapter, Emma. X.

Have you ever felt like your body is trying to tell you something… but you’re too busy pushing through to actually listen? Or maybe you’ve been doing all the “right” things - exercising, eating well, showing up - yet something still feels off.

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m joined by Matthew Sorensen - a specialist in corrective exercise, strength and conditioning, manual therapy, counselling and lifestyle coaching, who takes a deeply integrative approach to health, performance and wellbeing.

Matt designs personalised programs that support resilience, injury prevention and sustainable health, and his work goes far beyond the physical. With a background spanning nutrition, strength and conditioning, and advanced manual therapies, he brings a unique lens to understanding the body - not just as something to fix, but something to listen to.

Matt and I actually met around 20 years ago at the gym, and it’s been intriguing to see how our paths have evolved in a similar direction - both of us becoming more curious about what really makes people tick, beyond the surface.

In this conversation, we explore the deeper connection between body, mind and behaviour, and how so often what we’re experiencing physically is a reflection of something deeper. Matt also shares insights from his extensive work in CHEK therapy, his experience lecturing and educating others in the field, and the philosophy behind his books, including What Pain Is Telling You - Your Diagnosis Is Just the Symptom.

This is one of those conversations that invites you to slow down, tune in, and reconsider the way you relate to yourself - not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.

Key Episode Takeaways:

What CHEK therapy is and how it looks at the body as an integrated system

Why your relationship with yourself and your level of self-awareness underpins everything

Why your “yes” has no value until you learn to say “no”

The importance of letting yourself off the hook more often and listening to what your body actually needs

About the Guest:

Matthew is a specialist in corrective exercise, strength and conditioning, manual therapy, counselling, and lifestyle coaching. He designs personalised, integrative programs that support performance, resilience, injury prevention, and sustainable health. Alongside his clinical work, Matt lectures at governing institutes for Personal Trainers and Massage Therapists. He has developed and delivered multiple professional workshops and is the author of two books

Show Resources:

Follow Matt on Instagram - HERE

Follow Matt's Podcast, The Body's Compass on Instagram - HERE

Check Out Matt's Website, The Healing Hub - HERE

Follow Emma, the Podcast Host on Instagram - HERE

Join the Waitlist for The Next Chapter Collective - HERE

Learn More About Emma's 1:1 Coaching - HERE

If you LOVED the episode, make sure you share this on your Instagram stories and tag us @emmalagerlow and @mattsorensenhh.

Yours in Listening to Your Body, Emma. X.

Have you ever read a book and thought… “wow, this is life-changing”… and then a week later, nothing actually changes?

You feel inspired. Motivated. Clear. And then life gets busy again… and you find yourself right back where you started.

In this episode of It’s a Mindset, I’m diving into why this happens - and more importantly, what it actually takes to move from insight into meaningful, lasting change. Because reading the book is one thing… but integrating it into your life is something else entirely.

Key Takeaways:

Why inspiration alone isn’t enough to create change

The common pattern I see in women (and have experienced myself) when it comes to personal growth

Why midlife is such a powerful opportunity to redefine what you truly want

The importance of knowing your values and creating a life that actually reflects them

How real transformation happens through reflection, conversation and support

This episode is very close to my heart. When I wrote Worthy & Wealthy, my intention was never just to inspire - it was to help women actually create a more fulfilling, abundant life. But what I’ve come to realise is that insight doesn’t create change on its own.

We need space. We need reflection. And often… we need support.

That’s where the real shifts happen.

An Invitation:

This episode also marks the beginning of something new. If this conversation resonates with you, I’ve opened the waitlist for The Next Chapter Collective - a small, guided group experience designed to help you integrate these ideas and step into meaningful change.

You can learn more and join The Next Chapter Collective here.

Show Resources:

Join The Next Chapter Collective Waitlist - HERE

Learn More About Emma's Book, Worthy & Wealthy - HERE

Follow Emma on Instagram - HERE

If you loved this episode… Make sure you share it on your Instagram stories and tag me @emmalagerlow - I love seeing what resonates with you.

You don’t need another book. You need a space to live what you’ve already learned.

Yours In Your Next Chapter, Emma. X.