Heart On My Sleeve

What happens when the mask you've worn your whole life finally falls off?

In this moving episode of The Heart On My Sleeve Podcast, host Lainie Cassidy sits down with Aisling Smith – internationally recognised neurodiversity consultant, Stevie Award winner, and Trainer of the Year – for a raw, vulnerable conversation about living, parenting, and thriving as a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHD woman.

From growing up in rural Ireland un...

What happens when your body breaks... but it's your soul that needs healing?

In this raw and powerful conversation, Tess Brouwer shares the story behind her life-altering spinal cord injury that forced her to stop running from pain, from grief, from herself. Tess, a mental fitness trainer and co-founder of Awake Academy, opens up about the unspoken traumas she buried for decades - from childhood instability to losing her teenage...

At 17 weeks pregnant with triplets, Ashleigh Conwell’s life changed forever when her husband Matt passed away suddenly during the height of the pandemic. In this raw and profoundly moving conversation with host Luke Cook, Ashleigh opens up about the identity shift that followed, the brutal reality of solo parenting through grief, and the quiet resilience it takes to keep showing up.

From collapsing on the pavement in shock to rising...

If you’ve ever struggled to slow down, to feel proud, or to say “I’m enough,” this episode is a must-listen.We often see the hustle. The 3am alarms. The shredded physique. The front covers and product launches. But what we rarely see is the cost behind the curtain. In this raw and revealing episode, Heart On My Sleeve Clinical Director Michaela Overman sits down with celebrity trainer and gym owner Jono Castano to explore the emoti...

In episode 53, Mitch Wallis speaks to Dr Tony Mastroianni, a psychiatrist with over 30 years' experience in clinical practice. Tony specialises in the treatment of ADHD and schizophrenia, and is the founder of the Focalength Method™, a holistic approach to treatment that takes a 360 view of a person in order to help them get well, and stay well.

This episode covers:

• Moving medicine away from diagnosis towards a holis...

In episode 52, Mitch Wallis speaks to Maddy MacRae, a comedy creator who exploded onto the scene during lockdown with her hilarious and relatable skits about sex, dating and everything in-between. We go deep and explore previously untouched topics such as her mental health journey, her sexuality and the reality of life online.

This episode covers:

• rising quickly to online success but struggling internally
• her experience...

In episode 51, Mitch Wallis speaks to Gaj, a highly sought-after performance coach recognized for his effective leadership training techniques and passion for helping clients reach higher potential. For over 20 years, Gaj has worked with leading organizations and individuals to enhance productivity, maximize performance, and accelerate growth. As a Registered psychologist, Gaj leans on his psychology training to deliver the most ef...

Sonny Jane is a multi-neurodivergent, queer, and disabled public speaker, advocate, and author with a strong social media presence. Sonny was diagnosed as a child and grew up only hearing a deficit narrative about their neurodivergence. Since then, they have gone on to build an audience of over 100,000 people online, have written ‘The Neurodivergent Friendly Workbook of DBT Skills’, and works with organisations all over Australia t...

This episode comes with a trigger warning of domestic violence.

In episode 49, Mitch Wallis speaks to Jacinta Dubojski who is the creator and founder of Just Another GIRL, an initiative designed to inspire and empower students by arming them with the tools to navigate difficult situations; such as bullying, and domestic violence, both of which are experiences that she's survived. Jacinta is a big believer in sharing storie...

In episode 48, Mitch Wallis speaks to Antoinette, a multi-award-winning journalist, author, broadcaster, columnist, TEDx speaker, and mental health ambassador with a bold and authentic approach to life...

This episode covers:

• Her experience with peri and post-natal depression
• Her opinion on mental illness and the shame that surrounds new mothers
• Navigating journalism and the impact of second-hand trauma
• How to prot...

In episode 47, Mitch Wallis speaks to Greg Bird, a proud Anaiwan Man, born and raised in country New South Wales. He was a professional Rugby League player for an impressive 18 years, hanging up his boots in 2019 to move up to the Gold Coast and prioritise time with his wife and kids. This episode dives deep into untold stories of struggle both on and off the pitch.

this episode covers:

• his unspoken story of struggle, st...

In episode 46, Mitch Wallis speaks to founder of EQ Minds and recovering perfectionist, Chelsea Pottenger, who shares how her experience with mental illness fuelled her passion for helping busy minds reset and recharge so they can successfully balance high performance and great mental wellbeing. If you find yourself dancing around the edges of burnout more often than not, this ep is for you.

This episode covers:

• how 2 tr...

Matt Purcell was born in a small town in South Korea to a young mother who was unable to raise him. This sparked an incredible work drive in Matt who has since founded KYU media, an award-winning creative agency, and Social Kung Fu, Australia’s number 1 verbal self-defence and confidence training for students. Matt shares wisdom from his own personal journey, how to overcome hardship, find purpose and have an impact.

This epis...

In Episode 44, Mitch Wallis speaks to Dr. Cody, an American-born, Australian Chiropractor with over 10 years of experience, who has clicked, popped, and cracked his way into over 2 million TikTok followers. He's passionate about education and the prevention of disease so that people can achieve complete wellness. 

This episode covers:

• his untold story and ongoing battle with mental health
• the biggest misconceptions ...

In episode 43, Mitch Wallis speaks to Milly. From lifestyle journalism in Silicon Valley to youth mental health charity founder, Milly Bannister is a well-known face in the online world of wellbeing. We discuss everything from the trivial use of mental health language on social media to the power of educational peer support programs in schools. This episode covers:

• Milly's personal journey with mental health and maintai...

In episode 41, Mitch Wallis speaks to his personal therapist. Lewin completed six years of tertiary education in psychology and counselling, learning from leaders in the fields of relational, mindful, and somatic psychotherapy.

Lewin has been my personal therapist for over 6 years and has seen me at my lowest points. This episode explores all of your burning questions about therapy and sheds some light on the answers that no ...

Sam Hann is a popular Sydney yoga teacher who's spent over 6 years sharing his knowledge in studios and through his YouTube channel. In 2021, he lost his brother, Blake and his world has never been the same. In this episode, we cover:

• Grief - the hard, messy and raw reality of losing a loved one that people don't speak about.

• The moment he heard the news and how that impacted his life and family as he...

In episode 39, Mitch Wallis speaks to Alice Child, a Somatic Sexologist, Sex Counsellor and Sex Coach who believes everyone deserves a happy, healthy, safe and fulfilled sex life. Alice has a passion for vulnerable conversations, confronting taboos, and creating inclusive spaces free of judgment. This episode covers:

• Why shame surrounds sex and how we can start to shift our perspective
• The most common concerns that people ...

In episode 48, Mitch Wallis speaks to Cooper Chapman, an ex-pro surfer who founded The Good Human Factory after mental illness and suicide impacted the lives of his loved ones.

In this episode, we cover:

• The story that triggered the Good Human Factory
• The fear that drove his curiosity to find his life's purpose
• Managing comparative suffering and the 3 key values that he lives by
• The underrated importance of pr...