Shows
Defining StoriesEpisode 14: Survival Stories with KellyKelly has a mesmerising force with which she engages with the world and although her conversation with us might be called a story of survival, it more like a story about thriving, or continuing to thrive. When the upcoming horizon in your life story looks rose-coloured because you’ve made it through a separation, you’ve found a new life-partner and you are starting to feel like you’ve found your stride again,your narrative arc does not want the mind-numbing news that you have to postpone joy for an immediate health crisis. Kelly’s life went in an en...2025-07-0840 min
Defining StoriesEpisode 13: Migration Stories with ClareClare is looking back on a life-changing event from over 25years ago. Bravely, all those years ago she activated the plan to migrate to new country. Not to the other side of the world, just down towards the end of the continent of Africa. How hard could it be, right? Inspired to build a better life for her children and to findnew opportunities for her and her partner’s career, Clare drove the migration forward with checklists and tick boxes that controlled the minutia of details and foresaw potential dangers everywhere. In Clare’s indomitable style mitigants were...2025-06-0952 minDefining StoriesEpisode 12: Coming of Age StoriesAdolescence can be brutal. Finding our path out of the hellscape of the teenage years is no easy feat. Adolescence is so difficult because it’s a time of such profound change without full control over what is happening inside of us and around us nor is there clarity about how this will all turn out. It’s a liminal space – that bridge between who you were and who you’re becoming. What Oscar shares so poignantly with us in this episode is that sense of hopelessness that can travel with us in these confusing times of our life. Oscar...2025-05-1257 minDefining StoriesEpisode 11: Possibility StoriesPhoebe is a master in the art of possibility. What makes her so masterful is this beguiling ability to just get involved in things with no expectation of an outcome other than she will learn something and quench her curiosity. She somewhat bravely leaps into things knowing she has an artillery of great skills and experiences at her disposal along with an ardent belief that she can work out problems if they arise. As a result, Phoebe is an opportunity magnet.When you listen to Phoebe talk about her career and life trajectory, you might notice this...2025-04-0146 minDefining StoriesEpisode 10: Reinvention StoriesReinvention stories are a common theme in literature. Jane Eyre refuses to let her difficult past define her, ultimately creating a life of dignity and self-respect. In The Great Gatsby we witness Jay Gatsby’s transformation highlighting both the allure and illusion of self-reinvention, questioning whether we can truly escape our past. Dickens gives us the ultimate reinvention story in Great Expectations. Pip’s journey is not just about changing his external circumstances; it’s about discovering who he truly is and learning to value the right things. His transformation is both a physical shift (new environment, education, social class) a...2025-03-0650 minDefining StoriesEpisode 9: Adventure StoriesThe call to adventure is the pivotal moment that propels us out of our ordinary world, forcing us to face challenges and grow. It’s a universal metaphor for the transformative journeys
we all face in life. Do we have to be brave and strong to have an adventure? Do we have to be curious and determined? Do we need to be searching for more meaning in our lives? Do we have to believe innately in our ability to cope with what ever the adventure might throw our way? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
Alanah is...2025-01-2845 minDefining StoriesEpisode 8: Transitioning StoriesAllison is one of those unique people who can talk about
seriously difficult and heavy content and can hold it lightly, seeing the humour in its complexity and the beauty in its heartbreak. It’s a wonderful ability to hold opposing forces together at the same time. Just one of her many
superpowers. Perhaps this skill comes from being raised in a family that could love anyone into existence which is an approach Alli has brought to all her relationships and life in general. As she enters her 4th decade, she’s working on softening the rules she had in p...2024-12-0746 minDefining StoriesEpisode 7: Hopeful Stories - Bonus DebriefIn narrative practice, the stories people tell about their
lives shape how they experience themselves and the world. Two prominent types of life narratives—contamination stories and redemption stories—play a crucial role in the meaning people ascribe to their experiences.
From a narrative practice perspective, contamination and
redemption stories are not fixed; they are fluid and subject to
reinterpretation. A contamination story can be re-authored into a redemption story through reflective processes and therapeutic conversations. Similarly, understanding redemption stories helps us recognise our capacity to create
meaning from adversity and see our lives as dynamic rather than s...2024-11-2413 minDefining StoriesEpisode 7: Hopeful Stories Bonus DebriefIn narrative practice, the stories people tell about their
lives shape how they experience themselves and the world. Two prominent types of life narratives—contamination stories and redemption stories—play a crucial role in the meaning people ascribe to their
experiences.
From a narrative practice perspective, contamination and
redemption stories are not fixed; they are fluid and subject to
reinterpretation. A contamination story can be re-authored into a redemption story through reflective processes and therapeutic conversations. Similarly, understanding redemption stories helps us recognise our capacity to create
meaning from adversity and see our lives as dynamic rather than s...2024-11-2013 minDefining StoriesEpisode 6: Hopeful StoriesThe humanitarian, Rosalynn Carter said with profound wisdom ‘there are only four kinds of people in the world: those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.' Our guest on this episode of Defining
Stories has experience of being in all four categories of caregiving.
From her story you will learn that Alison is in the process of resurrecting her life. After receiving a challenging health diagnosis, Ali braced herself for following a treatment plan borne out of the medical model. Along the way sh...2024-11-0545 minDefining StoriesEpisode 5: Identity Stories“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside
their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.” [Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind].
In narrative practice, identity is seen as fluid and
continually constructed through the stories people tell about themselves. At times in our lives, we can believe that a particular part of our identity defines us completely or may define us forever. By helping people explore and reshape these narratives, narrative practice fosters a renewed sense of personal agency and empowers us t...2024-10-0542 minDefining StoriesEpisode 4: Empowering StoriesSamantha is indeed a marvellous woman who has not only created an inspiring deck of cards called Marvellous
Women, but has achieved significant transformations throughout her life story.
Samantha shares her empowerment story in this
episode of Defining Stories. You’ll hear about how she retired an old story and belief system that allowed her to think that others knew better than her. As a young girl and woman, she was aware of letting others offer direction
over her life and choices. As Samantha matured, she grew in confidence and embraced an enticing new story that was ab...2024-09-0233 minDefining StoriesEpisode 3: Deconstructing StoriesOur episode this month is a fascinating conversation with Shona who also has a background in narrative practice. The theme explored in this conversation focuses on our ability to deconstruct our life stories so we can create new meaning.
In narrative practice, deconstructing stories is
a technique used to analyse and break down dominant narratives that shape our identity and experiences. The goal is to reveal the underlying assumptions, values, and influences that sustain these narratives, enabling individuals to challenge and transform them. How we make sense of our lives and the meaning we attach to...2024-08-0540 minDefining StoriesEpisode 2: Problem StoriesIn this episode we meet Kerri who generously shares the
story of a time in her life when a problem story became overwhelmingly significant. Problem stories are narratives that dominate our self-perception and worldview.
They can cause us to focus predominantly on the issues, difficulties, and negative experiences associated with the problem. These stories can significantly impact our mental health and well-being and can become so pervasive that they overshadow any positive experiences or attributes we may have, leading to a skewed and often negative self-perception.
When problems dominate our personal narrative, we may see o...2024-07-0536 minDefining StoriesEpisode 1: What is Narrative Practice?In this episode, Michelle and I chat about some of the principles that underpin narrative practice and why it can be useful to think of your life as a story. We explore the difference between a life history and a life story and how the meanings we attach to our memories can change our perception of events and the definitions we make about ourselves. We share how there is power in making problem stories regenerative and how personal agency is such a powerful tool for changing stories that are contaminating. You'll also hear a story about the man who...2024-06-0731 min