We’ve arrived at the final episode of Embracing the Mind's fourth season.

Today’s guest is Ben Mortley, an established actor who swapped the stage for the counsellor's armchair.

He’s been in beloved shows such as McLeod’s Daughters and Home & Away, as well as numerous movies and theatre productions.

Ben shares stories of his time at the National Institute of Dramatic Art, how learning the art of listening as an actor was instrumental in his development as a counsellor, and stereotype-busting surprises from group sessions he has run.

TW: This episode contains mention of mental health issues, addiction, physical assault, self-harm, and alcohol and other drug use.

Embrace is supported by its principal partner, Rio Tinto, and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.

Don’t listen to this episode on an empty stomach!

Today, we’re joined by award-winning chef Blaze Young.

We wanted to learn about the creativity of cooking – from choosing the produce, formulating a palette of tastes in your mind, to plating the meal in an appealing way – and Blazepractices this across her work every day.

Blaze outlines her journey as a chef and shares the mental health challenges of working in hospitality.

Embrace is supported by its principal partner, Rio Tinto, and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.

Link: https://healthymindmenu.org.au/

Humour is all around us – some prefer to watch a comedy show, listen to a funny podcast, or joke with friends. Some even make it their career, such as today’s guest Simone Springer.

But where does it fall as a form of creativity? We explore this and more with Simone, who takes us on her journey – examining the trials and tribulations of the laughter circuit, and inspires us to take the plunge and believe in ourselves.

TW: This episode contains mention of mental health issues and suicide.

Embrace is supported by its principal partner, Rio Tinto, and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.

So far, we’ve explored different avenues of art and mental health, but today Bek Morrison explores art as a way to connect with culture and family.

Bek shares her experiences as a young Noongar woman learning to embrace her culture and ways of painting, and the time it took to develop the confidence to pass this onto younger mob.

TW: Today’s episode contains themes that may be triggering or upsetting for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Embrace is supported by its principal partner,Rio Tinto, and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.

James Foley exudes humour and playfulness, and his back-catalogue of children’s books reflect this.

Fans of his beloved works such as Stellarphant or Goldfish-Finger can tune into today’s episode to hear James discuss his career as a writer, cartoonist and creative workshop provider.

We'll also learn why we should all try to harness our playfulside, even as adults, in this insightful conversation.

To learn more about James, his books, and his workshops, check out his website: jamesfoley.com.au/

Today’s guest Bobby Zheng reconnected with his passion for illustration while completing an internship with us at Embrace, where he assisted in the creation of a resource for young people experiencing dissociation.

A recent bachelor of psychology graduate, Bobby tells us what it takes to study fashion in Florence, examines the distinctions between fine art and free art, and explores the importance of external validation.

Embrace is supported by its principal partner, Rio Tinto, and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.

Keep an eye out next time you’re wandering the streets, and you may see a piece by today’s guest, Stormie Mills. His incredible art adorns blocks worldwide, using emotionally charged and monochromatic imagery to capture the attention of viewers.

Stormie shares the power of journaling using sketches instead of words, and takes us on a journey that took his art career beyond the streets.

TW: This episode contains discussion of mental health issues

Embrace is supported by its principal partner, Rio Tinto, and Channel 7 Telethon Trust.

Links:

To read more about Stormie and see his work, you can check out his website:

https://www.stormiemills.com/