In this inspiring episode, host Susan Day speaks with Aislinn Sharp, musician, songwriter, and proud R U OK? Day Ambassador. Aislinn blends her passion for music with her commitment to mental health advocacy, using her voice and creativity to spark conversations that matter. Through her songs and community work, she encourages people to check in with one another, reminding us that a simple question—“Are you OK?”—can change a life.

This conversation is released in recognition of R U OK? Day 2025, held on Thursday, 11 September. Together, Susan and Aislinn explore the healing power of music, the importance of connection, and the role of creative expression in breaking down stigma around mental health.

Listeners will hear:

• Aislinn’s journey as a musician and mental health advocate
• How R U OK? Day empowers communities to start meaningful conversations
• The ways music can foster resilience, hope, and belonging

This episode is both uplifting and practical, showing how creativity and compassion can unite to support mental wellbeing.

Discover Aislinn's music here - https://www.youtube.com/user/AislinnSharp/videos

Follow Aislinn on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AislinnSharp/

Be a Guest

If you’re interested in being a guest on Mental Health Matters: Voices of Change, please comment and Susan will be in touch.

About Mindful Arts Therapy

Mindful Arts Therapy creates safe, empowering spaces where creativity becomes a pathway to healing. Through art, reflection, and trauma‑informed practice, it supports mental health by helping people of all ages build resilience, express emotions, and reconnect with their inner strength.

For more information:

https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/

🛑 Disclaimer: This episode does not replace professional mental or physical health care. Please consult a qualified therapist or medical practitioner for personalized support.

In this special episode, host Susan Day speaks with Anne Tudor OAM, writer, advocate, and dementia awareness champion. Anne is widely recognized for her groundbreaking work in storytelling and community engagement, sharing her lived experience of dementia alongside her late partner, Edie Mayhew. Their journey was not only marked by courage and honesty, but also by the gentle presence of Melvin, Edie’s loyal dog, whose companionship brought comfort and joy throughout their advocacy and daily life.

This conversation is released in recognition of Dementia Action Week 2025, held from 15–21 September. Together, Susan and Anne explore the importance of empathy, connection, and community in supporting people living with dementia and their families. Anne’s insights highlight how creativity, honesty, and advocacy—often enriched by the small but powerful bonds of animals like Melvin—can transform the way society understands dementia, ensuring that no one has to face it alone.

Listeners will hear:

• Anne’s journey as a writer and advocate for dementia awareness
• Reflections on living well with dementia and the power of storytelling
• How Dementia Action Week fosters community support and challenges stigma
• The role of companionship, including Melvin’s presence, in nurturing resilience and hope

This episode is both deeply personal and profoundly hopeful, reminding us that change begins with listening and sharing voices of lived experience.

Be a Guest

If you’re interested in being a guest on Mental Health Matters: Voices of Change, please comment and Susan will be in touch.

About Mindful Arts Therapy

Mindful Arts Therapy creates safe, empowering spaces where creativity becomes a pathway to healing. Through art, reflection, and trauma‑informed practice, it supports mental health by helping people of all ages build resilience, express emotions, and reconnect with their inner strength.

For more information:

https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/

🛑 Disclaimer: This episode does not replace professional mental or physical health care. Please consult a qualified therapist or medical practitioner for personalized support.

In this heartfelt conversation, host Susan Day sits down with psychologist Jordan Whitehead, whose work specializes in grief counselling and supporting women through life’s most challenging transitions. Together, they explore the tender realities of loss, the unique ways women experience and process grief, and the empowering strategies that can help transform pain into resilience.

Listeners will gain insight into:

• The emotional and psychological impact of grief on women
• Practical tools for navigating loss with compassion and strength
• How community, creativity, and therapy can foster healing and hope

Jordan’s expertise and gentle wisdom shine through, offering both validation and guidance for anyone walking the path of grief. This episode is a reminder that while loss is deeply personal, healing can be collective — and that women’s voices in grief deserve to be heard, honoured, and uplifted.

Discover more:Website: https://www.jordanwhiteheadpsych.com.au

Be My Guest

If you’re interested in being a guest on Mental Health Matters: Voices of Change, please comment and Susan will be in touch.

About Mindful Arts Therapy

Mindful Arts Therapy creates safe, empowering spaces where creativity becomes a pathway to healing. Through art, reflection, and trauma-informed practice, it supports mental health by helping people of all ages build resilience, express emotions, and reconnect with their inner strength.

For more information:
https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/

🛑 Disclaimer: This episode does not replace professional mental or physical health care. Please consult a qualified therapist or medical practitioner for personalized support.

In this episode of Mental Health Matters: Voices of Change, Susan sits down with Terri Pollock and Gillian Mercer to explore how creativity can inspire healing, connection, and change. Together, they share stories and insights that highlight the transformative role art plays in our lives and communities.

Discover more:

Terri Pollock Art: https://www.terripollockart.com/

Creative Australia: https://creative.gov.au/

Be My Guest

If you’re interested in being a guest on Mental HealthMatters: Voices of Change, please comment and Susan will be in touch.

About Mindful Arts Therapy

Mindful Arts Therapy creates safe, empowering spaces wherecreativity becomes a pathway to healing. Through art, reflection, and trauma‑informed practice, it supports mental health by helping people of all ages build resilience, express emotions, and reconnect with their inner strength.

For more information:

⁠⁠https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/⁠⁠

🛑 Disclaimer: This episode does not replace professional mental or physical health care. Please consult a qualified therapist or medical practitioner for personalized support.

In this episode, Susan speaks with Tony Macer from the Maryborough Volunteer Resource Group. Tony shares insights into the challenges facing local not‑for‑profits, the exciting outcomes of recent forums and training, and how the MVRG is working to ensure volunteering remains a vibrant and sustainable part of community life in the Central Goldfields.

The Maryborough Volunteer Resource Group (MVRG), run entirely by volunteers, has become a leading organisation in strengthening and supporting community groups across the Central Goldfields Shire. Its mission includes building a shire‑wide network of support for not‑for‑profit organisations, promoting volunteering to attract new participants, and addressing rising loneliness and social isolation to improve mental and physical health outcomes. A recent survey of local groups revealed declining trends consistent with the 2023 National Volunteer Strategy, highlighting the urgent need for action.

In response, the MVRG hosted the Changing Face of Volunteering forum in May 2024, bringing together around 100 participants to shape new directions and inform the Council’s Volunteer Strategy. This pivotal event sparked momentum, with many community groups engaging in ongoing meetings to set priorities for 2025.

In February 2025, the cohort undertook extensive training with FRRR through the Investing in Rural Community Futures program, generating optimism and renewed energy for the sustainability of volunteering in the region.

Discover more:

Website: https://maryboroughvolunteers.org.au/

Be My Guest

If you’re interested in being a guest on Mental HealthMatters: Voices of Change, please comment and Susan will be in touch.

About Mindful Arts Therapy

Mindful Arts Therapy creates safe, empowering spaces wherecreativity becomes a pathway to healing. Through art, reflection, and trauma‑informed practice, it supports mental health by helping people of all ages build resilience, express emotions, and reconnect with their inner strength.

For more information:

⁠⁠https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/⁠⁠

🛑 Disclaimer: This episode does not replace professional mental or physical health care. Please consult a qualified therapist or medical practitioner for personalized support.

Welcome to Mental Health Matters: Voices of Change, the podcast where we explore the stories, insights, and practices that help us build emotionally safe and empowering lives. I’m your host, Susan Day, and today we’re diving into a timely conversation about the holiday season.

Christmas can be a season of joy, but it can also bring stress, pressure, and emotional challenges. To help us unpack the mental health impacts of this time of year, I’m joined by psychologist Jordan Whitehead. Together, we’ll explore why it’s so important to slow down, take it easy, and embrace gratitude as a grounding practice.

This episode is all about finding balance—recognizing the pressures we face, while also creating space for kindness, reflection, and self-care. Jordan brings thoughtful expertise and practical strategies that can help us navigate the holidays with more peace and presence.

So settle in, and let’s begin this conversation on how we can care for our mental health during Christmas, and discover the power of gratitude in shaping a gentler, more joyful season.

Discover more about Jordan's work here:

https://www.jordanwhiteheadpsych.com.au/

Be My Guest

If you’re interested in being a guest on Mental Health Matters: Voices of Change, please comment and Susan will be in touch.

About Mindful Arts Therapy

Mindful Arts Therapy creates safe, empowering spaces where creativity becomes a pathway to healing. Through art, reflection, and trauma‑informed practice, it supports mental health by helping people of all ages build resilience, express emotions, and reconnect with their inner strength.

For more information:

⁠⁠https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/⁠⁠

🛑 Disclaimer: This episode does not replace professional mental or physical health care. Please consult a qualified therapist or medical practitioner for personalized support.

In today’s episode, we step into the paddock — both literally and emotionally — with Natasha Whitwell, founder of Seen and Herd Equine Assisted Therapy. Natasha shares how horses, with their intuitive presence and gentle strength, can guide us toward healing, emotional regulation, and personal growth.

From her tranquil base in Kulnura, NSW, Natasha offers a unique therapeutic approach that blends counselling with the wisdom of horses. She creates safe spaces for people of all ages to reconnect with themselves and discover new pathways to wellbeing.

Discover more:Website: https://www.seenandherd.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/seenandherdaustralia

Be My Guest

If you’re interested in being a guest on Mental HealthMatters: Voices of Change, please comment and Susan will be in touch.

About Mindful Arts Therapy

Mindful Arts Therapy creates safe, empowering spaces wherecreativity becomes a pathway to healing. Through art, reflection, and trauma‑informed practice, it supports mental health by helping people of all ages build resilience, express emotions, and reconnect with their inner strength.

For more information:

⁠https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/⁠

🛑 Disclaimer: This episode does not replace professional mental or physical health care. Please consult a qualified therapist or medical practitioner for personalized support.

Today we share a heartfelt conversation with Amanda Cops from Mental Health Foundation Australia. Amanda’s lived experience brings depth and authenticity to her advocacy, and her leadership in coordinating peer support groups across the country is extraordinary.

With lived experience of bipolar disorder, Amanda shows the power of community care. She leads 34 online peer support groups nationwide, creating safe, supportive spaces for Australians to connect, heal, and thrive.

Mental Health Foundation Australia (MHFA) was founded in 1930 and is the oldest community-based mental health organisation in the country. For 94 years, MHFA has provided vital education and support services to Australians from all walks of life.

To learn more or get involved: Website: https://www.mhfa.org.au Phone: 1300 643 287

Want to be a guest on Mental Health Matters: Voices of Change?

Please reach out or leave a comment. Susan will be in touch.

Discover more about Mindful Arts Therapy: https://mindfulartstherapy.com.au/