The Learning Curve: Recent Episodes
Stuart Earl
The Learning Curve is a podcast for families - veteran parents, soon-to-be parents, new parents that want to learn and grow as a family. Modern families are multi-faceted, busier than ever and thirsty for knowledge to improve their lives and the way they operate as a unit.
Raising kids is no small feat and as the saying goes ”it takes a tribe to raise a child” and our goal is to become part of your tribe where you can come to gain insights and knowledge from experts in their field and those that have gone before you.
Hosted by CEO of Wondergarden Premium Early Learning and soon-to-be father Stuart Earl and Diana Earl family counsellor, social justice advocate and soon-to-be mum. On this podcast you will find a mix of interviews with experts on topics such as: parenting, psychology, health & fitness, nutrition, finances, childhood development to name a few as well informal chats with Diana Earl, Stuart’s wife where they discuss their own parenting journey and what they have learned.
To find out more about Wondergarden go to www.wondergarden.com.au
To get in touch with us, please send an email to thelearningcurve@wondergarden.com.au
Once more we welcome our friend, Monique Felton, an EAP and occupational rehab counsellor. In this raw and engaging episode, we dive into the world of confidence. What it is, how we can grow it and how can parents, including second time parents increase theirs.
This episode adds to the topics discussed in Episode 8 but can also be listened to as a standalone episode. We touch on how to work on different roles as parents, how to heal from past trauma and self-worth.
Monique is a registered Rehabilitation and EAP Counsellor and has worked in counselling and occupational rehabilitation for over 10 years. Monique has worked in a range of counselling roles including child and family counselling, community support, youth justice, Tertiary Student Support and EAP workplace counselling. She has a passion for supporting those who are going through major life transitions, adjustment periods, and/or recovery from injuries or trauma. She enjoys helping people to build on their sense of self, self-confidence and general wellbeing. Monique comes from a client-centred, Acceptance Commitment Therapy background. She values authenticity and self-worth above all else and strives to help her clients to realise their full potential and reach their goals.
You can reach Monique via instagram @monstar_28
*Please note, this episode may touch on sensitive topics including health concerns, post-natal depression and worries. Some listeners may find some of the topics confronting. Please reach out to your health practitioner if any of the topics discussed raise concern for you.
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We welcome feedback, questions and comments. You can make contact with the team at The Learning Curve at: thelearningcurve@wondergarden.com.au
This episode was brought to you by Wondergarden Premium Early Learning. At wondergarden, we believe children thrive in an environment that values individuality, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. We understand that Early Learning is much more than a childminding service and children attending a quality EL service are ahead of their peers in language skills, emotional skills and academically in both early primary and even up to high school.
You can find more info on Wondergarden here: https://www.wondergarden.com.au/
Pregnancy, parenting and everything in between is quite the journey. It brings some amazing things, like growing a human and getting to know your body in a different way. However, it can also come with some unexpected things like feeling disconnected from your body, a change in your body image – both positive and negative, creating a new identity and everything in between.
This episode will delve into body image and the changes that you can experience pre-and-post-pregnancy. Diana and Monique discuss healing post-pregnancy and reconnecting with your body.
Monique is a registered Rehabilitation and EAP Counsellor and has worked in counselling and occupational rehabilitation for over 10 years. Monique has worked in a range of counselling roles including child and family counselling, community support, youth justice, Tertiary Student Support and EAP workplace counselling. She has a passion for supporting those who are going through major life transitions, adjustment periods, and/or recovery from injuries or trauma. She enjoys helping people to build on their sense of self, self-confidence and general wellbeing. Monique comes from a client-centred, Acceptance Commitment Therapy background. She values authenticity and self-worth above all else and strives to help her clients to realise their full potential and reach their goals.
You can reach Monique via instagram @monstar_28
*Trigger warning: This episode will discuss topics that some of audience members may find triggering, including a difficult birth and recovery.
We also recommend that you listen to Episode 5 – creating healthy habits for some extra tips!
In this episode we interview clinical psychologist and dear friend Anne Woodcroft-Brown. Anne is a clinical psychologist, working with primary aged children. She is a first time mum sharing her experiences with us, using her psychology background to give tips on mental health wellbeing and creating emotionally supportive environments.
In this episode we discuss some very important topics on mental health wellbeing, ways to keep yourself feeling well and creating an emotionally supportive environment in your relationships.
*Please note, this information is not intended to be taken as professional advice.
Resources:
The emotional environment: https://app.croneri.co.uk/feature-articles/emotional-environment
What is mental health?: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/what-is-mental-health
Gary Chapman the Five Love Languages: https://www.5lovelanguages.com/
The Think, Feel, Act Cycle: https://happinessisadecision.com/the-think-feel-act-cycle-and-how-we-can-use-it-to-be-happier/
Anne's contact info:
Email: a.woodcroftbrown@gmail.com
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/little.loafie/
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This episode was brought to you by Wondergarden Premium Early Learning. At wondergarden, we believe children thrive in an environment that values individuality, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. We understand that Early Learning is much more than a childminding service and children attending a quality EL service are ahead of their peers in language skills, emotional skills and academically in both early primary and even up to high school.
You can find more info on Wondergarden here: https://www.wondergarden.com.au/
Part II of Episode 6
Making the decision to enter the property market is an exciting, albeit, nerve wracking one for many families. The time commitments to get to inspections, deal with multiple agents and truly understanding what your family needs can cause stress and pressure on those involved. Amplify this by a hot market we are seeing in Brisbane has seen families outbid, or paying 30% above asking price and many families feeling like getting into the market is now impossible.
In today’s episode we interview Guy Smith, Head Buyer’s agent for Providence Property Group and licensed valuer where we go deep on everything families and really anyone wanting to get into the market can do to put their best foot forward and buy the home of their dreams.
Guy Smith a New Zealand born property expert is the Head Buyers Agent for the Brisbane office of Providence Property Group. Guy has 15 year’s experience in the Brisbane property market as a registered valuer and licensed buyer’s agent. Guy decided to become a buyer’s agent in order to use his experience and skillset as a valuer, to help those buying property by avoiding costly mistakes he often saw occur.
You can find Guy via the below means.
Email: guy@providenceproperty.com.au
Phone: 0492 838 445
Instagram: @guysmith_buyersagent
Online tools mentioned regarding flooding:
Brisbane City Council Flood Mapping (or the relevant council in the area you are purchasing property)
FloodWise Property Reports
Overland Flow Mapping
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This episode was brought to you by Wondergarden Premium Early Learning. At wondergarden, we believe children thrive in an environment that values individuality, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. We understand that Early Learning is much more than a childminding service and children attending a quality EL service are ahead of their peers in language skills, emotional skills and academically in both early primary and even up to high school.
You can find more info on Wondergarden here: https://www.wondergarden.com.au/
Part I of Episode 6
Making the decision to enter the property market is an exciting, albeit, nerve wracking one for many families. The time commitments to get to inspections, deal with multiple agents and truly understanding what your family needs can cause stress and pressure on those involved. Amplify this by a hot market we are seeing in Brisbane has seen families outbid, or paying 30% above asking price and many families feeling like getting into the market is now impossible.
In today’s episode we interview Guy Smith, Head Buyer’s agent for Providence Property Group and licensed valuer where we go deep on everything families and really anyone wanting to get into the market can do to put their best foot forward and buy the home of their dreams.
Guy Smith a New Zealand born property expert is the Head Buyers Agent for the Brisbane office of Providence Property Group. Guy has 15 year’s experience in the Brisbane property market as a registered valuer and licensed buyer’s agent. Guy decided to become a buyer’s agent in order to use his experience and skillset as a valuer, to help those buying property by avoiding costly mistakes he often saw occur.
You can find Guy via the below means.
Email: guy@providenceproperty.com.au
Phone: 0492 838 445
Instagram: @guysmith_buyersagent
Online tools mentioned regarding flooding:
Brisbane City Council Flood Mapping (or the relevant council in the area you are purchasing property)
FloodWise Property Reports
Overland Flow Mapping
________________________________
This episode was brought to you by Wondergarden Premium Early Learning. At wondergarden, we believe children thrive in an environment that values individuality, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. We understand that Early Learning is much more than a childminding service and children attending a quality EL service are ahead of their peers in language skills, emotional skills and academically in both early primary and even up to high school.
You can find more info on Wondergarden here: https://www.wondergarden.com.au/
In this episode Diana interviews Stuart about habits and we go deep into how you can build healthy habits into your life to help you achieve your goals. This is a really practical episode so sit back and enjoy.
References from our discussion
The Habit Loop:
- https://nesslabs.com/habits-routines-rituals - article that summarises habits and routines
- https://www.amazon.com.au/Power-Habit-Why-What-Change/dp/1847946240/ - (Book) The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change by Charles Duhigg
- https://jamesclear.com/habit-triggers - The Habit Loop by James Clear (this model uses 4 elements)
Self Compassion: https://self-compassion.org/
If you have any questions or suggestions about our podcast please get in touch by email: thelearningcurve@wondergarden.com.au
This episode is part 2 and a continuation from last week’s episode on boundaries where we delve deep into creating successful and sustainable boundaries with your loved ones. Hear from our own counselling expert, Diana, tips and tricks to create lasting boundaries. If you didn’t listen to part 1, we recommend starting there before listening to this episode.
This episode is chock full of good information, we recommend having a pen and paper, one note or your phone ready to write down information. Take down the bits that you like and leave the rest!
We have decided to split this episode into 2 out of respect for your time. Next week we will release part 2 where we continue on with boundaries by focusing on the practical side of setting and maintaining boundaries in different areas of your life.
Throughout this episode, we describe:
- What boundaries are
- The different types of boundaries that exist
- How to create your own boundaries – and stick to them!
- And what to do if you when your boundaries are not being respected.
References from this episode:
Tree of life exercise: https://nathanbweller.com/tree-life-simple-exercise-reclaiming-identity-direction-life-story/
Dr Russ Harris: https://www.actmindfully.com.au/
Worksheets and extras from Dr Russ Harris: https://www.actmindfully.com.au/free-stuff/worksheets-handouts-book-chapters/
This episode was brought to you by Wondergarden Premium Early Learning. At Wondergarden, we believe children thrive in an environment that values individuality, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. We understand that Early Learning is much more than a childminding service and children attending a quality EL service are ahead of their peers in language skills, emotional skills and academically in both early primary and high school.
You can find more info on Wondergarden here: https://www.wondergarden.com.au/
In this episode we delve deep into creating successful and sustainable boundaries with your loved ones. Hear from our own counselling expert, Diana, tips and tricks to create lasting boundaries. This episode is chock full of good information, we recommend having a pen and paper, one note or your phone ready to write down information. Take down the bits that you like and leave the rest!
We have decided to split this episode into 2 out of respect for your time. Next week we will release part 2 where we continue on with boundaries by focusing on the practical side of setting and maintaining boundaries in different areas of your life.
Throughout this episode, we describe:
- What boundaries are
- The different types of boundaries that exist
- How to create your own boundaries – and stick to them!
- And what to do if you when your boundaries are not being respected.
This episode was brought to you by Wondergarden Premium Early Learning. At Wondergarden, we believe children thrive in an environment that values individuality, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. We understand that Early Learning is much more than a childminding service and children attending a quality EL service are ahead of their peers in language skills, emotional skills and academically in both early primary and high school.
You can find more info on Wondergarden here: https://www.wondergarden.com.au/
First of all, we would like to apologise for the lower sound quality this week, we had some technical issues!
In this episode we delve into the world of first trimester pregnancy.
Anxiety can be a real problem for expecting mums, particularly during first trimester. Health of baby, personal health and body image, impact to career and other areas of life can all invoke a sense of losing control over things you may have taken for granted. On top of that, many expecting parents are unsure if their experience is 'normal' or expected.
Hear from our own experiences regarding emotions, health and inter-relational dynamics and how we navigated the first trimester.
References from our discussion
Online resources:
What to expect app - https://www.whattoexpect.com/mobile-app/
Web MD (Diana referred to MD Health but meant Web MD) - https://www.webmd.com/
The Mayo Clinic - https://www.mayoclinic.org/
What to Expect When You're Expecting Book - https://www.amazon.com.au/What-Expect-When-Youre-Expecting/dp/1460756118
*Trigger warning – this episode touches on topics around pregnancy including but not limited to miscarriage. Please listen with caution and should the discussion in the episode bring anything up based on your own experience, we recommend you speak with your health care professional.
In Australia we have a great public health system where a large portion of treatments including the care during pregnancy and delivery are paid for by the government which we are very lucky to have. We do also have the option to go for private medical care depending on a few things including your private health insurance cover.
In this episode Stuart and Diana uncovers what it actually means for parents when choosing health care for the delivery of their child. Choosing between the public and private health care system is far more than simply an economic decision and can define the outcomes of your delivery. We talk about our own experience and decision making process so that we can hopefully help others along their journey.
Please note: this is not professional advice and any decisions you make should be made with your individual needs and circumstances in mind.
Diana mentioned the term 'Doula' in this episode which is a person supporting a woman and her family with information and practical and emotional care during pregnancy and birth. Doulas sometimes continue caring for women and their babies in the first weeks after the birth.
For more info on Doulas go to: https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/a-z-health-reference/doula
This episode was brought to you by Wondergarden Premium Early Learning. At wondergarden, we believe children thrive in an environment that values individuality, while providing support and opportunities to grow emotionally, socially and creatively. We understand that Early Learning is much more than a childminding service and children attending a quality EL service are ahead of their peers in language skills, emotional skills and academically in both early primary and even up to high school.
You can find more info on Wondergarden here: https://www.wondergarden.com.au/
In our first episode, Stuart chats with his wife, Diana about their experience during their first pregnancy. They talk about and provide advice on practical solutions to organising yourself as a newly expecting parent, things to consider with your work and maternity leave as well as social tips that you will have to navigate during pregnancy.
Diana Earl is a qualified counsellor with a focus on families, relationships and youth.
If you would like to get in contact with Diana you can reach her on her website: https://www.vida-life.com.au/
For more info on Red Nose Australia go to their website: https://rednose.org.au/
For more info on The Gottman Institute visit their website: https://www.gottman.com/