Mothers’ Day can be a funny old day. I never really love looking at personal Facebook on days like this, but today I sat on our family’s mums’ bench, then later in my mum’s rocking chair, and remembered her: loyal, compassionate and fun. Her plaque says, “Anyone can cuddle but only the Welsh can cwtch.” That feels about right.
A cuddle, a cwtch, a memory, and a few small smiles.
And Meg, of course, forgot to get me a present again. 🤣🐾
Love to everyone for whom today is joyful, tender, complicated, or a bit of everything.🧡
Happy World Laughter Day! 😄
🌍 This morning, I joined the founder of Laughter Yoga, Dr Madan Kataria, and over 200 laughter leaders online across the globe - laughing together for world peace. ☀️ Then this afternoon, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and we gathered in the park here in Adelaide. From global to local…Same laughter. Same connection. Such a joy. 🤩
Meaningful May 🌿
Your workplace has values. Do you?
I didn’t get clear on mine until I was 50. Everything changed when I did. ✨ (one of mine is contribution which is why I’m posting this)
This is your 31-day reset → One small, meaningful action each day. No pressure. No perfection.
Just alignment. By the end of May, you might feel…
more grounded, more intentional, more you.
Save this and come back to it each day 💛
#MeaningfulMay #ValuesMatter #LiveWithPurpose #IntentionalLiving #PersonalGrowth #Wellbeing #SelfAwareness
Thanks Action for Happiness
It was a pleasure to be interviewed by @radioadelaide yesterday. 🎙️
Not often I get the chance to talk about my work right here in the @holdfastbay community - the work that’s quietly been at the heart of what I do for years:
• 20 years as a homebound library volunteer.
• Supporting people as a Dementia Doula and Cognitive Stimulation Therapy facilitator.
• Bringing together aged care residents and 4-year-olds for the past 4 years from ACH Kapara and the ELC at St Peter's Woodlands.
• And of course, my monthly Brighton library laughter club (yes… I even got the host laughing with me for a few minutes 😄)
Different settings, same purpose: creating moments of connection, joy, and belonging, especially for people who might otherwise feel isolated. Because right now, more than ever, we don’t just need services…
We need community.
We need shared moments.
We need a reason to smile together.💛
#Community #Connection #LaughterYoga #Dementia #SocialConnection #Wellbeing
4 gigs. 4 days. 4 very different rooms, one shared human experience and a week grounded in some of my values including fun, curiosity, and variety.💫
This week looked like:
👶 Preschool teachers at the @aeunionsa - humans holding huge responsibility while navigating the rollout of 3-year-olds into the system.
☕ @cuppa.tv Movement Circle - unpacking the pandemic of loneliness and what’s really going on beneath the surface.
💛 Second 50 women moving through transitions + redefining what’s next.
🌏 @mission_aust national training team, leading through constant change in the NDIS space.
Different rooms. Different challenges. But the same question sitting underneath it all: “Do I have what it takes to handle what’s in front of me?” That’s the work I love. That’s the pattern I see everywhere. And yes… always a mix of science and laughter 😄 Because calm, connection and confidence don’t have to come wrapped in seriousness.
✨ A little side note. ✨ My UK trip has recentlly been cancelled, which means I now have some unexpected availability across May/June. If your team is navigating change, pressure, or just needs a reset right now with real, practical tools, I’ve got space to support a few more teams.
#resilience #loneliness #burnout #selfefficacy #transitions #education #ndis #workplacewellbeing
Today, for International Wellness Day, I’m celebrating the tiny sparks of joy that brighten an ordinary day.
This morning, I saw the start of a rainbow 🌈 A little reminder that joy doesn’t always arrive in big life-changing moments. Sometimes it’s small, quiet, and easy to miss unless we’re looking for it. I call these little moments joy snacks = tiny flashes of delight, wonder, beauty or gratitude that help us feel more alive.
Today, mine was the start of a rainbow. What’s yours?
#Internationalwellnessday #joysnacks #wellbeing #mindfulmoments #gratitude #lookforthegood
🎤 Fun Friday fact: I LOVE my job. I talk about burnout… but not in a doom-and-gloom way. I talk about the missing piece in burnout: inefficacy - that moment when people stop believing they can cope, lead, help or make a difference. But learning about serious topics does not have to feel heavy all the time. 😊
As a former primary school teacher, I’m a big believer in making ideas practical, memorable and fun. 🎈 Last Friday with SAWLIS, that was exactly the vibe (yes, apparently that’s the word now - this 60-year-old picked up a few things being around so many young people 😄). I was also in very good company on the day, alongside Martin Westwell and Dr Kylie Henneke. 🙌
My morning keynote shared the tools and ideas behind my F.U.N. Formula to help people feel more calm, connected and confident. ✨ Then in the afternoon we explored mindfulness, the vagus nerve, self-compassion for empathic distress… and finished with laughter and The Giggle Game ™. 🧠💛😂
The audience? People doing such important frontline work in schools: Student Wellbeing Leaders, Counsellors, Youth Workers, Social Workers, Wellbeing Support Officers and Pastoral Care Workers.
And yes, the puppets made an appearance 😂🦖🐘 Why? Because when our nervous system is overloaded, we can’t use our best thinking. We need to calm the dinosaur first, so the zookeeper and elephant can do their jobs. That’s why I use stories, props, volunteers and laughter. Because practical learning sticks. 💡
So… how will you calm your dinosaur this weekend so your zookeeper and elephant can help you think clearly, spot new possibilities and know your next best step? 🦖✨
Oh and if you’re looking for a speaker who takes people seriously, but not always herself, I might be your person. 😂
#KeynoteSpeaker #FUNFormula #SelfEfficacy #Burnout #BurnoutPrevention #Education
Find out more about SAWLIS and all the incredible work they do https://educators-sa.sa.edu.au/directory/south-australian-well-being-leaders-in-schools-association-inc/
EASE into Easter 🐣
Today is the International Day of Calm and here’s a little perspective present for you:
There are almost 1,000 minutes in your average waking day and today I’m just asking for ONE of them.
If you live with ADHD or anxiety, even “RELAX” can feel like a task. So let’s not call it that. Let’s call it JUST A MINUTE. That’s it. Anyone can do this, even you (yes you). 💛
Try this:
Soft Gaze 👁️
1. Find one thing in front of you.
2. Let your eyes go slightly unfocused.
3. Don’t analyse it. Just rest your eyes on it - your shoe, a light, a blade of grass. Doesn’t matter what. Just one minute of doing nothing, on purpose.
Repeat a few times a day. That’s it….Well done. 👏🏻
#internationaldayofcalm #easeintoeaster #OneMinutePractice #mindfulmoment
*Update- We will see you all at 9am*
Loneliness isn’t just something people “deal with” on their own. It’s showing up in how we work, connect, and live.
Maybe the question isn’t “how do I fix this?” Maybe it’s “what are we missing together?”
We’re opening up a different kind of conversation. One that moves beyond surface-level advice and into real understanding.
It’s April 1st and with so much going on in the world, many of us are carrying more stress in our bodies than we realise 💛 One of the kindest things we can do for ourselves this month is move 🏃♀️💃 Not for perfection. Not for punishment. Just to help our bodies let go ✨
💠 Shake in the kitchen 🕺
💠 Dance in the lounge room 💃
💠 Walk the block 🚶♀️
💠 Do star jumps while the kettle boils ☕
💠 Stretch between meetings 🙆♀️
💠 Run, sway, wiggle, stomp - whatever works for you 🎶
Movement can shift energy, release tension, and remind us that we’re still here, still breathing, still capable of feeling a little better 🌿So I love this Active April calendar from Action for Happiness as a gentle prompt 📅 -small actions, every day, to help us feel more grounded, alive and well 🌈 Here’s to an April with a little more movement, and a little less stress 🤍
#ActiveApril #MoveYourBody #StressRelief #Wellbeing #MindBody #GentleMovement #MentalWellbeing #AprilReset
Just over a week ago, I was in Sydney speaking to RTOs and trainers at The Australian VET Confernce.
A week later, I was on the other side of Australia in Perth, working with 150 participants at a WorldSkills Australia event.
For my non-Aussie mates that’s over 3,900 kilometres between the two. Yes… Australia really is that big 🇦🇺
Different audiences. Same mission: to help people build the three things that underpin everything we do well - efficacy through calm, connection, and confidence. Because whether you’re training others, learning a trade, leading a team or navigating change…your human capability is what carries you through. Not just what you know but how you show up.
What really stayed with me at WorldSkills Australia were the conversations with young people — hearing their passion for their trade and craft. From electrical to refrigeration, cheffing to hairdressing… their pride, focus and drive was unmistakable.😀. It left me feeling genuinely encouraged.
Grateful to do this work across such diverse spaces, and to see the same truth play out again and again: When people feel regulated, supported, and capable…performance, learning, and wellbeing all lift.
From Sydney to Perth, and everywhere in between, this is what building human capability looked like in action for me last week.
Question: What’s one thing you’re getting better at this year?
Thank you 🙏 Javier Amaro Castillo and Brigitte Collins-Kaufmann
#HumanCapability #VET #WorldSkillsAustralia #SelfEfficacy #WellbeingAtWork #F.U.NFormula
Happy World Social Work Day 💙
What a privilege to bring a little F.U.N to this amazing group at Flinders Medical Centre today.
To every social worker in South Australia and beyond - thank you for the way you show up, hold space, and care deeply for others.
A small reminder today: your wellbeing matters too.
#WorldSocialWorkDay #FUNFormula #WellbeingAtWork #Gratitude
