Why Children Melt Down When Screens End Why do simple moments like “time to turn it off” so often end in tears, anger, shutdowns, or emotional explosions? In the first episode of Big Feelings, Growing Brains, neuroscientist Professor Selena Bartlett brings together educators, parents, and wellbeing voices to explore what is really happening in the developing brain during screen-time transitions. Featuring: Professor Selena BartlettDr Mark Williams, cognitive neuroscientist, Author, ScreenSma...
May 25
31 min
Anxiety in children and teenagers is rising, but are we always helping in the right way? In this powerful conversation, with clinical psychologist Dr Danielle Einstein to explore what anxiety really is, how modern parenting, social media and screens may unintentionally reinforce it, and why avoidance can quietly strengthen fear over time. Drawing on neuroscience, clinical psychology, and real-world family experiences, this episode explores: Why the brain learns through experience H...
May 19
50 min
Episode #216 Will Agency become the word for 2026? Raising Screen Smart People with Dr Mark Williams
What does it really mean to raise a screen-smart child in a world that is designed to capture their attention? In this important and timely conversation, I sit down with Dr Mark Williams to discuss his new book with Gavin McCormack, exploring the science, the reality, and the responsibility we all share when it comes to children and screens. Drawing from their new book Screen Smart Children, we go beyond fear and blame to unpack what is actually happening in the developing brain. We talk abou...
May 6
42 min
If we are honest, we know we are not one fixed version of ourselves. We can be generous and self-interested, patient and reactive, all within the same day. In this episode, we explore that uncomfortable truth and what it reveals about human behaviour. I sit down with Benjamin Knight to discuss Contained, a powerful immersive experience that brings you inside the reality of youth detention. It asks a confronting question: how different are “we” from “them,” really? Through story, neuroscience,...
Apr 7
43 min
What if the pickleball court was the beginning of a movement? Not a fitness trend, but a genuine response to one of the most significant public health challenges of our time: the slow erosion of the social fabric that holds communities together and keeps people well. I was sharing an Uber Pool on my way to speak to a room full of local council leaders when the woman sitting next to me started talking about why she had left her job in tech. She had spent a decade building a platform connecting...
Mar 27
49 min
Kindness Tim Tams: A World a Little Better Because of Rachel Robinson, MySummits In this episode of Thriving Minds, Professor Selena Bartlett speaks with Rachel Robinson, Director of Adventure-Based Therapeutic Solutions (ABTS) and co-founder of MySummits, about the transformative impact of connection and outdoor adventure for young people. Rachel shares a story from one of her camps where offering a struggling young person a simple Tim Tam became a powerful moment of kindness and care. Drawi...
Mar 8
46 min
"I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message. " In 2026, many parents, teachers and coaches are asking the same question. What is happening to our children? Across schools and communities, we are seeing more aggression, faster escalation of conflict, online humiliation spilling into classrooms, and young people struggling to regulate strong emotions. At the same time, childhood is now lived through screen...
Feb 26
46 min
This week on Thriving Minds, I’m joined by Associate Professor Tara Walker, Senior Research Associate at the Queensland Brain Institute (UQ) — and co-host of the trail running podcast Trail Tales with Tara and Bryce. Tara and I are both neuroscientists, and we both love running. In this episode we explore the science and the joy of trail running — what it does for brain health, mental health, confidence, and connection. We talk about why running on trails feels so different to road running, h...
Feb 16
50 min
Episode #210. Don’t Break Their Spirit. Learnt helplessness in the AI era. Professor Selena Bartlett
What happens when we mistake compliance for strength? In this episode of Thriving Minds, Professor Selena Bartlett explores a powerful and confronting conversation with a man who was proud of the physical punishment he received as a child. He believed it made him disciplined. He believed it taught him consequences. He believed it made him better. But beneath that story lies a deeper question: when does discipline build character, and when does it condition helplessness? Drawing on neuroscienc...
Feb 15
10 min
In this episode of Thriving Minds, Professor Selena Bartlett is joined by Ellie Murphy, founder of Storitiv, to explore why authenticity is becoming one of the most important human skills in an AI-mediated world. As technology makes it easier than ever to generate polished language, profiles, and narratives, many people are sensing a growing gap between how they present themselves and what feels true underneath. This conversation examines why that gap matters, how humans are wired to detect a...
Feb 7
47 min
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