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
The podcast episode featured a conversation with Professor Sharon Lawn about mental health systems, lived experience, and the importance of humanising care for individuals with mental health challenges. We discuss the need for more person-centered, compassionate approaches in mental health services and the value of incorporating lived experience perspectives into research, policy, and practice. The conversation emphasized the significance of community support, everyday acts of kindness,...
Jan 22
51 min
Episode #207 marks a moment of deep gratitude and reflection. In this special episode, I look back on the journey that shaped Thriving Minds from the early days of questioning how the brain works, through decades of neuroscience, to the new era we are stepping into together. This episode explores how early life experiences shape the nervous system, why connection is a biological regulator, and how compassion, presence and daily habits drive real neuroplastic change and where AI and digital te...
Dec 9, 2025
24 min
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