CONTENT WARNING: This episode includes discussions around eating disorders and body image. Please use the following services for support or feel free to leave this episode for another time if you are feeling vulnerable.

• Butterfly Foundation: 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673)

If you or someone you know is in crisis please call one of the following:

• Police & Ambulance: 000
• Lifeline: 13 11 14

For lived experience recovery coaching support you can enquire via Worth Beyond’s website: www.worthbeyond.com.au. ——

In the next instalment of our purpose puzzle piece series, we are so lucky to have Sabine McKenzie, founder of Worth Beyond, joining us.

In response to her personal experience with an eating disorder, poor body image and a controlling inner critic, Sabine founded Worth Beyond (formerly Core Confidence), to bring positive body esteem to young people. Introducing preventative education to schools and communities to tackle the ever rising issues of low self esteem and body dissatisfaction.

She is now an eating disorder recovery coach, providing 1-on-1 peer support services to be someone who could not only give people hope that it is absolutely possible to fully recover from an eating disorder but to also provide support in the here and now to help enact the behaviour changes that are necessary to recover.

Together, we wanted to create an episode that explored:

• the relationship between purpose and self-worth
• the impact of social systems (capitalism and patriarchy) on self-worth and body image
• perfectionism and self worth
• the role of lived experience, and strategies for fostering a healthier relationship with our bodies
• practical tips on self-compassion, curiosity, and establishing boundaries
• beginning again regarding our relationship to our bodies and body image, as well as lessons learnt from Sabine in raising her twin daughters

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Join the Begin Again Club by:

• connecting with our community on Instagram and TikTok, @beginagain.club, let me know what you thought of this episode and what you want me to talk about on the podcast!
• sharing this episode (and others that you love) with a friend who might need to hear it today
• rating and reviewing our podcast, we want to know what you think!

We’ll be dropping a new episode each week, so check in every Monday for your weekly dose of purpose + authentic chats about how to work out what the heck you want from your life, and the journey of beginning again in a purposeful way :)

You’re not alone in feeling lonely! As of 2023, 25% of young Australians aged 15-24 say they feel lonely, and honestly, in reality it feels like that stat should be a lot higher.

This is the first episode where we will be tackling the big topic of connection, and ask the question, why are we struggling to find and make meaningful connections and relationships with each other, and what can we do to change it?

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with super connector and founder, Teale, who is the brains behind Lunar Love Club!

Lunar Love Club is a social club creating authentic spaces for young people to connect with each other, and since their inception 18 months ago, they’ve amassed over 25,000 followers completely organically, and consistently sell out their events.

As someone who has spent a lot of time exploring and discovering new ways to help people connect with each other meaningful ways, Teale and I chat about:

• why it’s normal to feel nervous or anxious when making new connections and how you can shift your mindset to make it easier
• what is a third space and why you need one in your life
• practical steps you can take in your personal life to improve the connections you have with other people around you, and why it’s so important to be intentional about connecting with other people
• how social media has warped the way that we connect with each other, in good and bad ways
• how the simplest things make the biggest difference when it comes to forming new relationships with other people and the power we have to have a positive impact on other people by intentionally connecting
• the many iterations and experiments Teale has conducted with Lunar Love Club to make connecting easier and more fun

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Join the Begin Again Club by:

• connecting with our community on Instagram and TikTok, @beginagain.club, let me know what you thought of this episode and what you want me to talk about on the podcast!
• sharing this episode (and others that you love) with a friend who might need to hear it today
• rating and reviewing our podcast, we want to know what you think!

We’ll be dropping a new episode each week, so check in every Monday for your weekly dose of purpose + authentic chats about how to work out what the heck you want from your life, and the journey of beginning again in a purposeful way :)

TW: mental illness, hospitalisation.

Today we are celebrating the launch of our program, Unwritten, with a story of beginning again from one of our very first Purposeful program participants, Gareth Shanthikumar!

Gareth is a Personal Trainer, as well as the co-founder of 'Man Up', a not-for-profit organisation empowering young men and redefining masculinity. Man Up runs workshops on various topics centered around men’s mental health and well-being, with an emphasis on transforming boys into confident, purpose-driven, and emotionally capable men.

4 years ago, Gareth joined the first ever course from Purposeful, called Unwritten, and during the course acted on some major decisions about his future life and career.

As one of the most purposeful people I know, Gareth joins me to share his perspectives on living a purposeful life. In this episode we dive deep into:

• Gareth's own mental health journey and the path that was written for his future by his family, friends and societal expectations
• the courage of making decisions from a place of love over fear
• understanding your core values and using them to make authentic personal and career choices
• choosing a career pathway that defies your family's expectations for your future
• designing a vision for your future and using it as a goal achieving system to bring your definition of success to life
• what to do if your vision or the thing that you are passionate about is not financially sustainable right now
• practicing unconditional self-love in face of failure

This episode pretty much sums up what it means to live a purposeful life, and breaks down what so many of our ideas at Purposeful look like in practice. If you're interested in personal and career development, growth mindsets and self-development, then this episode is for you!

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Just because you’re figuring out who YOU are, it does not mean you need to do it alone!!

Join the Begin Again Club by:

• connecting with our community on Instagram and TikTok, @beginagain.club, let me know what you thought of this episode and what you want me to talk about on the podcast!
• sharing this episode (and others that you love) with a friend who might need to hear it today
• rating and reviewing our podcast, we want to know what you think!

We’ll be dropping a new episode each week, so check in every Monday for your weekly dose of purpose + authentic chats about how to work out what the heck you want from your life, and the journey of beginning again in a purposeful way :)

In the second installment of our purpose puzzle piece series, I am joined by the phenomenal portrait artist and painter, Melissa Clements!

Aside from being an incredibly prolific and talent artist, Mel also happens to be my housemate. As such, we have regular existential crises and discussion on the couch of our sharehouse, unpacking and making sense of the universe and each of our journeys through our 20s, one challenge at a time.

For the first half of this episode, we dive deep into Mel’s own career journey so far exploring:

• Mel’s experience in transforming her passion and obsession with art as a child into a sustainable, full-time career pathway in a short two year period, including defining moments and opportunities in her journey, a result of both hard work and serendipity
• The cathartic role that art and creativity have played in Mel’s journey to finding and creating purpose in her life, as well as a form of healing and managing big emotions and challenges
• Her experience in becoming a finalist in the prestigious Archibald Prize at the young age of 24, and why we should challenge and reframe traditional ideas of success
• The influence of travel on her sense of purpose and her work, as well as the sublime power of nature to humble us and renew our sense of self, inspired by Mel’s recent travels to Svalbard, a remote island in Norway where she climbed a mountain during a snowstorm and encountered polar bears for the first time

In the second half of the episode, we zoom out to tackle some big hairy questions including:

• Mel’s perspective on the role that art, and artists have to play in responding to both terrible and great events that have happened throughout human history
• The legacy she wants to leave as an artist and how she approaches deriving impact and a greater meaning from her work that may have the biggest impact beyond her lifetime
• How endless day and night in Nordic countries can help us to find peace and hope for the future of the planet and in our own personal lives

If you enjoyed this chat, make sure to follow and support Mel’s incredible work here!

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Just because you’re figuring out who YOU are, it does not mean you need to do it alone!!

Join the Begin Again Club by:

• connecting with our community on Instagram and TikTok, @beginagain.club, let me know what you thought of this episode and what you want me to talk about on the podcast!
• sharing this episode (and others that you love) with a friend who might need to hear it today
• rating and reviewing our podcast, we want to know what you think!

We’ll be dropping a new episode each week, so check in every Monday for your weekly dose of purpose + authentic chats about how to work out what the heck you want from your life, and the journey of beginning again in a purposeful way :)

This episode is the first of our series of “begin again” stories. In each of these episodes, we’ll be interviewing a guest from our community, to dive deep into their own unique story of beginning again, sharing the challenges, learnings and growth that came from either choosing to, or needing to evolve and start over in some way in their life.

For our first every begin again story, I’m excited to chat with my friend, Isabella Choate!!

Isabella (they/them) is a Lived Experience Advocate, CEO of the Youth Disability Advocacy Network, and 2023's WA Young Person of the Year - but they didn't always have their sights set on advocacy! Growing up as an elite athlete, Isabella pinned their hopes on the 2020 Olympics in their sport, Canoe Slalom.

In 2014, they were the Australian Paddler of the Year, Senior Female Whitewater Champion, and Australian Schools National Champion, after taking out gold medals in all 9 of their categories. Less than 6 months later, they were diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and could barely walk or feed themselves.

We chat about Isabella’s journey of beginning again, exploring:

• what purpose looks like for elite athletes, and what it was like to have something you were good/talented at become your purpose and pathway from a young age
• what happens when the thing you are passionate about is no longer accessible to you, and the impact of an invisible illness on your sense of purpose and community
• lived experience and the value of working in jobs and work environments that recognise and celebrate your lived experience
• intersectionality and recognising the way our different identities intersect and impact our outcomes, privilege and experience in the world
• how to define your purpose and self worth as an advocate for change when change happens slowly
• Isabella’s own podcast, Unapologetically Disabled!

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Just because you’re figuring out who YOU are, it does not mean you need to do it alone!!

Join the Begin Again Club by:

• connecting with our community on Instagram and TikTok, @beginagain.club, let me know what you thought of this episode and what you want me to talk about on the podcast!

• sharing this episode (and others that you love) with a friend who might need to hear it today

• rating and reviewing our podcast, we want to know what you think!

We’ll be dropping a new episode each week, so check in every Monday for your weekly dose of purpose + authentic chats about how to work out what the heck you want from your life, and the journey of beginning again in a purposeful way :)

Even though you might be feeling the need to begin again in your life, these feelings are not happening in a vacuum!! It’s important to acknowledge that the changes many of us our experiencing in the way we live, connect and work are not made up, they’re occurring against a rapidly changing social, environmental, and economic backdrop that is having a huge impact on who we are and what we want from our lives.

Each generation is shaped by unique events and experiences that influence who they are at their core, the goals that they have, the things that they value most and the legacy they want to leave on the world. Young people in 2024, spanning Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen Alpha, are experiencing monumental changes and uncertainty that is having a profound impact on our careers, our mental and physical wellbeing, and the ways that we connect with each other.

In this episode I’m joined by the amazing Grant Dusting, Director of Strategy at McCrindle, an Australian social research company who do incredible research in generational analysis. I thought Grant would be the perfect guest to help us to understand:

• What is a generation, exactly?
• What defines each generation that is alive today? What are each generation’s priorities at work, and when it comes to defining success?
• Can generational differences explain why our younger generations are feeling so disconnected?
• What can the current social trends and insights tell us about the future we are heading into?

I know I’m not alone in feeling that there have been some BIG shifts in the way we work, connect and live, tracking back to around 5 years ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic began. Many of us have experienced huge changes since then, some of which are obvious, others are harder to put your finger on. It was amazing to unpack some of these big changes with Grant in this episode, and has left me with many, many more questions to explore in further episodes!

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Join the Begin Again Club by:

• connecting with our community on Instagram and TikTok, let me know what you thought of this episode and what you want me to talk about on the podcast!
• sharing this episode (and others that you love) with a friend who might need to hear it today
• rating and reviewing our podcast, we want to know what you think!

We’ll be dropping a new episode each week, so check in every Monday for your weekly dose of purpose + authentic chats about how to work out what the heck you want from your life, and the journey of beginning again in a purposeful way :)

WELCOME TO THE FIRST EVER EPISODE OF THE BEGIN AGAIN CLUB!!

My name is Elizabeth Knight, I am the founder of Purposeful, and absolutely stoked to be bringing this podcast to life.

I’ve spent my career so far helping young people to find their place in the world and careers they are passionate about, through programs and workshops that have reached over 20,000 young Australians!

When I graduated from high school as a high achieving student, I quickly realised that the one subject school had not prepared me for was determining what I wanted to do with my life, and who I really was! In my late teens, I did a lot of self discovery work, in order to figure out what I really wanted to do in my career. Up until recently, I’ve felt a great deal of purpose from my work, and felt excited and motivated for the future.

In this episode, I am wearing my heart on my sleeve, inviting you into my own quarter life crisis that I've been navigating over the last two years, if you're brave enough to join me!

I explore the three major shifts in my own personal life across my business, romantic relationships and health that culminated in me feeling lost, and re-evaluating how I approach living a purposeful life at the age of 25.

I'm introducing you to the Begin Again Club, and why I wanted to create a space where we could make sense of the purpose/existential crisis I think many of us are going through at the moment. Why it’s so hard to find yourself and feel hopeful about your own future when it seems like the world is on fire.

I don’t have all of the answers, we chat about how this podcast will be a way for us to uncover the puzzle pieces of what living a purposeful life looks like, especially when it feels as though everything else around is falling apart.

Just because you’re figuring out who YOU are, it does not mean you need to do it alone!!

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Join the Begin Again Club by:

• connecting with our community on Instagram and TikTok, @beginagain.club, let me know what you thought of this episode and what you want me to talk about on the podcast!
• sharing this episode (and others that you love) with a friend who might need to hear it today
• rating and reviewing our podcast, we want to know what you think!

We’ll be dropping a new episode each week, so check in every Monday for your weekly dose of purpose + authentic chats about how to work out what the heck you want from your life, and the journey of beginning again in a purposeful way :)