Catch up with the latest
Accessible Castings & Callouts
We all want to find the best person for the role. Yet selection processes can be rife with in-built barriers. Join us for a discussion re-thinking the way we attract, include and work with people with disability – who represent over 20% of all Australians.
Priya is the Shift 20 Initiative Lead at the Dylan Alcott Foundation. She has spent nearly a decade working at creative agencies on some of Australia’s biggest brands.
Dan Graham is a theatre director passionate about access support in the performing arts. He uses his stellar director resume to advocate for other neuro-diverse artists.
Imposter Syndrome
This webinar brings us together to discuss what we too often keep to ourselves – the fear that we, alone, are inadequate and undeserving. We can’t solve the puzzle of imposter syndrome in one hour, but we can find ways to acknowledge it and reduce its impact on us.
Eugene Wong has worn the hats of a social worker, business manager, lawyer, and Executive Director of Candlelight Productions. He now runs A Stronger Narrative, empowering individuals and workplaces to embrace their full potential, and is a frequent collaborator with the Arts Wellbeing Collective.
Unpacking Navigate Well
In the first few weeks since launching, our new career planning guide for creative workers had been read over 350 times. We’ll dig into the key takeaways with the author Susan Eldridge with a chance to ask advice directly. Whatever your questions, Susan has a useful strategy or a tool to help and is able to offer individual guidance while making connections to how that topic might relate to all of us working in the sector.
Author of Navigate Well and a classical musician and educator who is on a mission to foster safe and empowering creative spaces. Susan is a lecturer in music entrepreneurship at Melbourne Conservatorium of Music. She founded her consultancy, Notable Values, in 2017, and helps organizations that train and employ creative people to be safer and more effective so that they can achieve their full potential.
Anti-Fatigue Toolkit
Most of us work in the performing arts because we love it! But when you’re battling fatigue, it can erode your enjoyment – and safety – on the job you’ve worked hard for. This mental health matinee explores steps to ensure you’re getting enough rest, including why it’s important performing arts leaders and organisations set up an environment which mitigates this risk to employees and performing arts workers.
Carly is a self-proclaimed ‘sleep enthusiast’ who has worked across various production, event management and OH&S roles. She has studied the academic occupational sleep research and has test driven techniques that can help us when we work those irregular and sometimes crazy hours.
Mythbusting; Eating disorders in the performing arts
Rebecca Lister:
Rebecca Lister is an award-winning playwright, arts producer, emcee and social worker. She’s the Co-Artistic Director of Anvil Productions and the Director of Education and Psychosocial Programs at Eating Disorders Victoria. Rebecca is the monthly emcee of intergenerational storytelling show night generation women. She is the monthly host of On The Couch with Beck Lister, which is a live chat show where invited artists discuss their work, inspirations and doubts.
Ruth Green:
Ruth Green is a National Theatre alumni. She enjoyed a long working history with the Australian Centre for Moving Image or ACMI. and before moving to Eating Disorders Victoria. She now works with the lived experience workforce at EDV, and shaping and sharing their stories safely, and is always is also the project lead for their peer cadet program in partnership with Mental Health Victoria.
Sustainable creative practice
How do we create great art without burning out, going broke, or damaging others in the process? This Mental Health Matinee reveals why ‘good art-making’ describes healthy processes as much as a good final product. Let’s discuss ways to stay creative while ensuring the wellbeing of yourself, your audience and your colleagues.
Presented by Eugene Wong, Chief Story Shaper at A Stronger Narrative.
Pivots and pirouettes; Careers and transitions
Presented by Susan Eldridge, Notable Values.
Susan is an educator, coach, consultant, and musician, who works at the crossroads of human communication, creativity, and innovation. She’s renowned for her ability to see elegant solutions to complicated problems and has supported organizations across the country to rethink and redesign their learning experiences and models. As a coach, she’s mentored over a thousand performing artists, so she knows creative people and the challenges they face to build a life of means and meaning.
On the road again
Going on tour is great fun, and one of the cornerstones of our thriving performing arts sector. But, what are the mental health impacts we should consider as we continue to navigate living, working and touring with the impact of COVID-19?
Jane is a NIDA graduate in Directing and currently works as a clinical psychologist ( Sage Psychology ) who consults to companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Arts on Tour, and CDP Theatre Producers. She is the research stream lead for the InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders, University of Sydney. Jane is also a large event specialist choreographer and has worked on Pan American, Commonwealth and Olympic Games Ceremonies.
Emotional agility and dealing with uncertainty
The importance of purpose
Presented by Glenda Chi, WHY Discovery.
Exit stage left – considering careers outside the arts
One of the biggest challenges of a career change is knowing how to articulate your skills into the language of a different sector. You know you’ve got skills, but how do you position them as transferable and relevant? This session will show you how to present your arts expertise for a career transition. Plus, we’ll answer that pesky problem of what to write when you don’t quite have all those Key Selection Criteria.
Presented by Susan Eldridge, Notable Values.
Susan is an educator, coach, consultant, and musician, who works at the crossroads of human communication, creativity, and innovation. She’s renowned for her ability to see elegant solutions to complicated problems and has supported organizations across the country to rethink and redesign their learning experiences and models. As a coach, she’s mentored over a thousand performing artists, so she knows creative people and the challenges they face to build a life of means and meaning.
Back After Interval
Recorded as COVID-19 restrictions eased across Australia, this Mental Health Matinee explores the emotions surrounding a return to work. What are the mental health impacts we should consider as we continue our recovery journey? How can we take steps to care for our mental health – and the wellbeing of our peers – as the creative community returns to the stage?
Jane is a NIDA graduate in Directing and currently works as a clinical psychologist ( Sage Psychology ) who consults to companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Arts on Tour, and CDP Theatre Producers. She is the research stream lead for the InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders, University of Sydney. Jane is also a large event specialist choreographer and has worked on Pan American, Commonwealth and Olympic Games Ceremonies.
The power of community
Jossy Jimenez is an expert mindfulness facilitator and wellbeing consultant with a masters degree in human development. Jossy’s work focuses on simple, accessible, evidence-based methods to cultivate awareness, compassion, creativity and human flourishing in individuals, leaders, and organisations. Her training spans UCLA’s Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour, Stanford University’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and has completed teacher-training with UCSD.
Food and Mood
We know that food is essential for healthful bodies, but less known is the power that food can have over our mood. This session explores this connection, ensuring your relationship with food is nourishing both your mind and body. You’ll learn vital information about nutrition, plus tips for using language that promotes positive mental health.
Fumi is the founder and principal dietitian of DDD Centre for Recovery. Her expertise is in Dance Nutrition and Eating Disorders Treatment. She is passionate about supporting individuals to nurture respectful and compassionate relationship with their food and body. Fumi believes, and advocates for, inclusive and respectful care for everybody, regardless of their size, shape, race, culture, gender, or background.
Building back your confidence
Confidence plays a huge role in how we show up in the world. When we believe we have what it takes to succeed, we’re more likely to seize opportunities and overcome setbacks. Join us in unmasking what confidence really is and how it can get you closer to achieving your goals. Boost your confidence with practical strategies – even in the face of cancelled shows, unemployment or imposter syndrome.
Cailin trained as a classical singer at The Conservatorium of Music at The University of Melbourne before performing in Australia and Europe. As a performer, Cailin saw the need for skilled practitioners who understood the specific challenges of the performing arts, and subsequently returned to study psychology in order to be the change she wanted to see in the industry. Cailin has created The Performer’s Edge to support creatives and performers reach their full potential through performance coaching utilising best practice performance psychology.
Looking after the earth to look after yourself
Reset your understanding of wellbeing by embedding ancient ways of knowing, doing and being into your daily life.
Wayapa Wuurrk is an internationally-accredited earth connection embodiment practice. It draws on Indigenous wisdom of living in harmony with the environment to create a deeper sense of belonging and life purpose.
Presented by Jamie Marloo Thomas, a Gunaikurnai man and Maara Descendant, and Co-Creator of Wayapa Wuurrk®.
For the past 30 years, Jamie has been deeply committed to revitalizing his Maara culture with his elders and passing on the knowledge, practices and ceremonies of his ancestors. Jamie is also passionate about helping people activate their reciprocal relationship with the environment to create a healthier, more connected people and planet.
Feeling good in the right now
This practical Mental Health Matinee focuses on how to use meditation to create space and energy in your everyday life.
Deone will share how meditation works, the importance of breath and how we use it, as well as several practical exercises including a mindfulness technique, guided meditation, and Moment Awareness Technique.
Presented by Deone Zanotto, Performance Based Meditation.
Deone has performed all over the world. While working on Broadway, Deone was not sleeping well and highly stressed and knew she needed something in her life to get through the daily grind. She found meditation and suddenly life looked completely different. After studying meditation in New York and Los Angeles, Deone now teaches meditation and has had a daily practice for nearly 15 years.
Self compassion break
Jossy Jimenez is an expert mindfulness facilitator and wellbeing consultant with a masters degree in human development. Jossy’s work focuses on simple, accessible, evidence-based methods to cultivate awareness, compassion, creativity and human flourishing in individuals, leaders, and organisations. Her training spans UCLA’s Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour, Stanford University’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and has completed teacher-training with UCSD.
Self and identity
Mental health fundamentals
Jane is a NIDA graduate in Directing and currently works as a clinical psychologist ( Sage Psychology ) who consults to companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Arts on Tour, and CDP Theatre Producers. She is the research stream lead for the InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders, University of Sydney. Jane is also a large event specialist choreographer and has worked on Pan American, Commonwealth and Olympic Games Ceremonies.
Emotions and presence
Garner techniques for riding the emotional roller coaster that is COVID-19.
This Mental Health Matinee introduces how to build awareness and tolerance of our emotional experience, and how to use it to better understand ourselves. One of the keys to doing this is developing presence. The session includes optional experiential participation.
Dr. Louise Cooper is the director of Talking Emotions, a counseling practice based in South Yarra and Fitzroy. Lou works in therapy with individuals and facilitates groups using emotion-focused therapy as her primary approach. She draws from her past experience as an actor and ABC broadcaster to engage people in stories and metaphor to facilitate learning and change. Lou is a former coordinator of group programs at the Anxiety Recovery Centre Victoria and practitioner at Drummond Street Services, Queerspace.
Navigating through change and uncertainty
Navigating a chaotic world is easier when you identify and accept what you can control. Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Frameworks, this session aims to boost your agency and resilience. You will also learn practical tools to build motivation – so you have the energy to manage and change difficult situations.
Anastasia is a clinical psychologist and classical concert pianist. She’s performed on stages around the world, including the Sydney Opera House seven times and the internationally renowned Carnegie Hall in New York. Anastasia has been awarded her associate diploma and licensure diploma in music and PhD in clinical psychology. And is a lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney. She also founded the Australian Institute for Human Wellness.
Connect, rest and repair
This Mental Health Matinee is an opportunity to practice being kind to yourself and connect with a community of wholehearted people like you! Come and explore a surprisingly simple and straightforward way of attending to and comforting yourself when you need it the most.
Jossy Jimenez is an expert mindfulness facilitator and wellbeing consultant with a masters degree in human development. Jossy’s work focuses on simple, accessible, evidence-based methods to cultivate awareness, compassion, creativity and human flourishing in individuals, leaders, and organisations. Her training spans UCLA’s Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour, Stanford University’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and has completed teacher-training with UCSD.
Resilience and mindfulness
Presented by Coco Nkrumah, Reality Based Mindfulness. Coco has been involved with mindfulness and meditation for over 10 years. He began full time training in Chinese martial arts, Shaolin Qi Gong, at the age of 17, leading him to complete a martial arts and sports coaching apprenticeship. During this time, he also became certified in Chinese Taoism and Buddhist meditation by understanding the underlying principles of the different meditation style across the world.
Catch up on the latest
Edited transcripts are available for our latest videos: Unpacking Navigate Well, Anti-Fatigue Toolkit and Mythbusting; Eating disorders in the performing arts.
Mental Health Matinees
Most of us work in the performing arts because we love it! But when you’re battling fatigue, it can erode your enjoyment – and safety – on the job you’ve worked hard for. This mental health matinee explores steps to ensure you’re getting enough rest, including why it’s important performing arts leaders and organisations set up an environment which mitigates this risk to employees and performing arts workers.
Carly is a self-proclaimed ‘sleep enthusiast’ who has worked across various production, event management and OH&S roles. She has studied the academic occupational sleep research and has test driven techniques that can help us when we work those irregular and sometimes crazy hours.
Be more aware of your own habits, self-care and conversations around food and diet in this myth busting webinar about eating disorders. Increase your understanding about eating disorders, how we describe behaviours, and some tips about how we can check in with both ourselves and others.
Presented by Rebecca Lister and Ruth Greene from Eating Disorders Victoria. Both also possess a long history of involvement in the arts.
Previous webinar series
Mental Health Matinees
Navigating a chaotic world is easier when you identify and accept what you can control. Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Frameworks, this session aims to boost your agency and resilience. You will also learn practical tools to build motivation – so you have the energy to manage and change difficult situations.
Presented by Dr Anastasia Hronis, Australian Institute for Human Wellness.
This Mental Health Matinee is an opportunity to practice being kind to yourself and connect with a community of wholehearted people like you! Come and explore a surprisingly simple and straightforward way of attending to and comforting yourself when you need it the most.
Jossy Jimenez is an expert mindfulness facilitator and wellbeing consultant with a masters degree in human development. Jossy’s work focuses on simple, accessible, evidence-based methods to cultivate awareness, compassion, creativity and human flourishing in individuals, leaders, and organisations. Her training spans UCLA’s Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour and Stanford University’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT).
Mindfulness practice has many proven health benefits, but – like many things – can often be easier said than done. This relaxed Mental Health Matinée addresses some of the common challenges faced, and ways in which you can easily incorporate mindfulness into your life.
Presented by Coco Nkrumah, Reality Based Mindfulness.
In the arts we’re united by our shared passion for storytelling, performance and it’s power to change lives. Sometimes though, we can confuse who we are with what we do and our identity becomes wrapped up with our work. This has been magnified through COVID-19. This Mental Health Matinee explores ways to find meaning, values and identity beyond our role(s) in the arts.
Before training as a psychologist, Chris worked for arts organisations across Australia, developing a rich understanding of the industry. This led to Chris Cheers Psychology: a business specialising in providing mental health support and workshops to clients in the arts, performance and creative industries. Chris is an endorsed Educational and Developmental Psychologist and has expertise in supporting LGBTQI+ clients across all ages.
Jossy Jimenez is an expert mindfulness facilitator and wellbeing consultant with a masters degree in human development. Jossy’s work focuses on simple, accessible, evidence-based methods to cultivate awareness, compassion, creativity and human flourishing in individuals, leaders, and organisations. Her training spans UCLA’s Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour and Stanford University’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT).
We know that food is essential for healthful bodies, but less known is the power that food can have over our mood. This session explores this connection, ensuring your relationship with food is nourishing both your mind and body. You’ll learn vital information about nutrition, plus tips for using language that promotes positive mental health.
Fumi is the founder and principal dietitian of DDD Centre for Recovery. Her expertise is in Dance Nutrition and Eating Disorders Treatment. She is passionate about supporting individuals to nurture respectful and compassionate relationship with their food and body. Fumi believes, and advocates for, inclusive and respectful care for everybody, regardless of their size, shape, race, culture, gender, or background.
This practical Mental Health Matinee focuses on how to use meditation to create space and energy in your everyday life.
Deone will share how meditation works, the importance of breath and how we use it, as well as several practical exercises including a mindfulness technique, guided meditation, and Moment Awareness Technique.
Presented by Deone Zanotto, Performance Based Meditation.
Reset your understanding of wellbeing by embedding ancient ways of knowing, doing and being into your daily life. Wayapa Wuurrk is an internationally-accredited earth connection embodiment practice. It draws on Indigenous wisdom of living in harmony with the environment to create a deeper sense of belonging and life purpose.
Presented by Jamie Marloo Thomas, a GunaiKurnai man and Maara Descendant, and Co-Creator of Wayapa Wuurrk®.
Garner techniques for riding the emotional roller coaster that is COVID-19.
This Mental Health Matinee introduces how to build awareness and tolerance of our emotional experience, and how to use it to better understand ourselves. One of the keys to doing this is developing presence. The session includes optional experiential participation.
Presented by Dr Louise Cooper, Talking Emotions.
Confidence plays a huge role in how we show up in the world. When we believe we have what it takes to succeed, we’re more likely to seize opportunities and overcome setbacks. Join us in unmasking what confidence really is and how it can get you closer to achieving your goals. Boost your confidence with practical strategies – even in the face of cancelled shows, unemployment or imposter syndrome.
Presented by Cailin Howarth, The Performer’s Edge
How do we create great art without burning out, going broke, or damaging others in the process? This Mental Health Matinee reveals why ‘good art-making’ describes healthy processes as much as a good final product. Let’s discuss ways to stay creative while ensuring the wellbeing of yourself, your audience and your colleagues.
Presented by Eugene Wong, Chief Story Shaper at A Stronger Narrative.
COVID-19 has disrupted the industry, organisations and personal careers. You might be reflecting on your arts career, and how to reconfigure, diversify or transition into another role. This is the perfect starting point for exploring new and creative approaches to career options in the arts industry.
Presented by Susan Eldridge, Notable Values.
Going on tour is great fun, and one of the cornerstones of our thriving performing arts sector. But, what are the mental health impacts we should consider as we continue to navigate living, working and touring with the impact of COVID-19?
Dr Jane is a NIDA graduate in Directing and currently works as a clinical psychologist ( Sage Psychology ) who consults to companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Arts on Tour, and CDP Theatre Producers. She is the research stream lead for the InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders, University of Sydney. Jane is also a large event specialist choreographer and has worked on Pan American, Commonwealth and Olympic Games Ceremonies.
One of the biggest challenges of a career change is knowing how to articulate your skills into the language of a different sector. You know you’ve got skills, but how do you position them as transferable and relevant? This session will show you how to present your arts expertise for a career transition. Plus, we’ll answer that pesky problem of what to write when you don’t quite have all those Key Selection Criteria.
Presented by Susan Eldridge, Notable Values.
Recorded as COVID-19 restrictions eased across Australia, this Mental Health Matinee explores the emotions surrounding a return to work. What are the mental health impacts we should consider as we continue our recovery journey? How can we take steps to care for our mental health – and the wellbeing of our peers – as the creative community returns to the stage?
Jane is a NIDA graduate in Directing and currently works as a clinical psychologist ( Sage Psychology ) who consults to companies such as Bell Shakespeare, Arts on Tour, and CDP Theatre Producers. She is the research stream lead for the InsideOut Institute for Eating Disorders, University of Sydney. Jane is also a large event specialist choreographer and has worked on Pan American, Commonwealth and Olympic Games Ceremonies.
