The Treading Lightly podcast is all about sharing some of the exciting environmental and community projects going on around the local area, and the world, the main aim being to encourage people to think about their choices, and how they can like a happy, healthy life, with minimal impact on the environment.
About Treading Lightly Inc:
Treading Lightly was formed with the intention of bringing like-minded people together to care about the environment, and the wellbeing of our community.
Treading Lightly is all about being inclusive, and supportive, so whether you are already on a journey to care for our planet, or you’re just interested on how to help, but aren’t sure where to start, this is the podcast for you.
Our podcasts are available on the following platforms:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Google podcasts
Stitcher
Podchaser
Deezer
Listen Notes
Player FM
Podcast Index
EPISODE 1 – Leading the Fight for the Bight Charge with Damien Cole and Health Joske
Damo and Heath are two absolute legends who have aligned themselves with Patagonia AUS and are spearheading Fight for The Bight, a movement to stop Norwegian company Equinors plans to drill for oil in the Great Australian Bight, home to one of the most stunning marine environments in the world. We discuss why Equinors plans are too risky and threaten Australian coastal communities, economies, livelihoods and our pristine marine environment.
Both have stepped up to the plate in a big way. Heath flew to Norway to attend the Equinor AGM with petitions and a speech to make it clear just how much the Australian surf community is against this. Damo has run for parliament as an independent purely driven by a want for change and is pure dynamite in rallying communities across the country to get involved with Australia’s national day of action on NOV 23 2019 with a joint paddle out and hands across the sand for “FIGHT FOR THE BIGHT”
Fight for the Bight North Mollymook 23 NOV 730am.
We urge you all to get out on the beach, in the water, show your face and be the change!!!
It contains language that may be offensive to some.
Treading Lightly
EPISODE 2 – Creating Change with Monica Mudge and Marianne Cool.
Our special guests this week include founding members of Treading Lightly, Monica Mudge and Marianne Cool.
Both share their own stories on how TL came to be from its humble beginnings to where it’s at now and their dedication to creating positive change on all levels is hugely inspiring!!!
I truly hope you get a feel for who these two beautiful people are and come away feeling inspired by the message they carry and that their devotion to creating change comes straight from the heart!
Please subscribe to the podcast and share it with all your friends! Take a snapshot of your phone screen while listening to the show and post to Instagram with #treadinglightlyinc
Help be a part of the change!!!
Shout out to Tallwood eatery Mollymook www.instagram.com/tallwood for their courageous move to eliminate the use of takeaway coffee cups from December 1st! Get on board and support the guys!
EPISODE 3 – Mentoring our youth one wave at a time with Wayne Carberry, Allan Grimwood, & Brendan Sheldon
Our guests today are Wayne Carberry, Al Grimwood, and Brendon Sheldon. They traveled up from Moruya to be part of the Mollymook Fight for the Bight paddle out and right after it, we took the opportunity to share what they’re doing with the youth from Moruya High.
The guys have teamed up with South Coast Police, PCYC and Surfrider Foundation in delivering a surfing program to Moruya High School students first thing in the morning before they’ve even opened a textbook!
This is a brilliant opportunity to mentor our youth, give them experience in surf lifestyle perhaps not normally accessible to them and also allows for positive interaction with police.
All with the health benefits of being in the ocean!
It’s early days and the team’s vision is to expand throughout the Eurobodalla, but hey with our support, why not the Shoalhaven too!
Please subscribe to the podcast and share it with all your friends! Take a snapshot of your phone screen while listening to the show and post to Instagram with #treadinglightlyinc
Be a part of the change!!!
Episode 4 – Slow Fashion with Dinah Mitchell and Kim Goodworth
Dinah Mitchell and Kim Goodworth are two local individuals who are part of the slow fashion movement in our local area.
Slow fashion is embodying the opposite of what fast fashion is, low cost, high volume and high speed of modern clothing focused purely on profits at the end of the day. This typically leads to lower quality clothing, with a high environmental cost all at the expense of workers in third world countries.
Kim and Dinah school us on where our clothes come from, what they’re made of and what the afterlife is of the clothes we buy. They give us an inside as to why we can make better choices for ourselves and the environment.
The time is here to become accountable for our actions and leave the days of blind ignorance behind us. How a simple shift in society’s paradigm of how we dress can lead to significant improvements with the global issues we face.
EPISODE 5 – Depression/PTSD/Anxiety with TimeLimit Jules
Julian Watling is doing great things with the challenges that he has faced and he’s a real inspiration.
Julian came on the podcast and really opened up, recounting his story about his experience with depression and PTSD and what he has discovered to help deal with these issues. To have the courage to do so is amazing and hopefully, his story will inspire others to open up seek help.
The old stigma of mental health has been carried for too long and its time for a new way of dealing with these issues. Hopefully shedding some light on these sensitive topics will lead us into a new way of dealing with them.
This is also a reminder for every one of us to check in on our fellow humans and offer that space to listen if they need to get somethings off their chest.
A lot of us will know someone who has some anxiety/depression/PTSD so be the change we need by sharing this episode with your friends and family.
EPISODE 6 – Experiencing Bushfire, with Dean & Naomi Dampney
Dean and Naomi came on to tell their story of being in the direct path of bushfires that recently threatened Lake Tabourie.
We decided to release this episode early considering what risk the fires are posing to our community in the hope that it will educate, and give people a reality check of what to expect if they find themselves threatened by the fires.
Hopefully, this will help people make a better-informed decision whether to evacuate and also help prepare if they do decide to stay and fight.
The real tragedy would be if we didn’t learn from this experience and put in place better practices to reduce the likely hood of this happening in the future.
This is also a reminder for every one of us to check in on our fellow humans and make sure we look after each other.
EPISODE 7 – The Sanctuary – Ulladulla High School, Student Support Initiative
On today’s episode, we have Denise Lofts, principal of Ulladulla High, Kim Waters, and Jade Mudge the school captain.
They came on today to discuss the new initiative they have at the school. They have thought long and hard about what our kids and our families and our community will need going forward which have led them to create a project to build a “Sanctuary”.
“Our school is determined to rise from the ash and create a sanctuary for the entire student population and their families that will be a hub for support in response to the crisis and for many years to come.” – Denise Lofts
This is s great initiative and we’re excited to see what it evolves into. We are so lucky to have such a progressive, student-focused public high school in our town. Focused on well rounded, innovative, and supportive learning.
EPISODE 8 – Harries from Bondi Rescue shares the love
Harries from Bondi Rescue is on the show. He has spent the last 25 years being a lifesaver on Bondi beach and the last 15 years being followed by the crew filming Bondi Rescue. He’s also an ambassador for 10 different companies and is using that influence to kick start our community and help us revive from the effects of the fires.
There was a massive show of support by the Bondi community during the fires and a fundraiser was held in Bronte park to raise funds for Treading Lightly Inc, all of which Harries fills us in on.
A beautiful showing of people coming together to support others in need.
And if you’re unaware of the theory that Ancient Egyptians visited our ancient indigenous people of this land, then prepare to get your mind blown! ;)
Please be part of the change by sharing this episode with your friends and family and hit subscribe. Also, we’d love to hear from you so reach out!
EPISODE 9 – The Budawangs post-fire, with “Critta” and “Lord Wildlife
Our guest on this episode is Chris “Critta” Hayward and Chris “Lord Wildlife” Zinon :)
We originally met with these legends at the start of November 2019 to discuss their planned trip through the Budawangs from the top of the Clyde river down to the ocean. They wanted different local characters to join in to show off the beautiful country we are a part of and wanted Treading Lightly to be a part of it. We absolutely loved these genuine fellas and wanted them on the podcast.
Since then the fires have come through and the podcast took an even more meaningful purpose. They rolled up their sleeves when fire threatened and were also a part of the community that rallied together to help people in need. They came on to report what they’ve seen out on the land post fires and to share their personal experiences during that time and where they’ve placed their energy into recovering personally.
A great discussion on what we can learn and prevent another disaster and how do we better manage the land and our community to create a more sustainable future.
Enjoy the sound of the rain in the background!
EPISODE 10 – The Wim Hof Method, with Leah Scott
“Improving your quality of life, healing within, therefore heals the small world around us and our planet becomes a better place” -Leah Scott.
“Personally, the Wim Hof method has helped me so much over the years dealing with my MS symptoms, so when we had the opportunity to have Wim Hof instructor Leah Scott on the podcast we jumped at the opportunity.” – Dean Howcroft.
Leah is an Australian based Instructor, taking weekly workshops over the country, Asia and Europe, private retreats, motivational speaker, mountain guide and works with Thredbo Resort throughout the year as she’s based in Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains.
Listen in and discover the range of physical benefits you can gain and how you can find that peace in the present moment.
When Leah next comes through our special little community to hold a breathwork and ice bath workshop, I urge you all to come along and feel the experience!
EPISODE 11 – Paul Helier from Fair Food Forager
If you’re anything like me, you find it difficult trying to select healthy eating options when out on the road or in an unfamiliar area. Well, today’s guest is Paul Hellier from Fair Food Forager.
He has developed a mobile app that lets you find and share sustainable and ethical food options at your location which is so helpful when travelling, especially overseas! It also has a social platform that allows you to rate, like, comment on great food outlets, follow people and fair food businesses. It’s perfect for sharing ideas and experiences and I urge you all to check it out!
In this episode, we do a duel podcast that will be shared on both Fair Food Forager and Treading Lightly podcasts. We chat about the south coast bushfires, current and future environmental plans and even wonder woman…wherever the convo took us!
EPISODE 12 – Keeping our town beautiful, with Jason Purser
Jason is our local Shoalhaven council horticulturalists and is the one to thank for developing and maintaining all our beautiful gardens in the area.
What was so amazing about having a chat with Jason was not only his passion for what he does in town but also his amazing willingness to share his family’s story no matter how hard that may be.
To be able to open up and share shows true strength in character and an unwillingness for life to be taken for granted. This creates tremendous healing in many ways as we can see reflections in our own lives and that we’re not the only ones facing difficulty in daily life whatever that may be.
We hope you enjoy his amazing story and if you see Jase give him a wave and what better way to thank him than to pick up a bit of rubbish so he has more time to beautify our little town!
EPISODE 13 – Sharing indigenous wisdom, with Uncle Noel Butler
This comes at a time where not only our town but the rest of the world is being tested, yet again. Please look after yourself and make sure we look after each other…and drop the fear and anxiety…nothing depletes the immune system like stress!!!
Our special guest this episode is Uncle Noel Butler…well his wife Trish briefly came in too!
Noel Butler, a Budawang Elder from the Yuin Nation is a qualified teacher, educator, mentor, horticulturist, chef, and historian and together with Trish, he runs Nura Gunyu. They have been teaching, delivering programs and working with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adults and children for over 35 years.
Noel and Trish lost everything in the devastation of the recent fires and we spoke a bit about what they experienced and what regeneration initiatives are happening moving forward. We loved the chat and really thankful they found the time to be on the show considering how much they’ve been impacted. We treasure our relationship with Noel and Trish and always look forward to collaborating in projects not only creating sustainable change but allowing us and the environment to thrive!
EPISODE 14 – Local permaculture, with Taia & Kyale
This one was a long time coming!
This one was recorded before the full effect of covid-19 so its interesting to reflect back on life before the Corona!
Taia Campbell and Kyale McNally are two locals with their heads fully in the game when it comes to sustainable gardening methods. In these strange times, its important we learn to become as self-sufficient as possible individuals and also as a community. So what better time to tune in and takes notes as these two legends share their experience and throw some knowledge bombs our way!
EPISODE 15 – Manyana Matters, with Jorj & Sheree
This episode is an audio version of the zoomcast we did with Jorj and Sheree, the two spearheading the opposition against the proposed development at Manyana.
The Sydney developer Ozyhomes plans to bulldoze 20 hectares of bushland right after our devasting bushfires and destroy some of the only habitat that’s left.
This is happening right now so listen in and if you would like to offer your support get behind the crew at Manyana and write to Rob Stokes, the premier of development, and Ozyhomes to voice your concerns.
EPISODE 16 – The Sharing Circle, with Dean, Nick & Monica
So on the show, we have Mon, Nick, and myself just having a good old chin wag over a cuppa talking all things happening in our world at the moment. Obviously COVID came up and how we’ve all felt about the isolation and we discuss my happenings in Canada as I was over there having treatment when all this went down! What an unprecedented time in history we’re living in!
I hope you enjoy guys and…
EPISODE 17 – COVID & Isolation, with Harries from Bondi Rescue
Harries from Bondi Rescue joins us again to chat about the risks of social isolation due to COVID restrictions and the impact that’s had on the community and his own life.
There was a massive show of support by the Bondi community for our community during the fires and it was great to touch base with this legend as he has such a big heart.
Harries even had a message for Ozy Homes and the end of the podcast which is pretty exciting.
Hope you enjoy and if you do please share this podcast with all your family and friends…together we can make a difference!!! Also, we’d love to hear from you so reach out!
EPISODE 18 – Unraveling Mysteries of Body & Mind, with Dan Sipple
So it’s finally happened! We’ve been waiting a while for the opportunity to have this guy on and it finally happened! Today’s guest is the one and only, Dan Sipple aka The Functional Naturopath.
His name comes up often on shows whenever we have a question come up pertaining to the human body so we had to have him on. It was a good opportunity to throw some questions at him and we all did our best to keep it basic for us new to the game!
It was hard not to go super deep on some topics first time round but what we did try and do is give a brief introduction of how Dan looks at health and views chronic illness on the body.
Find yourself a quiet spot, pull out your notepad and pen, and plunge yourself in the knowledge pool that is The Functional Naturopath!
Plus listen out at the end as we gave a list of takeaways that you can incorporate into your everyday lives.
EPISODE 19 – Sharks, surfing & shaping boards, with Mark Rabbidge
Mark Rabbidge is another member of our community who has lived a full life, to say the least and came on to share some candid life stories with us. From the 60s surf culture to the war in Vietnam, the surf tour, and all along shaping boards, it was great to sit down and have a yarn with him as he tells it how it is!
We hope you enjoy it and if you do please like and share this episode with your friends.
*Explicit language warning! ;)
EPISODE 20 – Painting our future, with Larni & Taia
Larni Dibben has a post-graduate degree in applied climate science and with Taia on board, this was sure to be a great chat all round.
These two locals have their heads fully in the game when it comes to painting what our sustainable future may look like, what possible obstacles are in our way, and what we can do to help drive that change.
In these strange times, it’s important we as individuals and also as a community realise this planet is a living being and we cannot continue to destroy its biosphere. We must make fundamental changes to our relationship with the material world, including our relationships with one another so that humans, plants, and animals can all thrive and flourish in the future.
So take this opportunity to drop in, takes notes, and contemplate what small things you can do to facilitate great change. Many hands make light work!
EPISODE 21 – Nadia Squires from National Parks and Wildlife (Part 1)
Nadia is a ranger for the National Parks and Wildlife NSW and we were super privileged to have Nadia on for this Treading Lightly episode! A proud Yuin woman, she spoke candidly about her life, what obstacles she has faced, and what drove her to become the woman she is today. You’ll be sure to enjoy it!
We have divided this into two parts for ease of listening. The first being much of her personal story and the second part of the conversation intertwined a lot of her experience in our recent bushfires.
EPISODE 22 – Nadia Squires from National Parks & Wildlife (Part 2)
Nadia is a ranger for the National Parks and Wildlife NSW and we were super privileged to have Nadia on for this Treading Lightly episode! A proud Yuin woman, she spoke candidly about her life, what obstacles she has faced, and what drove her to become the woman she is today. You’ll be sure to enjoy it!
We have divided this into two parts for ease of listening. The first being much of her personal story and the second part of the conversation intertwined a lot of her experience in our recent bushfires.
EPISODE 23 – Tom & Dani, from Catching Paradise
On today’s episode, we have Dani and Tom Jacobson from Catching Paradise who spearhead the Jervis Bay Clean Up Crew.
They organise marine debris removal events within our community, trekking up and down stretches of beach collecting washed up trash to diving the bay to clean up what’s under the water, the passion they have for keeping our environment pristine is infectious and the footage they get of our beautiful coastline is jaw dropping.
It just adds further clarity to why we must keep it clean and protected. These guys are doing phenomenal work and we at TL would like to express our gratitude for all they do and it was a real pleasure to have them on!
They’d be stoked if you reached out to them to offer a hand on the next clean-up or for advice on organising one around your local area. Many hands make light work!
EPISODE 24 – SHARKS, with Melissa Marquez
Melissa is a marine biologist and wildlife educator with a BA (Hons) in Marine Ecology and Conservation degree from New College of Florida, USA and an MSc in Marine Biology from Victoria University of Wellington, NZ. She is a freelance environmental contributor, and founder of The Fins United Initiative (TFUI), a program that brings attention to the unusual and diverse sharks (and their relatives) of the world and their researchers.
Most people carry a fear of these animals and we tend to harbour a negative attitude toward them, mostly driven by a misunderstanding of these animals and cultural influences such as the movie Jaws that have driven the unwarranted fear of these animals.
We dove into the human psyche when it comes to sharks and how we can begin to foster a better understanding and relationship with these majestic animals and how we co-exist in their habitat!
It was a pleasure having Melissa on to share her passion and shed some light on these beautiful creatures.
EPISODE 25 – Eco-building, with “Critta”, Marty & “Wombat”
First off we have legend Wombat which you may know from The Block and who originally went into the show with a desire to show people how we can have a more eco-friendly approach to building and continues to spread the same message in all his endeavors.
Marty Drysdale has been building his whole life and shares his experience with recycling materials and what is possible.
And lastly, we have Critta Chris Hayward from New View Building back on the show who has an ever-growing passion for coming up with new ideas to reduce waste and less of a footprint on building sites
It is awesome to open up this discussion in what can feel like an overwhelming issue in an industry such as the building game and we need more of these guys who care less about competition and pure profits and more about collaboration in building a better world.
EPISODE 26 – The Milton/Ulladulla Small School
School.
Who can say they enjoyed every moment of it?
I don’t know many kids who are thrilled to be going to school. What is it that makes it such a drag and does it have to be that way?
In an ever-changing world and with an unprecedented challenge that school age kids and parents alike have to deal with these days with social media and other technology, maybe there’s a different way of educating our youth that’s worth exploring?
In this episode, we have local practitioners Peter Anderson, a chiropractor, and his wife Wan Yi Ng a GP, come on to talk about the ambitious project they’ve embarked on. They’re in the process of developing the Milton Ulladulla Small School, a small community-based school right here in our area. It’s an alternative to the mainstream primary school education system along the lines of Montessori or green schools but it won’t be under any particular one umbrella.
I find it fascinating that these two academics who have obviously spent many years in the education system believe that there is a better way we can be teaching our youth, but also inspiring that they’re backing themselves so much in what they believe in to offer this alternative school to our community.