Short talks on meaning, mental health, and what it actually takes to live a more examined life. With Zachary Phillips
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Masking is a survival strategy, often used by neurodivergent people to fit in, stay safe, and meet social expectations. But maintaining the mask comes at a cost. This talk explores the difference between masking and simply showing different parts of ourselves, the exhaustion and burnout masking can cause, and how greater awareness, self-acceptance, recovery, and support can help us find a healthier balance. Links Mentioned: Want to work with me? Book a 1:1 session. Buy one of my books. Support the podcast by donating here.
This talk is for the people pleasers. It offers insight into why we struggle to say no, set boundaries, and why we lose ourselves in others. It explores people-pleasing as a survival response, how the fear of conflict and disappointment can disconnect us from our own needs, values, and identity, and what we can do to begin changing these patterns. Through self-awareness, healthy boundaries, assertive communication, and reconnection with the parts of ourselves we once pushed aside, we can gradually learn to stand up for ourselves without shutting others out, becoming overwhelmed by them, or rem
What is your calling? This episode explores what it means to discover your calling and why living in alignment with your deepest values can transform your mental health and sense of purpose. Drawing on my own journey from teaching to psychotherapy, I reflect on trauma, uncertainty, and the search for meaningful work, sharing practical frameworks like Ikigai and my ‘3A process of healing’ Awareness, Acceptance, and Action. We explore the fears and inner blocks that keep us stuck, the courage required to leave the comfortable rut, and how deep introspection can reveal the direction you were alwa
Agency is your belief in your ability to influence your life. Effort + Time = Results. I’ve been reflecting on this a lot lately, as I’m in the midst of some major life changes. I recently received my Graduate Diploma of Counselling and I am updating my website, books, and offerings to reflect this next chapter. I’m also continuing to show up each day, facilitating daily guided meditations on Insight Timer and working to expand my reach and impact. On the personal front, I’m training Jiu Jitsu more than ever, confronting the excuses that once held me back from competing, and proving to myself
This episode begins with a reading of the poem ‘a broken mirror’s gaze’. From there we discus how the body keeps the score; life will cause us to suffer. If we do not process these trauma’s (because we don’t know how or it isn’t possible) we hold onto it. We hold onto it in the form of chronic pain, illness, injury, and distorted thinking patterns. There is a way to release. Writing therapy. Intuitive Guidance. Talk Therapies. Along with countless more processors. In this episode I share a bit of what I am processing, and offer you some guidance on how to release and reintegrate. The three ste
In this episode I share the first session of the 30 Day course ‘Cultivate A Daily Meditation Practice’. It introduces the basic practice of mindfulness meditation as well as highlights the importance of continuing your practice ongoing; it is okay to miss a day of practice, provided you get back on board and continue the next day. In this way you will guarantee yourself success. You can access the entire course for free inside the Art Of Self-Connection community. Bonus! For the month of March (2026) we are offering daily live meditation sessions, 7am AEST. See you there. Quick Links: Want to
Want to establish a daily meditation practice and learn how to build and maintain a positive habit? Join the 30-day challenge :) Join the free Art Of Self-Connection community and click Cultivate a Daily Meditation Practice. There you’ll find 30 sessions ready to go, one for each day. This course has been taken by 1,000+ students on Insight Timer and is rated 4.88/5. A lot of people credit it as the thing that finally helped them practice daily. It focuses on mindfulness, so if you’d rather join the challenge and do your own daily practice (whatever that may be), that’s welcome too. Our goal i
This is an informational talk on how to reduce the severity, duration, and impact of panic attacks, triggers, and dysregulation. We start with the core reminder: you are not in danger, this will pass, and you can support your system back toward steadiness. From there, the talk focuses on combining acceptance with action through practical reframes and body-based strategies, including breathwork, present-moment orientation, progressive muscle relaxation, and movement as a way to discharge stress and restore regulation. Want a guided session for panic, anxiety, triggers, and overwhelm? Click here
You don’t have to choose between the journey and the destination. Most self-improvement and inner peace approaches lean hard in one direction, acceptance without growth, or growth without self-love. But real, sustainable, purpose-aligned change needs both. Inspired by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), this short talk offers a simple framework for holding acceptance and improvement at the same time. What if you were able to love yourself whilst fixing yourself? Read the how to love yourself whilst fixing yourself blog post. Quick Links: Want to work with me? Book a 1:1 session. You are invite
'I closed my eyes to the beauty of the sea, shielding the fragile part of my soul that still believed in an untainted moment. As I walked away I couldn't help but feel...' In this episode share a story of healing and self-acceptance through poetry. Using the symbolism of water, nature, and floating, I’ll guide you inward, into the parts that learned to brace, shut down, and survive. You will leave hopeful for your own process of returning back to the self. Poems shared: Endless Can’t Quite Express I Float Dear Little Part Of Me Beauty Of The Sea Quick Links: Want to work with me? Book a 1:1 se
I recently returned from a men’s work retreat through the Island of Men: a transformative program designed to help men connect and heal. I left with two main takeaways. 1: There is a tremendous male loneliness and meaning epidemic. Men feel alone and unsure of what they are doing, why they are doing it, and feel like they have no one to talk it through with. 2: There is vulnerability within positivity and success. I was asked about my purpose and realized that I was already living it (a journey over destination kind of thing), and I chose to do an improve comedy workshop over the deep introspe
Usually around this time of year I talk about the pain that this time of year can bring: extra commitments, financial burden, overwhelm, and forced socialization. This year I am looking to actually make something positive come from the festive season, so I am inviting you to join in with a self care challenge. For the month of December, pick one small act of self-care you can do every day to stay grounded and regulated. Something that feels nourishing, simple, and doable. eg: - Music - Reading - Take a bath - Meditation - Nature walk - Exercise - Cup of tea - Journaling Or choose something you
Language is flawed, and it keeps us from touching the divine. Every time we try to communicate, we start with a felt sense (thoughts, emotions, sensations) and we’re forced to translate that into code. Words. Sounds. Symbols. Then we hope the signal survives the noise. That nothing gets lost through misunderstanding, projection, or the limits of whatever medium we’re using. And on the other side, the listener has to decode it all back into their own thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Which means we never really say exactly what we mean. We only ever say what someone else is able to hear. All
There’s a barrier between us. A barrier built from platforms and algorithms, each one acting as a simulacrum that promises connection and depth, but really only offers shallow engagement. Even this podcast is limited. It’s me talking, you listening. One-way, with little space to truly respond or connect. And that’s not enough for me anymore. I want to be able to add more value, more often, and do it better. I want to facilitate deeper experiences, and help connect you not just to yourself, but to one another… and to me. That’s why I’ve built The Art of Self-Connection community. A space for re
The four principles of how to live in harmony to: move slowly, breathe deeply, and focus broadly, with compassion for all. In this short talk, I introduce these principles as a gentle form of guidance towards inner peace. When combined and embodied we they help us to begin to connect, both to our true self and to the world and all in it. I am using these principles as a kind of internal mantra, something I say to myself on repeat as a way to both pay attention to my present state (In this moment am I moving slowly, breathing deeply, and focusing broadly, with compassion?) In this way I am cons
When faced with extreme and overwhelming situations we do whatever we can to survive. Typically this involves one of four responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. If this approach to stress works, we survive. Good in the moment, but often that survival comes at a cost. Unless we are able to appropriately process the event, both mentally, spiritually, physically, and socially, we may begin to generalize our fight, flight, freeze, and fawn response into a way to approach all aspects of life. This is not ideal because these survival mechanisms are not always appropriate for what is arising in
It’s all too easy to let fear stop us from acting when it matters most. Not just in the big, cinematic moments of bravery, but in the small, everyday chances for connection and emotional release. There is a saying that goes, ‘fear is temporary, regret is forever,’ and it rings painfully true. In this short talk, I share four moments from my past that I regret, offered in the hope that they inspire you to take the actions you need, so you don’t carry unnecessary regrets of your own. Links Mentioned: Explore 1:1 counseling & coaching with me
Truth is beyond words alone. At best, language is a flawed code, an attempt to translate physical sensations, mental states, and spiritual experiences into something shareable. Yet in doing so, it often distorts what it tries to reveal. Whether through science, religion, or spirituality, we keep circling the same human experience, but each system claims its version as the only truth. All that we can hope to do is infuse our words with an energetic transfer to convey the meaning beyond the code. Words can guide us, but they can also trap us, locking us into categories that make us miss what’s r
Intuitive Guidance is the process I am using to help 100’s of people each week to release trauma from the body. It holds to the premise that the body keeps the score. Simply put, what we don't or can't process (trauma) manifests over time as illness, injury, psychological blocks, and stress. The good news is that by turning our attention to the body, connecting to it, and allowing it to express, it will begin to release trauma from the body. In this episode I break down the Intuitive Guidance process and share some of the profound insights and releases that you can expect during a session: ‘I
The art of manifestation gets a bad wrap, tied in the minds of most to questionable woo-woo ideas that seem fanciful at best. But manifestation is real, and the methods it works on are simple and obvious once explained and embraced. Simply put, we manifest what we focus on because we are primed to find and act on them. In this episode I share two tracks, the first is a talk titled ‘how manifestation really works’ and the second is a guided meditation called ‘powerful manifestation visualization’. These tracks, and 100’s more are available in the Ultimate Audio Collection. This can be accessed,
There comes a time when we know we need to act, but nonetheless find ourselves blocked by fear, or inertia, or confusion, or some other unnamable emotion. It is then when we must take a leap of faith - despite the possibility that we may fail. In this episode I discuss how I have taken a leap of faith and offer guidance on how you can do the same. If you are struggling to do what you know you must, this one is for you! Click here to find out more about my 1:1 coaching & counselling sessions.
In today’s session I share with you a guided meditation that weaves together mindfulness, breathwork, healing visualization, and mantra, inviting you to soften, slow down, and reconnect to the self and the moment. You can follow each cue or simply sit and listen. This space is here for you. Let the words, breath, and stillness meet you as you are. *Don’t Play While Driving! This track is taken from The Ultimate Audio Collection, an ever-growing library of guided meditations, wisdom talks, and audio courses designed to help you unlock calm, clarity, and confidence. You’ll get access to this and
Why is it so hard for some people to stand up for themselves? In this episode I discuss three primary reasons why as well as some solutions that you could implement to overcome them. 1: Low self-worth - if you don’t believe you deserve to be treated well/get what you need from life, then you will fail to act. 2: Unclear goal or direction in life - if you don’t know where you are heading/what you value, you won’t know what to push for and what to avoid. 3: Unable to hold space for their response - standing up for yourself will put people out, if you cannot sit with the negative feelings, moods,
Who are you beyond the consequences of your past? Trauma and self identity are inextricably interconnected - you became what you needed to become to survive. These defense mechanisms saved you, but now you are left wondering who you are outside of them. Your interests, beliefs, desires, and goals are shaped by how you managed the past. Thus you may begin to wonder who you are. This lack of knowing can be crippling and it is the topic of this episode. Links mentioned: - Internal Family Systems Books - Dear Little Part Of Me - Poem If this episode has resonated with you, I would love your suppor
Here is what to do when someone is being triggered and opening up about their trauma - or at least what works for me: 1: Make Sure They Are Safe - out of danger to and from themself and to and from others/the environment. 2: Make Sure You Are Safe - physically, emotionally and spiritually available, capable and able to helping the person without being overwhelmed or triggered, or at least only to an acceptable level. 3: Ground Them In The Present Moment - this will help stop them from being triggered, get them to focus on what they can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Help them to slow down
