The Action Field Podcast

Season 2 - Episode 10

What is the true nature of the shadow? And how can we make it an asset rather than our adversary? Buckle up. We’re going in deep.

Season 2 - Episode 9

"You either love 'em or hate 'em!" So it goes with the Collingwood Football Club. Tune-in for the deep history as to why.

Season 2 - Episode 8

Allure: Tempt, Entice; Fascinate or Charm…

Season 2 - Episode 7

Let's dive into the magic of Mary Oliver and her poem, I Wake Close to Morning

Season 2 - Episode 6

"...apply defensive pressure with full effort and the footy Gods will reward you with the ball in your hands"

Season 2 - Episode 5

Another ten minute hit, this time on the possibilities that present themselves, often at the hardest of times.

Season 2 - Episode 4

Take a listen as I discuss the inner images which burst forth from his unconscious and threatened to break him but ultimately made him the Carl Jung we know of today.

Season 2 - Episode 3

A ten minute insight to how I coach footballers on decision-making and how the rest of us can apply this method to counteract the fear & timidity that weakens our resolve…

Season 2 - Episode 2

Yep, it's been a while. And here at BEST MIND we are stoked to be back with an all new edition of The Action Field.

Season 2 - Episode 1

Welcome to Season 2 of The Action Field. Let's set it right off and bring a little bit of love into what will hopefully soon be a post-pandemic 2022.

Episode 11

We’re squeezing in one more episode to season one of The Action Field. And boy, it’s a good one! When Carl Jung was approached in regards to an autobiography he initially said, “That sort of thing lies entirely outside my range.” The publishers, however, were smart enough to persist and to team him up with Aniela Jaffe (co-writer) who sat with Jung for one afternoon per week from 1957 to 1959. At this point Jung was past his 80th year and though it placed great strain on him to write, he began to sense an important connection between his earliest memories and the ideas in the works he’d written in old age. “A book of mine is always a matter of fate”, said Jung. As such, he only began to commit to his ‘autobiography’ once he felt it to be “a task imposed on him from within.” His Memories, Dreams, Reflections follow in the same fashion; a recollection of “inner” experiences. “Only what is interior has proved to have substance…” said Jung. “‘Outer’ experiences were never so essential anyhow, or were so only in that they coincided with phases of my inner-development.” Hope you enjoy our one hour trip into the psyche of Carl Jung. His Memories, Dreams, Reflections is undoubtedly one of the greatest works I’ve read (even though Jung himself refused to allow this book to be included in his ‘collected works’!).

Episode 10

We made it to ten episodes. Stoked! And we’ve got 55mins of pure heat in todays edition of The Action Field. In the first segment we take a look at the world according to devoted artist/poet Joshua Yeldham via his beautiful book ‘Surrender - A journal for my daughter’. In segment two we focus on Paul Roos - AFL premiership coach and champion footballer of a measly 356 games. Yep, dude’s got cred! - and his ultra-insightful piece ‘Here It Is’. And we round it out with a look into my own history with meditation (both Roos and Yeldham appear to be dedicated meditators themselves) and why it is that I choose to do this thing called BEST MIND; an insight to my own inspiration if you will. Well, this whole podcast is an insight to what inspires BEST MIND, but today we zoom in a little closer. As is the way, there’s a sonic interlude or two; space to digest the big ideas, or a time to simply bliss out on sound. So grab your iPod (yes, I still use an iPod… and a cassette walkman too in fact) and take a slightly longer walk than usual as we go deep in celebration of reaching episode 10 of The Action Field x

Episode 9

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell & Bill Moyers has been a game changer here at Best Mind. In this week’s episode we look at a few of the big ideas from The Power of Myth and relate them to this very today, to this very moment. We also hear the words of master poet Mary Oliver, and the timeless wisdom of Anaïs Nin. There’s music as usual, there to set the mood and to give you a little thinking time. And in a first for The Action Field we hear words set to a sonic palette in the way of Chief Seattle and a letter he’d composed to the United States government in response to a request made to buy tribal lands in the mid-nineteenth century. Perhaps our favourite episode thus far so be sure to check it x

Episode 8

I’m a huge fan of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s timeless essay ‘Self-Reliance’. In this week’s episode we look at some of it’s key idea’s and relate one idea in particular to the famous one-word lecture of Guru Dev, teacher of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (famed for introducing Transcendental Meditation to the West). We also look at the practice of daily rituals and the sense of agency they imbue us with. The Meditation and High Performance Mind Coaching offers at BEST MIND also get a brief mention as does virtue, of course, as it wouldn’t be The Action Field without it! Musically, Easy Dada sets the mood with two pieces from 2020’s album ‘I Sell Them Dream’. Hope you enjoy x

Episode 7

This week we look at what it takes to hit the sweet spot between deficiency and excess: Virtue. We'll hear from Aristotle and his Virtuous Mean, plus further advice on which side it is better to err towards: excess or deficiency? Pope Francis makes a brief appearance with some timeless wisdom on the importance of humility (when it comes to holding a position of power). We'll also cop some insight on leadership courtesy of Neil Craig, former Adelaide Crows coach and current advisor to Eddie Jones, coach of England's Rugby Union team. It's powerful and concise, coming in at a mere 31mins. So grab your headphones, take a walk and enjoy x

Episode 6

In today's episode we take a look at 'How to be an artist' according to Henri Matisse, Lesson 2 of which is 'Make up your own rules'. We also hear from Ralph Waldo Emerson and his timeless essay 'Self Reliance'. And we round it out with a quick story on how Malcolm Blight came to realise his number one principle as an AFL coach: "It's my way or no way." Arthur Russell sets the mood musically with a couple of beautiful pieces from his 1985 wonder 'World of Echo'. And all in a mere 33 minutes. With love, x

Episode 5

Robert Greene's '48 Laws of Power' has been touted as everything from amoral to contradictory and is - according to Wikipedia - popular among celebrities, athletes and prison inmates alike. In this episode we take a close look at Law 34 'Be Royal In Your Own Fashion' and the awareness it can bring us relative to power games or at the very least, it's ability to entertain us. Yep, Greene tells a damn fine historical tale! We'll also hear from Shakespeare, Aurelius and The Buddha along with a fitting tune from Serge Gainsbourg and the divine harmonies of D'Angelo. Hope you enjoy x

Episode 4

In the Grand Final edition of The Action Field we take a deep dive into the coaching heritage of Simon Goodwin, head of the Melbourne Football Club. We'll go all the way back to the early 20th century and uncover the original nickname of Melbourne F.C. and how they came to be known as the Demons courtesy of the legendary - but oft forgotten - Checker Hughes. We also hear from the Cocteau Twins with the beautiful melancholia of Heaven or Las Vegas. Loads of goodness in this edition so tune in, kick back and enjoy.

Episode 3

This week we hit the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix with Ayrton Senna. We'll take a few sound bites from the incredible Senna documentary and hear straight from the man himself. My Bloody Valentine make an appearance with their devastatingly good LP 'Loveless'. We'll also hear sounds from Senna's native Brazil, the likes of Lula Cortes & Ze Ramalho as well as Flaviola. The wisdom of The Bhagavad Gita will return and the Eastern mythology of Hazrat Inayat Khan will also make a brief appearance. A feature-packed edition for sure. Enjoy x

Episode 2

This week we head to India and explore The Bhagavad Gita, the classic scripture which translates as 'Song of the Lord'. Eknath Easwaran, whose introduction to the ancient text alone is quite special, says that "after more than thirty years of devoted study, I would not hesitate to call it India's most important gift to the world." Wow! We take a look at how we can use this gift as a guidebook to daily living much like Mahatma Gandhi chose to from his early twenties and right throughout his lifetime. We'll dive into the sonic bliss of John Abercrombie and Jimi Hendrix, both of whom set the mood perfectly.

Hope you enjoy x

Pilot

We hit the big guns straight up and dive right in with Marcus Aurelius. We take a look at books 1 & 3 from Meditations and how his powerful wisdom can be applied to this very day. We also hear from Joseph Campbell and his thoughts on the unavoidable nature of suffering and how we must say YES to it all in order flourish in this one precious life. French producer DK sets the mood with a couple of beautiful tracks from his Live at the Edge EP which you can find on vinyl here. And all this in less than 36mins.