Occupied (Brock Cook)

For the longest time I've wanted to start a podcast. The blend of technology, creative expression and Occupational Therapy has always appealed to me greatly. My vision for this is to be an online space where I can discuss concepts, new ideas, old ideas, talk to interesting OT's, explore the dark depths of Occupation and generally have fun. If you have any ideas about topics you would like to hear broken down and discussed OR if you would like to discuss things with me then get in contact! brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT Keep occupied Brock

Operation Occupation was a project that I undertook a few years ago and was a turning point in my career for my personal growth into the profession of OT. Below is a presentation that I gave to the OT’s in my district about the “Operation Occupation” p...

This is most definitely a passionate plea from me to you guys. Firstly, I love memes. I think so many of them are amazingly clever and incredibly funny. Therapy-related memes, however, are a thorn in my side. Firstly, 99.99% of them are not remotely funny. I’m really sorry to break it to you guys but therapeutic relationships are rarely funny and trying to make light of them comes across as soooo forced and often offensive. And this is where today’s episode comes from. I’ve spoken many times about the impact public portrayal of OT has on our profession. In my opinion, I can see how condoning some of these memes could be doing us damage. The meme above is the inspiration for this episode. It was a short video of a person falling out of a wheelchair after going off a step. The comment, as can be seen by my comment, is the main part that really got to me. I encourage you to keep an open mind, have a listen to hear my opinion and come up with your own opinion on the matter. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Do you ever wish communication in healthcare was more efficient? Clarissa does – all the time. In this episode, Clarissa shares how her frustrations with clinical communication led her to seek out a job in the health technology industry, and what she learnt about transferability of Occupational Therapy skills in the process. Clarissa (@geekyOT on Twitter) works in forensic mental health, and also for the secure messaging app Pando. Pando is free to download in the UK. To get your name on the international waiting list, please email aline@hellopando.com Show Links:https://hellopando.com/https://hellopando.com/privacy-centre/https://geekyot.com/ Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

DURING THIS PODCAST TOPICS SUCH AS BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER, SELF HARM AND EXPERIENCES OF TREATMENT ARE DISCUSSED. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER OR MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON’T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.  OTforBPD was an account on Instagram and Facebook that I came across through MH4OT. They were putting out some practical and detailed resources for practitioners about the often misunderstood diagnostic category of Borderline Personality Disorder. BPD is a diagnosis that even though I encountered people who have it through my career, I do not feel like I had a good grasp on the user experience of it. I messaged the page and managed to track down the owner, Laura, who explained that she had a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder, was a qualified OT and her mission was to help not only support others with BPD but to help educate OT’s and other health practitioners about BPD. Borderline personality disorder (BPD), is a mental illness characterized by a long-term pattern of unstable relationships, a distorted sense of self, and strong emotional reactions. There is often self-harm and other dangerous behavior. People may also struggle with a feeling of emptiness, fear of abandonment, and detachment from reality.[4] Symptoms may be triggered by seemingly normal events. The behavior typically begins by early adulthood and occurs across a variety of situations. Substance abuse, depression, and eating disorders are commonly associated with BPD. Up to 10% of people affected die by suicide.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borderline_personality_disorder I’m super grateful that she agreed to come onto Occupied and share her invaluable experience of navigating the health care system as a person with BPD. Laura was so kind and genuine. There is a sense of vulnerability in her words but a feeling of strength in her words. Check out OTforBPD here:https://www.facebook.com/OTforBPD/ View this post on Instagram A post shared by Laura, Anya & Ozias (@otforbpd) on Nov 28, 2019 at 12:27pm PST Reasources Laura recommends: https://themighty.comhttps://www.spectrumbpd.com.auhttps://bpdfoundation.org.au Gunderson, J. G., & Hoffman, Perry D. (2005). Understanding and treating borderline personality disorder : a guide for professionals and families (1st ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub.   Sampson, M. J., McCubbin, Remy A, & Tyrer, Peter J. (2006). Personality disorders and community mental health teams : a practitioner’s guide. Chichester: John Wiley. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

PLEASE NOTE: This episode discusses topics such as colonisation and racism in multiple forms. The guests would like to make it clear that this episode does not sit as a ‘standalone’ teaching tool. If you are planning to share it with your cohorts of students we encourage you to use it alongside other aspects of the curriculum with cultural responsiveness with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Have you ever considered the impact colonisation might have had on the indigenous peoples of your country? Have you ever considered the ongoing impact these historical events have had in terms of systemic racism and institutional marginalisation of our clients? Australia has a checkered and often hidden history when it comes to its colonisation by western entities. The impact that this event has had on Australia’s indigenous peoples is something that continues to impact them today. Today’s episode delves into the institutional racism and cultural isolation that continues today due to Australia’s colonisation in 1788. This conversation with Tirritpa Richie and Jodie Booth was deep, confronting and mindblowing all at the same time. I can’t express enough how important it is to listen to this one with an open mind and a critically self-reflective lens. Racism in Australia traces both historical and contemporary racist community attitudes, as well as political non-compliance and governmental negligence on United Nations human rights standard and incidents in Australia.[1] Contemporary Australia is the product of Indigenous peoples of Australia combined with multiple waves of immigration, predominantly from the United Kingdom and Ireland.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Australia Personal Reflection 1As I reflected on in episode 044 This session had a HUGE impact on me, alerting me to many considerations in my own schema that I was completely naive to. At the Australian National Conference where Tirritpa Ritchie challenged the room to critically challenge their “whiteness” in the context of the service they deliver/teach. Map of Indigenous Australia – The map is an attempt to represent all the language, tribal or nation groups of the Indigenous peoples of Australia.  A huge thank you to Jodie Booth who brought this conversation together as its something we all wanted to do justice to as it is something that so important to Australian health care but also relevant to many many other western cultures around the world including the USA and Canada. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Breeanna Janson (@breetheOT) is an Australian OT who I discovered through Instagram and her amazing content. Bree often has “theme weeks” on Instagram where she would education on topics around Occupational Therapy and personal growth including meditation. Bree has a number of amazing projects on the go at once, most of which we touch on during this podcast. I really wanted to discuss meditation with her and its clinical application for OT’s. Bree has a side gig voicing guided meditations for an app called Bloom. She also utilises the benefits of meditation with a prison population in which she works with. On that topic, during the conversation, Bree introduced me to an amazing model called the Good Lives Model which we went through and she utilises to highlight where in a persons life meditation can have a huge impact. View this post on Instagram Here's a pic of me from last Friday, doing more meditation recordings for @bloomapp ✨ @chloeszep @mollyjane A post shared by Breeanna Janson | Bree The OT (@breetheot) on Dec 7, 2019 at 11:10pm PST Bloom Apphttps://apps.apple.com/au/app/bloom-better-you/id1469479066 The Good Lives Modelhttps://www.goodlivesmodel.com/ Since we recorded Bree has also set up a mental-health related podcast which will launch in February 2020. Give The Strong Minds Club a follow to stay up to date with their launch and new episodes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Strong Minds Club Podcast (@strongmindsclub) on Dec 22, 2019 at 12:41am PST Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Charles Christiansen is a name that a large portion of Occupational Therapists from around the world would recognise. From his papers to his textbooks to his positions on AOTA and AOTF boards, Charles’ impact on the profession has been nothing short of paradigm-shifting. I first met Charles in 2012 when he was flown out to a conference here in Australia as the keynote. Through a serendipitous turn of events, I was given the privilege of picking him up from the airport. From that first minute, his bubbly personality and amazingly measured and thoughtful conversations had me enthralled. Since that time we have kept in contact and it was an absolute pleasure being able to host him on Occupied. An amazing man, an amazing story and such a great conversation. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF! Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, Dr Anita Hamilton has arguably had the biggest influence of any individual on my OT career. If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The one and only Dr Anita Hamilton has had a MASSIVE influence on my career and volunteered me for a number of amazing opportunities I would not otherwise have had the fortitude to tackle. Anita is an expert and leader in the space of OT’s utilising online technology and has been a massive proponent of the OT4OT group who founded and help facilitate the whole range of 4OT facebook communities. Stay tuned to the end for a WORLD EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT regarding the ongoing future of the OT24VX virtual conference!!! Also find the “first follower” video discussed in the episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW8amMCVAJQ&feature=emb_logo Anita’s video highlighting the use of her model of knowledge dissemination “the IM-KT Framework”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsJzjeieqf0&feature=emb_title Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF! Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, this episode rustled more jimmies than just about any other! If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Goals…..we’ve all heard of them and all been advised that we should be using them both personally and clinically….but why and how are we using them? Do we have a good understanding of how they work? Hear me out and I’ll see if I can make you think ? When I say how do you write a goal I bet this is what you think of: Specific  Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-bound ………….but why? I’m sure we’re all very familiar with this format for “goal setting”, it’s been drilled into us for year! But how many of you could list a different goal format right now off the top of your head? To me, that in itself is an issue. I encourage you to hear me out and listen to this one with an open mind. I’m a believer that SMART goals are not only not a good method of goal progression for OT’s but even that they can be detrimental….and I’m about to explain to you my thoughts around this! Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF! Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, Professor Gail Whiteford has had an almost immeasurable impact on the profession of Occupational Therapy. If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am honestly so excited about this episode. When Gail first sent me a message asking to be on the podcast I almost fell off my chair. All my Occupational dreams come true! Professor Gail Whiteford has been an OT hero of mine for the longest time and even though we have met multiple times, getting to have a chat with her was a surreal experience. To say I was fan-boying was an understatement. Coming to the conclusion that she is not only one of the most intelligent and well rounded Occupational Therapists i know but also one of the most easy to talk to and engage with. I can’t thank Gail enough for allowing me to pick her brain. Professor Whiteford’s work has had a significant and lasting impact on the direction of the profession and Occupational Science. In particular her work with Dr Elizabeth Townsend in the development and promotion of the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework was something that resonated with me from the core of my OT beliefs. Being involved with OT organisations such as OOFRAS and working with some marginalised populations the framework instantly resonated with the work and professional experiences I had up until that point. The Conversation Our conversation started with her journey through the profession and the evolutions of OT she experienced throughout that time. Gail, on the spot, came up with ideas I would never have ever considered about the profession. Blew my mind wide open. Feel like im still processing it. We discussed the POJF and how it came into development. The current state of Occupational Therapy as well as what the future may hold for the profession. Definitely one of the deepest, most reflective conversations I’ve had and I really hope it blows your mind as much as mine. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

WELCOME TO THE OCCUPIED BEST OF! Voted by you guys as one of the four best episodes thus far, Rebecca Twinley’s Dark Side of Occupation has been growing exponentially over the last few years. If you’ve heard this episode before I can guarantee you’ll get something new out of it. If you haven’t heard this amazing episode before, strap in, you’re in for a ride! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr Twinley came into my life, as many have, via online connections and shared thoughts on Occupation and Occupational Therapy. When we first connected was just before she publicly released the concept of The Dark Side of Occupation. This concept very easily resonated with me. It integrated into my clinical practice and conceptualization very easily. It just made sense. The understanding that occupations having purpose and meaning, being contextually situated and having an impact on health are nothing new to OTs. Reflecting on “the dark side” of occupations and seeing that there are many people in society, you included, who engage in maladaptive, harmful or health decreasing occupations was profound. It’s something, that for many, doesn’t seem to have been given the focus it deserved until it was given a name. Why is it important? Since this time I’ve seen the concept spread and evolve and become more widespread. One thing I’ve seen is the evolution of how people used the term. It was good to get Bex’s opinion on this and how it differs from her understanding and presentation of the concept. It’s incredibly important that Occupational Therapists not only look at occupations that are health-promoting but also those that may not have such a positive impact. Only then are we able to fully gain an adequate understanding of the people we work with and deliver effective health services. If you are wanting to get a better understanding of the concept then definitely start with the website linked below. The Dark Side of Occupation: a concept created and being developed by Dr Rebecca Twinley Also check out some of these: Twinley, R. (2017) Woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault, and its impact upon the occupation of work: A Learn at Work Webinar. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXGxvh96pnA Twinley, R. (2017) ‘The Dark Side of Occupation’. In: Jacobs, K. and MacRae, N. (eds) Occupational Therapy Essentials for Clinical Competence. 3rd edn. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK. Twinley, R. (2014) ‘Everyone is a moon’: The dark side of occupation. OT24Vx2014: A World of Health and Well Being. 3-4 November 2014. 24 hour Virtual exchange available at: http://www.ot4ot.com/ot24vx.html Twinley, R. and Morris, K. (2014) Editorial: Are we achieving occupation-focussed practice? British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(6): 275 Twinley, R. (2013) The dark side of occupation: A concept for consideration. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 60(4): 301-303. Twinley, R. (2013) Response to Re: The dark side of occupation: A concept for consideration. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 60(6): 459. Twinley, R. (2013) ‘The dark side of occupation’ Occupational Science Seminar Series. 24 April 2013. Plymouth University: Plymouth Twinley, R. and Addidle, G. (2012) Considering Violence: The Dark Side of Occupation. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75 (4): 202-204. DOI: 10.4276/030802212X13336366278257 Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Have you ever thought about how your life would change if you just found out you had a sibling? Sounds like a movie script right? What if one sibling was an Occupational Therapist and the other had Cerebral Palsy? How would your occupations change? How would your family dynamic change? I came across Whitney and Dexter's story on Instagram. In this podcast, we explored their amazing story and how finding each other has impacted both of them. View this post on Instagram Hey guys my name is Dexter I am the other half of the team here at Tied Together I'm 26 I have cerebral palsy which has been one of craziest experiences of my life along with finding my long lost sister. What I hope to bring to this page is the fun? as well as give voice to those who are in my situation or similar situations to let you know 1)there's hope 2) you're not in this alone 3) your voice matters With that said welcome to Tied Together let's have some fun #cerebralpalsy #disability #adventure A post shared by Dexter and Whitney (@tied__together) on Oct 2, 2019 at 6:47am PDT Keep Occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

I came across Crystal's Intagram account during her "Neuro A-Z Photo Challenge". Her content and explanations are exceptional and I learned a lot. Since then her content has continued with her focus on educating OT's and the public on all things neuro, especially stroke. Her passion for her practice area is very obvious and infectious.  We explored her journey into OT, her passion for promoting brain health as well as a number of other helpful little tidbits for therapists to be aware of.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by ??????? ? ??????????? ? (@thebrainyot) on May 21, 2019 at 6:29pm PDT The following website was also discussed by Crystal during the episode:  EBRSR.com (Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation) You can also check out her blog at: https://thebrainyot.wixsite.com/website  Keep Occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

This episode I wanted to reflect on an idea that I've been playing around with for a few weeks and that's the difference between Mental Health and Mental Illness. Having an understanding of the links between wellbeing and mental health is a skill that every clinician can take into just about every clinical practice area. This is an area and a concept that fits core with Occupational Therapy and isn't constrained by the boundaries of Mental Health practice. Exploring Mental Wellbeing with clients is something for ALL OT's to engage in....but how? "There is no health without Mental Health" Erik Johnson During the episode I explore one model for wellbeing that you can find here: https://www.wheelofwellbeing.org/ Keep Occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

I know a lot of passionate people. I also know a lot of people in a lot of different practice areas. I've been lucky enough to know a couple of people who are incredibly passionate about working in the aged care sector. Brooke George has an amazing passion for working with people who have dementia. Those of you who have listened to a couple of episodes will know that this is far from my forte so I've been keen to learn more. This conversation was one that I'd wanted to have for a long time given my own knowledge gap. I learned an absolute tonne about working with people with dementia. We also explored how Occupation based practice can be exemplified in this practice area. Brooke was also able to highlight some of the difficulties of working in this practice area. It was a fantastic conversation and Brooke was brilliant. I learned a tonne from her expertise and I'm sure you will too. https://www.holisticoccupationaltherapy.com.au/ Brooke also posts a TONNE of amazing videos and resources on her Instagram profile so definitely give her a follow if youre interested in learning even more! :D View this post on Instagram A post shared by Brooke George • OT (@teaming_with_dementia) on Aug 27, 2019 at 2:35pm PDT Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Continuing on a bit of a trend of lived experiences on the podcast I roped in the awesome Taylah Douglass to have a chat about her experience with Chronic Pain. Taylah is currently completing her OT degree just outside of Melbourne Australia and the combination of her study and her experience of pain has given her some great insights into its impact on occupational engagement. Her story and her insights are invaluable and I learned so much about the mindset, and the toll that pain can have on a person. With roughly 1/5 people having chronic pain of some kind in their lives if you are lucky enough to not experience this for yourself you will definitely work with someone during your career who does. For this reason, gaining an understanding of the experience and toll of pain on a person is invaluable for an Occupational Therapist. Resources Mentioned in the podcast: retrainpain.org Painfreeyou.com Thankyoudrsarno.org (page full of success stories healing from chronic pain through the mind-body connection) healthskills.wordpress.com Books:  Dr Howard Schubiner - "unlearn your pain" and also has YouTube videos. Dr John Sarno: "the divided mind" Nicole Sachs (therapist working with pain  patients) - "the meaning of truth" Steven Ozanich - "The great pain deception" Podcasts: "The cure for chronic pain" - Nicole Sachs "The mind and fitness podcast" - Eddie Lindenstein (pain success stories through the mind-body connection, relating chronic pain to athletes and fitness) Taylah's details for any questions or feedback! taylahdouglass95@gmail.com Keep Occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Professor Karen Jacobs is one of those guests that makes me feel like I don't work hard enough. Any of the projects she has been involved in could be looked at as career-defining by mere mortals like myself. Everything from writing textbooks, creating national campaigns looking at safe backpack use, writing a library of kids books. Also, she's been President and VP of AOTA, run a cable TV show, started an academic journal and runs an OT podcast. The list goes on and on and on! I first "met" Karen in 2011 when I first got involved with the OT4OT team (where she was a member). There, I was able to help them out with their 24hr virtual conference as well as their suite of Facebook groups. The more I learned about her the more I was just in awe of the impact she has had on our profession. AOTA's summary: Jacobs is a clinical professor of occupational therapy and the program director of the distance education post-professional occupational therapy programs at Boston University. She has expertise in the development and instruction of online graduate courses. In addition to being an occupational therapist, Jacobs is also a certified professional ergonomist (CPE). She has a private practice in ergonomics. Jacobs earned her BA at Washington University in St. Louis, her MS at Boston University, and her doctoral degree at the University of Massachusetts. Dr Jacob’s research examines the interface between the environment and human capabilities. In particular, she examines the individual factors and demands associated with increased risk of functional limitations among populations of university and middle school-aged students. She focuses particularly on notebook computing, backpack use, and games such as WiiFit. Most recently, she is co-developing, with Dr Nancy Baker at the University of Pittsburgh, the Telerehabilitation Computer Ergonomics System (tele-CES) for computer users with arthritis. The tele-CES is a remote systematic ergonomics program. It's aimed at substantially reducing work disability among workers with any type of arthritis. Jacobs is the founding editor-in-chief of the international, interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment and Rehabilitation, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2010. Jacobs is a past president and vice-president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). She is a 2005 recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Akureyri in Akureyri, Iceland; the 2009 recipient of the Award of Merit from the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT); and recipient of the Award of Merit from the American Occupational Therapy Association in 2003. https://www.aota.org/Publications-News/ForTheMedia/Experts/Jacobs.aspx Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOT brock.cook@me.com

When I started Occupied I didn't really have a plan for how it was going to go. It was a form of creative expression for me and I enjoyed learning the process and creating a product. The uptake of said product has been absolutely amazing. I'd be lying if I said I was excited every single hour of the editing process or thrilled to get up at 4am to record but the feedback from you guys and hearing every now and then that you love the conversations is a big part that keeps it fun and interesting. 50 episodes 70k+ downloads 34 amazing guests 55+hours of released content. 70+hrs of recording 140gig of raw audio files 115 countries reached 44 different podcast apps 2 websites 2 MacBook Pro's 3 Microphones Still only 1 tech issue (touch wood) Many early morning alarm clocks A Million laughs Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means the world that you guys would listen, comment, email, share, like even just think positive thoughts about the podcast. I encourage you to keep building this amazing OT community of podcasters and podcast consumers. If you listen to a podcast and take something away from it, take the couple minutes and get in contact with the host. Let them know. I can 100% guarantee you will make their day. Here's to the next 50! Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOT brock.cook@me.com

This is an emerging topic for me. It's something for which I've seen a correlation for many many years. Now is the stage in my career where I'm starting to explore this more in-depth. Meaning is arguably the most important aspect of a person's occupation. Yet, in my experience, it is also one of the most neglected or least understood areas of our practice. This episode I wanted to take some time to reflect on my thought process and how "meaning" has evolved over my career. I make reference to an article during the episode that has recently provided me with some food for thought around this: Morris, K., Cox, DL. (2017) Developing a descriptive framework for “occupational engagement” Journal of Occupational Science 24 (2), 152-164 Would love to hear your thoughts on "meaning" and how you see it relating to occupational therapy! Shoot me an email or a voice mail! All links in the profile. Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOT brock.cook@me.com

Since the beginning of my involvement in the sport of powerlifting, I've always been fascinated by the similarities. There are close links between the skillsets required to excel in Powerlifting and those commonly utilised by Occupational Therapists. I have, previously, written blog posts on how I've utilised my OT skillset in my coaching. To build on those I have planned to record an episode on it for the longest time. At about the same time I started this podcast, I came across two ladies on Instagram. One was a powerlifter, one an OT who was developing quick reference products for students and therapists. I'm semi ashamed to admit that it took a good 12 months for me to work out that these two ladies were, in fact, one and the same...Jennifer of @OTreference. I was talking with Jennifer one day about these previously mentioned similarities between the profession. I reflected and knew that I couldn't record this episode on my own. Luckily for me, Jennifer agreed to come and have a chat with me, for you. What I present to you is an exercise in viewing the world through an occupational lens. In our instance, Powerlifting was a mutual love that we discussed but I bet you could look at a myriad of your own hobbies and find similarities. Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOT brock.cook@me.com

There aren't too many OT's in the online space that hasn't come across or seen posts from The Occupational Therapy Hub. I've known Jamie for about as long as Occupied has existed. He was one of the very first people to contact me after the release of my very first episode. Since that time Jamie has always been a strong supporter of Occupied and all of the OT podcasts out there. From Radio and TV then on to Occupational Therapy, Jamie discusses his journey and all the ups and downs along the way. Glad I was even able to teach him a new saying: "The important thing to remember about the idiom "how the sausage gets made" is that it always refers to UNPLEASANT details (not boring details, unimportant details, etc.) and it always refers to a PROCESS. It means that there are a number of details that we'd rather not hear about." https://www.italki.com/question/129918 Jamie had a vision when he was an OT student and that was to create a "hub" where OT related resources could be curated into one spot for ease of access for therapists and OT students. He poured his heart and soul and energy into building the Occupational Therapy Hub and released it to the world (all for free I might add). He has pulled together a worldwide team of volunteers to continue building The Hub as well as developing an online community of therapists looking to learn and grow together. He has juggled all this whilst also making the transition from student to new-grad as well as all of life's other trials and tribulations. His passion for growth and learning is evident and something we could all use a little more of. Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOT brock.cook@me.com

DURING THIS PODCAST TOPICS SUCH AS ABUSE, PTSD AND VIOLENCE ARE DISCUSSED. THERE IS ALSO STRONG LANGUAGE USED. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER OR MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.  When we think of Anxiety and PTSD we all would get some image of a person in our heads. But what we need to understand is that no matter what that image looks like, it's wrong. PTSD and anxiety are both in-discriminatory. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Heather Connor (@heather.e.connor) on Oct 27, 2018 at 10:36am PDT I had the absolute privilege of knowing and being able to chat with Heather Connor who is pound-for-pound one of the strongest drug-free powerlifters on earth. With multiple national and international titles and records under her belt she is looked up to and admired by people all over the world for her strength, dedication, work ethic and her humorous outlook on life (as well as her dogs, Pancake and Butters lol) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Heather Connor (@heather.e.connor) on Jun 14, 2019 at 5:24am PDT The Real Heather Connor What many people are not aware of is that the history that helped create her is quite confronting and at times scary. She has battled anxiety and post-traumatic stress for a large part of her life. This podcast is exploring her mental health story. We hope that this will help shed some light on the experience of these conditions as well as provide hope and motivation for people who have experienced similar things that you can not only survive, but you can thrive. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Heather Connor (@heather.e.connor) on Mar 5, 2019 at 3:14am PST Heather is passionate about using her social media platform to help people and open up the conversation about mental health. She was incredibly open and vulnerable with me during this conversation and it shows in her message. Cannot think Heather enough for such an amazing chat. Keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOT brock.cook@me.com

This conversation starting talking about the transition and what to expect moving from a student to newgrad practitioner. Thalia was honest and raw and didn’t sugar-coat any of the experiences, good and bad. We explored the intricacies of practitioner mental health. The aim being to come up with some strategies for newgrads to help maintaining their mental health and thrive during the transition. Thalia, as am I, is of the opinion that this level of awareness and conversation is important for newgrads to be exposed to.  I first came across Thalia about a year ago and was instantly taken by her confidence in putting herself and her experiences out there for the world to see and to learn from. At the time she was a student who had been documenting her placement experiences and reflecting on them in youtube videos on her channel, Endless Eduation.  She has since then graduated and begun working as an Occupational Therapist. Her channel, likewise, has graduated to sharing her musings and reflections on her transition to a practitioner.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnnojVzKgVs Her content is amazing and i thoroughly encourage all students and new grads to check out her youtube (shown above). She is also working with The OT Hub so if you’ve not checked them out yet, get on it! If you wanted to contact her, leave a comment on her youtube or you can tweet her at @Thalia_OT :)  Keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

On July 10-12th 2019 I found my way to Sydney for the 28th Occupational Therapy Australia National Conference & Exhibition. This was my 4th Australian National Conference which runs every 2 years. In this episode, I'd love to highlight some of the key moments and amazing inspirations for me from #OTAus2019. Key Conference Stats Delegates 1419 Registrations (Record Number!) 915 OTA Members 283 Students & New Graduates 14 Countries Australia, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, United Kingdom, USA, Vietnam Program 642 Abstract Submissions 6 Occupation Stations (New Format!) 347 Oral Presentations 168 ePosters Exhibition & Media 18 Organisations Sponsoring 120 Organisations Exhibiting 40+ First Time Exhibitors 12 Media Releases Leigh Sales AM and her brilliant presentation about adjusting after life-changing events. Associate Professor Natasha Lannin and her amazing keynote focused on how we can sustainably get more clinician-researchers within the profession The omnificent Professor Gail Whiteford mesmerising the audience and pushing the profession to live up to its true potential in her Sylvia Docker Lecture. The Debate: Should the profession ditch the categories of Self-care, Productivity and Leisure? Overall I have a fantastic time. It was so amazing to meet so many of you who listen to the podcast and your stories and kind words really made my conference so to those who came and said hi, thank you so much :) (Stats and all photos from https://otaus.com.au/media-and-advocacy/news/photo-gallery-ota-28th-national-conference-and-exhibition-2019)  Keep OccupiedBrock Cook@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

I first came across Sense Rugby when the below video came across my facebook browsing. Being a strong advocate for occupation-based practice AND an old rugby union tragic, this video appealed to me on multiple levels. The use of Rugby Union as a therapy seemed so simple yea sooooo powerful.  The combination of Occupational Therapist, Carlien Parahi and her husband, Australian 7's Rugby representative, Jesse Parahi has produced an amazing service. Utilising the culture, training, social aspects and even the equipment of rugby union and adjusting it to make it fully accessible to their clients is their core business. There is no inclusion criteria for Sense Rugby. Due to the word of mouth of friends or other therapists they have amassed a small army of children who are now reaping the benefits of organised team sport.  Their amazing program has now expanded across almost 20 locations across Australia. They are planning to expand it even further to other parts of the country and the world. If you want to check out Sense Rugby check the links below: www.senserugby.com.au www.facebook.com/SenseRugby/ Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

DURING THIS PODCAST TOPICS SUCH AS SUICIDE AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION ARE DISCUSSED. IF THIS IS A TRIGGER OR MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO LISTEN.  DURING THIS PODCAST PERSONAL OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES WITH MENTAL HEALTH AND MEDICATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. THESE ARE OUR PERSONAL OPINIONS AND EXPERIENCES ONLY AND YOU SHOULD DISCUSS YOURS WITH YOUR DOCTOR.  Who is Sarah? Sarah Cawthorne is a friend and an amazing human. She's always been open and friendly and there for people who need her. Almost 12 months ago she made an amazingly honest post on Instagram addressing her experience with detrimental alcohol use and her recent decision to "remove alcohol from her life". I remember talking with Sarah at the time and being in absolute awe of her strength and clarity around the issue. To see someone who was so physically strong (she's a badass, strong AF, powerlifter), have a hidden weakness for alcohol and to be on the journey to addressing it is so amazing to see.  View this post on Instagram 91 days ago I made a decision to remove alcohol from my life. Contrary to what I’ve always believed - I’m worth more than that. To me, alcohol was like an abusive relationship. I hid it, I protected it, I couldn’t live without it. But it was making me sick, making me sad, isolating me, forcing me to give up things I loved. It made me give up on myself. I hid it pretty well. People with addiction are very skilled at this. I slipped up once during this time but was back on track the very next day. I’ve never been able to do that my entire adult life. Thank you universe for the handful of beautiful humans in my life who held me accountable and hugged me when the mind fuck was overwhelming. Anyway, here’s me - no lashes, no makeup, no hangover and no regrets. I don’t plan on wasting another second. A post shared by Sarah Cawthorne (@sarah.cawthorne) on Aug 5, 2018 at 9:00pm PDT Our chat: We discussed our mutual experiences working in the mental health field before delving into her personal experiences with alcohol addiction. I know Sarah was super nervous about having this conversation but her brutal self-honesty and vulnerability with myself are so greatly appreciated as it's given me a much greater appreciation of the lived experience of alcohol addiction and recovery.  We also discussed mutual experiences with functioning depression and conceptual ideas around mental health treatments. I can't thank Sarah enough for opening up, being vulnerable and taking a chance in chatting on the podcast and I truly hope this conversation gives you as many insights into addiction as it did for me.  Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

A while ago I asked Michelle to come and be a guest on Occupied. As I had expected she agreed but then retorted, "I'm going to interview you". We both laughed and that was that for a couple months while we tried to nail down an appropriate time. When we did find a time Michelle mentioned that she had been thinking about questions to ask me. This is when I finally realised she was serious....she was intending to hijack the podcast! In all seriousness though, Michelle and I have known each other for a long time and we talk often about all things OT and OS so I knew her questions and ideas were going to be deep. We went right through my OT history but from the perspective of my conceptual development which was an interesting reflection. I hope there's something for everyone in this one as we explore a whole gamut of OT and the OT process. Some strong discussions around Occupation based practice, institutional trauma, alternative lenses and where we'd like to see the profession go in the future. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Laura Park Figueroa, to me, is something special in the profession. To take on the often scary role of an entrepreneur and turn your passion into a private practice takes STONES. This is exactly what Laura has done with her practice, Outdoor Kids Occupational Therapy. Loving the great outdoors and having that connection with nature are driving forces behind the business. Laura also runs the Mind Your OT Business podcast where she shares her insights and thoughts about private practice and supporting OT's to take the plunge! We delved into her journey into private practice as well as what it might take for others to do the same. I was able to draw on my experience of a time when I NEARLY became an entrepreneur myself and Laura helped me highlight the areas where I could have improved. I'm a firm believer that many of the amazing new and adventurous OT practice out there at the moment is coming from the brave people in the entrepreneurial space. Those that are brave enough to really back up their words and turn their passions into projects that help others. Check out Laura's amazing work here: www.mindyourotbusiness.com http://www.outdoorkidsot.com Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

The release of the adaptive XBox controller might have been something you saw cross your news feed a while back. You may even have thought "damn that's awesome, I wonder how OT's are going to use this". What you may not have known is that an OT was heavily involved in its development! Erik Johnson is that very OT and his story is phenomenal.   Some of you may remember Erik from his time in the Army when was known across the social media landscape as ArmyOTguy. Back then, like me, you might have been in awe of his amazing work with service men DURING his deployment to Afghanistan. For me it really opened up my mind about the potential for where OT's could work. At the time he also inspired me to explore the use of Nintendo Wii in my own practice area.    Fast forward a few years and Erik retired from the Army. Since then he helped start Warfighter Engaged, a volunteer company that custom designs and sets up adaptive control centres for people with accessibility issues so they can engage in the occupation of gaming! Incredibly creative and inspiring work can be seen on the Warfighter Engaged website here: https://warfighterengaged.org/projects   I thoroughly enjoyed this chat with Erik and his rich experience and occupational focus was amazing and inspiring.    Check out the XBox adaptive controller here: https://www.xbox.com/en-AU/xbox-one/accessories/controllers/xbox-adaptive-controller Where to find Erik: If you have the will and capacity to support Warfighter Engaged in the amazing work that they do than do check out their website for how you can support them.    If you want to find more about Erik you can find everything you could ever want to know about him on his website: http://www.erikunleashed.com/   Erik's work also extends to Operation Supply Drop, an NFP organisation helping enhance service persons lives through community engagement https://weareosd.org/       Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Alexis is an OT, an online juggernaut, a clinical mentor and metaphor aficionado. If you're on Instagram or Facebook then you have more than likely come across some of her posts, stories or live chats. Hard to imagine how she has any balance.... ;) A few months ago Alexis invited me to do an Insta-live with her. Honestly, I can't even remember what we originally started talking about but we digressed to occupational balance. We decided then and there that we needed to record a podcast and give the topic the time and space that it deserved. Occupational Balance is a concept that ALL occupational therapists have heard of and the majority would mention regularly, usually as a potential or ideal outcome. But how many have thought about the concept in detail? How many have considered the process of occupational balance outside of the feeling that we get when we have "achieved" it? What is actually being balanced?  Definition: balance /ˈbal(ə)ns/noun 1. an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady."she lost her balance and fell"synonyms:stability, equilibrium, steadiness, footing"I tripped and lost my balance" 2. a situation in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions. By definition balance is about offsetting things against other things in the correct proportions. When we look at getting the "just right" perceived amount of engagement in a certain occupation what exactly are we offsetting this against? We explore the merits of considering this phenomenon as Occupational Wellbeing instead.  We also branch off and consider ditching occupational classifications in favour of classifications of engagement. The paper discussed during the episode is here:  Hammell, AW. (2009) Self-care, productivity, and leisure, or dimensions of occupational experience Rethinking occupational ‘categories’, Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(2): 107-114 During the chat, Alexis also refers to this article on distracted parenting: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/07/the-dangers-of-distracted-parenting/561752/?utm_source=atlfb_test134_1 Where can you find Alexis? CreatingconfidenceinOTs.club updates on happenings, resources, e-courses, mentorship program, tools, and shares. Hang out with Alexis on Instagram at @8alexisjoelle. If you have any questions you can email her at info@alexisjoelle.com OR tweet her at @8alexisjoelle   Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

"Coffee, a brewed drink prepared from roasted coffee beans, the seeds of berries from certain Coffea species."   I can guarantee you that many people reading this did not know that a coffee bean comes out of a cherry! Why? Because, for most of us, it's not important to our engagement with it. Some of you may not even be aware that it is a seed! and some of you might not like coffee at all (say it isn't so!).   What I want to do with this episode is take something that I love and explore how it has the potential to mean so many different things to different people. By looking at the different ways in which it can be engaged with I'm hoping it will act as a lesson/reminder that context is king and assumptions of meaning have very little place in Occupational Therapy.   As an added bonus, I came out of this episode so highly caffeinated I recorded another right after it!   Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a clinical modality that I was introduced and exposed to during my clinical career. Unlike many psychotherapies, ACT was always able to be incorporated into an Occupation-Based Practice framework. I came across Lou Sanguine on Facebook through a post about the podcast. She challenged me to make a post about ACT. I challenged her to make it with me. It was a challenge but she caved and joined me for a chat. We explored this new experience for Lou during the conversation and use it as an example to explain a lot of the different aspects of ACT....very meta. Lou's knowledge and passion for Acceptance and Commitment Therapy runs deep and that comes across in our conversation. She mentions the underpinnings being based in Contextual Behavioural Science. If you'd like to explore this more, do check out their website contextualscience.org For more regular updates and information on ACT in the OT profession go ahead and give Lou's FB page a like: https://www.facebook.com/OTandACT Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

There's very little I can say about RachelStarLive that she hasn't expressed herself in one of her amazing youtube videos. So using her own words, Rachel is a "schizophrenic badass from Youtube and TV stuff." She's been on Americas Got Talent & Ninja Warrior. She is a Mental Health advocate. She's a Schizophrenic (listen to the episode before you take offence to the word). She's survived a flesh-eating bacteria. She's a Stuntwoman. She is not a pornstar.   Her story is diverse, scary, inspiring, shocking and all that without even considering her schizophrenia. When people say they've "been through some stuff," Rachel is the embodiment of that phrase.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjxmQt47Uwo I've personally used some of Rachel's videos to help teach students about the lived experience of various symptoms etc. So when it came to wanting to highlight lived experience on the podcast there was no one else for me, It had to be Rachel.  There are a lot of things that originally drew me to Rachel's content. Firstly her energy. The way she presents information is full of buzz and very engaging. As she discusses in the podcast, if you didn't know she had schizophrenia, you wouldn't guess by watching her videos. To a large degree that is one of the learning points, I liked from her content. Her descriptions of her experienced symptoms are dynamic, descriptive and strangely comprehend-able for a wide audience.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0da-Dbdkvow Rachel has been working on her own movie called Stuntgirl so give her Youtube a follow and stay up to date with all of her mental health and stunt content!  Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Dr Twinley came into my life, as many have, via online connections and shared thoughts on Occupation and Occupational Therapy. When we first connected was just before she publicly released the concept of The Dark Side of Occupation. This concept very easily resonated with me. It integrated into my clinical practice and conceptualization very easily. It just made sense. The understanding that occupations having purpose and meaning, being contextually situated and having an impact on health are nothing new to OTs. Reflecting on "the dark side" of occupations and seeing that there are many people in society, you included, who engage in maladaptive, harmful or health decreasing occupations was profound. It's something, that for many, doesn't seem to have been given the focus it deserved until it was given a name. Why is it important? Since this time I've seen the concept spread and evolve and become more widespread. One thing I've seen is the evolution of how people used the term. It was good to get Bex's opinion on this and how it differs from her understanding and presentation of the concept. It's incredibly important that Occupational Therapists not only look at occupations that are health promoting but also those that may not have such a positive impact. Only then are we able to fully gain an adequate understanding of the people we work with and deliver effective health services. If you are wanting to get a better understanding of the concept then definitely start with the website linked below. https://thedarksideofoccupation.wordpress.com/ Also check out some of these: Related publications and presentations Twinley, R. (2017) Woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault, and its impact upon the occupation of work: A Learn at Work Webinar. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXGxvh96pnA Twinley, R. (2017) ‘The Dark Side of Occupation’. In: Jacobs, K. and MacRae, N. (eds) Occupational Therapy Essentials for Clinical Competence. 3rd edn. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK. Twinley, R. (2014) ‘Everyone is a moon’: The dark side of occupation. OT24Vx2014: A World of Health and Well Being. 3-4 November 2014. 24 hour Virtual exchange available at: http://www.ot4ot.com/ot24vx.html Twinley, R. and Morris, K. (2014) Editorial: Are we achieving occupation-focussed practice? British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 77(6): 275 Twinley, R. (2013) The dark side of occupation: A concept for consideration. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 60(4): 301-303. Twinley, R. (2013) Response to Re: The dark side of occupation: A concept for consideration. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 60(6): 459. Twinley, R. (2013) ‘The dark side of occupation’ Occupational Science Seminar Series. 24 April 2013. Plymouth University: Plymouth Twinley, R. and Addidle, G. (2012) Considering Violence: The Dark Side of Occupation. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 75 (4): 202-204. DOI: 10.4276/030802212X13336366278257 Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

It's OT Month in the states and I've seen a TONNE of social media posts promoting the profession and saying how amazing we are and outlining the wide variety of things we can do. What I haven't seen is a large swell of people promoting the profession outside of the profession. I'm all for giving each other a pat on the back when we've done something awesome, 100% but don't expect that pat on the back to be anything other then what it is. If we really want people outside the profession to understand what we do then we need to promote to them.  So why now? This all started after a conversation with Gail Whiteford. Sitting on my couch the other day I had the thought that I would put out my "elevator speech" to see if it was similar to other peoples. I also wanted to share with my networks (most of which are non-OT's) with the hope that it might trigger the conversation where I could explain fully about our amazing profession. What I didn't expect was the reaction these three little pictures would get. To date they have reached over 70 thousand people after over 1400 of you shared them with your own networks. To me, these numbers are INCREDIBLE! So I decided to put together a little episode to explore this and why I think it's important.  I am most definitely not saying that OT Month/Week/Day activities that are about highlighting our professional strengths are a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact, I feel like they do serve an important place. What I am saying is it's important that we continue to try and push the understanding of occupation and occupational therapy outside the profession if we expect to grow and be respected as a health profession.  Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

You may remember Simone from episode 2! She is the creator of the Regulation Rocket and an amazing occupation-based pediatric OT. Simone has definitely been one of our most popular guests. She has just got back to Australia after spending a year travelling the world (pretty sure the last episode was recorded from Japan!). Because of that, I thought it was time to touch base again and explore her occupational brain. :)   From the moment we met Simone and I have got along really well and found that we're both on the same occupational wavelength. We could literally talk for days if left to our own devices. This episode we explore her new business venture including telehealth and how occupation can be implemented using it. We went deep into the realities of implementing Occupation Based Practice and the systemic limitations that become barriers. Naturally, a lot of pet peeves came to the surface such as OT memes, client labels, generational communication differences.   We explored the importance of routines and habits but also of developing the adaptability and resilience to cope when they're disrupted. From that, the topic of success and not recoiling from failure came up. We then discussed how OT's can often let fear hold them back from breaking the mould and doing something truly innovative or scary. Of course, it wouldn't be a Rocket OT podcast without discussing the Regulation Rocket and self-regulation.   Like I said at the start, Simone and I could talk forever and we've decided that we will record again.  Expect an episode in the future that explores the professions over-reliance on "independence".   http://rocketot.com/   Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Prior to meeting Jon Jon my measures of success were most definitely material and superficial. Since that time I've been a much more introspective OT. I met Jon Jon Rivero in 2014 when he came to Australia to deliver the keynote at the QLD State Conference. I've still never been to a more amazing presentation. There was singing, dancing, roundhouse kicks, beatboxing, harmonica as well as amazing occupation based practice stories. I learned about creativity and growth and finding yoURawesome. Since that time we've kept in touch and I've followed along the success, growth and development of Qi Creative. Some of you may have seen me hinting at a link between my last guest, Meghan Harris, and Jon Jon and that link is that Meg also works for Qi! The conversation ended up moving towards something that I'd been mulling over for a few weeks and thats, pulling success from failure. Jon Jon was open and honest enough to share an amazing story. He told how a large part of his professional self and his business birthed from a large "fail". I had an absolute blast talking with Jon Jon and left feeling inspired and motivated for the profession and the future. Jon Jon on TwitterQI CreativeBalikbayan Project     Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

THIS EPISODE DISCUSSES TRAUMA & TRAUMATIC INJURY. ALTHOUGH THERE IS IS NOTHING OVERLY GRAPHIC OR NEGATIVE, PLEASE DO EXERCISE COMMON SENSE IF YOU FIND THESE TOPICS DIFFICULT OR TRAUMATIC. Meghan and I connected many years ago on twitter and I've followed her career and growth since then. Last year Meghan and a group of others from her cycling club were hit by a truck whilst out for a ride. She suffered vast and traumatic injuries and spent a long while in a rehabilitation hospital. Meghan is now back at home but still working through her rehabilitation. In this conversation, we explored Meghan's experience right from the accident to this point in time through her occupational lense. The hope is that we are able to give therapists a view and perspective from the other side of the fence.  Through the trauma, Meghan remained positive and driven. This was something I was curious about and we did get to discuss the realities of this perception. Meghan is an amazing therapist and her views and observations of the process I find incredibly positive and inspirational.  qicreative.com meghan2@ualberta.ca Meghan's Instagram Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT 

SOME CONTENT IN THIS PODCAST MAY BE CONSIDERED EXPLICIT BY SOME PEOPLE. SEX AND INTIMACY TOPICS ARE DISCUSSED AND MAY INCLUDE SOME COLLOQUIAL TERMINOLOGIES. EXERCISE COMMON SENSE IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THESE OR RELATED TOPICS.   I discovered the OT After Dark podcast only 4hrs after they released their first episode (Sex as an ADL). My initial reaction was "Yes! Finally someone is brave enough to talk about sex and sexuality in a public forum!" But it got even better. Firstly, they're hilarious and very personable. Secondly although speaking candidly about these topics they are exceptionally well read and well researched.... They also include, on their website, all of the research they discuss in each episode for your perusal.   I firmly believe that sex, sexuality and intimacy are topics that OT's often neglect for a variety of reasons. Similar to most social change I feel that opening the conversation is the first step. Exposure to the topics will hopefully ease some of the anxiety and awkwardness about addressing sex with our clients.   I encourage everyone to check out the OT After Dark podcast on your favorite podcast app. Also check out their website or tweet them:   https://otafterdark.com/https://twitter.com/otafterdark   Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

You may know Mandy as Seniors Flourish. She's an OT. Entrepreneur. Business Owner. OG OT Podcaster. Online OT personality. but most of all she was kind enough to come and have a chat with us here at OCCUPIED. Many of you may have come across her work on social media where she produces and curates tonnes of useful and interesting content for therapists in all areas of practice. Her work is, as the name suggests, predominantly targeted at those working with seniors in the aged care sector and we explored just why her passions lay in this practice area. It was an extremely fun conversation that had us both laughing a lot. We explored Mandy's journey into OT, her business, her podcast, the evolution of digital tech and even her dance prowess. If you don't already definitely get along and check out her website and social profiles: Facebook Twitter Instagram And if you are in aged care or have an interest in aged care her membership site, The Learning Lab, provides and unprecedented community of support and resources to help you develop your practice. SeniorsFlourish.com/learninglab Also we're still waiting for her dance video..... Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

I'd like to reflect on a natural disaster. At the beginning of February 2019 the city where I live was stuck under a monsoonal rain even for over a week. This event dumped over 1.6m (5ft) of water in 7 days. Townsville being a typically dry place was not designed or ready to drain and divert more than its yearly rainfall in one week. What proceeded was a 1 in 100 year wet event with unprecedented flooding.   Throughout the event I received so many messages from friends, family and fans of the podcast and I'd like to thank you for your thoughts and concern. It meant the worlds. Long story short, myself, my family and most importantly my dog are all fine. We didn't even get the worst of it. Some of the suburbs on the south side of Townsville were completely devastated. In many cases lost everything they owned. The Podcast This podcast is some observations I made during the even through an occupational lens. My aim is not to sugar coat, nor shield anyone from the realities of natural disaster. I do discuss, death, loss of possessions, grief, etc so if this is something you are sensitive to then please ensure you are appropriately supported or alternatively skip this episode. I also touch on some of the amazing things to come out of such a difficult time. People pulling together to help each-other, rescue each-other, and dropping everything for each-other. In some cases even using their own tools and resources to help their fellow man without hesitation.   Social media played a massive role during this natural disaster and I reflect on exactly how I saw this powerful tool being utilised. From that I also explore my own occupational experience during the floods.   This video should give you an idea of the water levels and widespread devastation. Video by Cameron Laird https://youtu.be/BHAX5VdD5jg Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Kitty (@truly_radical_) contacted me over Twitter some time ago and emphatically stated that she wanted to talk with me about research. She told me that herself and fellow OT, Anna (@aurbanowicz) had a huge passion for promoting research to Occupational Therapists. She wondered if I would like to talk about it with them on Occupied.... definitely! Dr Anna Urbanowicz and Dr Kitty-Rose Foley did their PhD's at the same time in the same place. This lead to two very different directions and experiences. Sitting down and chatting with the two of them highlighted the challenges and rewards of completing research and a PhD. Anna is Australian but currently in the United States as a VC Postdoctoral Fellow (Fulbright Scholar) at RMIT University. Learning inclusive research techniques to bring back to her work in Australia. We talked about their respective journeys through PhD and into Post Doc. From there we went on to explore why research is important to the profession and various ways that OT's are able to get into it. The key takeaway is that research isn't scary, it just takes a little bit of planning. With this in mind you have the opportunity to add to the evidence base of the profession using your own clinical experiences. For me personally this a great follow-on from episodes 013-014 about transitioning to academia and I'm def more driven than ever to get stuck into some research! I'm excited! Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Leah Forman is a COTA and an OTD student whom I originally discovered from her Instagram. The very first post I saw was a photo of a pelvis and a comment about womens health, mindfulness and OT. This (strangely) caught my eye due to my good friend Melissa LaPointe and her business/interest/passion in the field. I also noticed Leah had a blog and through reading some of her posts I got to see some quite similar interests to myself. The use of mindfulness and meditation being one of them. Connecting with her then and having further discussions it didn't take long to work out we were on the same wavelength about a lot of different things. Seemed like a no brainer to get her on Occupied and see where the conversation took us! Leah taught me about what a COTA is and what they do. We also explored the therapeutic use of mindfulness and meditation. Finally we looked into the links that can be seen between the concepts of mindfulness, minimalism and Occupational Therapy. The conversation was fun and came really easily and I'm sure you will get as much out of this conversation as I did. Check Leah out in all the following places: lifesoccupations.com www.instagram.com/lifesoccupations/ Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

I am honestly so excited about this episode. When Gail first sent me a message asking to be on the podcast I almost fell off my chair. All my Occupational dreams come true! Professor Gail Whiteford has been an OT hero of mine for the longest time and even though we have met multiple times, getting to have a chat with her was a surreal experience. To say I was fan-boying was an understatement. Coming to the conclusion that she is not only one of the most intelligent and well rounded Occupational Therapists i know but also one of the most easy to talk to and engage with. I can't thank Gail enough for allowing me to pick her brain. Professor Whiteford's work has had a significant and lasting impact on the direction of the profession and Occupational Science. In particular her work with Dr Elizabeth Townsend in the development and promotion of the Participatory Occupational Justice Framework was something that resonated with me from the core of my OT beliefs. Being involved with OT organisations such as OOFRAS and working with some marginalised populations the framework instantly resonated with the work and professional experiences I had up until that point. The Conversation Our conversation started with her journey through the profession and the evolutions of OT she experienced throughout that time. Gail, on the spot, came up with ideas I would never have ever considered about the profession. Blew my mind wide open. Feel like im still processing it. We discussed the POJF and how it came into development. The current state of Occupational Therapy as well as what the future may hold for the profession. Definitely one of the deepest, most reflective conversations I've had and I really hope it blows your mind as much as mine. Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

December 2018 I was given the opportunity to co-present a webinar for the new WFOTvx series of professional development things. Myself, Karen Jacobs of Lifestyle by Design and Stephanie Lancaster of On The Air presented a Podcasting 101 webinar for Occupational Therapists.We covered everything from the workflow involved in creating and publishing a podcast as well as how OT's can utilise this media space for their own professional development.A massive thanks to WFOT for supporting this presentation and to Karen Jacobs for facilitating and inviting me to be part of it.The recording of the webinar can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUOHG2ZVyZs Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Erika is an OT and entrepreneur who together with her husband, Mike, run their business Joy Energy Time. Their focus on burnout in health professionals is a contemporary issue that needs to be addressed now before it becomes an epidemic. How I found Erika I first came across Joy Energy Time on Instagram and, being the visual person I am, was instantly attracted by their awesome pineapple logo. I found the podcast and was an almost instant fan! I'm generally quite picky with the podcasts but i instantly got this sense that the content Erika and Mike were putting out was real and honest. I tuned into an amazing Instagram Live story where Erika explored a revelation she had recently had about her long term anxiety and burnout. She then turned that into a podcast which I have shared for you below. It takes a special something to be able to put yourself out to the world like that. It takes something even more special to take these experiences and turn them into an opportunity. This is exactly what Erika and Mike have done with Joy Energy Time. They aim to educate and support therapists around burnout and self-care practices. The Burnout Conversation We started chatting about the concept of "travel therapy" and the differences regarding this between the USA and Australia. We discuss our common burnout experiences and the contributing factors. We then unpacked some of the common impacting factors of burnout and highlighted some of the tools we've found that can help manage these factors. Of course, as you would expect from Occupied, we also related it all to Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science. Joy Energy Time offers an online course (Bash the Burnout for Healthcare Professionals) for clinicians. The aim of the courser is educating HPs about burnout and how to manage it. Information and enrollment in the course can be found at: www.joyenergytime.com https://youtu.be/EWC5STeg-38 Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Alondra Ammon is an Occupational Therapist from California. She graduated with her masters in Occupational Therapy from Samuel Merritt University and is currently working as a school-based OT. Her passion is Diversity and the promotion of the profession! I first came across Alondra's youtube channel and being a bit of a geek had a search around for the rest of her social media presence. After that, we engaged in some conversations over Twitter where I found that she had been on On The Air. The diversity of her professional experience, her bright and bubbly personality and her interest in promoting diversity throughout Occupational Therapy all added up to her being someone I just had to chat with. I have always found people with a broad and varied life experience have the most interesting perspectives on things and Alondra's military and previous health service experience intrigued me. At the beginning of the episode, we discussed Occupied Ep 020 which wasn't released at the time of recording. Alondra Added her ideas around the changing diversity of the profession and the impact it might have on Occupational Therapy as a whole. Occupational Passion: Throughout the chat I hope it's evident that She has more passion for Occupational Therapy than your average OT. As a result, she is harnessing some of this explosive enthusiasm and channeling it into a media that she is hoping will have a positive impact on the profession. She has some important messages for all OT's about promoting the profession and taking, the often scary, step to put yourself out there for the benefit of spreading the word among the general public. Check out Alondra's Youtube channel where she discusses contemporary issues and interviews a variety of Occupational Therapists. I challenge you to watch and not crack a smile after soaking in her unbridled enthusiasm! https://youtu.be/wz0VtJsegiU Alondra La OT Facebook Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Today's discussion stemmed from a number of observations of late. Seemed like too much of a coincidence that the topic came up multiple times in a very short space of time so I decided to put together my thoughts. I'm very aware that for some people this topic is quite sensitive. I do encourage you to have a listen with an open mind as I am simply trying to highlight an idea that I haven't seen spoken about in the literature. That idea is that changing the demographics of Occupational Therapy will change the profession fundamentally. I definitely don't have a definitive answer to any of these raised concerns but the (well rounded) discussion needs to happen. Topics: I compare some of the reported experiences from the literature to my personal experience. My belief is that the experiences are legitimate but my interpretation of the cause of these experiences seems to differ greatly from those presented in the articles that I have read. I've seen a lot of very heated discussion on the topic of sex disparity. My concern is that the views being taken into these discussions are not conducive to effective discussion. When the chat gets heated, this is stilting the ability for clinicians to have a well-rounded view. Another question I wanted to pose is if this is an issue from the perspective of men as my personal experience has never highlighted it as an issue but also I've not read any papers on the topic that have included men as authors..... so if you know of some shoot them through to me because I'd love to read. Reference to the article discussed: Beagan, B., & Fredricks, E. (2018). What about the men? Gender parity in occupational therapy. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 85(2) 137-145. doi: 10.1177/0008417417728524 Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT Occupied Podcast

Dr. Ellen Nicholson is the Head of Department at the Aukland University of Technology's, Department of Occupational Science and Therapy and has had a vast and profound influence on my own career being the inspiration for Operation Occupation. We talked about everything from her journey into OT, the professions move back towards Occupation, and the role of Occupational Language in that journey. I first came across Ellen's work in ~2012 when she presented at the OT24VX on her PHD research. This really hit me at a time in my career when I was having a professional identity crisis. I was struggling to even work out if i was working as an Occupational Therapist. Ellen was super friendly and easy to connect with. She normalised a lot of the feelings and experiences that I was having at the time and acted as a super intelligent, amazing soundboard. Using her references, ideas and inspiration i not only changed my own practice but also started a couple projects that aimed to support other clinicians to do the same for themselves. Check out her work here: Collective action and the transformation of occupational therapy practice Abstract There is evidence of a growing tension within the occupational therapy profession regarding the legitimate knowledge and practice of occupational therapists. While occupation is described by many as the legitimate knowledge base for occupational therapy practice, the history of the profession, and the practice context, often appear to endorse accepted practices that are not overtly aligned with an occupational paradigm. Oppressive, dissatisfying and disempowering social conditions, revealed in the knowledge, power, and discourse which underpin occupational therapy practice, have likely further influenced the meaning and intention of occupational therapy practice with children and families over time.This thesis describes a critical participatory action research project which sought to investigate and affect how occupational therapists working with children translated knowledge to inform and transform their practice. Embedded in shared concerns about the legitimacy of accepted practices with children and families, and using a contemporary occupational therapy theory as a framework, eight occupational therapy co-researchers engaged in two phases of critical action; deconstruction-planning and action-reconstruction. Positioned in between the phases, the resolution of a subjective quest for validation was revealed as a principal catalyst to transformative action. Practice stories and critical dialogue, gathered as project information, was reflectively analysed to progress both the dialogical inquiry and the transformative intent of the research.Implications for practice drawn from the research findings include a suite of action-oriented strategies which will enable practitioners to discover and advance practice transformation within their own practice. These strategies have been consolidated into the VENIA model, which is presented as a practical solution to changing the practice of occupational therapists, and strengthening the political agenda of the occupational therapy profession. and you can access her full thesis right here: http://aut.researchgateway.ac.nz/handle/10292/6075 Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

We've looked at values and how they may highlight a person's occupational needs so the next logical progression is to have a look about what happens when someone changes the occupation that fills a need. That gap between occupations is a time that I feel OT's can really have an incredible impact on peoples lives. Let's explore the different types of transitions and how this can impact on the interventions and OT could perform. Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

We continue our chat about Sarah's experiences overseas, what developed country OT's could learn from these limited resource experiences, professional understanding of culture and OT's use of diagnosis. Sarah Putt is pediatric OT and fellow podcaster! She currently runs her own practice but has practiced in more countries than I was able to count and has some amazing stories to go with it! As expected we discuss the amazing medium of podcasting and how OT's can benefit and engage in it and she also introduces me to Hippotherapy and the occupation based benefits for service users of this very unique practice modality. OT4LYFE.com You can find the OT4LYFE podcast anywhere you can find Occupied Also check out the FB page: or Insta: or contact Sarah Via Twitter: @OT4LYFE Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Sarah Putt is pediatric OT and fellow podcaster! She currently runs her own practice but has practiced in more countries than I was able to count and has some amazing stories to go with it! As expected we discuss the amazing medium of podcasting and how OT's can benefit and engage in it and she also introduces me to Hippotherapy and the occupation based benefits for service users of this very unique practice modality. OT4LYFE.com You can find the OT4LYFE podcast anywhere you can find Occupied Also check out the FB page: or Insta: or contact Sarah Via Twitter: @OT4LYFE Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

As requested! an expansion of Episode 009 - How Do Values Fit with OT Practice by having a chat about how I've used these concepts in practice. Looking at a very practical way of finding a person's occupational needs which can then be used to guide the occupation based practice direction. Super keen to start the discussion an hear if other clinicians have used any values-based perspectives in Occupational Therapy Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

The 2nd half of our roundtable discussion with Michelle Perryman and Dr Jessie Wilson about the challenges of transitioning from a clinical OT role into an academic role. Between the three of us we are from 3 different countries, pre, during & post Phd, varying clinical backgrounds, and all have recently moved into academia. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

A roundtable discussion with Michelle Perryman and Dr Jessie Wilson about the challenges of transitioning from a clinical OT role into an academic role. Between the three of us we are from 3 different countries, pre, during & post Phd, varying clinical backgrounds, and all have recently moved into academia. Being able to compare multiple experiences from around the world fostered some amazing conversation that I hope any people considering a move into academia will find interesting. Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Stephanie Healey graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast and moved into her first OT position with the Department of Education in her home state. This position turns out to be quite unique in Australia and I wanted to learn all about it. Steph explained the types of intervention she does with her students, her journey into OT and her dream roll! Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

The one and only Dr Anita Hamilton has had a MASSIVE influence on my career and volunteered me for a number of amazing opportunities I would not otherwise have had the fortitude to tackle. Anita is an expert and leader in the space of OT's utilising online technology and has been a massive proponent of the OT4OT group who founded and help facilitate the whole range of 4OT facebook communities. Stay tuned to the end for a WORLD EXCLUSIVE ANNOUNCEMENT regarding the ongoing future of the OT24VX virtual conference!!! Also find the "first follower" video discussed in the episode: https://youtu.be/fW8amMCVAJQ Anita's video highlighting the use of her model of knowledge dissemination "the IM-KT Framework": https://youtu.be/AsJzjeieqf0 Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Samantha Bowen is an Occupational Therapist from Perth Australia who found her passion in the aged care sector.  Samantha started Acorn Network, an entrepreneurial venture aimed at promoting young leaders in the aged care sector by providing mentoring, support and growth services to individuals and companies. http://www.acorn-network.com.au/ Samantha has also just dropped her own podcast (The Grey Revolution)! So if you work in aged care, are interested in aged care or just breathe air then check it out! http://www.acorn-network.com.au/podcast/ Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

A rather spontaneous recording whilst getting some vitamin D, sitting outside, and relaxing. You know what they say, strike while the iron is hot, so whilst thinking about how I utilised values and values assessments within and occupation-based practice context it seemed like the perfect time to put my thoughts on record....and then send them out to the world. A bit of a reflection on how I've used concepts such as Occupational Need, Values, Occupational Disruption, and how these interrelate in order for us to be able to support people with more authentic interventions and recommendations. The example model discussed in this podcast is the Theory of Basic Human Values and is shown below. As is highlighted in the episode this is just one of many, many models of values and how they interact. This is a brief overview of how I think about these concepts interact together and I will be exploring them individually in more detail in future podcasts. Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

Dr Jessie Wilson is a former colleague of mine who now works at Western University in Canada. Her paediatric and mental health clinical background led her into her Ph.D. around an occupation based therapy project for young adults with autism. We discussed everything from previous episodes of Occupied, some of the marketing issues of the profession, some of the challenges between undergrad and graduate entry OT's as well as in depth about her experience completing her PH.D. project using the CO-OP approach. Critical Physio blog: https://criticalphysio.net/network-blog/ The CO-OP Academy: http://co-opacademy.ca/  Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Melissa LaPointe is a friend I've known for a number of years and I've watched her entrepreneurial journey building from her original passion area, Occupational Therapy and Women's Health. Now she is an online entrepreneur, a women’s health advocate, a coach, a leadership consultant and a community builder! We went into some detail around therapist burnout and how we both have been through it and come out the other side. I obviously explored the role of Occupational Therapy in Women's Health and the types of things they might do in this area and how Melissa's work in this area devolved into her current online businesses. Melissa's passion has now evolved into supporting and coaching other therapists to follow their passion for developing healthy and sustainable private practices'. Melissa's consultancy service can be found here:www.melissalapointe.com Melissa's online community for therapists and entrepreneurs in pediatrics and women's health.www.strongbeginnings.online Melissa referred to a poem she wrote about me in the podcast....well i found it haha so enjoy her creative writing skills! Keep occupied Brockbrock.cook@me.com@brockcookOT

So in this episode, I explore some random reflections I've had after coming across the concept of "minimalism". It started when I found a documentary on Netflix called Minimalism: A documentary about the important things which was the beginning of me diving down the minimalism rabbit hole. "Minimalism is a lifestyle that helps people question what things add value to their lives. By clearing the clutter from life’s path, we can all make room for the most important aspects of life: health, relationships, passion, growth, and contribution." The reason this concept grabbed me, once I started looking into it, is because I could see some really close links with Occupational Science! I decided to have a think and a chat about the links that I could see and how they might relate to Occupational Therapy and I hope this provides some food for thought for some people. https://www.theminimalists.com/ Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

This episode I delved into the world of the New Graduate Occupational Therapist!! I had the pleasure of sitting down with the one and only Dominic Lloyd-Randolfi to hear about his journey into Occupational Therapy including his involvement with www.NewgradOccupationalTherapy.com NewGradOT is an amazing blog resource for new graduates containing an amazing array of information with the aim of helping new graduates navigate the (often scary) transition into the profession. We had a chat about his transition from student to practitioner, sex as an occupation, made some comparisons between American health care and Australia’s as well as (OF COURSE) provide some tips for new grad therapists to help make the transition to practice a much smoother and more productive one. Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Every now and then a small thing happens during my day triggers some much more extensive thoughts/reflections (ironic right?). Discussing with my Occupational Therapy students about the importance of reflection got me thinking about my personal journey towards developing this SUPER IMPORTANT skill. I discuss a bit about my experience of finally realising how amazing this skillset can be and some tips about when and how you can start implementing it. If you enjoy it and know someone else who could do with some tips on reflection than feel free to share this podcast with them! Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Simone contacted me on Reddit following the release of Occupied episode 001 saying she wrote a blog called the Rocket OT and had created a visual that "demonstrates how regulation develops and is affected depending on environment/occupation". After having a chat it was clear that Simone and myself were on similar wavelengths so how could I not have a chat with her and learn more about her occupation perspectives and her story. We delved into a tonne of topics including OT's and the drift away from occupation, professional identity, sensory modulation as well as Simone's very own Occupation based pediatric resources. I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed having the discussion! Follow Simone's work here: https://www.facebook.com/rocketot/ Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Goals.....we've all heard of them and all been advised that we should be using them both personally and clinically....but why and how are we using them? Do we have a good understanding of how they work? Hear me out and I'll see if I can make you think ;) When I say how do you write a goal I bet this is what you think of: Specific  Measurable Attainable Realistic Time-bound .............but why? I'm sure we're all very familiar with this format for "goal setting", it's been drilled into us for year! But how many of you could list a different goal format right now off the top of your head? To me, that in itself is an issue. I encourage you to hear me out and listen to this one with an open mind. I'm a believer that SMART goals are not only not a good method of goal progression for OT's but even that they can be detrimental....and I'm about to explain to you my thoughts around this! Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

Sensory processing is something that is not uncommon to hear spoken about in OT circles but unless you're on the coalface of its application it can seem a little like the therapist is playing games. I am well versed in Sensory Modulation in mental health but I wanted to learn a bit more about the basics of sensory processing in paediatrics. Kara Rice runs a private practice that specialises in brain development and sensory integration. She was amazing and taught me so much! I really loved how she framed sensory integration not as a standalone modality but in the context of the impact it has on behaviours and reactions.....on OCCUPATIONAL ENGAGEMENT!! This was VERY exciting for me. Learning about primitive reflect integration was also very exciting for me as it's not something I've ever been exposed to before. If, like me, you have an interest in learning the basics of sensory processing and what an OT does in this space than this is definitely the episode for you! website: www.brainconnextherapy.com IG: /brainconnextherapy FB: /brainconnextherapy Keep occupied Brock brock.cook@me.com @brockcookOT

We explore content creation and exchanged hints and tips for OT's to not only find their creative talent but also to dive into sharing it with the world.

In the current climate, it's more important than ever to be in control of your headspace. Michelle has received specialized training in teaching mindfulness and has her own business, Incorporate Mindfulness

Tattoo's and tattooing has become somewhat mainstream in western culture today and we, as therapists, will work with tattooed individuals every day. But how many of us have actually considered them through an occupational lens?

Dev is on a mission. A mission for inclusion. A mission for happiness. A mission for equal rights. A mission for acceptance.

In recent times I've come across some absolutely amazing OT private practices. Becoming an entrepreneur is rapidly becoming a valid career progression for OT's around the world and I suspect that in this current health climate the potential of going into private practice will become more and more enticing, but how is that someone can develop a truly unique and innovative practice? The first step is about developing the mindset required to turn your idea into reality. Stay safe. Stay home. Keep learning. Share the love with your colleagues. #happyaprilfools Keep Occupied Brock@brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

An episode discussing how therapists can make this transition to telehealth more successfully in this ever changing world we are currently in.

I was super excited to talk to this phenomenal OT and garner her perspectives on life, MH and OT.

In this episode, we explore Gabe's lived experience of BPAD, his experiences with health services, the impact mental illness has had on his life and EVERYTHING in between.

It’s a beautiful thing seeing a therapist incorporate something they're really passionate about into their Occupation Based Practice

Having this discussion about language and how we as therapist use it to frame and situate our therapeutic relationship, power and recovery for the people that we work with.

Language is important. Documentation is important. The people we work with are important. But with all these "important" factors splitting our focus, have we lost the point? Zara Mills is an RN with extensive experience in mental health and a passion for improving nursing and healthcare in general. We talk often about the language used in health care and the throw-away terms and conversations had by health professionals that have a profound impact on those we work with....without us even realising it. I'm super glad we got to have one of those conversations on the podcast to share with you all. Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

We discuss what she learned, hows she grows, how she overcomes some of the challenges associated with placement and at the end have a discussion on what she feels would be the biggest learning points for other students going through or coming up to their placement.

Ciara and I discuss depression and other mental illnesses, training, resilience, emotional flexibility and recovery. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

This episode we discussed the progression of adaptive training focusing mostly on the functional fitness world. Exploring the training of those with a disability from a coaching to a competing perspective.

Danielle Delorenzo is well known to much of the online OT community and may be better known as @MorningswithanOTmom on Instagram. Danielle has a phenomenal personal story about becoming a mom and learning and growing with her neurodivergent son, Luke. She is also qualified in infant mental health which is what we wanted to talk about in this episode. We delve into infant mental health, postpartum care, self-love, and discuss how the world is impacting our wellbeing at the moment. If you're interested in hearing her heart moving birth story definitely have a listen to her episode with Sarah over at OT4Lyfe: Check out all of her socials and projects here: https://linktr.ee/morningswithanotmom Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Exploring the Dark Side of Occupation in more detail this episode, Rina and I delve into the world of harm minimisation. A question that I've been asked by many students is how can you work with someone who is "using illicit substances" when its "illegal". When is "getting off" or "staying off" drugs not the goal? By not addressing these things are you encouraging it? These are the ethical grey areas that many students and clinicians have toyed with when moving into mental health or duel diagnosis settings.

I put it out to you guys and many of you requested to know about: What I wish I knew when I was a new grad.

Jesse recently retired from his professional rugby career and it seemed like an opportunity too good to pass up to pick his brain about navigating that transition into civilian life.

You asked for it, so here it is! The 2020 Occupied guide to job interviews. How can you give yourself the best chance of landing that job!

We highlight some things health practitioners should be aware of and what they can do to help maintain their own mental wellbeing.

In these unprecedented times, many many people are experiencing occupation disruption on a large scale. Many people are starting or looking for new occupations in order to maintain their occupational wellbeing. Today I wanted to explore a small part of my journey into a new occupational engagement. A new hobby in a crazy world. I took up photography and am aiming to learn as much about it as i possibly can. The more i learn, the more i find i have to learn. But I'm absolutely loving it and immersing myself into this new community and new world. Listen in to my experience of navigating this period of occupational disruption through an occupational lens. https://www.instagram.com/p/CFvpZxjnZq3/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

PLEASE NOTE: This episode discusses topics such as colonisation and racism in multiple forms. The guests would like to make it clear that this episode does not sit as a ‘standalone’ teaching tool. If you are planning to share it with your cohorts of students we encourage you to use it alongside other aspects of the curriculum with cultural responsiveness with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Have you ever considered the impact colonisation might have had on the indigenous peoples of your country? Have you ever considered the ongoing impact these historical events have had in terms of systemic racism and institutional marginalisation of our clients? Australia has a checkered and often hidden history when it comes to its colonisation by western entities. The impact that this event has had on Australia’s indigenous peoples is something that continues to impact them today. Today’s episode delves into the institutional racism and cultural isolation that continues today due to Australia’s colonisation in 1788. This conversation with Tirritpa Richie and Jodie Booth was deep, confronting and mindblowing all at the same time. I can’t express enough how important it is to listen to this one with an open mind and a critically self-reflective lens. Racism in Australia traces both historical and contemporary racist community attitudes, as well as political non-compliance and governmental negligence on United Nations human rights standard and incidents in Australia.[1] Contemporary Australia is the product of Indigenous peoples of Australia combined with multiple waves of immigration, predominantly from the United Kingdom and Ireland.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Australia Personal Reflection As I reflected on in episode 044 This session had a HUGE impact on me, alerting me to many considerations in my own schema that I was completely naive to. At the Australian National Conference where Tirritpa Ritchie challenged the room to critically challenge their “whiteness” in the context of the service they deliver/teach. Map of Indigenous Australia – The map is an attempt to represent all the language, tribal or nation groups of the Indigenous peoples of Australia.  A huge thank you to Jodie Booth who brought this conversation together as its something we all wanted to do justice to as it is something that so important to Australian health care but also relevant to many many other western cultures around the world including the USA and Canada. Keep Occupied Brock @brockcookOTbrock.cook@me.com

Dev is on a mission. A mission for inclusion. A mission for happiness. A mission for equal rights. A mission for acceptance.

I've spoken many times about the impact public portrayal of OT has on our profession. In my opinion, I can see how condoning some of these memes could be doing us damage.

Having this discussion about language and how we as therapist use it to frame and situate our therapeutic relationship, power and recovery for the people that we work with.

Jess is a phenomenal OT and a great friend of mine. She has often explored the road less travelled in this profession and has developed into a clinician with a unique perspective on life, health, wellbeing and OT. In this episode we delve into Jess's story, her burnout and how she rebuilt herself to be a better, stronger OT. She talks about her use of mindfulness, self-awareness, rest, and yoga among many other things.

This episode the lovely Clarissa Sorlie joins me again to shed some light on her interest in the occupation of graffiti. Considering this occupation using the concept of the Dark Side of Occupation we explore the depths of why people engage in it and some of the meaning they often assign to it.

Some of you will remember Erin from the Occupied 2020 Guide to Job Interviews....Well she's back! and this time we are delving into her true passion, falls prevention. This is an area I will openly admit that I didn't know much about the specifics of it so i absolutely loved this conversation. Erin is very occupation based in her views and practice and very practical in her advice. Give it a listen.

I wanted to look at why soooo many people fail their resolutions and an alternative method that I use and you might find more successful!

Rhiannon Crispe describers herself as "a salty soul, health enthusiast, sun chaser and blessed mumma & wife. A dreamer and a doer. A goal setter and a go-getter. A change agent and a game changer. And also a proud Occupational Therapist and business owner."

On December 8th I went public about my journey with depression. Some people asked for more, asked for an episode. So here it is.

This episode we explore the concept of sexualisation how that relates to identity and what this means for Occupational Therapy practitioners.