The System Is Sick: Time to Let Humans Feel with Auroara Leigh
We call it “mental health,” but what if the real diagnosis is a sick system? Wellness anthropologist Aurora Leigh joins Josh to argue that disconnection — not individual defect — sits under our crises of addiction, anxiety, and depression. We dig into stoicism as emotional shutdown, the trap of pathologizing pain, and how somatic, community-based healing outperforms label-and-medicate approaches.Expect Rat Park, the Roseto effect, sexual trauma as an ignored root cause, and Aurora’s “Somatic Regeneration” blueprint for moving the nervous system from survival to open, curious, connected. We finish with practical tools listeners can use today — and a challenge to rebuild policy, schools, and healthcare around safety, love, and belonging.Find out more about Auroara here - https://www.skool.com/simply-sacred-wauroara-leigh-2570/about?ref=9e5561a6facc4f2586229fc89b4fbee6www.simplysacred.ca https://youtube.com/@auroaraleigh?si=Xl7bT3OHHHEyy3s-#mentalhealth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:13:29
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1:13:29
Is the Mental Health Conversation Making Us Sicker?
This episode includes candid references to suicide, depression and self-harm.It’s just been World Mental Health Day. I’m asking a hard question with no easy answers. Is the mental health conversation helping… or are there places it’s making us worse?I talk about the tension between compassion and consequence. The risk of romanticising suffering when public figures die. How awareness can accidentally normalise behaviours. Princess Diana speaking about bulimia and what followed. The pathologisation of being human. My own swings, labels I once clung to, and what it takes to pull myself out of a spiral without shaming the struggle.This isn’t anti-awareness. It’s a call to evolve it. Less performance. More truth. Fewer labels as identity. More community and responsibility. Let’s bring the pendulum back to the middle.In this episodeThe double-edged sword of public compassion after tragedyWhen “normalising” crosses into normalising the thing itselfLabels, identity loops and the algorithm effectAppropriate pain vs “mental health” languageFinding the line between care and a loving push to moveIf you’re strugglingPlease reach out to someone you trust. You can also contact crisis support in your country (e.g. Samaritans in the UK, CALM, or your local emergency services). You don’t have to carry it alone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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36:38
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36:38
Highly Sensitive in a Hyper-Triggering World
In this solo episode of Dysfunctional, Josh asks a raw question:Is the world actually worse, or are we just being fed constant content that keeps us triggered?As a highly sensitive person, Josh reflects on how algorithms exploit empathy, why stress has become a hidden addiction, and how our compassion is being stretched to breaking point. He dives into the danger of compassion fatigue, the blurred line between activism and doomscrolling, and why protecting your nervous system matters more than ever.This is a conversation for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the state of the world — and who needs reminding that caring doesn’t mean carrying everything.#highlysensitiveperson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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33:45
What School Never Taught Us About Work with Hasan Khair
Old friends. Real talk. A mini 115 Miles reunion.Hasan Khair joins me to unpack why work feels like a moving target and what to do when the ladder you were climbing gets ripped from the wall. We get into how school trained us for compliance, how hyper capitalism rewards harm, and why AI is speeding up a reckoning in every industry.This is not doom. It is a plan. We get practical about midlife pivots, redundancy, belief, and the tiny actions that rebuild confidence. If you feel stuck, dehumanised by job boards, or scared to start again, this one will help.In this episodeThe real shift in work since 2008 and why restructures never stopAI and automation. Why senior roles are getting cut firstSchool as a factory model. How it kills agency and creativityConfidence and class. The advantage of environmentHasan’s story. Failing A-levels, Blockbuster, Virgin, executive roles, redundancy, reinventionPanic vs purpose. How to pause and design a different pathIkigai without the fluff. What you love. What you’re good at. What the world needsNano steps. Not grand gesturesWhy community multiplies beliefHasan - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hasankhair/Tyllr - https://tyllr.co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:05:37
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1:05:37
From Golden Child to Scapegoat with Lauren Smallcomb
Lauren Smallcomb grew up the “golden child” at home and in church. When compassion widened and questions came, the role cracked. We get into:Golden child vs scapegoat dynamics and why families swap those seatsConditional love, estrangement, and the pressure to “get back in line”High control religion, missions in Thailand, and leaving the systemThe body keeping the score: hives, chronic symptoms, and slow repairRebuilding through mind body work, movement, breath, and safe loveHer new book and who it’s forWork with Lauren and Luke: Flourish Therapy (mind body practice, global)Instagram & Facebook: @flourishtherapyWebsite: flourishtherapy.co Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
I am shaking up the wellness industry and addressing the things that people usually avoid. With relentless curiosity and refusal to sweep things under the rug, this podcast is for those who crave truth over comfort and honesty over surface level BS. So, get yourself in the lotus position because I have no plan, no pretence and definitely no bypassing….. I’m Josh Connolly and this will probably be dysfunctional Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland