Plot twist are an exciting feature of our favourite stories but can be the most harrowing experiences of our actual lives.

In this episode, we reveal:

• The major plot twists of our lives and how we survived them
• The painful exercise in pushing through when life shoves us into the unknown
• How to exist in the story before growth, closure or resolution
• And why resilience looks much messier, sloppier and tear-stained than we ever expected

——

Show notes:

• We love hearing from you! We’re active on Instagram @ashking & @daronlarson (find us, DM us!)
• Be part of the conversation via our Instagram Channel here:
• https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbaBFH6hH-ALvmgB/?igsh=cHQwcDIwOWRidTZv
• You can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X and TikTok
• Or reach us via email: ash@ashking.com.au & daron@daronlarson.com
• Subscribe to Daron’s Substack: https://daronlarson.substack.com/
• Check out Ash’s shop (with mental health and mindfulness goodies. Heavy Mental merch and any upcoming courses or workshops): https://www.heavymental.com.au/shop
• Music by @nikitakarmen

—

• The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz (Book)
• The Sequel - Jean Hanff Korelitz (Book)
• I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman (Book)
• "Yes---what the American public always wants is a tragedy with a happy ending." William Dean Howells
• “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” Søren Kierkegaard
• "End Effects of Rated Life Quality: The James Dean Effect" by Ed Diener, Derrick Wirtz, and Shigehiro Oishi, published in Psychological Science in 2001. This research explores how the ending of a life influences the perceived desirability of that life.

Existing as a flawed human creature is a messy, unpredictable and imperfect art, so how are people setting themselves up as experts on the matter?

In this episode, we:

• Call bullshit on self-proclaimed experts in the wellbeing scene
• We tackle Imposter syndrome when you’re a mental health professional whose life is falling apart
• And we celebrate the power and skill of truly witnessing someone (which doesn’t require a certification)

——

Show notes:

We love hearing from you! We’re active on Instagram @ashking & @daronlarson (find us, DM us!)

Be part of the conversation via our Instagram Channel here:

https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbaBFH6hH-ALvmgB/?igsh=cHQwcDIwOWRidTZv

You can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter?X and TikTok

Or reach us via email: ash@ashking.com.au & daron@daronlarson.com

Subscribe to Daron’s Substack: https://daronlarson.substack.com/

Check out Ash’s shop (with mental health and mindfulness goodies. Heavy Mental merch and any upcoming courses or workshops): https://www.heavymental.com.au/shop

Music by @nikitakarmen

—

• The book Ash refers to is Sorrow & Bliss, by Meg Mason
• "Don't preach from your wounds. Preach from your scars." - Nadia Bolz-Weber, a Lutheran pastor
• “The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” – Bertrand Russell

It’s a jungle out there for functional neurotics looking for love. Dating demands you bring your best self to the table, but what truths do we disguise in our effort to make ourselves more appealing and palatable to others?

Coming up, we explore:

• What it means to be passionate and intense when men want laid back and easy going
• Going with your gut when a dynamic doesn’t feel right
• Why it feels risky to put your big-feelings on display too soon
• And why it’s alright to be an acquired taste

——

Show notes:

We love hearing from you! We’re active on Instagram @ashking & @daronlarson (find us, DM us!)

Be part of the conversation via our Instagram Channel here:

https://www.instagram.com/channel/AbaBFH6hH-ALvmgB/?igsh=cHQwcDIwOWRidTZv

You can also find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter?X and TikTok

Or reach us via email: ash@ashking.com.au & daron@daronlarson.com

Subscribe to Daron’s Substack: https://daronlarson.substack.com/

Check out Ash’s shop (with mental health and mindfulness goodies. Heavy Mental merch and any upcoming courses or workshops): https://www.heavymental.com.au/shop

Music by @nikitakarmen