Tamara (Tam-rah) Callaghan Cooke (or just Tam!) Uses the wisdom of the great thinkers to discuss the whole of life. Talking about not just the pretty shiny parts, but also the challenges and setbacks, and how these very things, when faced courageously, can most lead to growth, joy and success.
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Tanya Hallett - What is Workplace Bullying – really - when Managers Become Bullies
Episode 80
Tuesday, July 14, 2026 • Duration 40:33
Tanya Hallett from TIPT returns to talk about workplace bullying, one of the most common and costly issues she deals with, and one of the most misunderstood. In this first of two conversations, Tam and Tanya cover what bullying actually looks like in practice, what it isn't, and what organisations are getting badly wrong.
They get into the pattern Tanya sees most: a long-serving employee, a new manager with no contextual understanding, a clash that escalates fast, and a workplace that fails to step in. They also cover the legal obligations organisations have around reasonable adjustments and psychosocial safety, and why ignorance is genuinely no excuse.
There's a detailed case study on an employee with vertigo, a clear breakdown of the difference between bullying and performance management, and practical discussion of what quick and effective resolution can actually look like, including why trust built before a crisis is the thing that makes everything else easier.
In this episode:
The most common stories Tanya hears from clients about workplace bullying
Why new managers are so often the trigger
Legal obligations: what the Fair Work Act actually requires
Bullying vs performance management: how to tell the difference
Case study: the employee with vertigo and what should have happened
Workplace support plans and mental health care plans in practice
Trust, emotional intelligence and trauma-informed leadership
What a good quick resolution actually involves
HR and WHS: who owns what when it comes to psychosocial risk
The money-in-the-bank analogy for building goodwill before you need it
A preview of what's coming in part two: the 'naughty' staff member
I Thought This Would Feel Better — The Surprise Aftermath of Courage
Episode 79
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 • Duration 16:32
Tam Callaghan did the brave thing. She wrote the letter, had the hard conversation, cleared up a long-standing issue with someone important to her, and got the resolution she'd hoped for. And then she waited to feel great.
It didn't quite work out that way.
In this episode Tam shares what actually happened in the days after a genuine breakthrough, including the unexpected ego backlash, the self-doubt that crept in, and why healing doesn't always feel like healing in the moment. She also talks through the identity protections and parts that fire up when we grow, why discomfort after doing the right thing is normal, and what a quote from Chris Lapping about failure helped her see differently.
Raw, honest, and one of the more useful things Tam has recorded about the messy reality of doing inner work.
In this episode:
Resolving a long-standing friendship issue, and what it took
The Big Kahuna: writing a letter to an important person in her life
The waiting anxiety and what happened when the response came
Why she didn't feel as good as she expected afterward
Identity and ego: why parts of us fight change even when it's good
Chris Lapping's reframe on failure and what it unlocked
A post-recording update with the full story
Why the action is still worth it, even when the feeling lags behind
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Tanya Hallett - The Narcissistic Bully: How to escape their trail of destruction
Episode 77
Tuesday, June 30, 2026 • Duration 39:49
They're charming to leadership, devastating to their team, and almost impossible to catch. In this episode, Tam Callaghan sits down with workplace expert Tanya Hallett to talk about narcissistic bullies at work: what they actually are, why organisations keep missing them, and what to do if you're dealing with one.
Tanya breaks down the key difference between a standard workplace bully and a narcissistic one, why the second category is in a completely different league, and how the DAVO pattern (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Order) leaves targets confused, doubting themselves, and unable to articulate what just happened. She also covers what gaslighting actually looks like on the ground, why documentation matters more than you think, and what your real options are if you're in the middle of this.
This is one of the most practically useful episodes on workplace harm the show has done. Whether you're a leader trying to understand what's happening in your team, or someone trying to survive a difficult situation, this conversation gives you real tools.
In this episode:
The difference between a bully and a narcissistic bully, and why it matters
The trail of destruction: what happens to teams when one arrives
Why narcissistic bullies are so hard for leaders to spot
DAVO explained: deny, attack, reverse victim order
How gaslighting erodes confidence and psychological safety
What leaders should actually be watching for
Thinking like a lawyer: how to build your evidence
Practical self-protection: documentation, written follow-ups, limiting verbal contact
Your options as a target: cope, escalate, or exit
The real cost to organisations that ignore this
The Wind Beneath Your Wings: Worth, Ego and Kindness
Episode 76
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 • Duration 16:19
Do you want to be Bette or Barbara? If you know the movie Beaches, you know the question. Bette Midler's character is the star, the one in the spotlight. Barbara Hershey's is quieter, less visible, deeply loving and deeply loved. In this episode, Tam Callaghan has been wrestling with which one she wants to be, and the answer surprised her.
For most of her life Tam's ego has measured her worth through achievement, recognition and applause. But after reading a post about kindness and sitting with what she's contributed over the last 20 or 30 years, she had a genuinely softening realisation: she's been far more Barbara than she ever gave herself credit for.
This episode also covers the backup singer dream, the difference between creating from ego and creating from joy, and why peace and self-love aren't distractions from the mission. They are the mission. Plus, a practical exercise worth doing – Writing a list of 50 things you've done well since the start of the year, split across what you've achieved and what you've done for others.
Warm, honest, and one of Tam's most personal episodes yet.
In this episode:
The Bette vs Barbara question and what it revealed
Why the kindness we show others often goes uncounted in our own minds
Ego achievement vs genuine contribution: measuring life differently
The backup singer dream and what it says about wanting just enough attention
Separating worthiness from what you create
Why self-love is the mission, not a distraction from it
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Alvin Quah - How to be truly valuable
Episode 74
Tuesday, June 16, 2026 • Duration 01:12:26
Authenticity gets thrown around constantly in workplaces, but what does it actually mean to bring your real self to work without oversharing, burning bridges, or pretending the bottom line doesn't exist? Tam Callaghan sits down with celebrity chef, LinkedIn writer and longtime friend Alvin Quah to dig into one of the most overused and underexplored ideas in modern work culture.
Alvin brings a perspective that's hard to find: someone who has lived and led in corporate environments, left them, and can now speak with honesty about what psychological safety, authenticity and values alignment actually feel like from the inside. Together, he and Tam cover what it costs when people can't be themselves at work, why a great boss can make a broken company survivable, and why soft skills are foundational, not optional extras.
The conversation also gets into culture, generational difference, introverts in the workplace, hiring for team fit, and what it looks like when trust and friendship exist in a professional setting.
Warm, thoughtful, and the kind of conversation that makes you reconsider a few things.
In this episode:
What authenticity actually means, and what it doesn't
Filters, code-switching and the layers people wear at work
Why psychological safety often lives or dies with one person: your boss
Edited authenticity: being real without being raw
Generations, culture and making space for introverts
How Alvin thinks about hiring and constructive conflict
Why soft skills are the most foundational skills of all
Values, leadership and being genuinely valuable at work
What do you do when there's no plan, no clear path, and no idea if what you're doing is heading anywhere? In this episode, Tam Callaghan gets honest about the extended period of unknowing she's been living through and what she's learning from it.
This one covers the ego structures we build to protect ourselves from disappointment, what happens when those structures fall away, and why the mission she thought she was on turned out to be something else entirely. Tam talks about the difference between chasing external validation and actually finding peace in yourself, why self-love isn't selfish, and what it looks like to just keep taking the next step that feels right without knowing where it leads.
It also includes one of her favourite Hugh Laurie quotes, which is worth the listen on its own.
Raw, personal, and genuinely useful for anyone sitting with uncertainty right now.
In this episode:
The ego structure of 'one day I'll be famous' and what happened when it collapsed
Why external recognition will never be enough, and what to do instead
The bridge of cringe: walking into the fog and staying in motion
Why self-love is the foundation, not the reward
Choosing a context that works for you rather than against you
Doing the next right thing when there's no plan
Hugh Laurie on readiness, and why now is as good a time as any
Daily Serve Nutrition's Jess Burvill - From Supermarkets to 171K Followers
Episode 73
Tuesday, June 2, 2026 • Duration 01:07:31
Tam Callaghan sits down with her friend and accredited dietitian Jess Burvill, the person behind the wildly useful Instagram page Daily Serve Nutrition, to talk about how a career in advertising, a mid-life study pivot, and a clear no-judgment voice turned into one of Australia's fastest-growing nutrition accounts.
Jess came to dietetics as a second career after years in advertising agencies, and it turns out those two worlds have more in common than you'd think. They cover how she applies advertising principles to nutrition content, why simple and useful always wins, what the growth from zero to 171,000 followers in 18 months actually looked like from the inside, and how she handles the less glamorous parts, including trolls, , From the supermarket job that helped shape her thesis focus, and what it takes to study full-time through COVID while working, to her current reality of success, opportunity and truly hard work.
Warm, honest, and a lot of fun.
In this episode:
How advertising skills translate directly into social media content
Why Daily Serve of Nutrition grew so fast and what Jess actually did differently
The IDC posts and why the no-judgment approach resonates
Studying dietetics part-time, then through COVID, while working
The supermarket job that sparked her research direction
Dealing with trolls and imposter syndrome at scale
Brand partnerships, workload, and where it all might go next
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You're Angry at You!
Episode 72
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 • Duration 11:30
Tasha Broomhall from Blooming Minds returns to share the findings from her PhD research into how workers and leaders are experiencing Australia's psychosocial safety regulations, and the results are eye-opening.
Leaders across organisations, including very senior ones in large companies, are either unaware of their obligations or aware but left with no clear pathway to meet them. Many are DIYing it on their own time, which creates its own risks. Mid-level managers in particular are being handed responsibility without the agency, resources, or support to actually deliver it, and Tasha's research found they are burning out as a result.
Tasha and Tam cover what a genuine systems approach looks like versus a tick-box one, who should actually own psychosocial safety within an organisation, how to facilitate real cross-level dialogue, the silence problem around vulnerable workers, and some practical things leaders can do right now without waiting for organisational change.
Honest, rigorous, and genuinely important for anyone who manages people or influences how workplaces are designed.
In this episode:
What Tasha's PhD research set out to find and what it revealed
Why leaders are DIYing psychosocial safety and why that's a problem
Who should own this, and why handing it to safety or HR alone doesn't work
Building a cross-functional reference group that actually functions
The mid-level manager squeeze: responsibility without authority
Why vulnerable workers often can't report, and what organisations miss because of it
NDAs, exit processes, and the ethical concerns Tasha raises
Practical steps: the 10-minute check-in, device habits, and consultation pathway
Tasha Broomhall - Psychosocial Safety at Work: From Simple to Systems-Based Solutions
Episode 71
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 • Duration 59:10
T
Tasha Broomhall from Blooming Minds returns to share the findings from her PhD research into how workers and leaders are experiencing Australia's psychosocial safety regulations, and the results are eye-opening.
Leaders across organisations, including very senior ones in large companies, are either unaware of their obligations or aware but left with no clear pathway to meet them. Many are DIYing it on their own time, which creates its own risks. Mid-level managers in particular are being handed responsibility without the agency, resources, or support to actually deliver it, and Tasha's research found they are burning out as a result.
Tasha and Tam cover what a genuine systems approach looks like versus a tick-box one, who should actually own psychosocial safety within an organisation, how to facilitate real cross-level dialogue, the silence problem around vulnerable workers, and some practical things leaders can do right now without waiting for organisational change.
Honest, rigorous, and genuinely important for anyone who manages people or influences how workplaces are designed.
In this episode:
What Tasha's PhD research set out to find and what it revealed
Why leaders are DIYing psychosocial safety and why that's a problem
Who should own this, and why handing it to safety or HR alone doesn't work
Building a cross-functional reference group that actually functions
The mid-level manager squeeze: responsibility without authority
Why vulnerable workers often can't report, and what organisations miss because of it
NDAs, exit processes, and the ethical concerns Tasha raises
Practical steps: the 10-minute check-in, device habits, and consultation pathway
All of you is welcome - How Acceptance Ends Inner Battles
Episode 69
Thursday, May 14, 2026 • Duration 16:02
What if the parts of yourself you most want to get rid of are actually trying to help you? In this episode, Tam Callaghan explores parts therapy and why resisting any part of yourself, whether it's striving, jealousy, impatience, or anxiety, makes it louder, not quieter.
Drawing on her own experience with her striving part, and a conversation with a friend battling impatience, Tam makes a case for welcoming all parts of yourself rather than fighting them. It's the same principle as the previous episode on emotions, applied to the deeper, more persistent forces that drive how we behave.
She shares the experts and resources that have helped her most, and sets herself some homework alongside you.
A good companion episode to What You Resist Persists, but works as a standalone too.
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