Stumble Through
A Figuring-it-out PODCAST
For young Australian adults figuring shit out. Each fortnight Paula brings in peers and experts to talk about how we can get through this together. Settle in for life advice, practical skills, and hugs through airwaves.
Produced by That’s Not Canon, graphics by Claudia Piggott, music by Jessica Fletcher.
This is not about productivity hacks! This is a fun episode where we talk less about how to do things in less time and with more attention, and more about why it’s so hard to, you know, do the thing.
Harry Wallace is a writer, journalist, theatre maker, adventurer, student, and a self-proclaimed expert procrastinator. Procrastination is a multifaceted issue, and Harry beautifully fleshes out some of the more nitty gritty issues as we discuss the psychological phenomenon of procrastination, what drives it, the ramifications, and it’s place within both the human experience and society.
This episode is a little bit longer than usual because I thought it might be nice now that a lot of folks are stuck at home, trying to occupy ourselves with nice thing instead of panic. I thoroughly enjoyed creating this, so I hope that you enjoy listening! And if you do, leaving a review would really help us reach more people (plus the nice ones make my day), and if you’re listening on spotify, sharing it to your stories would be equally excellent.
We recorded this before physical distancing became a thing, so don’t worry! Harry and I are both at home, minimising our contact with the outside world. I hope you are too.
Keep well,
Paula
P.S please, please please please, stop drinking energy drinks. Mama Paula wants you to take care of yourselves.
Hello! We recorded this before physical distancing became a thing, so don’t worry! Peter and I are both at home, minimising our contact with the outside world.
In this episode I talk to performer Peter Wood about how to take a compliment, and why it’s so tricky to do. Usually I would have cut out most of the tangents and odd moments and put them in a blooper reel for later, but I figure we could all use a little more levity and a few more giggles. So, here is Peter and I at the end of a very long day, there are funny voices and Kath and Kim references, and I hope you like them.
Keep well,
Paula
Hello! At 35:00 we discuss a submission to the Things I’ve Never Said segment which comes with a trigger warning around suicidal thoughts. To the listener who submitted it: you are cared for, you are as deserving as anyone else to be here drawing breath. No matter how logical it seems, you not being around is not easier or better for anyone. Steve and I really, truly, want you to get help.
I’ve put numbers for each state and websites you can use in the show notes; take care of yourself.
In this episode we talk about the one thing we can all be certain of: death. Which also happens to be the thing that we have the least certainty about. Hooray for the absurdities of life! While the topic is heavy and somewhat macabre, Steve and I manage to have a good laugh as we figure out this whole mortality situation. I hope you do too.
Steve Pirie is a stellar human and I am so excited to have him back on the podcast. You can discover the joy of his work by coming to the QPDA reading of his show “Return to The Dirt” on April 8th at QT here in Brisbane. Come along, it’s going to be a good time (lots of death, but also laughs).
This is an episode I really enjoyed creating, let me know what part of it you found most valuable!
Keep well,
-Paula
Welcome back! This week we get to hear what it’s like to work for one of the biggest production studios in the world, and how it would be so good if ruminating wasn’t a thing.
Annaleese is a gem. She has done extremely well under pressure and become a sparkling, determined, multi-talented creative professional. As well as an excellent brunch companion. She has a lot of practical tips for anyone considering making a big move to further their career, and her observations on working in the film industry are excellent. Go find her on Instagram and tell her what a kick-ass human she is!
We recorded this episode last year, so the Charmed reboot has already aired! Have you seen it? Did you like it?
Keep well,
-Paula
Welcome back! It has been a while, and I do apologise for the delay. Life has been a bit rough and frantic on my end, and so it’s taken me a lot longer than I thought to get this baby going again. Thank you all for your patience.
This week we talk about the painful side of achieving things. We all know how glossy achievement looks on Instagram and how effortless it can appear. But what about when you’re in the midst of doing the thing and it just sucks? Why does the process not feel like achieving at all?
Zane is many things; designer, actor, podcaster, possibly Yoda’s alter ego, and a genuinely lovely human being. He is also highly accomplished, and has a way of steadily progressing which is pretty awesome. Talking to him always helps me, so if you’re feeling the pressure of the grind, I hope this helps you.
Keep well,
-Paula
P.S. There are a few background noises towards the end of this one. This was a spur-of-the moment thing, and TNC HQ is always busy.
It’s the season finale! Here are some chuckles and extra bits that I couldn’t leave in the episodes, but wanted you to have anyway. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
We will be back with Season 2 on Wednesday January 29th, 2020!
Until then, you can get in touch by emailing stumblethroughpod@gmail.com or hanging out with me on Instagram (we’re stumblethroughpod) or our Facebook page. Tell me the things you want to know about being an adult, or what you want an episode on. It would mean the world if you could leave a review; it talks to the algorithm so other people can find us, plus it puts a big silly grin on my face. Can’t wait to chat to you again in the new year!
Keep well,
Paula
Bones aren’t the only thing that can break, and our mental health is just as instrumental to our well being as physical health. I’ve brought back my favourite med student, Janani, to have a chat about how we can take care of ourselves (and each other) in after a punch in the feels.
This will be the second last episode of the season, and Stumble Through will be back January 29th 2020 with more tips, chuckles and hugs through your headphones. If you have an idea for an episode, email me at stumblethroughpod@gmail.com (I would LOVE to hear from you).
Keep well,
-Paula
Also, at about 18:30 minutes in there are some sirens in the background. Just a heads up in case you are listening to this while driving.
Hooray it’s a bumper episode! In this episode we get into the specifics of what it means to be plastic free. We talk about beginner, middle and champion level ways to incorporate it into your life. Jen, who you may remember from our episode on job searching, is a really passionate educator on the subject, and talks about it with a lot of humour, so it’s really easy to understand how it could apply to you.
Jen is a theatre maker, eco educator, clown, award winning actor and director, and just a phenomenal human. Check out her Instagram, check out her website, get to one of her market events for Fetch Vintage.
Keep well,
-Paula
Remember when we had to do life saving in PE? Or those first aid courses? Yeah, me neither. Which is why I think this is one of the most useful episodes we have made so far. Click through to see the most researched show notes I have ever done. There are numbers for non-emergency medical services for every state and territory, mental health help lines, Priceline first aid kits, and more! If you have any services to contribute, find our Facebook group and we can start a thread!
Janani is a final year med-student and soon to be trainee doctor. She is a wonderful human who is quite literally making the world a happier, healthier place. Neither of us are experts on the subject of health (yet), but we’ve done a lot of reading and research to put this together for you. J more so than me, but still. We had a lot of fun making the episode, and I hope you feel a bit more capable at the end of it.
Keep well,
-Paula
In this episode actor and creator Ben Warren returns to the podcast with just as much warmth and wit as before, with double the insights. He also brings EXCITING NEWS!
International, intense, inside, in-tertainment; these are just some of the “i” words which describe the first ever MonologueAthon! The MonologueAthon is a 24-hour live-stream event in support of The Actors’ and Entertainers’ Benevolent Fund, which will be hosted on May 29th AEST. Actors will be given a Shakespearean monologue and 20 minutes to prepare it before they perform it! We plug this at about the 32:00 mark, so if you want to listen while you fill out your application, you can!
This episode has a heap of laughs, and tips from someone on the inside (though I guess that’s all of us now?) on how to handle social distancing and any isolation blues we may be experiencing. It’s my first zoom recording but Ben made it a fun, relaxed and really easy experience. I hope you enjoy it, even with the odd sound wobble.
Keep well,
Paula
P.S. A garbage truck put in a cameo appearance; did it sound like a War of The Worlds monster, or sad recorder? DM me on Instagram to let me know!