Interview with Melbourne Comedian Jess Pearman, who has been performing comedy for 3.5 years. Jess was due to perform a coupe of shows at MICF, but as you have probably heard, the festival has been cancelled due to the pandemic situation with Corona Virus.*

We discuss: The double-edged sword of comedy combined with mental health, substance abuse in comedy, maintaining mental health by taking ownership and being courageous enough to ask people around you, having a detox/retox lifestyle, self-kindness and reflecting on the bigger picture, a booked called The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, enjoyment of roasting, the pitfalls of putting loyalty before honesty in friendships, putting your ego aside to ask “are you okay?”, being a grateful and happy person, the challenge of finding accurate sources of information, reflections on Feminism, being a “bad person” vs “behaving badly”, the article about neurodiversity and people having/lacking an internal monologue, the benefits of journaling, the maintenance involved in having good mental health, self-care activities like yoga, meditation and good nutrition, alcohol is not good/bad/otherwise, acknowledging and validating negative thinking patterns, writing to help with being mindful and present, experiencing Ayahuasca, motivating herself with booking shows and having writing deadlines, Jess’ super power, history of fronting rock bands, the book The Intuitive Way by Penney Peirce, "Aha Moments" that occur when you allow yourself to just be, and Jess’ message to keep the mirror on yourself and continue to self-analyse and reflect.  

*This episode was recorded pre-pandemic and before the MICF was cancelled.

Interview with Melbourne Comedian and Actor Bev Killick, who has been performing for 20 years, having often toughed it out over the years as the only woman on the line-up. Bev has proven her mettle as a Comedian and loves her work. She also does television and film acting work, as well as voiceover work and comedy on cruise ships. Bev is a Mentor to up-and-coming female comedians. Go and catch Bev’s 2020 MICF show Don’t Tell Tony at the Powder Room on 30 Mar, 6 & 13 Apr.

We discuss: Op-shopping to manage anxiety, the joys of working on cruise ships for a number of years, anxiety and depression and grief, family mental health issues, Bev being a champion advocate and her dislike for stigma, schizophrenia meaning “disorganised mind”, the importance of love, understanding and creating safety, fear blocking empathy in people, Bev’s story of helping a stranger who needed support, having the time, energy and know-how to help someone experiencing psychosis, sustaining resilience via comedy, craft and upcycling, the unhelpful mix of alcohol and anti-depressants, being mindful of drinking habits, the Ladies of Laughter roadshow, Bev’s love of napping and her skill in finding little nooks to nap, lessons about drugs and alcohol, remembering that perfect lives do not exist, the importance of a good social support network, a story of being a first responder, the challenge of finding accommodation with a mental health issue, Bev’s super power, and Bev’s message to talk about mental health, ask for help and remembering that there are many ways to receive help.