We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which Moments of Clarity is recorded, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, and pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend this respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples of all communities.
Moments of Clarity
Moments of Clarity shares unique insights from diverse guests illuminating how their personal growth stories have contributed to building a better world.
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Episodes
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Sunday Jul 19, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Rachel Rosaia.
Rachel is a nurse who works in an oncology and haematology ward in a Melbourne hospital. Rachel has dedicated her working life to specialising and providing unbelievable care to patients battling cancer. She has also worked in palliative care. I wanted to talk to Rachel for a number of reasons. Firstly, she is incredibly passionate about her work and more importantly, her patients. Secondly, anybody that knows Rachel knows she is the embodiment of happiness and in 2020, happy people are worth their weight in gold. And finally, we hear so much about our frontline health workers but very rarely do get to actually find out about their personal experiences on the ground.
In today’s conversation, Rachel and I start by discussing Covid-19 but quickly move on to the daily life of a nurse, working on a cancer ward, death and dying, bringing joy to others, shifting perspectives and so much more.
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on social media:
Instagram: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter: @BarneyMOC
Podcast by Matthew Barney
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
Sunday Jul 05, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Shani Graham.
Shani spent 20 years working for the Department of Education and Training as a teacher, school principal and teacher trainer. In 2006, she decided to make a "sustainable change" and set up a short term accommodation business with a sustainable focus. Shani and her partner, Tim, ran regular tours of the house and business, and were responsible for the very successful Hulbert Street Sustainability Fiesta, based in Fremantle, WA. This event attracted 7500 people to Hulbert Street in 2012, and motivated hundreds of sustainable changes. Shani is the founder of Ecoburbia and is best known for her work with Living Smart - a community based environmental education program. She is the only approved facilitator trainer in Australia, facilitating over 20 training weekends.
I first learnt of Shani after watching her TEDxPerth Talk from 2013, “Take a Street and Build a Community”. I found it so inspiring and was so excited to have the opportunity to have a really good chat. If you enjoy our chat, it really is a must watch and describes Shani's work in helping to build community.
Since then, Shani has moved to Beaconsfield, on a quarter acre block, developing an "unintentional community".
During our conversation we discuss all of this and so much more!
More about Shani and her work:
https://ecoburbia.com.au/
https://livingsmart.org.au/
https://www.tedxperth.org/take-street-and-build-community
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on social media!
Instagram: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter: @BarneyMOC
Podcast By Matthew Sortino
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
Sunday Jun 21, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Rebecca Scott.
Rebecca Scott is one of the most driven, compassionate and innovative community leaders I have had the pleasure of meeting. Bec, along with her partner Kate, co-founded STREAT, a social enterprise that works to help end youth homelessness and disadvantage. STREAT offers disadvantaged youth aged 16-25 a supported pathway from the street to a sustainable livelihood. The success of STREAT is incredible. Since 2010 STREAT has trained and supported over 800 young people, and helped serve meals and coffees to over 2 million customers. This is only the beginning with the goal to help a young person every single mealtime by 2022. That's 1095 people each year. What drives somebody to make such an impact? What lessons can we learn from someone who has absolutely aligned their actions with their values? I was absolutely honoured to have Bec share her journey with me.
Bec and I discuss social enterprise as a model for positive change, the systemic issues we often face in society, the importance of trust, the power of our decisions, our need for belonging, why diversity matters and what our future might look like through the lens of an optimist. We also hear about Bec’s personal journey about coming out as queer in a conservative family as well as her many other experiences and beliefs.
More about Bec and her work:
TEDxCanberra - Rebecca Scott - Sustainable coffee, sustainable dollars, sustainable lives - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9awoy3HZI4
https://www.streat.com.au/
http://www.blankpagesandemptyspaces.com/interviews/bec-scott/
Email: catering@streat.com.au
Twitter: @bec_scott
https://movingfeast.net/
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on social media!
Instagram: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter: @BarneyMOC
Podcast By Matthew Sortino
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Sunday Jun 07, 2020
Sunday Jun 07, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Ryan Creed.
Ryan is the co-founder of LifeCykel and the National Mushroom Network.
In today’s conversation, I speak to Ryan about being a high performance athlete, diet and exercise, working in a fly-in fly-out capacity in the mines, entrepreneurship and business, creativity, grit, freedom, the problems with a centralised economy and food system, relationships, overcoming challenges and the search for what lights you up.
I was so inspired and energised after my chat with Ryan. It was one of those moments where I just had to sit and reflect about just how lucky I am to have the opportunity to have such deep and insightful conversations that help me grow as a person each and every week. I really hope you are able to walk away feeling the same way.
My name is Matthew "Barney" Sortino and if you enjoy this episode, please subscribe, leave a review and share.
Follow Ryan's work at:
https://lifecykel.com/
https://linktr.ee/lifecykel
https://www.nationalmushroomnetwork.com/
@lifecykel
You can also follow Moments of Clarity:
@momentsofclaritypodcast
@BarneyMOC
Podcast by Matthew Sortino
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Sunday May 31, 2020
Sunday May 31, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Ged Kearney.
Ged Kearney is the Federal Member for Cooper. Ged has served in the parliament since March 2018, when she was elected in a by-election. Ged is the first woman to hold the seat. Ged is the Shadow Assistant Minister for Skills and the Shadow Assistant Minister for Aged Care. Ged started her working life as a nurse and rose to become Federal Secretary of the Australian Nursing Federation. From 2010, Ged served as the president of the ACTU – the peak body of Australia’s union movement – where she fought for better conditions for Australian workers. Ged’s working life – from nurse to President of the ACTU to parliamentarian – has been about fighting for the rights of others. She is a strong voice for workers’ rights and social justice inside Labor and the Parliament. Ged is a passionate advocate for the environment, asylum seekers, education, universal healthcare and decent jobs. Ged was born and raised in Melbourne and lived in Cooper for over 25 years. Ged has four children, two stepdaughters and two much loved grandchildren.
To find out more about Ged you can visit:
www.gedkearney.org.au
Twitter: @gedkearney
Instagram: @gedkearney
Facebook: @gedkearneylabor
Ged Kearney's recent op-ed in The Age: https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/full-employment-could-be-the-answer-to-rebuilding-the-economy-20200511-p54rw0.html
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on social media!
Instagram: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter @BarneyMOC
Podcast By Matthew "Barney" Sortino
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Sunday May 24, 2020
Sunday May 24, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Marcus Stewart.
Marcus Stewart is a Nira illim bulluk man of the Taungurung Nation. He is an advocate, negotiator and strategist with more than 15 years’ experience in Aboriginal affairs and has had many senior roles in the Victorian State Government. He was elected co-chair of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria in 2019 and was the CEO at the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations.
I was absolutely thrilled to get the chance to speak with Marcus on the eve of National Reconciliation Week. Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Marcus embodies this vision with everything he does. He strives towards a more just and equitable nation by championing unity and mutual respect through treaty and truth telling in the hope of closing the gap and coming together as a nation.
Throughout our conversation, we discuss Marcus’ career, advocacy, leadership, the state of aboriginal affairs, the work to bring ‘Treaty’ to Victoria, Closing the Gap, reconciliation and recognition, the power of words, politics and past policy, Marcus’ personal journey and much more.
If you would like to follow Marcus you can follow him on twitter @marcusbstewart. You can also visit firstpeoplesvic.org or ftvoc.com.au for more information on Marcus’ work. Please visit reconciliation.org.au to find out what virtual events are happening during National Reconciliation Week which begins on Wednesday 27th May.
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on social media!
Instagram: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter @BarneyMOC
Podcast By Matthew "Barney" Sortino
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Sunday May 17, 2020
Sunday May 17, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Nicole.
Nicole, or Mrs B as her students call her, is an educator who has been teaching for over 16 years. She has worked in both primary and secondary school settings and is currently in a wellbeing role, making good use of the psychology degree she completed as a mature age student. Nicole is a loving mother of 3 children and as you will hear during this conversation, they absolutely mean the world to her.
In this podcast we discuss working from home as both a teacher and a parent of school aged students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nicole shares some of her life journey and the values she has learnt along the way as a dancer, university student, teacher and parent. I was also privileged enough to have Nicole share her story of grief and loss as a bereaved parent and how she and her family have grown remarkably resilient through suffering.
My name is Barney and thank you for listening to Moments of Clarity.
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on social media:
Instagram: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter: @BarneyMOC
Podcast by Matthew Barney
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Saturday May 09, 2020
Saturday May 09, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Dr Shahir Masri.
Shahir is an air pollution scientist at the University of California, Irvine, and also teaches at the Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University. He earned his doctorate from Harvard and undergraduate degree from UCLA. In 2018, Shahir launched a national grassroots advocacy project called "On the Road for Climate Action," which empowers everyday people to help solve the climate crisis through community outreach and education across all 50 states! Shahir is the author of the book Beyond Debate: Answers to 50 Misconceptions on Climate Change. He is also the author of numerous articles and many of his studies have been published peer-reviewed scientific journals.
In the podcast we discuss how early life experiences influence who we become, balancing research and outreach, the importance of individual choices, politics, the climate crisis, Covid-19 and sustainability.
If you would like to contact Shahir, subscribe to his monthly newsletter, buy his book or simply find out more about the amazing work he is doing you can visit -
Website: https://shahirmasri.com/
Email: info@ShahirMasri.com
Book: Beyond Debate: Answers to 50 Misconceptions on Climate Change
Instagram: @dr.shahirmasri
Twitter: @shahirmasri
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on social media!
Instagram: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook: @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter @BarneyMOC
Podcast By Matthew Barney
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Sunday May 03, 2020
Sunday May 03, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Rudy Alvarez. Rudy is a language teacher at a primary school in Perth and father of 3 daughters. In today’s conversation we speak about growing up in El Salvador during the Civil War, his role as a teacher and union member in the fight against oppression, losing parents at a young age, using education and love as an antidote to violence, moving to Australia and coming to terms with a new life as a migrant, being a father and a teacher as well as spirituality and wellbeing.
You can follow Moments of Clarity on Social Media:
Instagram @momentsofclaritypodcast
Facebook @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter @BarneyMOC
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
Sunday Apr 26, 2020
Today on Moments of Clarity, I speak to Sherry Maddock. Sherry Maddock is a gardener and placemaker and more recently founder and director of Planted Places, a social enterprise in the centre of Melbourne which exists to “cultivate relationships between people, plants and place”. She is also the Neighbourhood Engagement Coordinator for Collins Street Baptist Church. I am really excited today to bring you Episode Ten of Moments of Clarity, and am absolutely thrilled that Sherry was able to join me for this special episode. Sherry is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring people I have ever had the pleasure of talking to. Her insights upon so many aspects of life including identity, purpose, direction and meaning have truly had a transformative effect on me and you will no doubt hear this come through in our conversation. Sherry and I discuss gardening, relationships, charity, travel, growing up in the US south, placemaking, asylum seekers, spirituality, wellbeing, philosophy and so much more. My name is Barney and if you like the podcast please subscribe, share and leave a review.
If you would like to contact Sherry or are interested in her work please visit the links below:
https://www.baptcare.org.au/
http://plantedplaces.org/
https://www.csbc.org.au/
Instagram: @plantedplacesmelbourne
Twitter: @sherry_maddock
You can now follow Moments of Clarity on Social Media:
Instagram @momentsofclaritypodcast
Twitter @BarneyMOC
Facebook @momentsofclaritypodcast
Podcast by Matthew Barney
Music by Christian Prochilo
Artwork by Michael Chrisanthopoulos
Moments of Clarity
Moments of Clarity is a podcast hosted by Matthew Sortino and Toby Kent. Through analytical, honest and uplifting conversations, Matt and Toby delve into the personal and professional lives of a diverse range of guests. They garner the vision, expertise, as well as the more everyday qualities of those who align their values and their actions. In cutting through the noise of a world overloaded with information and disinformation, they are also willing to engage with those whose values may not immediately align with their own. It makes for an insightful and entertaining mix.
Matthew Sortino
Matthew Sortino began Moments of Clarity in January 2020 as a way to bring his daily thoughts and innate curiosity to life. Frustrated by the information overload, constant negativity and polarised nature of online communication he decided to create a podcast that cut through that noise and explore, through honest and open conversation, how inspiring individuals come to not only identify their values but make the world a better place by living by them each and every day. Matthew is an educator based in Melbourne, Australia, working across primary and secondary schools for over a decade. He loves to travel, read, exercise and spend time with friends and family. He lives with his wonderful partner, their daughter and they are expecting a second child very soon. After a successful first 50 episodes of Moments of Clarity, Matthew is now joined by former guest, guest-host, friend and now official co-host, Toby Kent.
Toby Kent
Toby Kent is an expert in sustainable development and resilience. Before moving to Australia, Toby spent two decades working across five continents to help major corporate, government, and non-government organisations achieve their commercial and operational objectives in more sustainable ways. He has the distinction of being the first person in Australia to hold the title of Chief Resilience Officer, a position he performed for metropolitan Melbourne for over five years. Moments of Clarity is a way for Toby to explore his passions, challenge his own preconceptions, and make bad jokes.