Ripen Academy

What does it take to be truly resilient? In an exclusive interview, Ripen Founder Matt Hughes sat down with his personal performance coach to share Matt’s Resilience journey, including why and how he founded and built one of Australia’s leading Corporate Wellbeing Providers. Here’s a snippet with Matt sharing his own Recipe for Resilience…

Choosing your beliefs may well be the key to your success in 2024. In an exclusive interview not yet released, Ripen Founder Matt Hughes sat down with his personal performance coach to share Matt’s Resilience journey, including why and how he founded and built one of Australia’s leading Corporate Wellbeing Providers. Here’s a snippet with Matt talking about the power of choosing our beliefs, and how overcoming limiting beliefs can make anything possible...

School is great at teaching us academic lessons, but it misses some valuable life lessons! And there's a proven formula for understanding or controlling your outcomes that you likely didn’t learn at school. In this episode, Matt shares a simple yet effective way to check-in with how you are responding to challenging events you are facing right now. Because if we can’t change the event, then to get a different outcome all we can do is change our response...

We are constantly told that ‘mindset’ is the key to living our best life. But there's a critical insight about the mind that's often overlooked... The mind isn't real! Or put another way, the mind is great at curating and predicting events or outcomes that don’t yet exist, but not so good at helping us critically evaluate what’s really happening.

In this episode we share the difference between the brain and the mind, and how it's much more beneficial to tap into your brain power, not your mind wandering!

Many of the things that happen to us in life are actually neutral – the events themselves are not positive or negative, it’s our attitude towards them that makes them seem good or bad. In this episode Matt shares a short fable about a Farmer, and the mindset that can help reframe life's setbacks or disappointments.

We are told to drink fluids, eat good food and monitor our calories for refuelling our body with energy, but what are we doing to refuel our brain? In this episode, we'll explore 4 demands that are likely draining your energy right now, which if managed differently could instantly free up mental energy and time for being at your best where it matters most...

Counter-balance is the antidote to Work-life balance! Instead of pursuing and failing to find ‘balance’ on a daily basis, we can start to consider the pursuit of balance in our lives over longer periods of time. In this episode, we explore this proven approach for ensuring the time you’ve spent ‘on’ for completing work is balanced with enough time ‘off’ for enjoying life. Seeking online training for boosting mental, physical and social wellbeing and performance in work, and life? Click here: https://academy.ripen.be/courses/resilience-at-work-7-day-bootcamp

When we are busy we convince ourselves we are being productive. We must be productive if we are working 100% of the time, right? But it’s when we are overwhelmed and juggling a lot that the risk of laziness increases. When we are exhausted, fatigued or perhaps even feeling burned out, cutting corners and finding shortcuts in doing something becomes a way to make life a little easier. In this episode Matt shares a personal experience of being lazy recently, to highlight there might be a short-term benefit to laziness, but there's typically a greater long-term cost!

At the start of every new year, millions of us around the world set ourselves new goals or resolutions intended to make positive changes in our lives. But despite the best of intentions, studies suggest as few as 8% of people are able to stick to their resolutions for more than a few months! If this is true, it’s likely the goals you set yourself a couple of months ago are already wavering? In this episode, Matt shares why goals typically fail and his recent experiences applying a proven approach for turning goals into success! To his surprise, it worked...   

It’s likely some of the people you know and care for are feeling a sense of loneliness right now. You might be feeling a sense of loneliness right now... Especially around times of the year when family, connection and belonging matter even more. In this episode Matt shares why we experience a sense of loneliness and the 2 approaches Resilient people have learned to overcome it… 

From everyone at Ripen, we wish you a safe and enjoyable end to 2022 and a wonderful start to 2023! 

Most of our daily behaviours are unconscious habits. From how we get ourselves ready for the day, interact with others and complete work tasks, to how we consume media, experience emotions and even hang out washing! All impacted by automatic habits we are largely unaware of. Changing habits is hard, but not impossible. As Matt explains in this episode, it all starts with a little bit of self-awareness…

Most people’s happiness is attached to getting something they don't yet have, or completing a goal they have not yet reached. They tell themselves “I will be really happy when I can get this thing I want”. Waiting for happiness to arrive when you get what you want is actually a recipe for unhappiness. It’s a recipe for not experiencing the joys of what you already have, or the journey you are already on. In this episode, Matt shares the secret to experiencing happiness right now, which has been used by philosophers and therapists for many decades! Enjoy... 

In a previous episode Matt explored and demonstrated the impact of beliefs, and explained that most of the beliefs that are impacting your life and outcomes are likely not your beliefs at all! There’s an endless number of beliefs that could be limiting your Resilience, but there’s 2 beliefs that can really improve it. Or put another way, here are the 2 beliefs you can adopt or role model for cultivating Resilience in yourself, your team or your kids… with some great personal examples of ways Matt is helping to cultivate Resilience in others.  

Not to blow your mind, but most of the beliefs that are impacting your life and outcomes are likely not your beliefs at all! Some beliefs we’ve cultivated improve our wellbeing and outcomes, but others limit us. And if you have a team or kids, you may be passing your beliefs onto others as well. Maybe it's time to explore the beliefs you hold and their impact on your outcomes, and ask yourself a simple but important question... Is this belief mine, or was it handed to me? 

Mental health is a vast topic that’s deeply personal. Talking about it often leaves people feeling they are falling short in how they are handling and responding to work and life – especially when comparing ourselves to others who seem to just breeze through setbacks! But given the inevitable tragedies we all face in life, its highly likely you and some of the people around you are Not OK Today! So what do you do about it... 

Free resources for achieving Mental wellbeing today, and everyday! Visit: https://ripen.be/mental-wellbeing-today/

People suffer from burnout as a result of chronic work stress, which affects both people employed and those navigating through unemployment. It’s a process in which everyday stresses and anxieties gradually undermine our mental and physical health. And it's so prevalent the World Health Organisation now has Burnout listed as a Disease! So what are the warning signs and what do we do about it... 

*Here's an article to help you further understand and take action to manage burnout -- https://ripen.be/5-signs-of-burnout-and-what-to-do/

Why are businesses taking an interest in Resilience training 'post' the Pandemic? A question Matt answered in a 2022 interview for the Virgin Active Minds Podcast. Matt explains that recent Research has showed a lack of workforce Resilience is estimated to be costing Australian companies $12.8 billion per year in lost productivity ($60 billion globally)! Boosting Team Resilience boosts wellbeing, motivation and productivity, which is good for individuals and good for business! So it’s no wonder Resilience training is now a priority for all teams and businesses wanting to remain in business. 

If you would like to hear the full interview, head to Spotify... https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uDJGTUduX1lpWsxPoyRaY?si=49odVmjfTaewpJ6LfHpO6w

How do we deal with all the negativity in the world today in terms of news headlines grabbing for our attention? This was a post-Pandemic talking point posed to Matt Hughes in a 2022 interview for the Virgin Active Minds Podcast. Matt explains that our attention is attuned to negative news because of an unconscious bias humans have, so avoiding click bait is critical to our mental and emotional health!  

If you would like to hear the full interview, head to Spotify... https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uDJGTUduX1lpWsxPoyRaY?si=49odVmjfTaewpJ6LfHpO6w

"Why do we need to have Resilience?" - A critical question and post-Pandemic talking point posed to Matt Hughes in a 2022 interview for the Virgin Active Minds Podcast. Matt explains that we all need Resilience for facing life's inevitable threats and challenges, because the truth is nobody escapes pain, fear or suffering.... 'Resilience' is life strategically managed. If you would like to hear the full interview, head to Spotify... https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uDJGTUduX1lpWsxPoyRaY?si=49odVmjfTaewpJ6LfHpO6w

"How do I know if I am a Resilient one?" - This was a question posed to Matt Hughes in a 2022 interview for the Virgin Active Minds Podcast. In this episode and over the next few weeks, we'll be sharing some of the key insights Matt shared for cultivating Resilience to move forward confidently through life's challenges. If you can't wait or would like to hear the full interview, head to Spotify... https://open.spotify.com/episode/6uDJGTUduX1lpWsxPoyRaY?si=49odVmjfTaewpJ6LfHpO6w

Given our Resilience training work around the globe, we’ve identified 3 consistent threats to Personal Resilience and Team Resilience that we keep hearing. We’ve come to refer to them as the ABCs of Threats faced... A – Ambiguity, B – Burnout, C – Consumption. In this episode, we briefly explore each and how cultivating Resilience plays a part in managing these and any other challenge, setback or obstacle you'll face at work, and personally... 

We all face loss throughout our lives. It's part of being human. Loss can either embitter us, or ennoble us. The difference lies in whether we can find meaning in our suffering. In this episode we share the importance of applying mental agility for controlling the things you can, when everything seems out of control... 

Many of the things that happen to us in life are actually neutral – the events themselves are not positive or negative – it’s our attitude towards them that makes them seem good or bad. In this episode Matt shares insights on the importance of controlling our attitude, and a quick technique for applying mental agility to a setback or challenge faced... 

When a colleague, friend or loved one shares something difficult with us, they are most likely looking for someone to listen, not someone to inject them with positivity. Minimising is lazy empathy. There is no script for empathy, but here's some examples for how to quickly and easily show others genuine empathy, for honouring, building and maintaining trusted relationships. Which is great for your Social Resilience... 

If the last few years has taught us anything it’s that life is fragile and unpredictable. There are so many books and research papers now on the power of Gratitude and the importance of counting your blessings, but that sentiment can feel like cold comfort during tough times when blessings are few and far between! Tragic Optimism refers to finding meaning in our suffering, and acknowledging that we grow in many ways from difficult times. In this episode we explore the importance of having a balanced view of what we are facing, rather than relying on "Toxic Positivity", for boosting Personal Resilience. 

Many people think of confidence as the thing they need to get started, but the opposite is true. Confidence is the thing you get from doing. The gap between the confidence we tell ourselves we 'need' and we tell ourselves we 'have', is what determines the level of Resilience we have trying anything new... we call this the confidence gap. Here's how to bridge the gap and build your confidence when trying new things...

Smartphones and other such devices are a tool that we think we control, but the truth is they are mostly in control of us! These devices are monetised by usage, so the developers need us to be addicted to keep using them. With digital media consuming an average of 12+ hours of our precious time each day, how can we get the best from this incredible technology without gambling our time... 

There will always be things that are outside our control. Here's 2 ways we can handle daily challenges and setbacks faced. We can be Outside-in, or Inside-out. In this episode we'll explain the difference and how applying this thinking can boost your Resilience. 

In a previous episode we considered the term PLOM, which stands for "Poor-little-Old-Me" and is a term we refer to when practicing mindset awareness. In this episode we explore the 2 types of PLOMs, and how to handle them (and yourself) when in this state of being. 

Anyone who has been through Resilience training with ripen will know the term PLOM. For those who haven’t, PLOM stands for ‘Poor-Little-Old-Me’. This is the affectionate label we use to consider people in a mindset that pulls themselves, or others down. The truth is, we can all be PLOMs! We can't avoid sadness, and often the only path to happiness is through sadness. Not around it...

There's been a strong body of scientific evidence building that when our bodies tell us we are fatigued, or tired, or needing to 'stop!' pushing so hard, it's actually at a point way below our true physical limits. This is a Resilience boosting strategy used by elite professionals for facing extreme physical challenges or threats, but it's actually a strategy we can all harness... 

2022 is another 'new year' that hasn't felt so 'new', with the same challenges and threats from the ongoing Pandemic continuing to wreak havoc on our work and social lives. But what impact has the Pandemic had on our neurobiology, and how do we recover? Host Matt Hughes shares how the brain responds to uncertainty, and why Building Personal Resilience is essential to thriving in whatever new 'normal' we end up with 'post' COVID-19. 

How good are you at prioritising your needs? Or do you consistently put others needs above your own, breaking a fundamental rule of Personal Resilience - You Prioritising You! In this episode, Host Matt Hughes shares an example of how applying this rule actually makes you better at helping others. Prioritising your needs is not vanity... it's called self-care! 

What have thoughts, feelings and behaviours got to do with Personal Resilience? What is the connection between these things and someone's outcomes? In this episode we share a simple metaphor for understanding the connection, which is essential knowledge for tapping into and enhancing Personal Resilience! 

What is this thing 'Mindset' and how important is it for achieving optimal Personal Resilience? In this episode we share some evidence to backup what you probably already know - if you have a different mindset you will have a different outcome! 

How high is your Resilience? How high is the Resilience of the people you know, work with or care for? How do you know? Here we explore the 3 environments that test someone's Resilience, and the factors that make some people more Resilient than others.  

A key building block to mastering Personal Resilience and enhancing Team Resilience is understanding what Resilience is, and is not! In this sound bite we demystify 3 common misconceptions about Resilience. 

Here's a quick introduction to the ripen Podcast, including the 3 building blocks we'll be covering for you to achieve optimal wellbeing and performance in work and life. This Podcast is for anyone seeking to build or cultivate their Resilience, including members of our Resilience Alumni and people completely new to ripen and their Resilience. Thanks for listening! Oh, and the cute voice at the beginning of each episode is my eldest daughter, Saskia. Saskia has helped me achieve a whole new level of Resilience since she arrived in the world, and this Podcast is dedicated to her and my son, Bodhi. Nobody escapes pain, fear and suffering - Resilience is life strategically managed :) - Matt Hughes, ripen CEO.