Table Talk @ Cafe Mint

“Over the years I have become convinced that we learn best – and change – from hearing stories that strike a chord within us”

Professor John Kotter, Harvard Business School & author of Leading Change

Table Talk is an innovative concept that takes the age-old tradition of discussing issues around a dinner table, and transplants the conversation into a trendy Surry Hills café.

Devised by two experienced counsellors with backgrounds in psychology, training and management, Nadene Alhadeff and Ros Kennedy decided to recreate the ancient art of a meaningful dinner conversation; the original forum where knowledge was imparted, ideas explored and intimacies created through channelling personal stories.

Nadene Alhadeff & Ros Kennedy

Accustomed to running workplace training courses in corporate settings, Nadene and Ros were convinced that removing the conversation away from a stress-fuelled work environment and creating a relaxed atmosphere would allow groups to connect on a more personal, deep level.

It is a Monday night at Café Mint in Surry Hills, and 14 Gen-Ys have gathered to experience the concept first-hand. The topics on the table are mindfulness, stress management and using empowering language, and the facilitators open with a brief visualisation to focus the group.

We open our eyes, the first delicious course is served - and a spirited conversation ensues. Nadene and Ros deftly guide the conversation, coaxing personal stories from each of the participants and drawing in the latest research and providing useful, practical examples. Personal anecdotes, challenging questions and controversial experiences were shared, with a focus on Gen Y’s unique approach to stress management and the link to social expectation emerging as a common concern.

We explore the danger of words such as “should” – as in, I “should” call my grandmother, I “should” be earning x dollars per year, and the effect that this has on our wellbeing. We learn to recognise the body’s unhealthy responses to stress, and are offered practical steps to address them.

Chef Yoni Kalfus of Café Mint serves an exotic array of share plates, ranging from grilled haloumi skewers, chicken kefte ball in tomato sauce to fish and polenta. The shared food creates a convivial sharing atmosphere, with the private space allowing the group the confidence to speak our minds.

Two hours fly by, and there are many lingering questions as we wrap up the evening. With appetites satisfied and our minds inspired, the conversation flows on the journey home. A rare opportunity to discuss challenging personal concepts collectively, Table Talk provides an ideal opportunity for groups of friends or colleagues to gather, unwind and connect.

Table Talk is an initiative of Nadene Alhadeff & Ros Kennedy, in conjunction with Cafe Mint.  It costs $95 pp, and includes 3 x courses, venue hire and a facilitated discussion.   Discussions are tailored to the interests of individual groups and workplaces.

For more information, contact nadenealhadeff@yahoo.com.au or rosken@bigpond.net.au.  

I think, therefore I ... blog

I am regularly amazed, surprised and inspired by the ingenuity of friends, family and work colleagues I am lucky enough to be surrounded by.  The number of people who work full time, have projects on the side, write blogs, start businesses, help charities, study – often quietly, without fanfare or a need for recognition.  Scratch the surface and you discover such extraordinary talent and interest hiding in people you think you know well.

This manifests itself in a number of ways - I have recently stumbled across a number of blogs by friends with a unique take on life, and decided it was time to share.

Zero Dollar Amateur Baby

What do you do in your spare time if you’re a hot shot lawyer, serious touch footy player, yoga enthusiast, completing a Masters degree while navigating the expat Hong Kong social circuit?  Probably pretty bored with all that time on your hands.  Or you could just sign up for a womens’ boxing tournament and learn to fight (Hong Kong Hedge Fund Fite Night) – oh, and write a blog while you’re at it.

http://zerodollaramateurbaby.tumblr.com

17 Hours Behind

Two Aussie expats on a one year secondment to Chicago (yes, one of them may be my sister).  Hilarious take on all things American.

http://17hoursbehind.wordpress.com

Anika Patel

Creative, challenging, honest ideas for provoking thoughts and discussion – “Sometimes a good idea rattles around in your head like a loose pinball and it’s only when we share it with other people, that the idea takes shape and form”.

http://anipatel.wordpress.com

Summer in the City

Take a leave of absence from your job as a management consultant; head to the city where dreams are made of;  find an internship with a non-profit tech startup.  Easy.  Challenging? Inspirational.  Now read the blog;

http://startupsummerinthecity.blogspot.com

Eat Drink Play by Ms Darlinghurst

Ms Darlinghurst needs no introduction. Arbiter of all things trendy, foodie and fun in the Sydney social scene, she has taken the Eastern Suburbs by storm with initiatives like Secret Foodies, Sydney Bar Tours, and EatDrinkPlay.   

www.eatdrinkplay.com

Barology

A supremely creative type disguised behind a suit by day, Paul Somers and his team are passionate about the Sydney bar scene.  They are creating a community focused on bars, nightlife and innovation while using film to bring the places they visit to life.

http://www.barology.com.au

The Sweetest Truth

A med-student crazy about all things cupcake. .. “If T.S Eliot's Prufrock claimed to measure out his meagre life in coffee spoons, I believe my existence could well be quantified by the numerous measuring cups of flour, sugar and cocoa that I sift and stir each week in pursuit of baking perfection.”

http://cupcakestoentice.blogspot.com

xx Lifeafterfive*


PS. Do you write a blog? Do you have a friend who does but is too shy to share? Let us know in the comments below!

The hidden power of smiling

One smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as two thousand bars of chocolate, according to CEO of HealthTap, Ron Gutman.  As one of many who derive instant happiness from cocoa products in many forms (Tim Tams, Lindt balls and Cadbury blocks are all effective therapies which spring to mind), understanding the power of a smile provides a calorie neutral alternative.

In his TED talk ‘The Hidden Power of Smiling’, Gutman says that not only does a smile portray you as likeable and courteous – you also come across as more competent.  He refers to Charles Darwin’s ‘facial feedback response’ theory which suggests that the act of smiling itself actually makes us feel better, stimulating our brain reward mechanism.

As a child, Gutman decided he wanted to be a superhero when he grew up, and went searching for the first requirement – a superpower.  Resorting to science and research when magic wouldn’t suffice, he claims the smile to be the unrecognised superpower within all of us.  For those still searching for magic beans, OD'ing on Tim Tams or resorting to retail therapy for a pick me up, consider whether you're meeting your adult daily smiling quota of twenty times per day.

Watch Ron Gutman's TED talk;

Need a (scientifically supported) reason to smile?

•          Reduce stress
•           Live longer and happier lives
•           Have positive impressions on others

ELSC presents 'The Economics of Happiness'

The King of Bhutan introduced the world’s first Gross National Happiness (GNH) index in 1972, a concept which has since been adopted by governments in Europe and Canada.  Monitoring indicators of a nation under the pillars of sustainable development, cultural values, natural environment conservation and good governance, the purpose is to ensure focus by governments on contributors to happiness and reduce the emphasis on GDP growth as a measure of success and prosperity.  The GNH is based on empirical research literature of happiness, positive psychology and wellbeing.

It was under this banner that the Emerging Leaders of Social Change was established.  Initiated by a pub conversation (where ideas have a habit of brewing), the group aims to bring together young professionals in the corporate, public and non-profit sectors as a forum for sharing ideas and collaboration.

A core focus of the ELSC is to encourage Australians to participate in The Big Conversation, an initiative to assist the federal government understand what our society values when determining indicators to feed the National Wellbeing Framework being developed by the government.

“'Going local' is a powerful strategy to help repair our fractured world – our ecosystems, our societies and our selves” Helena Norberg-Hodge

The trend towards localisation and away from globalisation was the topic of discussion at the most recent ELSC ‘collaboratory’, where Helena Norberg-Hodge’s documentary The Economics of Happiness was screened.  While alarmist in its description of the  ‘8 Inconvenient Truths of Globalisation’, the positive impact of society's movement towards sustainable communities and increased connectivity with those geographically close resonated with the audience.   Pointing to examples such as local food movements, growers markets and eco-villages emerging in big cities around the world, those interviewed in the documentary outlined the social and economic benefits of what it calls ‘economic localisation’.

These benefits include;

• Understanding the impact of our choices, made easier when the supply chain is contained within one’s realm of influence;
• Environmental benefits, with less energy being consumed when goods are produced and consumed locally;
• The retention of ‘grandmother’s knowledge’, the strengthening of community bonds and a sense of belonging.

While the film was emotive in presentation, its underlying message was strong enough to provoke discussion about everything from challenging the status quo, individuals’ own experiences of localisation and how this applies to our society.   

ELSC collaboratories are described as intimate events where like-minded emerging leaders meet to share, explore and challenge their way of thinking about topics related to the social sector.   A wonderful opportunity to be challenged in genuine debate about topical issues, the ELSC addresses the growing desire of gen-Y to meaningfully engage with the community while building successful careers in a range of commercial (and other) sectors.

If your corporate job has taught you something useful to others and you’re itching to share, don’t miss the next ELSC collaboratory on the innovative application of Design Thinking.  You might just learn something.

Buy tickets to future ELSC events at http://elsc.eventbrite.com/

Cancer: Meet it, treat it, beat it

Ben Peacock, author of Lessons from My Left Testicle, was at a buck’s weekend three days before surgeons were slicing open his stomach, “placing his guts on a tray” to remove his lymph nodes, and then squishing them back in. 

Experiencing sharp pains in his back, he told the audience at the Garvan Institute that he “did what he was supposed to do” – kept drinking alcohol to (unsuccessfully) ignore it.

25 year old stockbroker Tim Cussell put off visiting a doctor when strange symptoms (of what turned out to be Stage 3 bowel cancer) arose because of the unpleasant prospect of a stranger poking around his nether regions.  Finally finding time to visit a doctor, he was immediately booked into surgery and warned that he could die on the operating table.

Cancer; Meet it. Treat it. Beat it was the topic of the Young Garvan Forum’s most recent event on the 26 May.  Young Garvan was set up to educate and inform the seemingly bulletproof younger generation about health issues and the importance of medical research. 

Hearing the magic words “You. Have. Cancer” slams the door shut on one's previous life only to send them whirling through a vortex of hospitals, chemotherapy and radiation.  Ben told the forum how “everything in life is suddenly put on hold” – career, travel plans, plans to start a family - with all energy focussed on the daily rollercoastal of survival, specialists and treatments.

Medical oncologist Dr Catriona McNeil and Dr Darren Saunders, a senior lecturer in Medicine at UNSW provided tangible examples of recent medical research breakthroughs, stating that while cancer is the number one disease killer in the 18-40 year age group, survival rates have never been better.  Dr Andrew Penman, CEO of the Cancer Council NSW, emphasised cancer as a social issue with a heavy impact on both patients and the wider community.

With a newfound appreciation of how precarious life can be, Tim focused on enjoying what was great and letting go of the bad - bought an apartment, proposed to his girlfriend and changed careers.   He is organising a fundraising dinner for 2012 to raise funds for Lifehouse at RPA and the Bowel Cancer Institute.  As Ben Peacock soberly reminded us– “it’s not a given that everything will go according to plan”.

Lessons for the invincible Gen Y?

• Visit a GP when something doesn’t feel right
• You’re never too young to get your affairs in order
• It can happen to you – so keep an eye on the important things in life

Join the Young Garvan Events & Fiestas facebook group to be informed of future events.

*Photograph from http://www.learning.net.au/allribbons/younggarvan.html

An apple a day...

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But the humble apple has faced tough competition in recent years, with trendy “super foods” like goji berries, wheat grass, and pomegranates hogging the limelight through slick marketing campaigns.

Luckily for our health (and our tastebuds), two Bondi locals have partnered with Batlow Apples to create Batlow Premium Cider. Handcrafted from a blend of 100% Australian-grown apples, brothers Rich and Sam Coombes are helping us fend off the doctors by creating a far more exciting way to fill our daily apple quotas.

When a health scare led Rich to quit his high-pressure job in the corporate world, he decided it was time to revive an old dream to create his own product – “it struck me that life was too short and precious to be doing something I didn’t love”. Enjoying drinks with mates on Bondi’s grassy knoll one summer afternoon, he realised that there was no cider equivalent of a Coopers beer – locally made and premium quality.

He and Sam contacted Batlow Apples, and so began the journey to create what has the potential to become an iconic Australian cider (watch this space!).

Read my interview with Rich Coombes on Eat Drink Play & find out how you can get your daily fix!

When I have time...

How many times have you thought to yourself “when I have a little more time I would love to learn photography / write a blog / read more about politics”.

We’ve considered taking life-drawing classes, dreamed about learning to sail or surf, resolved to reinvent our non-work wardrobe and re-introduce a creative flair. When we have a bit more time.

On Friday evenings at après-work watering holes like Ryan's Bar and Ivy, we blend and mingle in our collars, blazers and celebrate the advent of the weekend. We air-kiss, shake hands and share drinks with like-minded young professionals, the ties loose and the shirts colourful in recognition that we’ve survived the week. We’ve closed the deals, reviewed the reports, turned off the laptops (though not the blackberry – never the blackberry).

Back in uni days, with time on our hands to write the blank pages of our future, we kept up to date with the latest fashions and invented our own. We experimented with music, discovered bars off the beaten track and supported friends’ bands playing at dodgy RSLs. We found excitement and difference down random lanes and sketched drawings of the characters that we found there. We volunteered for charities, learned about other cultures and looked forward to the future. We were all exploring, discovering and creating our individual worlds, in our own way.

Five to seven years later, and we have all chosen different paths. Those of us in the corporate world have been both thrilled by new intellectual challenges and bored by monotonous days in the office. We can walk the walk, click our heels in the lobby, make PC jokes and small talk with executives in the lift, and look fabulous in a suit.

We still love music, but haven’t had as much time to listen to the new band our friends are tweeting about. Absolutely love reading, but have banned ourselves from picking up novels until we’ve passed the mandatory technical exam for work. Can’t really justify spending as much on quirky fashions when five days a week demand classic and tailored “business casual”.

And after five years of focusing on our careers, we’re starting to realise that parts of ourselves have been neglected. That we could have another 30 years of working ahead of us – but there is more than that. The creative spark, the other dimensions of our personality, the colour – they’re still there. Lying dormant, slightly neglected, but slowly reemerging. We remember that life doesn’t have to be confined to evenings and weekends, that Wednesday wasn’t always a hump day.

I have friends who have recently quit jobs for a variety of reasons - pursue photography, start their own business, spend a few years travelling. For those of us who enjoy our jobs but know that there is more to us than just a square in a suit – how can we find a balance?

Gen Y ... can we have it all in the corporate world?

It's tough to have it all. We're Gen Y. We're young, ambitious, eager to succeed. We're educated, well-travelled and ready for a challenge. We are used to change, and have learnt to embrace it.

We also resent being chained to our desks, are wondering how we ended up staring at a screen all day, but find ourselves climbing the corporate ladder as we ponder this. We've survived a number of restructures, our titles have changed, and the excitement of corporate travel has fallen by the wayside.

We work hard and we play hard (when we manage to leave the office at a reasonable hour). We take for granted the excesses of the corporate card, but we're still saving to buy our first property. We want to take our 3 month mini-breaks to climb Machu Pichu and trek in Nepal, we value meaningful relationships, and we know money isn't the solution to our problems. But we still enjoy the lifestyle it brings.

As social researcher Hugh Mackay once told an audience at the Pyrmont Library, the mantra of our generation is "keep your options open". He told news.com.au that "the generational ethos is bred into them: keep your options open, hang loose, don't get too committed too soon."

We've lost the idealism we had at university and know that we have to work to achieve our goals. But we know life is not all about work... we're "young professionals" in black and grey but we still care about music, edgy fashion and fabulous food. We still want to find meaning in the small things, cry and laugh reading non-business related books, and dance to daggy music like no one's watching.

So when we do manage to beat the clock, what are we doing?