What inspires a young man to pursue a career in counselling?

In this episode of Your Truth Explored, Rodney Reynders sits down with emerging counsellor Alex Bundgaard to explore the future of the counselling profession, the growing need for more male counsellors, and the life experiences that led Alex to this meaningful career.

Together they unpack the realities of becoming a counsellor,the value of the therapeutic relationship and why finding the right counsellor can make all the difference.

They also discuss imposter syndrome, the transition from university into real client work, the importance of placement experiences, and how the next generation of practitioners is shaping the future of mental health support.

Whether you're considering counselling yourself, thinkingabout a career in the helping professions, or simply curious about what really happens behind the counselling room door, this conversation offers practical insights, encouragement and hope.

In this episode you'll discover:

• Why more young men are entering the counselling profession
• The difference between counselling and psychology
• Why the relationship with your counsellor matters more than the modality
• What to do if you've had a negative counselling experience
• Overcoming imposter syndrome as a new practitioner
• The value of placement, role plays and real-world learning
• Why counselling remains a deeply human profession in the age of AI

If you've ever wondered whether counselling could help you,or whether becoming a counsellor is the right path for you, this episode provides an honest and refreshing perspective from someone beginning that journey.

If you enjoyed this conversation, please Like, Subscribe andShare to help more people explore their truth.

Connect with Rodney Reynders: https://yourtruthservices.com.au

Thank you for joining us on Your Truth Explored,where every conversation brings greater clarity, understanding and hope.

#RodneyReynders

#AlexBundgaard

#YourTruthServices

Creating a Good Environment: Supporting Young People with The CAGE Youth Foundation

What happens when a community decides that every youngperson deserves to be seen, heard and supported?

In Episode 23 of Your Truth Explored, Rodney Reynders sitsdown with Angie Bowers, General Manager of Service and Support at The CAGE Youth Foundation, to explore the incredible work being done to support young people and families across South East Queensland.

From humble beginnings as a community outreach initiative to becoming a vital support service providing counselling, mentoring, wellbeing programs and crisis care, The CAGE has spent more than 25 years making a difference in the lives of young people.

Together, Rodney and Angie unpack:

✅ The inspiring story behind The CAGE Youth Foundation
✅ Why mental health, social media pressure and identity are among the biggest challenges facing young people today
✅ The power of meeting people where they are without judgment
✅ How mentoring and counselling can change the trajectory of a young person's life
✅ The importance of self-worth, confidence and belonging
✅ What adults can learn from today's younger generation
✅ The challenges charities face in providing free and accessible support services
✅ Practical ways everyday people can make a difference in their community This episode is a powerful reminder that behind every behaviour is a story, behind every struggle is a need for connection, and that one caring conversation can change a life.

💛 SUPPORT THE CAGE YOUTH FOUNDATION

During this episode, Rodney also introduces a specialpartnership supporting The CAGE through the children's book Jasper and His Powerful Friend.

By purchasing a copy, or donating a second copy for a youngfamily in need, you will help support the ongoing work of The CAGE Youth Foundation and the many young people and families they serve.

🔗 Support link: https://yourtruthservices.com.au/product/jasper-and-his-powerful-friend-campaign-edition/

📌 Connect with Rodney Reynders
Website: https://yourtruthservices.com.au/

📌 Learn more about The CAGE Youth Foundation
Website: https://thecage.info/

If this conversation resonates with you:

👍 Like
💬 Comment
🔔 Subscribe
📤 Share with someone who cares about the next generation

Because understanding creates connection, and connectionchanges lives.

#Your Truth Explored

#Your Truth Services

#Rodney Reynders

#Angie Bowers

#The CAGE Youth Foundation

Fatherhood, gender roles, parenting and identity.

What if many of the assumptions we hold about parentingaren't based on truth, but on expectations we've inherited without ever questioning?

In this thought-provoking episode of Your Truth Explored,Rodney Reynders sits down with author, speaker, former bodyguard, elite strength coach, Australian record holder, and solo father Michael Ray for a powerful conversation about fatherhood, leadership, and the stories society tells us about men and women.

After becoming a father at 50 and raising his daughter as asingle dad, Michael found himself confronting many of the beliefs he had accepted about parenting. His journey led him to question traditional gender expectations and discover what truly matters in raising resilient, capable, and connected children.

In this episode we explore:

🔹 Why fatherhood is different, not less
🔹The hidden expectations shaping modern parenting
🔹How unsolicited advice can disconnect us from our own wisdom
🔹Why asking better questions is more powerful than giving answers
🔹The parallels between great leadership and great parenting
🔹The importance of finding your "Big Why"
🔹How emotions can become valuable allies rather than problems to fix
🔹Why involved fathers' matter and what research tells us about their impact

Whether you're a parent, leader, coach, educator, or simply someone interested in understanding human behaviour, this conversation offers valuable insights into relationships, personal growth, and challenging the stories that shape our lives.

Sometimes the greatest truth isn't found in the answers we are given.

It's found in the questions we are willing to ask.

#Rodney Reynders

#Your Truth Explored

#Michael Ray

🎙️ Your Truth Explored - Episode 21
The Drama Triangle: Understanding Conflict, Safety, and Emotional Reactions

Why do some conversations spiral into conflict so quickly?

Why do people become critical, defensive, helpless, oroverly responsible during difficult moments?

And what if the real issue underneath most arguments is notanger… but safety?

In Episode 21 of Your Truth Explored, Rodney Reyndersunpacks the powerful psychological concept known as the Drama Triangle, aframework that explores the three common emotional roles people move throughduring conflict:

🔺 The Persecutor
🔺The Victim
🔺The Rescuer

This episode explores:
• Why emotionally unsafe environments trigger reactive behaviour
• How conflict cycles continue without awareness
• The psychology behind blame, defensiveness, and over-helping
• Practical ways to create healthier conversations
• How leaders, couples, workplaces, and families can move toward emotional safety and accountability
• The difference between reacting emotionally and responding consciously

This is not about labelling people as “good” or “bad.”
It is about recognising patterns, understanding emotional responses, and learning how to step out of unhealthy cycles.

Whether you are navigating leadership, relationships,parenting, workplace pressure, or personal growth, this episode offers practical insight you can begin applying immediately.

🧠 Free Drama TriangleWorkbook Available: https://yourtruthservices.com.au/training-resources/

🎧 Listen to more episodesof Your Truth Explored:https://yourtruthservices.com.au/your-truth-explored/

🌐 Connect with Rodney Reynders: https://yourtruthservices.com.au/

If this episode resonates with you:
👍Like the video
💬Share your thoughts in the comments
📢Share with someone who may benefit
🔔Subscribe for future conversations exploring psychology, leadership, emotional wellbeing, resilience, and personal growth

#rodneyreynders

#yourtruthservices

#dramatriangle

Christopher Miller on Love, Leadership, Grief & theJourney of Finding FISH

https://youtu.be/X6CsS8F48dI

What if love was not just an emotion, but a leadershippractice?

In Episode 20 of Your Truth Explored, Rodney Reynders sitsdown with Christopher Miller, strengths-based, heart-centred leadership coach,author, and founder of the Expansive Love movement.

Christopher shares his deeply personal journey following theloss of his wife Fiona to brain cancer and how grief transformed hisunderstanding of purpose, resilience, leadership, and human connection.

Together, Rodney and Christopher explore:
• Strengths-based leadership• Fulfilment, inspiration, success, and happiness (FISH)• The psychology of self-love and emotional awareness• Why many people struggle to talk openly about love• Grief, identity shifts, and personal growth• The difference between selfishness and self-care• Emotional intelligence and meaningful human connection• How small acts of kindness can radically impact people

This episode is a reflective and emotionally honest conversation about what it truly means to live with intention, care, and authenticity in a world that often moves too fast for meaningful connection.

Christopher also shares insights into:
💡The “Let’s Talk Love” movement💡The Expansive Love Dialogues💡Why awareness changes the way we experience love💡How compassion and kindness are practical acts of leadership

If you are interested in psychology, leadership, emotionalwellbeing, resilience, personal growth, or authentic conversations about the human experience, this episode is for you.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

Your Truth Explored - Episode 19
Featuring Solange Lipcin

https://youtu.be/RRuUZlWf2AE

In this powerful conversation, Rodney Reynders sits downwith embodied communication coach, social entrepreneur, and multicultural leadership advocate Solange Lipcin to explore the psychology of belonging, identity, emotional intelligence, and authentic communication.

Originally from Argentina and now based in Queensland,Solange shares her personal journey of discovering that the very qualities she once thought she needed to hide became her greatest strengths.

Together, Rodney and Solange unpack the emotional impact of “editing” ourselves to fit into professional and social environments, and why true leadership begins when westop shrinking who we are.

This episode explores:
• Cultural identity and belonging
• The fear of being “too much” or “not enough”
• Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
• Authentic leadership and communication
• Migration, change, and personal growth
• Self-love beyond performance and achievement
• Why your uniqueness may be your superpower

If you have ever felt pressure to fit in, neutralise yourpersonality, or dim your light to succeed, this conversation will encourage you to reconnect with your authentic voice and discover the strength that already exists within you.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, YouTube, and major podcast platforms.

🌐 Explore more at: https://www.yourtruthservices/

#SolangeLipcin

#RodneyReynders

#yourTruthServices

From Survival to Purpose: Rewriting the Mental HealthStory

https://youtu.be/JshvZBtpdDU

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, RodneyReynders sits down with David Westgate to explore what it really means to move from survival to purpose when living with mental health challenges.

David shares his lived experience with bipolar disorder,opening up about the long road from “just getting by” to finally seeking help at 48 and discovering what normality can feel like. But this episode goes further than diagnosis.

It is about redefining identity, finding meaning, and using lived experience as a platform for impact.

Together, Rodney and David unpack:• Why mental health is rarely a single “aha” moment, but a gradual journey• The danger of trying to handle everything alone• How finding the right support is more like connection than correction• The power of conversation over advice• Why you don’t need to fix someone to support them• The role of silence, listening, and simply being present• How leaders can create psychologically safe environments by being human first

This episode challenges the belief that strength means having all the answers. Instead, it reframes strength as the willingness to speak, listen, and connect.

If you have ever felt unsure about how to support someone…
If you have noticed red flags in yourself or others…
Or if you are navigating your own journey with mental health…

This conversation is for you.

One of the most powerful takeaways:
“You don’t need to fix people. You just need to be willing to sit with them.”

If this conversation resonates and you would like support, you are invited tobook a session or explore more resources through Your Truth Services or at ourwebsite: https://yourtruthservices.com.au/

📌 Don’t forget to:👍Like this video💬 Share your thoughts in the comments♻️ Share with someone who might need to hear this🔔 Subscribe for weekly episodes every Friday at 5pm QLD time

The Power of Story, Adversity, and Meaning

What if the parts of your life you’re trying to hide… are actually where your greatest strength is formed?

In Episode 17 of Your Truth Explored, I sit down with Ian Westmoreland, founder of Mentoring Men and Kintsugi Heroes, to explore the transformative power of story, reflection, and adversity.

Ian shares his journey from a successful corporate career towalking away from it all in pursuit of something deeper… purpose, connection, and impact. What followed was not just a career shift, but a complete redefinition of what it means to live a meaningful life.

Together, we unpack:

• Why the stories we avoid are often the ones we most need to tell
• How adversity can reshape identity, purpose, and perspective
• The role of reflection in navigating life's hardest moments
• The power of vulnerability, especially for men
• How storytelling creates connection, healing, and hope

We also explore the concept behind Kintsugi… the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold… and how our cracks” may be the very things that make us more valuable, not less.

Ian also shares powerful insights from his own life, including navigating burnout, leading national mentoring movements, and facing a life-changing cancer journey with gratitude and perspective.

💬 A Question to Reflect On

What part of your story is ready to be shared… and what might change if it was?

🔗 Connect with Ian 🎧 Listen, Reflect, Share

If this episode resonates with you:
👍 Like

💬 Comment your takeaway
🔁 Share with someone who needs to hear this

#IanWestmoreland #RodneyReynders #YourTruthServices #YourTruthExplored #KintsugiHeros