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In this deeply moving and insightful episode of Growing Tall Poppies, Dr. Nat Green welcomes the compassionate and wise Dr. Mark Seton—a researcher, educator, consultant for Sense Connexion and founder of the Embodied Vulnerability Ecosystem. With a background in working with actors, creatives, and helping professionals, Dr. Seton shares his profound personal story of trauma and recovery, offering listeners a rich exploration into the power of embodied healing, resilience, and identity restoration.

Mark courageously recounts his own lived experience with trauma, including an abusive relationship and its impact on his mental health, ultimately leading to his breakthrough realisation: our bodies are not betrayers—they’re messengers. Through this lens, Mark introduces the idea of relational resilience, self-compassion, and joy as medicine, while debunking the myth that professionals must always be strong, heroic, and self-sacrificing.

Listeners are guided through a powerful play-based exercise that encourages reconnecting with the body's wisdom, evoking joy and childlike creativity. Mark also outlines the critical need to de-acclimatise from the “peak performance” addiction in high-stakes professions and instead foster sustainable, embodied practices that honour both vulnerability and recovery.

This episode is a heart-opening reminder for therapists, creatives, and care professionals to embrace their open-hearted nature without burnout, martyrdom, or isolation. It’s an invitation into a new, empowering paradigm—one that is both deeply human and profoundly healing.

🧠 Key Topics Discussed:

• Dr. Seton’s lived experience of trauma, isolation and breakdown
• The power of body wisdom and embodied vulnerability in recovery
• The myth of the hero-professional and the cost of emotional suppression
• Practical tools for grounding, including a joy-based body movement exercise
• The concept of relational resilience and why healing is never a solo journey
• Navigating the “peak performance trap” and the need for de-acclimatisation
• Helping actors, doctors, and professionals reconnect with identity beyond roles
• Insights from Dr. Seton’s current research on Open-Hearted Professionals
• Reframing vulnerability as strength and openness as wisdom

Dr. Mark Seton is on a mission to foster compassionate, embodied, and sustainable practices for open-hearted professionals. His current research explores how vulnerability can be redefined as open-heartedness and strength.

Email [email protected]

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📊 Take the Survey for Open-Hearted Professionals: [Link ]

Mark also has a foundational service, called Your Professional Uniqueness providing a Fascinate© assessment and 60 min coachin

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Intro and Outro music: Inspired Ambient by Playsound.
Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be deemed or treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.