2024 Reflections: Growth, Gratitude, and Community Connection

Key Takeaways:

• The "Finding Sanctuary" podcast invites community members to share their voices, effectively breaking the silence on mental health issues.
• Hosting the podcast provides personal growth and deeper connections for both the hosts and the listeners.
• Special guests bring new insights into episodes, enriching conversations with their unique perspectives.
• Workshops following episodes allow for further community engagement and practical applications of podcast themes.
• The enduring message of forgiveness, mindfulness, and holistic health is central to the podcast's most popular episodes, resonating deeply with its audience.

Notable Quotes:

• "You bring a voice to suffering, you normalize it, you share it in a way that's meaningful." - Debbie Draybi
• "In some things it's helped me save time. So to me, that was something good." - Monsignor Shora
• "It's safe. I think that the podcast feels like a safe way to start introducing some of these very... can be very heavy topics..." - Natalie Moujalli
• "God has placed every one of us in different spaces. There is a higher purpose for this." - Derrick Yeoh
• "You pull over and you listen to us and you give us, you know, your time and you're so curious about the conversations." - Debbie Draybi

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Transcript

0:00:04 - (Debbie Draybi): Welcome to Finding Sanctuary. Our shared conversations into how we think and feel and how we find peace and comfort in daily life. We get together with experts to chat about all things mental health, getting insights and understanding on the struggles of life. My name is Debbie Drabie and I'm a psychologist and a proud Maronite woman and a mother of three children. And I'm passionate about bringing people together to share their stories, to support each other through life and all this beauty, all its pain. I look forward to hearing from you in this podcast series as we engage in conversations around our shared experiences as a community.

0:00:40 - (Debbie Draybi): We love to hear what you think of the podcast. So please subscribe, share like and comment wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to another episode of Finding Sanctuary. This is a very special episode for us. It's our wrap up episode for the year and our episode to summarise and conclude our second season, which has been incredible. So I've got Monsignor, of course, here next to me and Nat decided to join us again. We had to drag her in kicking and screaming, but, you know, so really, really nice. Unfortunately, we do want to honour Eddie, who's not here with us today because he's out there doing what Eddie does, helping and supporting and using his skills and his creativity with the community. But we do want to honour the contributions he's made in this season as well.

0:01:32 - (Debbie Draybi): I'm really excited to be, you know, just having a bit of pause with you both and talking a bit about how we've been experiencing, you know, this been. It's been a shared experience coming together and I think we've gotten to know each other even though we already had really strong relationships. I think getting a better sense of each other and understanding each other more and connecting in different ways. And that's for me, I'm just, you know, I'm gonna start the reflection first and talk about how profound this season has been for me in terms of building a stronger connection with you both. I know we already had a strong foundation and lots of history together, but just getting to know you and I guess the power of having different conversations really resonates, you know, the more we talk, the more we share, the better we understand each other. And I think we've been able to experience that firsthand together as a team.

0:02:21 - (Debbie Draybi): So thank you. It's been wonderful working with you and incredibly energising.

0:02:26 - (Natalie Moujalli): Thank you, Deb.

0:02:27 - (Monsignor Shora): Thank you, Deb. Because you've taken quite a bit of the pressure in being the host and.

0:02:31 - (Natalie Moujalli): There is a lot of pressure Involved with that, as we've seen.

0:02:34 - (Debbie Draybi): Yes. Lots of pressure. I think we experience, like, what we've modelled together as a group. We've tried to rotate the hosting and we've shown that we all experience it differently, but the importance of sometimes stepping into roles that are pressured ones, ones we're not that comfortable with, but we do it and we bring our own self into it, which is beautiful for our listeners to witness. And Natalie's nodding. She's not convinced.

0:03:00 - (Debbie Draybi): But, you know, I'm still very persuasive and I'm not giving up.

0:03:04 - (Natalie Moujalli): Look, I definitely want to be a team player.

0:03:06 - (Debbie Draybi): Yes.

0:03:06 - (Natalie Moujalli): And bring to the table exactly what you need me to bring to the table. It's just not. It's just not me. I'm not much of a host. Deb, you're the hostess with the mostess.

0:03:17 - (Debbie Draybi): But you do it. Like, when I listen to you, I'll be honest. Like, I listen to episodes, I experience them differently when you host them. And I think you just bring a different energy, a new insight, which I think is wonderful. I know it's not your comfort zone, but, you know, even in the discomfort, there's brilliant conversations that emerge.

0:03:36 - (Natalie Moujalli): Thanks, Deb.

0:03:37 - (Debbie Draybi): She's still not convinced. And, Monsignor, you know, I'm really excited to be talking to you and feel so proud that we've come as far as we have with your leadership and just want to honour that and so grateful to have you come in. I know that you have so much going on and there's a lot of commitment that you have in all the hats that you wear. So I just want to honor that, you know, thank you for showing up and for leading us. You know, we start every session with a prayer and it just really energises us and the conversations just happen so organically.

0:04:09 - (Monsignor Shora): I'm humbled by that and I'd like to acknowledge how you all step up and take leadership and initiative. It's been wonderful to be part of the team. It's really come ahead this year in more steps. So it's wonderful.

0:04:22 - (Debbie Draybi): Yeah.

0:04:22 - (Natalie Moujalli): Can I say that Monsignor is actually always like this. I'll be in the office and I'll just need to catch his attention for five to ten minutes. And always patient, always like, yes, Natalie, what do you need, Natalie? Rattling off a million things to get answers for things. And always has the time, always makes the time. You can tell that it's a priority for you. As with everything else, I'm not sure how you make it all a priority.

0:04:48 - (Natalie Moujalli): It seems Effortless. I know it's not effortless, but it's such a beautiful culture to be a part of on a weekly basis.

0:04:55 - (Monsignor Shora): Thank you.

0:04:56 - (Natalie Moujalli): So thank you for your leadership and.

0:04:58 - (Monsignor Shora): Thank you for how you contribute to it.

0:05:00 - (Debbie Draybi): We've all witnessed the evolution of this podcast. This is the second season now and I'm wondering what's really stood out for you, you know, as we've progressed, what's been some of the things that you've noticed as we continue to build the season.

0:05:14 - (Monsignor Shora): Look, I suppose people might find it a bit unusual, actually. The episode on artificial intelligence sort of struck me because I was so negative towards it. Yeah. Just listening to George on that episode. So, like, for me, I learned something. So in a lot of the other areas, I've got a lot of experience and familiarity, the forgiveness side, the fitness, the mindfulness, you know, the sort of other areas.

0:05:39 - (Monsignor Shora): But this was the area with technology and this. So for me it was great. There was a learning. So I'm hoping for everyone that there was some sort of learning and then I've been able to apply some of that. I've been able to make use of it in my work. So it's. In some things it's helped me save time. So to me, that was something good.

0:05:59 - (Natalie Moujalli): Yeah, I think I, I can relate to that actually, like with the mindfulness. I remember listening to the mindfulness episode back and then sitting in the follow up workshop and thinking, I'm going to support Lisa, who's delivering the workshop. But I sat in that workshop and I realized, wow, you are not mindful. We need to work on this. And so I was able to take away some things. So I think it's really beautiful how it can impact us so personally and we're in it, and then the impact it has on the wider community or is having on the wider community is really beautiful.

0:06:31 - (Natalie Moujalli): I had someone, a friend of mine, she's a Maltese grandmother, and she sent me a message saying, I've just listened to the episode with Layla on forgiveness and it was amazing. And then she sent me another message saying, I've just listened to it again with my husband, because I thought he needed to hear that as well. He thought it was amazing. So she'd listened to that episode twice and I thought that's, that's really special that, you know, you could sit through that half an hour episode twice and still have some takeaways to go home with.

0:07:00 - (Natalie Moujalli): That's the impact I'm seeing it have in the community.

0:07:03 - (Debbie Draybi): Yeah. Oh, thanks for that example. I know we've been reflecting as a team around making a plan for next year and the episodes and, I mean, Derek's been amazing in bringing together the data in terms of how many downloads, and we have a good sense of what's been listened to and the numbers. But what resonates for me is the stories and the people that come to us and share how they're experiencing the podcast. And I know I've had a couple of people now, sometimes we have a few phrases that we repeat, and one in particular has been around how we suffer in silence and how it's so alienating and isolating and bringing a voice to that suffering and for people to hear it out loud, you know, what they're experiencing on their own and perhaps never been able to talk about it.

0:07:51 - (Debbie Draybi): That's what people have said to me around that you bring a voice to suffering, you normalise it, you share it in a way that's meaningful. And I think that that's really been a motivator for me about not just us having these conversations, but inviting people in, like guests. I know that we've ramped that up this year. That's been a huge highlight for me in season two. I know we had a few guests in season one, but. And we tested that out a bit, but now, pretty much every episode we've had a guest. And I think for us, it's about that message of invite people in.

0:08:22 - (Debbie Draybi): Yes, we want to contain the conversation, but we also want to open it up, because what it enables is these incredible ideas that we learn from. And like you said, we might be hosting it, but we're in it too, and we're experiencing it in the same way as our listeners are too.

0:08:37 - (Natalie Moujalli): Yeah, I think I was speaking to someone the other day about the podcast and they were saying to me, how do you do this stuff on mental health in the community? Like, the community's not super open to mental health. And I said, that's the beauty of the podcast, because it's in the safety of your earpods or your car. It's not something that you have to engage in a conversation with, it's something that you're listening to. And it's maybe very slowly opening your mind to these concepts and the experiences people are having.

0:09:06 - (Natalie Moujalli): And it's safe, you know, you don't have to do anything with it at the time. All you have to do is listen. Or you don't even have to listen. You choose to listen. You don't know where it will go from there. It's safe. I think that the podcast feels like a safe way to start introducing some of these very. Can be very heavy topics to people who would usually turn away from it because it is scary. Like you said in the last episode, mental health can be scary.

0:09:33 - (Debbie Draybi): Yeah. And thinking about breaking down some of those fears and opening and inviting. I think what stood out for me as well, you know, we've tried to. And this is something new that we tried in this season, is to extend the conversation from the podcast to then a workshop. And what stood out for me, we've tried to be quite intentional in the workshops about starting a conversation of what did you hear in the podcast, what resonated for you and what brought you to the workshop?

0:10:03 - (Debbie Draybi): And it's incredible, the feedback that, particularly the addictions one, where the group was small, we only had small numbers, but it was this conversation about things that they heard and received in a way that I perhaps didn't even intend. And I thought, oh, wow, you heard that? I didn't even think I said it in that way. But I guess what resonated for me is the same message can be received so differently and will have different meaning. And I think having the workshops has really given us an opportunity for other people to share in that conversation with each other and to really build on it.

0:10:36 - (Monsignor Shora): To me, the feedback, I would say, was put in the workshop, and particularly that addiction workshop, to have those that attended, even though, as you said, not a big number, but the feedback that we got there and that sharing, the deeper sharing that came from that one gentleman coming with his wife and speaking about her part and his work and his journey, you know, being so open about it. To me, that was great to see that and to hear that, you know, to hear their story.

0:11:03 - (Debbie Draybi): Yeah, definitely. That was a very powerful workshop. And I think as we explore for next year, just being able to continue to build that conversation. We start here, but then we, you know, we're intentional about moving away from the microphones and connecting with the community.

0:11:18 - (Monsignor Shora): Yeah, I look forward to that. Growing a little bit more to see how we can do that. And I'd like to see. Ask listeners to see, you know, be ready to see if they like to come and participate face to face. Yeah, that would be something.

0:11:31 - (Debbie Draybi): It's a beautiful way to understand how this is landing and how it's impacting people's lives. And, you know, one of the ones that I think about as well is we come together in such a beautiful way, but we have this incredible presence with us, with Derek and, you know, being an observer. But Also this deep listening and his creativity and bringing the conversation together. I know that putting him on the spot, but, you know, that's what we do around here.

0:11:58 - (Debbie Draybi): You know, Derek, you've witnessed the evolution. You've been an incredible creator of the evolution as well in how you produce these conversations for us. And I wondered how you've been experiencing it and you know, what you'd like to share about our journey so far, particularly in this season.

0:12:14 - (Derrick Yeoh): I feel extremely privileged to be part of this podcast, this endeavour, because the love for the community that oozes out from these four very gifted individuals blows my mind. I've not seen a church, an organization that would take time out of their busy schedules, out of their work hours, out of their family time. To be in a place with me for three hours every other month, to record that just shows the deep love, the deep connection that they have with the community.

0:12:46 - (Derrick Yeoh): And to be able to speak to you guys, to bring up matters that are hidden and to shed some light on that, I guess it's very admirable and very noble of them. God has placed every one of us in different spaces. There is a higher purpose for this. And to see how four very different individuals coming together with one common purpose is just amazing. And the stuff that we've talked about, what has really struck me was Leila Abdallah's story when she came in. So I've heard of her story on the news, but to see her in person, to share what she shared.

0:13:19 - (Derrick Yeoh): And what really struck me was the day after the accident, to walk up to ground zero and then to go, I forgive you, driver, I forgive you. Blew my mind I couldn't fathom. And I think at that point, holding the camera, trying to be professional to record this pod, I went, whoa, that's heavy. But it's taught me something. It's taught me, hey, I've got past sins. I've got things that I've not forgiven my brother or my sister, grudges that have carried on for, I kid you not, for 14 years.

0:13:48 - (Derrick Yeoh): It's time to hug it out, to make out and go, hey, mate, I'm sorry. And it's stuff like this, just standing here, sitting here, just recording this pod, it's just brought me immense joy. And I guess God's placed me here and I come back to God because, you know, you can mince it however you want. It's back to divine intervention. And I believe that it's our Heavenly Father orchestrating this whole thing together.

0:14:08 - (Derrick Yeoh): And I really hope for more to come. And I hope that you dear listeners, get impacted, get something out of these conversations because it has for me.

0:14:18 - (Debbie Draybi): Oh, Derek, wow. I just wondered about your journey as well in doing this work. You know, I know we've talked a bit in the past, we've had episodes around a bit about your career path, but what draws you to this work. And you have this incredible commitment and passion, but also talent in bringing all this together in the way that you do for us. And I wondered if you can tell us a bit about your journey, give or take.

0:14:43 - (Derrick Yeoh): We've got 80 years on this earth and you know as how it is you go into a profession, you go into studies, you know, undergrads and postgrads. Sometimes it's different. The postgraduate studies is different from the undergraduate studies. And I guess it's because we are open to change, open to learning, and open to where the divine force is leading us to. And I believe for my life God directed me different paths.

0:15:05 - (Derrick Yeoh): My parents are pastors back in Malaysia, but I knew that down the track I wouldn't be in church per se, but I knew somewhere down the line it would be something to do with church. A Christian organization, a non profit organization. Coming to Australia, I managed to get foot in a door in Triple M and T FM was doing you should start somewhere. So right down ground zero. But climbed up and managed to get into an audio production role and was about to do the grill team and what's the chance of a lifetime? Usually people would need to travel out to regional radio stations and work their way back into metro stations.

0:15:40 - (Derrick Yeoh): It only can be God because I'm not the most charismatic, I'm not the most talented, but it is him who's put me in such a place where they went, you know, what do you want a shot at this? So it was the breakfast audio production gig at Triple M doing the grill team. And I was beyond myself. I was stoked. But it didn't work out. My wife's a medical and she needs to work round the clock. And we knew we couldn't hack it. We've got no family here to look after our kids. We were expecting number two on the way.

0:16:07 - (Derrick Yeoh): I was really upset with her and our situation because I'm like, hang on, we're putting your career before mine. So we had that little discussion that you have at night when the kids are asleep, the kid is asleep. We had one kid then, but now looking back, when I said no to that job, something else opened up. I'm now currently in this non profit organization doing what I love. I'm curating, I'm crafting, podcasts, media content for the people that find so much benefit in. And I guess even sitting in this space with you guys, it's just a testimony of his goodness, his faithfulness, that he can orchestrate all sorts of things in the worst situations, seemingly the worst situations.

0:16:50 - (Derrick Yeoh): But as he shredded it all together, you see this beautiful tapestry unveiled, and all I can go and say is, wow, that's you, Abba father.

0:17:01 - (Debbie Draybi): Oh, Derek, I think, you know, thank you for sharing that. I think it just highlights the importance of. Sometimes we may find ourselves at a crossroad. And it's incredible when we say no to a job opportunity for our family. It's incredible what we say yes to and what it opens up for us and the incredible opportunities that emerge. We wouldn't have probably connected if you were in that role, in a mainstream media role.

0:17:27 - (Debbie Draybi): I'm not gonna let you get away with saying you're not talented or charismatic. Cause that's very untrue. You're incredibly talented and charismatic. And I think your vision and your creativity has enabled a lot of these conversations for us. And every time you put this together, it just always blows me away of how you consolidate sometimes a messy conversation and how you bring it together in such a beautiful way. And I've learned so much from you and continue to learn from you.

0:17:53 - (Debbie Draybi): So thank you for that.

0:17:54 - (Derrick Yeoh): Thanks, Debbie, and thanks, guys. But I always tell my. My podcast creators, podcast hosts, when I've got good speakers behind the mic, it's really easy to dress them up. So thank you for being amazing hosts, all of you.

0:18:07 - (Natalie Moujalli): Thank you.

0:18:07 - (Debbie Draybi): And I know you said your community, but it's yours too now, because we adopted you. And I thought we've already had that conversation. Just so you know, you're, you know, very much part of our community. And we're so privileged to have you part of all these conversations, but also part of our community.

0:18:23 - (Natalie Moujalli): So, Derek, before you leave, though, can you tell us a little bit about your community, our community, and what our listening has been like this year and what people have been responding most to.

0:18:35 - (Derrick Yeoh): So in 2024, you listeners have really taken on a few key topics, One of them being the forgiveness episode with Laila Abdallah. It just shows that, you know, as humans, as intelligent beings, we get offended and we can offend people even with the best of intentions. It's so comforting to know that our community is willing to stop, to pause, to consider, to reflect, and then to take action. So thank you for listening.

0:19:04 - (Derrick Yeoh): We're so glad that that episode has really touched hearts. As Nathalia said, the lady who's listened to it once got her husband to listen to it again. It shows that forgiveness is something that we really need to work on. And of course, in 2024, we had Buddy Boo Francis come and yeah, fitness, because, you know, healthy body, healthy mind, healthy spirit and all of that, it's a holistic approach that we need to be looking at health.

0:19:29 - (Derrick Yeoh): And it's so good to know that our community is looking for ways to improve on physical health and not to be Instagram worthy, but just to be healthy enough to perform the functions that we need to do on a day to day basis. And lastly, I guess would be mindfulness, because if we're traveling at 100 miles an hour, we wouldn't have time to actually pause and reflect. Lisa McClove, who came in to actually teach us how to be mindful and I believe ran a workshop as well.

0:19:58 - (Derrick Yeoh): Those are really good steps to take a pause because what can I do to actually stop the madness of demands of the day? And to go, what can I do? And to know that, you know, our community is intentional in forgiving, intentional in physical health and being mindful in looking at these things and how it fits into their day to day has really hit in 2024.

0:20:23 - (Debbie Draybi): Well, thank you, Derek. Thank you for walking with us in this journey in this season and helping us develop and grow and we've learned so much from you and really appreciate your incredible effort and commitment that you make to this work.

0:20:36 - (Derrick Yeoh): Thanks, guys.

0:20:37 - (Debbie Draybi): And just as we're finishing up, you know, wrapping up this season, just some parting words to our listeners. Just being able to think about. We just finished an episode on gratitude. We want to express our gratitude to you all out there. You make this possible. You know, there's incredible podcasts out there, there's a lot on social media, there's a lot of traffic. But you pull over and you listen to us and you give us, you know, your time and you're so curious about the conversations and you participate in them. So I just want to express our gratitude to you making this possible and for being part of the conversation. And we look forward to continuing it in the new year. And we really want to invite you in.

0:21:20 - (Debbie Draybi): We want to continue to grow our guests. So it's just a call for you to be brave and to come, you know, particularly if we don't even, you know, know who you are and you're out there and you have a topic and an area that you want to explore and share. We promise to be kind and, you know, to invite you in and really include you in this conversation. So please reach out if you are interested. Someone senior. I wondered whether you had anything that you wanted to share with our listeners.

0:21:48 - (Monsignor Shora): Yeah, that hopefully they are enjoying some pause time, rest time. And I just remembered I was reminded in the mindfulness episode that, you know, the getting off the freeway was a phrase that sort of struck me a lot. Did they have a bit of time off the freeway now and with their families and just spending a bit of time and reflecting how they would like to be taking some of the things that they picked up from this year, these podcasts saying what can they apply a little bit more now for 2025?

0:22:18 - (Monsignor Shora): You know, the New Year's right near coming up and you know, you have to take that bit of rest time and the pause time to see, yeah, what can I take up for my Life now in 2025?

0:22:28 - (Debbie Draybi): Thanks, Monsignor. And that just wondering from you, I know you've done an incredible amount in the background as well in developing content and planning and inviting guests. I wondered whether you had any. Anything you'd like to say to our listeners.

0:22:42 - (Natalie Moujalli): Oh, it's been an incredible year, Deb. I actually feel so honoured and privileged to be in the role that I've been placed in through divine providence, which is something Derek was talking about earlier. But it really is something that excites me and I can't wait for next season now because of the response that I've seen. I guess I want to thank our listeners because I've grown so much personally this year.

0:23:08 - (Natalie Moujalli): I've had to push myself out of my comfort zone over and over again and do things that I'm not familiar with or comfortable with for the greater good. And I hope that that comes through on the other side of the microphone. But yeah, it's just a general thank you and we'd love to hear from you. So if you do have feedback, please jump onto our website, www.hshl.org and let us know what your thoughts are and what direction you think we should be going in, because this is what this is all about for us.

0:23:41 - (Debbie Draybi): Well, thank you both. And you know, as we finally wrap up and close our season two, I just, yeah. Again want to thank everyone who's listening for your commitment, your dedication and we look forward to continuing this conversation in the new year. And we hope that you all have a wonderful break and you take a pause and even re listen to some of the episodes that were meaningful to you because what we've heard today, sometimes you experiencing them differently depending on what's going on in your life.

0:24:19 - (Debbie Draybi): I hope this episode has helped you find sanctuary in this exciting journey of life. All of the resources we've mentioned in this episode are found in the podcast notes. If you need some assistance with any of the topics discussed in today's episode, then please Visit our website HSHL.org au if you have any thoughts, comments or ideas, please leave us a comment on Spotify. Alternatively, send us an email@adminshl.org

0:24:48 - (Debbie Draybi): au you& your mental health matters to us, and we hope you get one step closer in finding sanctuary. Bye for now.