What happens when the voice in your head that's kept you "safe" your whole life starts to get quieter... and you're not sure who you are without it?In this beautiful, warm and deeply honest conversation, I sit down with Josh van Cuylenburg - co-host of The Imperfects podcast (one of Australia's biggest mental health podcasts), freelance filmmaker, visual storyteller, musician, dad of two little humans, and a really, really lovely guy!Josh and I explore the beautiful, messy reality of parenting two little boys, what it really feels like to be in the trenches of fatherhood, and the courage it takes to say "I'm struggling" before you reach that breaking point. We talk about that inner critic that's been with him since he was a teenager, how becoming a dad was the first time he truly told it to be quiet, and how Josh found the courage to speak and perform publicly after years of believing he couldn't.We explore:The power of apologising to our kids – and why it doesn't weaken us, it strengthens the relationshipCo-sleeping, bedtime, and why lying next to your child isn't indulgent – it's building safetyHow his son needing him more before starting school is actually a beautiful sign of secure attachmentThe inner critic – how it kept him small, how fatherhood began to shift it, and the strange vulnerability of life without itWhy safety is the key to everything – sleep, exercise, risk-taking, and being truly ourselves[Recorded January 2026]About Josh van Cuylenburg:Josh is one-third of The Imperfects podcast alongside his brother Hugh van Cuylenburg and Ryan Shelton. Originally the show's producer, it didn't take long for Hugh and Ryan to realise Josh's wisdom, curiosity and very good questions were being wasted behind the scenes. He's also a freelance filmmaker and visual storyteller, and in 2023 released his debut single "We Were Here" after years of believing he couldn't write music. He's a dad to two boys, Charlie and Auggie, and reckons that ‘Bluey sleepy time’ is possibly the greatest seven minutes in TV history.Connect with Josh:The Imperfects podcast: Available on all podcast platformsMusic: "We Were Here" on Spotify and Apple Music—Connect with Humans, being™:Web: humansbeing.auInstagram: @humansbeingwithlaelstoneFacebook: @humansbeingwithlaelstoneTikTok: @humansbeingwithlaelstoneYouTube: @humansbeingwithlaelstoneHumans, being™ is produced on the lands of the Bunurong and Wadawurrung people. We pay respect to their unique and diverse cultures and to elders past, present and future.

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