This week on Inspire Change, Gunter discusses Men, Psychology, Change and Thoughts on the current state of affairs with two very special guests in studio: Mark Hodgson - Speaker/Author/Mentor and Dr. Mark Williams - Scientist/Author/Speaker.

Mark spent 25 years as a corporate leader with expertise initially in media sales, but he became fascinated with leadership and change as he gained experience working in the UK, Central Europe, Russia and finally Australia. Hodgson decided to start his own leadership consultancy when he was made redundant. Having led a business transformation, turned a $1 million loss into a $4 million profit and empowered many great staff members to shine, his entire leadership team was 'exited'. Incensed by the stupidity and ever the maverick, he decided to take fate into his own hands. It has been a journey of challenge, stretch but ultimately growth, learning, reward and - most importantly - happiness. Based on his own experience and study (including a degree in Change Management) and by partnering with organisations including ‘Thought Leaders’ and ‘About My Brain Institute’, Mark had developed his own thought leadership and began to help others to do the same. That's gone from a trickle to a flood and each year. Mark mentors 25 people from around the world. He also has done a lot of great change, strategy and leadership work with teams - helping them to step up to meet today’s work and life challenges. Mark has been a guest on Sky News Business and for information, please check his website: https://markhodgson.com.au/

Dr. Mark Williams’s love of science, surfing, surf life saving, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and especially his young family; he has two children aged 7 and 9 who keep him young and active. Because of them he has become involved in several programs in both primary and high schools. Mark is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Macquarie University. He has extensive experience in research and teaching and has authored 80+ publications. Concerned about the negative effects of over-use of technology on our human interactions, he is passionate about helping people to reconnect with what matters in the real world. Mark is currently making waves with his ‘Why Smartphones are Making us Dumb’ keynote and his challenging thinking on the over-use of technology in schools and workplaces. Not a typical ‘academic’, Mark comes from a disjointed family background. He hated school and experienced first-hand the challenges of getting ahead in a small town in Victoria. To describe these years as ‘colourful’ is an understatement. Aged 25, something changed. Mark returned to learning, completed his HSC and began what became a rapid rise to academic achievement, including being awarded both the CJ Martin and the Queen Elisabeth II Fellowships. He became fascinated with how we interact, learn and think. Mark went on to study brain plasticity, attention disorders, autism, prosopagnosia (face blindness), dementia and eating disorders. He has been at the cutting edge of developing computational brain imaging analysis and the adoption of new technologies like virtual reality in research. In addition to his teaching and research work at Macquarie University, Mark now runs programs for schools, parents, businesses and individuals to address the many problems that technologies (like smartphones) are creating. Learning outcomes, resilience, curiosity, tolerance and emotional intelligence are all declining whilst stress, anxiety, depression and suicide are rising. Money and technology alone are not the answer to innovative practices in our schools, workplaces and society. We need a significant shift in our understanding. Through his talks and strategies, Mark explains how our brains learn and adapt and why modern technology is addictive and potentially harmful. Mark helps people disconnect from their devices to improve their wellbeing, giving them back the time to connect, socialise, innovate, contribute and live in the real world. Mark has been a guest on Sky News and ABC Australia and more information on Dr. Williams’s work can be found on his website: https://www.drmarkwilliams.com/