Ten Minutes With... Denise Fishlock

Find Denise Fishlock Linkedin

Rhea interviews Denise Fishlock, a specialised insurance manager with 36 years in workers compensation, who began as a Dedicated Claims Officer at Fairfield Council in 1990, studied an MBA and OHS certificates, and built a national perspective through roles with large employers.

Denise shares personal background and discusses being at a crossroads after leaving a high-pressure role at Woolworths at the end of March 2026. During a three-month break she travelled to Vietnam, spent time with family in Queensland, reconnected locally, read Atomic Habits, and focused on health, including 10 Parkruns and planning leg surgery. She reflects on perfectionism and advises younger workers to pursue better life balance, prioritising exercise, health, and kindness while adjusting to a changed sense of identity after work.

00:00 Welcome and Introductions

00:27 Denise Career Journey

02:27 Leaving Woolworths Reset

04:11 Finding Fun and Balance

05:12 Health Habits and Parkrun

06:17 Advice to Younger Self

07:19 Perfectionism and Identity

08:36 Prioritising Self Care

10:01 Wrap Up and Goodbye

"Ten Minutes With" is brought to you by The Intelligent Rebellion and is a Threesticks Production.

Copyright (c) Threesticks Pty Ltd & Rhea Mercado (R)

The team who produce the The Intelligent Rebellion Podcast, and Ten Minutes With Podcast acknowledge the traditional owners and ongoing custodians of the land on which the podcast is recorded. We are located on the land of the Dharug people. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and to the Elders past, present and emerging

The Intelligent Rebellion Podcast, and Ten Minutes With Podcast is a Threesticks Production. Hosted and Produced by Rhea Mercado. Our Emperor of Sound, Original Music Man and Executive Producer is Wills. Copyright 2026 Threesticks Pty Ltd & Rhea Mercado®.

THE BIG PRINT - DISCLAIMER

The contents of this program / podcast is made available for entertainment purposes. The views and information expressed by the Guests of the program represents the view and opinions of the Guest and does not necessarily represent the view or opinions of Rhea Mercado® and/or Threesticks Pty Ltd. The information presented in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for any other professional rehabilitation advice, injury management advice, rehabilitation advice, medical advice, legal advice, financial advice, diagnosis, or treatment nor a substitute for guidelines, legislations, frameworks, processes or procedures. We encourage you always seek advice which meets your personal and/or professional circumstances and specific needs.

Rhea Mercado® and Threesticks Pty Ltd hereby disclaims any and all liability to any part for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content, which is provided as is and without warranties.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten Minutes With... Rhea Mercado

Find Rhea Mercado: Linkedin

Rhea records a solo episode reflecting on May 2026, when she travelled across regional New South Wales on a StateCover Mutual roadshow representing It Pays to Care, running morning workshops for local government injury management, WHS, and HR professionals.

She describes how work travel often means only seeing airports, hotels, and venues, and shares her control-focused routines, in-flight listening habits, and ability to nap and wake for snacks.

Highlights include dinners with the roadshow crew, visiting Coffs Harbour’s Big Banana with rehabber Claire, eating at Alfio’s in Orange, and a five-hour drive to Tamworth with Clayton Waters.

In Tamworth she learns about Combined Driving Events and notes a presentation masterclass by Peter Bell and Natalie Salameh.

00:00 Back from the Road

01:03 Travel Routine and Control

01:33 Flying Habits and Snacks

02:39 Regional Dinners and Big Bananas

03:55 Pizza on Pineapple Debate

04:26 Fog Delays and Tamworth Dash

05:50 Road Trip with Clayton

07:56 Tamworth CDE Discovery

09:39 Making Boring Awards Engaging

11:10 What May Taught Me

12:39 Final Thanks and Sign Off

"Ten Minutes With" is brought to you by The Intelligent Rebellion and is a Threesticks Production.

Copyright (c) Threesticks Pty Ltd & Rhea Mercado (R)

The team who produce the The Intelligent Rebellion Podcast, and Ten Minutes With Podcast acknowledge the traditional owners and ongoing custodians of the land on which the podcast is recorded. We are located on the land of the Dharug people. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and to the Elders past, present and emerging

The Intelligent Rebellion Podcast, and Ten Minutes With Podcast is a Threesticks Production. Hosted and Produced by Rhea Mercado. Our Emperor of Sound, Original Music Man and Executive Producer is Wills. Copyright 2026 Threesticks Pty Ltd & Rhea Mercado®.

THE BIG PRINT - DISCLAIMER

The contents of this program / podcast is made available for entertainment purposes. The views and information expressed by the Guests of the program represents the view and opinions of the Guest and does not necessarily represent the view or opinions of Rhea Mercado® and/or Threesticks Pty Ltd. The information presented in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for any other professional rehabilitation advice, injury management advice, rehabilitation advice, medical advice, legal advice, financial advice, diagnosis, or treatment nor a substitute for guidelines, legislations, frameworks, processes or procedures. We encourage you always seek advice which meets your personal and/or professional circumstances and specific needs.

Rhea Mercado® and Threesticks Pty Ltd hereby disclaims any and all liability to any part for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content, which is provided as is and without warranties.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten Minutes With... Warwick Brown

Find Warwick: Linkedin | At Work OH& S Linkedin | At Work OH&S

What is EMDR? A 10-Minute Breakdown with Psychologist Warwick In a short podcast chat,

Rhea speaks with Psychologist Warwick, who has 25 years’ experience and runs At Work OH&S, a business providing both rehab and treatment with a focus on trauma and pain management.

Warwick explains how he moved into trauma work through assisting pharmacies after hold-ups and later chronic pain work via rehab providers.

The main discussion introduces Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), described as a gold-standard trauma treatment also used for pain, using bilateral stimulation to induce a REM-like state so the brain can process “target memories” without requiring retelling.

Warwick outlines identifying a target memory and negative belief, running stimulation in sets, checking client responses, and aiming to keep the memory while removing distress; he notes it can be highly effective for some clients but isn’t suitable for everyone, so clinicians trial tolerability and may use trauma-focused CBT instead.

00:00 Intro

00:42 Meet Warwick

01:27 Why Trauma Pain

02:31 What Is EMDR

04:06 How EMDR Works

06:08 Target Memories Setup

07:16 Rhea's Skepticism

08:22 Who It Helps

09:56 Wrap Up

"Ten Minutes With" is brought to you by The Intelligent Rebellion and is a Threesticks Production.

Copyright (c) Threesticks Pty Ltd & Rhea Mercado (R)

The team who produce the The Intelligent Rebellion Podcast, and Ten Minutes With Podcast acknowledge the traditional owners and ongoing custodians of the land on which the podcast is recorded. We are located on the land of the Dharug people. We pay our respects to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and to the Elders past, present and emerging

The Intelligent Rebellion Podcast, and Ten Minutes With Podcast is a Threesticks Production. Hosted and Produced by Rhea Mercado. Our Emperor of Sound, Original Music Man and Executive Producer is Wills. Copyright 2026 Threesticks Pty Ltd & Rhea Mercado®.

THE BIG PRINT - DISCLAIMER

The contents of this program / podcast is made available for entertainment purposes. The views and information expressed by the Guests of the program represents the view and opinions of the Guest and does not necessarily represent the view or opinions of Rhea Mercado® and/or Threesticks Pty Ltd. The information presented in this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for any other professional rehabilitation advice, injury management advice, rehabilitation advice, medical advice, legal advice, financial advice, diagnosis, or treatment nor a substitute for guidelines, legislations, frameworks, processes or procedures. We encourage you always seek advice which meets your personal and/or professional circumstances and specific needs.

Rhea Mercado® and Threesticks Pty Ltd hereby disclaims any and all liability to any part for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the content, which is provided as is and without warranties.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.