Dr Jorian Kippax is an emergency medicine specialist based in Tasmania, Australia — but his work spans mountaintops, disaster zones, and deep wilderness. He’s a Retrieval Consultant with Ambulance Tasmania’s Critical Care and Retrieval Service, and a Trauma Specialist at the Royal Hobart Hospital. He’s also a veteran of international disaster response, having led medical teams in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan and earthquakes in Myanmar as part of Australia’s elite AUSMAT deployment force.

In November 2024 he was involved in a 22-hour rescue deep in Tasmania’s Franklin River wilderness. He performed a life-saving underwater field amputation to free a trapped rafter using only the gear that could be delivered by helicopter. That act of skilled courage earned him Lithuania’s Life Saving Cross and the 2026 Australian of the Year for Tasmania.

In today's episode, Dr Kippax shares a firsthand account of the rescue, and we explore the underlying human factors skills used by him and the large team of specialists that day.

To watch the ABC News Documentary: You Tube: https://youtu.be/nMa-Lqxfzqk?si=3or2-2ZjAh6oziyi

https://australianoftheyear.org.au/recipients/dr-jorian-kippax

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I was fortunate to be invited to an Upland Hills Health dinner to deliver a presentation focused on the lessons we have learned from our podcast guests, specifically with respect to how Healthcare might benefit from instruction in human factors and mental skills, and from formal coaching. Drawing from the stories and lessons learned from several of our impactful guests, I delve into how mental skills training forms the third corner of a high performers pyramid, held together by the understanding and application of human factors. I suggest that we can set ourselves up for success with mastery of the basics, excellent preparation, and then by using self regulation techniques to steer us into the appropriate performance state. I cover mental rehearsal and visualization, and finally some key concepts about debriefing and how important it is for that to become an ingrained part of team culture.

I would like to credit and acknowledge the podcast guests that provided this material that I have collated together from multiple episodes into a single presentation. If you wish to hear more details from these guests themselves then please jump into their individual episodes numbered below.

Dr Jason Brooks #6

Alan Stein Jr. #16

Capt. Sam Soderberg #17

Mandy Hickson #18

Dr Andrew Petrosoniak #22

Jonathan Viscosi #27

Payar Pasha #29

Keith Reesby #33

DISCLAIMER: ***The opinions that I express in this podcast are my own personal views, with references also made to prior episodes and guest views. I am not speaking for, or representing, any other company or institution. The dispatch case details at the beginning of the podcast are purely a fictional simulation, and any resemblance to a real or actual event or patient is purely coincidence.***

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Keith Reesby is a personal development specialist with more than 25 years of experience in human performance and transformation. Combining contemporary psychology, ancient philosophy and lived experience, he has developed a proven 10-step process to help people discover purpose, build self-awareness, and achieve lasting behavioural change.

Keith combines his lifelong passion and study of psychology with extraordinary life experiences that include: international sportsman, combat helicopter pilot, ascent of Mount Everest, driving from Cape Town in South Africa to the UK, and Iron Man endurance events. He is an author with an upcoming book about to be published, "The Hero you" and currently works a transformation life coach through his company METIS Human Potential. These experiences have given him rare insight into the human condition—and the practical tools to overcome its challenges. In this episode we talk to Keith about two key events in his life; when he was shot while flying on deployment with the Army, and what happened during his ascent of Mount Everest. We discuss ways to cope with the "startle effect", and how knowing your own values and inner-self can help unlock the Hero within you as well.

Keith's website: https://keithreesby.com/

Upcoming book: "The Hero You"

Performance acronym: ARFA

A: Action

R: Reflection

F: Feedback

A: Adjustment

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Imagine walking across the planet—28,000 miles, six continents, seven years—powered only by your own two feet and accompanied by your trusted companion, an Australian Shepherd dog.

Our guest today did exactly that. Along the way, he faced exhaustion, illness, wonder, connection, and discovery.

His new book, The World Walk, captures not only the adventure, but the preparation, mindset, and recovery behind an extraordinary endurance journey.

Today, we’ll explore how he planned for the impossible, what he learned about people and culture, what the world taught him about being human, and what he learned about himself..

Website: https://www.tomturcich.com/

Books:

"The World Walk: 7 Years. 28,000 miles. 6 Continents. A Grand Meditation, One Step at a Time." https://a.co/d/2JlIwom

"Savannah's World of Adventure: Crossing the Andes." https://a.co/d/bd4SFZp

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Dr. Phillip Lee is both a general practice doctor, and also a former Member of Parliament for Bracknell. He served as Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State for Victims, Youth and Family Justice (Ministry of Justice) under U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May from July 2016 to June 2018. For almost 20 years he served as both a doctor and politician, until in 2019 he famously crossed the floor of the House of Commons whilst PM Boris Johnson was delivering a statement, to leave the Conservative Party and join the Liberal Democrats over disagreements with the way he felt the Government was handling Brexit. He left Parliament and politics after the December 2019 General Election. Dr Lee continues to work as a doctor in the Southwest of England.

In this podcast episode we discuss Dr Lee's journey into medicine and politics, and how having two careers helped him with perspective in each. During his political career as a Member of Parliament, Dr Lee encountered times when his own beliefs and analysis of a situation were in conflict with his Party. He talks us through how he came to these conclusions, and how while under pressure he was able to stay true to his own beliefs and do what he felt was right, knowing that doing so may come at a personal professional cost. We discuss his perspectives on decision making, what qualities he has observed in some world leaders, and what he feels has contributed to his own inner strength of being prepared to take the hard pathway to stay true to himself.

Human Factors topics: decision making, communication, standing up for one's own beliefs, courage.

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Zoran Stojkovic is a certified Mental Performance Coach and founder of Kizo Performance. He blends evidence-based mental skills with practical tools for confidence, focus and resilience. He has worked with over 2,000 clients, and has 10 years of experience as a Mental Performance Specialist helping amongst others, military aviators, professional athletes and executives.

We continue our journey of discovery into this important profession and Zoran leaves us all with some tools we can use in our everyday lives to advance our crafts closer to extraordinary.

KIZO Performance https://www.kizo.ca/

Acronyms discussed in the podcast:

Next play mindset: W.I.N. "What's Important Now"

Stay focused and present: C.P.R. "Calm, Present, Ready"

Assessing the stress of a mission: V.U.C.A. "Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity

C.I.A. tool for recruitment: R.I.C.E. "Reward, Ideology, Coercion, Ego"

Deriving core values for a team or a group:

1. WHO are we?: Identity
2. WHAT do we what? The mission
3. WHY do we want it? The motivation or purpose
4. HOW are we going to get it? The process, the day-to-day

"Behaviors more than values"

"See an error as an opportunity"

"Next play speed"

Activation level mapping: Military pilots map their missions to understand where stress will arise and then neuroprime the brain to control the body's response.

Zoran's High Performance Mindsets Guide:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/65a975e15f408063d5c05597/t/65b84a0e01f5be0c52e6e835/1706576405711/High+Performance+Mindsets+for+Athletes+%28PDF%29.pdf

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Payar Pasha is both a Perfusionist at UW Health in Wisconsin where he is a vital member of the cardiovascular surgical team, and also an expert skydiver, wingsuit pilot and BASE Jumper, with over 1100 jumps.

In today's episode, we explore the human factors that allow him to excel in both of these high stakes, high consequence and high stress environments. He will break down his approach to dealing with risk, stress, fears and skill development, and give us all a glimpse of the pure joy he gets from piloting the skies above us.

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Hudson Brown is the author of Landing Gear Down (publ. Newman Springs 2020), a gripping thriller that follows Graham Stone, a young detective in the Memphis Police Department’s Violent Crimes Task Force.

Before turning to writing, Hudson served as a police officer himself with the Memphis police department until after 7 years of service he suffered a career ending injury. His firsthand experience as a police officer lends authenticity and depth to the high-stakes investigations and emotional challenges portrayed in his work.

In an industry where 99% of all submitted manuscripts are rejected for publication, Hudson secured a publisher and his book went to print in 2020. The book pits its protagonist against a ruthless terrorist in a race against time, blending action, romance, and psychological tension.

Book: "Landing Gear Down", Hudson Brown. Amazon https://a.co/d/7hwm8zl

We sit down to chat to Hudson about what it takes to be a police officer on the front lines in the city of Memphis, how he was injured when in pursuit of a suspect, and how after he left Law Enforcement he swapped his badge for a pen and launched his crime fiction writing career. An episode full of good stories and human factors lessons for us all.

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