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In this week’s episode, Geoff chats with Rachael Cook – Winner of the 2023 Queensland Community Achievement Awards – Awards Australia Charitable Foundation Mental Health and Wellbeing Award.
Inclusee is a not-for-profit charity dedicated to alleviating isolation and loneliness among older Australians by fostering meaningful connections and empowering them to engage with a virtual community centre. Through its Digital Programs and Virtual Community, trained volunteers provide companionship, support, and learning experiences that promote social engagement and personal growth for participants. Inclusee believes that everyone should be able to build lasting connections and enjoy a rich social life, regardless of their location or circumstances. The dynamic virtual community of Inclusee serves as a lifeline, significantly reducing social isolation and positively impacting the physical and mental health of older Australians.
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Transcript
[00:00:08] Christine
Welcome to inspirational Australians, where we share stories of Australians making a difference in their communities and in the lives of others. We get inspirational Australians acknowledge that we’re wondering and vulnerable people of the colour nation as their traditional owners and custodians of the lands and waterways on which this podcast is produced. We pay our respect to elders, past and present, and those who are emerging and extend our respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. At inspirational Australians, we are inspired by the world’s oldest living culture and pay homage to their rich storytelling history. When we share stories on our podcast
[00:00:59] Geoff
For a significant contribution to alleviating isolation and loneliness amongst older Australians, not for profit organisation inclusivity won the twenty twenty three awards, Australia, charitable foundation, mental health and wellbeing award to category. In the Queensland seven news community achievement awards, representing Inclusee for our podcast. Chat is the widely recognised and very acclaimed CEO Rachel Cook. Welcome to the podcast.
[00:01:29] Rachael
Thank you so much for having me. Absolute pleasure. I can’t wait to spend this afternoon with you and talk all about Inclusee.
[00:01:36] Geoff
I know when I of course, was a part of the judging process and then on the awards night saying you and your team up on stage. Hearing your story again on the big screens and Learning what a difference you make and the provision of services that you offer is just extraordinary, probably rooted in my heart as I get closer to the time when your services are of particular interest and value. So Uh yeah, I was a dear to my heart and cause out of my parents and so on. Yes. Can you tell me when did Inclusee commence. Um. What were the humble beginnings all about?
[00:02:19] Rachael
Yeah, thanks Geoff. So Inclusee as we are currently called, started this particular brand journey back in May of twenty, twenty two. But Inclusee actually been an organization that has been around now since nineteen seventy three. So we actually started back as a local based organization, which was a member based community center with the exact same mission, pretty much that we have today with a lot of change in between. So we’ve had four organizations names over the last fifty one years. Hopefully this one’s the final one because we have trademarked this model. So hopefully that’s it on the name Changes, but we’ve had a long journey over those fifty one years and what I love it about it, as I mentioned, is our mission today is actually what it was fifty one years ago. So the reason why the community center was built in the local suburb of nando close to to Brisbane was to bring seniors together to, to connect and to learn and to enjoy and do things that they want to do. And obviously we actually do that still today, but in a very different way. Instead of doing it in person, we actually do it very actively and do it Completely. Um, virtually today. So um, I’m really proud that as an organization, even though so much has happened in fifty one years, as you can imagine, we’ve actually returned very much back to Uh, original mission and key focus. Really, really focusing on that social connection. So lovely to say we’re sticking to mission and purpose.
[00:03:51] Geoff
Yeah, fantastic. And, and close. Hey, I mean the name is A beauty, isn’t it? ? It says everything. Um, so I came out with that idea was Uh, spot on and really very, very switched on.
[00:04:06] Rachael
Thank you. And that wasn’t me either. That was an about lady there. I was slightly but there was definitely a need, you know, we had to go through that really a branding process to really ensure that we did have a brand and a name and an identity that really understands what we do. And I that Inclusee captures that perfectly and dare I say inclusive to everybody.
[00:04:28] Rachael
Absolutely. And we are an extremely inclusive organization. So to have that built into the foundation of what we do and make that really obvious, I think was really important.
[00:04:39] Geoff
Uh, so when did you join Inclusee, Rachel?
[00:04:42] Rachael
So I actually joined, Inclusee in twenty nineteen. So a lot has happened since I’ve come on as a CEO as well. So originally when I came on, Uh we were, it was still in the spice of doing a lot of different services. So we predominantly have always been in the aged care sector. And back when I joined, we offered a whole range of services that are in the area and Uh, funded by so well funded by the government and they cover services such as at that time we’re doing transport meals on wheels um allied health, you name it there was a heap of services that we actually offered at that time. But what I loved about when I joined um the organisation at that time was identifying what we were doing, what, what were we really good at? What would we different Uh, what was our purpose? And I think at that point in time we had lost our way a little bit in regards to why were we here? Who are we serving? And identifying will areo identifying again, what was our mission? What was our vision? What are our values, and what do we actually want to achieve? And what I really loved is when I joined the organisation, the organisation had already started working in this space of virtual connection services. So we actually started what we do today about eight years ago. It wasn’t actually created because of covid, like many people possibly think that we did. Um, we were well ahead of that and that’s something I love about our organisation in this industry. I like to think that we’re leaders in the innovation space and we’re always those couple steps ahead. So when I saw that we were doing this, I went, this is fantastic. It, it is different. It’s needed. It’s innovative. And it’s something that I think that we can be experts in. So in order to redefine what we were doing at that time and coming back to the core mission of what we have always been about, was about having that really difficult conversation about look when we can’t do everything for everybody. Let’s join forces work with our community groups and let people who are doing those services really well. Do those and ensure that we’re offering the best service for everybody possible. And let us concentrate on what we’re really, really good at. So, you know, some hard decisions and hard conversations had to be hard to, to get to that point.
[00:06:59] Geoff
Yeah, it sounds like you were trying to be everything for everybody in a real physical sense. Absolutely. You can’t do everything for everybody unfortunately. And to have so many things operating at once, physically, extremely demanding and almost impossible. So. Okay, so you have this vision, your future ahead of covid before it started. Yep. Um, which is amazing. I mean that’s what it’s all about is being innovative, creative and understanding. The future where we can understand and be ahead of technology before we get started. That’s quite extraordinary. Really. Yeah. So hats off and kudos for that.
[00:07:47] Rachael
Thank you. That’s what I thought I’d know about. Sorry, there’s a lot of people look at their programs and go, you know, what was your driving factor? You know what, what made you connect or want to do social connection on a virtual front. And it was because we’ve actually identified there’s so many benefits from a virtual environment. So, and that’s what made us started even before covid. And it was so fantastic that we were in that, that space at that time. Because when covid hit it, it really helped us be the experts in that space to help other service providers in the industry rethink about how services might have to be delivered. So our, you know, before that, you know, before covid hit, a lot of service providers weren’t thinking on a virtual or technology front at all and many were forced into it without them actually wanting to be in that space. So it was fantastic that we were able to be a support mechanism for many of our service providers in the industry to give them some help and understanding about how they could think differently and innovate their services to ensure that people can continue on receiving those services through those challenging times, but why we started it is there’s a great need for people out there. For example, connecting face to face is, is something we always will do as human beings. But it’s not an option for everybody, you know, sometimes doing it in a virtual environment, allows people to connect in a way that they want to connect. And that’s a really important part of Inclusee. It’s about connecting on their terms. So, you know, if somebody doesn’t want to get out of their jammies today, that’s okay. They can connect anyway. So, you know, there’s lots of benefits, especially for people that might have disabilities. There’s benefits for people that might have health issues that they might not be able to um, transport or leave home for that reason. There’s people that might be isolated because of where they’re located, located, or anything that that is a necessary requirement for that individual. We can actually serve by actually bringing the connection straight into their home and removing all of those barriers to ensure that connection is always the focus.
[00:09:49] Geoff
I guess the service you provide has opened up, right across Australia, potentially, Uh, being virtual people can access to services. Uh, from anywhere around the city which is fantastic.
[00:10:02] Rachael
Absolutely.
[00:10:04] Geoff
You still have any physical programs?
[00:10:08] Rachael
No, we don’t. So we’re hundred percent remote and and changed. Uh, yeah, absolutely. And again, we were actually a couple of steps ahead with that discussion right before covid actually came in as well. So we strategically as an organisation, when, when you were going to go through this direction, one thing we knew that was going to be really important is if we’re expecting people to connect virtually, we’ve got to walk the talk. So we made a decision to actually return to a complete remote organisation a couple months before covid hit. So the story was actually quite perfect around that. And we remained one hundred percent work on one hundred percent remote workforce. So all of our team that put all these amazing programs together, my management team, all the staff that actually make this come alive, all work at home, which is fantastic. And we’ve got the right structures and set ups. And again, the innovation behind those things to be able to support that. So I love that we’re actually leading the way in this space in regards to where a complete remote workforce we have flexibility within our team. We promote a four day working week. So all of those benefits that come with that as well, which has really helped them um, support and grow our engagement. So we’ve got last Uh, this year we received Uh ninety one percent engagement score last year and ninety two percent engagement score. And I think it’s, you know, working with our team to ensure that not only we providing amazing services, but we’re providing amazing support for them to
[00:11:33] Geoff
Well, in the nineties it’s pretty significant because particularly with virtual services, people can be cruel. Uh, you know, in terms of their assessments and rankings and ratings sometimes. So that is amazingly significant because of course, when you have a personal connection in person, Uh you form more easily a bond. I feel sorry to have that online is huge and absolutely extraordinary. That’s like one hundred and fifteen percent. Uh, if you weren’t in physical connection, so congratulations. And clearly you’re able to offer a lot more. Uh now being virtual. It would have also taken quite some time. I mean, that doesn’t happen. I mean all by going to be virtual, so next time you turn on your computer or your laptop and away you go. Would have been a lot of infrastructure Changes that you would have had to make to have it possible.
[00:12:36] Rachael
Yep. Yep. Yeah, lots of Changes, a lot of infrastructure, as I said, even having a complete one hundred percent remote workforce. You know, you need to have the right structure, the right support the right systems. You also need to have the right people. So I, you know, I’m, I’m very supportive of it. You know, there’s a lot of this discussion going on at the moment in regards to the work from home or the hybrid working space or the, the remote working space and the benefits about that. And I think it’s about finding the right people in the right fit to, to support that. You know, it’s not for everybody, but for an organization, because this is, this is what we do every day with experts in, in connection and particularly in the virtual space. When we need to live and breathe it ourselves, so it’s the right fit for us. Yeah.
[00:13:21] Geoff
Right. As we say, I should have you never had it before your time. In so many ways and certainly some role modeling there for a lot of organizations with very, with regards to your team. Do you ever physically catch up?
[00:13:37] Rachael
We certainly do. Yeah. So we, we do it in a couple of points because I think that’s still important as well. So that we connect together and ensure we’re mining tightening that connection. As I said, if we’re supposed to be the experts in that space, we need to ensure that we’re doing it ourselves. So we catch up um once a quarter as a team and actually do face to face training and spend the entire day together and, and catch up and do that. We also do Uh, face to face induction programs. So when people first join in classes, we actually do spend a whole day with them and going through who in class is our mission, our purpose, our values. Why are we here all of that amazing information and we get them set up before they, they’re on their way to a remote environment. Um, so we absolutely do have training and those sorts of events. And you know, staff engagement events and get togethers at the end of the year to celebrate our successes as well. So there is a component where I still catch it up together is still important.
[00:14:29] Geoff
Yeah, I agree. Well done. Now I know, and I understand that getting close to it wasn’t always a thriving enterprise. Is that what led you to these Changes that would have been now impossible to provide all of the services you’re trying to undertake?
[00:14:45] Rachael
Yeah, absolutely. Look, as we talked about through that, that history of time we’ve, we’ve had some ups and downs and challenges and, and like many non for profits do you know, there is growth in, I suppose, what has happened throughout history. We grew into a space of well funding and sometimes, and you see this quite a lot in the non-for-profit space. Geoff is that sustainability is, is always an issue when it comes to non for profits. And often we can chase the funding before understanding the strategic component of it. So rather than going is that what we’re experts in, does that align to our mission? Should we be doing this thing at all? You know, sometimes it’s like, Oh, there’s so many funding over there. Let’s go for that. And that was what sort of happened with the organization over time. And that’s where it sort of grew its arms and legs before we sort of reduced that down and had a really single focus on that mission. Ensuring that we’re getting that one hundred percent. Right. So I think that’s been a very important part of our history and our journey to bring us to where we are today and our process and our focus and the way that we actually approach things now is so much more strategic and Ensuring that we’re really mission aligned, and again having those really difficult conversations and decisions that we always measure. Does this align to our mission? If it doesn’t, why are we doing it? You know, there’s other partners that we can collaborate with that can help deliver those services. Again, not trying to be everything to everyone. Yeah.
[00:16:12] Geoff
I think there’s a lesson there for everybody. All of our listeners. Um, something that we could all learn from and take on board, I think.
[00:16:21] Rachael
Yeah, I think that, you know, I think it’s really important to collaborate. You know, bringing a community of experts together. Everybody is, is experts in an area of such, and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, go find those people that are experts in whatever area you’re wanting to work with. And rather having to do it yourself all the ma’am collaborate and have those really strong relationships and build a community together that you can all support each other.
[00:16:46] Geoff
There are often learnings that we can get kind and gather, but also by the same token, there are things that some people do you think, well, yeah, that’s fantastic for them. But for some, I think we’re doing really well in this space. So it can be a reiteration as well as the learning.
[00:17:02] Rachael
Absolutely, absolutely. And I think all, all of the things that we’ve been through, including this amazing award that Inclusee has received is continued recognition that we’re on the right path. So you know, constantly that, that self-evaluation and reflection about, but we’re getting it right away in the right space. And all of this is, as is a checkbox, every step we’re making to ensure that we’re on the right path. And I know we’re there
[00:17:26] Geoff
for the judge and certainly a great Uh how many staff you have and Tiffany volunteers um, just from our organization. Our community organizations have volunteers and I’m turning into my head how you might have volunteers. So I was intrigued tonight.
[00:17:42] Rachael
Great question. Geoff, absolutely. We have volunteers, in fact, they are a huge integral part of the delivery of our programs. So one of the benefits of the fact of how we have invited the organization rather than being in a local and community area where your span of access to volunteers is obviously reduced because you can only get people within that local area. We now have volunteers that come from all over Australia, so we have about three hundred volunteers that help support the Bartlett um doing a range of different roles. Majority of them are all the connection services. So we have volunteers that do one on one connections with our participants and catch up once a week and have a Chat about whatever it is that they’re interested in. And then we’ve got volunteers that also help support our group programs, so they might come in and do demonstrations around gardening, or we might have Uh, expert on books that might come in. And we’ve also got um drop in of volunteers as well. So we can’t schedule loneliness, you know? Yes, we’ve got all those measures and supports there as well. But we’ve got volunteers that sit there from business hours from eight o’clock to five o’clock and if someone’s lonely, the touch of a button, we’ve got a volunteer waiting there for them so that they have somebody to talk to at any point in time as well. So our volunteers are integral part of their success have been and we couldn’t do it without them. Um staff was we’ve got twenty five staff members that are all based here in Queensland to help deliver these programs and their responsibilities range from helping create all the content and incredible programs that we manage to helping um bring on all of those volunteers and helping support our volunteer workforce to be able to deliver these programs as well and our team. Uh, absolutely incredible.
[00:19:20] Geoff
That’s huge. It’s absolutely huge. That’s Uh yeah, just amazing. Yeah, I love what you said. Uh, and I’ve just written it down. You can’t schedule loneliness. Uh I think that that’s a fantastic quote that I have to remember because Uh Uh, and it’s been like mental health. You can’t pigeonhole, you know, people. So yeah, you have so many volunteers. It’s really a tribute to the work you do.
[00:19:52] Rachael
Thank you. Thank you. And that’s why I think it’s really important to ensure and that’s what we do have a range of different programs so that anyone that becomes part of our program, there’s something for everybody, again returning it back to that connection on their terms. So if they want to do one on one connection, they can, if they want to come into a group environment and learn something new, they can. And we even offer services because we do it through Uh digital technology. If they want to learn more about digital skills, we provide that as well. So we’re also whilst we’re providing that social connection, closing that digital divide as well. So anything that they wanting to do, we help create that safe community environment in which they can achieve that.
[00:20:31] Geoff
So that’s a shame you’re not very passionate about this. Actually.
[00:20:35] Rachael
I don’t know if you can tell it, okay. I’m so passionate about what we do and as I said, I love opportunities like this, where I get to talk about what it is that we do. Because if it means that somebody is listening and we can guide, we can gain an extra volunteer, an extra staff member, an extra participant, or amazing relationship that we can be connected to. It means that we’re growing this amazing community, so I will talk all day every day if it’s about we say, because I love it so much.
[00:21:04] Geoff
Well, we’ll give you a chance to Uh, tell our listeners where they can contact you in a little while. And it certainly is that you must be very proud of the impact you have had to empower older Australians
[00:21:19] Rachael
incredibly, incredibly proud. You know, something that you know is a deep, um, meaning for me is when I think about the people that are parts of our program, you know, many of them don’t. And in some cases don’t even have family or they don’t have friends and they don’t have their own community. And I think about the beautiful wisdom and stories and knowledge that these participants have. And if we didn’t have this program and they, they didn’t have somebody to tell these beautiful experiences to, it would be lost forever. And that Completely saddens me that there’s not that story to go on that somebody could listen to, to the incredible things that they’ve been through and experienced and to lose that knowledge and experience would be absolutely devastating. So I’m so glad we like giving them an opportunity to share their stories and continue to keep that story going.
[00:22:10] Geoff
Yes, and that has a lot to do with loneliness. And people have been very proud of their children, their grandchildren, um and what they have done as you say, and I always tell our team, even though you might have been on the phone for half an hour with someone Hearing their story, it may well be because they’re lonely, or they’re very proud of it treatments of their organization or whatever is so important to engage with that and appreciate and understand where they may be coming from and what they have to say.
[00:22:46] Rachael
Absolutely, I think it’s a blessing to be on the other end of, of, of those conversations.
[00:22:51] Geoff
It is, it definitely is. And what you do, what we do is a privilege. Uh and a blessing as you say. So we need to be thankful for it. And for people every single day, What are the, some of the achievements that you are most proud of during your time? At Inclusee, Nano and cutting edge technology is something that you’re very passionate about. Can you tell us about that and some of the achievements?
[00:23:22] Rachael
And that’s a really hard one to narrow down just on this or many that we have actually achieved. I’ve only got three hours on the story. So no look, I think having impact is probably the greatest achievement is being able to, to take and innovate the service to be able to impact and connect more. So we’ve taken that mission and we’ve been able to connect with so many more people than we would of had we not made that decision. So our impact is really important. And I’d love to say that the fact that we’re continuing to innovate, and our goal is to continue to grow and closely because we want to connect as many people as we possibly can. You know, I think um, the social connection and the loneliness discussion affects everybody in fact actually affects all ages, all demographics. It’s something that is really important that everybody is talking about. And personally, I’d love to be able to leave a legacy one day that we can change that narrative because there’s still a stigma around the conversation of loneliness. And people don’t feel comfortable talking about it. And I think we need to get government together, communities together and people together to actually work on how do we continue to overcome these challenges and connect people? ? Because I believe loneliness, if we, if we continue to not focus on it, is actually the centre of many problems. It’s, you know, obviously very much the center of mental health. But particularly when you’re talking about older Australians, um it affects their physical health as well. There’s studies that show how much it affects dementia. It affects the aging process, you know, everything, it involves and links to everything. So I think for us to get this right and to have and address a lot of the other health concerns that are going on in our community. If we put this at the forefront and put it at the center will be addressing a lot of those issues at the same time. So it needs to come up the priority list. And that’s what I’d love to say.
[00:25:15] Geoff
Maybe we could vote for you as federal minister for Uh, outer Australians.
[00:25:22] Rachael
I think I don’t, I don’t know how, how struggling with the politics space, but I’m very passionate about this subject so absolutely. So I, I just think, you know, it needs to be a priority. I love to say that the, the who is now starting to um, to work on this and it’s becoming a priority on a, on a international scale. So it’s great to say that there release some studies and focus around that. So hopefully that starts to get some conversation happening there as well. But I think there’s a lot more that we can do on a government and local level around this as well because it’s a real issue. Yeah.
[00:25:57] Geoff
And that’s life on the current federal member responsible for our oceans. I’m sure they’re doing a particularly good job. Um, but yes, you are very passionate and a lot of what you have to offer could be of high value, many incentive positions to take note of and Uh to learn from.
[00:26:17] Rachael
And we’ve, we come, we’ve come so wise so, so far in such a short time in four years we’ve now award winning. So not only about the award that we’re discussing today, but last year we were either the winner or the finalist in ten national awards last year, including space um in Uh, connection services, mental health and wellbeing, and a whole lot of other different programs. So to be able to get on this national scale and to be credited for what we’re doing is going to help us continue. Have those conversations and it brings what I love about this opportunity. It continues to bring the spotlight on us. So again, any opportunity we get to talk about it and educate people about the importance of Social connection, it’s just going to benefit everybody involved.
[00:27:03] Geoff
Yeah, the more awareness, more people learn about services and the greater the opportunities that you have to share those opportunities with
[00:27:11] Rachael
- That’s the plan.
[00:27:13] Geoff
Yeah, well, kudos again And guess how many people do you feel you might support in a given week, month or a year?
[00:27:23] Rachael
So at any, any given time we have and I talk about our community because there’s a whole range of people that, that, that come through to our community and even talking about our volunteers. Geoff, a lot of our volunteers actually come into the program because they themselves are experiencing some form of loneliness or they’re feeling disconnected. And so not only are they wanting to come into a role that they feel like they can give back our volunteers because it’s a relationship based program and you’re having these one on one conversations and volunteers are getting just as much out of the program as our participants are so at any one given stage, we have probably a thousand people that sit sitting within our community doing a range of different things that help make this community virtual community work. So our, um and that’s constantly growing and the vision is to continue to grow and closely and connect as many people as we possibly can. And maybe one day, even looking at how we can change and go into all the demographics as well. We’re very passionate about the care space and have got a great relationship that we’re building at the moment with care Queensland for example. Because again, there’s another example of a, of a demographic that is very under-resourced and, and really suffers in this space because they’re carers, they’re locked out of, of the world and they’re not experiencing the things that they usually would experience when, when they’re on their own. Now that they’re a full time carer, so we’re wanting to bring them into the fold, Ensuring that they’re having social connection too. So lots of great projects on, on the horizon for policy.
[00:28:47] Geoff
It’s a great idea. I should connect you with carers, carers, as I’m sure you, um, happy and keen to provide services everywhere across Australia. We work carers this, I sponsor an award in a community program for South Australia. We’re very passionate about supporting and recognising carers in your own day. Now carers are really restricted in terms of their social capacity because they care for a loved one, which in itself is taxing tiring and exhausting. Because the person or one of the people they care for so very much needs the help and support so that in itself is very stressful and exhausting. So
[00:29:33] Rachael
that’s another great reason about our program, particularly with carers. You know, sometimes that I can’t leave the house because I have to be there and present all the time. But our program, it means that they can take that time and make it a moment in their day just for them. And they don’t even need to leave the house, so it really fits in with that flexibility of schedule. So again, people connecting how they want on their terms and what works for them.
[00:29:55] Geoff
Critical, amazing, and brilliant. Oh, so you have a much from in. So how are you Uh, how are you funded, and what do you do with the significant amount of infrastructure required? The time that you have doesn’t happen by virtue of a magic wand.
[00:30:16] Rachael
That would be nice. Right? But like that that does make my job easier. Geoff, um, but even though we are funded by the, the commonwealth harm support program. So we are funded um by the federal government and, and great to say that they are investing in programs like like ourselves and as you know, like great all the programs are in that space as well. So great to say the government are doing some investment in that area and I heart to like grow out of Uh over the coming years we got to see what happens with the budget coming up. Um, but love to see that grow. I think it’s an investment that, as I said, even from an investment in reducing Uh, resources on hospitals and our doctors and all of those sorts of things. So I think if we got the connection component right, we’d see less reliance in some of those areas. Um
[00:31:02] Geoff
that I Uh, grant funding and so on must be extremely important. And Uh, a huge part of your success for you personally to be able to achieve.
[00:31:13] Rachael
Yeah, it’s really challenging. You know, there’s a lot of expectation, of course, you know, when it comes to the grant funding, we are working with taxpayers money. So there’s an expectation that we’re, we’re doing it the right way and that we’re delivering on what we said that we’re going to deliver on. It’s just like anything else, it’s very performance based. You need to ensure that you’re delivering on what it is that you’re trying to achieve. And it is difficult to continue to manage grant funding. There’s a lot happening, particularly in the aged care sector at the moment. We’re going through a lot of reform, a lot of change. So there’s actually a lot of uncertainty happening in the service provider space. Um, so it’s, it’s a lot to navigate going through it through all of that at the moment because we’ve just got a new aged care Act that’s about to go to parliament. There’s going to be new um, new and improved and strengthened aged care standards that will be coming into effect as well. And then upcoming and particularly for the funding type that we’re in at the moment. Changes to our funding structure coming up in twenty twenty seven as well. So lots happening that’s coming out of the royal commission. Um that came out in twenty eighteen.
[00:32:14] Geoff
Uh Jay, it’s um, it’s a tough world out there and I guess sometimes it’s a little hard to measure if you’re talking KPIs and data hard to measure the impact that you make on loneliness. Um, the fact that someone, Uh, at worst, hasn’t committed suicide because of the support that you may be offering them or call into a deeper mental health state. Uh, you don’t know because you’ve avoid, you’ve helped avoid that situation. So some of your work would be hard to measure, you know, you got the physical numbers of people that you connected with and, and so on. But from a government perspective, it must be significant. The little amount of money they provide to you the huge outcomes that you potentially avoid because of it. Yeah,
[00:33:13] Rachael
yeah, that’s right. Very hard to measure that impact. Uh, as a collective you know, there’s so much we can measure in regards to a lot. We work with is engagement. So what we love to say is usually when somebody joins our program, I like to start slower and I might just do one connection or start in one one activity or one one event, whatever it might be that they’re interested in. And they get, they get comfortable with it and they get used to it. And then we see that engagement really increase because once they’re in there and they, they feel comfortable, they like, hey, what else can you give me and show me? ? And what else can I be a part of? And I think that’s a huge component that we love to see is that engagement because we want them to connect as much as possible. And we’ve got a range of programs that if they wanted to come in on Monday at eight AM and stay with us until Friday at five PM. They could do that because there’s so many different programs that they could be a part of. And I love to hear the stories that we we’re Hearing Geoff in regards to. We’ve got participants that are now restructuring their lives around the programs here and in classes. So they’re like, no, I can’t have my doctor’s appointment at two because that’s when I have got that on. So it’s great to say. And I heard an amazing story of feedback only just today where we had a lady. Um, she has had a very challenging couple of years. She lost a husband, she lost her dog. And she was really retreating back from society. Completely didn’t want to interact at all. Um started in our programs and she actually gave us the feedback today that we’ve given her the confidence to actually get back out into her physical community and re reenter that and start talking to people and joining different groups and programs and activities physically as well which she never thought she was ever going to return to and it was because of the confidence that we’ve given her through our programs. So the benefits not only just from her mental health from connecting with us, but now her physical health because now she’s getting out and about in her community, which is amazing to see.
[00:35:02] Geoff
Yes. Yeah, that, that is, that’s huge because I imagine there are a lot of people listening certainly out in the broader community. Uh, for one reason or another are hesitant to be out in the community may have come from covid, where a lot of our older Australians were scared to go out. For quite some time, maybe some still you still hear stories of people who are afraid to go out because of the fear of covid or it’s the residual fear that’s left over by starting online talking, communicating and Learning. It eases you into that opportunity gives you the confidence as you just aptly said. So I hadn’t thought of that aspect. So that is so true and so powerful. And I hope people connect up all of our listeners, go and check out your services to find more. Speaking of that segue into how do you promote your services
[00:36:05] Rachael
through a range of different avenues. So we are because we are a service provider. We do and we are connected and receive referral, certain mileage care um systems. So we do receive them through that way. People can self-refer in to us. We can have family and friends. We’re for, we’re doing a lot of work with working with professionals or getting people to like doctors, for example. You know, there’s a lot of discussion. In fact, actually I’m doing a talk coming up on Uh, digital health festival, shortly around social prescribing. And the importance around that as well. So again, bringing that passion to getting the core understanding of of what that looks like and people prescribing social connection services. So we have a range of different ways, but we mark it through our website. We mark it through all of our social media, and most importantly it’s through the relationships and connections that we make. So we’ve got so many amazing connections. Um that we build with local service providers and other groups, which without them we wouldn’t be here. Um where we are today because they, they see what we do and they love what we do and, and send us over people that they think would benefit from the program. So it’s a lot of different areas that you need to be across. Um, in order to get that word out there and one of the things I want to change is every time we do a presentation about and clearly one of the first things we hear from people is how do I not know about this service before or so you This is amazing and I need to change that. So I need so I, everybody doesn’t say that to me and I go yes, I know who in classes I know all about you. So I’ve got, I’ve got my work cut out for me just.
[00:37:35] Geoff
Yeah, well up everybody’s Achilles heel, isn’t it? How do we get our services out there and when you think you’re doing an amazing job with then the next person that comes along so they know that you think Oh, I’m cheerful, we’re doing good. Um, like I think that is, that is a tough cookie and I think it’s part of the collaborations that you talked about with the professional industry Uh, getting them connected and Learning of your services. So they’re comfortable and confident to refer people on to you that may be in need. And all that collaboration and connection and promotion takes a long time.
[00:38:15] Rachael
It does. Because you’ve got to build that trust, you know, it’s like any relationship. They’re not going to. They don’t know who you are initially and you’ve got to nurture those referrals and those relationships and it takes a lot of work to, to build that trust and credibility in the industry. And I definitely think that we’re there. So you know those relationships we cherish and we couldn’t do it without them. So they’re key to the success of Inclusee. Yeah,
[00:38:38] Geoff
awesome. Now heading in a slightly different direction for a moment. If we can back to the seven years community achievement awards, gala presentation dinner in November. What was a key takeaway from that event for you?
[00:38:55] Rachael
Uh well Geoff, the Absolute I was in awe of the groups and the community groups that were in that room that night. You know, it’s just absolutely incredible to see so many people with so many amazing purposes and the effort that they put into it. And Uh we laughed, we cried. You know, there was so many amazing organizations. And I think anyone that was actually at that event that night should be incredibly proud of what they do. Um, it’s just, it’s just, it’s awe inspiring and you know, just like you all having that conversation about, wow, that’s amazing. What Incluseee does equally the other way around for our staff. It was just so many incredible individuals that are so passionate about what their purpose is. And I love to say it, you know, we don’t often, unless you come to these types of events, get to see all of these amazing things that happen. And Uh, it was just such a positive, awe inspiring, inspirational experience.
[00:39:49] Geoff
Yeah, Thank you. And that is what we aim to do is to inspire and Uh, promote the good work that people are Uh, contributing. And one of the important things I think about the event itself is sometimes we, Uh, maybe get a little low thinking we can’t do enough. You know, we’re doing our very best, but there’s still so many that need help need our services. But to know that there are others, not necessarily doing the same thing, but that are doing their part in the community in other arenas that are making a contribution as well. Is inspiring to know you’re not alone. There are others making a difference. And as we like to say together, we make a difference. And that’s the whole essence.
[00:40:37] Rachael
I think you should be incredibly proud of what you’re achieving because, you know, without events like that, we’re not actually getting some of those experiences and meeting, you know, I met so many people on that night that we’re, we’re connecting with today. So those collaborations, relationships were born out of that event and I can’t Thank you enough for having that environment where people can come together and not only showcase the amazing things that they are doing, but networking and creating those amazing relationships as well. And look, I don’t envy you as judges because that would have been an incredibly hot process.
[00:41:08] Geoff
Well, if it was just a little secret, I didn’t actually vote I chaired the panel. So I don’t actually vote which is a blessing in itself because it is heartbreaking. Sometimes trying to separate Uh, but it is inspiring to hear the story to know that you are going to make a difference. And I say when I preach the beginning of the day, and today you will change lives. So don’t underestimate the value of your contribution. And, and when we send out information over a period of a month to the judges, Uh then on the value of the process because you will change lives. So I said, and I respect the effort you need to make Uh for the contribution that collectively everybody will make in the ultimate final judging day.
[00:42:03] Rachael
Yeah. So I think I think everybody involved in this process, judges and nominees, finalists who it doesn’t matter who it is. Every one of those people involved are changing a life or lives in some way. And I think that’s so important to continue to remind people of that. Um, so Thank you so much for what you do.
[00:42:22] Geoff
Uh, Thank you. Thank you kindly has winning the award, helped raise awareness for you and now it’s early days since, and I know you’ve won a number of awards collectively, I guess Uh, as you’ve alluded, I really must impact.
[00:42:37] Rachael
Yeah, absolutely. Look, it has had an impact on us. We’ve had some fantastic relationships that have come out and even some relationships that have come out of that event that we’ve even featured in our newsletter and been able to help collaborate and promote as well. But it does, as I said, every one of these um events or opportunities, as I said, if it gives us one more person to connect into our community, it doesn’t matter what their role is. It’s so vitally important. So it has absolutely had a huge positive effect and will continue to do so. So it’s about continuing to have those conversations with every connection that you make throughout that and it just keeps that conversation going. So absolutely, it’s been a huge positive effect for us.
[00:43:18] Geoff
Yeah, just reiterating that is I was having a meeting on Monday with the media outlet talking to them about community orgs and when they might like to contribute being involved. And I saw one of my friends won that award last year. Yes. That’s one of those awards I Uh it was amazing. She speaks so highly and was so inspired. Yeah, I’d love to find out more. So it is all about those connections. And if there’s someone who may not have been referring that connect and hear about your story or Uh, outcome that’s promoting how good you are, then they might then be inspired. So I’m going to refer people to this organization is great.
[00:44:03] Rachael
You know? Absolutely. And it doesn’t matter if it’s today, you know, it’s just about planting that seed and then, and it might be tomorrow, next month. Or there might be somebody that they know and they go, that’s right, there’s somebody, there’s a service available for, for that person. So, you know, you never know when they’re going to need it.
[00:44:17] Geoff
Uh, definitely. Another little plug that the nominations for the seven year community achievement award for twenty. Twenty four will be open soon. And I’d love you to encourage. Uh, someone you know, to nominate or nominate someone yourself. And if you’re Hearing the story and you might be insurance sponsorship or partnering with us, helping us to continue the program to acknowledge people. And organizations like a right to an Inclusee drop an email at Geoff at awardsAustralia dot com, if the right way, although most would disagree to the left hand awards Australia dot com or to nominate someone above the award to Australia website. And the categories for each state are shown there, and I can assure you, and that people left right to an Inclusee will be so proud of a nomination that you submit on their behalf to know that their work is important to you. Is a validation in itself and worthy of a nomination alone. So if you’re a Uh person out there that know someone who could nominate, please ask them to or nominate them, get in contact with us. And we will reach out and stop that nomination process. And Rachel, you’re clearly a superstar CEO and a superstar human. There’s no doubt, Uh about that. What, something we might not know about, you know,
[00:45:54] Rachael
You know, I’m ready to shock you here Geoff. So one thing that you know, what’s one of my hobbies outside of the passions of the organization, which, you know, I spend a lot of time there because I absolutely enjoy what I do. I love my role. I love open ization, but you need you need to have some downtime. Um I play Pokemon guard. So in fact on the highest level in park, I’m on guard. And people often get quite a shock when I tell them about that. So there you go. That’s something that you might not have expected. All right.
[00:46:24] Geoff
Well, I’m not surprised because you’re good at everything you do. So I’ll be the best to go as well. Yeah, I’m standing impressed. I have no idea what that is. Well, I know Pokemon, I don’t imagine it’s some online game. It is. I’m sure
[00:46:40] Rachael
it’s an online game, but what I love about it actually came out um and it took over the world in two thousand and sixteen actually on the eighth of July, two thousand and six, sixteen and I joined on the twelfth of July twenty sixteen because like everybody, everybody was playing, so I was like, what’s this thing about? And I originally started it because my daughter was obviously interested in it. And what do I love about the game? ? It’s yes, it’s an online game, but you get out and about in the community, so you’re walking exercising while you’re doing it as well. And it’s got a really beautiful community vibe to it. So they have lots of different community events. And in fact, I had one on the weekend a full two day weekend event and you can get it there. Other Pokemon go players, you’re walking around and getting fresh exercise and sunshine and having a great time as well. So I love it for that. It’s not, not that there’s anything wrong with it, but it’s not like sitting, you know, behind the TV on your couch playing a video game. It’s interactive, it’s community focused and it’s a lot of fun.
[00:47:36] Geoff
It all comes together for me now. Yes. I know
[00:47:40] Rachael
how you work out while I play I plus the little cute things that you catch as well
[00:47:44] Geoff
as I and these were the people back in the early days that wandered around with their heads low running and bumping into things as they looked for the clues or the Pokemon go whatever it was. Yes, it all comes together. I’m
[00:47:59] Rachael
one of those people, Geoff, but I’m a lot more um aware of my surroundings And
[00:48:05] Geoff
kudos again because obviously if you’re getting out and about, That’s a positive you’re getting exercise, enjoying yourself having fun and integrating into something that other people can connect with as well. Which is what a class is all about.
[00:48:19] Rachael
Absolutely, it’s all about that. So in fact, it’s very aligned in a lot of ways. And you know, when I started playing it was before I actually became part of it closely and, and you’re right, Geoff was, it’s quite surprising a lot of people when I go, you know, this is, this is what I do. Like I really play poker about guys, that’s still a thing. I’m like it’s still very much a thing. Maybe not what it was like in two thousand and six, but it’s very much a thing. And you’re right Jeff Geoffreflection. Probably why I love it so much is there’s so much alignment, actually to what’s going on in, in class a, you know, it is connecting with your community. It’s finding activities that you love and enjoy and really creating that engagement. So yeah, that, that’s absolutely probably why I’m aligned to it.
[00:48:59] Geoff
Tell Rachel, what drives you? I’m sure all of our listeners are thinking, this is an extraordinary human who is so passionate to so much. And it’s so inspiring. What drives you personally?
[00:49:17] Rachael
What drives me? I think it’s the passion that I have, particularly for leadership. You know, leadership is absolutely my area of expertise. I love my team. Um I, I suppose I identify myself as a servant. Leader is, is predominantly my leadership style nor surprise working in the industry that we’re in. And you know, what draws me is seen, others achieve success and amazing goals and be able to realize and achieve more than I could ever dreamed. And if I can be part of that process, you know, I want to be part of that process and you know, we’re talking about changing lives. So I love the fact that I might have some positive effect on a staff member that I work with. Um, in some way or another. So leadership is my driver. I love what I do. I’ve been a Leader for over twenty two years now and it’s absolutely my passion um and I enjoy every part of it. So giving back and being able to catch all those a mentor, others through that process is, is what I’m all
[00:50:14] Geoff
about. Great advice. Everybody pick excellent stuff. It must be time. So you know, you’re very driven. As you said, you’re very passionate. You work very hard. It must be times when it just gets a little too much, you know, feeling burnt out, rather low. What do you do to reset to bounce back or to recharge yourself?
[00:50:40] Rachael
Yeah, great question. Pokémon go definitely one of those things. But I think, you know, I look, I have had times in my career where I’ve absolutely been in that burnout space. And I think I’ve really come to learn a lot about what that experience is and to identify those signs before they happen. So setting the right processes in place and I think Ensuring that you set boundaries is really important as well. Especially for the fact that we are actually a remote environment and I work from home. So it’s really important you put some structure in the environment between what is work and what is home. Ensuring you’re not sleeping in the office is what they say. So you know, boundaries and structure is really important, but learning to take some time off and disconnect, you know, for me, whenever I talk about this particular space of wellbeing, I can’t talk about the importance of sleep enough. You know, I thrive on it. People probably think, Oh, she’s not going on about sleep again. But I think sleep is the centrepiece of everything and you know, if I can get a really good night’s sleep, everything about me is operating better. I perform better, I think, better or operate better. I can give more and I can be more of a support for everybody else if I’m running at my best. So I can’t talk highly enough about sleep and the importance of that. So for me, it’s making sure I get to bed on time and wake up around the regular time and making sure I’m putting protective boundaries. So I get the most out of it.
[00:52:07] Geoff
Right advice. You may have a lot of people asking for, for help with mentoring based on today’s discussion. Uh but everybody um first in line. So I just
[00:52:21] Rachael
I’m more than happy to help anyone but you know, everybody, I did a talk recently actually, recently as last year. I keep thinking everything’s recent, but it’s not so like a year ago. Uh, but I did a bit of a talk about motivation and the question was, what, what motivates me? ? And I said, you know, sometimes when it comes to these things, it’s not, there’s no magic pill to this. It’s about getting the basics right. And I, and you know, I have a lot of my team go, you know, these are the goals that I want to achieve and I want to do that. I want to do that and I’m like, well, did you have a good sleep last night? Because guess what, you’re not going to go very well on your goals if you don’t get a good flight. So let’s stop there.
[00:52:59] Geoff
I wonder if that’s why there are so many sickies on a Monday. Yeah, Uh,
[00:53:06] Rachael
yeah, exactly. So again, No, it’s all about the basics with me, keeping it simple and focusing on those cool things helps put me in the right space so that I can achieve
[00:53:16] Geoff
more. Yeah, so really well said great advice. So what’s next for Rachel? And Inclusee?
[00:53:23] Rachael
Well Geoff, as I said, we want to continue to grow. So we’ve got lots of different objectives planned for this year. So some key things, as I said, relationships, but a brand new relationship happening with care is Queensland and growing that space for carers and making sure that we’re connecting them. Um, we are focusing on very much internally about the support in the neurodiversity space. So we actually have a team of, of neurodiverse, staff members as well, which we’re very proud of. So we’re wanting to actually grow our very own inclusive framework and support continue to support our neurodiverse staff and team. And obviously we will have participants and volunteers that identify in that space as well. So we want to create a very inclusive and diverse community. So continuing to grow in that space there to continuing to grow our programs, offering more options, more connections, more fun and engaging options for people and obviously working to grow the organization so that we can connect more people to our mission. So a really busy twenty, twenty four um plan ahead um and continuing to innovate. So something that I’m particularly focused on is yes, we’re leading, leading the way in a lot of areas, but we need to continue to invest in that innovation and improvement as well. Because if you stop doing that, you’re no longer doing that. So we need to continue to stay ahead of our game. So I’m looking at some really cool things with and making sure that it’s ethical, of course, and doing the right selection, but some really cool things with ion to support our systems. And um, and doing some fun stuff in that area as well. So continuing to innovate with that, but absolutely the plan for us long term is to grow Inclusee and connect as many Australians as we can to our program.
[00:55:03] Geoff
Terrific stuff. Is there anything that we may have missed that you’d like to add?
[00:55:12] Rachael
Not that I can think of Geoff, I think just adding in that you know, come, come and join in class. They come and check out what we do. We, you know, whether you’re Uh, an older Australian that might benefit from being part of the program, or you could also benefit from being a volunteer. As I said, many people who are volunteer for us are getting just as much from the connection component out of it as well. It’s a two way street. It’s a two way relationship. Um we just want to continue to grow this community. So come and come and check us out, join us, find out more information about us, please. We’d love to have you.
[00:55:43] Geoff
So how can people connect with you personally and Inclusee to find out more about what inclusive means.
[00:55:51] Geoff
So there’s two parts to the question. So within closing, check out our website at WWW dot inclusee, which is I and click you as a dot Org delegate, or give us a call on one, eight hundred, two, eight, seven, six, eight, seven. If you want to connect with me personally, feel free to reach out on my LinkedIn so it’s Rachel Cook and Geoff, I’m going to add in, add what you said. That’s the correct way to spell it.
[00:56:17] Geoff
I know I got wrong, sorry.
[00:56:20] Rachael
And what I said, name is Cook, say double, okay.
[00:56:27] Geoff
Awesome and those details will be in our show notes. So will give us a buzz or email connect with us and we will pass on the details for right show and include say, because you should it’s Uh, it’s an extraordinary organization. Very worthy, very worthwhile to great things in the community can benefit. So, so very many may not be you personally might be someone you can think of that would benefit from services, although I’m sure we all could. So please, please make sure you take a look now. Can people you mentioned volunteering. So that would be great if people could connect to volunteer as well. Uh and you might not think you’ve got skills, but have a Chat to the time. Um, I’m sure I will find something that you can contribute.
[00:57:21] Rachael
Also can people donate they have an opportunity, but they can absolutely donate as well. We are actually considered a charity as well. So on our website there’s information about how you can donate to our cause. And we are very ethical in that space and demonstrate exactly how our donations will benefit somebody as well.
[00:57:38] Geoff
So if you want to help connect somebody that way, you can absolutely help donate to the organization to
[00:57:44] Geoff
what a worthy cause to donate to. Right. It’s been such a pleasure to have you on the podcast today. You are a superstar, you are an inspiration and a powerhouse. Thank you so much for inspiring us, for sharing some of your story and the successes and the value that inclusivity offers to the community. I hope everybody really enjoyed listening to the story about of Rachel and Inclusee. Rachel, Thank you so much.
[00:58:16] Rachael
Thank you Geoff. The pleasure’s all mine, as I said, this is Uh, this is our amazing opportunity today to talk about what we do here. So Thank you. Thank you so much for having us. It’s Absolute pleasure. And it’s been absolutely fun. You’ve made my day so I really appreciate it.
[00:58:30] Geoff
Well, Thank you too and you have made mine. It’s been a real thrill. Well everybody until next week please be kind because together we make a difference.
[00:58:44] Christine
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