The Laughter Clinic
The Laughter Clinic Podcast brings a refreshingly different approach to mental health education. Your host Mark McConville, is an Australian professional Comedian of 25+ years who also has a Masters Degree In Suicidology from Griffith University. Mark delivers you evidence-based self-care strategies, curated research insights, and meaningful conversations that inspire, educate and entertain.
Episodes
22 episodes
Love, Laughter, and Belonging: How One Mentoring Program is Transforming the Lives of At-Risk Youth with John Godwin.
What if the root cause of disadvantage isn't a lack of money—it's a lack of love?In this deeply moving episode, Mark McConville sits down with John Godwin, founder and CEO of Inspiring Brighter Futures Foundation, to unpack a valu...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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1:33:51
Hope, Humour, and Evidence-Based Suicide Prevention with special guest Associate Professor Jacinta Hawgood.
In one of the most significant episodes in The Laughter Clinic Podcast's short history, host Mark McConville welcomes his mentor, Associate Professor Jacinta Hawgood (AISRAP, Griffith University), for an intimate and wide-ranging discussion abo...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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1:23:47
Chatting with Stephen Woods. Beat Burnout at Work: Practical Stress Management Tools for Leaders & Employees
Kicking off 2026 with essential workplace wellness strategies! Stephen Woods, founder of Employee Wellness Australia joins The Laughter Clinic Podcast to share practical, evidence-based tools for beating burnout and building trust at w...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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1:07:17
A time of reflection on a year of significant personal and professional changes, and a look at what's in store for 2026.
In this final episode for 2025 I reflect on a year of big decisions, both personal and professional. From leaving cruise ships to going off my ADHD medication and growing the Laughter Clinic, it's been a year of significant life changes. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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24:49
Chatting with comedian and actor Bev Killick. Comedy, acting, hard yards, and reducing stigma around schizoaffective disorder.
Out of the studio and on the road, in this episode I'm chatting with seasoned stand-up comedian Bev Killick. Hear how making people laugh can change your life. Bev shares raw stories of rowdy comedy venues, performing for the troops, and caring...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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1:33:09
Chatting with comedian and radio personality Stav Davidson. Celebrating 20yrs on air and the Importance of Authenticity and Mindfulness.
This week I catch up with B105 breakfast radio host Stav Davidson. We chat about how he has built a 20‑year career on honesty, quick wit, and mindfulness, and why laughter still works as medicine when the world feels heavy. Stav provides a mast...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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1:19:57
Chatting with comedian Mike Van Acker. From the origins of the Brisbane comedy scene to building connected communities via trivia.
This week I chat with comedian Mike Van Acker and we take a trip down memory lane talking about the origins of stand up comedy in Brisbane and touring road trips. We also explore how Mike enriched his comedy career by running multiple trivia ni...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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1:31:15
A Practical Guide To Bringing More Humour and Laughter Into Your Daily Life.
In this episode I break down why humour and laughter work differently and how self‑enhancing humour helps reduce stress and build resilience. I also offer a simple three‑step plan to help you bring more laughter into your life and the lives of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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28:22
Chatting with comedian Ashley Fils-Aime: From bullied kid to pro comic, a story of discipline, drugs, and faith.
Ash opens up about how laughter became a shield, a craft, and a calling. We chat about how laughter boosts immunity, compare cruise-ship crowds with comedy club audiences, and talk candidly about drugs, faith, and the changing face of the comed...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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1:01:12
TLC PULSE 5 Global Insights: Mental Health AI Chatbots, Suicide Prevention Training for Doctors and Humour as a Protective Factor.
Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide and suicide prevention. Listener discretion is advised.Insight 1• Pressures facing Australian mental health nurses and the need for formal support beyond AI...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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1:02:06
Chatting with Suicidologist Dr Nikki Jamieson: Grief, Moral Injury, and a life dedicated to Suicide Prevention.
Content Warning: This episode discusses suicide and suicide prevention. Listener discretion is advised. In this ep Mark chats with Dr Nikki Jameson—social worker, suicidologist, and founder of Mora...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:25:38
Chatting with comedian Ellen Briggs: Relationships, Rural Comedy Shows and Redifining Success.
A good joke can change a room; the right night can change a town. That’s the pulse of this conversation with Ellen Briggs—mother of twins, touring comedian, and co-creator of the hit show Women Like Us.We chat about the craft behind crea...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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1:47:22
Chatting with comedian Ivan Aristeguieta: Walking the Camino, inner lives of comedians’ and Venezuela’s stand‑up origins.
In this ep I catch up with Ivan Aristiguieta, award winning stand-up comedian, writer, and now he's just added acting to his already impressive CV. Originally from Venezuela, Ivan now proudly calls Australia home, and the audiences...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:55:54
Belonging, Identity, Resilience: The hidden Mental Health Benefits of Sport.
Sport is often sold as fitness and fun, but the deeper, quieter gift of sport is its power to bring people back into community. In this episode Mark dives into the hidden mental health superpowers of sport, from the jersey effect th...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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23:09
TLC PULSE: 5 Global Insights Worth Noting
Insight 1Australia's National Mental Health Commission's 2024 Report Card reveals increasing financial strain affecting mental healthcare access, with one in four Australians avoiding mental health services due to cost. The proportio...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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28:21
Chatting with Comedian Mick Meredith. Finding Your Medicine: Laughter, Exercise, and Mental Wellbeing
Australian comedian Mick Meredith shares his remarkable journey through 25+ years in the comedy industry and reveals how finding the right balance in his life changed everything.Growing up influenced by his mother's joyful personality a...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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57:31
Transforming Your Life Through Purposeful Journaling and the WATT Framework.
Unlock the transformative power of journaling with comedian and suicidologist Mark McConville as he explores a simple practice that's been embraced by history's greatest minds—from Marcus Aurelius to Oprah Winfrey.Drawing from personal ...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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23:21
TLC PULSE: 5 Global Insights Worth Noting
This first TLC Pulse Episode unpacks five developments reshaping our understanding of mental health and wellbeing.Insight 1Laughter truly might be the best medicine according to groundbreaking research from Japan showing that just fo...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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39:51
Community: 10 Practical ways to reduce loneliness.
Loneliness and isolation contribute to various mental health conditions, but day-to-day community interactions can significantly improve our wellbeing. Research from Blue Zones—regions with high numbers of healthy centenarians—shows social conn...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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8:02
Social Health: What is it and why it's important.
An unexpected birthday barbecue with over 30 friends becomes a powerful reminder of the critical importance of social health alongside mental and physical wellbeing. Mark shares his personal experience of reconnecting with friends after months ...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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4:57
Chatting with Craig Coombes. Laughter & Friendship vs A Terminal Diagnosis
What would you do if doctors told you that you had just 18 months to live? For Craig Coombes, the answer came in an unexpected form. When Craig received his terminal cancer diagnosis in 2012, he made a simple yet profound decision:...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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1:30:16
The Laughter Clinic Intro Episode: A Comedian's Journey into Suicide Prevention
Comedy meets science in this groundbreaking exploration of how both humor and laughter can transform mental health. Comedian and suicidologist Mark McConville takes us on a deeply personal journey that began with a profound encounter – a soldie...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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21:10