Nicola on LinkedIn

Nicola's Documentary

Pragmatic Practice

Click here if you need help with gambling

With two gambling scandals shaking both the NBA and Major League Baseball, the integrity of sport is under scrutiny.

Last month, in the NBA, Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier were arrested after investigations uncovered a network of illegal betting and high-stakes poker schemes.

And now in baseball, two legit pitchers - Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz - were indicted after being accused of intentionally rigging some of their pitches and manipulating game outcomes. Legit becomes illegitimate in a flash.

Both scandals are timely. And, furthermore, especially awkward as it was only days after the Dodgers won a legacy-sealing, multiple-precedent-setting, arguably fairytale World Series-- one for the purists that is, that the story broke.

This week on Vanilla Club Podcast, I speak with behavioural scientist and psychologist Nicola Coalter, who has spent years studying gambling-- and she is quick to point out that it is indeed gambling, not the softer and fuzzier "gaming" nomenclature preferred by the industry.

Gambling is so ingrained into Australian sport that we no longer blink an eye at betting app logos on jerseys (which is still taboo in the U.S.), or normalised betting advertising during every ad break. Nicola explains the danger of these newfound digital betting formats, as they are algorithmic, tracking every press of the button, and designed to psychologically lead the bettor to more time spent, more funds staked per spin. The free accessibility, cultural permissivity, and the on-demand nature of this generation of gambling offerings is clearly way ahead of what the combined culturo-socio-governmental status quo can muster as far as prevention and frankly, crisis management. The numbers? Well, they speak for themselves. Of almost 200 countries in the world, Australia is #1--yes, numero uno, in terms of gambling losses per capita.

Nicola regularly works with clients at the ground-level who are struggling with this kind of addiction, and encourages us to avoid moralising individuals with messages to “gamble responsibly”. This kind of rhetoric unfairly blames individuals, and does little to address the intricate system upholding the extraction and exploitation.

Nicola’s upcoming documentary, Clubs at a Crossroads, continues her mission to expose the systems behind gambling harm and advocate for meaningful reform. Her work and insights are accessible via the above links.

Priscilla Harvey - Living the Questions on Substack

Get that Sweet Tea ready. So sweet you can stand a spoon up in it? Are you grinnin' like a possum eatin' a sweet tater'? Mmmm Hmmm.

Vanilla Club is in North Queensland, Australia. Yet as strange as it sounds, despite two mountain ranges, the Great Plains, a massive ocean, a great barrier reef, some 1000's of km's of separation, there's a subtle resonance between the two places. Aussies think of "the North" or "FNQ" as a yonder. It is a frontier, something akin to Tacitus' description of Germania, an ill-defined, sometimes scary (see the first scene of Gladiator) "zebra-shaded zone." Climatically we are quite similar (i.e. warmer). We are both less-populated than the big cities in the Northern North and the Southern South respectively, and have relatively more bucolic, outdoorsy settings. The accents in fact both have something of a "lean;" think of the contrast between the American Southern drawl and the clipped, received pronunciation of HRH King Charles whose words fire out like discrete cutout missiles. The Far North Queensland "twang" embraces the back country. It too was born on the bayou. Words sort of bathe in the mangroves, n' ride out in the sunset, like "maaaaate," "bloooody croooocccc." Obviously, there are vast differences, but I invite listeners to try and draw some fun parallels between the host and the guest's respective regions in this episode. Comment below what you think is similar in the South to the "Far North!"

Back to today's show---In this candid episode, writer Priscilla Harvey, 'Living the Questions' on Substack, shares her striking personal journey through addiction, faith, and recovery, offering insights that are as practical as they are heartfelt.

Raised in the American South’s “Bible Belt,” Priscilla describes her early disillusionment with Christianity. Drawing on her widely read essay Why I Call Myself a Christian, and Thich Nhat Hanh’s Living Buddha, Living Christ, she explains how she stopped “skipping across traditions” and returned fully to Christianity. Priscilla speaks candidly about reclaiming Jesus’s radical message of love from the grip of patriarchy, nationalism, and capitalist distortion. She challenges the way many American Christians have merged faith with materialism and fear.

Upon asking Priscilla how motherhood has intersected with her journey, she simply exclaims, "How has it not?!" Motherhood, she explains, became her greatest teacher. She has learnt to release fear, to trust, and to foster a home where questions are welcome rather than punished. Her recent “dumb phone” experiment - thirty days without smartphone scrolling - quickly became a beneficial practice. She observes how, in just days, she began calling loved ones more, and noticing small acts of grace.

We also dig into Priscilla's recovery from alcoholism. She recounts years of denial and shame, and the reluctant walk through the doors of AA. Priscilla doesn't need to warm up to some of the viscera of problem drinking, telling us early about often stirring from blackout drinking episodes with vomit caked on her person. As someone with a history of problem drinking myself, your humble host is in a strong position to discuss with Priscilla about the struggle, "rock bottom," and the road to recovery. Priscilla emphasises how her faith and sobriety are intertwined, and lays a great foundation for us to get excited about her upcoming book on these and other related themes.

Refill that Sweet Tea (by now) and lock into this awesome episode!

We hope you enjoy.

Jenna Lee on IG
Jenna's website

In this episode, we explore the intersections of art, identity, and cultural heritage with Larrakia Indigenous artist and designer Jenna (Mayilema) Lee, whose work navigates history, personal ancestry, and contemporary Australian life.

I may have mispronounced Jenna's mob affiliations (dear Americans: "mob" doesn't mean mafia as in "the mob;" in Australia, "mob" is a collective noun to refer to a kinship group. It is perhaps most similar to the usage of the word "posse," or "band," like in the Old West.)

Drawing on her mixed heritage - Aboriginal, Asian, and Anglo-Australian - Jenna reflects on how art can be a tool for discovery identity, rather than just a tool to express it.

We consider the Makkassan trade route; a pre-European, Aboriginal x Sulawesian (i.e. Indonesian) trade network that goes way back, and links Australia to China, who were even then, interested in "trepang" the sea cucumbers known for medicinal (and let's be clear, culinary use too!) uses. This is a lovely place to start the conversation I thought, because it gives insight to 1) how Australia had a role in regional maritime trade routes in pre-colonial times; 2) gives a sense of how vast Australia as a continent is, and the variation between indigenous "mobs;" 3) is great fodder for alt-fiction too.

We get into the theme of complexity before too long; this is the Vanilla Club after all, and the show wouldn't be the show if we didn't attempt to raid for some hidden complexities! Jenna examines how Aboriginality, Asian heritage, and queer identity intersect, reflecting on generational struggles and activism that have shaped her freedom to explore these aspects openly. By sharing personal and family histories, she aims to demystify mixed Aboriginal families and create space for representation and connection.

Residencies and international exhibitions have played a significant role in Jenna's art career. From Japan and Bali to Singapore and the U.S., she investigates global perceptions of Australian Aboriginal culture, exploring how histories and contemporary narratives are understood abroad, and giving us some insight into how little quirks in development lead to major differences in how contemporary folks can perceive the same thing.

The episode also addresses the challenges newcomers face in engaging with Aboriginal culture, discussing exhibitions like The Neighbour at the Gate at the National Art School, which fosters dialogue between Aboriginal artists and the Asian diaspora. She emphasises the importance of respectful engagement, recommending First Nations art fairs while acknowledging the gaps in available information and resources. We also touch on some politics and the confronting White-Power march that occurred recently in Melbourne, and how and where politics pops up in Jenna's work.

Through it all, her work embodies the duality of Australia, ancient and young at the same time--- with a wry sense of humour that pops up here and there--- wait for it! Check out Jenna's amazing instagram, where she actively posts updates on exhibitions and installations!

We hope you enjoy.