This week’s episode is a little bit different as it’s a chat with Nicola and Di in the studio about their recent trip to LA. We get all the highlights from the Summit Of Greatness event they attended, hosted by Lewis Howes - one of the most inspiring and successful podcasters globally, who has an audience of millions.  

We hear about the key lessons they took away from some of the incredible speakers at the event, including scientist and teacher Dr. Joe Dispenza and relationships psychotherapist Esther Perel. Both Joe and Esther are New York Times best-selling authors and their work has touched and changed the lives of millions of people - we’re excited to share some powerful moments from both of them with you. 

Nicola and Di also share their favourite moments from La La land and the ways they’ve been inspired to keep learning, growing and making positive changes in their lives. We hope you’ll feel uplifted and inspired by this conversation.  

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Listen to the School of Greatness podcast here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the genuine and inspiring Ronni Kahn AO. Ronni is a social entrepreneur who founded the food rescue charity, OzHarvest. She is a passionate advocate and activist and her mission to fight food waste and feed hungry people is supported by some of the world’s finest chefs. Ronni is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and was named Australian Local Hero of the Year in 2010. Her journey is the subject of a feature film,  Food Fighter and her memoir, A Repurposed Life, has recently been published.

In this conversation, Ronni tells us the remarkable story of a trip back to South Africa to visit an old friend that uncovered Ronni’s purpose and changed the course of her life forever. She shares how it all began with OzHarvest, and how her passion is fuelled by purpose and Ronni considers it a privilege to be able to do the work she does in the world and make an incredible impact. 

As well as Ronni’s passion to feed the hungry, we also talk about her activism around food waste and the little-known fact that food waste is the second biggest contributor to global warming, and costs the Australian economy $36.6 billion dollars a year. Ronni shares with us some simple ways that we can all reduce our food waste and help her achieve her mission for Australia to halve their food waste by 2030. 

Ronni is a great storyteller and we hear all about some of the incredible people she’s collaborated with - from top international chefs to the patron of UK Harvest, none other than Queen Camilla herself. 

To celebrate the 20 year anniversary of OzHarvest and bring awareness to the fact that 10 million Australians on any given day are in need of food, Ronni and her team are holding a Unite To Feed Australia concert on the 7th of November in Sydney, and she’d love for you all to be thaere! You can buy your tickets here. 

We absolutely loved chatting to Ronni in the studio and hearing her uplifting message about the power each and every one of us has to make a difference in the world, no matter how big or small. We hope you love it too and that we can sing along with you Back Fencers at the concert in November. 

Follow Ronni on IG here 

Follow OzHarvest on IG here

Buy Tickets to the OzHarvest - Unite To Feed Australia Concert here

Buy Ronni’s Memoir - A Repurposed Life here 

Find Out More about OzHarvest here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the wise and inspiring Jacinta Tynan. Jacinta is a well-known journalist, presenter, author, speaker and founder of The Spiritual Book Club. She is also a single mother to two boys, which is something she shares more about in her new book, The Single Mother’s Social Club. 

In this conversation Jacinta shares what it was like for her when she became a single mother, how lonely and difficult it can be, but why ultimately she saw it as a gift and an opportunity for her to reflect deeply on her life and grow in the ways she needed to. 

Jacinta talks about the importance of being present with your emotions and allowing them to pass through you, because the only way to process emotions is to feel them fully. Nicola and Di also open up about their own relationships ending, and what it was like becoming single parents much later in life. They were both able to move through the difficult times and come to a happier place, where they are loving life in their sixties on their own terms.  

We also hear about Jacinta’s new business, The Spiritual Book Club - an online book club for anyone who loves books about spirituality, personal growth, presence and surrender - books that expand your mind and help connect you to your higher self. Jacinta has already interviewed some incredible authors for the book club like Gabby Bernstein and Deepak Chopra, and she’s just getting started.

We loved having Jacinta at our back fence. It was like having a good chat with a girlfriend and she shared so many pearls of wisdom. We hope you love this episode as much as we did. 

Follow Jacinta on IG here

Find out more and join The Spiritual Book Club here 

Get tickets to The Spiritual Book Club in conversation with Luke McLeod event in Sydney, July 25th here

Buy Jacinta’s book The Single Mother’s Social Club here

Find out more about Jacinta’s work and books here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with writers, podcasters, and friends Laura Jackel and Cathy O’Brien. Laura and Cathy met when they both applied for a role at Mamamia through a program called The Encoreship, which gives opportunities to women to get back into the workforce in a meaningful way. When the recruiters at Mamamia couldn’t pick between the two, they offered Laura and Cathy the chance to job share. This led to a beautiful partnership and friendship, and now Laura and Cathy have created their own podcast, The Change, to discuss the changes in life that shake, break and make us.  

In this conversation we hear what it was like to work at Mamamia, some of the funny moments in the office and the type of stories they got to write. Cathy shares more about her incredibly popular article about what it was like to be in her early fifties and feel like she was becoming invisible, and how she is now becoming more confident and finding her voice. 

We also hear about Laura’s first story that she wrote for Mamamia, which was the inside scoop on what it was like to go to an elite sex party - you’ll want to stay tuned for the juicy details on that one! 

We chat to both Laura and Cathy about the changes that they’ve been through and noticed in midlife, why they’re passionate about this topic and how their podcast came to be. Laura and Cathy also turn the tables on Di and Nicola and ask them about the big changes in their lives and what they’ve learned along the way. 

This is such a fun conversation and we really loved being in the studio with Laura and Cathy. We hope you’ll find that listening to this episode is like being in a room with a group of girlfriends for a fun and meaningful chat. Enjoy. 

Follow The Change podcast on IG here

Follow Laura on IG here

Follow Cathy on IG here

Read Cathy’s article on feeling like she’s becoming invisible here

Read Laura’s article on what really goes on at an elite sex party here

Listen to The Change podcast here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the wise and exceptional Dr. Frank Anderson. Frank is an author, psychiatrist, therapist, speaker and trauma specialist who’s spent the past three decades studying neuroscience and trauma treatment. His latest book, To Be Loved, is a deeply moving memoir that explores how Frank triumphed over trauma in his life and now he shares with us his message of love and healing. 

In this conversation, we hear about Frank’s difficult upbringing - being sent to therapy as a child for 6 years because he was gay, which at that time, wasn’t acceptable in his family. Frank shares how he learnt to completely shut down his emotions and play the part he was ‘supposed’ to play to fit into society. Thankfully, through all the work and healing he’s done, Frank now has a beautiful family life with his husband and 2 children. 

Dr. Frank breaks down what trauma really is, which is something that at least 70% of humans experience in their life. He talks about how it’s important to do the work and understand how our past experiences are influencing our current behaviour. As Frank says, you either repeat it, repress it or repair it. 

Dr. Frank shares with us a powerful framework - the 5 T’s - for how we can heal from trauma and that ultimately, love and connection is the best pathway to healing. 

This is such a moving and powerful conversation, and Dr. Frank is a true example of how anyone can turn their life around and heal no matter what they may have been through. It was so inspiring to learn from Dr. Frank and we were so grateful for his insights. We hope you love this conversation as much as we did. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health or suicidal thoughts and needs support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

Follow Dr. Frank on IG here

Buy Dr. Frank Anderson’s book To Be Loved here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the beautiful and bubbly Tahnee Cook. Most people know Tahnee as one of the brides in the 2023 season of Married at First Sight (MAFS). Before MAFS, Tahnee worked as a content creator and PR manager and she is now the host of her own wonderful podcast, Chuffed, where she talks all things love, career and life and interviews a variety of guests with interesting stories to share. 

In this conversation Tahnee gives us a glimpse behind-the-scenes of what it was like to be on MAFS. She talks about how it was a really positive experience for her and how she feels lucky she was matched with someone who she was compatible with at the time, and that they weren’t a couple who the producers tried to create drama with or paint them as a villain. Tahnee lets us know her theory for how they pick the couples on the show and she talks about the more awkward moments - like when they had to swap couples. 

We also hear about life after MAFS for Tahnee, her decision to go to couples therapy with Ollie, but why in the end it didn’t work out. Tahnee is very honest about how she doesn’t like the modern-day world of dating apps, the problems she has with them and then she asks Nicola and Di for any dating or relationship advice they would share with someone like Tahnee in their 20s. 

Tahnee also shares about her new podcast Chuffed, and we hear about the juicy conversation she had with David The Medium (one of our favourite podcast guests here on OTBF) and how everything he predicted came true. 

Tahnee is absolutely full of life - her energy and bubbly personality is infectious and we had such a fun time chatting with her. We hope you love her as much as we did. 

Follow Tahnee on IG here

Follow Chuffed on IG here

Listen to Chuffed here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the dynamic and inspiring Tory Archbold. Tory is a highly respected businesswoman, CEO, and founder of Powerful Steps, a global platform for women making a significant impact. Her impressive career spans over 24 years in brand building, public relations, digital media, and events, working with some of the world's most influential celebrities, entrepreneurs, and CEOs. She is also the author of a wonderful book, Self Belief is Your Superpower. 

In this conversation we hear how Tory started her first business at 24 through a coffee date strategy where she would meet with 3 different people every week. She shares how she experienced a lot of rejection, but how she sees rejection as a positive thing that ultimately shows you what it’s possible to create. Tory knew that she was capable of creating something great, so despite the rejections, she chose to believe in herself anyway. Tory grew her business to be one of the most successful brand and communications agencies in Australia, launching some of the biggest international brands like Zara in the Australian market.

We chat about what it’s like to be in flow - when you’re clear on your vision, your passion and your purpose and when you’re anchored in your values, so many opportunities and doors will open up for you. We hear about these moments in Tory’s life, and the incredible possibilities that appeared when she was living in alignment with her values. 

Tory shares the life-changing moment when she was listening to Drew Barrymore speak about her dream of one-day having a talk-show, and Tory realised that she also wanted a different life for herself and that she was finished with her career in PR. This led to Tory starting her second business, Powerful Steps, at the age of 44 which helps other women to step into their power and achieve their full potential.

This was such a fun and meaningful conversation with Tory and we could have chatted to her for hours. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

SPECIAL OFFER

To get the incredible giveaway offer that Tory mentioned in this episode - access to her Network Like A Pro masterclass that gives you a series of video lessons and workbooks to help you build your profile and connect with others, go to her website here and enter the promo code POWERUP444 at checkout and you’ll get this $99 masterclass for FREE. Offer only valid until 24th July, 2024. 

Follow Tory on IG here

Buy Tory’s Book Self Belief Is Your Superpower and access free bonuses here

Find out more about Tory’s Powerful Steps Community here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the truly remarkable Julie Randall. Julie’s story is one you won’t want to miss. In 2012 Julie was diagnosed with advanced stage four metastatic melanoma and given only months to live, but she promised her heartbroken teenage daughters she would survive. Thankfully for us, her family, and the world, she did. Julie now spends her time giving back and as an ambassador for various cancer charities, she’s working hard to make as much money as possible to support more research to find cures for this insidious disease.

In this incredible conversation, we get to hear Julie’s story of survival - from the life-changing moment just after her 50th birthday when she had a brain seizure in the office, to being given a terminal diagnosis, to a fight against all the odds to find a way to stay alive for her kids and her husband Scott. 

As Julie shares each step of her journey, you’ll hear how much determination, optimism and perseverance it took for Julie to survive. It’s an uplifting story of hope and strength and we felt so inspired having this conversation with her. We highly recommend her best-selling memoir, Patient 71 and we know you’ll love Julie as much as we did. Please share this episode with anyone who needs an uplifting story of hope in their lives. 

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Find out more about Julie and her work here

Buy Julie’s book Patient 71 here 

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the hilarious Vince Sorrenti. Vince is one of Australia’s most successful and popular comedians, with a career that has spanned over 4 decades. As well as his incredible work as a stand-up comedian, Vince has an enormously long list of radio and TV credits and has written 2 feature films, including an award-winning environmental documentary. He’s also a big family man, and we get a glimpse into what life is like at home with his beautiful wife Kate and their 4 children. 

In this conversation we chat about how comedy has changed over the years and whether political correctness and wokeness has gone too far. Vince shares why comedy is essential and why he believes that comedy is the answer to a lot of the challenges life throws at us. 

We hear the story of how it all started for Vince - as an architecture student at Sydney University, he began doing skits in uni revues and fell in love with comedy and the stage. Vince talks about his first stand-up gig in the 80s and how he’s never looked back. We also spoke about Vince’s creative process - where he gets his ideas from and how he puts together a show. 

Vince shares a couple of stories from his latest stand-up show I’m Offended, and we were in stitches. There’s nothing quite like a good belly laugh, and we were so lucky to have a bunch of those in the studio with Vince. We hope you laugh as much as we did.  

Buy tickets to I’m Offended here 

Find out more about Vince and his work here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the wise and down to earth Gary Gorrow. Gary is a Vedic Meditation teacher, Ayurvedic health coach, mindfulness expert and co-founder of the world renowned retreat, Soma Byron Bay. Gary has worked with thousands of people from all walks of life and is dedicated to empowering people with simple techniques to tap into their inner stillness.

In this enlightening conversation, Gary talks about what mindfulness actually is, and how it differs from meditation. He explains how meditation is a powerful tool that helps a person to go inwards and connect with their spirit. Gary also shares why he believes learning to live more inwardly and awaken our inner lives is the most important thing we can do, and how it can help us to reach the 200% value - where we have a beautiful balance of 100% outer life and 100% inner life. 

Gary talks about why we need to redefine how we think about spirituality, and that it’s really about connectedness. Our connection to self, connection to spirit, connection to nature, connection to others and connection to the moment we’re experiencing. We also talk about the 5 main causes of suffering and why it is that humans can get so caught up in negativity. Ironically though, he explains how suffering is our greatest teacher. 

This was such a powerful conversation and we could listen to Gary’s wisdom for hours. We hope you get as much from this episode as we did. Enjoy. 

Follow Gary Gorrow on IG here

Follow Soma Byron on IG here

Find out more about Soma Byron and book a retreat here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the remarkable and inspiring Dr. Ginni Mansberg. Dr. Ginni has been a practising GP for almost 30 years, and she has a special interest in menopause, which led her to write her bestselling book - The M Word: How to Thrive in Menopause. She also has a graduate diploma of journalism and makes regular appearances on TV - our Australian listeners may know her from her work on Sunrise, Embarrassing Bodies Down Under and Medicine or Myth. As if that wasn’t enough, Dr. Ginni is also the founder of a cosmeceutical skincare company, Evidence Skincare, and a workplace training company called Don’t Sweat It - Menopause in the Workplace. Not to mention, she is also mum to 6 children.

In this conversation Dr. Ginni shares so much wisdom about tools that women can use to improve their menopause experience so they can really thrive. She gives us the facts on HRT, talks to us about what you can do if sex has become uncomfortable (which is the case for many women going through menopause), and shares some great tips for how to communicate better with your partner and loved ones during this time. 

Dr. Ginni also opens up about what her experience of divorce and being a single mother was like, and how she found love again. She talks about the importance of developing self-compassion, and teaches us about acceptance and commitment therapy - you won’t want to miss this! 

We could have spoken to Dr. Ginni for hours. She was wonderfully motivating and inspiring and we are so grateful to be able to share this episode with you. We hope you enjoy it.  

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Learn more about Dr. Ginni and buy her books here

Find out more about Kristen Neff's work on self-compassion here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the dynamic and inspiring Judie Johnson. Judie became known globally, when incredible footage of her swimming with orcas was captured in 2018 and went viral. The video went to USA Today, Fox News, Canadian news - in fact, it went all over the world. The YouTube footage of that remarkable moment has had over 30 million views - it’s simply extraordinary!

Judie shares the incredible story of what happened that day, 5 years ago, on her local beach in Hahei, New Zealand when she went to meet her swim group and nobody else showed up. Judie decided to jump in the water anyway, and not long into her swim she noticed what she thought were dolphins approaching her, but turned out to be a pod of killer whales. You’ll have to listen in to hear what went through Judie’s mind and what she decided to do next - you won’t believe it! 

As luck would have it, an Aussie tourist who was on the beach at the time, happened to have a drone with him and quickly pulled it out to film the entire encounter. If you haven’t already seen it, you can watch the incredible footage here. 

We hear about Judie’s zest for life, how active she still is as a woman in her 70s, and how much she loves swimming - she describes it as a place where she can leave all her worries behind. 

For anyone that is feeling a little low, or lacking motivation, this episode is an uplifting feel-good story of the power of reconnecting with nature and the benefits of stepping outside of your comfort zone. Judie is full of life and we hope you feel as inspired by her as we did. 

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

Watch Judie Swimming with Orcas here

Watch the story that featured on New Zealand’s Channel 1 News here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the energetic and vivacious Susan Bratton. Susan is an intimacy expert to millions and has been helping people improve their intimate relationships and sex life for the past 2 decades. Susan has written thousands of magazine and website articles, as well as over 40 books and programs to help people experience shame-free, frequent sexual pleasure, which she believes is a vital element of being alive. Susan also regularly appears on TV and podcasts from all over the world. She has been married for over 30 years and has so much to share. 

In this conversation Susan talks about how she got started as a sexpert, as a married woman in her 40s who was deeply unhappy with her sex life and wanted to do something about it. As Susan and her husband started going to therapy and attending sex workshops, they learnt so many skills and became closer than ever, which made Susan passionate about teaching everything she was learning to others. She went on to create a media company, and write dozens of books and programs that have helped millions of people.  

Susan shares so many juicy tips with us in this chat - it is full of ideas for how you can improve your love life, including a sex bucket list and what Susan likes to call hot sex dates. We hear about Susan’s desire dozen - the 12 things you can do to increase your pleasure and get more from your relationship. 

We also talk about how Susan is feeling now that she’s in her 60s - the good news is, she’s absolutely loving it and having the best sex of her life! 

We had so many laughs in this episode because it’s full of cheeky chat, but it’s also super informative and helpful. We hope you have a giggle along with us and get as much from this conversation as we did. 

Follow Susan on IG here 

Download Susan’s FREE Sex Life Bucket List here

Download Susan’s FREE Sexual Soulmate Pact here

Get Susan’s Tips, Videos and Articles here 

Find out more about Susan’s work here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the talented and inspiring Mel Wilson. Mel is a journalist, voice-over artist, podcast host and author of the new book, Parenting in Progress, which is full of stories and tips from all kinds of celebrities and experts - as Mel puts it, it’s imperfect advice for the biggest role of your life. Whether you’re a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, or none of the above, there’s something in this chat for everyone.

In this conversation, we hear how Mel juggled her career as a podcast host and voice-over artist with being a single parent to 2 young kids and still managed to write this book in the spare moments she could find on the sidelines of a soccer game, in the back of a taxi, or on a plane - she made every minute count. 

We talk about parenting these days - how no one really knows what they’re doing, everyone’s just trying to figure it out, but the pressure to be perfect has increased so much that it’s created these new ways of parenting, such as helicopter parents and snowplough parents. We talk about how much parenting has changed over the decades and Di also shares some funny stories of her own parenting mishaps. 

Mel opens up about the challenges of being a single parent, what it was like trying to survive, make a living and raise her kids in Sydney, and how her own parents stepped in to help in really practical ways - you’ll want to listen in to hear what her dad did, because it might make you cry. 

Mel talks about what dating is like after divorce, and her own Over The Back Fence love story - it’s such a goodie! 

Mel also shares some of the wonderful stories from people like Amanda Keller, Turia Pitt, Taryn Brumfitt, Sarah Harris and Sam Wood, who are just some of the incredible people she interviewed for her book. 

This was such a funny and down-to-earth conversation about what it’s really like to parent and juggle it all and we loved having Mel in the studio with us. We hope you love it too.  

Follow Mel on IG here 

Buy Mel’s book Parenting In Progress here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the multi-talented and hilarious Wendy Harmer. Wendy has had an incredible career as a journalist, comedian, radio show host, TV personality, and author. Her latest book Lies My Mirror Told Me is a frank, funny and fearless memoir that tells Wendy’s story of overcoming adversity to become one of Australia’s most loved entertainers on stage, in print, television and broadcasting. 

In this conversation, Wendy opens up about her difficult childhood - what it was like when her mum walked out on the family when Wendy was just 10 years old, how her father was left to raise 4 children and the fun and mischief they used to have when he would go away for the weekend and leave them alone in the house. 

Wendy shares about her experiences of being bullied at school because of her double cleft lip and palate, which she had until she was able to have facial surgery as a teenager. Despite this challenge, her father was determined that it wouldn’t hold her back and always encouraged and pushed Wendy to be out in front. He even wanted her to be the first female Prime Minister of Australia. 

We hear the remarkable story of Wendy’s career, how she went from journalism, to comedy, to radio - and became both the first female presenter on commercial breakfast radio and the highest paid woman on Australian radio.    

There are so many hilarious stories that Wendy shares throughout this chat - including that time she was flown to LA to cover the Oscars as a breastfeeding mother - you’ll have to stay tuned to hear what happened that night, and I’m sure you’ll be in stitches like we were. 

Follow Wendy on Twitter here

Buy Wendy’s book Lies My Mirror Told Me here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the brilliant and kind Dr. Chris Roberts. Chris is the talented surgeon who performed Nicola’s hip replacement in 2023 and helped her go from shuffling around in pain to dancing on table tops again! It’s not everyday you get the opportunity to chat with a surgeon about all things body parts and the future of medicine, so we really wanted to get Chris in the studio. He also has a great sense of humour, so there were lots of laughs all round.  

In this conversation you’ll get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what life is like as a surgeon. Chris takes us through the progress that’s been made in his field in the last 60 years and how incredible hip replacement surgery is these days - you’ll never guess what they were using for these operations back in the 60s! We also talk about the future of medicine - what’s happening with AI and robotics, and where things may be headed. 

Chris shares why he became a surgeon in the first place, and what motivates him to keep going - his genuine desire to help people. We also hear the heartwarming story of a 94-year-old man who’s life was changed when Chris agreed to operate on him. And stay tuned for Chris’ number one tip to keep your bones healthy and strong! 

We were so grateful to Chris for making time in his busy schedule to come and chat to us in the studio. It was such an interesting conversation and we had a good laugh. We hope you do too.  

Contact Dr. Chris Roberts for any patient enquiries: (02) 9972 9111 or crreception@penorth.com.au

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the entertaining and gifted Harry T. Harry is a media personality, author, spiritual teacher and world-renowned celebrity psychic. He was born with his psychic gifts, and has been doing readings from a very young age. His clients now include A-list celebrities, royalty, heads of state, media moguls and corporate CEOs. Harry’s new book Feet on the Ground, Fingertips in Heaven is a spiritual guide that helps everyone tap into their own intuition, feel empowered and connected to the spiritual realm. 

In this conversation, Harry talks about the first time he remembers seeing spirits when he was just 3 years old, and how it was a frightening experience at that age. Harry shares how we are all born with psychic abilities, but some are simply more gifted than others. We chat about how to open our awareness to the spiritual signs that may be around us and tap into our intuition. 

We also talk about near death experiences, death dates and life after death. Harry explains how we are all just energy, and that our energy will never cease to exist. Life really does carry on after death, and our loved ones who have passed are only a few feet away in a spiritual realm. He also talks about the difference between prayer and meditation, and why both of these tools are powerful ways to connect. 

Harry’s energy is absolutely infectious and we loved chatting to him about these fascinating topics. It was a very comforting conversation to know that no matter who we have lost in our lives, they really are still here with us, watching over us. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did. Thanks for listening.  

Follow Harry on IG here

Buy Harry’s Book: Feet On The Ground, Fingertips In Heaven here

Find out more about Harry’s work here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with award-winning author Annabel Abbs about her incredible new book Sleepless. Annabel has written both novels and non-fiction books, which have been published internationally in 30 languages. Her latest book Sleepless gives a refreshing and positive new take on sleepless nights and how we can all discover the power of our night self.

In this conversation, Annabel shares how it was an inexplicable period of grief during 2020 that led to her writing this book. As someone who had experienced insomnia for years, the sleeplessness she experienced during this time felt different and Annabel became curious to learn more about how other women throughout history had dealt with sleepless nights, why it didn’t seem to match up with the sleep studies we hear about these days and what gifts we could learn from their experiences. 

We hear all about what Annabel calls the night self. The ways that our physiology and brain changes during the night, and how that can lead to extraordinary creativity and a feeling of connectedness. Annabel tells us some great stories about the amazing women over the centuries - artists, writers, astronomers and scientists - who had wonderful discoveries and bursts of inspiration during the night. 

This is such a different take on what we usually hear about sleep. We’re so used to being told that if we don’t get enough sleep, all sorts of health issues will ensue, but Annabel offers a unique perspective and shares why she believes that sleep scientists and the sleep industry may be benefiting from selling us one central message about sleep. 

We absolutely loved talking to Annabel. We learnt so much from her and were reassured by everything she shared - we hope you will be too. A quick heads up - this conversation was recorded online, with Nicola and Di in their Sydney homes and Annabel in Bath. It was a stormy night with some technical issues, so we hope you’ll understand that the audio quality is echoey at times. Thanks for listening. 

Follow Annabel on IG here

Buy Annabel’s book Sleepless here

Find out more about Annabel’s work here 

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the wonderfully talented Matilda Brown. Matilda is an actress, writer and director turned entrepreneur, who now spends her time running her meaningful and successful online business, The Good Farm Shop, with her husband Scott. They provide organic ready-made meals sourced from regenerative farms, which are delicious, healthy and ethical. Matilda is also the daughter of Australian acting legends Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward, and we hear lots about their close-knit family in this beautiful interview. 

Matilda shares how she first became interested in regenerative farming, the difference between industrial and regen farms, and how she started a business with her husband during Covid, when she wanted to source ethical meat and the local butcher didn’t know how to help. What started as a cow share, shifted and grew into the business they own today, providing delicious real meals with only the best ingredients. We hear about some of the funny mistakes they made along the way, including the realisation 18 months in that they weren’t making any money. Whoops!

We also hear all about Matilda’s relationship with her parents, Bryan Brown and Rachel Ward, and the incredible bond they share. You can tell from the way Matilda talks about them, that they truly are her role models and she has immense love and respect for them, not only as her parents, but as incredible humans. 

This episode is a really emotional one. Matilda was open and vulnerable and really feeling all of the emotion of the current plight of the world, so there were lots of tears shed in this interview. We are so grateful to Matilda for being so real and honest and sharing her beautiful soul with us. We hope you will love listening to Matilda as much as we loved talking to her. 

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Buy Organic, Regenerative, Real Meals from The Good Farm Shop here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the uplifting and inspiring Steffani LeFevour. Steff is one of the world’s top happiness coaches, a best selling author, international speaker and master at manifesting. She’s also a wife and mother of two kids.  

In this conversation Steff shares some really practical tips for how you can manifest your deepest desires, as well as why she believes so many people are caught up in manic manifesting, which ultimately doesn’t work. Steff gives us some powerful mantras that anyone can use to bring great things into their life. 

We hear some incredible stories of the things that Steff has manifested, including how she met Oprah and many other influential spiritual leaders she looked up to. Steff also shares some great tips for how you can change your thoughts when you find yourself stuck in negative thinking, and what the five toxins are that we all need to be aware of and stop doing.  

Steff opens up about the loss that she’s faced in her life and shares some beautiful thoughts about grief and how she has personally moved through it. 

We were so grateful to Steff for joining us from her home in Chicago and being so generous with the tips and guidance she shared. If you’re looking for practical ways to start changing your mindset, this is the episode for you. 

Follow Steff on IG here

Find out more about Steff and get her free happiness resources here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with clinical nutritionist, author and TV presenter Sarah Di Lorenzo. Sarah has a wonderfully holistic approach, and has spent her life helping rejuvenate the health of Australians of all ages. She’s the author of 4 best-selling cookbooks, including The 10:10 Plan and The 10:10 Recipe Book. Sarah is also known for her work on Channel 7’s Sunrise, where she’s been the resident clinical nutritionist for years. She’s also a proud mum of 3 daughters. 

In this conversation Sarah shares why she doesn’t like the diet and weight-loss industry, and why health is about so much more than food and weight. She talks about the importance of self-care and finding the things that you love so you can take care of yourself really well. 

Sarah gives some great tips on how to eat in a healthy way that nourishes you, how to get the balance right when it comes to alcohol as well as how to get back to sleep in the middle of the night when you wake up and your mind’s racing. 

We also hear Sarah’s professional opinion about Ozempic, and why she’s personally worried about this prescription medication that’s become a real trend in the weight loss industry. 

You’ll want to stay tuned until the end to hear why Sarah loves aging and what she’s looking for when it comes to dating in her 50s. 

We loved having Sarah’s energetic and bubbly energy with us in the studio and we hope you’ll feel as inspired as we did when we chatted with her. 

Follow Sarah Di Lorenzo on IG here

Follow 10:10 SDL on IG here

Buy Sarah Di Lorenzo's Cookbooks here

Sarah Di Lorenzo 10:10 Plan

Sarah Di Lorenzo 10:10 Simple Recipe Book

Sarah Di Lorenzo The Gut Repair Plan

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This week Di and Nicola chat with the hilarious and uplifting Kathy Lette. Kathy is a celebrated comic writer who has penned 20 novels, many of which have become international bestsellers and been turned into films, TV series and even an opera. Kathy’s career began when she wrote the iconic novel Puberty Blues when she was just 17. She went on to do stints as a singer, a newspaper columnist and a sitcom writer for Columbia Pictures in LA. These days she’s an author, travel writer and TV presenter and her latest book, The Revenge Club, is a must-read for every woman. 

Kathy talks about life in her sixties - or as she lovingly calls them, her sexties. She shares how life just gets better, you enjoy life more and you can finally put yourself first for a change. Kathy shares about the importance of female friendships and how much of a positive impact they’ve had on her life. 

We hear what it was like for Kathy when she fell in love with Geoffrey Robertson after appearing on a TV show with him, when she was still married to her first husband, Kim. Kathy tells great stories about her life in London with Geoffrey and some of the incredible people that stayed in their attic - James Hewitt, Julian Assange and Salman Rushdie to name just a few. 

You won’t want to miss Kathy’s story about that time she got asked out by George Clooney (an unknown, fresh-faced actor) and said ‘No’. The good news is, it’s all worked out for Kathy who met her current partner whilst walking through the park on a hot summer’s day - another great story you’ll want to hear. 

We also talk to Kathy about the benefits of laughter, her positive spirit, and the joy that she brings to the world. It was an absolute delight having Kathy entertain us in the studio and we hope you laugh as much as we did. 

Follow Kathy Lette on IG here

Buy The Revenge Club here

Find more of Kathy’s books here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with longevity coach, author of Your Exceptional Life and podcaster, Marcus Pearce. This is such a fun and lively conversation full of incredible tips for how you can live an exceptional life. Marcus is a journalist, who has been studying longevity and blue zones for years - in fact, his podcast 100 Not Out has been going for more than a decade and has over a million downloads! Marcus is also a husband to his wonderful wife Sarah, and they have 4 kids who they’re bringing up in beautiful Mullumbimby, NSW.

In this conversation we hear about how Marcus transformed his health in his twenties when he met his now-wife Sarah and went from a Red Bull-guzzling, meat-eating smoker to a ginger-tea sipping teetotalling vegan, to somewhere back in the middle.

Marcus has been lucky enough to interview so many centenarians in his career and he shares all the secrets of longevity and aging gracefully in this chat. You’ll be happy to hear that there’s so many simple things that you can do that have a remarkably positive impact on your health. 

Marcus also shares all about his trips to the Greek island of Ikaria, which has been identified as one of the world’s blue zones, and is known as “the island where people forget to die”. Marcus takes groups of people there to experience the way of life in Ikaria and learn first-hand from the people who are living long, healthy and happy lives. 

It was so inspiring to talk to Marcus about all his research and ideas for how you can make the rest of your life the best of your life. We hope you feel as uplifted as we did when we had him at the back fence. Enjoy! 

Follow Marcus on IG here

Listen to Marcus’ 100 Not Out Podcast here

Buy Marcus’ book Your Exceptional Life here 

Find out more about Marcus’ work here

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This week we are bringing you something a little bit different - Nicola and Di recently headed off to Hamilton Island Race Week and interviewed a collection of world-class sailors whilst they were there. This week’s episode brings you all 4 of those inspiring chats. 

First up we talk to Alice Parker - a remarkable 30-year old navigator who’s raced in 4 Sydney to Hobarts, as the only female on an all-male crew, as well as several world championships that have taken her to many different countries. We hear about Alice’s best moment at sea, as well as the most frightening, which happened during one of her Sydney to Hobarts. Not only is Alice an incredible young sailor, she’s also a physiotherapist and is back studying at uni again to upskill in some maths and physics. You’ll want to hear Alice’s answer for who she wants to meet at the back fence because it’s truly beautiful. 

We then get the chance to chat with Mark Richards, the sailor and boat builder that many listeners would know as the long time skipper of Wild Oats, who has won the Sydney to Hobart a stunning 9 times! We hear the amazing story of how Mark got started in sailing and how he credits it to being adopted by the right people. Mark tells some great stories about his friendship with Bob Oatley, the comradery of the sailing community as well as his greatest achievements and most harrowing moments at sea. 

Our third conversation is with the dynamic sailor girl Nic Douglass. When you listen in to this chat you’ll hear just how much passion and enthusiasm Nic has for sailing. Having just returned from the Olympics where Nic was part of the team commentating for the crowds on-the-ground in Marseille, we hear how the work she does now and the media company she started actually came after she was at one of her low points when she didn’t qualify for the London Olympics in 2012. Nic is proof that sometimes it’s the low moments in our lives and careers that become turning points and lead to really great opportunities.  

Finally, we talk to the incredible Stacey Jackson who has sailed in a whopping 16 Sydney to Hobarts and is nowhere near stopping! Not only that but Stacey has also competed in a 9-month round-the-world race not once, but twice including conquering Cape Horn, which is known as the Mt Everest of the sailing world. We hear what it was like the first time Stacey sailed around the world and the most incredible story of how her crew survived after their mast broke shortly after they’d rounded Cape Horn on her second trip around the world. Stacey was also the skipper on Wild Oats when Julie Bishop famously jumped off the back of the boat after the start of the race in Sydney. 

This week’s episode is full of so many great stories and wonderful personalities. It was so much fun recording on location up in Hamilton Island and we really hope you love tuning in to this one.  

Follow Alice Parker on IG here

Follow Wild Oats XI on IG here 

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Follow Stacey Jackson on IG here

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We have a bonus episode for you this week as Di and Nicola sit down with two wonderful women, Marcella Zemanek and Sue-Ellan Vasiliou to hear about their stories from grief to giving. Marcella and Sue-Ellan both lost loved ones to brain cancer, and they’re now passionate about raising money for brain cancer research and doing their part to support other families who are going through a similar journey. We want to let all our listeners know that one of the ways you can help raise money for this important cause is by getting your gear off and registering for The Sydney Skinny on March 17th.

Marcella shares her story of what it was like when her husband, radio broadcaster and TV presenter, Stan Zemanek came home one day with the news that they’d discovered a brain tumour. He was told by his doctor at the time he’d have 6 weeks to live, but thanks to a surgery by Charlie Teo, he was able to have another 15 months and spend quality time with his family, and meet his new granddaughter. 

We then hear from Sue-Ellan who lost her beautiful 6-year-old daughter Alegra to brain cancer in 2017, just 10 months after diagnosis. Sue-Ellan talks about how painful it was, and still is, but how you learn new ways to manage the grief, and in Sue-Ellan’s own words “she’s worth all the pain”. After losing Alegra, Sue-Ellan setup Little Legs Foundation which has raised over $2 million so far for brain cancer research.

If you want to hear a heartfelt and incredibly inspiring conversation with two women who have lost so much, but have chosen to keep living in hope and do all they can to give back to others, then please tune in to this episode. And even better, if you live in Sydney, come and bare all to beat brain cancer with our very own Nicola at The Sydney Skinny on March 17th.

Register for The Sydney Skinny here

Follow The Sydney Skinny on IG here

Find out More about Little Legs Foundation here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with Australian food icon and restaurant royalty, Matt Moran. Matt is best known for the incredible restaurants he’s created, including Chiswick, North Bondi Fish, The Opera Bar, and of course the stand out of them all, Aria - and that’s only a handful from a very long list. But it’s not only his restaurants that make Matt an icon, he’s also worked on 12 popular TV shows including Master Chef, Paddock to Plate and The Great Australian Bake Off alongside his dear friend, Maggie Beer. Add to that 4 best-selling cookbooks and a bunch of national and international awards, Matt certainly has an awe-inspiring career in the food industry. What we also love about Matt is how much he gives back - through the charity work he does for organisations like OZHarvest, through mentoring and guiding other young chefs as well as through his own sustainable farming - that’s right, Matt is a fourth generation farmer!

In this conversation we hear about Matt’s lifelong passion for food and cooking, which began when Matt started as an apprentice at The Belle Helene restaurant when he was just 15. By the time he was 22, he had already opened his first restaurant in Sydney, The Paddington Inn Bistro. Matt’s long and successful career has been shaped by hard work, persistence and perseverance - but above all, it’s his passion that’s been the driving force. As Matt reminds us - if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. 

Matt opens up about his friendship with Gordon Ramsay, and what they get up to on the yearly trips they take together to Iceland. He also shares about the strong sense of community and mateship amongst chefs and the wonderful friends he’s made over the 40 years he’s been in the industry. 

It was so lovely to chat to Matt about his life story and the remarkable imprint he’s made, and continues to make, on the Australian food industry. He’s such a down-to-earth and genuine guy and we loved having him at our back fence - we hope you enjoy listening. 

Follow Matt Moran on IG here

Find out more about some of Matt Moran’s iconic restaurants below:

Aria

Opera Bar

Chiswick

North Bondi Fish 

Chophouse Sydney

The Rockley Pub

Buy Matt Moran’s Cookbooks here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the fascinating travel expert, Captain Greg Fitzgerald. Greg had an incredible career with Qantas, where he flew for 35 years. He was involved in some pretty amazing flights during that time and shares with us some great stories. After retiring from Qantas during the pandemic, Greg was offered the opportunity to work with Antarctica Flights and provide historical commentary for flights over Antarctica, another passion of his. And it’s not just flying that Greg loves, he’s also involved with Vintage Rail Journeys, where he takes 5-day train tours on the old Southern Aurora. Greg is also a husband to Donna, his wife of 40 years and they have 3 wonderful daughters. 

In this chat, we hear how Greg was initially knocked back from Qantas, but how that setback turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it gave him the experience of flying regionally in Papua New Guinea. Not deterred by his knock back, Greg reapplied to Qantas years later where he ended up working for 35 years. Not only that, he became a key part of Qantas pilot recruitment. We hear what it takes to be a pilot for Qantas and the rigorous process and testing they go through. 

Greg shares what the most frightening experience was for him as a pilot, as well as some of his proudest and most memorable moments. We hear what it was like to fly burn victims back to safety after the Bali bombings in 2002, the covert operation Greg was a part of during the Iraq war and the rescue flight he captained from Wuhan back to Australia in February 2020 at the start of the pandemic. 

Greg was also involved in one of the stand-out moments in recent aviation history, when he was part of the crew that flew the last Qantas 747 jumbo from Sydney to the Mojave desert. He tells the story of the planning that went into that special day and how emotional it was to farewell the 747 aircraft. 

It was so great chatting to Greg about all of his travels and hearing how passionate he still is about exploring Antarctica and beyond. We hope you will feel as inspired as we did by all of his tales. 

Find out more about Antarctic Flights here

Find out more about Captain’s Choice travel here

Find out more about Vintage Rail Journeys here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the absolutely amazing Dr. Gladys McGarey. Gladys is a 103 year-old holistic doctor, who’s written several books and has so much wisdom to share. Her latest book, The Well-Lived Life, has become Nicola and Di’s bible and is full of Dr. Gladys’ secrets for living a healthy and happy life. 

In this chat Gladys shares some incredible stories of what it was like growing up in the Himalayas of India with her parents who were both doctors, well ahead of their time. Gladys says she knew she wanted to be a doctor ever since she was a little girl and announced it to her parents as soon as she could speak. She witnessed the power of love as a healer and medicine, which led her down the path of holistic medicine. 

We hear about the 5 ‘L’s that Dr. Gladys says we all need to live a good life and how love is the key that activates them all. Dr. Gladys also tells a heart-wrenching story of what it was like when her husband of 46 years asked for a divorce, and how she was able to turn that around and ultimately see the gift of the end of her marriage. You’ll need to listen in to hear the end of that story - you won’t believe what happens! 

Dr. Gladys also shares some beautiful and powerful advice for the small steps that you can take to give love, receive love and tap into the flow of life. We talk about the importance of community and how we can each build it together. 

This is such a beautiful and special conversation with a woman who knows what it’s like to live a happy, healthy and long life. We are so grateful Dr. Gladys gave us her time and shared her wisdom and stories with us and we hope you’ll be as captivated as we were. 

Follow Dr. Gladys on IG here

Buy Gladys’ Book The Well Lived Life here

Find out more about Dr. Gladys’ work & become part of her Be Glad Family here

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This week Nicola and Di chat to the inspiring Lisa Greenberg about her journey from alcohol addiction to sobriety. Lisa is a fitness professional, wife of former NRL CEO Todd Greenberg, mother of 2 wonderful children and as we hear in this interview, soon to be grandmother. From the outside, Lisa’s life looked pretty perfect. She had the waterfront home, the BMW, the designer wardrobe and was walking the red carpet, but she was wearing a mask. In this chat, you’ll hear how Lisa went from the high life, to rock bottom, but thankfully made her way out again and is now living a happy and healthy life in her 50s. 

We hear all about Lisa’s life and how everything appeared ok, until suddenly it wasn’t. Lisa talks about her slippery slope into alcoholism, and the combination of factors that led her down that path. As her husband got one of the biggest jobs in the country, becoming CEO of the NRL, Lisa decided to close her personal training business and in the process, lost her purpose. Add to that, her children were growing up and needed her less and Lisa began to feel that she didn’t have anything of value to contribute - and alcohol became her coping mechanism. 

Lisa opens up about what it was like in the depths of her addiction and how she almost lost her life to the disease. We hear about her lowest moments, but also her incredible resilience and strength which helped her to crawl out of that hole and reclaim her life.

Lisa also shares about her sober life and how incredible it feels to have focus, clarity and joy in her life again. She talks about the power of choice and how we can all make positive changes in our life if we take things one small step at a time.

This is a powerful story of resilience, love, support and positive change and we hope you’ll find it inspiring, and ultimately uplifting. 

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or suicidal thoughts and needs support, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

Follow Lisa on IG here

Follow Lisa’s Happy Healthy Hot YouTube Channel here

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Welcome back to Season 2! Nicola and Di are so excited to be back with the first of many inspiring guests they have lined up for you in 2024. This week we kick off the new season with the utterly amazing David The Medium. David has a true gift and is able to  connect with those who have departed the physical world and crossed into the afterlife. He’s able to hear, see and feel their presence and provide guidance, peace and clarity. You’ll get to hear his gift first-hand in this episode as you listen in on a reading he does for Nicola and Di. David also shares his word of the year for 2024, and what he sees will be the theme for the world this year.

In this conversation David talks about how he first started connecting with spirits in his twenties. He was sceptical at first, but completely opened up to this world after he started working with a mentor and was able to connect with a man who had passed away, an undeniable and powerful experience that led David to learn more and hone his gifts. 

Stay tuned for the reading David does for Nicola and Di, because you won’t believe the messages he brings through for them from the other side. He connects with many of their family members, who have beautiful and wise words to share. David also shares how everything is energy, and how we can all learn to tune in more, listen to our intuition, be present and aware of what is going on around us and start to see the signs that our loved ones who have passed are showing us. They are always with us. 

There was definitely magic in the studio as we recorded this chat with David and everyone was covered in goosebumps. We hope you will be too when you listen. 

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Learn more about David’s work here

Book an online group workshop with David here

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Join Nicola and Di this week as they reflect back on their first year of podcasting and the incredible guests they’ve had through the doors so far. They’ve been lucky enough to chat to comedians, journalists, musicians, doctors, vets, actors, philanthropists, artists, humanitarians, life coaches, models, entrepreneurs and the list goes on. It’s true what they say, variety really is the spice of life. Share in some laughs and stories, as we remember some of our favourite moments from Season 1. 

We want to thank all of our guests for sharing their stories (and their hearts), our team at DM media for their constant support, and most importantly our listeners - we love creating this show for you and we’re thrilled that you tune in each week. We wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday season and we can’t wait to be back in 2024 with even more amazing conversations for you to enjoy. Thanks for being part of our Over The Back Fence community. 

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This week Di and Nicola chat to the multi-talented and effervescent, Christian Wilkins. Many of our listeners would already know Christian - he’s an entertainer, actor, model, singer, dancer, fashion icon and now he’s the author of a new book - Princess Mitchell. All of that and he’s only 28! And of course, he’s also a special member of the OTBF family, being the son of Nicola’s partner, Richard Wilkins. 

This conversation is so much fun! We hear all about the dream wedding Christian is planning, the career aspirations he has for himself in LA and he also dishes up all the secrets on his family, including why he thinks his dad is a bit queer. 

We talk about Christian’s love of fashion, his best and worst fashion moments, the backlash he’s received online, and how Christian deals with some of the awful internet comments - you’ll want to listen in for Christian’s compassionate and wise words here. 

Christian also opens up about what it was like being bullied as a child, how it took him a long time to really own his queerness, and why he feels privileged and grateful for the upbringing he had, which allowed him to fully be himself. 

We also chat about Christian’s fabulous new children’s book - Princess Mitchell. We hear all about the inspiration, why he wrote it and he even reads us a little excerpt. This book is the perfect Christmas gift, so we’ve included the link below to get yourself a copy. 

It really was a joy to have Christian in the studio. He has so many great stories and he had us in stitches. We hope you laugh as much as we did. Enjoy.

Follow Christian Wilkins on IG here

Buy a copy of Christian's book, Princess Mitchell here

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This week Di and Nicola chat to the remarkable and inspiring Dr. Daniel Nour. Daniel is best known as the founder of Street Side Medics, a mobile medical clinic delivering healthcare services to the homeless. In 2022, Daniel was named Young Australian of The Year in recognition of the service he delivers through Street Side Medics to the most vulnerable members of our community. He truly is an angel on earth and we were so honoured to have him in the studio with us. 

In this conversation we hear the simple story of how Daniel came to the assistance of a homeless man who was having a seizure outside Waterloo train station in London, where Daniel was studying medicine at the time, and how that led Daniel to become passionate about understanding the issues that homeless people face and developing a solution to their lack of access to healthcare. It was through this genuine need and Daniel’s hard work and determination that Street Side Medics was born. 

We hear about the vital services that Street Side Medics provide to the homeless all across Australia, and how it has grown from a simple service that Daniel started with his mate to the point they’re now at with a wait list of 18 months to become a volunteer and 600 volunteers currently registered. 

Daniel also shares honestly about how hard it is to find balance in life and the fact that he doesn’t have it yet. He talks about the importance of empathy and how much difference it can make to acknowledge a homeless person’s struggle, be there and listen to their story, and treat them with the respect and dignity that they deserve. 

We are so inspired by the work that Daniel is doing, the positive impact he’s having on thousands of lives and the way he shows us all how to be kinder, more empathetic humans. If you want an uplifting episode that will bring tears to your eyes, this one is a must listen. 

Follow Dr. Daniel Nour on IG here

Follow Street Side Medics on IG here

Find out more and help support Street Side Medics here

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This week Di and Nicola chat to the fun and mega-talented Catherine Alcorn. Catherine is a multi award-winning artist, vocalist, cabaret star, entertainer, comedian, presenter, and producer - there’s not a lot this woman can’t do! She’s best known for her powerhouse vocals, channeling Bette Midler in her most famous role, which won her the Best Cabaret Production in the 2018 Broadway World Awards. Catherine is also happily married to her husband Cam and they have a 6 year old son, Jack.

In this conversation we hear the most incredible story of how Catherine met the man who discovered Bette Midler and how he became her vocal coach for 5 years. He shares with her the story of the night he first heard Bette sing and how she went from earning $25 a night to making hundreds of millions of dollars. And it’s not just this story that Catherine entertains us with - you’ll also hear what it was like when she worked for Oprah, the inspiration behind her Fleetwood Mac show and the time she ended up in Rolling Stone magazine, to name just a few.  

Catherine also talks about what she’s been up to recently - a 5-month tour of regional Australia with Menopause The Musical. She opens up about the highs and lows of being on the road and how despite the fact that she absolutely loves the work she’s doing and lives to perform, the schedule can be gruelling and take its toll. Catherine shares how hard it is to be away from her family for long stretches of time, but thankfully her husband Cam is incredibly supportive of the work that she does. Thanks to Nicola, we also hear all about how Catherine and Cam met and fell in love. 

And we get the inside scoop on the running joke between Catherine and Robbie Williams and how it all started. 

If you love a sing-a-long, this episode is a must listen as you’ll get to hear Di and Catherine sing some Bette Midler classics and we even get a taste of a Robbie Williams number at the end. We had such a blast talking to Catherine and we hope you enjoy her infectious energy and enthusiasm as much as we did. 

Follow Catherine Alcorn on IG here

Buy tickets to Menopause The Musical here

Take part in Ausmusic T-Shirt Day for Support Act here

Find out more about Catherine and her work here

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This week Nicola and Di chat with the joyful and inspiring Lisa Walker. Lisa is the co-founder of Eir - a women’s wellness company which creates supplements for women over 40 to help them feel well and full of joy. After a career in beauty and health marketing, Lisa spent years fine tuning the stories of other brands and celebrities including Canon, Invisible Zinc, Skinstitut, Lisa Wilkinson and Dr Chris Brown. Whilst she was working at Canon, Lisa met her business partner Kate, and the idea for Eir was born. Following the tragic loss of her husband in 2022, Lisa found a new sense of purpose and fulfilment in building her company and helping other women find midlife health for longevity to get the absolute best out of the 2nd half of their lives. Lisa is also the proud mum of 2 young boys. 

In this chat we hear about Lisa’s year of YES - which was a decision she made on her 49th birthday, 1 year after her husband Ben had passed away, to commit to a year of yes. Yes to joy, to life, to love, to friends, to experiences.  Yes to new beginnings. We hear lots of the great stories from that year - all the different things Lisa tried, from fly fishing to pole dancing, and what her favourite experience was. We also have a fun time chatting to Lisa about the dating scene in her 50s, the courage it takes to put yourself back out there and whether she’s open to meeting someone new. 

Lisa also shares her thoughts on grief - how she’s coped through this difficult time, the tools that have helped her along the way, how she processes her grief and the lessons she continues to learn.

We had such a wonderful time in the studio with Lisa. It was an inspiring conversation that covered challenging things such as alcoholism and the loss of her husband, but also joyful and uplifting stories of finding a renewed sense of purpose in midlife. A real chat about what it’s like being human and the emotional rollercoaster that can be at times. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. 

Follow Lisa Walker on IG here

Follow Eir Women on IG here

Find out more and order Eir Women products here

Read Lisa’s Year of Yes article here 

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This week Di and Nicola chat to the incredibly dynamic, Zora Benhamou. Zora is a gerontologist and biohacker, who’s an expert in longevity and how to optimise your health. More recently, Zora has specialised in menopause and she loves to educate, support and empower women to transform their physiology and menopause experience. Not only that, Zora is a mother to 2 amazing adult children and a true global citizen - travelling the world as a digital nomad with her husband Franck (who you’ll hear all about in this chat). She also happens to be a girlfriend of Di and Nicola who they were lucky enough to meet in Phuket. 

In this episode Zora shares some fascinating research about how we can improve our healthspan and live happier, healthier lives through focusing on our personal relationships. We chat about the impact of loneliness on our health and why connection is vital for longevity. 

Zora also talks about biohacking menopause and gives us the lowdown on the important role hormones play in so many aspects of our health and why we need to focus on getting them in balance. 

We ask Zora about a cheeky challenge she participated in, where she had sex every day for 30 days and what she learnt about herself (and her husband) in the process. This led to a hilarious discussion about the benefits of spermidine, and we could not stop giggling. 

Zora is such a bundle of energy and has a wealth of knowledge about so many topics. We had the best time chatting to her and we hope you enjoy our giggles and laugh along with us. 

Follow Zora on IG here and Facebook here

Join the Biohacking Menopause Facebook Group here

Join the Hack My Age VIP Group here

Listen to Zora’s Hack My Age podcast here

Find out more about Zora’s work here

Buy Spermidine supplements here. Use discount code: ZORA

Read the Harvard Study of Adult Development here

Read the Spermidine research here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di and Nicola chat to the dynamic and multi-talented Jules Robinson. Many of you would know Jules from her time on Married at First Sight in 2019, when she met and married the love of her life Cam. However her stint on MAFs is just one small part of a wonderfully full and interesting life that Jules has created for herself. Jules is an entrepreneur and founder of shapewear brand Figur, fashion label Moira Muse, and hair and makeup salon with a difference, Status Co Republic. Not only that, but Jules and Cam have a beautiful son Ollie, so she’s also a busy mum. 

In this episode we hear what it was like being thrown into the spotlight on MAFs, and how the beautiful feedback Jules received from viewers inspired her to create her shapewear brand, Figur. We get the inside story about what it was like to launch in the UK, with a group of diverse women, parading around London on a double decker bus wearing only shapewear.   

Jules shares some beautiful stories about what it’s like being married to Cam. We hear how they’ve become a really strong team and the way they support each other unconditionally to achieve their goals. We also hear how life has changed since they had their son Ollie, what they do to nurture their relationship and the dream they have to grow their family and have another child. 

Jules also opens up about being on the brink of burnout last year, a magical trip she took to Bali to restore her energy, and the challenge she now has to try and find a sense of balance in the very full life she’s living. Jules is very honest about this and doesn’t shy away from the fact that this is something she needs to work on. 

Jules is a total powerhouse and we loved chatting with her in the studio. We hope you feel as inspired as we did after talking to her. Thanks for listening. 

Follow Jules Robinson on IG here

Follow Jules’ shapewear label Figur on IG here

Buy your Figur products here 

Follow Jules’ hair and makeup salon Status Co. Republic on IG here 

Follow Jule’s fashion label Moira Muse on IG here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat to the incredible story teller, Tim Olsen. Tim is one of Australia’s most recognised and respected art identities, successful gallery owner and prize winning author. He is also the son of one of Australia’s most famous artists, John Olsen. 

In this episode, Tim shares what it was like living under the shadow of his father and how he had to fight hard to make a name for himself in the art world. He talks openly about the complex relationship he had with his father, the struggles they had, the disappointments, but ultimately the love and respect they had for one another and how they were all together the day that John died. 

Tim opens up about how he used alcohol to cope with disappointments and trauma, and the slippery slope he started going down into alcoholism. He also shares his rock bottom moment and how he fought his way out of the hole and came out the other side, thriving. We hear some incredible stories about the time he spent in rehab at the Betty Ford Center and how Tim was one of the lucky ones. 

We also hear about Tim’s successful gallery, and why he can’t stand when the art world is pretentious. He has a refreshing perspective about art, welcomes everyone in his gallery and wants to help anyone be able to feel a connection with beautiful art. 

This conversation is a really beautiful one. Tim is open, honest, vulnerable and full of great stories about his life. He also shares lots of pearls of wisdom in this chat, so make sure you stay tuned until the end. We hope you enjoy listening to Tim as much as we enjoyed speaking with him. 

Follow Tim Olsen on IG here

Follow Olsen Gallery on IG here

Find out more about Olsen Gallery here

Buy Son of the Brush here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di and Nicola chat to their producer Sam Thomas, who jumps over the fence in this episode to join them behind the microphone. Sam is a life coach and professional speaker, who loves helping people improve the relationship they have with themselves.  Sam met Nicola and Di when they came to stay at a health retreat she was working at in Phuket. Who knew that a beautiful connection that started in Phuket, would lead to chatting about the possibility of doing a podcast and Sam joining the OTBF team as their producer. Life works in magical ways. 

In this chat we hear what it was like when Di and Nicola first met Sam, living her island life and the life coaching classes that she used to give there. We talk about Sam’s favourite topic of all, self-love, and why she believes the relationship you have with yourself is the most important relationship of your life. 

Sam gives some practical tools for how we can all be a bit kinder to ourselves, and the question that you can ask yourself each day to become more self-loving. We also talk about the difference between being self-loving and being selfish, and how taking care of yourself ultimately benefits others. 

Sam also shares what it’s been like for her since covid brought her back to Australia, the daily routines and practices she has to look after her mental health, and why connection is the most important aspect for her wellbeing. 

It was so fun having this chat as a podcast team and we hope you enjoy getting to know a little bit more about our producer, Sam. Thanks for listening. 

Follow Sam Thomas on IG here

Find out more about Sam’s Coaching and Speaking here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the inspiring and generous Tina Nettlefold. Tina is a full time philanthropist, who reinvented herself in her 60s and founded T.House - a luxury Australian homewares brand that donates 100% of their profits to charity. Tina is a fabulous storyteller, and this episode is packed full of great stories from her life. 

We hear all about Tina’s love life and how it really was third time lucky for her. After one failed marriage and being dumped 6 weeks before her 2nd wedding, Tina went on to meet the man of her dreams and they’ve now been married for 33 years. We hear the juicy story of what happened when Tina’s 2nd husband-to-be dumped her before the wedding - let’s just say it involves a can of paint and an axe. 

Tina talks about the risky move she made with her husband to Malaysia, where he started a successful business, only for it to come crashing down 18 months later and they ended up losing it all. But as you’ll hear with a lot of Tina’s stories, they didn’t dwell on it, but chose to focus on the positives, learn some hard lessons and move to Indonesia where they could start a business all over again. 

She also opens up about the tragic circumstances which caused her to move back to Australia with her family and how she went through a career transition out of the advertising industry and into interior styling. Tina shares how the pandemic in 2020 was the catalyst for another life change and how she came up with the idea of T.House. Taking risks and reinventing herself seem to be themes in Tina’s life. 

We loved talking to Tina about the remarkable work she’s doing and the charities she’s supporting. As she reminds us all, kindness is free. This is a really entertaining conversation and we hope you get lost in Tina’s stories like we did. Enjoy.

Follow Tina Nettlefold on IG here

Follow T.House on IG here

Check out the T.House website here

Check out the T.House shop here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we are delighted to speak with the refreshing and inspiring Brigitte Warne. Brigitte is a successful model and entrepreneur both in Australia and internationally. When Brigitte was just 25, she saw a huge gap in the market and a lack of representation for older aged models and decided to start Silverfox MGMT - Australia’s first modelling agency representing models over the age of 30. Since 2015, Brigitte has grown the business from just 10 models to over 400 models and you’ll be able to tell from our conversation that she’s just getting started.  

In this chat we hear how Brigitte and her friend first had the idea to start Silverfox MGMT, and how they came up with the brilliant name. We get the inside scoop on the hilarious casting call they did to source their first models and how hard they had to work in their first year to convince brands that using age appropriate models was the way of the future. Brigitte was ahead of her time and she knew that if she persevered, brands would begin to see what she could and that age diversity would become the new norm - boy was she right!

Brigitte shares the wonderful and inspiring story of one of their clients, Joyce, who was their oldest model at 98 years of age, and how modelling gave her a renewed sense of purpose and brought joy to her life up until the day she passed away. 

Brigitte also opens up about her personal journey with PCOS, and how she didn’t let an incorrect diagnosis deter her from learning how to heal her hormonal health, so she could give birth to 2 beautiful babies.

Brigitte is really a breath of fresh air and her empowering message about being #agepositive is one we truly believe in and we felt so inspired after chatting with her. We hope you love listening to this one. 

Follow Brigitte Warne on IG here

Follow Silverfox MGMT on IG here

Find out more about Silverfox MGMT here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we get to share in the laughs with Di and Nicola as they catch up on Nicola’s latest European adventure and Di’s spring skiing trip to Thredbo - from jet skiing and super yachts to grounding and icy dips in the river, it’s always fun to hear what they’ve been up to. After that, Di and Nicola chat with the passionate and inspiring Mandy Spooner about simple changes you can make to contribute to an eco-friendly planet. Mandy is known as the Eco Warrior, who loves educating and helping others with ways they can reduce the amount of toxins and plastic in their lives. She shares so many practical tips in this episode, that are all really doable, so we can’t wait for you to listen in. 

In this chat, we hear how Mandy got started on this journey after reading an article in 2017 about how takeaway coffee cups aren't recyclable. Mandy couldn’t believe what she was reading and went down the rabbit hole of finding out everything you need to know about single use plastic and researching different alternatives and ways that we can all live a more eco-friendly existence. Since that day, more than 5 years ago, she hasn’t looked back and thankfully, she’s now educating so many others about this important issue.

Far from being doom and gloom, Mandy shares about the great companies and initiatives that are out there and the progress that we’re making in recycling and sustainability. She’s confident that if we all take small steps and inspire those around us, we can really achieve great things together. 

We’re so grateful that Mandy flew down from the Sunshine Coast to be with us in our Sydney studio and we hope you feel as motivated as we did after speaking to her. 

Follow Mandy Spooner on IG here

Get Mandy’s Living Green eBook here 

Get more of Mandy’s tips and find out about her work here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is a special episode where we are doubling up the fun with 2 incredible guests, Dr. Tim Sharp and Muffy Churches. Dr. Tim Sharp aka Dr. Happy is an internationally renowned leader in the field of positive psychology. He’s a writer, a coach, a keynote speaker, a professor and the founder of The Happiness Institute. Muffy Churches is a leading performance coach, a keynote speaker, an author as well as a mother and a grandmother, who’s inspiring us all in her 70s. Di and Nicola get to chat to both Dr. Happy and Muffy about the power of positive thinking and how to make happiness a priority.

In this chat, we hear Dr. Happy talk about how it’s not about being happy all the time and that it’s okay not to be okay. He talks about his own struggles with mental health and how it’s important to know that you’re never alone. We also hear how he got started in the field of positive psychology and became interested in learning what people can do to live happier lives.

Dr. Happy shares his best tips for how you can increase happiness in your life. It’s all about choosing to make happiness a priority and he gives us some great ideas for how we can all do that. Most importantly, he says that the biggest factor when it comes to happiness is that other people matter. It really is all about your connections and relationships with others. 

We then hear from Muffy Churches with her practical and uplifting coaching tips. Muffy shares what you can do if you’re feeling stuck, suffering from glass half-empty syndrome and you’re not sure how to move forward. We also get her top tips on how to transfer negative thinking and shift your mindset, which were featured in an article she wrote for Success Magazine. 

Both of these guests have so much wisdom and practical tools to share for how you can create a more positive mindset and boost your happiness levels, so you won’t want to miss it. We hope you enjoy listening to them as much as we loved having them in the studio with us. 

Follow Dr. Happy on IG here , on LinkedIn here and on Facebook here

Check out Dr. Happy’s website here

Follow Muffy Churches on IG here, on LinkedIn here and on Facebook here

Buy Muffy Churches Coach Yourself book here

Check out Muffy Churches Online Courses here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s episode is with the talented and inspiring Deb Coffey. Deb has had a remarkable career within the world of fashion, lifestyle and interiors. Deb spent many years as a journalist, helping people navigate style through the various publications she worked for such as The Sun-Herald, The Sunday Telegraph, Elle Magazine, Cosmopolitan, The Australian Magazine and Vogue. She then went on to run a very successful PR Agency, Hush Communications, before moving into the world of interiors, which is where her passion now lies. Deb has renovated 10 houses personally and has a stunning interiors store, Manyara Home, where she guides budding renovators into a world of beauty. 

In this episode we hear some great pearls of wisdom from Deb - why she thinks change is a really good thing, her refreshing perspective on flipping houses, what key wardrobe pieces to invest in and her top interior styling tips. 

Deb shares what it was like working in the media in the 80s and 90s, how things have fundamentally changed since then and the way the skills she learned as a journalist have served her well in other areas of her life. 

We also hear about Deb’s beautiful marriage, which began when Deb was just 19. She shares why she thinks her marriage works and what she suggests women look out for when they’re choosing a long-term partner. It’s probably not what you think. 

As we follow Deb’s story and career path, we hear how a chance conversation led to her purchasing the interiors store, Manyara Home, and Deb’s passion for interiors really shines through in this chat. Deb gives some great tips on how to make the most of your space with simple suggestions for furniture, curtains and lighting that you won’t want to miss. 

Deb is a real go-getter who’s always moving forwards and engaging in new and different things to keep her mind active. She has a refreshing perspective to share and we really hope you enjoy listening in as much as we enjoyed chatting with her. 

Check out Deb’s Interior Store, Manyara Home here

Follow Manyara Home on IG here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s episode is a special one where we get to hear from two of Di’s baby brothers, Richard and Colin Scotts. These two are charming and hilarious as they tell us stories about what it was like growing up in their big family back in the day. Colin is a living legend, the first rugby player in the world to make it into the NFL in the United States. He’s written a best-selling book, All Balls, and he’s a proud dad of two. Richard, a former first grade national rugby champion himself, now runs a hugely successful media company and is putting together a film script of Colin’s amazing life, called Rough Diamond. Rich is also a proud father of four and a neighbour to Nicola and Di. 

In this episode we hear so many special stories of what it was like growing up in a huge family, in a stunning part of the world, Sydney’s Palm Beach. We get a beautiful insight into the Scotts family - what their mum and dad were like, the values they lived by and the wonderfully positive attitude they had and instilled in their kids. We also hear about the mischief Di and her brothers got up to when their parents were away - let’s just say, it was a party house!

Col share’s the story of his incredible career in the NFL - the surprising way that he got scouted, the scholarship he got to play for the University of Hawaii, the day he was drafted to the St Louis Cardinals, as well as some hilarious steps along the way, such as being made the head judge of the Waikiki Bikini Competition.

We hear all about what it was like living in Hawaii back in the 80s, and how Rich came over to visit Col for a week and ended up staying for a year and a half. Rich is a wonderful storyteller who shares some of the funnier moments of their time together in Hawaii, including their epic fail when they were put in charge of the valet service for a huge Super Bowl party and lost some of the cars. 

Rich also shares how much he loved growing up in a big family, and how he adores spending time with his four kids. You can tell that for Col, Rich and Di, it really is all about family. 

This is a wonderful episode where we get to learn more about Di and the fun-loving family she grew up in. As she shares in the episode, there is a river of love that runs through the Scotts family, and it never runs dry. And even though Nicola might not be a blood relative, they all think of her as the 6th sister. We hope you laugh along with Nicola, Di and her brothers in this funny and uplifting chat. 

Follow Colin on IG here

Buy Col’s book All Balls here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Nicola and Di chat with the world-renowned psychotherapist, relationship and empowerment expert, Terri Cole. Through her best-selling books, online courses, YouTube videos, podcast episodes and psychotherapy practice, Terri has taught thousands of people how to improve their relationships, communicate effectively, set better boundaries, truly be seen and finally live free as the most authentic, most empowered version of themselves.

In this conversation, we hear Terri’s career story and how she went from being a talent agent to the top supermodels in the world in the 90s, to completely shifting gears and becoming a licensed therapist. We’re so glad she did, because Terri has gone on to become an expert in boundaries and relationships and she has a gift for taking complex psychological concepts and making them super easy to understand so you can take action and make positive changes. 

We got a real taste of that in this interview, where Terri gives us a masterclass in what boundaries are, why they’re important, why so many of us have no idea how to set them or communicate them and she gives us the tools and language to become a boundary boss. Terri shares how it all goes back to childhood and the boundary blueprint we grew up with. We also get to hear about her new book Too Much, which is about breaking the cycle of high-functioning codependency, which Terri explains to us in simple terms. 

Terri also shares the wonderful story of her first date with her husband, and how she insisted on finding someone who was willing to go deep and who had done years of therapy - Terri was in luck, because when they met, he’d been in therapy for 20 years! She shares with Nicola how it’s possible to meet a man like this if that’s what she wants to attract and it’s all about the energy she emanates. 

We absolutely loved chatting with Terri. She’s been on the top of our dream guest list for the podcast since the very beginning, and we hope after listening to this episode you’ll understand why. She is wise, insightful, helpful and a whole lot of fun as well! We hope you love hearing from Terri as much as we did. 

Follow Terri Cole on IG here

Pre-order Terri’s new book Too Much here

Buy Terri’s book Boundary Boss here 

Find out more about Terri’s work and online courses here

Listen to Terri’s podcast, The Terri Cole show here 

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di and Nicola speak to the inspiring and delightful Jane Grover. Jane is a former chef, turned home cook and the author of 2 amazing cookbooks, Naked Food and Our Delicious Adventure. She offers cooking classes and Afternoon Tea With An Author events in her home, and wants to empower people to feel unafraid to cook and eat well. Jane is also a loving wife and mother of 3, with a grand sense of adventure and generosity of spirit. This generosity has led to her becoming a board member of the Te-Kworo Foundation, a charity dedicated to the rehabilitation and education of war-affected women and children in northern Uganda.

In this episode we hear how Jane first got started as a chef and the conscious decision she made to step away from her career for a period of time to be a stay-at-home mum to her 3 children. Jane talks about her love of food, how she became deeply interested in good quality and nutritious ingredients, and the inspiration behind her first cookbook, Naked Food, which was about sharing simple, whole food recipes that taste great and are good for you.

Jane shares about the incredible adventure she went on around Australia with her husband and youngest son, and how this led to her second cookbook, Our Delicious Adventure. 

We also hear the inspiring story of how Jane met and became friends with Alice Achan, a Ugandan woman dedicated to educating and rehabilitating girls returning from captivity. When Alice became stranded in Australia during Covid, Jane took her under her wing and spent her days looking after Alice. The two formed a beautiful friendship, which led to Jane working for the Te-Kworo foundation, which Alice founded to help young women in Uganda.  

Jane is a beautiful storyteller and a warm-hearted and generous soul, whose love of people and the world shines through in this episode. We hope you feel as inspired as we did chatting with her. 

Follow Jane on IG here

Get a copy of Jane’s books here

Find out more about Jane’s cooking classes and events here

Find out more about the Te-Kworo Foundation and how you can help here

Get a copy of The School of Restoration by Alice Achan and Philippa Tyndale here

Follow Te-Kworo on IG here

Follow Nicola and Di on IG here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di and Nicola speak to the talented Tracey Yarad. Tracey is a singer and musician from country Taree. She’s had an incredible and eclectic music career, touring all over the world with many Aussie and international rock bands. She also spent 7 years performing in Japan and China, and saving money to fund her dream, which was to open her own music school. These days Tracey lives in New York, but she’s currently in Australia touring her one woman show, All These Pretty Things.

In this episode we hear about Tracey’s lifelong passion for music, and the twists and turns that her path has taken along the way, to where she now finds herself living and performing in New York. Tracey grew up in Taree, where it was expected that she would step into the family retail business, but her dedication to music led to her getting a scholarship to study opera at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. 

Tracey shares the dream she had to open her own music school, which she was able to achieve in the Blue Mountains with her husband at the time. From a small music school, they built it into a beautiful and thriving business with over 200 students. Tracey is still in touch with many of her students today, who are performing in bands all over the country. 

We hear the heartbreaking tale of the breakdown of Tracey’s marriage and how she was left picking up the pieces and deciding what to do next. With a supportive group of friends around her, encouraging her to travel to New York and perform on her own again, Tracey found herself falling in love with the Big Apple, healing and re-inventing herself in her 50s. In 2017, Tracey was able to secure an artist's visa to move permanently to New York, where she now lives and breathes music. 

Tracey’s story is a beautiful one, full of ups and downs, but above all, it’s the story of a woman who restored her heart through music, supportive friends, and the courage to go after her dreams, no matter how big. We hope you enjoy this inspiring episode. 

Follow Tracey on IG here

Get Tracey's music, tickets to her shows and pre-order her book here

Find out more about Tracey and her work here

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di and Nicola speak to the wonderful and hilarious, Cathrine Mahoney. Cathrine is the author of Currently Between Husbands, a book about life, love and laughter after divorce, and one of Di and Nicola’s favourite books of the year. For years she was the queen of celebrity publicity at Sony Music, before taking a leap of faith to follow her dream to tell stories and write. She is also the host and co-host of several podcasts including So, I Quit My Day Job, Not Another Parenting Podcast and the Mamamia podcast 456 Club, and mum to her teenage son Louis. 

In this episode we hear what it was like for Cathrine when just before her 40th birthday, her marriage to one of Australia’s sporting heroes, NRL player Andrew Johns, fell apart and made headlines across the country. As she struggled with the lows that the end of a marriage can bring, Cathrine wanted to read a book about divorce that was funny and honest and would reassure her that everything was going to be alright. When she couldn’t find that book on the shelves, Cathrine decided to write her own. And thank goodness she did, because it’s brilliant! 

Cathrine shares some hilarious stories from the book, including her rock bottom moment at LAX that she can now look back on and laugh - it’s one you won’t want to miss! Cathrine also tells us what dating was like as she re-entered that world and she shares some great tips and funny insights about what we can all expect and be on the lookout for when it comes to dating apps. 

We also talk about Cathrine’s fantastic podcasts, her friendship with Narelda Jacobs, the refreshing perspective she has on aging and how excited she is about what lies ahead and the dreams she has for her future. 

We absolutely loved chatting with Cathrine and she had us in stitches. We hope this episode will have you feeling good and laughing along with us. Enjoy.

Follow Cathrine on IG here

Follow So I Quit My Day Job on IG here

Get a copy of Cathrine’s book Currently Between Husbands here 

Find out more about Cathrine here 

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di and Nicola speak to the incredibly inspiring Aminata Conteh-Biger. Aminata was born and raised in Sierra Leone, where she lived a beautiful life with her family until the age of 18, when her whole world was turned upside down. She was kidnapped by rebel forces and abused by them for months during the civil war in her country, before being released and becoming one of the first Sierra Leonian refugees in Australia in the year 2000. Since then, it’s phenomenal what Aminata has been able to accomplish so far. She is the founder and CEO of the Aminata Maternal Foundation, an author, an inspirational speaker, an activist, a Special Representative for Australia UNHCR and the recipient of several humanitarian awards. Aminata is also a proud wife and mother of 2 beautiful children. 

In this episode we hear Aminata’s powerful story of growing up in Sierra Leone in a loving family, and the beautiful values that were instilled in her and her siblings by their remarkable father. Aminata shares with us the horrifying moment when she was kidnapped by rebel soldiers at the age of 18, the abuse that followed, and then the miracle which led to her release.

Aminata talks about what it was like coming to Australia, a place she had never heard of, as one of the first refugees from Sierra Leone and the culture shock that followed. We also hear the beautiful story of when she met her husband and the love letter he wrote that took her years to find. 

After complications with the birth of Aminata’s first daughter Sarafina, Aminata began learning more about maternal health and was motivated to set up the Aminata Maternal Foundation to help provide maternal healthcare and education for women in Sierra Leone. Aminata opens up about what it’s been like to witness the life-changing impact that her foundation is having on these girls and young women. 

At the end of the episode, we also hear more about Aminata’s passion for fashion and the amazing work she does with The Social Outfit, a social enterprise that supports refugees to kick-start their Australian careers by making and selling incredible clothes. 

We are so grateful to Aminata for the work that she’s doing and for sharing her story with us. We hope that you enjoy this powerful conversation as much as we did. 

Follow Aminata on IG, on Facebook and on LinkedIn here

Get a copy of Aminata’s book Rising Heart here

Find out more about Aminata Maternal Foundation here

Hire Aminata to speak here 

Follow The Social Outfit on Instagram here

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.