Welcome to Life After I Left.
A podcast about the moments that change us, hosted by Cat Dunn, speaker, mentor, and founder.
This is a community where women share the stories they once thought they had to keep hidden.
Expect vulnerable conversations, practical insights, dark humour, deep reflections, expert advice, and the kind of honesty that makes you sit in your car after an episode finishes.
New stories every Thursday.
Remember: Don’t be silent. Be unstoppable.
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64: Life After… Is Becoming a Book: Turning Pain into Purpose, Untold Stories & Why Your Voice Belongs on the Page
Episode 64
Wednesday, July 29, 2026 • Duration 09:26
What if the story you haven't told yet is the one that changes someone else's life?
In today's solo episode, I'm announcing something that feels like the natural next chapter for everything Life After I Left has been building toward. And I want you to be part of it!
The Life After I Left anthology is officially open for submissions from 1 August 2026.
In this episode, I chat about:
How Life After I Left started as a live event in Melbourne in November 2024 and has grown into six events, a podcast, and now a book
What the anthology is - a collection of real, raw, honest stories from women who have turned their pain into purpose
Why your writing talent doesn't matter, your story does (and why AI-written submissions won't be considered)
How the submission process works
Why you won't be doing this alone - authors will be connected with each other and supported as a community throughout the process
Our publisher Jenna Little and The Daring Press, and why this book is in the best possible hands
The Australia-wide book launch roadshow coming in 2027, and the speaking opportunities that come with it
Why this call-out is for women across Australia
No topic is off limits. No writing experience required. Just your truth, in your words.
Submissions are open 1st – 31st August 2026 for women based in Australia.
63: Veronika Whyte on Life After… Identity: Rebuilding from Zero, Choosing Your Challenges & Claiming What You Want
Episode 63
Wednesday, July 22, 2026 • Duration 36:16
What if the fire that burned everything down was actually the moment that set you free?
Today I'm joined by Veronika Whyte. Veronika is a registered child and family psychotherapist, play therapist, author, television host, and founder of Star Kids Therapy in Melbourne.
After immigrating to Australia and rebuilding her career and qualifications from scratch, losing a decade of university studies in the process, she's become a leading voice in emotional resilience, identity, and helping women step into what's next.
She's also the creator of Victoria Pearl, a community for women who have survived, rebuilt, and are now ready for something bigger.
In this episode, we chat about:
The apartment fire that burned everything Veronika owned, including her documents, her passport, and a designer bag she'd saved up for
Why identity development is never set in stone, and why that's actually good news
The "just" problem: how women use apologetic language to shrink themselves without even realising it
Why you can have it all, just not all at the same time, and how to stop feeling guilty about that
The moment paralysis hits hardest: not at rock bottom, but when life is "fine" and you're too scared to risk what you've built
Moving to Australia and rebuilding her career from zero, including re-doing ten years of university qualifications
How Veronika's personal experiences with pregnancy loss and IVF shaped the work she does with women
The pearl metaphor, and why our traumas aren't things to get rid of, but to grow around
How to choose your challenges before life chooses them for you
One practical thing you can do today if you're stuck, paralysed by choice, or not sure who you are any more
62: Life After… Learning to Be Alone: Solo Travel, Loneliness, and What Fear Is Costing You
Episode 62
Wednesday, July 15, 2026 • Duration 15:31
What is your fear actually costing you?
I'm flying solo this week, fresh off a spontaneous trip to Adelaide, including dinners alone, a winery tour with strangers, a festival packed with couples and groups while I stood there by myself.
What started as a break from business overwhelm turned into something bigger: a real look at why so many of us can't be alone with our own thoughts, and what that fear is actually protecting us from.
In this episode, I chat about:
Why I booked a solo trip to Adelaide when I was feeling flat, overwhelmed, and paralysed by decisions in my business
The moment I almost talked myself out of going, and why I went anyway
Doing things solo: dinner alone, a gaol tour, a winery day, a busy festival - all by myself
Why being alone isn't the same as being lonely, and why so many of us avoid our own company
The negative self-talk loop that shows up before we do the brave thing
Struggling to connect with people in Adelaide, and choosing not to make it mean anything about me
Sitting with the loneliness I felt instead of numbing it or forcing connection
Recognising how two decades in relationships where I was still alone shaped my relationship with solitude
Small, doable steps to build your own solo-comfort
An invitation to share your own story on the podcast
Fear isn't the enemy here; it's the compass. If there's somewhere you've been avoiding because you'd have to face it alone, this episode is your nudge to take one small step toward it, not away from it.
Wanna share your story?
I'd love to invite you to be a guest on the podcast. If you have a story you'd like to share, apply here:
61: Ella Hall on Life After... Addiction: Burnout, Human Design & Coming Back to Yourself
Episode 61
Wednesday, July 8, 2026 • Duration 01:02:53
Content warning: This episode discusses addiction, disordered eating, and past trauma including childhood abuse. Please take care when listening, or skip this episode if it feels triggering.
What if addiction was never the problem, but the solution?
Ella Hall is an embodied leadership mentor, transformational speaker, and the creator of the Platinum Method, a framework built from her own journey through addiction, burnout, and reinvention.
In May 2026, Ella shared her story on the Life After I Left stage for the first time in a way she'd never spoken it before, and this episode picks up exactly where that talk left off.
In this episode, we chat about:
The moment Ella realised addiction was never the problem - it was always the solution
Her earliest addiction at age three, and the 28-year battle with bulimia that followed
Why the "all icing, no cake" burnout hit after her most successful year in business
The difference between performative power and true embodiment in the coaching industry
How to actually vet a coach or mentor, and the red flags most people miss
Living out of alignment with her human design, and what happened when she stopped
The 12-hour turnaround that changed her business after she stopped running from herself
Why feeling the hard thing, rather than avoiding it, is the only way through
Ella's story is proof that the parts of yourself you've spent a lifetime trying to fix or hide are often where your greatest gifts are hiding too.
This conversation is raw, unfiltered, and a powerful reminder that you always have the choice to choose again.
60: Life After... Becoming a Badass: Audacity, Boundaries, & Showing Up Scared Anyway
Episode 60
Wednesday, July 1, 2026 • Duration 18:18
What if everything you thought a badass looked like has been wrong this whole time, and you've actually been one all along?
I'm taking you back to age eleven, a VHS tape of Grease, and a lifelong chase to figure out what "badass" actually means.
After recently speaking at the Badass Women Networking at LOEV in Moorabbin, I sat down to dismantle this word for good because too many women in business think badass is something huge and unreachable, when really, it's already in you.
In this episode, I chat about:
Where the word "badass" came from in my life — from Grease to high school chavs to musical theatre envy
Why I used to believe badass belonged to everyone except me
The six words I created to redefine what badass means for women in business: Boundaries, Audacity, Done (over perfect), Authentic, Surviving, and Showing (up scared)
Why simply surviving a hard day in business is just as badass as a million-dollar launch
The story of my first webinar with zero attendees
An invitation to define what badass means to you, and the courage to claim it out loud
This episode is a reminder that badass was never about being the coolest person in the room; it's about boundaries, audacity, authenticity, and showing up scared anyway.
If you've ever felt like you don't measure up to the women you admire in business, this one's for you. You are already the badass you've been looking for.
59: Jess Mitchell on Life After... Slowing Down: Leaving corporate, backing yourself, and career changes in your 40s
Episode 59
Wednesday, June 24, 2026 • Duration 44:36
What if the lesson you most needed to learn wasn't about achieving more, but about finally allowing others to do life with you?
This week on Life After I Left, I'm joined by Jess Mitchell, sales and leadership specialist, speaker, facilitator, and founder of Women Rise.
Jess spent decades working in corporate sales and leadership, always achieving, always over-responsible, always moving fast, until a sudden career change at 44 gave her the gift she never expected: the chance to slow down and finally ask, what is my message?
Jess's story begins at six years old, the youngest child of a farming family, when her mum made the courageous decision to move her children out of the family home to create a safer life. From that moment, Jess learned early how to carry more than her share. It took four decades, and stepping out of a role she thought she'd have forever, to realise that the answer to over-responsibility isn't more effort. It's togetherness.
In this episode, we chat about:
Growing up in a separated home and learning over-responsibility from a very young age
Why Jess's sudden departure from corporate felt like a loss, and the unexpected gift that came from slowing down
The moment Jess realised her message wasn't about what people wanted to hear, but what she was congruent enough to say
Why confidence comes after action, not before, and what that looks like in practice
The difference between isolating yourself in business and choosing to build something together
Her Māori proverb that underpins everything: we are all in the canoe and we row together
Why she's writing a book (and who talked her into it)
The value of staying bold and curious, even when the path ahead isn't clear
This episode is for every woman who has been quietly carrying too much, waiting until she feels "ready enough," or talking herself out of the help she actually needs.
58: Life After… My First Fail as a Published Author: Getting it wrong, showing up anyway, and learning to love the failures
Episode 58
Wednesday, June 17, 2026 • Duration 15:58
What if the thing standing between you and the life you actually want isn't failure, but your fear of it?
In this solo episode, I'm getting real about something that happened to me yesterday morning. A small mistake, a live stream, and the wrong backdrop, and what it taught me about the one fear that quietly runs the lives of so many women in business and in life.
In this episode, I chat about:
The 4:30am wake-up call that went sideways - and why I'm glad I showed up anyway
Why shaming yourself for mistakes is doing far more damage than the mistake itself
The difference between fear of failure and what's actually underneath it — fear of success
Why success can feel more terrifying than failure, and what that says about the responsibility we're afraid to own
How I've had to apply this same lesson to 20 years of patterns in relationships
What learning to walk has to do with your next scary business move
Why community and support aren't optional when you're going after big, scary goals
How I turned yesterday's mistake into content, a lesson, and a reminder that showing up imperfectly still changes lives
A sneak peek at the new program I'm building around fear, and how to get early access
This episode is for the woman who has been staying in bed — metaphorically or literally — because the risk of getting it wrong feels bigger than the cost of doing nothing.
It's not.
Failure is not the opposite of success. It's the road that gets you there.
And if you're scared right now, that's not a sign to stop. It's a sign that what you're going after actually matters.
57: Kristi McVee on Life After… Policing: Child abuse investigations, PTSD & protecting children online
Episode 59
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 • Duration 01:02:45
What would you do if your child told you, "You're not the mum I remember"?
Content warning: This conversation is confronting, emotional and, at times, difficult to hear. We discuss child sexual abuse, online exploitation, grooming, and the challenges families face when navigating these issues.
Today I'm joined by Kristi McVee. Kristi is a former Detective Senior Constable, specialist child interviewer, and straight-talking child abuse prevention educator who doesn't sugar-coat the truth.
During her decade in the West Australian Police Force, Kristi investigated child sexual abuse, interviewed vulnerable children, managed child sex offenders, and witnessed the devastating cost of silence, shame, and systems that fail.
But after years of witnessing the impact of abuse, navigating broken systems, and carrying the emotional weight of the work, Kristi reached a point where something had to change.
When her daughter told her, "You're not the mum I remember," Kristi made the difficult decision to leave policing and begin the long journey of recovering from PTSD.
Since leaving the police in 2020, Kristi has become a sought-after keynote speaker, bestselling author of Operation KidSafe, and a leading voice in protective parenting education. Today, she helps parents, caregivers, and communities better understand the realities of child abuse and how to keep children safe, both online and offline.
In this episode, we chat about:
Kristi's journey from young mum to detective and specialist child interviewer
The emotional toll of investigating child sexual abuse and living with PTSD
Why broken systems and a lack of support can impact frontline workers
The warning signs of child grooming and predatory behaviour
The growing risks children face online through social media, AI, sextortion, and image-based abuse
How parents can better protect children in a rapidly changing digital world
56: Life After… NOT Giving a TEDx Talk: Failure, fear & redefining success on my own terms
Season 1 · Episode 56
Wednesday, June 3, 2026 • Duration 15:49
What if the thing you didn’t get was actually redirecting you toward something even more aligned?
In today’s solo episode, I’m reflecting on something I genuinely didn’t expect to feel grateful for: not being selected for a recent TEDx opportunity.
For years, standing on a TEDx stage felt like the pinnacle. The dream. The thing that would finally prove I’d “made it” as a speaker.
But after attending a TEDx event shortly after receiving the rejection, I realised something surprising: The talk I had pitched wasn’t actually the message I wanted to share with the world.
This episode is an honest reflection on validation, ambition, fear, failure, identity, and the pressure to chase goals simply because we think we should.
I also share why I believe failure is one of the most important parts of growth, and how this experience helped me reconnect with what truly matters: the Life After I Left community, storytelling, vulnerability, and creating spaces where women feel seen, heard, and empowered.
In this episode, I chat about:
Reflecting on our recent sold-out Life After I Left live event in Melbourne
Why I felt relief (not devastation) after not being chosen for TEDx
The pressure of external validation and tying success to big milestones
How rejection can reveal what you actually want
The difference between chasing a dream and chasing alignment
Why failure and “nos” are often part of finding your real path
Building Life After I Left into a movement, including live events, a future anthology, and a national tour
The fear-driven business I’m currently creating and why fear can become fuel for transformation
Letting go of the idea that success is one specific stage, title, or achievement
This episode is a reminder that sometimes the closed doors are protecting you from stepping into something that isn’t fully aligned yet. And that your worth, voice, and impact do not depend on someone else choosing you.
55: Sally Jayne Eastland on Life After… Psychological Abuse: Leaving a narcissist, spiritual awakening & starting over in Spain
Episode 55
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 • Duration 53:00
How do you rebuild your life when you’ve been conditioned to believe you can’t survive on your own?
Today I’m joined by Sally Jayne Eastland. Sally moved to Spain with her husband of almost 20 years in 2020, believing they were starting a new chapter together. But while living in the mountains of Almería, she began experiencing what she describes as divine signs and synchronicities that forced her to realise there was something seriously wrong within her marriage.
After confiding in a trusted friend who specialised in domestic abuse, Sally was told she had been experiencing long-term psychological and narcissistic abuse. In her mid-50s, in a foreign country where she barely spoke the language, Sally made the life-changing decision to leave with no job, no home, and no clear plan for what came next.
In this episode, we chat about:
Recognising the signs of narcissistic abuse and coercive control
The role intuition, spirituality, and synchronicities played in Sally’s decision to leave
Starting over after abuse with no income, home, or support system
The fear of leaving abusive relationships and being conditioned to believe you can’t survive on your own
Life as an expat in Spain and finding community in unexpected places
Spiritual healing, Reiki, sound therapy, and returning to your authentic self
Why healing often involves reconnecting with the inner child
Learning to trust yourself, your instincts, and your own path again
This episode is a reminder that it is never too late to leave, rebuild, and create a life that feels safe, aligned, and true to who you are. Sally’s story speaks to the courage it takes to start over and the possibility that exists on the other side of survival.
Connect with Sally:
Sally’s book - Silent Abuse: A Spiritual Journey to Freedom. It is available in most countries on Amazon.
This episode is a reminder that identity isn't something you settle into once and stay there. It shifts, it evolves, and, when you're ready, you get to choose it deliberately.
Veronika's story is proof that you can rebuild from absolute zero, more than once, and come out with something more aligned than anything you had before.
Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).
And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.
Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).
And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.
Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).
And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.
Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).
And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.
❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.
Jess brings warmth, zero fluff, and the kind of straight-talking insight that makes you feel seen, and sends you straight back into your work with a lot more conviction.
Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).
And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.
Got a topic idea or would love to share your story on the podcast? Connect with me on Instagram @lifeafterileftpodcast — I would love to hear from you.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you're subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).
And we'd love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.
❤️ Remember: Don't be silent. Be unstoppable.
Why delaying access to social media can benefit children's development
The importance of having honest, age-appropriate conversations about safety with children
While the topics in this episode can be confronting, Kristi shares practical knowledge, hard-earned insights, and the conversations every parent, caregiver, and trusted adult needs to be having. Because protecting children starts with understanding the risks, recognising the warning signs, and being willing to have the conversations that many of us never had growing up.
New episodes drop every Thursday. Make sure you’re subscribed, so you never miss a story that could change your life (or someone else's).
And we’d love a 5-star review to help these stories reach the women who need them most.
❤️ Remember: Don’t be silent. Be unstoppable.
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