Chocolate and Coffee Break

For 32 years, Justine Martin lived with a genital herpes stigma that shaped her life. Learn how speaking her truth brought healing. In this episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Justine opens up about the secret she carried for decades and the impact it had on her relationships. This personal story explores the weight of silence and the unexpected reactions she received when she finally chose to...

Why is it so hard to leave an abusive relationship, even when you know something isn't right? Content advisory: This article and the accompanying conversation discuss domestic abuse, emotional abuse and mental health struggles. Please consider whether this is the right time for you to engage with these subjects. If you or someone you know needs support, contact 1800RESPECT in Australia on 1800 737...

How much do we really know about the people around us? Savannah Hauk spent much of her life keeping an important part of herself hidden, uncertain whether the people she loved would accept her if they knew. Growing up in a conservative environment, she learned early that being different could come at a cost. Today, Savannah lives as both Chuck and Savannah. She is an author, TEDx speaker and podca...

Discover the unexpected power of chocolate and how a simple treat can become a bridge for deeper human connection. What happens when the place that welcomes you also gives you a way to belong? In this episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break: A Compassionate Proposition, Andrea Putting sits down with Tareq Hadhad of Peace by Chocolate for a conversation about belonging, culture, contribution and the...

What can we know about another person's life if we've never asked what their experience has actually been? Steven Bouris was born with a large facial birthmark. As a child, he became accustomed to people staring and asking questions, but one experience at school affected him for decades: in a photograph of 720 students, a black square had been placed over the birthmark on his face. Steven carried...

What happens when other people begin seeing one part of your life before they see you? Kijuan Amey spent ten years in the U.S. Air Force as an in-flight refuelling specialist. His life was full of adventure, responsibility, friendship and plans for the future. After a motorcycle accident left him blind at 25, far more than his sight changed. In this conversation, Kijuan talks about losing the care...

What does it really mean to come home from war? Jerry Clark returned from Vietnam in 1967 after thirteen months of service. The Marines had given him a place to belong, opportunities to lead and a growing sense that he mattered. But some of the ways of operating that had served him well in military life did not translate easily into being a husband and father. Jerry speaks candidly about treating...

How much do we change about ourselves in order to belong? For Anna Osherov, that question runs through a life shaped by different countries, languages, cultures and identities. Born in Kharkiv when Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union, Anna came to Australia with her family on a humanitarian refugee visa as a child. She arrived without English and quickly discovered how important language, f...

For Meybell Cristina, childhood in El Salvador meant learning rules designed to keep her safe: keep your head down, don’t make eye contact, don’t talk to strangers, and know where to hide when danger comes. Then, at ten years old, she arrived in Australia — a place where children could play outside, make new friends and move through the world with a freedom she had never known. But what happens to...

Aaron Watts looks like someone you'd cross the street to avoid. His story will change how you see everyone. At 11 years old, Aaron's father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. By 17, Aaron had become his primary caregiver — the parent to his own parent. For nearly 30 years, he carried anger, guilt, and a life put on hold, hiding it behind tattoos and a tough exterior that made strangers judge...

She was the lighthouse — the person everyone turned to. But what happens when the lighthouse goes dark? Oksana Samkova grew up in a Ukrainian village where caring was woven into daily life. It led her into 32 years of nursing across multiple countries, raising children, supporting parents, and being the one who always showed up. Then she collapsed at work — and became the patient. Pour your cuppa...

What happens when every culture has different unspoken rules—and you no longer know where you belong? In this episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Elee Joven shares her experience of moving between Guam, the Philippines and the United States, and the challenge of balancing her old identity with a new cultural environment. She speaks honestly about feeling like an outsider, experiencing culture s...

At 15, Endre Hoffman was told he didn't belong. That one moment set him on a 20-year journey across 70 countries, searching for a place to call home. But along the way, he learned that belonging isn't something you find out there — it’s something you build between us. Today, he is known as "The Doctor of Self-Worth," helping others heal the wounds of rejection. In this conversation, we sit with th...

What happens when you’re told you don’t belong — by the people who should belong to you? Morenike Ogebe grew up between African-American and Nigerian cultures, feeling she was not “enough” for either side. Over time, that lived experience became something powerful: the ability to listen across difference, understand more than one perspective, and help people move towards one another. In this conve...

The conversation you're most afraid of having is probably the one that needs to happen most. What happens between two people when one of them cannot find the words? Larissa Vakulina arrived in Australia 32 years ago carrying a lifetime of knowledge she couldn't share. No English. Unrecognised qualifications. She watched people dismiss her before she opened her mouth, not because of what she said,...

Can changing just one life really change the world? In this uplifting episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Andrea Putting sits down with Peter Nicholls, founder of Change the One, to explore why kindness isn't complicated and why the smallest acts of compassion can create the biggest ripple effects. After a life-changing trip to a remote village in Papua New Guinea with his daughter, Peter reali...

Can honoring your culture and trusting your intuition exist side by side? In this heartfelt episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Andrea Putting sits down with Dr. Mini Rattu to explore identity, family, culture, healing, and the courage to rediscover your own voice. Growing up in a loving Punjabi family in California, Dr. Mini embraced the values of community, respect, and tradition. But after e...

A smile costs nothing,but what if it could change someone's entire day, or even their life? In this episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Andrea Putting sits down with Sally Pymer to explore the remarkable power of one of the simplest acts of compassion: a genuine smile. Together they discuss how a smile helps people feel seen, safe, and accepted, especially those experiencing stigma, loneliness,...

What happens when love invites you to walk between two cultures? In this episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Andrea Pudding sits down with Jo Connolly, whose life changed when she married an Aboriginal Australian and began seeing her country through different eyes. What started as a love story became a journey of understanding, challenging assumptions, and discovering the richness of one of the...

What happens when someone chooses a spiritual path that challenges everything they were taught to believe? In this thought-provoking episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Andrea Putting sits down with Hannah O'Neill, better known as The Suburban Witch, for an open-hearted conversation about faith, spirituality, curiosity, and finding the courage to follow your own path. Raised in a strict evangel...

What does it mean to truly belong? In this heartfelt episode of Chocolate and Coffee Break, Andrea Putting sits down with Khatija Halabi—audiologist, community advocate, and author of A Soft Landing—to explore the power of belonging, inclusion, and human connection. Growing up in apartheid South Africa, Khatija experienced firsthand what it means to live in a society divided by race and classifica...

Growing up in his family's milk bar in Melbourne's western suburbs, the son of Greek migrants who barely spoke English, Peter experienced discrimination firsthand. But instead of pulling away from difference, he leaned in — through music, through dialogue, through a Greek concept called philotimo: putting humanity before yourself. A show, a movement, and a mission to break down the barriers that d...

In this deeply thought-provoking episode of Chocolate & Coffee Break, Andrea sits down with counselor, strategist, and neurodivergent advocate Stone Gye for a courageous conversation about racism, belonging, systems, and healing. Stone shares his lived experiences as an African American man raised in Japan, serving in the military, migrating to Australia, and later relocating to France after f...

Linh Le shares her incredible journey from escaping war-torn Vietnam by boat to becoming a leader focused on wisdom, happiness, and community impact. A powerful conversation about resilience, gratitude, and redefining success. A show, a movement, and a mission to break down the barriers that divide us. In a world growing louder with hate, division, and misunderstanding, we choose a different frequ...

Shavita Kotak shares a transformative perspective on menopause as a time of empowerment, truth, and liberation. This episode explores identity, intuition, and the deeper meaning of aging as a woman. A show, a movement, and a mission to break down the barriers that divide us. In a world growing louder with hate, division, and misunderstanding, we choose a different frequency: love, compassion, and...