Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace with Mon and Mazz

⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses grief, which some listeners may find distressing. If you need support, you're not alone — help is available: Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au In April 2007, Rula's world fractured when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. What followed was eight months of intensive chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant using...

Fire Horse: Going Through Fire to Become Pure Gold | Ingrid Hu Dahl | Grit Diaries ⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses grief & loss, which some listeners may find distressing. If you need support, you're not alone — help is available: • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au • GriefLine: 1300 845 745 · griefline.org.au Ingrid grew up as a mixed-race child in New Jer...

Locked Out: How a Senior Public Servant Sued Parliament House | Jo Tarnawsky | Grit Diaries Jo Tarnawsky entered Parliament House at 12 after winning a TV competition, carrying a dream forged in that single afternoon. She built a two-decade career as a diplomat and political operative, thriving in crisis zones and complex postings. In 2022, she returned to Australia as Chief of Staff to the Deputy...

Episode Summary Lindsay Ziehl has lived enough lives for ten people — and at 77, she’s still not done. Born in Britain and raised across Australia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa, Lindsay survived two cancers, raised her son Andrew alone after her husband walked out, and was stranded in South Africa during COVID when she received the phone call every parent dreads. Rather than be consumed by grief, sh...

Episode Summary Sarah de Jong grew up in rural Tasmania with a mother who left for Greece when Sarah was almost four — not out of abandonment, but out of her own battle with anorexia and mental illness. From that early experience of love stretched across distance and grief, Sarah built something quietly extraordinary: A Thousand Hearts, a global kindness movement now in its tenth year, delivering...

Episode Summary Siobhan Wilson was born at 27 weeks, weighing less than a kilogram. By 16, she had survived open heart surgery at one month old, roughly 130 resuscitations in the NICU, seven anaphylaxis episodes — including one where paramedics ran out of adrenaline — and founded her own social enterprise at age 6. In this episode of Grit Diaries, Siobhan shares what it takes to turn a lifetime of...

Episode Summary In this episode of The Grit Diaries , we sit down with Dave Chauhan — author, leadership consultant, and former corporate executive — to explore what leadership really means in today’s world. After nearly two decades in the corporate world, Dave realised that traditional definitions of success — titles, income, and status — weren’t aligned with what truly matters. Shaped by a child...

In this episode of Grit Diaries , we sit down with Julie Randall , a Stage 4 Melanoma survivor who defied a terminal diagnosis to find a life-saving clinical trial ... Episode Summary What would you do if you were given 72 hours to live? When Julie Randall was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Melanoma that had spread to her brain, she refused to accept a terminal "no." In this powerful episode of...

In this episode, we sit down with Zali Steggall, Olympian, barrister, and Member for Warringah, to explore her extraordinary journey from the slopes of the French Alps to the halls of Australian Parliament. Born in Manly in 1974, Zali grew up between the Northern Beaches and the French Alps, where she discovered her love for skiing. Coming from a sporting family, with a grandfather who represented...

Stephenie Rodriguez is a digital strategist, entrepreneur, and passionate advocate for women’s empowerment. As an Ambassador for the Global Fund and The Women’s Resilience Centre, Stephenie leverages her voice and expertise to champion gender equality and resilience initiatives globally. Her journey is a powerful story of resilience - surviving a life-threatening battle with cerebral malaria, endu...

Michael de Haan is a seasoned financial professional with more than 25 years in the industry. After a successful career as a financial planner, he transitioned into coaching and advocacy, bringing a unique blend of financial expertise and human-centred support. Today, Michael is a Certified Money Behaviour Coach and a trained Financial Abuse Specialist, dedicated to helping people overcome limitin...

A proud Wiradjuri woman and First Nations advocate, Cecilia is a dedicated connector and educator who is passionate about self-determination and learning from the past to inform a better future. Driven by a desire to empower others, Cecilia leans into her lived experience to inspire and inform with stories of recovery and renewal. With a background in counselling and a deep understanding of stakeh...

In this episode of The Grit Diaries, we had the pleasure of sitting down in conversation with Jason and Blue Gerber, film directors and producers from the US, on the release of the coveted film Documentary Dawn, Dusk. A story told through the eyes of Chelli Look, a creative in the luxury leather handbag space. After the sudden murder of her beloved sister through domestic violence, she shares her...

In today’s conversation, Karen shares her private journey with lifelong crippling anxiety - make no mistake - it has never stopped her! Here's just a snippet of what Karen has created over her latter years Karen is a master of storytelling, founder of The Story Room Global, a platform for people to come together and listen to stories from a diverse range of backgrounds A monthly dose of people com...

Kate De Jong  is the author of the #1 Amazon bestselling memoir Seeds of a Calling  — a powerful and cautionary tale about the cost of ignoring your inner truth. With raw honesty, Kate shares her journey of straying from her “inner knowing” and the tragic consequences that followed, ultimately delivering an uplifting message for anyone seeking vocational contentment. After a 15-year care...

Since 2021, Sonya Lovell has been raising awareness, challenging societal stigmas and taboos, and lobbying for better education and resources for everyone who is transitioning through menopause. Sonya is the host of the popular podcast Dear Menopause, having interviewed leading local and global experts and commentators in the fields of menopausal health, mental health and government. In this inter...

Juliana’s journey is one of resilience and transformation. From her early life in Colombia to becoming a passionate advocate for DFV prevention in Australia, she has dedicated her life to empowering women, especially those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds. Juliana’s personal experience in a domestic violence relationship fueled her passion for social advocacy, which no...

Join us on the premier launch of our show, The Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace, with your hosts, Mon and Mazz! On our very first episode, we have the privilege of sitting down with the amazing Anne Gately - Stage IV Melanoma survivor, passionate advocate for sun and skin safety, and changing the way us  Aussies view our relationship with the glorified Bronzed Aussie image.  Austral...

Introducing Grit Diaries: from Grit to Grace – a brand new podcast from Kintsugi Heroes. Join your hosts Mon and Mazz as they uncover inspiring stories of local heroes – often unsung, but always extraordinary. These are stories of tenacity, resilience, and the grace that emerges through life’s toughest challenges. Each fortnight, you’ll hear from remarkable individuals who’ve overcome obstacles, m...