It Takes Heart

What if specialist healthcare could roll into town, instead of patients travelling hundreds of kilometres to find it? For Dr Rolf Gomes, 2026 Queensland Australian of the Year and founder of Heart of Australia, that question sparked a life-changing idea: mobile health clinics bringing cardiology, radiology, respiratory care and specialist services directly to rural and remote communities. Rolf sha...

Bek Woodbine returns to It Takes Heart for a deeply honest conversation about chronic pain, recovery and finding a new way forward. Since her last episode, Bek has undergone major back surgery and has been learning to live with the physical and emotional impact of chronic pain. As a nurse practitioner and host of Tenderness for Nurses, Bek shares what it feels like when the helper needs help, how...

What does great healthcare leadership look like when teams are stretched, resources are tight, and patient care is always the priority?  In this thoughtful conversation, Julie Quade, trained dietitian and Allied Health Manager for Northern New South Wales Health, shares how her rural upbringing and early career in allied health shaped her approach to leadership. Julie reflects on the shift from su...

Most doctors spend their careers working within one healthcare system. Dr Justine Cain chose to take her skills across borders. Through her work with Doctors Without Borders ( Médecins Sans Frontières/MSF) , she has cared for refugee communities in Lebanon, supported emergency responses in India, and discovered lessons about medicine that can't be learned from a textbook. Justine takes us beh...

Some nurses treat symptoms. Others help people feel truly seen. First Nations Nurse Rachel McLeod, shares why healing is about far more than clinical care. Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience across rural and multi-purpose health services, Rachel explains how story, trust, spirituality, and cultural understanding shape the way she cares for people in their most vulnerable moments. Rachel refl...

What does it look like to swap the intensity of the ward for the unpredictability of a comedy stage? In this episode, we sit down with Georgie Carroll — an ICU nurse of 18 years turned comedian — for a refreshingly honest and wide-ranging conversation about career, identity, and finding joy in unexpected places. Georgie shares the story behind her shift into stand-up, what she loves about life on...

What happens when your clinic looks busy, but the bank balance tells a very different story? In this honest conversation, Podiatrist, multi-clinic owner, and business coach Troy Parsons shares the reality of healthcare business ownership - from payroll stress and overdrafts to the pressure of carrying everyone else while quietly burning out yourself. Troy unpacks why so many healthcare practices s...

What does it really take to deliver safe, high-quality care when you’re hundreds of kilometres from backup?  Tune in as Dr Marian Dover takes us inside the reality of rural medicine, where clinical decisions carry a different kind of weight and 'support' looks nothing like it does in the city. As a District Medical Officer, Rural Generalist Obstetrician, and founder of the Australian Rur...

Why does your body feel so different in your 40s and why is no one really talking about it?  In this episode of It Takes Heart , we sit down with Angelique Clark, an accredited practising Dietitian and exercise physiologist, to unpack the often-misunderstood stage of perimenopause. Ange explains why so many women feel like something has shifted long before menopause officially arrives and why thos...

What if the only real measure of cultural safety was the voice of the person receiving care? In this episode of It Takes Heart , Sam and Kate sit down with Dr Sarah Jane Springer - proud First Nations woman, award-winning rural generalist, and passionate advocate for community-led healthcare. Drawing on her lived experience and career across rural and remote Australia, Sarah Jane shares why true c...

What if the thing that saves your nursing career isn’t leaving healthcare… but saying yes to a completely different way of working? In this episode of It Takes Heart , ED nurse Tessa shares how travel nursing transformed her life after hitting a wall with burnout in a busy metro hospital. Feeling exhausted, disconnected, and questioning her future in healthcare, she took a leap into rural contract...

We’re back for Season 3 of It Takes Heart and kicking things off with an offsite recording at MBR Health on the Gold Coast, is guest Dr Zane Sherif, renowned Radiologist and founder of MBR Health. Dr Zane brings deep insight into proactive screening, using preventive health and whole body MRI to shift modern medicine from crisis to care. He shares how MBR Health is using state-of-the-art medical i...

What’s it like to go from treating ski injuries on the slopes of Queenstown to working ED shifts under the red-hot skies of rural Australia? For Nicole Watts - emergency nurse, adventure-seeker and proud member of the cmr community - it’s a career that blends adrenaline, autonomy and purpose. Nicole shares what it takes to thrive as both a ski field nurse in New Zealand and a travel nurse in Austr...

Neha arrived in Brisbane from Nepal with good grades, high hopes, and a postcard-perfect image of Australia, but the reality was tougher. Cultural shocks, unfamiliar accents, and the quiet weight of starting over left her searching for solid ground. Nursing became her anchor and in time, aged care quietly captured her heart.  Now a registered nurse, Neha supports aged care residents through a mix...

You might know Erin Barnett from Love Island or I'm a Celebrity… , but her most powerful story isn’t one that played out on screen. A registered nurse living with endometriosis, adenomyosis and PCOS, Erin opens up about what it’s taken to be heard in a system that too often overlooks women’s pain. From a tough start in the health system to becoming the kind of nurse she wished she’d had, Erin...

What happens when you flip the mic from healthcare workers to the people who help place them? In this Behind Recruitment Special of It Takes Heart , we sit down with global recruitment coach Sophie Robertson to explore what 'good' really looks like in recruitment and why it matters more than ever. With three decades in the industry, Sophie shares how curiosity, consistency and care separ...

What happens when the path you’ve worked so hard for starts to wear you down? In this honest episode, UK-trained doctor and content creator. Dr Chris G, opens up about burnout, sabbaticals, and building a version of medicine that actually feels sustainable. Dr Chris takes us from the intense pace of under-resourced NHS wards to new rhythms of practice in Australia, and the surprising clarity he fo...

Content warning: This episode includes discussions of alcoholism, depression, and occasional course language, which may be sensitive for some listeners. What happens when a nurse known for looking after everyone else hits her own breaking point? For Bek Woodbine (Nurse Practitioner, host of podcast Tenderness for Nurses, and founder of a successful aesthetic clinic), it started with shaking hands...

What if the way you walk, rest, or hydrate could shift your entire nervous system? In Part 2 of our chat with Dr Anthea Todd, we explore how to apply the Fundamentals Framework, offering practical, everyday ways to reconnect with your body’s wisdom. We dive into what hair testing can reveal (including Sam and Kate’s own results), how minerals mirror stress, and why beliefs like 'resting is la...

What if dry skin, headaches or exhaustion weren’t just annoying symptoms, but messages your body’s trying to send? In this two-part episode, we sit down with Dr Anthea Todd, women’s health expert and author of What’s My Body Telling Me , to explore the space between : that frustrating place where test results are “normal,” but you still don’t feel well.  Drawing from her background in chiropractic...

When the government announced sudden changes to the NDIS with only weeks’ notice, allied health business owners across Australia were thrown into crisis mode. For Judy Scott, occupational therapist and founder of My Therapy Crew, it meant pivoting her business while staying true to the values-led culture she’s nurtured over years of practice. From starting out in a converted garage after redundanc...

What happens when you say yes to adventure, purpose, and the unknown? In this episode, we meet oral health therapist Karli Grace, whose journey from private practice to working in Australia’s most remote Indigenous communities is as inspiring as it is impactful. Karli shares what it’s really like delivering oral healthcare across Central Australia, East Arnhem Land and the Torres Strait, setting u...

What happens when rest doesn’t work? When even after sleep, time off, or a holiday, you still feel depleted? That’s the reality of burnout and it’s something Ruth Limkin has seen up close.  As Founder of The Banyans, Ruth shares how burnout often hides in plain sight - from professionals quietly struggling with addiction to healthcare workers pushing through chronic fatigue. She explains the diffe...

What does it take to truly fix healthcare in Queensland? According to Dr. Nick Yim, it starts with smarter systems, not just more funding. In this episode, we sit down with the AMA Queensland President to unpack a bold new idea: a statewide digital passport for clinicians. It’s a simple solution with the power to break down bureaucratic barriers and supercharge workforce flexibility across hospita...

What would life look like if you couldn’t speak? No way to order your morning coffee, tell someone you love them, or ask for help. For people recovering from strokes or neurological conditions, this loss of communication can be one of the most isolating parts of their journey and it’s where speech pathologist Nikki Wells steps in with purpose and compassion. Nikki shares how her unexpected start i...