Out of Plaece with Ann & Paul

Key themes: entrepreneurship, overcoming chronic illness, finding your purpose, and shadow work. In this episode, Philipp Kiesele, writer of Serapex on Substack, shares his journey from computer science to entrepreneurship to facing his shadows and discovering his archetypes and true calling through chronic illness. Philipp is a digital nomad, brand agency owner and someone who is passionate about...

Key themes: burnout recovery, entrepreneurship, mindset coaching, productivity redefined From Melbourne's fine dining scene to government project management to founding The Cheerleader, Wendy Horan's journey is one of transformation born from burnout. In this episode, Wendy shares the moment during lockdown when her body literally stopped functioning, rocking on the floor, unable to unders...

After 20 years as a corporate law partner, Arjun Lall made a radical leap: he walked away from the law to become a breath coach and yoga teacher. But this wasn't a reckless abandonment—it was a carefully considered journey toward alignment. Arjun compares the rush of his corporate life to sitting in a smoking room, surrounded by smokers, trying to convince himself he'd quit. Only when he p...

In this episode of Out of Plaece, we chat with Tim Siegenbeek Van Heukelom, who shares his journey from the Netherlands to Australia, his experiences in Papua New Guinea, and the profound impact of his cancer diagnosis on his perspective on life and work. He's someone who's dedicated his life to making a positive impact on the world through his work at Non-Government Organisations, in his...

In this episode of Out of Plaece, hosts Ann Luong & Paul Elderkin speak with Claire Alvis, writer of The Quiet Expert on Substack, founder of The Secret Sauce, and creator of the Free to Lead Framework. Claire shares her journey from working in high-growth startups to starting her own business, discussing the challenges and lessons learned along the way. The conversation explores the importanc...

In this episode of Out of Plaece, hosts Ann and Paul interview with Dr. Christopher Jones, aka Dr. X, a Vice Principal at Durham University, UK and activist, discussing his journey from professional basketball to academia to championing why “everyone has to matter”. We explore themes of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Love (EDIL), emphasising the importance of rehumanisation in society. Dr. X sh...

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of suicide, which may be distressing. Listener discretion is advised. In this deeply moving episode of Out of Plaece, we explore the profound impact of suicide on personal identity through the eyes of co-host Paul, who shares his journey of loss, grief, and healing. Paul opens up about the day that changed his life forever, the complexities of navi...

My childhood reads like a textbook case of early athletic specialisation. Father: professional basketball coach and general manager. Environment: front-row seats at professional games, discipline drilled in from a young age. The pathway was clear, anticipated, inevitable. "Everything around me was basketball. School didn't matter because I wasn't interested in it. I was going to be as...

In this deeply personal episode of Out of Plaece, Ann, opens up about her journey from a bullied Vietnamese child to finding her authentic voice as a corporate leader. She shares the exhausting reality of code-switching between cultures, the toxic masculine leadership style she adopted to survive in male-dominated industries, and the breakthrough moment that changed everything. What You'll Learn:...

"OMG, I would love that. That's a dream of mine". This is what someone said to me when I said I work with Paul, my partner, podcast co-host and business partner. Quick note before we get to the episode. Yes, we did record this as episode 3 but then pushed it out to episode 5. In this episode, we break down what it's actually like working with your partner and discuss how sometime...

We've all seen the Instagram posts: laptops on beaches, sunset co-working sessions, the #digitalnomad lifestyle that looks effortlessly perfect. But what's the real story behind leaving everything behind to work remotely from paradise? In our latest episode of Out of Plaece , we pull back the curtain on our own journey: from the years of planning and sacrifices, when we discovered we were...

This is precisely what happened to us when we started talking about the aftermath of our accident in Thailand: the recovery, the family dynamics, and that brutal question that made us examine everything we thought we knew about our relationship. What You'll Hear: The Vulnerability of Being Broken: How Paul, a former pro basketball player, struggled with slowing down 30+ Hours of Travel Hell: T...

When your body breaks: Our story of trauma, resilience, and the power of being truly seen Picture this: You've sold everything, packed your life into a suitcase, and finally embarked on that digital nomad dream you've been planning for years. You're living in a villa in Koh Samui, signed up for Muay Thai lessons, and settling into your new paradise lifestyle. Then you wake up to fluorescent hospit...

In today's minipod (mini episode), we share the story of how this podcast came to be and why we called it Out of Plaece . Discover what the phrase ‘ out of place’ means to us, how that feeling can follow you through life and why it inspired us to create something. While Paul was on a trip to Bali, writing a book, Ann had an idea that was sparked by a conversation about community and how, sometimes...