The Hope Initiative

"I'm getting in that space now getting more comfortable to make those decisions for myself of just write just write it no matter where it goes and don't think about the listener because that's the that's the thing that can like make or break a song I think is when you start writing for someone else." Episode #18 of The Hope Initiative with Jess Fairlie. In this episode we...

"It’s never as good as it seems and it’s never as bad as it seems. I think it’s probably more relevant to my field than a fans perspective, cause I know when I was back living in Adelaide following the Adelaide Crows and if they lost 3 games in a row, I’d be one of those saying get him out, get him, get him out. Let’s plan for next season. But I think now working in this environment, when we...

"I've always enjoyed creating really fun experiences for other people. There's a reward in seeing people enjoy themselves - in whatever that is, and knowing that you helped facilitate that." Episode 16 of The Hope Initiative with David Argyle.

"Spread your map of where you’re going across that bar as I have spread my map across every cafe in the world as I travelled and you put your line on that map, a rough line in pencil, and what’ll happen is, people in the bar start talking to you ‘Oh where are you going mate?’ and you’ll say, ‘Oh I’m doing Paris to Istanbul’ for example. And they’ll turn around and say, ‘Mate you don’t want to...

"I ask him, what do you want to be when you grow up? And he say, ‘I want be a drawing man’. Everyone has their dream. How about your dream?" Episode #14 of The Hope Initiative with Lillian Ye. Lilian moved to Australia from a small town in China near the city of Macau in 2011, with her husband - Albert, and 2 young daughters at the time. They bought Chookos - the local charcoal chicken s...

"50 Marathons in 50 Days" Episode #13 of The Hope Initiative with Sean Bell. In part 2 of this Interview with Sean, we speak in greater detail about the preparation it took to complete 50 consecutive daily marathons #dailyroutine as well as how announcing large goals to others can help keep you motivated when times get tough. In this episode we spoke about; Samantha Gash Rich Roll Podcas...

"In Victoria 35,000 people die under the age of 55 on average each year. That leaves 35,000 families are newly bereaved and yet only 200 new families turn up to the Compassionate Friends Victoria for support each year." Episode 12 of the Hope Initiative with Sean Bell

“No one’s gonna give me a hand out… It’s just fucking hard. You can’t sit at home and expect someone to give you money. You have to be out there, you have to put yourself there, you’re not doing something, you can’t get anywhere and achieve those goals. The goals I have in life are the things that keep me motivated.” Episode #11 of The Hope Initiative with Dale Miller. I speak with 38 year old man...

Welcome to episode 10. For those of you listening who have heard this podcast before, it will come as no surprise to you the general flow of each episode. I generally ask an open ended question to begin and see where it takes me. The problem with interviewing a guest that isn't famous and has no wikipedia page or anything like that, is that you can't do a great deal of preparation for the intervie...

"It was just about me saying that anyone can achieve whatever they want to if they put their mind to it and I think people don't realise that. I think people think it just falls into your lap and it definitely doesn't. We created that, you know, so-called 'luck' for ourselves." Episode 9 - Lady Luck This week on The Hope Initiative, I speak to Amanda Nedza. Amanda is a business owner, mother to a...

“When you said ‘Do you want to be on my podcast?’ I was like, ‘No, I actually don’t’. In my head I’m thinking, what if I say something I shouldn’t, or tell a story I don’t want everyone else to hear? Or, what if something I say has a profound effect on someone else’s life? And it’s something that I’ve taken over the last few months and elevated into my life. And that’s the importance of conversati...

"Brothers in Faith or Equal in Humanity" Episode #7 of The Hope Initiative with Salawat Allafta. Sal is a great advocate of human rights in this country, and in months gone by, brought to my attention the case of his close friend and fellow footballer;  Hakeem al-Araibi  before it got national attention and support from the likes of  Craig Foster  as well as several others. In this conve...

"Write down exactly who I want to be in a relationship with, the ideal person, and then flip that around and go ‘who is the kind of person they would want to be in a relationship with? If this is my ideal girl, what would their their list would look like, and then make myself into that person." Episode #6 of The Hope Initiative with Ben Nott, Alex Maloney and Sam Nott In todays episode,...

*"I remember walking off the field and I said to one of the other boys, 'Have a look around. It might be the last time we're out here.' It's just a stupid mentality. I didn't realise I was right there, it was all there before me..."* **DECIDE 'YOU'RE GOOD ENOUGH'** Episode 5 This week I get to share a brilliant chat with my first male guest, and it's only fitting it's someone who has helped raise...

"I did like my boobs. I had a great set of boobs, but then they tried to kill me. So I like them less..." Episode #4 of The Hope Initiative with Helen MacDonald. In this weeks episode, I speak to the other mother in my life, my step mum, Helen. We discuss the challenges of being a step parent, what it's like to live with multiple life threatening illnesses and how as a mother of 6, s...

"We can't assume that because somebody looks happy, that they are. Or that because somebody seems well rounded that they've got nothing going on." Episode 3 of The Hope Initiative with Suzanne Jones In this episode of The Hope Initiative, I speak to my first "stranger", written as such in quotations due to the fact that whilst my guest and I have technically never met, we have spent the past 4 mon...

When I was 15 years old and the eldest of 6 kids, my reaction to learning about the news of a baby sister from my Dad came as a shock. Little did I know at the time that this girl would grow to be cooler than even I am. Hard to imagine, right? In this second episode of The Hope Initiative, I speak to my 11 year old sister, Amelia. We discuss her life, why it takes her 3 hours to get ready in the m...

The birth of The Hope Initiative is here. Episode 1 where I speak with my beautiful mother, Yvonne. I thought it was fitting that I start with her, as without her, I wouldn't be knocking around the streets of Melbourne causing mischief. I begin with a statement she has made to me at various junctures throughout my life; "Life didn't begin when you were born, you know..? I had a life before you exi...

A new podcast to inspire hope in times of need.