The People We Meet

Professor Ian Brighthope has spent decades working in nutritional and environmental medicine in Australia. We discuss his approach to health — his own practices, the protocols he uses, and how his thinking has developed over time. He reflects on his experience with a heart attack and his views on prevention, along with his perspective on the current global health landscape. He also shares his inte...

Boomers Bar sits just off the Esplanade at Christie’s Beach. Low lamps. Old furniture. Shelves of nostalgic nick-nacks that feel like they’ve always been there. It’s not styled — it’s collected. In this conversation, Shelly Jones talks about creating and running Boomers Bar: why she chose a full retro feel, what people are really looking for when they walk through the door, and how a place becomes...

Joel Hatcher is a personal trainer, barefoot runner, surfer, snowboarder, coach, dancer, and massage therapist — someone who has built his life around movement in all its forms. In this conversation, we talk about what it means to live well in the body, not just train it. Joel shares his approach to strength, balance, recovery, and awareness, and how different disciplines — from surfing and snowbo...

Tony Barratt grew up living in a bus with his parents and six brothers and sisters, parked in a fixed location while his father worked as a roo shooter and rabbit catcher. As an adult, Tony built a working life in Adelaide, spending years with Mitsubishi before later teaching aquatics to school children. Now in his seventies, he still rides motorbikes with his grandsons. This conversation reflects...

From the back roads of Clare to racing professionally in the United States, Will Dickeson has lived a life built on bikes, grit, and momentum. After competing with the Jelly Belly Pro Cycling Team, Will returned home to Australia where he worked with Cycling Australia before launching his own Adelaide-based business, Neutral Spares — a bike-service operation with a loyal following. In this convers...

At sixteen, Ron Smith left home to join the New Zealand Navy, beginning a 54-year career at sea. In this episode, he shares his extraordinary journey through Navy service, professional diver training, and the high-risk world of saturation diving. Ron also takes us inside life on tugboats, navigating dangerous conditions and commanding powerful vessels. If you’re interested in real-life maritime st...

Alan McDonald joined the Victoria Police Force in 1961 and went on to become Officer-in-Charge of D24, the central police communications hub inside Russell Street Police Headquarters. D24 — named for Corridor D, Room 24 — handled every 000 call, statewide radio dispatch, and urgent police communication across Victoria. It became an iconic part of Melbourne police history, even featuring in radio d...

I met Mark Norval, a renowned Kimberley artist, at his studio in Derby, Western Australia. We sat beneath his giant Boab tree talking about art and community. Mark has lived in Derby since 1981, has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas, and has won more than 50 art awards. Instagram: @norvalgallery This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acce...

“In the gardens of Derby’s Norval Gallery, Michael Gugeri shares raw, funny and thoughtful stories about life on the Gibb River Road and decades of change across the Kimberley.” This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepeoplewemeetpodcast.substack.com

I met Rita Builder in the dark one morning when she knocked on my car window — and within an hour she turned out to be one of the funniest women I’ve ever met. Rita has spent 12 years touring Australia as a professional guide, leading groups across the outback and beyond. In this episode she shares life on the road, the places she’s seen and the characters she’ll never forget. This is a public epi...

Steve Eales is one of Australia’s most decorated independent country rock singer-songwriters. Since releasing his debut solo album in 2007, he has earned 17 national music awards , achieved radio chart success across Australia, the USA and Canada , and won the APRA Award for Country Composition . Across albums like The Open Road and his newest release, Bus Roots Country & Blues , Steve has built a...

Professor Ian Brighthope has been shaping integrative medicine in Australia for more than 40 years — from founding the first postgraduate nutrition course to launching the World of Wellness. In this episode he shares his mission, the battles, and what true wellness means for all of us. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episode...

Former Adelaide helicopter rescue crewman Danny Clarke may be one of the only fully deaf rescue crewmen in the world. I met Danny during our time flying rescue missions across South Australia, and his ability to work in high-risk situations without hearing remains one of the most extraordinary things I’ve witnessed. In this episode, Danny speaks about his career, the unique challenges of rescue av...

A recently discovered letter from 1978 sparked this unexpected and heartfelt conversation with Julie Anthony, one of Australia’s most iconic singers. In the letter, my father wrote about meeting Julie during a South Australian Tourism film shoot at Wilpena Pound—he was the helicopter pilot on the job. This episode isn’t just about a film shoot in the outback; it’s about the gentle way small encoun...

Brett and I first met while flying the ambulance helicopter in Adelaide, but our connection goes much deeper. Today, we’re both instructors with RHO Aviation, teaching aircrew and passengers how to escape from an aircraft that has ditched at sea. It’s vital training—something Brett understands better than most. Years earlier, he was the flight air-crewman aboard a naval Wessex 31B helicopter when...

Dr. Laureen Lawlor-Smith has been a doctor since 1982, spending much of her career owning and managing her own General Practices in Adelaide’s southern suburbs. Over the years she has shifted her focus toward lifestyle medicine—helping people improve their health through the choices they make every day. Laureen has long used a low-carbohydrate and ketogenic approach in her work, witnessing remarka...

Fiona Marlow is an Occupational Therapist with a Master’s degree in Nursing and postgraduate training in Midwifery. Across her diverse healthcare career, she has worked passionately with families—especially in the world of childbirth. Driven by a commitment to normalising pregnancy and birth as natural human processes, Fiona established a Birth Hub dedicated to educating and supporting women throu...

Feeling overwhelmed by the endless stream of social media updates? Wondering what life might look like without the constant digital noise? In this episode, we explore the idea of a true “technology cleanse” with Adam Yardley—a man who has chosen to live completely free of social media. Adam shares why he stepped away from the online world, how it has changed his mental clarity and daily life, and...

Before you go to school When Catherine was five years old, I would watch her teaching imaginary students in our backyard. Even then, it was clear she was meant to be a teacher. Two decades later, she found herself standing in front of a real classroom of thirty eager faces—living the dream she’d always had. But as she moved deeper into the education system, Catherine began to feel a growing sense...

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thepeoplewemeetpodcast.substack.com

In this episode, we meet Gerard Donohue , a retired Victorian whose life has taken an unexpected turn toward electoral reform . After learning about the power of a writ —the formal legal document that triggers an election—Gerard became convinced that Australia’s electoral system has deep structural problems that need urgent attention. Born and raised in Country Victoria, Gerard has spent his retir...

On September 6th, 2020, Australian Olympic downhill skiing champion Steve Lee awoke on the icy floor of his Falls Creek bedroom, suddenly paralysed down one side of his body. What followed was a life-altering medical emergency—and the beginning of a long, uncertain road to recovery. Three years on, Steve sits down with his daughter Layla to share a powerful update on his condition, his progress, a...

Wendy’s flying history is an incredible one – she flew solo across the Pacific in 1986, has instructed at her father, Jim Hazelton’s airfield, flew the world’s first turbo prop airliner in England, and chartered around Australia air safaris. However, her goal of joining the RAAF was hosed down, because at that time, women were not allowed to join. From country girl to horse trainer to internationa...

Professor Ian Brighthope is one of Australia’s most influential voices in integrative and nutritional medicine , with a career spanning more than 40 years. Beginning his journey in Agricultural Science in 1965 and later completing his medical degree at Monash University , Professor Brighthope has spent decades exploring the relationship between nutrition, chronic disease, immunity, and human wellb...

At 41, Matt Connelly has done what so many people dream of—he’s turned his passions into his full-time life. An entrepreneur with boundless energy and an unmistakable presence, Matt is deeply involved in Arm Wrestling Promotions , Arm Wrestling Clubs , podcasting , content creation , and property investment . Known online as Hollywood Matt Connelly , he brings infectious enthusiasm to everything h...