What a Stranger Told Me

Meeting the girl of your dreams started with mutual perving and a bold “We’re gettin’ married”. Sammy’s cheeky love story – nail gun accident, Valentine's magic, young romance – is funny, sweet, and full of butterflies. Hit play and feel the spark. Ready for some stranger stories? Personal stories of love, resilience & daring unfold in this loveable po...

Picture a cantankerous bloke who speaks his mind about everything from new bridges to staying active after 70 – he did Everest Base Camp at 69, plans Annapurna at 71, and doesn't let bad knees stop him. Meet an ex-South African Aussie granddad with a no-bullshit vibe and big goals. This bluntly strange chat is funny, inspiring, and full of fire – hit play and get motivated. Ready for s...

Willy the busker spreads happiness like it’s his full-time job – because for him, it basically is. One minute he’s blasting Latin beats in Pitt Street Mall, the next he’s healing sick strangers in Chile and Israel with energy work, then finishing with an Elvis duet that turns strangers into mates. This busker life story is pure sunshine – hit play and let the joy take...

Abattoir butcher stories can be wild – and this 50-year legend has them all. From playing Tom Jones for the ladies to watching school kids chew raw bones, surviving horrible accidents, and the guy who walked in wearing nothing but his knife belt. His abattoir butcher stories are funny, gruesome, and full of heart – hit play and step behind the counter. Ready for some stranger stories?...

She always knew she’d quit her job and move to Australia before turning 35. At 33, a breakup became the catalyst: she quit her job, moved to Australia, sold everything, and bought a one-way ticket. Now living in her car and chasing a childhood dream, this French woman’s story of quitting her job and moving to Australia is the ultimate leap-of-faith tale.   Ready for some stranger...

Ever wondered how to get over a breakup when it's mutual but still stings? Meet Mitch, a 24-year-old support worker who swaps a planned couples' trip for a solo escape to Byron Bay after his first relationship ends. This raw street chat dives into incompatibility, self-reflection, and finding silver linings – listen for the honest takeaways that might just help your own heart heal.   Re...

Ever wondered what it's like getting tattoos in Bali from a total stranger's perspective? Meet Aaron, a scaffolder from Plymouth who's turned his three-week Bali escape into an epic ink mission – think full-leg Egyptian designs, astronaut vibes, and heartfelt memorials. This short, hilarious street chat is packed with unfiltered energy that'll have you booking your own adventure (or not) &nd...

In Episode 20 of the What a Stranger Told Me podcast, Tim meets Simon – a retired lawyer who's traded courtroom chaos for Byron Bay's slow rhythms. This storytelling podcast uncovers honest moments from everyday lives. After 17 years as a cop and decades as a barrister, Simon moved to the coast in 2014 and never left. “Every day's my favourite,” he says with a grin. Retirement me...

In Episode 19 of What a Stranger Told Me , Tim pulls up a chair at the Gympie Muster beside Jane Turner (not Kath!) – a veteran burns, ICU and emergency nurse who has spent decades on the absolute frontline of human suffering, and is now finally kicking back with a cold beer and a good book. Ready for some stranger stories? Personal stories of love, resilience & daring unfold in this lov...

In Episode 18 of What a Stranger Told Me , Jon meets Richard at the Gympie Music Muster — a man who is laughing, drinking, dancing, and living louder than most sighted people, all while being almost completely blind. Listen in to hear what it's like to be living life blind. Fifteen years ago Richard was in a tiny tinny off Western Port Bay, Victoria. The boat capsized in freezing winter wate...

In Episode 17 of What a Stranger Told Me, Jon meets Hugh, an 18-year-old industrial design student who’s found clever, practical ways of living with a stutter while chasing his creative dreams. Waiting three hours early for a uni tutorial (after dropping off his girlfriend), Hugh opens up about turning what many see as a limitation into a toolkit he controls.   Ready for some stranger s...

In Episode 16 of the What a Stranger Told Me podcast , Jon sits down with a Perth-born train driver who now calls Sydney home, though his heart never really left the west. Dragged across the country years ago by an ex-wife who hated WA, he stayed for the job he genuinely loves. “If I could drive trains back in Western Australia tomorrow, I’d be gone in a heartbeat,” he says with...

In Episode 15 of What a Stranger Told Me , Jon meets Chris, a passionate sound engineer and tour manager for the ARIA-winning Indigenous duo Electric Fields, grabbing a quick chat in Glenelg before his dad's birthday dinner. This storytelling podcast uncovers honest moments from everyday lives. Fresh from headlining NAIDOC Week at Fed Square in Melbourne—sharing the stage with Isaiah Firebra...

In Episode 14 of What a Stranger Told Me , Jon meets an anonymous health worker on her lunch break — a rare pocket of calm in a high-stress job. She’s been smoking for 40 years, quit once using hypnosis and medication, and now finds herself back at three to four cigarettes a day. This isn’t a public health lecture — it’s a raw, human conversation about why quitting sm...

In Episode 13 of the What a Stranger Told Me podcast, Jon meets Anna—a sleep coach on a working holiday, helping CEOs, trauma-affected kids, and exhausted parents learn to sleep well again. This storytelling podcast uncovers honest moments from everyday lives. Escaping Sydney’s “head down, butt up” grind, she’s house-sitting in a client’s off-grid palace, surrou...

Today we catch up with a Sydney magician on day two of a two-week holiday—and he's feeling a little punchy. As always, the What Stranger Told Me podcast uncovers honest moments from everyday lives. Twenty years making kids gasp with colouring books and vanishing silks, he’s traded the stage for Cable Beach sun. “Just chilling,” he says. No tricks, no reveals - just a break...

Today you'll meet Rhys in Episode 10 of What a Stranger Told Me - a 20-year-old qualified butcher who’s already lived a lifetime in boots and blades. This storytelling podcast uncovers honest moments from everyday lives.  Apprenticed at 16, he’s sharpened knives that shave hair, run bandsaws through hands, and tomorrow he’ll dress a cow from paddock to plate. “I love t...

Let's meet Emma—one of six siblings from a sprawling beef cattle clan, now bridging country roots with coastal life. The What a Stranger Told Me podcast uncovers honest moments from everyday lives.  Growing up, family stretched beyond blood: a tight-knit rural community where everyone leaned in. “We relied on each other.” With 18 cousins and a matriarch nan at the centre, ga...

In Episode 9 of What a Stranger Told Me , Jon pulls up a chair with Lucy and Eliza—two young women whose cowgirl roots run deep, even in the suburbs. This storytelling podcast uncovers honest moments from everyday lives. Raised on cattle properties across Queensland and New South Wales, they grew up mustering, riding, and breathing wide-open spaces. “It’s not the hat,” they...

It's time to meet a tattooed tough guy who retired wealthy at 36 after turning a tiny disability care business into a burgoning empire. This storytelling podcast captures raw stories from everyday people. From housing trust violence—drug-addict parents, 11 schools, out of high school by year nine—he dodged jail and chose hustle. With ADHD as fuel, he bought the landlord’s buildin...

In Episode 7 (Part 2) of What a Stranger Told Me , Jon's chat with the humanitarian filmmaker plunges deeper into fear, trauma, and triumph. This storytelling podcast captures raw stories from everyday people. Six years after crawling through a 50-metre tunnel in Haiti’s earthquake rubble—sawing rebar beside a dead body, headlamp smashed, guided only by camera flashes—PTSD hit hi...

In Episode 7 (Part 1) of What a Stranger Told Me , Jon meets a former humanitarian filmmaker who's dodged so many 'bullets' that he's now enjoying a well-earned sea change. This storytelling podcast captures raw stories from everyday people.  Once a San Francisco commercial photographer, heartbreak launched him into the world’s toughest corners—earthquakes in Haiti, child soldiers...

In Episode 6 of What a Stranger Told Me , Tim meets Paul, an excavator operator who lives in his car, and has a warm heart and a ready smile, as he prepares for a day out with his granddaughter and Bluey! This storytelling podcast captures raw stories from everyday people. Living in his Holden Astra for years, Paul follows the work—from Debra to Port Macquarie—cooking on park benches,...

Today, meet Jackie, a mum transformed by weight loss surgery (40KG lighter!) and her newfound joy in mixed lollies. Ready for some stranger stories? Personal stories of love, resilience & daring unfold in this loveable podcast, as story-collectors Tim Reid & Jon Coghill wander the streets of Australia, microphone in hand, chatting to strangers. It's conversations... with everyday people. &...

Next, meet Alec, a 25-year-old on a bold rebuild from the depths of anxiety, for a riverside chat that radiates courage and hope. Ready for some stranger stories? Personal stories of love, resilience & daring unfold in this loveable podcast, as story-collectors Tim Reid & Jon Coghill wander the streets of Australia, microphone in hand, chatting to strangers. It's conversations... with ever...