Lives Worth Telling

In today's episode we meet Darinka, who is the owner and operator of the successful hair salon, Blonde Empress Hair and Spa. Darinka grew up in Melbourne with her family and is of Croatian and Slovenian heritage. She suffered significant childhood trauma and abuse throughout her childhood but over time she has been able to build a life that is full of love, care and kindness. After her divorc...

In today's episode we meet David who is the author of several books available on Amazon, his popular titles include Wounded Angels and The Solarium Deep. David was born in Boston and grew up with his family in the Massachusetts area. Unfortunately, he lost his mum at age 4 and this event, amongst others, became part of his childhood trauma and what led to addiction and alcoholism later in lif...

In today's episode we meet Charlotte who was born in Manchester and is also a twin of one of our other guests, Cath from Season 3. Charlotte shares many stories about her life and the incredible relationships she has with not only her immediate family, but her extended family as well. She takes us through what a diagnosis of ADHD looks like as an adult and how this became very clear for her....

In today's episode we meet the founder and creator of Styled for Self, Rachael. Rachael grew up with her family in New Zealand and eventually moved to Australia and settled in Melbourne. Rachael experienced a significant life changing experience when her husband had an affair and then she talks about how she managed the fall out. She shares with us the challenges she went through in rebuildin...

In today's episode we travelled to Adelaide and met Tania from Lashes of Change. Tania was born in Adelaide in South Australia and she shares many life events with us that have shaped the person she is today. Tania is the founder and creator of the successful business, Lashes of Change. She has created a customisable and sustainable mascara that is definitely one of a kind. Her mascara produc...

In today's episode we meet the effervescent Sudsie aka Amanda. She grew up in Ferntree Gully with her family and has a huge passion for sport. She shares her IVF journey and how this process wasn't easy but very much worth it in the end. Her family and her friendships are a crucial part of her life and she acknowledges several very special people who have also played a huge role in her c...

In today's episode we meet Bec, she is the creator of Bec's Unhinged Reviews. We explore how she built an online community from one simple Facebook post in October 2025 to how her online presence has evolved to what it is today. Bec grew up with her family on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. She shares what life was like for her growing up and she acknowledges the amazing people in...

In today's episode we meet the very delightful Di, who is the Founder and Creator of Add a Dash of Love. Di was born in Melbourne and grew up in Bulleen with her family. Her early family life circumstances brought a lot of challenges and difficulties for Di. As an adult, she has created a wonderful life that has been enriched by her family and friends.  Di has created a fantastic online commu...

Today we meet the hilarious and very charismatic Carolyn. She grew up in Melbourne with her family and gives some insight, as to what life was like growing up in the 1950s and 1960s as a young female. She has had some incredible experiences in her life so far but life hasn't always gone without challenges. However, her zest for life in everything she does, is so inspiring and her sense of hum...

Annie was born in Melbourne and has grown up in the foster care system until she left the system at 18 years of age. She has experienced significant abuse and trauma throughout her childhood and adolescence. She openly talks about the many challenges she faced but her resilience is outstanding and awe-inspiring to listen to. Her varied careers over the years have taken her from early childhood to...

In today's episode we meet the founder of the Christian Mental Health program, Not Waving but Drowning, Steve. Steve grew up in the Northwest of Melbourne with his family and later moved to the Southeast of Melbourne. He has had significant challenges with depression and anxiety and that led him to start a support program for other Christians who had similar challenges. He is honest and open...

In today's episode we meet the founder and creator of Kitty Candy Creations, Catherine. Catherine was born in Melbourne and grew up with her family in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne. She shares her experiences as a teacher and the challenges she faced early in her career.  Through her small business, Kitty Candy Creations, she has created some beautiful crochet and knitted items that...

In today's episode we meet the founder and operator of Share Space Inc, Gayle. She founded Share Space in 2020 and it began with a simple box of books and has now grown into a registered charity that supports hundreds of people every week. Gayle was born in Melbourne and grew up with her family in the south eastern suburbs. She is passionate about helping others and making a difference in the...

This episode is the final part of a 3 part special edition series where we capture the best bits from every episode in season 3. We reflect on all the guests including Karl, Chris, Vanessa, Andrea, Hayley, Cath and Tee. Thank you to all my guests for joining me over the past 3 seasons - it has been a joy chatting with you all. Don't forget Season 4 is coming soon. Enjoy! Send us a text if you...

This episode is the second part of a 3 part special edition series where we capture the best bits from every episode in Season 2. We reflect on all the guests from season 2 including Bec, Elisha, Flick, Chris, Lady Amanda, Nidan, River, Hayley Part 1 and the host of LWT, Jodes. Enjoy! Send us a text if you want to come on the show and share your story with us! Don't forget to check out and fo...

This episode is the first part of a 3 part special edition series where we capture the best bits from episode 1-10 in Season One. It's been one year since the first episode was released, so we celebrate 12 months of LWT and reflect on all the guests from Season One including Myrna, Kimmy, Tim, Linda, Jeff and Sofie, Anita, Danni, Carolina, Mandy and Kerrie. Enjoy! Send us a text if you want t...

In today's episode we meet the very charismatic Tee, who is the creator of the successful business, Fitness to a Tee. Tee was born in Zimbabwe and shares some wonderful stories about what life was like growing up with her siblings and family in Zimbabwe. She now lives in Melbourne and her achievements are nothing short of amazing. Her life has definitely had some huge hurdles to overcome but...

In today's episode we recorded remotely with Cath, who lives in Manchester, UK. Cath was born in Manchester along with her twin sister Charlotte. Cath also has 2 other sisters and she shares some wonderful stories about her family and the connection they have with each other. Cath has done some extensive travel with her family and also shares her passion about seeing live musical theatre show...

Today we continue the story of Hayley and chat about what life has been like so far in her motherhood journey. The last time we spoke, she was 36 weeks pregnant and very much looking forward to her future as a new mum. She shares her story of what her labour was like and the joy of meeting her baby, Mila. She openly talks about the challenges she has had so far but she acknowledges the amazing sup...

In today's episode we meet the fabulous Andrea who was born in Chile and moved to Australia with her family when she was 9 years old. She shares with us, the differences in culture she faced when her family arrived from Chile and settled in Melbourne.  Andrea has had a very rewarding career as a Nurse, Midwife and Maternal Child Health Nurse.  She has so much passion for her job and supportin...

Today we are recording on location in Lilydale in Melbourne with the awe-inspiring Vanessa. Vanessa's family lived in several locations across Australia including a post in America due to her father being in the Australian Navy. Vanessa has had a very rewarding career as a Kindergarten Teacher supporting children and families over many decades. She has also been a foster parent for many years...

Today we meet a man who has not only been the pioneer but instrumental in creating the first aviation subject taught in a secondary school in Victoria. Chris grew up in Melbourne with his mum and sister and chats with us on what has shaped him as a person. Chris initially trained as a commercial airline pilot and decided that he wanted to share his skills with others. He has had an incredibly rewa...

In today's episode we meet the very funny and king of one-liners, Karl. Karl lives on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria and he grew up in bayside Melbourne with his family.  He has had some challenging times in his life but his positive outlook and approach to everything he does definitely plays a part in his resilience. Karl has been a crucial part to the family business that continues to...

Today we continue the story of Jodes and we have our guest host Tim, returning to complete Part 2. We begin the episode by discussing her life's turning points and how these have shaped her life so far. There's no doubt life has thrown her some challenging situations and this has taken her some time to process these situations. So, settle in for some more laughs and hopefully not too man...

Today we have a reversal where the guest interviews the host! Tim (S1 Ep3) is our guest host today and chats with the host of Lives Worth Telling, Jodes. Jodes grew up in Melbourne in a single parent family with her Dad. Her life changed over the years and she has definitely built resilience through these experiences. She does have the ability to channel her sense of humour and enjoy life wherever...