Mikaela Van Haren - Saving koalas with generosity and kindness
After seeing the devastation of the 2019 Australian bushfires, and seeing the immense suffering of the koalas and their friends, Mikaela Van Haren took things into her own hands to do her bit to save them.
Photo - Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary
After seeing the absolutely horrific scenes of the badly injured wildlife during the bushfires in 2019, 10 year old Mikaela Van Haren was gutted, and vowed then to save up as much pocket money as she could to help the koalas and all their animal friends.
Saving incredibly hard all year, and going without purchasing her favourite thins, Mikaela managed to raise $1400.20. She also did her own fundraising with family and friends, who had no problem donating to such a worthy cause, especially her 8 year old brother!
Even with the isolation of covid, and the devastating hail storm that Mikaela’s family and house endured, her determination to save money to help the animals has never wavered.
Mikaela has always loved animals and cares for them dearly. She is adamant she will join her Aunty in the veterinarian field when she graduates university.
Mentions:
Leanne Elich - Bridging the gap between technology and business
When the chips are down, Leanne Elich is one woman you would want in your corner! After years of working in paediatric oncology, and feeling the frustration of not having the best equipment, she was driven to do something about it.
As one of Australasia’s most successful Medical Technology Business Leaders, Leanne Elich is a passionate Oncology Advocate and Global Healthcare Specialist with over 25 years experience in both clinical and corporate environments with executive leadership.
Leanne began her career immediately after graduating from the University of Sydney working at Prince of Wales and Liverpool Hospitals in Sydney. With a desire to help patients on a larger scale and make a significant impact within the healthcare industry, she transitioned into oncology and medical business working for several high profile companies specialising in the latest technology. There she was able to continue her passion of oncology and medical research together with business development, commercial investment and advocacy, expanding her network and business relationships locally and internationally.
Leanne is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD). She is an Honorary Clinical Fellow and a University guest lecturer in both Australia and New Zealand. Leanne is a graduate of Harvard Business School and Harvard Medical School having recently completed Genetics, Cancer Genomics, Precision Oncology and Therapeutics. Leanne is also an International Keynote Speaker, Writer and Women in Leadership advisor.
Socials:
Website - www.leaneelichconsulting.com
LinkedIn - Leanne Elich Consulting
Insta - leanneelich
Twitter - @LeanneElich
Mentions:
Enjoy the visual here on Youtube
Tyson Sharpe - Transcending fear to lead with heart
Tyson Sharpe is on a mission to help spiritual coaches, healers, and light-workers create more reach, impact, and income in their business, by stepping into the role of the ‘Heart-Centered CEO’.
If it is your mission to heighten human consciousness and spread emotional awareness you are in the right place.
Tyson Sharpe looks to achieve this mission by helping spiritual coaches, healers, and lightworkers create more reach, impact, and income in their business.
In the last 6 years, Tyson has coached hundreds of online business owners helping them integrate their spiritual growth with profitable business strategies so they can step into the role of the ‘Heart-Centered CEO’, allows them to execute business growth strategies through the filter of love, compassion, kindness, and contribution.
Tyson is the creator of the online community called ‘The Serving Circle’ and is also the host of the ‘Awaken Your Business’ Podcast.
He believes that integrating your spirit with business strategy is the best way to create the impact and income that your heart is pulling you towards.
Socials:
Website - https://tysoncoaching.com/
FB - The Serving Circle - Heart-Centered CEO Collaboration
Insta - Tyson Sharpe tysoncoaching
Podcast - Awaken Your Business
Mentions:
Tao Te Ching. Taoism scripture from 2500 years old and stems from the teaching of Lao Tzu
Tyson also recommends reading - Wayne Dyer- ‘Change your thoughts, change your life’
Paul Goddard - Spreading Christmas Joy (Part 2)
For years Paul Goddard was heckled by friends and strangers, because he looked strikingly similar to Santa. Paul decided to embrace this pseudo identity and has finally landed himself the perfect job bringing an abundance of joy to the world.
Paul Goddard has one main goal at Christmas - to bring the mystical world to life.
Paul started out as a plumber in 1970 and worked his way up to becoming a manager and a mentor to apprentices.
After 35 years in the trades, he retired and moved to Gippsland where he spent the first year improving the home and paddocks on his 6 acre creek frontage property.
Not fully satisfied with the retired lifestyle, Paul attained a vocational teaching qualification and started teaching plumbing at Tafe.
This year he became part of the ‘Scene to Believe’ Traralgon team and became a Santa at the Traralgon Centre Plaza. This is Paul’s first year as Santa and already he is saying he’s in it for the long haul!
That’s if he can find the time amongst his plethora of hobbies which include being an amateur apiarist and aviarist, breeding Australian parrots, and breeding and milking a small herd of goats and making goat’s cheese.
Socials:
FB - https://www.facebook.com/crypto.santa.71
Mentions:
Ken Baade & Leonie Orgill - Spreading Christmas Joy (Part 1)
20 years ago Ken Baade set up some Christmas lights and bought a $5 Santa suit and started handing out lollies in his driveway, prompting Leonie Orgill to join him some 12 years later. The duo has become a local hit, and they have no plans to stop in the near future.
Ken Baade and Leonie Orgill can’t get enough of Christmas, and in particular the squeals of joy from the kids. Even the parents get excited! What matters most to the pair of them is the amount of joy and happiness they spread to their local community.
Dressed in their full costumes, Santa Claus and Mrs Clause spend every Christmas in the driveway of Ken’s home handing out candy canes and spreading Christmas cheer to the hundreds of people that pass by every day.
20 years ago Ken set up some Christmas lights and bought a $5 Santa suit and started handing out lollies in his driveway, prompting Leonie to join him some 12 years later. The duo has become a local hit, and they have no plans to stop in the near future.
Caz Rowland - Designing stylish ethical fashion
Caz Rowland, a Melbourne born designer, founded Cazinc The Label, after struggling for 15 years as a fashion designer, to find timeless and affordable clothing for her clients.
Carolyn Rowland is the founder and head designer of Cazinc The Label, a Melbourne born designer label that satisfies the modern woman's needs of having a functional, yet stylish wardrobe.
Caz worked as a fashion stylist for more than 15 years and struggled to find womenswear labels that were not only timeless, but also affordable.
She knew her clients wanted classic, contemporary styles they could mix and match, and keep in their wardrobes season after season. They also shared her passion for slow fashion; quality garments made to the highest possible ethical standards.
In 2018, Caz set out to design useful, wearable wardrobes that create planning for easy to wear styles a breeze, and versatile clothing designed to last. This was the birth of Cazinc The Label.
Beginning as a curated collection of trans-seasonal wardrobe staples designed to work for any occasion and celebrate every figure, the range has since evolved to include sharp, tailored investment pieces and everyday basics.
Caz is committed to cruelty free clothing, and has remained committed to her original vision: classic cuts, beautiful fabrics and high-quality, sustainable product that is accessible for every woman.
She is evolving as a designer with today’s society and the needs of women, especially as their body shapes change with age and other factors, including pregnancy and menopause.
Cazinc The Label has been featured in multiple fashion magazines including Onya Magazine, Ragtrader, The Trend Spotter, Shawtalk, Instyle Magazine, and Fashion Journal.
The range also includes charity tees, with proceeds going to the Rize Up charity which supports victims of domestic violence.
Socials:
Website - https://www.cazincthelabel.com.au/
LinkedIn - Caz Rowland https://www.linkedin.com/in/caz-rowland-21abb8145/
Insta - Cazinc The Label
FB - Cazinc The Label
Twitter -Cazinc The Label & Blog
Mentions:
Sue Smethurst - Journalling the lives of extraordinary people
Sue Smethurst is an award-winning journalist, who has written for Australia’s biggest and most respected titles, as well as working on TV and radio. Sue is also a best-selling author with book sales in excess of 100,000 copies, specialising in non-fiction.
Sue Smethurst is an award-winning journalist, who has written for Australia’s biggest and most respected titles, including The Australian Women’s Weekly, The Weekend Australian magazine, The Age Good Weekend, New Idea, Woman’s Day, the Herald Sun, Australian House and Garden, the Victorian RSL’s Mufti magazine, Woman’s Own (UK), Chat (UK).
Her career has taken her around the globe interviewing a who’s who of celebrities, newsmakers, colourful identities, sports stars and politicians. In addition to her editorial career, Sue has worked on and off camera with A Current Affair and Sunrise, and spent five years as a weekly commentator with Neil Mitchell on 3AW.
Sue is a best-selling author with book sales in excess of 100,000 copies, specialising in non-fiction.
Her first books, The Clothesline Diet series were published by Pan Macmillan in Australia and Harlequin in the United States. In 2015 she won a prestigious Sassy Award for her book Behind Closed Doors, published by Simon & Schuster, which was also a finalist in the 2016 Davitt Awards.
The highly acclaimed book, Blood on the Rosary was published by Simon & Schuster in 2018 followed by the epic Australian outback memoir A Diamond In The Dust, which was also published in Germany in 2020.
Sue’s most recent book, The Freedom Circus (published by Penguin Random House in 2020) is a deeply personal story of how her husband’s grandparents used the cover of a Polish circus to escape the Nazis.
Socials:
Website: http://suesmethurstmedia.com/
LinkedIn - Sue Smethurst
Twitter - Sue Smethurst @SmethurstSue
Insta - smethurst.sue
Mentions:
Trav Bell - The Bucket List Guy
Trav Bell is The Bucket List Guy...The Worldʼs #1 Bucket List Expert. Trav helps people live their Bucket List before it’s too late, and his unique life-engagement message really wakes you up, stops ground-hog days and helps you to experience more fulfilment.
Trav Bell is The Bucket List Guy...The Worldʼs #1 Bucket List Expert.
As a self-appointed ʻBucket Listologistʼ, Trav helps people live their Bucket List before it’s too late! His unique life-engagement message really wakes you up, stops ground-hog days and helps you to experience more fulfilment.
He says, “A Bucket List is a tangible Life Plan...where our Business Plan or Career Plan should fit into our Life Plan & not be the other way around.”
No one practices what they preach more than Trav. His ‘crazy’ globe-trotting adventures are contagious, hilarious & always fresh. He is the author of the best-selling book, The M.Y.B.U.C.K.E.T.L.I.S.T.
BlueprintTM, a TEDx Thought Leader, and a Certified Speaking Professional.
Trav is also the Founder CEO of Bucket List Coaches, who are now on a mission to help 10 million BucketListers #tickitB4Ukickit.
Before Trav became ʻThe Bucket List Guyʼ, he founded & franchised a chain of personal training studios across Australia. Starting with 1 client, Trav & his team went on to do over 2 million personal training sessions & motivated 10's of 1000's of clients.
Trav is now regarded as one of the world’s most in-demand motivation speakers.
Socials:
Website: https://www.thebucketlistguy.com/
Bucket List Coach webinar: https://www.bucketlistcoach.com/webinars
FB: Trav Bell - The Bucket List Guy @thebucketlistguy
Twitter: The Bucket List Guy @TravBell
LinkedIn: Trav Bell - The Bucket List Guy https://www.linkedin.com/in/travbell/
Insta: Trav Bell bucketlistguy.travbell
Mentions:
Jan Cavelle - Designing an empire from under the stairs
Jan Cavelle was sent to a very posh boarding school to be groomed for marriage. With contrary ideas, she took off around Europe before settling into a marriage that would eventually break. While trying to manage as a single mum, Jan started a furniture empire under the stairs of her cottage. But in her heart she dreamed of being a writer, and so a new journey has begun.
As a teenager, Jan Cavelle went to a very posh UK boarding school which groomed young ladies for marriage. Failing to be groomed, Jan progressed to London and became a ‘suitable secretary’, which lasted about a week.
With a keen desire to be independent, Jan started working her way through a succession of jobs, finding secretarial work a nightmare, and sales easy. She hated being employed and at the mercy of the decisions and expectations of others, so initiated a series of hustles, from selling to catering.
She travelled around Europe and had a memorable job as cook, but also found some excitement in taking an old ferry boat for a test sail to see if she was seaworthy (she wasn’t).
A marriage left Jan with two small kids to support and very little experience to do so. Refusing to go out to work and leave them, she started a small business, telephone selling bits and pieces to interior designers, operating from a shelf under the stairs of her tiny cottage.
After a lot of mistakes and crazy gambles it succeeded and became a multi-million-pound business.
The designers wanted furniture, but as Jan was no furniture designer, she put her sales hat on, looked what sold, and developed her current ranges, earning herself the honourable title of “designer”.
Despite awards and exciting experiences, Jan still struggled with insecurity and imposter syndrome.
Once her son had left for Australia, she struggled to scale the business, not having the same motivation she had with small kids to support, and after several years and progressively worse health, decided to break it up and sell the only bit worth having which was the brand.
It took Jan quite a little while to crawl back out of her hole after that, but she decided she wasn’t beaten. She had always wanted to write since she was small.
Jan’s first book - ‘Scale For Success - Expert insights into growing your business’ is due to be released in 2021, after winning a contract with Bloomsbury Publishing.
So it’s full circle, Jan’s childhood dream out of the ashes.
Socials:
Website - https://jancavelle.co.uk/
FB - Jan Cavelle - Scale for Success @JanCavelleWriter
LinkedIn - Jan Cavelle
Twitter - @jancavelle
Insta - jan.cavelle.scaleforsuccess
Mentions:
Wendy O'Brien - Building homes and hope in Cambodia
Wendy and her husband took a trip to Thailand in 2011 and ended with a detour to Cambodia. Little did they know this trip would change their lives forever. Coming face to face with the poverty in the market place, they vowed in that moment to come back and do something to help.
Originally from Melbourne, Victoria, the year 2000 saw Wendy and her family pack up their lives and move to the Gold Coast. They opened a family café in Surfers Paradise and their children finished their schooling. After years of seven days a week in business Wendy and her husband Garry decided they’d had enough of café life and got “normal” jobs.
Wendy took a job with the local basketball association and before long they grew to one of the largest associations in Queensland. In 2010 they took their first International junior teams to compete in Indonesia and Wendy’s love of travel blossomed. She was hooked.
A trip to Thailand in 2011 ended with a detour to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. Never before visiting Cambodia, they noticed how cheap 5 star hotels were and decided to treat themselves - not something they were accustomed to.
Little did they know this trip would change their lives forever. Coming face to face with the poverty win the market place, they knew the luxury and guilt of 5 star was not for them. They vowed in that moment to come back and do something to help.
Passing through Cambodia in 2012, on the way to Vietnam the kids also fell in love with the country and the people.
In 2013, they returned hoping to set up a basketball tournament, but went home realising the people needed a whole lot more help than basketball.
In April 2014 they built a house for a family and then took a group of friends back in November 2014 to build a second house.
Garry had previous building experience, and through the already existing tour company we were able to bring people to help build houses. That was the start of the change in their lives.
By 2015 they registered the charity Heartprint. By then they were travelling to Cambodia every few months and staying for weeks or months at a time. By April 2016 Wendy and Garry moved to Cambodia permanently.
To date, Heartprint has built 64 houses, 53 toilets and installed 27 wells, as well as employing 6 full time Khmer staff. They have distributed 199 bikes and sponsor 26 students to go to an English school, with one about to start University.
Socials:
Website - https://heartprint.org.au/
FB - Heartpint @HeartprintCambodia
Insta - Heartprint heartprint_cambodia
Mentions:
Jaimee Newberry - Creating a wardrobe of imagination
After losing her brother, mother, and then her father, Jaimee Newberry asked her friend Stephan what she should do next. He said “It’s not about what’s next, it’s about what’s important”. So began a much deeper search for meaning.
Jaimee Newberry spent most of her working life in the Web Interaction Design & Development industry, working with companies including Apple, Disney, Nintendo and Zappos.
But after a couple of years as an independent mom, and a nasty spell of Life Burnout paralleled with the loss of her dad in 2012, she decided to design her life as if it were a product using the tools she gained from a 15-year design career making award-winning digital products.
By 2014 Jaimee was being booked to share her story at events around the world, was an active podcaster, podcast guest, featured writer, and professional experimentalist.
She learned how to own her time and pour focus into working on things she loves, with people she loves working with, and then teach others how to do the same through personal and corporate coaching.
In 2016, the evolution of an idea unfolded into what has become the most fulfilling work of her life, so far.
Jaimee co-founded Picture This Clothing (PTC) with her partner in life & in business (Ken Finney, Jr.), Launched by a single Tweet from her personal Twitter account, Picture This Clothing immediately went viral.
Jaimee is also mom to 2 human daughters, 5 cats, and 1 puppy, and is fuelled by fun, Muppets, Disney, and a heavy sprinkling of rebellion.
Her mission is to contribute something positive to the world and create tools that allow others to do the same.
Socials:
Website - https://picturethisclothing.com/
FB - Picture This Clothing https://www.facebook.com/picturethisclothing
Insta - Picture This Clothing picturethisclothing
LinkedIn - Jaimee Newberry
Mentions:
20% discount code for podcast listeners - GetOffTheBench - Download your template HERE
Dr. S. Todd Stolp - Injecting humour into health literacy
Todd Stolp was an MD for twenty years, before lending his infectious diseases expertise to global pandemic management. He has written/illustrated 4 children’s books in an attempt to promote health literacy, and has now turned his passion to animation.
S. Todd Stolp MD is a physician and father of three who ran a full-spectrum rural family practice in northern California for twenty years. He then served as the Public Health Officer in California, for 12 years.
During his public health career, Dr. Stolp worked on statewide and national public health committees, did overseas work on Ebola and stateside work on Zika and is now working on COVID-19.
He has also provided research and consultations on issues from Native American tobacco use to suicide.
During his years of medical practice, he co-authored and illustrated four children’s books addressing a range of topics from the medical examination to vaccinations and habitual behavior.
He has often spoken at conferences on topics related to health literacy, with an emphasis on good science made more palatable with a generous dose of humor.
He now operates STS Studios in Sonora, California, producing media messages about the adventures of his career and lessons learned while raising three children, all with the aim of advancing health literacy.
Socials:
Website - https://sts-studios.com/
LinkedIn - S. Todd Stolp
Mentions:
Michelle Pietrafitta - Drumming up the music business
Michelle Pietrafitta is a drummer from Denver, Colorado on a mission to show female musicians that they have the power within them to very effectively blend music and business. Michelle was once told she would never make it, so after hitting rock bottom, she set out, step by step, to prove that wrong.
Michelle Pietrafitta is an artist-entrepreneur in the music industry performing throughout the U.S. as the drummer for independent band Banshee Tree.
She is a tour designer, she books all the tours and performances for Banshee Tree.
On the music side, she is a live performance artist, a studio drummer and educator. But on the business side, she deigns tour routes, pitches to venues, negotiates contracts and builds relationships with venues and talent buyers.
Michelle has booked and performed major festivals including Arise Music Festival, Sonic Bloom and NorthWest String Summit; and with major acts such as Keller Williams, Victor Wooten, the Infamous Stringdusters and Devotchka.
Michelle is passionate about sharing her knowledge and encouraging artists to take their career into their own hands. She believes that each person has a unique voice to bring to the table and implores artists to dig deep to uncover that.
She stands for breaking the traditional lenses through which we are taught to see gender roles.
Socials:
Website - https://michellepietrafitta.com/
Insta - Michelle Pietrafitta - Michelle.pietrafitta.drums
Banshee Tree (website) - http://banshee-tree.com/
Mentions:
The Artists Way (Julia Cameron) book
The War on Art (Steven Pressfield) book
Banshee Tree (youtube)
Nina G - The stuttering comedian
Nina G put her dream career on hold for 25 years until one day she decided she needed to speak up. She stormed the comedy stage and hasn’t looked back, despite the stuttering that once held her back.
Nine years ago Nina G became a comedian, and at that point was the only female comedian who stuttered. Nina believes that the problem isn’t with the stutterer, but with a society that isn’t inclusive or accessible to those who experience this disability.
In her book Stutterer Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn’t Happen (She Writes Press, August 6, 2019), Nina challenges the status quo of how people who stutter are perceived onstage and off. Additionally, she substitutes the negative emotions of shame, denial and isolation with positive ones of pride, acceptance and community. And, despite learning disabilities, she has a doctorate and is now working at a community college with students with disabilities to access their education.
As a child, Nina had a life-long dream of becoming a comedian, but never thought she’d be able to go up on stage and make people laugh. Her story is about how stuttering caused her to first abandon her dreams, then to embark on a journey that culminated in a career as one of only a handful of stuttering stand-up comedians working today.
A keynote speaker across the U.S., Nina has learned that the issues that impact people with disabilities impact everyone. Therefore, she hopes her book will not only entertain, but also inform those who don’t understand the experience of people who stutter and help those that do.
Nina is a TedX speaker, a Huffington Post contributor, and is based in Oakland, California.
Socials:
Website - https://www.ninagcomedian.com/
Website - https://www.stuttererinterrupted.com/
FB - Nina G: Comedian, Author, Public Speaker
LinkedIn - Nina G https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninagcomedian/
Insta - Nina G - ninagcomedian
Book - Once Upon an Accommodation: A book about learning disabilities
Book - Stutterer Interrupted: The comedian who almost didn’t happen
Mentions:
Comedians With Disabilities Act - https://www.facebook.com/comedianswithdisabilitiesact/
Disabled Only Comedy (CD) - https://www.amazon.com/Disabled-Comedy-Explicit-Various-artists/dp/B00VNB2G7U
Bookshare - https://www.bookshare.org/cms/
Carly Findlay - https://carlyfindlay.com.au/
Saturday Night Live - https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live
Nigel Beck - Bringing joyful vibes to the community
Nigel Beck (AKA DJ Nige), has been bringing music to country towns since the 70’s. But recently all the live music venues have shut down, so Nige decided to take the music scene into his own hands, and has created the Joyful Tour of Gippsland.
Nigel Beck - AKA DJ Nige brought disco to town in the 70s and nearly 50 years later is still keeping the dance floor jam-packed. He’s effortlessly worked his way through vinyl, CDs and now digital.
Nige and his Kombi van Deidre are regularly spotted around Gippsland (Aus), spreading the love of music, and sharing the good vibes of love in and for the community he adores.
But it’s not just Deidre the Kombi! Nige also shares the stage with Deidre’s little sister - Audrey the Vesper!
The really cool thing about Deidre and Audrey, is that all the DJ equipment they house is completely battery/solar powered, which means they are environmentally friendly and can be taken totally off-grid.
For indoor events, Nige works without his friends on wheels - but inside or outside, his keen gift of reading the room and mood sees every event grooving exactly as it should.
DJ Nige is totally up for creating a vibe wherever people are. Be it on the street, in your driveway, cafe, beach, market, festival or wedding, but recently, due to COVID the usual way of doing business came to a grinding halt.
Rather than hold back the joy, Nige and Deidre hit the streets in their home-town of Warragul playing tunes and entertaining passers-by as restrictions allowed.
The recent slight easing of restrictions has offered Nige and Deidre the opportunity to hit the road and take the music to the people with their very own ‘Joyful Tour’ to lift the spirits of locals, with the support of Destination Gippsland, local Councils and the Victorian Government.
DJ Nige says: “The link between mental health, wellbeing and music is well researched and documented. This is the one thing I can do to lift community spirit and bring some joy back in our towns.”
Joyful Tour Dates 2020:
17 Oct - Yarram (Commercial Rd)
24 Oct - Heyfield (Temple St)
31 Oct - Loch Sport (town centre)
7 Nov - Port Albert (Tarraville Rd / Wharf St)
14 Nov - Maffra (Johnson St)
Socials:
Website - https://www.djnigeandkombi.com/
FB - Dj Nige. @djnigeandkombi https://www.facebook.com/djnigeandkombi/
Insta - djnige_ https://www.instagram.com/djnige_/?hl=en
LinkedIn - Nigel Beck
Mentions:
Bank - https://www.bankwarragul.com.au/
Latrobe City - https://www.latrobe.vic.gov.au/
Women in Gippsland - https://www.facebook.com/womeningippsland/
Lardner Park - https://lardnerpark.com.au/
Girls With Hammers - https://girlswithhammers.com.au/
Social Dilemma (film) - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11464826/
NEIS - https://www.employment.gov.au/self-employment-new-business-assistance-neis
Rachel Dayoub - Defending the safety of women and girls
Rachel Dayoub went to the supermarket like any other day - but this time something was very different. Rachel knew she had to do whatever it took to survive or her kids would not have a mother.
Rachel Dayoub describes herself as just an average lady and a single mom trying to do the best she can.
But in February this year (2020), she headed to the supermarket in her home town of Pittsburg, like any other day, but this time things were different - 2 men had decided to target and stalk her.
She was suddenly scared for her life and more scared that her kids may not have a mother if she didn’t somehow make her way out of this terrifying situation.
After a few days of being scared, even in the safety of her own home, she knew she had to look for the silver lining and find a way to reduce the chance of this type of thing happening to others.
By March, Rachel had founded Whispering Force - self defence classes for women and girls.
Despite being challenged by the lack of spare time to run this program, Rachel says there is no choice - the community has to be safe.
“I never want any woman or child to feel fear in their own community and that they cannot take care of themselves.”
Mentions:
Erin Lord - Flying high to save lives
Erin Lord is no stranger to saving lives through emergency flights. In 2019 she co-founded Aeromedical Solutions, which helps Australians return home from overseas when things go terribly wrong.
With over 25 years in management with Australian public service, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and the University sector, Erin Lord strives to make complex situations simple. Her current work as Director of Aeromedical Solutions, Australia’s only medical repatriation broker sees her and her co – Director Steve McLaren arrange the return of Australians who have been injured or suffered an illness overseas.
“It’s an incredibly complex situation for families to work their way through, you have the emotion and fear for your loved one as well as the complexities of both the clinical situation presenting at the time and then you add the aviation aspects and it’s pretty easy to see why you might be out of your depth”.
Over the past year Aeromedical Solutions has assisted more than 40 patients and their families with their return home. They’ve extended their offer to work with Governments and insurance companies with the aim to disrupt the market and find different platforms to return patients home and provide 24/7 care and contact with families throughout the journey home.
A committed Gippslander, Erin works from home in Sale and enjoys the challenge of assisting people all around the world in what is often the worst moment in their lives. In fact she considers it nothing short of a privilege.
Mentions:
Website - https://www.aeromedicalsolutions.com.au/
Royal Flying Doctor Service - https://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/
DFAT - https://www.dfat.gov.au/
Darren Chester - https://darrenchester.com.au/
Grandpa Baileys - https://grandpabaileys.com.au/
Start Up Gippsland - https://startupgippsland.com.au/
GippsTech - https://gipps.tech/
Launch Victoria - https://launchvic.org/
Latrobe Valley Authority - https://lva.vic.gov.au/
Wellington Shire - https://www.wellington.vic.gov.au/
Socials:
Facebook - aeromedical solutions
LinkedIn - Aeromedical Solutions OR Erin Lord
Rachel Barcellona - Bursting the autism bubble
Rachel Barcellona is a radio host, model, spokesperson, and a fierce advocate for people with disabilities - particularly those with autism. When Rachel was 3, her parents were told she never speak due to her autism.
Rachel is a radio host, model, spokesperson, and a fierce advocate for people with disabilities - particularly those with autism.
A senior at University of South Florida, double majoring in English and communications, Rachel advocates for those with disabilities through her non profit, The Ability Beyond Disabilities which inspires and helps those that have challenges to strive for their dreams as well as educating those who might not understand the challenges faced.
As an individual with autism, she often felt like she could not do many things. People with disabilities or anyone who is different are often targets for bullies as she was, but because of her life and social experience, she has overcome many challenges.
Today Rachel is a spokesperson for the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University of South Florida (CARD-USF) and also on their board. She also holds board positions at Unicorn Children’s Foundation, The Els Center for Excellence, Kulture City as well as the Dyspraxia Foundation USA, all of which provide services to individuals with disabilities. Her focus is now to bring awareness to individuals and companies to provide an opportunity for employment for people on the spectrum.
Rachel has performed the National Anthem at major sporting events and at Madison Square Garden. She also spoke at the United Nations on World Autism Day and recently filmed a short documentary for Sephora.
She has her own segment at a radio station in New York, and is currently working on a series of fantasy novels. Rachel is also no stranger to beauty pageants, and has just be named runner up Miss Florida.
Mentions:
Website - https://rachelbarcellona.com/
Tampa Children’s Museum - https://glazermuseum.org/
Tampa History Museum - https://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/
Video - In Search Of Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_nvq2PgQ0o
Video - Teens With Guts - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6lLGf5kbxM
Socials:
Facebook - Rachel Barcellona
Facebook Page - Ability Beyond Disabilities
Instagram - rachelbarcellona
Twitter - @barcellonaR
LinkedIn - Rachel Barcellona
Jean Kittson - Throwing the book at taboo topics
Jean Kittson is an author, and also highly revered for her work as a comedian, performer, scriptwriter for stage, television and radio, and has been a regular columnist with a variety of magazines and newspapers.
As a performer and scriptwriter for stage, television, radio, magazines and newspapers, Jean Kittson came to national attention on 'The Big Gig', followed by Let the Blood Run Free, Kittson Fahey, Good News Week, the Glasshouse, Flat Chat, The Einstein Factor, Media Dimensions and Strictly Speaking.
Well known for her comedy debates for the ABC, Channel 9 and Channel ten, she has been a regular columnist with New Weekly, Sunday Telegraph, the Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney Magazine, Inspire Magazine, the Readers Digest Health Smart magazine and The Hoopla.
She is the author of 'Tongue Lashing', published by Penguin, as well as her recent book 'You're still hot to me', published by Pan Macmillan. Jean’s 3rd book, ‘We need to talk about Mum and Dad’, also published by Pan Macmillan, is a no-nonsense guide to parenting ageing parents.
Her film credits include Hating Alison Ashley and The Nugget. Theatre includes Mum’s the Word, Calendar Girls, Siren, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She is a regular guest on ABC 702 radio drive programme, Thank God It’s Friday.
Jean is an experienced MC, keynote speaker, panellist, debater and facilitator of conventions, conferences, award nights and other after dinner frolics, in corporate, government and community arena.
She was a founding Director of the National Cord Blood Bank, the inaugural Chair of the Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation (AGCF) and a founding Ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Australia.
Jean Kittson is currently an Ambassador for The Macular Disease Foundation, Northcott Disability Services, The Raise Foundation, Taldumande Youth Services and the Australian Gynaecological Cancer Foundation.
Most recently she has been appointed the Patron of Palliative Care Nurses Australia.
As an advocate for women’s health issues, Jean was invited to speak about her experiences of menopause at the National Press Club. This lead to her recently published book; ‘You’re Still Hot to Me. The Joys of Menopause’ (Pan Macmillan).
“It’s informative, accurate, funny and just so accessible. I love it and finally have the definitive book to recommend to my patients.” ~ Dr Penny Adams, GP and medical media personality for women’s health.
Jean Kittson is also a wife, mother and daughter, and is married to cartoonist and political satirist Patrick Cook. Jean is the mother of two daughters, Victoria and Charlie.
Mentions:
Website - https://www.jeankittson.com.au/
Lynda Gibson - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynda_Gibson
Girls With Hammers - https://girlswithhammers.com.au/
Greenhouse model aged care
Shameless Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/shameless/id1352875216
Socials:
LinkedIn - Jean Kittson
FB - Jean Kittson @JeanKittson . Comedian
Insta - Jean Kittson
Bob Harris - Writing for a better world
Bob Harris is on a mission to do good. His career spans screenwriter, speaker, author, quiz show superstar, radio commentator, TV host, and comedian - and has greeted failure at every turn.
Bob Harris is a screenwriter, speaker, author, and has been a quiz show superstar, radio commentator, TV host, and comedian.
As a screenwriter, Bob has written for Bones and CSI, was a consultant for Marvel’s Avengers: The Age of Ultron (the 10th top-grossing film of all time); head of the writers’ room on El Pantera, Mexico’s top action series; and the instructor of the graduate screenwriting program at the International Filmschule in Cologne, Germany.
Bob has written five books, including The International Bank of Bob (Walker/Bloomsbury), whose readers chipped in more than US $10,000,000 to fund businesses in more than 90 developing countries.
He was an Associated Press award-winning radio commentator for five years, and has contributed to dozens of publications ranging from The New York Times to The Intercept to National Lampoon. Bob has also contributed to Star Wars comic books, and as a travel writer for Forbes.
His speaking appearances include Adobe, Google, eBay, Visa, more than 200 US colleges; TEDx; and conferences hosted by the European Parliament and the US Department of State.
Bob has been a TV presenter and Co-host, and has appeared on dozens of talk shows, and was a stand-up comedian whose appearances included opening for Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Allen, and Paula Poundstone.
And in quizzing, Bob’s US appearances include 14 episodes of Jeopardy!, and giving the fastest phone-a-friend response in the history of the American version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
Bob is on the advisory board of the National History Bee and Bowl, the largest academic quizzing organization in the world, and The Pop Culture Hero Coalition, an anti-bullying charity.
Offstage, Bob has kissed the Blarney Stone, rocked the Casbah, performed three marriages (becoming an ordained minister once to do so) including one on the Jeopardy! set itself, and obtained a bachelor’s degree with honours in electrical engineering and applied physics.
Originally from a small factory town in Ohio, Bob now lives gratefully in Sydney.
Mentions:
Website - http://www.bobharris.com/
KIVA - https://www.kiva.org/
Socials:
LinkedIn - Bob Harris
FB - Bob Harris
Insta - bobharrisdotcom
