Episodes

  • "Drive the van off the road Davy … and the pain will stop"

    "Drive the van off the road Davy … and the pain will stop"
    Oct 22 2024
    "Drive the van off the road Davy … and the pain will stop" These words came from a voice in the mind of Davy Rowe one morning, as he was travelling down the freeway in Perth. It took him many years to share this experience with anyone … but it formed a catalytic moment for drive and purpose in his life from the moment he ‘heard’ them. He had arrived in Perth from the UK in 1990 with a wife, two young kids, and a determination to build a business from scratch. The business was beginning to grow when he heard this message, and he was able to use it as motivation for success. He went on to establish Vortech, a successful air-conditioning installation company — it was the biggest in Perth — and Davy was busy. Busy with work, busy with family, busy raising his kids. Then his world collapsed when a trusted contractor refused to pay nearly $1 million in work Vortech had completed.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "I went to the 'boulangerie' ... and I got into arguments with the bus drivers"

    "I went to the 'boulangerie' ... and I got into arguments with the bus drivers"
    Oct 9 2024
    The inspired decision at a young age to study French in school, has lead Rachael West on a path of living and working in France on multiple occasions. These visits were experiences that have shaped her thinking, allowed her to take study opportunities that have fuelled her passions and ultimately allowed her to be immersed in the French culture. But, these are not the only interesting experiences she has had … there’s also “Clown School”. Being part of this intensive program of performance, has positively influence her understanding of how humans perform in front of crowds. She has taken this knowledge into her work as a “speaker coach”.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "It allowed me to look back on what we'd done ... which I thought was crap."

    "It allowed me to look back on what we'd done ... which I thought was crap."
    Sep 25 2024
    Frank Scatchard has led an interesting and varied life. During his visit to The Island, Frank shared with us some really interesting details from his original career as an industrial “kiln operator”. Yep, it’s not every day you meet someone that has operated an industrial kiln at dangerous temp’s of over 1000 degrees…and has lived to talk about it. But whilst that was a significant part of his early working life, there was a drive for the freedom to work for himself. So, after some careful planning and creative working arrangements with employers, Frank was able to build up from scratch … his own lawn-mowing business. This freedom of working for himself allowed him to embrace one of his passions … music … and become involved in community radio. After a couple of goes at it, Frank eventually did a course in radio announcing and then began a commitment to hosting a regular show on 6HFM … RockAria.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "he was like ... not Autism, and I said no, no, no ... just ADHD and he said ... Oh, that's a shame"

    "he was like ... not Autism, and I said no, no, no ... just ADHD and he said ... Oh, that's a shame"
    Sep 11 2024
    As a developing child, Larissa Muir’s son was being excluded from aspects of the community and faced challenges in his initial years of education. Through clinical support and a medical process of discovery, he was initially diagnosed with ADHD, and eventually this led to a recognition of autism. But, what do you do when you realise that the way he thinks … is the way you think and view the world. For Larissa, this was a revelation and allowed her to also be diagnosed with both conditions. As a professionally successful adult in her mid 30’s, she was now in a position to realise why her intuition and behaviour was shaped the way it was. But, it also presented a dilemma … how would people acknowledge her when she shared with them this important information.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "People were so judgy ... that I was a single woman, on my own, on the road"

    "People were so judgy ... that I was a single woman, on my own, on the road"
    Aug 27 2024
    When faced with the emotional pressure of a long term relationship break-up it would seem natural to find the security of a safe space, in the company of loved ones and looking for stability in your life. But for Alexis Naylor, when this happened she chose something quite different. She decided to embark on an adventurous life of living on the road and travelling around the country. With her re-fashioned ex-ambulance named “Van…essa”, Alexis was able to spread her wings, re-capture her independence and take control of her own destiny. Being a successful musician, Alexis spent the next two and half years travelling around Australia, booking into studio’s to satisfy her creative expression and just playing gigs wherever she could.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "I was very proud of my spreadsheets ... that were essential to bootstrapping ..."

    "I was very proud of my spreadsheets ... that were essential to bootstrapping ..."
    Aug 14 2024
    After only 3 and half years knowing each other, Seb and Rhys chose to leave the professional comfort of Not for Profit organisations working in the disability sector, to create a business for themselves. They had a vision to create an entity that would continue to allow people with disability to exercise their independence through personal choice and control. And they did this in classic “bootstrapping” style … by believing in themselves. The NDIS has created an interesting marketplace in the Australian disability landscape and the opportunity for independent, customer focused contract providers to create an impact, is strong.
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "I was on a walk ... and I found myself running back home so I could sign up"

    "I was on a walk ... and I found myself running back home so I could sign up"
    Jul 31 2024
    Yvette Thomas and her husband had well established, long term careers. But they were forced to make a considered decision, during the worldwide pandemic, to seek a new life … and future. This involved a move to regional Western Australia to operate a tourist accomodation … a project that lasted for 2 years and 9 months. However the intensity of running a 24/7 operation created physical and mental burnout which led to the need for both of them to take a break. The only way to deal with this was to take 3 months for “complete rest and recovery”. After this time of contemplation, Yvette began a process of discovery to determine …”what’s next?” This involved a simple Google search of “trauma informed education” and opened her world to new opportunities. The first step was to complete an online course called “The Trauma Informed certificate for Coaches and Healers”
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    Less than 1 minute
  • "Our programs are designed in that way ... to bring philanthropy to your heart"

    "Our programs are designed in that way ... to bring philanthropy to your heart"
    Jul 16 2024
    Ali Horriyat established Compassiviste to unite individuals into collectives that can make real change to the world. Following a self described “ mindset experience “ with a homeless person who shared food with him when he was “on the streets”, … Ali embraced a clear understanding of compassion, and most importantly, the actions of compassion that help others to make real change…from these thoughts came Compassiviste.
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    Less than 1 minute