Donna-Leigh Perfect sits opposite me in the studio of podcaster Drew Kruck...It's normally a space full of jokes and laughter, today, Donna's eye's well with tears "I don't even remember if I had the chance to say goodbye to her." She says of her mother dying at her feet. A victim of a stab wound inflicted by her father.

As if witnessing the murder wasn't enough, Donna and her siblings were farmed out to the then, harsh welfare system of foster care.

Donna has endured much. Listen in as she discovers who she is and begins on a journey that would lead her to become one of Australia's leading anti-bullying campaigners.

Sit down and I reckon you might need the tissues handy.

www.dreamguards.com.au

Suggest a guest or contact me via Instagram:

@senseiodell

@against_all_odz_podcast

My mum sits at a table across from me at her house in the picturesque beach side town of Sellicks Beach, South Australia.

For a year and a half she has listened and contemplated coming on the show. I knew her smiling face and constant laugh hid much of the pain she has lived....I didn't know to the full extent. She truly is a strong and inspirational a women.

Its fitting that this, episode 15 be released on International Womens Day. I couldn't ask for a better mum and I certainly couldn't bring you a better example of someone who stands for everything celebrated on this day.

Listen in on a face to face conversation with someone thats searched life to find her voice, but along the way found herself.

Instagram: @against_all_odz_podcast

Instagram: @senseiodell

www.againstallodz.com

"I was 10 years old holding tickets and giving my brothers two dollars for bookies. While other kids were listening to music radio at home....I was tuning into the race meets on 4-TAB!"

Matthew Cox tells me about an upbringing that fed his growing gambling addiction. "At 16 years old while others were taking notes in science, I was writing myself lines that said 'I must not gamble'."

There were four defining moments that changed Matthew's life from a man that had nothing to a man that has so much to lose.

Listen to this cautionary conversation as Coxy tells me how he not only battled with the odds but played them. 

www.gaaustralia.org.au

www.lifeline.org.au

www.againstallodz.com

Instagram: @against_all_odz_podcast

                 @senseiodell

 - Stay Humble 

 - Stay Kind 

 - Stay smiling 

Odz.

Brent Simpson is a larger than life character. We sat at one of our favourite Gold Coast beaches to discuss his chequered past, the lessons learned from his former life, and how he is now making a positive impact in his community.

The Heavy Hiterz Foundation offers support through a number of resources including the stories of those with "lived" experience.

Listen in as Brent tells us of his "lived" experience and of the birth of the foundation. He believes that you are not alone and that if he can succeed against all odds.....anyone can.

Stay Humble 

Stay Kind 

Stay Smiling

Odz

www.heavyhiterz.org

www.againstallodz.com

Instagram - @the_heavyhiterz_foundation

Instagram - @senseiodell

#youarenotalone

Over six feet tall, muscled and sporting a full sleeve tattoo, people move aside as Jai strides toward me.......there's always been an energy of aggression and anger bubbling just beneath the surface. Today he looks different, eyes less piercing, I get a sense of peacefulness. His need to constantly fidget and shift has halted.

We sit and talk.

In this conversation we discuss his unusual upbringing, how it shaped him, his time working as a bouncer and how the industry brought his anger issues to light, his career in the military and why upon return from deployment he saw a need and a way to help other veterans, especially those suffering PTSD.

Listen in as I talk to a man many consider their protector and hear how he's making a change. The once ticking time bomb, this is Jai Hoffman.

www.survivetothrivenation.com

Insta: @therealjaiho

www.againstallodz.com

Insta: @senseiodell + @against_all_odz_podcast

Stay Humble

Stay Kind

Stay Smiling

Odz

Mark Hobbs is a giant of a man, 6'4, 140kg. He was the youngest of my group of friends to be diagnosed with cancer.

Hesitant to let anyone know he had Hodgkins Lymphoma, Mark broke the news to most via social media.

Listen in as "Hobbsie" as he's affectionately known as, opens up about his diagnosis, his feelings around the news and how he handled treatment while holding down a job.

Hobbsie discusses his head space pre, post and current and fills me in as to how he's battled against all odds.  

Please share the show with someone

Stay Humble 

Stay Kind

Stay Smiling

Odz

Facebook: Mark Hobbs

Mark also co-hosts weekly Facebook live show NRL FOOTY LOUNGE LEGENDS

www.againstallodz.com

Insta: @senseiodell

Insta: against_all_odz_podcast

I've been apprehensive to release this, episode 10.

The main topic of discussion is the fact that I've battled with anxiety for the last 9 years, being diagnosed in the last four....ironically the release of this episode has been making me slightly anxious...hence the delay.

Kat Griffin asks me about my childhood, one of the many neighbourhoods I grew up in, the demise of a rugby league career and how it contributed to me having incredibly uncomfortable, random, anxiety attacks.

She asks some listener questions, the reason for the show and I reflect for the first time as to the real reason I didn't achieve one of my dreams.

Hopefully you find the conversation interesting, a little entertaining but ultimately helpful. Its hard to admit publicly the chinks in the armour I've spent a life time hardening.

Insta: @senseiodell

Email: [email protected]

"I had to lose nearly everything, before I appreciated what I had."

Ryan Scott sits in his wheelchair opposite me " The choices I made put me in that passenger seat...and because of that choice I became a quadriplegic."

When I first moved to South Australia Ryan lived with his brother in the house directly across the street. It was a small, picturesque coastal community now famous for the Star of Greece cafe and the beach lifestyle.

Growing up Ryan became apart of the infamous Pt. Willy Crew (PWC) a self given title of a band of local youth mainly made up of surfers and pot heads. The laughs were plenty and the brotherhood was strong, they would get up to the normal mischief round town and were notorious for crashing parties by the carload, fighting, getting drunk and being the last to leave. They were proud of their reputation.

Ryan was the youngest of this group. Fast, powerful cars were the preferred mode of transport for the PWC and it wasn't unusual to see them gather on the streets to do burn outs and out do each other. 

It was in one of these cars at the age of sixteen that Ryan would have his head pinned to his stomach after the driver lost control in wet conditions, veered down an embankment and collided with a tree...."I was conscious for the whole two and a half hours it took them to cut me out." he tells me.

Listen as Ryan Scott tells of how he battled against all odds to not only represent Australia at the Paralympics, to win two gold medals for his country but to also learn life lessons and form deeper relationships than he ever thought possible with his family and loved ones. 

Odz

"In my early 20's I got heavily into drugs and alcohol and by about the time I was 30, I was basically a homeless alcoholic living on the streets of Sydney."

Laurence aka Step Steppins, as I've always known him, sits and talks with me about his past, drugs, alcohol, theft and being homeless. "Nobody sets out to become homeless..one thing leads to another. I was living in low cost accomodation in inner city Sydney. Eventually I stopped paying rent..eventually I got evicted...and eventually I grabbed a pillow and a blanket and headed out onto the street." 

Another inspiring conversation with someone that has had real battles, bares the scars but found his strength and has triumphed against all odds

Thank you for listening, please help the show grow by sharing and leaving a review on your podcast player. Don't forget if you have a question for me on Ep. 10 contact me via Instagram @senseiodell or @against_all_odz_podcast

 - Stay Humble

 - Stay Kind

 - Keep Smiling

www.againstallodz.com

www.lifeline.org.au

www.salvationarmy.org.au

Amber Glover sits across from me, inhales deeply, a silence hangs in the air, then finally she speaks. " I would like to tell the story of my best friends suicide. I think it's important to talk about it." She continues "Overcoming that grief was one of the hardest things in my life....I'd like to share it, maybe it'll help someone."

Ambers recounts emotionally about losing her best friend and how its ok to grieve, how its ok to run and not stop and how you shouldn't be judged in the process. "I lost a really big piece of my heart, and I don't want anyone else to."

Listen in as Amber gives first hand insight to how she avoided self destruction, prevailed against all odds and came to a place of acceptance.

www.beyondblue.org.au

www.lifeline.org.au

www.kidshelpline.com.au