Coffee Chats with Matt Collins

Sometimes we forget we only have one life and it is there to be lived. Celebrity chef, Matt Golinski knows that more than most. In their chat, Matt shares with Matt Collins his journey from naughty school boy to one of the first tv chefs. They talk coffee, food, music and so much more. Matt opens up about the tragic event that occurred on Boxing Day 2011 when his wife and three beautiful daughters were killed in a house fire. Knowing he has his family's love and support, these days Matt is focused on taking a big bite out of life.

From time to time, we all struggle with that little voice on our shoulder telling us we are not good enough. But for Donna Thistlethwaite, that voice on her shoulder become so loud she could see no other option than to end it all. In 2012, she drove to Brisbane's Story Bridge and fell from the iconic landmark. Miraculously Donna survived the fall and since then she has become a crisis counselor and a motivational speaker assisting others who are going through the same painful journey she did.

Like every so-called overnight success, there are years and years of hard work and challenges that the majority of us never see. And so it is with the rising star of pop-country music, Natalie Pearson. She has already worked with some of the biggest artists in the business and is off to Nashville in the near future to further perfect her musical talent. In their coffee chat, Natalie shares with Matt the ups and downs of her musical journey so far and what is the ultimate goal for this singing sensation.

You'd think when Matt sat down for a Coffee Chat with a Book of the Year winning author it would be a conversation filled with stories about getting lost in the literature and the remarkable adventures you go on when engulfed between the pages, but not so with Bren MacDibble. Author of 2018 Book of the year for younger readers, for her book 'How to Bee', Bren has deservedly enjoyed high praise for her book but it is her personal life where the story really starts to get interesting...

Arguably the greatest swim coach this country has ever produced, Laurie Lawrence is the epitome of success. But does this master motivator have any failures? Does he think he could have done a better job with his Olympic athletes? Laurie shares a chat with Matt and opens up about his time playing rugby union for Australia and why he pushed a paralympic swimmer into the pool when she didn't want to swim.

Scott Darlow's music career started when he was five and his parents were Salvation Army officers and he fell in love with the brass band. Fast forward to current day and he is an accomplished singer, songwriter, guitarist and didgeridoo player. In their coffee chat, Scott shares his emotional relationship with his alcoholic father, the strong connection to his indigenous culture and why he resigned from teaching to focus on his music career.

Pip Johnston and her husband Paul are your typical hardworking couple. Pip is a vet and Paul works on the land. Their lives were as close to normal as you can get. That was until their third born, Tommy, came into the world. This little bundle of joy looks just like any other cute baby boy, but sadly, little Tommy has been diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. Doctors have advised it is unlikely he will live to see his teenage years. Tommy's mum, Pip talks about life with her remarkable little boy.

Politicians are often in the public eye but ironically rarely do they give an insight into their personal lives. Mayor for the South Burnett region in Qld, Keith Campbell sat down with Matt to break that mould. He shares parts of his life from outside of council including what makes him tick, what he does to relax and how he deals with the constant complaints from residents about their roads, rates and rubbish. It's an interesting insight into a side of the mayor he rarely shows.

Luke Bourne was just like any other active bloke. He loves cars, fishing and his wife. In 2015, Luke started getting headaches which gradually became more severe. It wasn't long before a doctor advised him there was a lump in his head and he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Luke shares with Matt what the last few years have delivered for him and his remarkable wife Rachel.

Before her 10th birthday Johanna Hemara had already performed on stage to massive crowds. The famous yodeler is the self-proclaimed 'black sheep' of the music industry and has no plans of 'playing the game' like so many others have done. Johanna shares some great stories with Matt like what happened when Kevin 'Bloody' Wilson got her on stage to perform one of her yodeling hits to his raucous crowd.