Astrid Jorgensen was on the verge of becoming an air traffic controller when a school called with an offer: run their choir on measly pay, for 500 teenagers who didn’t care. Not exactly a dream job, but she said yes anyway.  

Staring down that sea of bored teenagers, Astrid realised she knew exactly how to win a room — how to move, when to crack a joke, how to get even the most apathetic kids to sing.  

And if she could get kids to sing, could she do the same with adults? She turned up at a pub - lyric sheets in one hand, a pint in the other - and taught complete strangers to sing in three-part harmony.  

Pub Choir was born. And it exploded. 

But then COVID hit and live music collapsed overnight.

From Kate Bush sing-alongs to America’s Got Talent, Astrid is now one of Australia’s most successful live performers.  

+++ 

Astrid Jorgensen is the creator of Pub Choir and her book is Average at Best. 

Curveball features compelling conversations with leaders about life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. 

Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Unity Jackson-Muir, editing by Luci McAfee. Kellie Riordan is host and Executive Producer. 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which this podcast is made, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s first storytellers. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kate Reid was a child, her car enthusiast father used to take her to watch Formula One. By the time she was in her 20s, Reid was working as an F1 aerospace engineer for Team Williams in London. 

It was her dream gig, even if she was the only female engineer working there. “There was no female toilet in the building... so Sir Frank (Williams) and I would share the disabled toilet.” 

But the intensely long days in such a high-pressure environment soon led Kate down a dark path, where the only control she could find was to limit her food intake.  

Her salve came in the unlikely form of a pastry! Despite being dumped from cooking show Masterchef, Kate Reid shifts gears from cars to croissants. And her knead for speed revs up as she launches the now world famous Lune croissanterie.  

Kate Reid’s book is Destination Moon. If you need help with an eating disorder, please reach out to the Butterfly Foundation or Lifeline Australia. 

+++ 

Curveball features compelling conversations with leaders about life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Sarah Dabro and edited by Liam Riordan and Unity Jackson-Muir. Kellie Riordan is host and Executive Producer. 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which this podcast is made, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s first storytellers. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Australia Day 2012, Cate McGregor stood at Adelaide Oval, publicly recognised with the prestigious Order of Australia. It should have been the proudest day of her life. But behind that honour, Cate was planning to end her own life. 

Across a distinguished career spanning the military, sport, and media, Cate McGregor has commanded respect and influence. But behind the uniform she’s fought private battles with alcoholism and gender dysphoria that have nearly cost her everything.

Now, as Cate embarks on what she calls the “afternoon of her life”, she enters a time not of conquest, but acceptance, clarity, and grace.  

NOTE: This episode contains discussions of addiction, alcoholism, gender dysphoria and suicidal thoughts. If these issues bring up difficult feelings for you, please reach out for support. In Australia, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. International listeners, please seek support services available in your local area. 

+++ 

Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Sarah Dabro, with editing by Amelia Navascues and Liam Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s the early 2000s and a young Aussie engineer named Saul Griffith has made his way to the prestigious MIT in the United States. He launches several startups, including one that develops the technology that eventually powers the Kindle, he even consults to NASA and the US Department of Defence. 

But at the same time, the climate crisis is looming larger. Saul tells his wife that perhaps he should ditch start-up life and instead become “an eco-terrorist”. It’s said partly in jest, but next thing Saul and his wife move their young family home to regional New South Wales.  

Over a few beers with friends at the local pub, Saul pitches an audacious idea: What if their post code, 2515, becomes Australia’s first fully electrified community?  

So, can Saul turn this bold pub pitch into a model for the nation – and do it fast enough to save Australia’s future?  

+++ 

Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios.  

Saul Griffith’s books include Plug In! The Electrification Handbook,  Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for a Clean Energy Future, and The Big Switch. You can find Saul on Instagram and find out more from Rewiring Australia. 

Rebecca Levingston and Sarah Dabro produced this episode with editing from Amelia Navascues. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Benjamin Law grew up by the beach in 1990s Queensland. He was queer, Chinese-Australian, and didn’t seeing himself reflected in the world around him. So he picked up a pen and changed that. 

From memoirist to screenwriter, commentator to Survivor contestant, Benjamin has built a career by leaning into identity, humour, and personal truth. But a recent diagnosis he didn’t see coming cast a new light on everything: his childhood, his work habits, and even his so-called flaws. 

“Most people don’t need a calendar blocked out from 6:30am to 10pm just to function. I do. That’s how I’ve navigated this brain in a neurotypical world.” 

 Benjamin Law shares how this diagnosis has helped him embrace the chaos of his creative brain and soften self-judgement. He also reflects on navigating public backlash, writing his family into the cultural mainstream, and how he finally came to love the beach he once avoided. “I realised it wasn’t the water that I hated, it wasn’t the ocean I hated. It was probably my relationship to my childhood home [town]”. 

Benjamin Law’s books include The Family Law and Gaysia. He also co-wrote and co-created Wellmania for Netflix.

@mrbenjaminlaw

+++ 

On Curveball, guests reveal how they’ve overcome a challenging moment they couldn’t see coming. It’s a production of Deadset Studios. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com 

This episode was produced by Sarah Dabro with editing by Gia Moylan. Executive producer is Kellie Riordan.   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For 20 years, Alexandra Smart poured her heart into fashion label Ginger & Smart. She and her sister Genevieve built a beloved brand, a loyal community, and a legacy she was proud of. 

And then, almost overnight, it all changed. But Alexandra didn’t crumble, she pivoted. 

“You don’t always get time to reflect or recover,” she says. “You just have to keep moving forward. And that’s what I did.” 

Sometimes, failure isn’t the end. It’s the chance to create something different. Something new to love. 

Alexandra shares how you adapt when the thing you built slips through your fingers, and how you begin again with purpose, power, and a whole new vision. Now, she’s applying her expertise as an executive coach at ECI Partners, working with CEOs and C-Suite leaders to help them drive success. 

https://eci.net.au/

+++ 

Curveball unpacks those challenges you can’t see coming! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan and edited by Luci McAfee. Executive producer is Kellie Riordan.   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Across a jet-setting, decades-long career setting iron ore pricing for Rio Tinto, Mark Berridge faced lots of challenges. But it was a weekend bike ride with mates much closer to home that changed his life forever.   

“I never, ever expected to hear the word spinal cord injury.” 

Mark had to adapt to the unexpected, learning to walk again one step at a time. So he applied his business nous to his recovery, transforming each rehab problem into a chance to do learn something new. 

“I remember thinking, ‘how blessed am I to be out here riding underneath the trees’. I remember feeling how lovely it was. Then I remember we started coasting downhill. Not long after that, things changed dramatically.” 

Mark Berridge’s book is A Fraction Stronger. 

+++ 

Curveball is the show that leans into life’s tricky times! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter or suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Nicola Brayan, with editing by Gia Moylan and Liam Riordan.  

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jim Rogers is a go getter. He married early, started a family quickly, moved up the career ladder rapidly. He was quick to leave his small British town, bound for adventure. 

But then things took a devastating turn for his young family. “It was just somebody smashing the entire world up,” Jim recalls of his wife’s unexpected death. “I had three young children who were heartbroken, trying to come to terms with believing this was even true.” 

Left to pick up the pieces raising his kids, Jim carried on. But one question lingered: how to move on with life? A chance encounter on a holiday led Jim to a new, but very unexpected, kind of love. “I thought: ‘I’ve just lost my wife, I can’t begin a relationship with him’.” 

Then, at the peak of his career, Jim’s mind began to betray him. Familiar faces blurred, filing systems faltered, and conversations slipped away. These seemingly innocuous symptoms would lead to shocking diagnosis.  

Jim’s now raising awareness of younger onset Alzheimer’s as the co-host of Dementia Australia’s Hold the Moment podcast. Hear how he’s confronted grief, embraced love, and redefined his outlook on life. 

+++ 

Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter for more tips on thriving in tricky times. And please do suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Luci McAfee. Executive producer is Kellie Riordan.   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plans. We make them for the life we want, the partner we hope to have, the career we’re keen to chase. But what happens when your plan doesn’t, well, go to plan? 

In Season 5 of Curveball, host Kellie Riordan explores what happens when everything changes, and the path forward is anything but clear. You’ll meet: 

👗 A fashion powerhouse on the brink of global success, until a high-stakes growth deal threatens to tear apart everything she’s worked for. 

 🧠 A 55-year-old father of three, hit with a life-altering dementia diagnosis that turns his world, and theirs, upside down. 

🚴‍♂️ A high-speed cycling crash that dramatically upends a life… and sparks the beginning of something entirely unexpected. 

These are stories of resilience, and reinvention. Because real growth often starts right where the plan ends. 

+++ 

Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Make sure you’re signed up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter for more tips on thriving in challenging times. And find all our episodes by visiting www.curveballshow.com    

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Giving anaesthetic in a muddy cave kilometres underground and under water? I never thought that was a good idea.” 

Experienced cave diver and doctor Dr Richard ‘Harry’ Harris is no stranger to extreme dives in pitch-black, cramped conditions. But when a call came for him to assist retrieving 12 teens and their coach from treacherous conditions inside a cave in Thailand during monsoonal rains? Well, he thought the boys had no hope of being pulled out alive. 

This incredible recovery mission taught him about pushing boundaries and propelled Harry into conversations with other risk takers. Why don’t we take more risks? Why aren’t we letting our kids explore their boundaries, and to deal with the consequences that might eventuate? 

Australian of the Year 2019, Richard Harris, takes you inside this remarkable rescue, but also a heart-breaking one to recover the body of a close diving buddy.  

In the process he illuminates the ways we can all face fear head-on.  

Check out Harry's podcast Real Risk and his new book The Art of Risk. 

+++ 

Curveball features revealing conversations with leaders about their challenges and their successes. It’s a production of Deadset Studios. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan and Harry Hughes. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Country on which this podcast is made, the Turrbal and Jagera people, and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s first storytellers. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.