Falling for You

It was love at first MasterChef promo last year when past contestant Conor Curran aka "Creamy" stood out to me as someone I really wanted to get to know. I loved his fun approach to cooking (which he lovingly described as "con-fusion" ) and unapologetic enthusiasm for life and being completely himself. From afar Conor looked fun, huggable and the kind of person I wanted to grab a cocktail and laugh out loud with. After spending a little more one on one time upclose, Conor revealed more about himself than I was expecting. Yes he is the fun, flamboyant, Greek gay guy that everyone wants to be friends with, but that wasn't always the case.

Tragically, there was a stage in Conor's adolescence when ending his life seemed like a more appealing option than living. I was taken aback and so sad that this incredible person had once faced inner-demons that made being in his own skin so difficult. Homophobia as well as internalised homophobia and the bullying he faced at his Greek school played a major role in the deep depression that set in at the time, which took him a long time to overcome. 

Things started clicking into place for Conor when he started working in hospitality when he finished school largely as every kind of person was accepted in hospo. This is a fabulously honest and open chat about life, the highs and lows, and I really hope that you feel inspired to be and back yourself after listening to the incredible Conor "Creamy" Curran. 

Excitingly Creamy and I will be starting a new Instagram Live MasterChef Recap series each week during this season of MasterChef Australia. Make sure you are following us over on Insta if you would like to connect with us for our take on what's hot and what's cold in the MasterChef kitchen! 

Connect with Conor over on Insta: www.instagram.com/creamy_confusion 

Connect with Dani over on Insta: www.instagram.com/danivenn

Connect with Falling With You Podcast www.instagram.com/fallingforyou_podcast

If this episode has bought up any issues for you, please contact Lifeline: 13 11 14  

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I first noticed Merowyn on Instagram during the pandemic, a nurse in full scrubs sharing her experiences of what it was really like to work on the front line, but it was Merowyn's powerful voice advocating for mental health and anti domestic violence that really resonated with me. I was intrigued to learn more about her life... 

Merowyn grew up in a "clash of cultures" with a Phillipino father and Anglo mother in the suburbs of Melbourne. Physically Merowyn felt out of place as the only brown kid at school and like most kids, just wanted to fit in. Merowyn was also faced with witnessing emotional and physical domestic violence in her home and experienced intergenerational trauma being played out in her family home. 

In our chat we talk about Merowyn's teenage years where she lived with the impact of her mum's battle with cancer, falling into the "Melbourne shuffle" rave scene as a way to escape her world (and meeting her now husband whilst working in a rave store!!) and later finding her purpose helping people, starting out in pharmacy and later studying nursing. 

Later in life this affected Merowyn's perspective on relationship and a young adult found herself in a DV relationship, learning the lesson you can not change a person the hard way.

Follow Merowyn on Instagram: www.instagram.com/nurse.merowyn 

Follow Dani on Instagram: www.instagram.com/danivenn 

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This isn't a story to give you an instant formula, funnel or five step program, this is Anita Siek's (entrepreneur and business coach) story about how in life you do things because you think you have to, to tick the boxes to please others around you that are important to you, to do ALL the things. But once you've got to the place you thought was your dream job or position, it doesn't give you all the feels you thought it would.

So what next? As a multi-passionate person Anita had quite a few 'side hustles' going for her, from planting terrariums to food blogging and a little bit of photography to keep things interesting. But it was her love of writing, specifically copywriting, that gave her the most joy. 

But there were things holding her back - like a steady income and her parents approval of her being a lawyer - that kept her in her full time role. It wasn't until she experienced bullying in the workplace that gave herself permission to leap into the world of unknown freelancing and being her own boss. Given that Anita had just bought herself a house (whilst still employed),  it was enough motivation to make her work hard, hustle (for want of a better word) and make her entrepreneurial dreams work for her.

Anita may have had the guts to leave her job, but she still didn't have the nerve to tell her mum just yet! Fast forward to now and Anita turning over more profit then she ever did as a lawyer, she has her own exclusive business coaching program and a few digital products to keep things interesting!

I love Anita's vibe and positivity, willingness to give things a crack and a joy to be around! I hope you love listening to Anita's story (or part of it) and if you are keen to follow her, make sure you do over at Insta 

www.instagram.com/anitasiek 

Or check out her Wordfetti page 

www.instagram.com/wordfetti 

Dani Venn instagram www.instagram.com/danivenn 

Falling For You Podcast (page in the making) www.instagram.com/fallingforyou_podcast 

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Jess is one of those people that might seem unassuming if you met her down the street, but Jess is a powerhouse of tenacity, resilience and doing life on her terms.  Even if it means stepping away from your family because you don't hold the same values or beliefs, leaving a marriage when you have three kids together because it is no longer serving you or starting an award-winning business from her kitchen bench that helps thousands of breast feeding mums across Australia with her delicious lactation product range called The Milk Pantry. Oh and just happens to be the world's largest range of breast feeding products!

I first met Jess when she was a guest on one of my very first wellness retreats in Bali and then again when she attended my retreat Sri Lanka. Fortunately I have got to know her well enough to call Jess a friend. Ever since learning about her life story I was pretty blown away. Growing up in a Jehovah's Witness family where abiding by the "rules" was the norm and pleasing her family and be the "good girl" were her aspirations. She married young at 19 years of age because you couldn't have a relationship with a boy unless you were married and they started having children in her early twenties quickly having three children. 

Jess and her husband started questioning the Church and her families lifestyle choices around her mid twenties and decided she wanted to leave the Church as she didn't want her kids to have the same rules and restrictions that she had grown up with. She slowly backed away from the Church so that her family would not completely disown her and she managed to maintain her relationship with her family. 

I love how organically Jess's business The Milk Pantry started after making a batch of dry lactation cookie mix to send to a friend who was having trouble with her breast milk supply and had leftovers which she sold on Facebook market place which sold out within five minutes! Jess identified an opportunity and quickly started a business name and Facebook page and a few weeks later left her job in beauty and hired a commercial kitchen. 

As Jess's business grew, her personal life and relationship started breaking down  and after a few years of trying to make it work, Jess separated from her husband amicably and started focusing on herself. Since then her business has blossomed, has recently purchased a house for herself and her kids and in the last year has even become a body builder! I love Jess's energy and willingness to follow her heart, be independent and have a strong positive mindset. 

I hope you love this chat with Jess and take inspiration from such an amazing woman! 

If you want to learn more about Jess's business The Milk Pantry you can visit 

www.themilkpantry.com.au 

Instagram www.instagram.com/themilkpantry

To follow Dani on Insta www.instagram.com/danivenn 

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It was such a pleasure to chat with the oh so divine Luke Hines, personal trainer, best-selling cook book author and motivator! Luke is such an easy person to talk to, incredibly humble and completely self-made. I've always wanted to chat to Luke about his life and learn more about his upbringing and the hurdles he has jumped over to get where he is and there has been a few...

Luke felt like a square peg in a round hole going to a sports-centric all boys school where being into drama, theatre and debating weren't really top of the most popular kid list. I was also surprised to learn that Luke struggled with his own self-esteem and weight issues as a kid and found comfort in eating potato cakes - several a day! He was also a trouble maker at school trying to gain attention in order to fit in, but really he was the butt of the jokes at school and often was bullied. 

It was funny to share a few laughs with Luke as we chatted about how we had actually met and performed in a stage play together in our teenage years and later followed a similar path with a love of drama and theatre and then later falling into food and media. 

Luke followed his passion for acting and drama when he finished high school and got accepted into Ballarat Academy of Performing Arts, where finally he started to feel like himself and felt comfortable enough to be himself and come out as it was the first time being gay was accepted in his social group and community. After his degree Luke travelled the world acting and performing around the world and has a successful acting and performing career. However there was a turning point in his career where Luke didn't want to play a character anymore and instead wanted to be himself. 

As fitness and food had played such a major part of his life, he wanted to work on becoming a serious personal trainer, so left his hometown of Melbourne and moved to Bondi, broke but hungry to gain new clients and a following which he soon did. He knocked on a lot of doors, handed out flyers and worked hard. But television and presenting was always at the back of his mind and saw an opportunity when auditions from My Kitchen Rules opened, he went for it and got on the show - and the rest is history...but not without the hustle! 

After MKR Luke went onto work with Pete Evans and found personal mentors in the media industry for him to learn from and he also started growing his own personal brand, publishing cookbooks as well as later launching Luke Hines 10 - Meals, Mindset and Moves online program. 

It is so great to see Luke do so well and it was an absolute pleasure chatting to and learning about his life and I can not wait to see what Luke gets up to next! 

To learn more about Luke's cookbooks, including his latest Guilt Free Snacks and Luke Hines 10 online program visit: https://lukehines10.com 

Follow Luke on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehinesonline 

Follow Dani on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danivenn 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peta Hooke was born with cerebral palsy, is a disability advocate and host of the "I Can't Stand" Podcast. Peta is just the most delightful human, eternally optimistic and lives with a half glass full attitude. Despite the many barriers and challenges she has faced in her life, from not being able to walk to relying on a hoist to get her out of bed in the morning, Peta lives a very full life. 

Peta has had incredible support from her parents throughout her life. As a kid she identified her disability as part of her, rather than being different which her parents told her shew wasn't, which she admits now is a little problematic. But it has got her to where she has is today. Peta now sees disability as part of diversity and this difference should be celebrated. 

Being proud to be disabled was not something that was common until relatively recently and Peta breaks down any taboos that may have existed around having a disability and actively encourages non-disabled people to ask what it's like living with a disability on her podcast, I Can't Stand. 

Listen to Peta's podcast here: I Can't Stand Podcast 

Follow Peta Hooke on Instagram

Follow Dani Venn on Instagram or visit www.danivenn.com.au 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kemi Nekvapil is a coach, author and speaker who has lived a full life also as a baker, yoga teacher, actor and raw food chef! Kemi also grew up in England and by age 13 she had landed with her fifth set of foster parents. This upbringing influenced her perception of belonging and stability, especially also being the only person of colour in school where Kemi faced racism on a daily basis and lived with a feeling that she did not belong or fit in. At a young age dreams of being more than working at a supermarket were not entertained as Kemi was in "survival mode," living more on a day to day basis looking after her emotional wellbeing than allowing herself to dream of anything bigger than that moment. Kemi used comedy and her natural sense of humour as a way to 'fit in' at school and get along with her peers. 

As she grew up and felt safer in her situation, she eventually allowed herself to dream and her entrepreneurial spirit to flourish and create a life for herself. When Kemi was training as a baker in her late teens she started selling her baked goods on her street and later Kemi switched to cheffing. Cooking and learning about food became her life and wasn't until she felt pregnant with her first child that she left the commercial and instead made her way to Canberra to move in with her in-laws, who she met for the first time when she arrived in the country! 

Kemi has always followed her passion at the time and allows her passions to shift and change and fully believes you grow and grieve with each change. Acting was another passion for Kemi, both on stage and screen which she pursued after completing the craft of method acting course. 

After becoming a mum and moving to Australia leaving the UK and all her friends, family and work behind, Kemi faced immense grief at the loss of the previous 28 years of her life. A feeling a lot of new mums can resonate with as your life and sense of self fundamentally changed. Kemi also moved into a house with four generations of the same family living under the one roof, which gave her a sense that she really had a "village" in the house and didn't need to be everything to the child and ensured that she did something small for herself each day. 

When Dani first heard about Kemi, it was about 11 years ago when Kemi bought the concept of raw food to Australia, simplifying recipes with the aim to add more fuel and life energy to your life rather than restricting eating, calorie counting or dieting. Even though this was important for Kemi, she noticed how so many powerful, successful and kind women spent so much energy and concern over calorie counting and putting their value and worth into how much they weighed. This upset Kemi and motivated her to create different space spaces for women, like retreats, and hear each other stories and guide a facilitate a deeper understanding of themselves and what they want out of life. 

This practise eventually influenced Kemi to become a coach and Dare to Lead retreats as a facilitator of Dr Brene Brown. Kemi has just released her third book, Power, a Woman's Guide to Living and Leading Without Apology. 

Key Takeaways: 

Kemi Website https://www.keminekvapil.com 

Kemi Instagram https://www.instagram.com/keminekvapil/ 

Dani Venn Instagram https://www.instagram.com/danivenn/ 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andy Quin doesn't come across as someone that has dealt with a partner who has faced life threatening addiction. Andy is well groomed, has a bright and beautiful family and a health-focused beverage business, Etch Sparkling, that has filled a gap in the market to serve a booze free drink with dinner that isn't soft drink or kombucha.

Andy is smart and strong, the type of person you admire on Insta from afar. But scratch a little under the surface and Andy has faced her share of demons too. Unexpected demons, out of her control. When she was a child, her father drowned at sea. And later in life when she married her husband, a successful professional who worked in the wine industry, she never imagined that his job and livelihood would almost shatter their relationship and come close to ending his life. 

It was Andy's strength and determination to stick by her husband, to be the rock for her family in a time of crisis that pulled her family through, and not only that find a solution that would keep their family afloat and gave her husband a new lease and direction in life. 

This is a story of courage and determination when faced with situations where you feel like giving up. It's a story of love and strength, when it matters most. Thanks Andy for sharing your story and being such a wonderful human. 

You can follow Andy and find out more about Etch Sparkling @etchsparkling on Instagram or order drinks www.etchsparkling.com.au 

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Flick Palmateer (Survivor Finalist 2021) was someone that caught my eye on the most recent series of Survivor because I wanted to know more about her. When it comes to professional surfing Flick has been the best of the best, dedicating her young life to surfing and becoming a professional surfer on the World Surfing League. Flick also holds the current title for surfing the biggest wave in Australia as a female and she has combined her love of the ocean with her passion for art and expressing herself visually through painting, ceramics and audio visual mediums in her recent project Skin Deep. 

I had to reach out to Flick and ask if she would be keen to chat with me so that I could find out more about her motivations, her aspirations, her fears and self doubt and what pushes you to become a big wave surfer in a male dominated industry. And I am so glad that I did. This conversation is epic, as is Flick's life, as she chats about her thoughts on being a female in the male dominated surfing industry, how she felt lonely as a professional athlete touring the world when her peers where at home doing normal teenage stuff, her struggles with her identity being bisexual as a young person and her struggles with her own body image. It came as a surprise that someone so successful in her industry deals with the same issues a lot of us face when we are trying to find ourselves. 

Of course we also chat all things Survivor and how different and difficult her experience was because as Flick was filming the show, sadly her mum passed away. Sadly Flick's mum had been suffering from years of dementia and had slowly deteriorated over a long period of time, and because of her families support Flick decided to stay on the show. A tough choice and I know one that she didn't make lightly. 

I really hope that you enjoy this chat with Flick. She really is the biggest legend and I know that you will want to connect with her after this and follow her over on insta @flickpalmateer  and check out her project Skin Deep on Vimeo. 

You can always reach out to me too and let me know how you are finding the podcast or if there is anyone you would love me to chat to @danivenn 

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As soon as I saw the name of the business "Holistic Hikes" emblazoned on a Jeep Wrangler when I was picking up coffee on the Main St in Mornington one day, I knew I had to find out more. Not only about the business but also the person behind it. I was intrigued. I managed to track down a woman whose active hiking gear aesthetic matched the car, and I introduced myself asking her if that was her car and what her business was about. We hit it off straight away and swapped Instagram handles promising to catch up for a coffee and walk locally. I am so glad I did because since then I have developed a friendship and learnt much more about a very strong and admirable woman, Amanda Connell, founder of Holistic Hikes. 

Amanda grew up in Frankston, a notoriously rough around the edges suburb, on the Mornington Peninsula the youngest of three, with two older brothers. Amanda is a self-confessed "tom boy" who found her happy place from a young age immersed in nature. It is no surprise nature offered an outlet of peace and sanctuary when I learnt in our chat that her father suffered PTSD as a Vietnam war veteran and was often violent within the home. Amanda also witnessed her brother become a victim of drug abuse in her teens and when she was only 20 years old she was married. Soon after Amanda became pregnant with her eldest child and her partner became violent towards her. When Amanda's four year old daughter pleaded with her mum to leave, she escaped her family home and seemed refuge at a friends house. 

Amanda found herself as a single mum with not much to her name but she managed to build herself back up and often that was because she listened to her gut which told her to get out in nature. Amanda later reconnected with an old friend, who is now her husband, and together they have three children, two of whom she is a step-mum to.

Amanda started her hiking business Holistic Hikes as a way to introduce others to the healing benefits nature and being immersed in it can offer. Her hikes are not just about getting from A to B, but about getting people to think more holistically about our world and how we are connected, health and nutrition and mindfulness. 

Amanda's story is a remarkable one because she has turned around her life to one full of positivity and she shares her story and her business to inspire and encourage others to live a full, happy, safe and healthy life. You can find out more about her business at www.holistichikes.com.au  

You can follow and connect with Amanda @holistichikes 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.