Inspirational Tales

As a child, Stephanie was diagnosed with Idiopathic Primary Pulmonary Hypertension, a disease which caused high blood pressure in her lungs and the same disease that her brother passed away from when he was only 5 years old. In 2018, following a deterioration in her health, she became the recipient of a double lung transplant.

In this interview Stephanie discusses how having Primary Pulmonary Hypertension affected her life as a child and young adult. She explains the process of receiving her double lung transplant and why, following her transplant, she decided to help Donate Life raise awareness for organ donations. Since receiving her transplant, Steph has learnt to live her life to the full and she hopes to continue to do this for many years go come.

 

Register to become an organ donor here donatelife.gov.au/register-donor-today

 

PODCAST DETAILS- Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast- Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

With Kindness is a series of interviews with guests who are making a difference in the world. My guest on this episode is Sarah De Jonge, who is the founder of the global kindness project 1000 Hearts. As a symbol of compassion and care, the 1000 Hearts community offers handmade pocket hearts, to those in need. 

 

In this interview Sarah discusses:

 

- Why she started 1000 Hearts

 

- How 1000 Hearts grew from just her making hearts, to a global community

 

- Stories from recipients of the hearts

 

- Why she believes kindness is so important

 

If you would like to get involved in giving or receiving hearts, you can do so through the details below. 

 

CONNECT WITH 1000 HEARTS

 

Facebook: 1000PocketHearts

 

Instagram: @1000_hearts

 

Website: 1000hearts.com.au

 

 

PODCAST DETAILS

Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

Katrina was diagnosed with alopecia when she was 9 years old. Since then, she has experienced varying degrees of the condition, including having her hair grow back and fall out multiple times.

In this interview, Katrina discusses how Alopecia has affected many aspects of her life, including the emotional struggles she has faced and how at 37 years old, she decided to take back her power and shave her head. She speaks about her response to both of her children also being diagnosed with Alopecia and how she is teaching them, that hair and external looks are not important and that it is what is inside that counts.

Kat is a proud advocate for her family, as well as others living with Alopecia. I am so happy that she has learnt to love herself again and in turn is able to inspire so many others to feel the same about themselves.

CONNECT WITH KATRINA

- Instagram: @katslife_lesshair

- Tiktok: katslife_lesshair

 

PODCAST DETAILS

- Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

- Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

In 2019, Matt’s girlfriend Claudia, passed away from Cystic Fibrosis. Following Claudia’s passing, Matt took up cycling. Now, 3 years on, he is preparing to cycle the full length of New Zealand, to honour Claudia’s memory and raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis.

In this interview Matt shares an honest and heartfelt account of his life so far, including his relationship and time spent with Claudia, how her passing affected him and now his current journey with his cycling.

** Please excuse the buzzing sound in the audio. Unfortunately it recorded that way and although I have done my best to reduce it, you can still hear it.

 

MATT'S DETAILS

- Make a donation: https://cycling-for-claudia-cycling-for-a-cure.raisely.com/

- Instagram: @cyclingforclaudia

- Facebook: CyclingForClaudia

PODCAST DETAILS

- Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

- Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

CONTENT WARNING: This episode discusses drug use. If you need support please contact one of the below organisations:

Lifeline - Ph: 13 11 14 Website: lifeline.org.au

Narcotics Anonymous - Ph: 1300 652 820 Website: na.org.au

 

EPISODE NOTES

My guest on this episode is Jayden Sheridan. Jayden grew up in Seymour, a town in regional Victoria, about 100kms north of the Melbourne CBD. Jayden’s life went off track as a teenager, which saw him get involved with drugs, get into trouble with the police, get kicked out of school and not have a stable place to call home.

But everything changed for Jayden when he was 17 years old and he found out that he was going to be a father. He vowed to change his ways and turn his life around so that he could be there for his son.

Fast forward a decade and Jayden is now a prominent member of the Seymour community. He founded and runs the not for profit youth group, Gnarly Neighbours, which uses skateboarding and creative workshops to provide a positive space and opportunities for kids that weren’t available when he was growing up.

In this interview Jayden shares a raw and honest account of his life, from his troubled childhood to the amazing work and difference that he is now making within the community. What a journey he has been on and he is only just getting started!

Connect with Gnarly Neighbours

Website: ​gnarlyneighbours.com.au

Facebook: GnarlyNeighbours

Instagram: @gnarlyneighbours

Podcast Details:

Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

Since the age of 12, Grant Lottering had a passion for cycling and would eventually start racing as a professional at 21. On July 21, 2013, as Grant prepared for the World Championship in Trento, Italy, he crashed. Grant’s accident was so severe that as he lay on the mountain road, he resigned himself to the reality that he would die – yet he lived.

The doctors told him that he survived death, and in the hospital, Grant received a vision of a blank page, which he felt was a message telling him, “you’ve got a new story to tell.” Grant would then do the impossible by conquering the French Alps in under 50 hours, the French Pyrenees in less than 72 hours and the entire length of South Africa, despite having undergone 11 surgeries, including emergency cancer surgery.

As an international motivational speaker and Laureus Sport for Good Ambassador, Grant has taken his story to over 11 countries and 40 million people

Connect with Grant:

https://grantlottering.com/ 

https://www.uhsm.com/resources/grant-lottering/

Instagram: @glottering

Podcast Details

Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

In 2021, Sarah made her Olympic debut in Tokyo when she represented Australia in the 400m hurdles. But Sarah nearly didn’t make it to the Olympic Games at all because only 5 months earlier she had a freak accident in the gym, which required life saving surgery and many weeks of rest afterwards. Sarah’s surgeon told her to basically forget about the Olympics, but Sarah’s body recovered much quicker than anticipated, allowing her to represent her country in the sport that she loves.

In this interview Sarah shares her journey from taking up little athletics as a child, to taking a few years away from athletics as a young adult and then falling back in love with it all over again. She then shares her journey from the gym accident to the Tokyo Olympics and what she is working towards for the future. 

This interview gives an insight into what it is like to be an elite athlete, including the highs and lows that come along with it. Sarah is a ball of positive energy and I can’t wait to see all that she will be able to achieve in the future.

 

Connect with Sarah

Instagram: @sarah_carli

Tiktok:  sarah_carli 

Podcast Details

Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

Danielle co-founded Motherless Daughters Australia, after her Mum died from a rare form of cancer, when Danielle was only 23 years old. Motherless Daughters is a not for profit organisation that informs, supports and connects women and girls whose Mums have died.

In this interview Danielle speaks openly about her Mum’s battle with cancer and the changing dynamic within her family during this time. She shares how she felt there was a lack of support for her following her Mum’s passing and how this led to her co-founding Motherless Daughters Australia. She also shares some insights into what we can do to support someone who has lost their Mum and how to navigate events like Mother’s Day.

Connect with Motherless Daughters Australia

Website: www.motherlessdaughters.com.au

Facebook: motherlessdaughtersaustralia

Instagram: @motherlessdaughtersau

Podcast Details

Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

My guest on this episode is Bradley Dryburgh. Bradley was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease that the first specialist his parents took him to as a baby, said would ruin his life. Luckily, his parents chose to find a different specialist, one with a more positive and hopeful outlook instead and this set Bradley up with the positivity and zest for life that he has today.

Cystic Fibrosis has definitely not ruined Bradley's life, in fact he sees it as a badge of honour that has helped him build resilience and the ability to overcome any challenge that life throws at him.

In this interview, Brad shares his life story from his amazing childhood to his first Cystic Fibrosis challenges as a young adult and how his hospital stays gave him a new perspective on life. Bradley is also a fellow podcaster and he explains how he went from being uninspired at work to following his passion for podcasting and storytelling. He also takes us through his journey from hating long distance running to running marathons to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis Australia.

Bradley is inspiring young children with Cystic Fibrosis all over the country by showing them that anything in life is possible. His positivity and go getter attitude is second to none and it definitely rubbed off on me whilst speaking to him and I'm sure it will for you too.

 

Bradley's Details:

You can find Bradley on Instagram, along with links to his podcast and fundraising page @bradleyjdryburgh

Podcast Details:

Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast

On 1st January 2020, then 19 year old Tyler suffered a traumatic brain injury, after falling head first off a 10m high cliff. Tyler needed life saving brain surgery, in which one third of this skull was removed and he was in a coma for 19 days afterwards. Tyler's family and friends were given a grim prognosis and were readying themselves to either say goodbye to Tyler or goodbye to Tyler as they knew him, when Tyler emerged from his coma and began to recover. Since then, Tyler has defied the odds, making a remarkable recovery that has surprised all of those around him.

In this interview Tyler speaks about his journey from the events surrounding the accident, to his surgeries and recovery and how he thinks of the brain injury as a blessing in disguise.

I find it fascinating what the brain and body can do and Tyler's story is a real testament to that.

 

Tyler's Details:

Intstagram: @tylerproject19

Facebook: tylerproject19

Website: https://tylerproject19.wixsite.com/braininjury

 

Podcast Details:

Website: inspirationaltales.com.au

Instagram: @inspirationaltalespodcast