Kintsugi Heroes

In December 2022, Dominic was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Not only did this have a huge impact on him and his family, but it also clearly shook those around him, particularly his male peers, to whom he had always been a pillar of strength. His treatment is ongoing, and he does not yet see himself as a cancer ‘survivor’.

He has used his living experience to give back through community engagement, both actively through talks and podcasts, and passively in his day-to-day conversations.

Dom has a particular passion around encouraging men to show their vulnerabilities and believes that this has helped him both mentally and physically as he takes on this fight. He has become passionate about understanding his personal journey and embracing the powerful connection between a positive mindset and the human body.

“I didn't want to dwell on cancer. I didn't want to be defined by being a cancer patient or a cancer battler. For me, it was about what have I learned and how can I use that experience? How did I respond to adversity or a message like that to help people understand that they they're not going through it alone, and to have the balls to go and do the health check, if they find something adverse, they’re not alone.”

Biography

Dominic Lynch lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches with his wife and 18-year-old twins. He embraces the environment in which he lives and having hung up his rugby boots after 25 years, he took up surf boat rowing and mountain biking and remains an active surf lifesaver.

His professional career has seen him work in the engineering and construction industry in Australia and overseas.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Bradley Spillane is an advocate, a community volunteer and spokesperson. Through the men's mental health radio show on Radio Blue Mountains, he is a lodestone, a centre for people talking about something that wasn't fashionable when he started, which was men's mental health and men's health in general

This episode is a brutally honest, in-depth conversation between two friends: our host John Milham and Brad Spillane

Parts of Brad’s story are very confronting. When his marriage came to an end his anger caused his life to spiral out of control. He made two attempts on his life through in October of 2013 and January 2014 when he incurred serious injuries. He spent months in hospital through that year. Before his third attempt he woke up to himself and said, “Hey man, you’re here for a reason? Let's have a crack at this.”

Brad later worked out that the reasons behind his negative emotions come from his childhood, including family breakup, his physical size and a long illness. Eventually he began to speak openly about his journey on the radio podcast on mental health, and a friend encouraged him to create own show.

He is not a counsellor or a therapist but comes from lived experience and he found that purposeful and almost, a calling. He’s been in a pretty good place for four or five years now. He attributes that to the men's mental health show, to all the people that came on and others he chatted with.

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support Kintsugi Heroes

Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit, and every story we share is free for the people who need it. If this show has meant something to you, you can help us keep going. Visit kintsugiheroes.com.au and click donate. Every contribution helps us keep telling these stories, and it's tax-deductible.

Thank You For Listening

Follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, or share your own story at kintsugiheroes.com.au. Your story matters.

Romina’s story begins with her being swept off her feet by an amazing man after a previous violent relationship. Their marriage developed into her feeling compelled to take part in webcam sex with her partner and other people. Naively she went along with it for eleven years, thinking it was what she had to do as a married woman even though her whole being said NO.

Eventually, she fell in love with an Egyptian man she met on camera and then in person and left her husband, although they had been a threesome at times. A combination of issues led to them breaking up.

She realised she completely lacked self-love and was disempowered. Romina began a powerful new journey as she healed; after discovering the mermaid archetype and embracing her self-love, then started to help others with embodiment work.

‘I am really happy with who and what I am and the woman I am and what other people think of me, say or do is their story and their journey and not mine.’

Biography

Romina Lee, commonly known as Mina by friends, family and loved ones, was born in Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire in, England and migrated to Australia when she was fifteen years young.

She is a daughter, a mother, a stepmother, a nonna, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a lover, and an embodied woman.

She is a mother to three amazing children and two grandchildren.

She currently works full-time in the Community Service sector and runs a business called Awaken Your Mermaid.

She is a feminine embodiment coach who works with women to support them to connect to their hearts, inner wisdom, truth and power.

She is the creator of the Mermaid Temple, which is an online journey with the mermaid archetypes that she wrote to support women in their journey, as they supported her.

Contact

[email protected]

Social Media

Awaken your mermaid within on FB

@Iamrominalee on Instagram

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support Kintsugi Heroes

Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit, and every story we share is free for the people who need it. If this show has meant something to you, you can help us keep going. Visit kintsugiheroes.com.au and click donate. Every contribution helps us keep telling these stories, and it's tax-deductible.

Thank You For Listening

Follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, or share your own story at kintsugiheroes.com.au. Your story matters.

Amira's life has been defined by early adversity, including the loss of young family members to illness, accidents, and mental health issues. These experiences instilled in her a deep empathy and a drive to alleviate suffering. 

Becoming a mother to a child with cerebral palsy at 20 further shaped her journey, fostering resilience and determination in navigating single parenthood.

At 35, burdened by debt and lacking formal education, Amira embarked on a transformative path. She immersed herself in learning, earning certifications in disability care, personal training, life coaching, spending planning, bookkeeping, accounting, and business management. 

Founding "Your Money Habit" in 2017, she initially focused on financial empowerment but later expanded her scope to holistic support for micro-business owners, addressing health, wealth, and business development.

Amira is dedicated to helping others overcome adversity through her experiences and expertise,. She empowers individuals and businesses to thrive, offering guidance in financial management, personal development, and holistic well-being. 

Her newsletter ‘Happy, Healthy, Wealthy and Free was born from this dedication, find it here: https://bit.ly/hhwfNews

Website: https://www.yourmoneyhabit.com.au/

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Shannan came from a dysfunctional, abusive family with intergenerational addiction issues. She shares her story of overcoming her past and using her experiences to empower herself to change.

She has worked very hard to overcome her addiction and realised, "If you want to make a difference in your life, you will invest in yourself because that is the only way you will grow and expand."

Shannan now uses the knowledge she gained to help others release their past and find greatness within to live in confidence, strength, and freedom. Her passion is to teach as many individuals as possible how to create a life they love!

In a series on her podcast, You Are Not The Only One, Shannan has people from all over the world talk about their moments of silence, what they've learned, and how they are changing other people's lives.

"I see it, you know, everything is just coming to me quickly and easily… because I've given myself the greatest gift, which is loving myself."

Biography

Shannan Mondor is a best-selling author, podcast host, public speaker and a mindset and manifesting coach. She created Fulfillment in Faith to teach others to have faith in themselves, which is the foundation for having fulfillment in every area of their lives.

Shannan has created a collection of resources to help and guide you to your best life, including her book How in the Hell Did I Get Here? Her podcast, Fulfillment in Faith, and her programs, Fulfillment in Faith and 1:1 Coaching Through Fulfillment in Faith.

Contact

[email protected]

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/shannanmondor

https://www.instagram.com/shannanmondor/

https://shannan-mondor.mykajabi.com

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Kerrie grew up with alcoholic parents and began her own intense but successful struggle with alcoholism and mental health when she became an instant alcoholic after her first drink at fifteen. At eighteen, she joined Alcoholics Anonymous and has remained clean and sober since that day forty years ago.

For thirty years, Kerrie has worked and volunteered in the business and community sector, helping those struggling with life issues find hope.

She has a private practice as a trauma and addictions coach/counsellor and mentor, building connections. She has also worked with many young people in crisis at different schools on the Sunshine Coast.

Four years ago, Kerrie founded “Stories of HOPE Australia”, a platform that runs monthly events bringing HOPE to the community. She has just released the second book in her “Stories of HOPE Australia” series ‘Resilient People, Remarkable Stories’. She has also created “Stories of HOPE Worldwide”, an online platform sharing stories of HOPE worldwide.

Biography

Kerrie Atherton,, Founder of Stories of HOPE Australia/Worldwide and EMPOWER Life Solutions, is a Keynote Speaker, Author, Mental Health First Aid Training Presenter, Event Host, and Trauma and Addictions Recovery Counsellor.

In everything she does, her passion is to help prevent suicide and hopelessness and to bring connection and HOPE to people in times of uncertainty in a rapidly changing world.

Social Media

https://m.facebook.com/StoriesofHOPEAustralia

Stories of Hope Australia: https://storiesofhope.com.au

Stories of Hope Australia | Restoring Lives Is Our Priority

https://empowerlifesolutions.com.au/stories-of-hope/

Stories of Hope Australia Books - Stories of HOPE

https://au.linkedin.com/in/kerrieatherton-099259187

Contact Kerrie

[email protected]

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support Kintsugi Heroes

Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit, and every story we share is free for the people who need it. If this show has meant something to you, you can help us keep going. Visit kintsugiheroes.com.au and click donate. Every contribution helps us keep telling these stories, and it's tax-deductible.

Thank You For Listening

Follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, or share your own story at kintsugiheroes.com.au. Your story matters.

Fran Garton’s story is about how she overcame severe fibromyalgia which was undiagnosed for many years. She describes the long pain-filled path through the medical system while she tried to maintain her work and family life until she finally found someone who knew what was wrong.

She was told ‘You are a plant with no soil. You're literally just pouring the water in and it's just coming out the bottom of the pot, because there's no soil in there, nothing is being absorbed and you have so much inflammation throughout your body, that your body can't do anything with what you're giving it, even if you give it good food.’

After learning how to heal her body, her emotional and trauma issues and manage the occasional fibromyalgia flare-ups she now helps others. ‘I say to everybody, it takes time.’

‘You have to heal yourself. Until you heal yourself and deal with all of that you can't move forward, you're holding on to something in the past. You can't change the past, why don't you deal with the effects that it had on you so that you can move forward in your life?’

Biography

Fran Garton, #1 bestselling author, speaker, Body-Positive Personal Trainer, Pain Reduction Coach and Fibromyalgia Warrior, teaches people to live pain-free. Her passion is advocating for inclusive movement practices, body acceptance, stress reduction and learning to love movement.

She enjoys volunteering with donkeys, playing with kittens, watercolour painting, cross-stitching and having dance parties.

Social Media:

https://www.instagram.com/frangartonpaincoach/

https://www.facebook.com/fran.garton

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLgxbhYO43_1B6y77ysx8wQ

https://www.linkedin.com/in/fran-garton-4976a048/

Contact:

[email protected]

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support Kintsugi Heroes

Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit, and every story we share is free for the people who need it. If this show has meant something to you, you can help us keep going. Visit kintsugiheroes.com.au and click donate. Every contribution helps us keep telling these stories, and it's tax-deductible.

Thank You For Listening

Follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, or share your own story at kintsugiheroes.com.au. Your story matters.

Bishoy Tadros was born in Egypt. At the age of three the family immigrated to the US when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. He grew up in Long Island, NY where he received treatment for ten years. On his thirteenth birthday, Bishoy underwent brain surgery and remains cancer-free.

Bishoy shares his passion for health and fitness. He is an Iron Man and a six-time marathoner and has led charitable campaigns for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Society raising over $100,000 since 2017.

In 2019, Bishoy published his memoir, Break Barriers, to give readers a tool to channel the mindset to overcome obstacles whether they be personal, professional, or on the playing field.

He has also created the Mile 40 podcast where other people tell their stories.

‘Don't underestimate the power of that first step, although it's the hardest, it is undoubtedly, the most important step. It might take you longer than someone else but once you accept the fact that you are where you're meant to be… it'll take you a very long way.’

Biography

Bishoy holds an undergraduate degree in Accounting from SUNY Geneseo and an MBA from Fordham University with dual concentrations in Management and Finance.

Navigating the professional world at the height of financial crisis, Bishoy started his career at J.P. Morgan where he held various titles at the organization across the Investment Bank and Asset Management. He was a member of J.P. Morgan’s 2017 Met Club and recognized for his work as a leader within the sales organization. In a career shift that has been deemed notoriously challenging, Bishoy made the leap from finance to tech in 2019 when he became an Account Executive at Salesforce.

Social Media

@bishoy_tadros

Contact

[email protected]

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Barb spent her childhood in New Hampshire then went to Boston University on a full athletic scholarship majoring in Elementary, Special, and Physical Education.

She married in 2001 and had two children. After the terrible pain of losing her daughter Molly in 2016, her husband was ill, and Barb was suffering from brain tumours, she fell into a deep, dark place. She shares that harrowing journey and her long slow climb out of that place and how Jack’s birth when she was fifty-seven brought her to a blog and a podcast and the first steps in making sense of her life and using it to help others.

Biography

I returned to New Hampshire after nine years in the Boston area and worked as a schoolteacher, sports coach, personal trainer, camp director, event manager and race timer.

I continue to teach elementary school, coach CrossFit athletes, serve on a school board and workout regularly.

Oh, and I am raising a daughter and a son! I currently live with my daughter Gracie who is twenty-one, my twenty-three month old son Jack and their father Kenny.

Business name: A Thousand Tiny Steps

Contact

https://athousandtinysteps.com/

[email protected]

Social Media

https://mollybfoundation.org/

https://www.facebook.com/barb.higgins.96

https://www.instagram.com/barb_444/

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Adam begins his story in the Solomon Islands where he grew up. At seven, he was traumatised by psychological abuse from a teacher which instilled a very deep fear of rejection. This resulted in not being able to display any abilities or skills and becoming introverted and an unhappy underachiever at work. Eventually he had a breakdown at a conference but met someone who loved his business idea and offered help which was the catalyst to make the changes he needed. He described tackling his fear of rejection and jumped into networking. He realised he needed to be responsible for his own life, shift from a self-created victim mentality and re-write his own story.

Since making the shift, he is more action orientated in his business, but his whole life has improved by facing his challenges head on.

Biography

I am passionate about values-based culture in business and believe that values alignment not only promotes good business culture; but also promotes positive changes in people’s wellbeing long term.

I am famous for my ability to take complex ideas and present them as analogies to simplify the learning process.

I help business owners with a service delivery process (IT service/tech delivery) to uncover their values directly from their purpose, vision, and mission.

My program shows them how to embed their values into every customer interaction so that their team radiates their true values to their customers.

This promotes a happy, purposeful, and values-aligned team that the owner can trust to make decisions and behave in line with their values. The result is team retention, customer retention and positive brand image to promote long-term growth, while the owner can focus on their vision for the company.

www.bizualize.com.au

[email protected]

Social Media

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamwalsh-bizualize/

*****

We hope that you enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes.

Please take care: if you have been triggered by listening to this episode we recommend you get in contact with someone who can help keep you safe and give you the support you need. This may be Lifeline, AA, a friend, a counsellor, or some other support group.

If you’d like to share your story on Kintsugi Heroes, please get in touch by contacting us via the website here - https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/contact

We hope you continue enjoying the heroes stories!

Warmly,

The Kintsugi Heroes team

YouTube || Facebook || Instagram || LinkedIn || Website

Theme Song: "Broken" by Colin Lillie

This episode of Kintsugi Heroes was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at cbf.org.au.

Mentioned in this episode:

Thank You For Listening

Follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, or share your own story at kintsugiheroes.com.au. Your story matters.

Support Kintsugi Heroes

Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit, and every story we share is free for the people who need it. If this show has meant something to you, you can help us keep going. Visit kintsugiheroes.com.au and click donate. Every contribution helps us keep telling these stories, and it's tax-deductible.