Life Inside The Salad Bowl

Will Bignell is a 7th-generation farmer from Bothwell, Tasmania known for combining traditional agriculture with high-tech innovation and scientific research.

Will is truly a remarkable human being. His list of accomplishments are so vast, and spread across such a wide, and contrasting area of activities, passions, and past times.

In grade 12 he commenced trails on river-grown wasabi, which evolved into a multi-year university research project mimicking traditional Japanese gravel beds.

He then completed his Bachelor of Agriculture Science (BAgrSc) at the University of Tasmania which specialized in enhancing beneficial omega-3 fatty acids in sheep meat.

He is a drone and precision Agtech pioneer utilizing UAV technology, aerial imaging, and data tools for precision farming and major irrigation developments and drainage.

Worked on value-adding agricultural processes, including extraction value from salmon waste streams.

Will also has spent more than his fair share of time in the sky, with things like travelling to other countries to compete in acrobatic coemptions, he now's finds enjoyment in the slower more relaxed art of paragliding.

We talk about Will's personal journey, and how he's overcome some incredible things, like losing his brother at a young age in a motocross race.

Will was once introduced as "the smartest person I know" at a rally to support farmers that iI attended, and to be honest I reckon I'd have to agree.

Instagram: thorpe_farm

***Unfortunately, the audio from this recording was all but lost, but we've managed to enhance the sound from one of the cameras, so apologies for the lack of quality.

Imagine throwing a party in the 80's that was so big and got so out of control the police had to come and disperse the hundreds of people at your house, The house is so trashed that your mother sold it "as it" afterwards..... And your 11 years old.

Scotty recently finished up an amazing 23-year career at Ultra 106.5, a Tasmanian Christian radio station.

Scotty's life has been an amazing journey; one I feel honored he agreed to share with myself and all of you. Having experienced immense personal tragedy at a young age with the death of his father, and then later in life also his brother also at a very young age he has overcome a lot.

Scotty share's very openly his own battles with mental health and how that affected him throughout his day-to-day life, some of the incredible achievements from his children, the joy of becoming a grandfather, and so many stories that from just hearing him on the radio people would have never of guessed. Scotty has been overseas doing missionary work, rode around Tasmania to raise money for charity and so, so much more.

Kiah is the weather reporter for 7 News here in Hobart, she is also a certified marriage celebrant. Returning to her home state recently after a bit of a stint in South Australia with her husband who has been a lynch pin in the growing of the oyster industry in Australia.

Kiah's father was also tragically lost at sea in 2006 after his dinghy capsized in rough weather not too far from where this was recorded.

Kiah share's the highs and lows of the journey so far that has been her incredible life.

Talking to Kendal Burke who served in the Australian Navy before being discharged and now is preparing to embark on an epic journey "73 Peaks in 52 Weeks".

Kendal signed up to serve in the Navy fresh out of school, young and eager. An Accident that was no fault of her own left her needing to be discharged and that's where the real battle started for her, she explains.

She talks us through her time in the Navy, the accident, and life after. She is currently preparing to walk 73 of Tasmania's mountains in 52 weeks to help raise money and awareness for ADF suicide prevention.

The stats behind her reasons for taking on this challenge are remarkably large, but her drive-to-drive change is just as big, if not bigger.

If you or someone you know needs help, call LIFELINE: 13 11 14

Instagram: @73peaks_challenge

In Australia "SPEAK UP! Stay chatTY" would have to be one of, if not the most prominent and well-known charity's around mental health.

Stay ChatTY was started in 2013 By Mitch McPherson after his younger brother Ty, died by suicide. Most people in Australia would be familiar with his story as Mitch has talked at well over 1000 events and podcasts, both here in Australia and more recently overseas.

Mitch is an incredible person and somehow by chance or design manages to talk about the worse day of his life in a way that shows the depth of how much it affected him, without letting it affect him in the moment.

The behind the scenes of how the organization started and what keeps it going is pretty amazing. Mitch's want to prevent others from experiencing what his family has gone through, and his push to get the charity started at the young age of 25 is truly commendable and inspiring stuff.

If you or someone you know need help, please call lifeline: 13 11 14

Instagram: staychatty

Talking to Tom Robertson about what seems to make the world go round.... Money

Tom is from Tas Ethical which has been providing ethical financial advice since 1987.

We talk to Tom about the whole reason everyone works, which for most people is to and stop as quick as possible.

Personally, it took me a long, long time to get my head around money, and how to use it properly.

Superannuation and planning for retirement have never really been at the forefront of my mind, so it was good to get a bit better of an understanding of something we all should be pretty aware of. We talk about a lot of other things money related like, the near impossible task of getting into the housing market, inheriting money or portfolios, and the psychological Delima's that can come with some of those things.

Dylan Fowler is not only the man behind a massive amount of his own achievements, but also the man behind a lot of other people's as well.

Dylan's main focus currently is "Limitless Performance Coaching", which as the name suggests is coaching people to their absolute potential, not just in fitness or physical pursuits, but he looks at his client's whole life and how he can help them build on it.

Dylan has done a lot over the years, he was a shearer, he got selected to represent his country, he set out to break a world record and did, only to find out it had actually been broken a month earlier. He started a gym from the ground up, he brought gym's, had council forced gyms closed, his parents were both heroin addicts at one point, he watched his father die.

He's read more books on self-help and personal development than I could name.

He's had some of, if not the best mentors in the business, and now he trains world class athlete's, Millionaires, and the best of the best to help stay in peak condition, physically and mentally.

Hearing the depth of understanding and the way Dylan talks about human potential will honestly light a fire under you. The story of how he got to where he is today, what he learned from it all, and the path he is travelling to his end goal will honestly blow your mind.

Instagram: dylanlimitless

Talking with Sarah about a radio career she never planned—but somehow turned into nearly a decade behind the mic. We unpack the not-so-common “trifecta” hosting dynamic with Mick and Johnno, and why that unusual mix just seems to work.

From life in the public eye to walking the line between authenticity and oversharing, we talk about what it's like to stay relatable on air. There’s behind-the-scenes insight into the magic of the dump button, and a few of the times I've been on the show—including the time I rallied thousands of people to pressure them into playing Metallica’s Enter Sandman.

We also rewind through our history, including my first visit to the studio—and the little nursery tucked away next to the recording studio, built to support Sarah’s return to work as a new mum. Her ability to balance radio and single motherhood is something else, often doing the school run between music breaks.

Beyond radio, Sarah shares stories from her time as a live-in nanny in the US, how that deepened her passion for dance and cheerleading, and how that still fuels her work today with Tasmania’s NBL cheerleaders.

We cover several other topics and chapters, none more unexpected than Sarah sharing she lived in the jungles of Borneo, caring for baby orangutans for a few months.

Sarah is an amazing person and a vibrant, high-energy human being, it's very easy to see why so many people enjoy listening to her on the radio every single day.

Instagram: _sarah_morrison

Talking to Matt Duggan, who recently completed a 550km run from one end of Tassie to the other.

After being diagnosed at 36 with stage 3 high risk bowel cancer Matt didn't want anyone to treat him differently, he felt ashamed because the whole way along his journey he was constantly told he was too young for bowel cancer. So, he kept it to himself, very few people knew. Once that was out of the way he set about raising awareness of just how common this disease is, particularly in young people.

So, whilst training for a marathon, he figured why not do that. Every day. For 12 Days straight one marathon after the other. which he did.

Then the next year he did it in 10.

We cover the journey of Matt's cancer battle, and both these mammoth running achievements where in total he has raised well over $150,000 for charity. Matt's ability to put mind over matter and see things like 10 marathons in a row as simple "tasks" that need to be completed is phenomenal. Even just talking to him about the cancer, I got the feeling that Matt never felt it was a part of him, it was just a hurdle, a task, something to get passed and done before moving on with life.

As always there are a few more lighthearted things we chat about, like the time he managed to flip a car in his parents' driveway.

it is said that "You can do anything you put your mind to" and honestly, I feel that no truer to anyone more than Matt.

In closing, Matt is an unreal fella and if you want something to inspire the most lethargic of people, this is it.

Facebook: Matt's Marathon Mission

Email: [email protected]

Glenn Pate, known to most as “Patey” was born with a rare heart condition called Ebstein’s anomaly, where a key valve in the heart is displaced and doesn’t function properly.

This is a conversation unlike any other I've had. Ever.

Patey speaks about mortality with a calm honesty that’s both confronting and deeply human. He always knew something wasn't right, then at 8 years old overheard a doctor telling his parents to “go home and make the most of the time they had left with him.”

Since then, he’s undergone three open-heart surgeries, faced moments where he’s come dangerously close to the edge including one experience he describes as meeting death, and choosing not to follow. Two and a half years ago, was placed on the transplant list. Today, he feels he doesn't have six months left.

Patey shares how he's starting to feel detached from this world, almost like he's subconsciously preparing for whatever comes next.

The impact on his family must be huge, it would have to be, though you’d never know. He knows his kids feel it. Even getting a day to record this episode took a few tries, some days, fluid buildup makes leaving the house impossible.

And yet, he has never let it define him. From riding motocross in his younger years to becoming a self-taught tattoo artist and building one of Tasmania’s most respected studios, Patey has lived with grit and purpose.

This episode ends in a way I never expected: hoping that in six months, we’re talking about his recovery—because the alternative is something far harder to face.

How close Patey has walked with death his whole life has changed his views on it I think. Even now, I still can't truly get my head around Patey's calmness and acceptance for the most final thing we all will face. A thing we fight tooth and nail to avoid, a day that makes most of us sick to think about, Glenn has accepted, and honestly the attitude I think it has brought him is something we could all strive for.

TikTok: glennpate

Instagram: pateytattooartist