Life's a Mitch Podcast

What do you get when you combine a career in international journalism, a passion for storytelling, and the ambition to build a business of your own? Meet Jess Mudditt, founder of Australian hybrid publishing company Hembury Books!

On this episode of Life’s A Mitch Podcast, Jess takes us behind the scenes of her fascinating career journey, sharing stories from her time as an international journalist, her transition into becoming an author, and how she went on to establish her own hybrid publishing company.

We chat about the world of writing and publishing, what it takes to turn an idea into a finished book, and why she decided to take the leap from telling other people's stories to helping authors bring their own stories to life.

From reporting on stories around the world to building a business in Australia's publishing industry, Jess's journey is a great reminder that careers don't always follow a straight line — sometimes the best opportunities come from following your passion and backing yourself.

So, whether you're an aspiring author, a budding journalist, an entrepreneur, or simply someone who loves a good story, there's plenty to take away from this one!

Thanks all for listening if you'd like to get in touch with Jess , listen to her podcast or are interested in some of the books that have been published find all links below :

https://hemburybooks.com.au/

https://hemburybooks.com.au/podcast/

https://www.instagram.com/hembury_books/

https://www.facebook.com/HemburyBooks

What do you get when you combine a PhD, two master's degrees, 25 years of international engineering experience and a life journey that includes a story with coming to Australia as a refugee? One seriously fascinating conversation!

This week on Life's a Mitch, I'm joined by Dr Manuel Membrillera Ortuño, an internationally experienced dam engineering expert whose career is nothing short of extraordinary.

With a PhD, multiple master's-level qualifications and more than 25 years of hands-on experience across 355 dam projects in over 20 countries, Manuel has built a career that spans continents, cultures and some of the world's most complex engineering challenges.

As Senior Technical Director at GHD, a university professor and an internationally recognised specialist in dam safety and risk assessment, his professional achievements are seriously impressive. Add his experience teaching at universities around the world and speaking multiple languages, and it's fair to say this bloke has packed a lot into his life!

But on Life's a Mitch, we're going beyond the impressive qualifications and the incredible career.

Manuel opens up about his experience as a refugee coming to Australia, the challenges of starting a new life in a different country, and the personal journey behind the professional success. We explore what it means to adapt to a new culture, overcome adversity and build a future when life takes you down an unexpected path.

We also dive into his fascinating career, what it's like working on hundreds of dam projects across the globe, the importance of education, and what decades of international experience can teach you about people, opportunity and resilience.

This is a conversation about much more than engineering degrees and impressive job titles. It's about the person behind the achievements, the challenges that shape us, and the determination it takes to build an extraordinary life.

This is a story of knowledge, resilience, ambition and never underestimating what someone can achieve.

🎧 Tune in to Life's a Mitch for a conversation that will make you think, inspire you to dream bigger, and remind you that everyone's story has more to it than meets the eye.

🔥 355 dam projects. More than 20 countries. An incredible academic career. And a powerful personal story. This is one episode you don't want to miss!

What if nobody ever really taught us how to be an adult?

In this episode of Life’s a Mitch, I sit down with psychologist and author Peter Charleston, who has spent more than 30 years working as a psychologist, to talk about his new book, "How to Adult A Psychological Guide"

We dive into why adulthood can feel so overwhelming, why so many of us are secretly winging it, and the things nobody seems to prepare you for — relationships, work, confidence, boundaries, emotions, expectations and simply trying to keep your shit together.

With more than three decades of experience helping people navigate life, Peter brings a wealth of psychological insight to the conversation, but this isn't a lecture. It's a real, honest and often funny chat and Peter gives his insight on how adulting and not having the right skillset can make things difficult — and states why his book can help teach valuable skills to every adult.

Whether you're 25, 35, 95 or still waiting for someone to hand you the instruction manual, this episode is for you.

Because adulthood doesn't come with a user manual… but Peter Charleston might just have written one.

If you're interested in obtaining a copy or interacting with Peter find his details below :

https://www.petercharleston.com/

tik tok is @Peter Charleston

youtube is @peter charleston

linkedin is petercharleston

Thanks For listening guys this one was fun

Mitch :)

This episode of Life’s a Mitch Podcast welcomes Australian radio and media veteran Stephanie Macfie, taking us behind the microphone and into a career spanning some of the most exciting eras of Australian radio.

Stephanie shares stories from her time in the radio industry, the changing face of breakfast radio, and the milestones that have helped shape her career both on and behind the microphone. From the early days of radio to the modern media landscape, She offers a fascinating insight into what really happens when the microphones go live and the breakfast show begins.

But Stef’s storytelling doesn’t stop at radio.

We also dive into her book Once Upon a Breakfast Show — a fresh and wonderfully intriguing take on the romance genre. Described as a breakfast-radio romance, the book brings together the worlds of early mornings, radio chemistry, personalities and perhaps a little bit of love… creating a genre that feels both familiar and completely new.

What happens when the people who spend their mornings talking to the entire city start developing a story of their own?

Tune in for a conversation filled with radio nostalgia, behind-the-scenes stories, career lessons, laughter and a teaser of Once Upon a Breakfast Show.

If you're interested in purchasing a copy of Stef's book links can be found below , The book is also available to listen as an audio book on all streaming platforms:

https://stephaniemacfie.com/

What happens when the uniform comes off and you’re forced to find a new mission?

This week on Life’s A Mitch, I sit down with Ryan Fox , Former Australian Airborne Infantry soldier, firefighter, entrepreneur, and Co-Founder of The Youth Regiment.

Ryan shares the highs, the lows, and the difficult transition from military life into the civilian world. We talk resilience, leadership, purpose, mental health, and how life’s toughest challenges helped shape a mission that’s now changing the lives of young Australians.

It’s a raw and honest conversation about identity, rebuilding when life doesn’t go to plan, and turning adversity into something bigger than yourself.

If you’ve ever had to start over, find your purpose, or navigate a major life change, this episode is for you.

If you'd like to interact with Ryan or his team find links to the website and the relevant social :

https://www.theyouthregiment.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/theyouthregiment

https://www.facebook.com/share/1CcR6Vh77B/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.facebook.com/share/18jfEXepMP/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://www.instagram.com/ryaanannthony?utm_source=qr

What drives an ordinary 20-year-old to become a radical anti-government extremist in just two years?

In this episode, I sit down with author and advocate Brodie Finnegan Forbes to unpack his terrifying descent into the world of "sovereign citizens". Isolated by pandemic lockdowns, Brodie fell deep into an online echo chamber of pseudo-legal conspiracy theories. By age 22, he had been arrested 10 times, was signing documents with bloodied fingerprints, and was routing his life through a Romanian PO Box to evade government authority.

Brodie takes us past the bizarre legal tactics and straight into his time living on a secluded, heavily armed extremist compound in rural Victoria. He opens up about the chilling realities of living alongside individuals manufacturing backyard weapons, the escalating radicalisation that put his life in danger, and the desperate midnight escape that changed everything. Tune in for a raw, firsthand look at the psychological traps of modern extremism, the allure of alternative realities, and what it truly takes to break free and rebuild your life.

We also speak about is passion for writing , his published works , his poetry and much more if you'd like to check out Brodie's books or socials links are below this is a long one and after a long hiatus I feel I have my groove back

I hope you enjoy Cheers Mitch :)

https://www.brodiefineganforbes.com/

https://www.instagram.com/brodiefineganforbes

This week on the podcast, I sit down with the incredibly versatile Kelsey Moore — a kind, driven creative who’s been making serious moves in Hollywood while spinning plenty of plates.

Kelsey has been involved in standout shows like Shrinking, Ted Lasso, and That ’90s Show, gaining experience across some of the most loved productions in recent years. But she’s not just working behind the scenes — she’s also carving out her own path through directing, acting, and writing her own original projects.

We chat about the realities of breaking into the industry, what it takes to stay grounded in a fast-paced creative world, and how backing yourself can open doors you never expected.

It’s an honest, insightful conversation with someone who’s quietly building an impressive body of work — and doing it her way.

Thanks,

Mitch

On this ep I speak with re-occurring guest Kip K as mentioned he's an Emmy award winning producer and he has worked on some massive shows in the entertainment industry.

Such as "Ted Lasso" , "Shrinking" , "Bad Monkey" and my favourite all time show "Scrubs" and many more. All the shows mentioned are still in production "Shrinking" is currently airing on apple , and the rest have new seasons coming out and we speak about new show with comedy star Steve Carrell as the main character in the new show "Rooster" and the highly anticipated reboot of the comedy cult classic "Scrubs".

Kip has been on a few times before and we chat about what he's been up to since our last chat (About 15 months ago). He shares some highlights of his work and shares some stories of being on set of these shows. Kip also answers my questions as to what his roles are and goes into detail as to some of the challenges he faces on a daily occurrence at work .

If you're a fan of these shows like me or just a fan of good relaxed story telling tune in here Kip has a relaxed professional style about him which makes him incredibly easy to talk to .

Thanks for listening scrubs airs on Feb 25-26 and Rooster March 8 on Hulu and Hbo . Keep your eyes out for Ted Lasso and Bad Monkey trailers coming out soon .

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoy this second EP of 2026

Cheers Mitch :)

Happy 2026 Everyone Sorry It's been a while since the last episode . On this episode I speak to a friend and colleague Adrian "Pav" Lo Faro ,

WARNING - This episode contains conversation about potentially sensitive topics to some listeners . It contains references and content related to mental illness and suicide if this is triggering for you I encourage you to look up some services that maybe able to help like Beyond Blue , Lifeline or the Black Dog Institute and other licensed medical practitioners..

Pav has been in the mining sector for almost 20 years and he opens up and shares his insight and experiences in his time . Pav is a mental health workplace trainer and has an interesting story to share . His contributions onsite and in industry are in my opinion extremely helpful to many and go onto to help make the world shine a little brighter .

He is kind, empathetic and above all else extremely genuine and he gives a unique perspective to an area that is in my opinion no spoken about enough especially in Australian men .

This is a chat about his stories and some alarming statistics in relation to mental health in Australia, It has some laughs and some heart warming moments its a longer episode and I hope this helps starts conversations about mental health and why it's important to check in on your loved ones and even in on yourself. Pav also gives some tips on what to look out for and some simple ways you can help people and some of the warning signs someone maybe in distress.

Also as mentioned if you're wanting to get in touch and ask Pav some questions please email them in

[email protected] or inbox me on insta @lifesamitchpodcast

I hope you enjoy Cheers Mitch

On this episode I speak with reoccurring guest Kim Dunlop . Listeners of this show will be familiar with the ever professional and kind soul Kim .

We catch up for the 4th time and we go over what she has been up to . She opens up about the work she has been doing in the leadership space with her business partner and co-host of her new podcast Caroline Murphy from Ireland.

They're two women from opposite sides of the world, Australia and Ireland, who met through a shared passion for leadership, people, and meaningful conversations. What began as a connection through a podcast soon revealed something more: kindred spirits with a shared mission to change the way they lead and live.

​Together, they bring decades of experience and insight Kim brings 30 years of corporate experience paired with deep training in psychotherapy and developmental psychology. The other,

Caroline is a University Design Thinking Lecturer, Author, and Founder of FlourishByDesign personal identity development agency. Between them, they blend grounded wisdom, academic depth, emotional intelligence, and a whole lot of lived experience.

Take a listen its always a good chat and If any of this speaks to you feel free to reach out to Kim

Thanks for listening :)

M!

Links to Podcast and to interact with Kim :

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-dunlop-111ab989?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

https://www.suitsyoufacilitation.com/