Max's Island

Sally Grandy and her family’s relocation to Perth, Western Australia, came from a promise of a job, a new opportunity and the thought that “their stars were aligning”. But, it didn’t happen the way it was meant to.

Literally 1 week before leaving the UK … the job offer was withdrawn.

Nonetheless, they still qualified for a visa to travel, so they decided to take the risk and within 3 days of landing in WA … employment was found.

So for a second time it seemed life was actually working out … But yet again, things didn’t pan out the way Sally thought.

A dodgy tenant back home, “bouncing” cheques, a suspicious flooding in their house they were renting out and arranging repairs from the other side of the world added to their challenges.

Sally’s enthusiastic storytelling of this time in her life is emotional, funny and really entertaining.

Shane Landers is an educator … a leader in his community. He is passionate about leading young people to become educated and to use this to become meaningful contributors in society.

So, when he had the opportunity to be a relief Principal at a remote community in northern Western Australia, he jumped at it. This was the chance for him to push himself, contribute to his education network and most of all, experience the challenge of supporting those who need it the most.

By authentically engaging with this community, Shane was able to add value as an educator, be a friend to many and feel like he was making a difference.

Michala McMahon came to Australia from Manchester on a working holiday …and has stayed. Whilst Manchester is a big cosmopolitan city, it cannot compete with the weather and unique lifestyle of Australia.

On her initial arrival in Bundaberg QLD, a chance exchange in the street with an engaging couple captivated her attention and was the start of a new life … down-under.

Even a return visit to her home after the initial two years of travelling and working in Australia, to see family and old friends, was not enough to convince her to stay … and she came back.

A career in human services, managing programs designed to improve our social wellbeing, has led to Michala becoming a prominent advocate for those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged.

She now leads the way in Australia and across the world to permanently improve the lives of those who are homeless.

Bec Bowman is someone who is always on an adventure and looking for new challenges. This has seen her travel the world and follow dreams that have created memorable, life enriching experiences.

But for the past few years she has been deeply ensconced in Perth WA, and has become totally immersed in the creative arts scene. By working casual “night shifts” as a nurse - her initial working profession - she can fund this lifestyle and begin to make real social impact in the sector.

These pursuits include being a radio presenter, an organiser, an emcee, a panel facilitator and a writer.

Bec “found” the path to being a radio presenter after listening back to a voice over she did for a uni assignment and realising that she could do this … she sounded good!

On the completion of the RTRFM radio presenter’s course and surviving a few hair-raising overnight shifts (alone), Bec has become a strong presence on RTRFM’s roster of presenters … and is influential as the host of Friday mornings “Art-Beat” show. Tune in at 9am any Friday.

As a 24 year old, Ryan Miller took the opportunity to follow his dream of becoming a TV broadcaster and journalist at Sky News in Sydney.

He immediately hit the ground running and was soon thrust into a management role looking after a news team. As a traditional journalist, he was passionate about reporting the truth but it didn’t take long before editorial direction began to occur from above. This coincided with the ‘on air’ arrival of polarising people like Andrew Bolt and Peta Credlin…things now began to change. When these on air presenters began espousing the conservative views of the network’s “owner” and these views were morally different to Ryan’s, he knew it was time to move.

The dilemma of leaving a position after only 10 months, the potential career consequences of this and the requirement to pay back some relocation costs, made for a difficult time. But a chance referral from a mate to a role in football at the Greater Western Sydney Giants, a sport that had been a large part of his life in WA, was the ideal way to relieve this tension.

Immediately things changed and over the next 4 and a half years, Ryan was able to immerse himself in a personal passion but also was part of something “bigger” in the world of AFL.

It was a successful period for the Giants during this time and especially in the growth of woman’s football … the fastest growing woman’s sport in Western Sydney at the time…and Ryan was at the centre of it.

Now back in WA, Ryan is creating content for a international tech startup, Optimize Mind Performance. Their App supports athletes, both professionals and amateurs, to optimize their mental skills training for better performance. Check it out at optimizemindperformance.com

Chris Singleton has extensive experience in starting and operating many businesses. This long and successful career has been built on a real inclusive approach, with the adoption of some clear, effective principles.

This is a great episode for budding entrepreneurs and business owners to learn how these principles can be adopted for success … even in challenging times … similar to those faced by Chris after a serious car accident.

Chris shares some of his secrets … including:-

• Speed … or ‘lack there of’ … kills deals

• Deal with what you know … and rather than what you don’t know

• Everyone has different ways of doing things … and you need to be respectful of that

• It’s not supply and demand … it’s about greed and laziness

• Young people are ‘way smart’

• Every generation gets smarter … and that’s a fact

• Pragmatism is important … but it’s often a casualty of business today

• Think Simple

Eve continues to tell the story of caring for Rickie’s great aunt, Tatiana, and the challenges that this has posed in their lives.

Recently, as Tatiana approaches 99 years of age, a traumatic visit to an emergency department at a London hospital has again influenced the plans and aspirations of Eve and Rickie. Their dreams of moving to France to live and begin a new stage in their professional careers has again been impacted by their concerns for Tatiana’s health.

So, now they are relocating to Bristol … to be close to the new high care facility Tatiana has moved in to.

Their journey continues.

7 years ago, Eve Lameks and her husband Rickie, moved across the world on an adventure that was to see them based in London, growing their professional careers in the hustle and bustle of the construction industry and enjoying the convenience of taking frequent holiday jaunts to continental Europe. They were really planning to “live the life”.

Soon after their arrival in London they were excited to visit Rickie’s great Aunt … someone who they didn’t know but were keen to meet. Tatiana at the time was 91 years old.

BUT quickly, a series of circumstances ensued … and within just a few short months they had become her primary carers. Fortunately, they also discovered another “guardian angel” who was playing an important role in keeping Tatiana alive. AND, their first involvement was to arrange for Tatiana to be moved into a care home.

The impact on their lives was dramatic … this is a story of love, commitment, challenge and balancing care between life and death.

Stuart Thomason left uni and jumped straight into being a social entrepreneur in the music business. The first few years were very successful, with the Sheffield based (UK) business employing a growing team and engaging with a wide range of contractors.

But cashflow pressures and, in his words, the inevitable, desperate measures of throwing good money after bad forced him to close the business.

The manic activity and personal pressures of that final year in business, trying to keep things afloat, released a psychosis that saw Stuart move into a mental facility for recovery.

After a year of reflection, personal recovery and a focus to clear all outstanding personal financial debt, Stuart emerged to begin a new a career in the Not For Profit sector, coaching and mentoring upcoming social entrepreneurs. With his lived experience and appreciation of the struggles faced by social entrepreneurs, he is now leading the way in an organisation providing valued leadership and collaborative support. He also continues to encourage organisations to understand the benefits to them from supporting the mental health of all employees.

The world is different since the pandemic and it has certainly changed the way we work. The online “work world” is a reality … and for some, it has become a way of life.

Clare Goodridge spent two years locked-down in Perth WA during the pandemic whilst still coaching, teaching and consulting with individuals and corporations all around the world. This lonely life in the most isolated city in the southern hemisphere, generally meant all night work and sleeping during the day. There was little social life and she went weeks on end without "‘touching’ another human.

Once the restrictions were lifted, she jumped at the opportunity to re-engage both professionally and personally with those people she had been working with in the virtual world. Using a network of Airbnb co-working facilities in major cities in the world, Clare has continued to build her digital business in some of these most exotic and fascinating cities. And this includes a period of time in Marrakesh.

Clare is a classic example of someone embracing a new way of living and working … experiencing all it’s glamour and excitement … but with a degree of personal challenges.