Over the Back Fence

This week’s guest is a real go-getter - the determined, inspiring and hilarious Kath Sheeran. Kath was a finance broker in her 20s and 30s, before reinventing herself in her 40s and becoming Australia’s shopping guru. Kath ran a popular blog and online directory, Shopping Confessions, which led to her becoming a regular on our TV screens and in the media, including a column in the Sunday Telegraph. But one reinvention wasn’t enough for Kath. At 50 she decided to make a big tree change and buy a farm with her husband Mike. Kath is now a happy flower farmer who owns a shop in Burringbar, and she’s also a close girlfriend of Di and Nicola. 

In this episode, we hear about Kath’s incredible career journey from finance broker, to shopping guru, to flower farmer and why Kath thinks it’s essential to always follow your heart and have passion for what you do. She talks about what it was like growing up as the daughter of Greek immigrants and how that contributed to her work ethic and go-getter attitude.

Kath shares the funny story of what happened the first time she was asked to appear on live television for The Morning Show, which was such a success that it became a regular shopping segment on the show. 

We hear why Kath and her husband Mike decided they needed a change and made the big call to buy a farm in Burringbar, despite having always been city folk. We get an insight into how much life has changed for Kath over the past few years and the steps along the way in her journey to becoming a fake farmer (as she lovingly refers to herself). Kath also opens up about her beautiful relationship with her husband Mike and what she thinks is the key to their happy marriage. 

We absolutely loved having Kath in the studio. Her enthusiasm is infectious, she is full of funny stories and we hope you enjoy laughing along with us. 

Follow Kath on IG here 

Check out Kath’s shop here 

Kath’s Home and Garden: 27 Broadway, Burringbar

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here

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This week’s guest is the energetic, uplifting and epically talented Elise McCann. Elise is a well known actress and singer, currently starring as the lead, playing Donna in the Australian production of Mamma Mia the musical. She is also the co-founder of Hey Lemonade, a brilliant stress and motivation app, which gives you 3 minute pep talks to boost your mood and help you deal with modern day problems. 

In this episode, Elise shares what it was like as an entertainer when the pandemic hit and her life and work as she knew it ground to a halt. We hear the wonderfully uplifting story of how this challenging time led Elise and her friend and fellow entertainer Lucy Durack to create the Hey Lemonade app to deliver inspiring pep talks and help people (and themselves) turn lemons into lemonade. 

We chat about what a day-in-the-life of Elise looks like and she shares the love she has for musical theatre and how much joy it brings to her life - which totally shows in her performances, and you can hear her enthusiasm throughout this entire episode. Elise also talks about the importance of friendship and how working with Lucy has been so wonderful because they always have each other’s back. 

Elise is truly inspiring and brings so much positivity to the world in everything that she does, so we were thrilled to have her in the studio. And if you like a sing-a-long, make sure you stay tuned to hear Di and Elise sing some favourites.

Follow Elise on IG here 

Follow Hey Lemonade on IG here 

Download the Hey Lemonade app here

Follow Mamma Mia on IG here 

Find out more and get tickets for Mamma Mia here

If you need support with an Eating Disorder, click here

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here

MOA Windows $5000 Giveaway T's & C's

The generous team at MOA Windows - Specialist blind, curtain, shutter and awning suppliers - are rewarding one lucky listener with $5000 worth of free products. To be in the running all you have to do is direct message us on the Over The Back Fence Instagram page and tell us who deserves this prize and why? Inspire us! The competition is open for entry between 01/07/2023 and 31/07/2023. The winner will be announced at the end of the month and is open to residents of Australia only. 

This episode is sponsored by Dr.V

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s guest is the charming and multi-talented Suzan Mutesi. Suzan is an actress, singer, author of Unapologetically Black and her newly released second book, The Immigrant That Found Her Unapologetic Voice. She’s also an award-winning Ugandan-Australian fashion designer, a model, a speaker, a contestant on the reality TV show The Challenge, a digital creator and Instagram influencer with over 1.2million followers. As you’ll hear in this episode, Suzan is a true creative powerhouse. 

Suzan shares what it was like moving to Australia at the age of 10, as a young girl from Uganda. We learn about the culture shock she experienced, what it felt like to often be the only black girl in the room, how she navigated school and found a sense of belonging and the extraordinary career path she’s carved out as a creative. 

We also hear where Suzan’s creative dreams began - the way she visualised being a fashion designer as a young girl and how she used to design clothes for her precious Barbie dolls. It took courage to pursue a creative life, but Suzan has never looked back and the advice she would give to her 20 year old self is truly inspiring, so stay tuned until the end for that. 

We had so much fun chatting with Suzan, and we hope you enjoy listening. 

Follow Suzan on IG here

Suzan’s Book: The Immigrant That Found Her Unapologetic Voice

Suzan’s Acting

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here

MOA Windows $5000 Giveaway T's & C's

The generous team at MOA Windows - Specialist blind, curtain, shutter and awning suppliers - are rewarding one lucky listener with $5000 worth of free products. To be in the running all you have to do is direct message us on the Over The Back Fence Instagram page and tell us who deserves this prize and why? Inspire us! The competition is open for entry between 01/07/2023 and 31/07/2023. The winner will be announced at the end of the month and is open to residents of Australia only. 

This episode is sponsored by Dr.V

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week is part 2 of our conversation with Michelle Stephenson. In this special episode, Michelle turns the tables on Di and Nicola and gets to be the one asking the questions.

We hear all about Di and Nicola’s friendship from the very beginning - how they clicked the first time they met decades ago, the special bond they share and the difficult times they’ve supported each other through. They also share where they got the idea for this podcast and how it all started.

Di and Nicola both open up about the end of their marriages - the challenges and gifts that came from that and how they are embracing this next chapter in their lives. Michelle also asks them the signature questions - who would they like to meet over the back fence and what advice would they give their 20 year old selves? Listen in until the end to find out their answers.

This episode is a really fun conversation, which will give you a chance to get to know Di and Nicola a little bit more. We hope you enjoy it.

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here 

MOA Windows $5000 Giveaway T's & C's

The generous team at MOA Windows - Specialist blind, curtain, shutter and awning suppliers - are rewarding one lucky listener with $5000 worth of free products. To be in the running all you have to do is direct message us on the Over The Back Fence Instagram page and tell us who deserves this prize and why? Inspire us! The competition is open for entry between 01/07/2023 and 31/07/2023. The winner will be announced at the end of the month and is open to residents of Australia only. 

This episode is sponsored by Dr.V

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di & Nicola chat with the incredible Michelle Stephenson. Michelle has led a remarkably dynamic life, so much so, that her friends describe her as having nine lives. From being in the army reserve, to dancing, acting, being a journalist on radio and television, lecturing and mentoring, Michelle certainly has accomplished a lot so far, and as you’ll hear in this episode, she’s always moving forwards so there’s no stopping her! Listeners may know Michelle from reading the news on Nova or sharing her opinions on The Today Show, Today Extra and Weekend Today. These days you can also hear Michelle co-hosting the podcast I Spied. On top of all of that, she’s also a wife to Ethan and mother to her son Bae. 

In this open and honest conversation, we get to know Michelle’s story from the very beginning. What it was like moving out of home at 16 to go to Canberra and put herself through her final years of high school, to joining the army reserve and studying dance at the same time, before studying acting, falling in love and moving to Canada. We then hear about the numerous other pivots Michelle makes in her life and career, and the interesting people she’s met along the way.

Michelle puts it all on the table in this chat and we hear about some of her most challenging moments and how she found the inner strength and resilience to move forwards and overcome the obstacles in her path. She also shares how motherhood has profoundly changed her. 

This was such a great chat with Michelle that we’ll be back next week with part two of this episode where Michelle turns the tables and interviews Di and Nicola. 

Follow Michelle on IG here

Check out Michelle’s Podcast - I Spied

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here 

MOA Windows $5000 Giveaway T's & C's

The generous team at MOA Windows - Specialist blind, curtain, shutter and awning suppliers - are rewarding one lucky listener with $5000 worth of free products. To be in the running all you have to do is direct message us on the Over The Back Fence Instagram page and tell us who deserves this prize and why? Inspire us! The competition is open for entry between 01/07/2023 and 31/07/2023. The winner will be announced at the end of the month and is open to residents of Australia only. 

This episode is sponsored by Dr.V

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di & Nicola chat with the bright and joyful Megan Castran. Megan is known as Jewelchic and she regularly shares her colourful life with her community on Instagram. She’s a talented designer known for her jewellery, knits and homewares and she’s also Oprah’s Aussie friend and media correspondent.  

In this chat, Megan shares the story of how she met Oprah in 2006 whilst on holiday in Hawaii, and the incredible series of events that followed which led to Oprah surprising Megan at her house on her Australian tour in 2010 and the two becoming friends. 

We talk to Megan about her daily happiness videos and the way that Megan inspires others to notice the joy in their life. Everything about Megan is colourful - she even has a rainbow car, which brings smiles to passers by.  

We hear about her beautiful love story with her husband Paul. The two have been each other's cheerleaders for 32 years and are now beginning their next adventure as grandparents. Megan also shares about her friendship with Olivia Newton-John, and how she continues to support Olivia’s foundation through donating some of the proceeds from her knitwear and t-shirts.

Megan is an absolute joy and we hope you’ll feel her bubbly energy as you listen to this episode.

Follow Megan: @jewelchic

  @lovefromjewelchic

Jumpers (available worldwide): zaketandplover.com.au

Search Jewelchic

A percentage goes to the Olivia Newton John Foundation 

T-Shirts (available worldwide): kindiscool.com.au

Search Jewelchic

A percentage goes to Fight MND

The New Love and Light range - All proceeds go to the Olivia Newton John Wellness Walk

Follow Nicola and Di on Instagram here 

MOA Windows $5000 Giveaway T's & C's

The generous team at MOA Windows - Specialist blind, curtain, shutter and awning suppliers - are rewarding one lucky listener with $5000 worth of free products. To be in the running all you have to do is direct message us on the Over The Back Fence Instagram page and tell us who deserves this prize and why? Inspire us! The competition is open for entry between 01/07/2023 and 31/07/2023. The winner will be announced at the end of the month and is open to residents of Australia only. 

This episode is sponsored by Dr.V

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di & Nicola chat with the fabulous and dynamic, Alex Andrews. Alex is a sought-after executive, business and life coach with a passion for helping her clients find purpose, peace and fulfilment in both their personal lives and career. Alex is also a trainer, a speaker, a Tony Robbins top coach, a literary agent and a small business owner. On top of all this, she’s a mum of 3 beautiful adult-aged children. 

In this chat, Alex talks about what it’s like to work as a coach and how she helps her clients with the different types of challenges they are facing. Alex shares some great and practical tips for how to deal with overwhelm and how to be open and honest with a friend you may need to confront about something so that resentments don’t build. She talks about the power of surrender and letting things go. 

We hear about what it was like walking on coals with Tony Robbins and how it is that you can overcome fear by using the power of your brain. We chat about intuition and how important it is to come inside yourself, be grounded and feel what’s right for you. It’s all about balancing what you’re hearing from your head, your heart and your gut. 

Alex also opens up about how difficult divorce is and what it was like after separating from her husband of 35 years. Nicola, Di and Alex all share about the hard times they went through with the breakdown of their marriages and Alex describes these rock bottom moments, as a cracking open. 

Alex is full of words of wisdom and we hope you enjoy this lively conversation with her.  

Follow Alex: @mypersonalcoach

Alex's website and coaching: https://www.alexandraandrews.com/

Contact Alex: [email protected], 0419 953 233

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di & Nicola chat with Australian music and entertainment royalty, Lizzi Morrissey. Lizzi started out as a dancer, a former Miss Australia contestant, and in the late 70s she began working in the music industry alongside artists such as Paul Kelly, Split Enz, Jimmy Barnes and Joe Cocker. Lizzi then trained as an actor, performing in theatre and musicals, but her career took a turn when she met her husband, talent agent Mark Morrissey and joined his business. Lizzi went on to nurture the careers of some of the biggest Australian stars. Lizzi also has a gift for PR and organising events and she now runs her own creative management and public relations company, MissusM Creative. Lizzi is a mum to 2 beautiful daughters and a wonderful friend to many, including Di and Nicola. 

In this chat, Lizzi talks about what it was like working in the music industry in the 70s and 80s and how she started organising gigs all the way back in her high school days. We hear the story of a fundraising event that Lizzi organised as a teen that went wrong, but how her work ethic and ambition ultimately turned it around and led to her first real job offer. 

Lizzi’s career journey is incredibly interesting and inspiring, and we hear all about the twists and turns along the way, the gift Lizzi had for bringing a sense of family and community to Morrissey Management and how she’s bringing her unique PR with a heart to her new business, MissusM Creative.

Lizzi also does a lot for charity and she shares what it was like doing a 21 day walk along the Great Wall of China, raising money for Olivia Newton-John’s Wellness & Research Centre with the likes of Cliff Richard, Joan Rivers, Layne Beachley, Kirk Pengilly, Ian Thorpe, James Reyne, Scott Wolf and of course, Olivia herself. 

This special episode is dedicated to Lizzi’s dad - the extraordinary Charlie Dayney. 

Follow Lizzi: @lizzidayneymorrissey

Follow MissusM Creative: @missusmcreative

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di & Nicola chat with the remarkable Gus Worland. Gus is a media personality, popular Triple M radio host, keynote speaker and the founder of Gotcha4Life, a not-for-profit foundation delivering mental fitness programs to try and achieve its goal of zero suicides. Gus is also a loving father to his 3 kids. 

In this chat, Gus talks about the moment he found out that his good friend, a father figure and mentor to him, took his own life and how that radically changed the course of Gus’ life. We hear the story of when Gus made the brave decision to open up and talk about it on breakfast radio, which began a series of events including being asked to host the documentary series Man Up, which ultimately led to Gus deciding to start his not-for-profit foundation, Gotcha4Life.  

Gus talks about the importance of connecting with your village and checking-in regularly with the people you love. He is an advocate for mental fitness and he’s able to simplify the complex issue of mental health by getting us to focus on our relationships and looking after each other. 

We also hear about Gus’ friendship with Hugh Jackman, which started all the way back in primary school days and how they’ve both supported each other throughout their lives.  

This is a very powerful and meaningful conversation with Gus and we hope it touches your hearts as much as it touched ours. Our producer Sam Thomas chats at the end, sharing her personal story of her stepbrother Tim. For anyone that is struggling and needs help or support, you can call Lifeline at anytime on 13 11 14. 

Follow Gus: @gusworland

Support Gotcha4Life: https://www.gotcha4life.org/

Follow Gotcha4Life: @gotcha4life

Watch Gus’ TED talk: Is someone you love suffering in silence?

Gus’ Podcast: @notanovernightsuccesspod 

Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7 help available)Sam’s mental fitness ebook: email [email protected] for a copy

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week Di & Nicola chat to the incredible Dr. Lisa Chimes. Lisa is a practising Australian vet who many listeners would know from the popular TV shows Bondi Vet and Dr. Lisa to the Rescue. Lisa is an author of 2 children’s books, a proud supporter of a variety of pet rescue services, a successful businesswoman and founder of DOG by Dr. Lisa, where people can buy wonderful products for their furry friends and also get access to 24/7 telehealth services for their pet, giving them peace of mind at any time. As if all of that doesn’t keep her busy enough, she’s also a wife and mum of 4 children, 2 dogs and a cat.    

In this chat, Dr. Lisa tells us all about how she got started as a vet, from her childhood dream to it becoming her reality and the lucky coincidence that landed her a role on the popular show Bondi Vet on her first day at a new job in Sydney. 

We also chat about the incredibly positive impact that animals can have on a person’s mental health, the unconditional love they provide, the way their companionship soothes us, reduces anxiety and provides comfort in our moments of need. Dr. Lisa also describes the important role that animals play in helping children learn to deal with grief and the life lessons they provide us all. 

Not only that, Dr. Lisa gives us some great tips for how to read the body language of dogs and how you can know when a dog isn’t comfortable in particular situations. We loved this conversation with the wise and dynamic Dr. Lisa and we hope you will too! 

Follow Dr. Lisa: @drlisachimes

DOG by Dr. Lisa products and 24/7 telehealth services: dogbydrlisa.com 

Follow DOG by Dr. Lisa: @dogbydrlisa

Follow CAT by Dr. Lisa: @catbydrlisa

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