Podvan Podcast with Rabbit

This episode will blow your mind! The stories are insane!

Today, you'll meet Simon and Karen Treseder, two ex-cops who've lived about five lifetimes between them.

Simon went from being held hostage by a guy with a hand grenade, to being in the tactical response group, to touring with Hot Shots, to building custom Harleys, to kissing king cobras in Bali, to becoming an award-winning metal sculptor - without ever meaning to become an artist.

Karen went from crime scene forensics to private investigation to RSPCA inspector, and somehow they've ended up on the Central Coast running a welding gallery, a snake rescue operation, and catching 35 anacondas in eight days in Venezuela by walking through piranha-infested waters in bare feet.

You can check out some of Simon's work on the WelderWorx site, via their Instagram, and in person in Wamberal at the Grand Opening this Friday night!

The stories in this one are incredible!

If you enjoy it, drop a comment when you've finished listening! (And I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button)

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Ryan from Terrigal Electrical walked into a house to fix a flickering light. He left that job with a memory he'll never forget - and a movement that's now bringing an incredible number of trade businesses together in one day.

This is the story of Free Trade Day. Ryan take us through the guilt that kept him awake after meeting an elderly war veteran, and the social media post that changed everything. We also get into electric vans (literally), why Putin controls the price of your power point, and how AI is about to help match tradies with people who desperately need help around the house.

Free Trade Day 2025 is happening on November 6th on the Central Coast.

🔗 Want to nominate someone or volunteer as a tradie? Head to freetradeday.com.au

If you enjoy this one, please leave a comment - and I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button!

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A little golden cloud on your table. A stranger walks over. You start talking.

I sat down with Belle, the woman behind Open Tables Project, a social movement that's quietly spreading through cafes on the Central Coast (and beyond). The idea? Grab a marker (a golden cloud card), pop it on your table, and signal to the world: I'm open for a chat.

We talked about why making friends as an adult is so hard, the power of permission, and the surprising number of venues that have already taken it up. Oh, and we recorded this in a very different vehicle to the Podvan. It was a test run of Podvan 2.0...

If you want to know more or find a venue near you, head to opentablesproject.org or check out their socials:

Instagram

Facebook

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I once saw a lady walking down my driveway and thought she was a massive celebrity. Turns out, she was just the face on every real estate billboard around our place.

This is a ripper of a conversation with someone who knows exactly what happens when the market goes dead, when buyers pull out three days after auction, and why your dog might be costing you the sale.

Liz has been selling houses around Wyoming and the Central Coast for over a decade, and she does not hold back. We get into interest rate chaos, marriage counselling for stressed-out sellers, the brutal truth about styling your home, and the moment she told me to repaint my entire house!

If you enjoy this one, please leave a comment - and I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button!

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Today is the release day for Julie's brand new cookbook Home for Dinner. And you can win a copy for yourself on the ⁠Podvan Socials right now!

This one's quite different. It's not just recipes. It's about bringing people back to the table, taking the stress out of cooking, and making dinner time something you actually look forward to. Jules walks us through the strategies, the shortcuts, the prep hacks, and why the food is actually secondary to what really matters.

We also talk about air fryer scones, why she got called a granny at the playground, and what musical instrument gets pulled out at every family birthday.

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Mark was a chippy for 27 years. Then redundancy hit, and now he delivers flowers, sings Happy Birthday and dishes out hugs to strangers.

His wife Danielle has been a florist for 30 years. She's the one who builds the arrangements. He's the one who takes them to people's doors, knowing which face to wear - depending on whether it's an anniversary, a birthday, or someone's cat just died.

We recorded this one at their shop, Lavender Lane Floral Creations. It's just the two of them running the whole thing. No staff. Just a couple who wake up at 3am to drive to Sydney Flower Markets, work pretty much seven days a week, and love it!

You'll hear about the customer who asked for black roses, the statistic that'll make you want to send your mates flowers immediately, and the beautiful story behind the name Lavender Lane.

If you enjoy this episode, please leave a comment - and I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button!

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An 18 year old walks into Pepsi with a resume and walks out with a 28k salary, a blue wagon, and a massive lesson in how to sell.

That's Adam from RukSak. He's been in the Podvan before (way back, maybe around episode 4?), and is the kind of guy who sells a TV project to Disney from his dining room table at Long Jetty, paints the world's largest grass signage, and now helps businesses reverse engineer their way to an exit strategy.

We talk about the founder's curse, why most people would rather die than sell, and how Adam reckons I should be giving away equity in Edit The Pod to massive podcasters.

Plus, he's offering to work with one local Central Coast business for free till the end of the year as part of "The Tony Project."

Email me here if you'd be keen on being selected: [email protected]

If you enjoy this one, please leave a comment - and I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button!

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Mick Morley's dad had a heart attack and passed away on a soccer field 40 years ago. And recently, Mick nearly had the exact same thing happen - on the exact same oval!

Six weeks ago, Mick walked into his GP with a bit of tightness in his chest. Nothing dramatic. Still working, still coaching juniors... A couple of weeks ago, he's finished two procedures, a diamond-tipped drill sent up through his wrist into his heart, and his cardiologist telling him something pretty confronting.

This one's a ripper - funny, surprising, and a genuinely important listen if you're one of those that thinks "I'll just wait and see how I feel tomorrow."

If you enjoy this one, please leave a comment - and I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button!

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Jules just spent a month travelling around Australia in a caravan her grandfather built in 1956.

But this isn't some restored vintage van. It's a family heirloom that's been maintained for 70 years, and it only still exists because her grandfather passed away before he could build the next one. Julie and Mick recreated its maiden voyage, and along the way she uncovered photos, stories, and memories she'd never heard before. We talk about the towns built on volcanoes, the bloke at the footy who got calmed down in a hilarious way, and why Mick's commentary keeps ruining her wildlife videos.

If you enjoy this one, please leave a comment - and I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button!

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My guest literally came from next door.

Jacinda is a tattoo artist who's done everything from emotional memorial pieces to covering up someone's drunken "Corona" leg tattoo. (Written on the leg twice, because the first one "wasn't quite right")

We talk about the weirdest requests she's had (yes, people ask to get 🍆 tattooed), the body parts that hurt the most, and why she refuses to tattoo her partner.

Oh, and she's also the one who painted that awesome canvas of Harley that lives in the Podvan!

You can check out her tattoo work at:

https://www.instagram.com/jacindarose.art/

And her paintings at:

https://www.instagram.com/thehylandrose/

If you enjoy this one, please leave a comment - and I'd love it if you'd hit the FOLLOW button!

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This is a Podvan Media production.