Rambles and Shambles with Ana

Rob was obsessed with tennis growing up, but a chance walk past an Army recruitment office on his way to a job interview changed his plans completely. He joined the Australian Army at 19 and spent almost eight years serving before injuries brought his military career to an end.

We talk about the challenges of adjusting to civilian life, his experiences with PTSD and mental health, and how boxing has become an important part of his life. Rob also shares the story behind his coaching business, Resilience Lifting, what it felt like to finally win a boxing match after four consecutive losses, and why, at 46, he’s still looking for the next thing someone tells him he can’t do.

Lisa left school in Year 11 and started an apprenticeship as a chef, eventually finishing top of her class in what was then a very male-dominated industry. She spent more than 20 years cooking before reaching a point where she knew she didn’t want to be doing the same thing ten years later.

We talk about starting again in the beauty industry, retraining while working and raising a family, and how her relationship with work has changed over the years. Lisa also shares what decades of customer-facing work have taught her about people, why good teams matter, and why sometimes you need to try something different when what you’re doing no longer feels right.

Alana was the kid making up shows, choreographing dances and convincing her family to sit through her Hilary Duff performances. These days she works in marketing, so the creative side is still getting plenty of use.

We talk about studying journalism, travelling solo after uni, starting her first full-time job in an industry she knew nothing about, and learning quickly by asking a lot of questions. We also talk customer service, why people sometimes tell complete strangers their life stories, dealing with the occasional difficult customer, and what people often misunderstand about working in marketing.

Milana moved to Australia after years of coming back and forth for work and eventually deciding she wanted to build a life here. We talk about adjusting to a completely different way of working, being a chronic overachiever, learning that everything doesn’t have to be perfect, and why she thinks your skills are the best thing you can invest in throughout your career.

We also go back to a childhood where Milana was brutally honest and never afraid to tell the adults exactly what she thought, and hear how much of mini Milana is still here today.

Bonus Rambles are the in-between episodes, just Ana reflecting on what’s been coming up through the conversations and whatever’s been on her mind between episodes.

This one came after chatting to over twenty people. I found myself thinking about responsibility, the way we’re so quick to put people in boxes, and why everyone’s got an opinion on the “right” way to build a life. Just a few things that have been bouncing around in my head lately.

Tonci has spent much of his working life around soccer, storytelling and the Croatian community, but the path there was anything but straightforward. We talk about migrant work ethic, community, personal training, redundancy, podcasting through COVID, and why changing direction does not necessarily mean giving up.

Tonci has now added something new to the list: debut author. His novel, The Final Whistle: A Footballer’s Legacy, grew from an attempt to encourage his son to read and became a story shaped by Australian-Croatian identity, soccer and the communities Tonci has spent decades documenting.

This episode is about building work around the things you care about, following new ideas, and allowing yourself to begin another chapter.

Buy The Final Whistle: A Footballer’s Legacy on Amazon:
https://amzn.asia/d/02bJYel0

Ivan grew up in a small Croatian village, went to a school with only a handful of students, and is now finishing his master’s while working across corporate marketing and hospitality.

In this conversation, we talk about growing up in rural Croatia, choosing sociology and demographics almost by accident, travelling to Turkey and the United States, and learning how differently people connect across cultures. We also talk about leading a major student cinema project, handling criticism, leaving a corporate job that does not feel meaningful, and being in your twenties without a clear plan for what comes next.

This episode is about curiosity, trying different paths, and wanting your work to matter to someone beyond yourself.

Darren has been a teacher, theatre director, counsellor, three-time mayor and now CEO of the Gippsland Climate Change Network. He also talked so much in school they gave him his own desk, which feels less like a punishment now and more like early career development.

In this conversation, we talk about leaving the safe path, taking risks, theatre, politics, climate change, community work, and why change takes more than sitting on the sidelines. We also talk about listening to people you disagree with, finding the third way, looking after yourself when things get hard and why getting older might be better than people think.

Courtney has worked as a hairdresser for ten years and has listened to more life stories from behind a salon chair than most people hear in a lifetime.

In this conversation, we talk about growing up creative, receiving a diagnosis on the spectrum as a teenager, leaving school to start a hairdressing apprenticeship and building confidence through work. We also talk about great bosses, tough lessons, the reality of salon life, the stories people share from the chair and why listening is one of the most underrated skills a person can have.

Tahlitha is full of life, blunt in the best way and for reasons unknown, loves policies and procedures. 

In this conversation, we talk about being a shy kid, moving schools, finding confidence through banking, and what happens when a toxic manager slowly drains the joy out of work. We also talk about leaving an industry after ten years, stepping into youth justice, and how the right work can make you feel like yourself again.

This episode is about finding your voice, knowing when resilience has turned into tolerance, and choosing work that brings your energy back.