What does it mean to be a woman in the 21st century?

Lets meet Amanda Rootsey.

On this special International Women's Day episode, we discuss Amanda's journey into becoming who she is now and the lessons she learned as a model and cancer survivor as well as the world's first eco model, award winning author and now, a youth mentor and founder of Shine From Within.

If you've ever felt like something just isn't right in the way you're living life, wondering what we should do on International Women's Day or what goes unspoken about the female experience, this episode is for you.

What if kindness was not weakness, but strength?

In this episode, we talk about all things kindness in preparation for Random Acts of Kindness day on the 17th of February.

Lets meet Francesca.

She shares how kindness became her leadership philosophy, her parenting foundation, and her anchor through cancer.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma while raising three young children and running multiple businesses, Francesca faced fear, uncertainty, and physical exhaustion. Instead of hardening, she made a decision. A decision to be kind to more than just the people around her, but to herself.

In this episode, we explore:

1. Why kindness is a skill, not a personality trait
2. How kindness rewires your brain and builds confidence
3. Why kindness needs to coexist with boundaries
4. How to raise compassionate children
5. How leadership with empathy creates culture
6. How to practice self-kindness during dark seasons
7. Why kindness is not weakness, especially in business
8. The ripple effect of small, daily acts

This conversation blends resilience, parenting, leadership, personal growth, emotional intelligence and practical rituals you can implement immediately.

If you’ve ever wondered:

1. Is kindness naive?
2. How do I stay kind without being taken advantage of?
3. Can empathy coexist with strength?
4. How do I raise kind children in a tough world?
5. How do I lead with compassion without losing authority?

This episode is for you.

Kindness isn’t extra. It’s an intentional way of moving through life.

It's a way of life that Francesca embodies.

And so can you.

Not just for yourself, but for your kids.

👉 Submit story requests or questions to [email protected]

❤️ Leave a review and subscribe to Voices of Tomorrow

📲 Follow along on Instagram and YouTube for more real conversations

IG: @kevinchu.withyou

YT: @beacuseyouthmatter

Chapters:

1:08 - Who Is Francesca?

3:03 - What Is Kindness?

4:29 - Random Acts of Kindness Day

7:42 – Communication, Confidence and Kindness

8:24 – What Cancer Taught Me

12:39 - Kindness and Recovery

16:46 - Raising Kind Children

19:07 - The Ripple Effect of Kindness

20:49 – Why Bother With Kindness?

22:40 – Creating Cultures of Kindness

30:04 - Is Kindness Weakness?

34:18 - Choosing Your Environment and Friends

35:07 – How I Help My Kids Select Their Friendship Groups

38:38 - Kindness and Boundaries

40:17 - How To Start Being Kind

41:20 – Embedding Kindness Into The Family

45:19 - What I Had to Unlearn About Relationships

Ever wondered what a healthy relationships looks like?

Lets meet Rachel.

In this special Valentine’s Day episode, we'll be speaking with a clinical psychologist who has spent her career helping people, especially young people, feel less alone. She'll unpack what real love feels like, why loneliness hits hardest in a hyperconnected world and how to build relationships that add to your life without defining it.

Together, we explore:

1. What love is, and how this differs to relationships based on validation-seeking behaviours.
2. The emotional affects of digital disconnection
3. What loneliness really is, and what makes it dangerous
4. How to talk to yourself with more kindness (and why it matters)
5. The role of parents in building emotional safety at home

This is an insightful conversation for young people figuring out love, and for the parents, educators and mentors walking beside them.

Love isn’t a destination. It’s a reflection of the relationship you already have with yourself.

If you’ve ever wondered “Are we doing this relationship thing right?” or “Why haven’t I found someone yet?”, this episode is for you.

👉 Submit story requests or questions to [email protected]

❤️ Leave a review and subscribe to Voices of Tomorrow

📲 Follow along on Instagram and YouTube for more real conversations

IG: @kevinchu.withyou

YT: @beacuseyouthmatter

Resources

1. The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt
2. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
3. The Emotionally Intelligent Teen by Melanie McNally
4. The Happiness Trap by Dr Russ Harris

Chapters:

1:02 - Rachel, Who Are You?

2:31 - What is love, if not butterflies?

3:54 - Teen Love

5:42 - The Loneliness Epidemic

13:50 - Social Media as Connection or a Coping Mechanism

19:41 - The Hidden Danger of Independence

22:04 - Validation in Relationships

30:14 - Conflict Styles and Communication In Love

38:02 - What Are Boundaries And How Do We Express Them?

41:46 - Attachment Styles: What Are They And Are Young People Screwed?

53:10 - Red Flags, Icks and Imperfects - What's the Difference?

1:03:07 - Digital Language and Messaging Habits

1:09:14 - Finding The Right Person Starts With This

1:14:53 - What Should Single People Do on Valentines Day?

What happens when the plan you’ve followed your whole life no longer feels right?

Lets meet Jessica Gatt.

She shares the quiet unraveling of a life that looked perfect on paper; high school success, university plans, a path that everyone around her celebrated. But underneath it all, she was deeply unhappy. Leaving uni felt like failure. Choosing a different path felt like disappointing everyone.

Together, we explore:

• The weight of people-pleasing and silent burnout

• What it really feels like to quit the “dream plan”

• How fear and self-doubt show up in smart, capable young people

• Why following your curiosity isn’t failure - it’s freedom

• What it means to choose a life that’s truly yours

This is a powerful conversation for parents supporting teens through major decisions, and for young people who feel stuck in a life they didn’t choose.

Jess’s story reminds us:

You don’t owe anyone the life they expected from you.

If you’ve ever felt like changing paths means letting people down, or that your worth is tied to being impressive, this episode is for you.

💬 Have a question you’d like answered on the show?

Or a topic you'd love to hear about?

Perhaps you have a story that needs to be told?

Email me at [email protected]

⭐ If this episode helps you, please leave a review and subscribe; it helps more families find these stories.

📲 Follow the journey:

Instagram: @kevinchu.withyou

YouTube: @becauseyouthmatter

If you'd like to reach out to Jess, her Instagram is @jessicagatt_ ; I know she'd LOVE to hear if you resonated with her story and answer any of your burning questions.

Chapters:

1:04 - Who Is Jess Without The Plan?

3:25 - Being 'Gifted' Means Uni, Or So I Thought

6:54 - When You’re No Longer the Smartest in the Room

8:57 - The Weight of Expectations (Even When You Want Out)

9:33 - You Don’t Have to Know What You Want at 18

14:40 - Trying to Push Through Something That’s Breaking You

19:49 - The Pathway To Getting The Right Support

22:03 - Leaving Uni, Feeling Lost, and Starting Again

23:10 - Why McDonald’s Taught Me More Than Uni Did

26:32 - If You Don't Know What Job To Do, Try This

29:45 - TAFE, Shame, and Rewriting the Script

33:34 - Redefining Success After Letting People Down

37:51 - I Don’t Drink Anymore, And I’m Okay With That

43:03 - From Craft Hobby to Three Businesses Later

What happens when you grow up “gifted,” driven, and quietly terrified of getting things wrong?

Lets meet Rebecca Fry.

In this episode, she opens up about what it was really like growing up as a high-achieving student who quietly lived in fear of getting things wrong. Labelled “gifted and talented,” Rebecca learned to succeed early, but when things stopped coming easily, perfectionism turned into fear, and fear turned into self-sabotage.

Together, we explore:

1. How fear of failure shapes high performers
2. Why gifted kids often struggle in silence
3. The hidden cost of “productive procrastination”
4. What parents and teachers often miss
5. How to build real confidence that isn’t tied to results

This is a powerful conversation for parents raising driven teens, and for young people who feel like their worth is measured by their performance.

Rebecca’s story reminds us:

Confidence isn’t about never failing. It’s about learning that failure doesn’t define you.

If you or your child have ever felt like “I should be doing better” or “Something must be wrong with me,” this episode is for you.

💬 Have a question you’d like answered on the show?

Or you have a topic you'd love to hear about?

Perhaps you have a story you think needs to be told?

Email me at [email protected]

⭐ If this episode helps you, please leave a review and subscribe; it helps more families find these stories.

📲 Follow the journey:

Instagram: @kevinchu.withyou

YouTube: @becauseyouthmatter

Chapters

01:05 – "Rebecca. Who are you?”

02:16 – Different Ways to Describe Yourself

06:18 - Self Awareness is the First Step

07:16 – Growing Up Without a Map

10:29 – Saying Yes to Everything

13:01 – The Fear Beneath High Achievement

14:27 – When Perfectionism Turns Into Self‑Sabotage

16:41 – Productive Procrastination

17:46 – When Marks Become Self-Worth

18:35 – What Adults Miss

26:31 – The Quarter-Life Collapse

28:42 – Learning to Ask for Help

32:24 - How I Cope With A Full Plate of Commitments

37:47 - Setting Purposeful Goals At a Young Age

40:47 - The Real Problem

44:38 – Parenting and Emotional Safety

48:51 – What I’d Tell My Younger Self

Meet Kady O Connell.

A creative with a background in industry branding who once dreamed of becoming an art director by 25, not knowing what that truly entailed as she set out to pursue it. When she reached it, she found that it wasn't as amazing as she'd painted it in her mind. Since then, she's been on a journey of discovery, leading her to starting her own business that allows her to live her life that supports her family and the life she wants to have.

Kady unpacks the importance of trying new things in pursuit of something amazing, allowing emotions to pass or process, and embracing your instincts.

If you've got your eyes locked on a dream job, lost that spark in your current job or are looking for something ... else ... this episode is for you

Follow @TheVotPod on Instagram.

If you have a story, question or comment, please reach out to us. We'd love to hear from you!

💬 Like, share, and leave a review if Kady's story moved you.

Let’s meet Daniel Gangemi.

A young, driven entrepreneur, Daniel had owned businesses and built relationships, but everything changed the day a gym accident left him unable to walk. In that period of incapacitation, he found an unexpected level of serenity in the swimming pool across the road where he began to rebuild his mind before his body.

The challenges didn’t stop there. Through the shift in his capabilities and life circumstances, his self worth was questioned. Daniel pushed to break free and make something of himself, something that brings him and his community happiness. Daniel shares how injury, heartbreak and reinvention collided to reshape his sense of self. Today, he’s back in the gym, leading with a smile, and radiating the kind of confidence people can’t help but be drawn to.

Whether you’ve injured yourself, questioned your worth, or longed for a fresh start, Daniel’s story will remind you that resilience can brew the richest life.

Follow @TheVotPod on Instagram.

💬 Like, share, and leave a review if Daniel’s story moved you.

Can we ever really predict or plan for the future?

Meet Eren Caliskan.

He was your average slightly (or perhaps more than slightly) misbehaved high school student whose life turned around when he had to face the passing of his father at age 21. He shares with us the journey of becoming the man of the house and in business, along with it, the lessons he learned passed down onto him by his father ... almost like his father had been preparing him for it.

In this story, we learn how he coped and reframed these events to mean more than simply the loss of a family member, but the beginning to so many new journeys, including a new Eren.

✨ Whether you're experiencing the loss of a father, a strange pang of 'I should be doing more', or stepping into business, this story will stay with you.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

📲 Follow @TheVotPod on Instagram.

💬 Like, share, and leave a review if this story moved you.

Let’s meet Jen.

This is the story of someone who slipped through the cracks, left to navigate a world that offered little support, few resources and even fewer second chances. Jen left the education system at a young age, believing her future had already been written. Everything changed after a moment that lead her to the hospital that could’ve broken her.

Instead, it sparked something far more powerful. Her dream of becoming a lawyer and speaking up for those without voices, fighting for those defenceless.

In this episode, Jen shares how she went from feeling invisible to carving out a future few thought possible. It’s about finding a way back to yourself and building a life that aligns with your worth, even when the system says otherwise.

✨ If you’ve ever felt like the odds were stacked against you, this story is your reminder: your beginning doesn’t define your end.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

📲 Follow @TheVotPod on Instagram & TikTok

💬 Like, share, and leave a review if this story moved you.

#ResiliencePodcast #EducationAccess #PersonalGrowth #OvercomingAdversity #MentalHealthStories #VoicesOfTomorrow #SelfBeliefMatters

Lets meet Dialla Merie.

At just 16, she found an unexpected companion, Pickaboo, a little puppy who became her emotional anchor through heartbreak, identity shifts and launching her first business. But when it came time to say goodbye, everything shifted and Dialla had to rediscover herself all over again.

In this deeply personal conversation, Dialla shares how grief, identity and resilience collided and what it truly means to grow through loss. This episode also honours the legacy of memories, connections and love left behind by Pickaboo. This is a story of how one dog went on to affect the community around him. Rest in peace, Pickaboo.

✨ Whether you’ve experienced the loss of a pet, the sting of transformation, or the beauty of deep connection - this story will stay with you.

🎧 Listen now and join the conversation.

📲 Follow @TheVotPod on Instagram.

💬 Like, share, and leave a review if this story moved you.

#PetLoss #GriefSupport #EmotionalHealing #PersonalGrowthPodcast #MentalHealthMatters #VoicesOfTomorrow #ResilienceStories