When people ask me why I’m having lunch with 500 strangers in five years, I list a few reasons – one of them being to attract more opportunity into my life. During the two-plus years I’ve been on this journey, I’ve been asked to share my story at a maximum security prison, at a conference, on [...]
It’s easy to let bad experiences define and defeat us. It’s harder to fight back from adversity, and to find a way to turn negatives into positives. This was something that occurred to me as I was getting to know Kerry Neethling, the 214th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. [...]
“I don’t want to live a normal, regular life,” Mia Bowyer told me during our very enjoyable lunch. Mia, the 213th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has had the courage to build a life on her own terms. She loves having adventures, meeting new people, experiencing foreign cultures and [...]
Danny Mayson-Kinder, the 212th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, posed a simple yet profound question. Why, she wanted to know, do political leaders telephone students who top the state’s exams (which they very much deserve), but they don’t congratulate students for being empathetic and kind and helping to make [...]
I’ve long believed that anyone who emigrates to another country is more open-minded and resilient than the average person. After all, it requires a strong mind to swap certainty for confusion, and to farewell your family, friends and social networks. The wonderful Barsha Karki, the 211th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with [...]
Sharron Keogh grabbed my attention when she revealed she's co-writing a book called Thrive: How to 10x Your Health, Wealth and Happiness, in tandem with her husband. Sharron, the 210th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, plans to publish the book later this year. Sharron brings considerable lived experience to [...]
Tom Buckley, the 209th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a man who understands the value of relationships and playing the long game. Each week, Tom sends a number of handwritten letters to strangers. Sometimes, he writes to congratulate people for service they’ve delivered or articles they’ve written; at [...]
I didn’t fully appreciate the difficulties of running an aged care facility until I met Sarah Barter. Sarah, the 208th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has a consulting business that specialises in aged care. As Sarah explained, aged care facilities have to provide a 24-hour service to residents who [...]
Richard O'Connor, the 207th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, came to Sydney for a working holiday and never left. Richard had a big decision to make when he turned 30. Like many Brits, he’d dreamed of doing a working holiday in Australia. He knew he’d no longer be able [...]
Sheridan de Kruiff, the 206th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has admirers in high places. As we were preparing to say goodbye, we bumped into a very senior lawyer Sheridan knows, who proceeded to tell me how smart and wonderful Sheridan was. I wasn’t the least bit surprised, because [...]
