About Nick Bendel

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So far Nick Bendel has created 441 blog entries.

When the going gets tough, the tough seek help

By |2020-12-10T21:43:22+11:00February 20th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

Many leaders who look confident and successful on the outside actually feel insecure and anxious on the inside.  That was something I learned from Evonne Englezos and Sue Paton, the 56th and 57th people I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. Their business, MindStrong Global, uses a combination of integrative psychotherapy and [...]

Thinking in decades not years

By |2020-12-10T21:43:24+11:00February 17th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

“We all know what to do, we just don't know how to get re-elected after we've done it.” I thought of that quote as I was having lunch with John Tancevski, the 55th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. Jean-Claude Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg and president of [...]

From usenet to LinkedIn

By |2020-12-10T21:43:24+11:00February 14th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

Reiner Gaertner, the 54th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is such a digital pioneer that he was using the internet before web browsers existed. Back in 1988, he started using a thing called usenet, which was a digital network that allowed users in different locations to post and read [...]

How my #500lunches journey is changing my life

By |2020-12-10T21:43:24+11:00February 11th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

I'm in the process of having lunch with 500 strangers in five years ... and it's changing my life. Yesterday, I had lunch #53. Sometimes, that number feels big; at other times, like I've barely begun. Either way, I've already met some incredible people, some of whom are going to become life-long friends. I've also had [...]

Killing two networking birds with one stone

By |2020-12-10T21:43:24+11:00February 10th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

I regularly send messages to strangers along the lines of: “You don’t know me, but I’m in the process of having lunch with 500 strangers, so do you want to meet?” That was how I made contact with Simran Singh. When I did so, she sent me a surprising reply: “That would be great to meet [...]

Que sera, sera

By |2020-12-10T21:43:25+11:00February 7th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

A few years ago, I concluded that almost everything humans do is about trying to establish control – over ourselves, our associates and our lives. So I was fascinated when Aviraj Sakhare, the 52nd person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, told me he has a philosophical objection to the concept. [...]

The biggest lesson I’ve learned from having lunch with 50 strangers

By |2020-12-10T21:43:25+11:00February 5th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

I’m in the process of having lunch with 500 strangers in five years. Now, a little over five months after starting my #500lunches journey, I’ve had my 50th lunch. I’ve met a wonderfully wide range of wonderful people, from sailors and policemen to business leaders and intelligence specialists. Along the way, I’ve learned some valuable life [...]

Life can have some surprising plot twists

By |2020-12-10T21:43:25+11:00February 3rd, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

It’s not every day you get to have lunch with someone who’s published 20 books.  Gunnar Habitz, the 50th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a prolific author, with a string of business books and travel guides to his name.  Gunnar’s next book, Chance For Change, which he hopes [...]

From Adelaide with love

By |2020-12-10T21:43:31+11:00January 12th, 2020|Categories: Lunches|

When I started my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, I flew from Sydney to Melbourne for my first lunch. Why? Because that’s where Kaley Chu – the woman who inspired my #500lunches journey – lives. What goes around comes around. On a Sunday morning, Adam Hindmarch, who’s been following my #500lunches journey, flew from [...]

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