For a few years, Dalia Joudeh immersed herself in work, seven days a week, as a way to distract herself from unwanted thoughts. Dalia, the 291st person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, had escaped a very controlling husband in another country, but had been unable to bring her young daughter [...]
Jess Matthews, the 290th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, made an interesting discovery while in detox. When you consciously abstain from something, Jess learnt, you immediately gain a much clearer insight into that thing, including why you needed it, how you used it and how it affected you. In [...]
Luke Hannan, the 289th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, comes alive when he appears on stage. Luke is a professional MC, as well as a roundtable moderator and public speaking coach, who hosts corporate events in front of hundreds of people. Part of why Luke loves his job so [...]
Paul Rose recently endured a horrific medical saga that ended up having a surprisingly happy ending. Paul, the 288th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year. During the surgery, the assistant surgeon noticed a lump on Paul’s leg and advised him to get it [...]
My lunch with Tsui Lin Lian was so engrossing that we literally got locked in the venue. Tsui Lin Lian, the 287th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a very impressive person and wonderful conversationalist. We had so much to talk about that, without realising it, almost two and [...]
Many of us talk wistfully about how the world would be a better place if only this or that was different – and then do nothing to bring about the change we seek. Yatha Jain, by contrast, is one of a small minority who actually takes action. Yatha, the 286th person I've met on my quest [...]
Wendy Tee, the 285th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, believes that the older we get, the more tempted we are to settle for the familiar. The same career, the same social circle, the same hobbies. But Wendy feels that’s a trap. So she’s made a conscious decision to not [...]
Tara Hannon, the 284th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a force of nature. Tara is a big-picture thinker with an incredible ability to generate ideas and connect dots. At the same time, she’s wonderfully ebullient and irreverent – the only thing she does more enthusiastically than brainstorming is [...]
Have you ever gone on a date and wondered why the other person hasn’t contacted you? Or been in a relationship and wondered why your partner would be so hurtful? These sorts of scenarios fascinate Carol Yan, the 283rd person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. Carol is a relationship coach [...]
If you ever hurt yourself on holiday, do yourself a favour and call Victoria Roy. Victoria, the 282nd person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, specialises in a niche area of the law – the intersection of personal injury and travel. She represents travellers bringing injury compensation claims following cruise ship [...]
