Darryn Capes-Davis, the 99th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has made the bold decision to take his life in a new direction.

Darryn resigned from the Children’s Medical Research Institute in May, after a 20-year stint that saw him rise to become head of operations and manage a team of 50 people.

Now, he’s pursuing a career in radio.

Despite the big career shift, Darryn isn’t going in cold.

Darryn’s previous job focused on engineering and technology. And, since 2019, he’s been working as a producer and presenter for a community radio station, Alive 90.5 FM. So he’s open to roles that involve studio work, on-air presenting or some combination of the two.

One thing that impressed me during our lunch was Darryn’s communication skills – he speaks clearly and asks good questions.

That’s not a coincidence, it turns out.

Darryn says his 18 months in radio have turned him into a better listener and made him more aware of the annoying filler words (“like”, “um”, “ah”) people use when they speak.

When Darryn’s not behind a mixing console, you’ll find him on his bike. He’s a keen cyclist and a director of Bicycle NSW.