Steve Tolen, the 307th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, wasn’t expecting a corporate boxing program to change his life. Steve signed up for the Corporate Fighter program two years ago, after putting on weight during the pandemic. Three months later, when he stepped into the ring for his graduation [...]
Tom Doran, the 306th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a bloody good bloke and a very impressive one too. Tom exudes energy, he’s quick to smile and he’s got a very positive spirit. So he made me feel comfortable from the moment I met him. Tom is also [...]
As I was having lunch with Jack Sim, he pulled out his phone to show me a countdown app, which revealed he had just over 5,000 days left to live. When the countdown ends, Jack will be 80 years old – which is about the average lifespan of a male Singaporean. Jack, the 305th person I've [...]
Over the past three-and-a-half years, as I’ve pursued my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, I’ve discovered the world’s most valuable skill – being good with people. That’s why I was intrigued when I discovered that Sam Lee, my 304th lunch date, teaches people skills for a living. When he was younger, Sam was socially [...]
Sometimes, we can become so accustomed to the path we're on that we forget how different things might have been if we'd made just one different choice years earlier. Jean-Claude Camelin, the 303rd person I've met on my quest to have 500 lunches, has found himself at several crossroads during his life. Growing up, JC worked [...]
Jason Munro, the 302nd person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has taken it upon himself to become a mental health leader. Jason is the founder of a men's group, called Dhirrabuu Walan, which gives men the opportunity to talk about their problems and discuss what's going on in their lives. [...]
Imagine how different the world would be if we all made a conscious decision to see things from other people’s perspectives? That was the thought that occurred to me while chatting with Supipi Jayawardena, the 301st person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. Supipi, who studied sociology, international relations and political [...]
Amanda Chandler, the 300th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has a very important question she asks as part of her job – 'Why?' Amanda is head of risk for a pet insurance company, a role that involves providing oversight of the company's operational processes, to make sure they're done [...]
Domestic violence is a well-known scourge, but one form of DV that is far less recognised is financial abuse, or when people use money to control their partner. Fariha Chowdhury, the 299th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is the CEO of a not-for-profit organisation, Arise Foundation Australia, that helps [...]
Visharadha Peters, the 298th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has a burning desire to improve the healthcare sector. Not as a medical professional or supplier, but an events provider. Last year, Radha founded NextWave Events, an events company that specialises on the future of the Australian healthcare sector. Radha [...]
