Damon McDonald, the 146th person I've met on my journey to have lunch with 500 strangers, corrected me during our lunch. He doesn't have a mission, as I'd just suggested; he has an obsession. Damon's obsession is to help children appreciate their vast potential and understand the hero's journey they're on. He's finished writing an illustrated [...]
Franky Gunawan, the 145th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has a regret. He wishes he’d been more sociable during the early years of his career, when he was working for a big company and had lots of colleagues. Franky, who’s an introvert, deliberately limited his circle – he had [...]
I’m in the process of having lunch with 500 strangers in five years – which is why some people are surprised to hear I maintain contact with the people I meet. “How do you keep in touch with so many people?” is a common question. “A combination of emails, texts, phone calls, social media interactions and [...]
When he was in his twenties, Richard Kuipers, a Dutchman, came to Sydney for a holiday … and never left. Almost five decades later, Richard, the 144th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has turned himself into an Aussie success story. Richard is the founder of Two Men and a [...]
Linda Lee, the 143rd person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, got knocked down – but she’s gotten up again. Linda suffered a brain tumour, which initially threatened her life, and then, after she recovered, left her with an impaired memory. That memory problem made it hard for Linda to communicate, [...]
Annie Chan, the 142nd person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is on a journey of self-improvement and self-discovery. Annie wants to become a better communicator, build a better network and gain a better understanding of herself. So how’s she going about it? By having lunch with strangers. Annie is in [...]
Ricardo Gutierrez, the 141st person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has an admirable philosophy: focus on the solution, not the problem. Ricardo has really had to embrace that mindset in 2020, because his business, Bedssi, has been put in hibernation mode by coronavirus. Bedssi is an online portal that matches [...]
The great thing about having lunch with 500 strangers in five years is you get to meet some extraordinary people. Like Shane Quinnell. When I had lunch with Shane, in July, he told me his remarkable story of almost dying during a paragliding accident. Shane is writing a book about his experiences; in the meantime, he’s [...]
You know when you’ve met Angelina Zimmerman: she’s a ball of energy who smiles often, laughs loudly and has an infectious personality. Angie, the 140th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is also a woman of many talents. She hosts a podcast, she’s a former columnist for Inc. Magazine – [...]
I’ve always liked German football club Borussia Dortmund. It started back in 1992, when Australian star Ned Zelic joined Dortmund. I also remember my excitement in 2012, when I watched young Aussie goalkeeper Mitch Langerak play in the DFB-Pokal final – a 5-2 win for Dortmund over Bayern Munich. Here’s another thing I love – meeting [...]
