I was shocked when I discovered Alex Sanderson was only 22 years old. Alex, the 172nd person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, carries himself with such assurance and single-mindedness that he seems much older. Maybe it’s because Alex had to grow up quickly – he lived with an abusive father [...]
Helping hurting people is what Sonya Cavanough does for a living. Sonya, the 171st person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a counsellor who helps people overcome pain and trauma. Many of her clients feel isolated. They need to talk to her because there's nobody else – maybe their partner [...]
Alyce Kliese, the 170th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, has a sharp intellect – but I suspect that's not the main reason she's such a good lawyer. More importantly, Alyce is a great communicator. In person, Alyce is charming: she smiles often and is an excellent conversationalist. When dealing [...]
Back in 2016, Jess Weiss quit her job, with a vague sense of what role she wanted to do next, but without knowing exactly what it was or how she’d get it. The next day, Jess discovered the answer to both those questions at a business event. Jess, the 169th person I've met on my quest [...]
Most people who look at spreadsheets see a jumble of numbers. But Frank Choy sees stories. Frank, the 168th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a virtual CFO. Businesses call him in when they can’t understand their finances. Frank does more than put the numbers in order. He uses [...]
Nina Beilby, the 167th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, does more than take people’s photos for a living. She also, inadvertently, taps into people’s insecurities and the stories they tell about themselves. Posing for a portrait can be a confronting experience, because if our physical flaws are exposed, what [...]
Have you ever felt you’re in the wrong career? That you belong in a different job … but you’re just not sure what it is? If so, you should speak to Jo Green, the 166th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. Jo is a career change coach: she helps people [...]
One of the great things about my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers in five years is that I regularly get exposed to brilliant people I wouldn’t otherwise meet. Take Tom Hitchcock, my 158th lunch companion, who I met last month. During our lunch, I discovered Tom has superb sales skills, which is a major [...]
One of the lessons I've learned on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers is the power of networks. This lesson was reinforced during my lunch with Dominic Rolfe, the 165th person I've met. A few years ago, one of Dom's friends invited him along to a monthly wine club. At the wine club, Dom [...]
Athena Chintis, the 164th person I've met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers in five years, is a human resources leader. In other words, she navigates the complex world of workplace relations and human behaviour for a living. It was fitting we met on International Women’s Day, because part of Athena’s role is [...]
