Reiner Gaertner, the 54th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is such a digital pioneer that he was using the internet before web browsers existed. Back in 1988, he started using a thing called usenet, which was a digital network that allowed users in different locations to post and read [...]
I'm in the process of having lunch with 500 strangers in five years ... and it's changing my life. Yesterday, I had lunch #53. Sometimes, that number feels big; at other times, like I've barely begun. Either way, I've already met some incredible people, some of whom are going to become life-long friends. I've also had [...]
I regularly send messages to strangers along the lines of: “You don’t know me, but I’m in the process of having lunch with 500 strangers, so do you want to meet?” That was how I made contact with Simran Singh. When I did so, she sent me a surprising reply: “That would be great to meet [...]
A few years ago, I concluded that almost everything humans do is about trying to establish control – over ourselves, our associates and our lives. So I was fascinated when Aviraj Sakhare, the 52nd person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, told me he has a philosophical objection to the concept. [...]
Just when you think you know a stranger, they turn around and surprise you. That was the case with Leanne Wong, the 51st person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. I connect with most of these strangers via LinkedIn, which means I get to learn a bit about them before our [...]
I’m in the process of having lunch with 500 strangers in five years. Now, a little over five months after starting my #500lunches journey, I’ve had my 50th lunch. I’ve met a wonderfully wide range of wonderful people, from sailors and policemen to business leaders and intelligence specialists. Along the way, I’ve learned some valuable life [...]
It’s not every day you get to have lunch with someone who’s published 20 books. Gunnar Habitz, the 50th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, is a prolific author, with a string of business books and travel guides to his name. Gunnar’s next book, Chance For Change, which he hopes [...]
When I started my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, I flew from Sydney to Melbourne for my first lunch. Why? Because that’s where Kaley Chu – the woman who inspired my #500lunches journey – lives. What goes around comes around. On a Sunday morning, Adam Hindmarch, who’s been following my #500lunches journey, flew from [...]
Why am I having lunch with 500 strangers in five years? So I can meet people like Mario Bekes. Mario, the 48th person I’ve met on my #500lunches journey, is an amazing person with an amazing story. Mario was born in Croatia. He was kicked out of home when he was 14. He was wounded while [...]
There were two big discussion points that emerged from my lunch with Kian Ghahramani, the 47th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers. First, as Kian reminded me, if we don’t properly value ourselves, we can’t expect others to either – apt advice, given that Kian is an accounting, tax and [...]
