Coffee and a Good, ER, Pod!

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Have you listened to any good podcasts lately? That’s something you might be hearing more of as podcast awareness, listenership and investment continues to increase.

One of my great joys from working in the radio industry has always been the opportunity to meet and interview people. People from all walks of life, stars from the music industry, film and television and high achieving sport’s stars. However, the stories that stay with me long after the edits have been made and the content is produced are the stories from everyday people. 

The inspiration for our podcast, Everyone Has A Story, came from a bloke called Andrew Urban who conducted a series of interviews with random people on the streets, and his program, Front Up screened on SBS many years ago. 

I wanted to do the same here with the people that call Noosa and the Sunshine Coast home and although a common reaction by potential interviewees when first approached is “I’m pretty boring” or “I don’t have much to say that’s interesting”, once you scratch the surface, amazing stories reveal themselves and in some small way, my hope is that these stories, as varied as they are, will resonate and inspire.

We’ve got about a hundred episodes of Everyone Has A Story to share and I wanted to introduce you to a handful of guests recently added to our free podcast.

Restaurateur and entrepreneur Tony Kelly is a name that many may be familiar with, starting out with the iconic Wine Bar in Maroochydore nearly 20 years ago. From there Tony grew his brand and his business, diversifying into Asian flavors, burger joints and even donuts! His businesses were riding high until COVID-19 hit last year and the fascinating lessons and learnings revealed in Tony’s episode of Everyone Has A Story, is how he and his team navigated uncertain times and why, when the lockdown was lifting, did he jump into even more hospitality opportunities while many others were still catching their breath? 

Dimitris Limnatitis is another local who has an amazing story to tell. After serving his compulsory military duties in the Cyprian army, Dimi and his family moved to Australia where the ‘dole’ was a foreign concept. A cabinet maker by trade, Dimi picked up work where he could and his years of military service developed the resilience and instincts he utilizes in business today. There’s been many low-points and challenges, however Dimi relishes the opportunity to tell you how he turned those moments around and how his Diablo Co brand is going from strength to strength. 

Lisa Curry and her husband Mark Andrew Tabone are the two most recent additions to our Everyone Has a Story podcast with separate but equally-incredible stories to share.

Lisa, a name we’ve grown up with, talks about seeing Shane Gould swim at the 1972 Olympics in Munich and wanting desperately to follow in her footsteps. Lisa’s life has been a series of highs and lows, from her record-breaking achievements in the pool to the loss of her daughter Jaimi last year.

These days, with her husband Mark, they are developing Mali Retreat in the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Lisa admits that the two of them are ‘chalk and cheese’ with her energy invested in her businesses including, Healthy, Happy, You, and Mark entertaining fans of the ‘60s and ‘70s with his shows which include tributes to Elvis, John Lennon and Tom Jones.   

The latest episodes of Everyone Has A Story are free to stream wherever you get your podcasts from and the archive is there for you to explore for free as well. If you listen via Apple Podcasts, Whooshkaa or Stitcher, please rate and review our pod and share your favourite interview discoveries on social media if you think there’s others that might enjoy an episode or two. 

And if you know somone who would be good to talk to, let me know at john@inpublishing.com.au – after all, everyone really does have a story!

About the Author /

john@inpublishing.com.au

After 35+ years in radio, John now runs our "Everyone Has a Story: Conversations from the Sunshine Coast and Noosa" podcast and in between delivering magazines, writing stories, being an event MC and running around for his son Maximus; he spends time with his first love, recording a daily Drive program for regional radio from home (often in his pyjamas). He has previously worked for the likes of FoxFM Melbourne and Triple M Brisbane and knows the region well as the former breakfast announcer on SeaFM, Saturday morning presenter on Hot 91.1 and as the Regional Content Manager and Program Presenter on ABC Sunshine Coast.

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