You may have meet Xavier at a market and saw a number of novels on display and wondered what was the genres and who was the author.  I discovered that Xavier was the author and was based in Canberra, Australia. Xavier has published 5 novels, and a few more in the pipeline - including new exploits with Agent Max Shaw!  He has a background in communications and a passion for story telling weaving in opportunitys presented in his working life. Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of his passions and life journey.

Mike  was a former politician who twice represented the local Division of Eden-Monaro in the Parliament of Australia, Mike was also a member of the Australian Army serving in Somalia, East Timor, Bosnia and Iraq.In April 2020, he resigned from Parliament and is now working in the private sector.We gain a personal perspective of someone who has experienced the dark side of war zones and the inner workings of the Australian federal parliament.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of his passions and life journey.

Have you recently wandered down to the Haigh Park Village Markets in Canberra and came across a stall holder selling Mother’s Treats (We just gather and blend them together to create magic **** Blessings!), who reminds you of the best of the Nimbin culture. Tonight, we gain a personal perspective of someone who has experienced in their young life the destruction of the former Yugoslavia and the impact of the subsequent civil war between opposing ethnic groups.Join me on the ConFab to meet Bosko and learn about his journey from the former Balkan Peninsula to the Canberra region and his passion for poetry.

Elizabeth is an Australian politician and is currently the leader of the Liberal party of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly.  Elizabeth migrated from South Korea to Australia when she was seven years old and studied law at the Australian National University. Prior to becoming a legislator, Ms. Lee had an active law practice and was a lecturer at the Australian National University and the University of Canberra. She is the first Korean-Australian politician elected to state and territory governments in Australia.Join me on the ConFab with Michael G to gain an understanding of her life journey and passions.

Peter Strong is a noted public advocate for small business, for community empowerment and for good policy. He has been the CEO of the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia.  He spent some time working in both the former Soviet Union, China and middle eastern countries working with local communities to manage change and ownership of their future.  He is now involved in the field of Community Economics.Peter has been frequently involved in media events and interviews including many appearances on the ABC program the Drum.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of Peter’s life story and passions.

Jo (a Greens member of the ACT Assembly) is strongly committed to urgent action on climate change. As a child, Jo was concerned about climate change but assumed that by the time she grew up someone would have fixed the problem. Unfortunately, this is not the case and so Jo has decided to do everything in her power to help find solutions. Jo started The Carbon Diet, working with her family to cut their household emissions. Not only did they cut their carbon footprint by 75%, but also had fun and now have a better, richer life from making a few simple changes.Jo is involved in grass-roots movements and is inspired by the creativity and collaboration of people in these movements, including school students, ‘Knitting Nanas’ and everyone in between, who come together to face a problem that's bigger than any one of us.These experiences has given Jo hope for the future and a belief that we can make a better choice. She looks forward to using her skills and her love for this region to help Canberra make that choice.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of her passions and life journey.

Working as part of a university and industry research team, Vincent has learned the value of making the most of what is made available to you.By pressing whole apples, Vincent and the joint research team from the University of Newcastle and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, have found a way to enrich the nutritional and economic value of its juice.Working as part of a highly-skilled research team, and working in partnership with industry to innovate and encourage the evolution of the fruit juicing industry, was not the type of project Vincent imagined he would participate when he started his undergraduate degree.He believes not wasting any opportunity and ensuring you are passionate about your choice of field of study, are essential ingredients to a successful university journey.He believes that a higher education gives a tremendous advantage in one's career pathway and gives you the skills you need, before jumping right into the work force.Join me on the ConFab to gain an insight on his life journey and passions.

The jeweller Paris Argentina (Paris’s shop in the Block Melbourne) is more than just a name; it’s a reflection of his rich family history, a mix of Argentinian, French, Danish, and Spanish ancestry, that has inspired him and his partner to create exquisite handcrafted jewellery that blends traditional techniques with contemporary designs. Their name is a nod to the artistic and cultural influences that have shaped us and our jewellery creations.Paris believes that jewellery is an expression of personal style and should be as unique as the individual wearing it. Join me on the ConFab with Michael G to gain an insight to his passions and life story.

Bruno a French artisan has created a wonderful French flavoured experience in a local suburb. Bruno and his family spent a year and a half living in Vannes, a quaint coastal town in Brittany in 2007-2008. Upon their return, the idea of creating a typical crêperie (like in Brittany) here in Canberra started to develop in Bruno’s and his partners imagination.They wanted a casual, unpretentious yet stylish place, with a “feel good” atmosphere for people to relax and enjoy some of the charming Breton culture.Join me on the Confab to gain an understanding of his life journey and passions.

Jesse has been folding origami since he was 6 years old. He finds that it is a great meditative practice.In 2018, Rowan entered Jesse's life.  Seeing Jesse make tiny origami, Rowan challenged him to make 2 small pieces of origami that she would turn into a pair of earrings.  The result were a pair of cubes made out of pink printer paper.  Rowan varnished them and turned them into earrings. She still wears them today, 4 years later.In 2020, the first lockdown in Canberra, Australia, saw Jesse out of work. He got impatient not being able to work and so turned to Rowan and asked if they could try make a business making origami jewellery, like the pink cube earrings they had made. Rowan agreed.Now in 2023, this couple have celebrated Focus Folding's 3rd birthday!  They are still going strong and regularly attend markets in Canberra.Join me on the Confab to hear their life journey and passions.

Antiques run in Jane blood.  Between father and Jane, they have nearly 90 years of experience selling antiques.  Growing up in Canberra Jane spent every weekend going to country auctions and clearance sales. They used to joke that a trip from Canberra to Batemans Bay, which is a two-hour drive, would take us eight hours because they stopped at every op shop and secondhand shop on the way."Jane is a co-owner of Dirty Janes which has become an institution in the NSW Southern Highland  and Canberra. Join me on the Confab to gain an understanding of her story and passion.

Kitty is a leading health and wellness icon. She went from being overweight and a diet junky to founding one of the country's leading health and wellness programs. Hundreds of thousands of people now follow her. Her journey is about - ·     all the poor foods and information we consume as consumers·     how we all make poor life choices·     why and how we can all do so much better·     why health is so intrinsically linked to our moods and success.Join me on the Confab with Michael G to hear her life journey and passions.This podcast makes reference to adult themes and drug use.

Dr Kudzai Kanhutu is an infectious diseases physician with a background in immunology and French language studies.  Her current clinical roles are in refugee health and general infectious diseases. Beyond  infectious diseases Kudzai special research interests include digital literacy, public health policy and women’s health.  Her curent research undertakings are in the areas of virtual care and housing as a social determinant of refugee settlement outcomes.In addition to providing clinical care to patients at RMH and Cohealth Dr Kanhutu is keen to collaborate with researchers working in digital health and/or refugee health.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of her life history and passions.

Michael Kirby is an international jurist, educator and former judge of the High Court of Australia.  He has undertaken many international activities for the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the OECD and the Global Fund Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.He is also heavily engaged in international arbitrations; domestic mediations; and teaching law.  He is Honorary Professor at 12 Australian and overseas universities.He was awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal, named Laurette of the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education and in 2010 he was named co-winner of the Gruber Justice Prize.  Join me on the Confab with Michael G to gain an insight to his life’s journey and passions

Professor David Hardman David is a vascular surgeons in Canberra and has over 25 years of experience. He is a senior lecturer at the Australian National University Medical School and has published over 100 papers in medical journals. He is also a member of the Australasian Society for Vascular Surgery. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Hardman is actively involved in research. He has published extensively on various topics related to vascular surgery, including arterial disease, venous disease and lymphatic surgery. His research has helped advance the field of vascular surgery and improve patient care.  He also passionate collector of art work, particularly first nations painting.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of his life journey and passions.

After arriving to Australia in 2003, Ali has completed his Master of Business Administration from Charles Sturt University, Master of Professional Accounting from James Cook University and a Graduate Certificate in International Relations from Griffith University. Prior to arriving in Australia, Ali obtained Bachelor of Business Administration from Gujarat University in India. Ali has had a successful career as an entrepreneur with business interests in vocational education, accounting and information technology sectors. Ali has also served on the board of various government and non-governmental organisations and regularly features on various current affairs and news shows as a passionate activist for human rights, social cohesion and race relations. Ali has served the board as a volunteer board member including the chairman since 2005. Ali was appointed as the CEO of Islamic College of Brisbane in 2020. Ali believes that educating the next generation is the best way to ensure the progress and growth of our community.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of his life journey and passions.

I first meet Sandra in the Block a famous heritage arcade in Melbourne.  Sandra is the owner of the concept “The Alpaca Collection” is a boutique-clothing store for both women and men.The concept was established in 1998, with clothing made exclusively from alpaca yarn from Australia and around the world, the business has continued to diversify.Once considered a gift from the gods and the most important relic of the history of the Incas. Today, a world concerned about the environment and its sustainability has the opportunity to know and understand the importance of Alpacas and their fibre. Sandra understands this concept, and wants as many people to understand the contribution of Alpacas to the environment and our sustainability.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of her life journey and passions.

By 30 Gary ran the protection team for the Australian Prime Minister and by 38, the office of the Australian Federal Police Commissioner. Silently struggling, by 40 his 10 year path to self-destruction was complete. Gary has called on his unique experience and expertise to coach individuals and teams in high pressure fields manage mental barriers for high performance.  In March 2023 he established Strong Men'd based in Brisbane Australia.Join me on the ConFab to gain an insight on his passions and life journey.

Tina is a barrister practicing almost exclusively in the area of native title. She has been a barrister for 17 years and has been briefed to appear as junior counsel for the applicants in a number of fully contested native title proceedings, including on-country hearings. She has appeared before the Full Federal Court and the High Court in native title appeals.Tina is highly respected for her ground-breaking work in the area of native title law. One of the few women who specialise in this area, she is respected for her tenacious yet approachable style with First Nations clients and legal professionals alike.Join me on the ConFab to gain an understanding of her lifes journey and passions.

Frank’s farm story started over 25 years ago.  He purchased a 100-year-old farm that was tired and needed passion and devotion to bring it back to life. In its past life it was a thriving apple, pear and quince orchard with fruit taken by train to Sydney markets and by ship to England, often winning prizes there.He always knew that one day our farm will become our sanctuary. However, a corporate international career kept pushing this idea back until the world turned upside down and many families reached a crossroads and had to make some life changing decisions. His was to return to Australia and focus on sharing our passion for organically grown food with our family and friendsToday the family farm, which is less than an hour drive from Canberra and a bit more from Sydney, is a place for a peaceful getaway with our produce carefully grown in the most organic ways we know while maintaining eco-friendly and sustainable practices.Join me on the ConFab to gain an insight on his life story and passions