Kate Reid was in conversation with Alex Sloan on her new book Destination Moon. A memoir of fast cars, French pastries and finding purpose. Destination Moon is an open-hearted memoir about passion and finding purpose from the woman whose mid-career, 180 degree turn, led her from the elite world of Formula 1 to opening in 2012 Melbourne's famous Lune Croissanterie, that has gone on to revolutionise the art of croissant-making.
At 13, Kate Reid already knew exactly where she was headed: a career in Formula 1, a life lived at full throttle. Like a master cartographer she had drawn the map of her future – all she had to do was follow the course she’d charted. But after earning a degree in aerospace engineering and taking up a coveted position at one of the top F1 teams in the UK, Kate discovered that the reality didn’t exactly live up to the dream. The pursuit of perfection that had once made her reach for the moon now sent her spiralling into a life-threatening battle against depression and anorexia.
From the grey skies of England and Monaco’s glittering, million-dollar harbour, to Melbourne’s trendy café scene and the spellbinding counters of Parisian patisseries, Kate searched for something that would bring meaning and passion back into her life: a destination worth driving towards at full speed.
‘A truly inspiring story of tenacity and humility, of strength and vulnerability, of dreams shattered and achieved – told so eloquently, honestly and bravely (and with Kate’s wicked sense of humour). It is also a story of love – for her family, for her passions, and in the end for herself.’ Nicole Piastri
Kate Reid is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of Lune Croissanterie. Her career path has been anything but conventional with Kate initially pursuing aerospace engineering at RMIT University before following her lifelong passion for Formula 1 racing. After three years, however, she realised that the reality of the job didn’t match her expectations, prompting her return to Melbourne with a fresh goal: to forge a career in pastry. Kate honed her skills at one of Paris' top bakeries before opening in 2012 Lune Croissanterie, In 2023 Kate was awarded the RMIT Honorary Doctorate of Business honoris causa.
Alex Sloan AM is an award winning journalist, panellist, MC and commentator whose extensive media career spans 30 years, including 27 years with ABC Radio. Alex is a Director and Deputy Chair of Australia's think-tank, The Australia Institute and a Director of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. In 2017 Alex was named ACT Citizen of the Year and in 2019 was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to the Canberra community and to the broadcast media as a radio presenter.
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Kate Reid was in conversation with Alex Sloan on her new book Destination Moon. A memoir of fast cars, French pastries and finding purpose. Destination Moon is an open-hearted memoir about passion and finding purpose from the woman whose mid-career, 180 degree turn, led her from the elite world of Formula 1 to opening in 2012 Melbourne's famous Lune Croissanterie, that has gone on to revolutionise the art of croissant-making.
At 13, Kate Reid already knew exactly where she was headed: a career in Formula 1, a life lived at full throttle. Like a master cartographer she had drawn the map of her future – all she had to do was follow the course she’d charted. But after earning a degree in aerospace engineering and taking up a coveted position at one of the top F1 teams in the UK, Kate discovered that the reality didn’t exactly live up to the dream. The pursuit of perfection that had once made her reach for the moon now sent her spiralling into a life-threatening battle against depression and anorexia.
From the grey skies of England and Monaco’s glittering, million-dollar harbour, to Melbourne’s trendy café scene and the spellbinding counters of Parisian patisseries, Kate searched for something that would bring meaning and passion back into her life: a destination worth driving towards at full speed.
‘A truly inspiring story of tenacity and humility, of strength and vulnerability, of dreams shattered and achieved – told so eloquently, honestly and bravely (and with Kate’s wicked sense of humour). It is also a story of love – for her family, for her passions, and in the end for herself.’ Nicole Piastri
Kate Reid is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of Lune Croissanterie. Her career path has been anything but conventional with Kate initially pursuing aerospace engineering at RMIT University before following her lifelong passion for Formula 1 racing. After three years, however, she realised that the reality of the job didn’t match her expectations, prompting her return to Melbourne with a fresh goal: to forge a career in pastry. Kate honed her skills at one of Paris' top bakeries before opening in 2012 Lune Croissanterie, In 2023 Kate was awarded the RMIT Honorary Doctorate of Business honoris causa.
Alex Sloan AM is an award winning journalist, panellist, MC and commentator whose extensive media career spans 30 years, including 27 years with ABC Radio. Alex is a Director and Deputy Chair of Australia's think-tank, The Australia Institute and a Director of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. In 2017 Alex was named ACT Citizen of the Year and in 2019 was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to the Canberra community and to the broadcast media as a radio presenter.
Best-selling Canberra author Chris Hammer was in conversation with Michael Brissenden on his latest crime fiction novel Legacy, in which Martin Scarsden flees an assassination attempt but lands in even more trouble with a deadly family feud leaving him at death's door
Someone is targeting Martin Scarsden. They bomb his book launch and shoot up his hometown. Fleeing for his life, he learns that nowhere is safe, not even the outback. The killers are closing in, and it's all he can do to survive .But who wants to kill him and why? Can he discover their deadly motives and turn the tables?
In a dramatic finale, Martin finds his fate linked to the disgraced ex-wife of a football icon, a fugitive wanted for a decades-old murder, and two nineteenth-century explorers from a legendary expedition.. Legacy is Martin Scarsden's most perilous, challenging and intriguing assignment yet
Award-winning author and ANU alumni Chris Hammer‘s books include the internationally bestselling Martin Scarsden series: Scrublands, Silver and Trust, the first two novels now successful television series. Chris's other best-selling series features homicide detectives Nell Buchanan and Ivan Lucic: Treasure &Dirt/ Opal Country; The Tilt/Dead Man’s Creek; The Seven/Cover The Bones and The Valley/The Broken River.
Michael Brissenden was a journalist with the ABC for 35 years, covering politics, national security issues and spent many years working as a foreign correspondent. He now writes fiction and has published three novels: The List (2017), Dead Letters (2021) Smoke (2024) and the recently published Dust (2025).
Experience ANU
Kate Reid was in conversation with Alex Sloan on her new book Destination Moon. A memoir of fast cars, French pastries and finding purpose. Destination Moon is an open-hearted memoir about passion and finding purpose from the woman whose mid-career, 180 degree turn, led her from the elite world of Formula 1 to opening in 2012 Melbourne's famous Lune Croissanterie, that has gone on to revolutionise the art of croissant-making.
At 13, Kate Reid already knew exactly where she was headed: a career in Formula 1, a life lived at full throttle. Like a master cartographer she had drawn the map of her future – all she had to do was follow the course she’d charted. But after earning a degree in aerospace engineering and taking up a coveted position at one of the top F1 teams in the UK, Kate discovered that the reality didn’t exactly live up to the dream. The pursuit of perfection that had once made her reach for the moon now sent her spiralling into a life-threatening battle against depression and anorexia.
From the grey skies of England and Monaco’s glittering, million-dollar harbour, to Melbourne’s trendy café scene and the spellbinding counters of Parisian patisseries, Kate searched for something that would bring meaning and passion back into her life: a destination worth driving towards at full speed.
‘A truly inspiring story of tenacity and humility, of strength and vulnerability, of dreams shattered and achieved – told so eloquently, honestly and bravely (and with Kate’s wicked sense of humour). It is also a story of love – for her family, for her passions, and in the end for herself.’ Nicole Piastri
Kate Reid is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder of Lune Croissanterie. Her career path has been anything but conventional with Kate initially pursuing aerospace engineering at RMIT University before following her lifelong passion for Formula 1 racing. After three years, however, she realised that the reality of the job didn’t match her expectations, prompting her return to Melbourne with a fresh goal: to forge a career in pastry. Kate honed her skills at one of Paris' top bakeries before opening in 2012 Lune Croissanterie, In 2023 Kate was awarded the RMIT Honorary Doctorate of Business honoris causa.
Alex Sloan AM is an award winning journalist, panellist, MC and commentator whose extensive media career spans 30 years, including 27 years with ABC Radio. Alex is a Director and Deputy Chair of Australia's think-tank, The Australia Institute and a Director of The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. In 2017 Alex was named ACT Citizen of the Year and in 2019 was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for her significant service to the Canberra community and to the broadcast media as a radio presenter.
