Something I ask all my guests at the end of each interview is any advice they have. It’s often my favourite part of the conversation. The responses so often vary, from advice about a particular passion to advice about pursuing passion in general. So when it came to deciding how to finish season 2, I thought I’d bring back My Passion Mixtape and showcase the advice I’ve heard across 20 episodes. Thanks so much for listening today and through season 2.

If there was one piece of advice I could offer my younger self, or anyone for that matter, it would be to mediate The mental, physical and social benefits of meditation are far reaching and long lasting. I can think of few things where such little investment can deliver such large rewards. That’s why I was so interested to speak with someone that has a passion for meditation. And who better than Asher Packman, a meditation teacher the President of the Meditation Australia. I hope you en...

Often when I talk to people about this podcast they tell me they are a passionate person but couldn’t limit themselves to one single passion. I’m a little like that myself and while we canvass one passion at a time on the podcast I thought it would be interesting to have a guest come back on to share a second passion. In season one we heard from Oliver about his passion for cars, unsurprising to those of us who know Oliver, it’s been a listener favourite. So I thought we’d invite Oliver back ...

I once heard the most poetic reflection on wine: Wine is grapes, little more than grapes. But the reason we find it so interesting is because it's so different. The exact same variety of grape, grown in different soil or a different climate, or even in the same place but a different year tastes so different. You can't replicate it, what you have in that bottle is a one-off, its unique. It's why it's so romanticised, why people collect it, why it's so expensive. And if you think of win...

So much of my day job involves the written word. Reading and writing has been a big part of my life, from school and university and well into my career. I’m sure that’s the case for so many of my listeners. But there’s something special about tapping into a passion for writing. Not writing because you have to but writing because you want to. Better yet, writing to share your passion and to support others. Our next guest has taken his passion for writing and is doing exactly that. ...

One the things I love about interviewing guests on this podcast is you can approach a subject for which you have little prior interest and completely change your perspective in the course of just one conversation. That’s the power of passion and the power of hearing someone share the things they are passionate for. Motorcyles and racing are not the things I’m ordinarily drawn to, but hearing this week’s guest, I find my self totally captivated. There’s something so electric about hearing peop...

I love running. I haven’t always loved it but during university. I started to jog in the morning. I found it cleared my head and as a student I found I had to do something to stay healthy. It was in Canberra I really began to run, it’s a beautiful place to run and where I did my first half. Now in Sydney I’m spoiled, morning runs to the Opera House, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and my personal favourite Rushcutters Bay. I’m not the fastest nor can I run the farthest but I really do love it. So...

It’s the end of our first season and I thought we’d try something a little different today. I’ve enjoyed every single one of our interviews with our passionate guests on topics as diverse as cars and education through to travel and social impact. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by the most incredibly passionate people. And while usually we just get to talk with one of them per episode. I thought for this final episode on 2021 we’d try the very first My Passion Mixtape. You’ll hear a diver...

Some people you study with are just tourists in your life. You cross paths for a few years, take a few photos and leave with some memories. But there are a special few that you form a particular bond with. The people that stay a part of your life, even when there’s space in time and geography. For me, todays guest is one of them – Ash Peplow Ball. I value having Ash in my life for many reasons. But above all I know when Ash is in my life, my life will have more impact. She’s always chal...

One of my favourite things about talking to someone about their passion is that it can often surprise you. When I first thought about who I wanted on this podcast, Patrick Keyzer right up there on my list. He was my constitutional law professor, I worked as his research assistant and he’s just such an incredibly passionate individual. Now a Dean of Law and an esteemed barrister, he's also earned a reputation for outstanding legal research. So when I first asked him to come on I fully ex...

I’ve never loved the term mentor. I’m not sure if it was a painful experience of a formal, rigid program or just a bad fit early in my career but there’s something about it that’s always jarred with me. But while I don’t love the term, I do love the idea. And if a mentor is some one you trust, you go to for guidance and counsel, the first referee on your resume and the last person on your speed dial. Then today’s guest is one of my mentors. She played a huge part in my early...

The very first episode of this podcast I released was on the passion for teaching and education. I’ve lost count of how many people have been in touch to tell me it resonated with them. I thought it would be good to look at the other side of the coin and dedicate an episode to the passion for learning. And who better to talk to about learning than a student? I’ve been so lucky this year to participate in an alumni mentoring program set up by my alma matre. It’s given me a chance to conn...

One of the most popular episodes of this podcast so far has been my conversation with Olivia Dodd's on the passion for plants. Maybe I’ve got a good sized vegetarian audience or the time we’ve spent at home in lockdown has us more interested than ever in plants. But whatever the case, that passion struck a particular chord. So I thought today we’d discuss a related passion for growing your own food. My guest today is Monique Collins, a home gardener who is passionate ...

Today I’m speaking with Thinesh Thillai, a Tamil Canadian who for over a decade has called Australia home. He is passionate about diversity, multiculturalism and community. He brings to this his unique mix of creativity, humility and humour to raise awareness and promote inclusion. I’ve got to admit I was nervous about this conversation, I’m a straight, cisgender, Caucasian, Catholic. What can I say about diversity? But really it’s not what people like me can say, it’s what people...

For over 60 years my grand parents have lived on the same corner block in Newcastle. The first thing you see when you turn into their street is their beautiful rose garden. Often you’ll see passers by stopping to admire them or lucky visitors taking a few flowers home. They’ve become something of an icon in the neighbourhood and a source of daily joy. Plants can bring us great joy and today’s guest is living proof. Within a broader passion for finding those things that bring her happine...

Some of the most passionate people I’ve come across are those who do research. I mean you’ve got to be, right? Think of a PhD – studying the one specific, narrow for three to four years of your life. Or scientists who work day in day out on the one experiment, often for decades without result. But sometimes what one person researches might not be that interesting to those outside their field. When you’re in luck though, you come across someone doing interesting research in ...

I’m fairly close with a number of the people I’ve had on the podcast. Some of my guests so far are people I’ve studied, travelled or worked with. But I think it’s fair to say, I’m not as close to any of them as I am to today’s guest. Because in this episode I’m speaking with my big sister Shannon Kennedy. Some of my earliest childhood memories are Shan drawing or painting in our childhood home. To this day, some of her incredible work has pride of place in our family home back in Newcas...

I’ve been thinking about this podcast for a little while now. And when I first thought of the passionate people I’d like to speak with, Conor Ashleigh was one of them. But I knew it could be a hard interview to lock in, because Conor is literally anywhere and everywhere. For much of the past decade he hasn’t slept in the same bed for longer than 2 weeks. But with his international travels on hold for now, I was lucky to find some time with him. Before you listen in to our conversation, I’d hi...

I've always thought one of the things that distinguishes friends from best friends is the ability to travel together. There's something about the volume, intensity and often unpredictability of travel that can make or break our relationships with others. Today's guest, Alice Rose, is someone I've been lucky enough to travel with here in Australia and in other parts of the world. Not only have I loved spending time with Alice away, I've loved seeing first-hand her passion for travel. It's ...