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We’re told to always be in the present moment … we’re told to set goals and achieve them … we’re told that life’s short and to live every moment as if it where our last. Arrrgh, what does all this mean?? As one great lyricist wrote … “No-ones an island and sometimes it’s good to pretend” When was a time in your life you let yourself be ‘you’ and gave yourself the time to pretend? “Max’s Island” the podcast, exists so you can tell others WHY!
157 Episodes
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Gaj was into hip hop and rap when growing up in Sri Lanka. At 16 years of
age, and heavily influenced by the New York hip hop and rap scene, Gaj and
his brother set up their “Urban Sounds” outfit to entertain crowds at clubs
and live events… and then through studio recorded releases.
As typical teenagers, they were actually really anxious about performing
live and were more comfortable in the studio. This changed once they began
to get a following.
After coming to Australia and with the birth initially of his daughter and
then his son, the desire to keep creating music in this genre was still
strong but he realised a need to create “kid friendly’ content. From this
thought, The Cuddly Koalas was born and the creation of hip hop/rap music
with clean lyrics that have important social and personal messages
…specifically for children. Using lyrics created by his acclaimed song
writing wife, Anjana, and supporting vocals from their children, The Cuddly
Koalas sound is catchy and highly relatable to their audience.
They have had great impact since releasing their initial album “Happy
Families”. With world-wide involvement of children to make this music …
this translated to international appeal once it was released. Consequently,
they were discovered by an international network and this opened more doors
to the world wide scene and a new growing audience.
Michael Ward faced a definitive moment during a dark time in his life. He
admitted that he couldn’t see a way out. He was just ‘stuck’ ... he
couldn’t find happiness or any purpose to his life. But a revelation that
he should ‘try a little harder’ and make real change was the catalyst to
‘writing a list’ of what was needed to recover.
He became diligent in adopting new disciplines of looking after himself …
sleep, food, water, exercise and being with the right people were the
primary drivers to achieving a different life…PLUS there was a desire to be
creative.
He had to believe in himself … a version of the classic Max’s Island value
of ‘Believe in Everyone’.
Music had always been a creative part of his life and now learning to sing
became a dedicated focus … it was an obsession … a way for him to fully
express himself.
This creative expression became part of every aspect of his life … not just
his music.
Since the introduction of legislation into the WA parliament, in 2021, the
practice of Voluntary Assisted Dying (Commonly referred to as VAD) … has
been accessed by many West Australians.
The opportunity for patient autonomy and compassion in end-of-life care …
and the relief from intolerable suffering, has seen a year-on-year increase
in the number of people making a first request for VAD and the number of
VAD deaths recorded.
Michael McBride’s father was described as a ‘larger than life’ character
who had given a career to the protection of others. Once his cancer
prognosis was clearly defined and the medical options for recovery
lessened, he chose to explore the option of VAD.
He entered the very detailed and strictly managed process defined by the
legislation. Having to meet specific standards and general requirements was
important, but the real benefits came as during the process he became more
in control of his destiny.
Working with close family, his GP and other trained professionals, a plan
was developed and ultimately, he was able to end his life under his own
conditions, with family alongside him.
The dignity and personal agency witnessed by Michael and his siblings was
highly visible and helped them manage the emotions created by their
fathers’ decision.
As a teenager, Monique Power was exposed to the death of a friend’s father
and this became an early catalyst for her to realise “Life is Short”. She
felt there was a need to do things.
In her early 20’s, this took her to Ghana, Africa on volunteer work …
Quickly, she realised her passion was not necessarily being on the ground,
so to speak, but it was in influencing policy to make change … and using
her ability and privilege to leverage.
She also discovered that “Passion is well received” by others and used this
thought for motivation to pursue a higher education in Political Science
and International relations on her return to Australia.
But just as the degree was being completed, her life changed with the
conception of her first child.
She was diagnosed prenatally with a very rare disability.
The pregnancy was highly challenging and the medical professionals painted
a dire picture for her chances of survival at birth. But Monique relied on
her ‘passion’ and used this to influence her intuitive beliefs and decision
making to guide her, not only during the pregnancy, but also following her
daughter’s birth.
n this final instalment of Deany Jaghdour’s visit to Max’s Island, we begin
to learn a little more of her personal discovery of how she thinks and acts
in stressful situations. The importance of professional mental health
support is highlighted and Deany really learnt more about herself by
reflecting on her early childhood memories.
But, whilst she was managing her own mental health recovery pathway, the
family life was not settled by any means. And in fact, it became more
chaotic as they traversed the globe during a short period of time … This
included living in Bali on 3 separate times, living in France on two other
occasions and in between, staying in Melbourne and actually buying a
‘family” home in Perth.
The reasons for these changes were mixed … and included multiple
redundancies, taking work out of necessity and also by just “following
their whim” that seemed to be the right thing at the time. And whilst all
of this was happening, Deany gave birth to a second child … and embraced a
real passion piece … where she self published a book for children,
explaining the menstrual cycle in mothers.
In the first chapter of this story, Deany Jaghdour met a man, Nabil … moved
to Jakarta … married him and started a family. It was a whirlwind decision
… and meant a new life, away from Australia.
They then moved to Bali to open their dream restaurant … unfortunately it
was just as Covid hit. These challenges were being faced by many other
businesses in Bali … but since Deany still had her job in Jakarta … they
thought they would be able to ride it out and come out the other side.
That was until a motorbike accident left Nabil in a critical condition in
ICU @ a Bali hospital … who were demanding large amounts of money before
commencing treatment … Treatment to keep him alive and then to operate on
his critical head injuries.
Deany Jaghdour’s visit to Max’s Island was a long one … she stayed longer
than most guests … But there is a good reason why… she has a story that has
many parts.
So, it is split into 3 chapters … each will be released separately.
They are individual experiences in their own right … but all form part of a
bigger story from a time in her life that has certainly opened her to
exciting opportunities, personal and business challenges and confronting
emotional highs and lows.
These interconnected stories begin with Chapter One, where she meets a
man…and moves to Jakarta to be with him … on an impulsive hunch that seemed
to be the right thing to do at that time. This all happened within a couple
of days of meeting him.
Ultimately, they met, they married and started a family within a short
space of time.
As a returning visitor to Max’s Island, Justin Davies was keen to share the
latest story of how he has embraced the creative passion of creating,
playing and recording music for all the world to hear.
As an acoustic singer-songwriter, he’s known for his lyrical honesty, dry
wit, and ability to connect through the strings of his guitar and the
stories in his songs. They’re all rooted in real life — drawing from
personal experience, observations, and a sharp sense of the world around
him.
On his last visit to the island, Justin explained how a chance meeting with
someone, he initially didn’t know, heavily influenced the trajectory of his
career.
But on this episode, we’ll learn that his evolution into music has been a
much longer and more determined process.
Elena Brand chose to embrace the Japanese concept of Ikigai to inspire a
career ‘shift’ … This was not going to be a full blown change … but more of
a re-framing of her existing passions to guide her life’s vision.
However, it was not until she began to have vagal faints that her actions
became more deliberate. Especially after she fainted into someone’s lap, on
a train journey home from work.
So, during one of her regular ‘future self meditations’ … an annual course
correction … used to inform her thinking for the year ahead and to adopt a
very much forward looking lens … things became more obvious. Additional
clarity followed with the strong influence of her mentor, who was a leader
in nature sustainability.
He challenged her with the saying … “If not you … who! If not now … when?”
Now living in Osaka, Japan with his partner, Dylan is teaching English to
young Japanese students and helping them to develop the language skills to
enhance their career opportunities. …and, doing this without any formal
teaching qualifications.
But that’s not all … he spends his leisure time organising, hosting and
performing English spoken, “stand up comedy”. This is not necessarily
unique in Osaka, but it is different, especially taking into account the
Japanese cultural influences that inform the audiences.
Eve Lameks now lives in a small town in south-west France with her husband
Rickie. On the surface that may not seem dramatically special, however, to
go there not only satisfied a long-term dream but it also was important for
their England based business.
Their transition story began following the passing of their dear, 100 year
old Aunt Tatiana, who they had been her primary carers for eight years. On
a previous episode, Eve had shared with the listeners of Max’s Island, the
loving but sometimes challenging task of caring for an elderly relative, in
a foreign country, as a pair of 30 years olds. This period of time was a
significant influence in the way they appreciated life, and was an
experience that actually reinforced their dream to follow a way life that
really suited them.
They saw first hand how this way of life could be achieved, by observing
others whilst on a surfing holiday to the south-west of France … and then
Eve thinking “ we’ve got great jobs in central London…we’re making really
good money … why are we not as happy as these beach bums … hanging out …
surfing all the time … somethings wrong”
This episode features a classic example of a person who totally adopted the
Max’s Island way … and made a deliberate decision to change everything.
As we say on Max’s Island, that moment in life where you made a decision …
for yourself.
However, in this case … for a range of reasons, it didn’t end there. In
fact, it eventually ended back to where it all began.
Darren Green made a decision in 2018, after 15 years of running his own
successful mortgage broking business … and within a week of him sharing
that decision to walk away, with his bosses … it was abruptly over.
Waking up on the next Monday morning, he was a free man … or so he thought.
Danny Allen and his mates used getting together, over a few beers, as a way
of keeping close and yakking over things that mattered to them.
A chance meeting with a podcast producer and content creator … at a pub in
the Perth northern suburbs … just as they were thinking about starting a
podcast for themselves, was the moment of truth for them.
They mused over a Podcast name … loosely formulated a plan … and then just
relied on the connection they had between themselves … to create 4Beerzin.
The natural evolution of this creative endeavour has been strong,
consistent and pushes the edges of topics their listeners enjoy.
Previously, we learnt how Brad’s passion and commitment was pivotal in
starting a successful community radio station.
In this episode we continue to peel back the layers of person who has
achieved so much…as an elite sportsman, talented media personality and a
genuinely good bloke.
Brad shares his involvement in the Nollamara Primary school basketball
phenomena, the passion for surfing and the diverse media experiences he had
on both radio and TV.
The many faces of Brad Cecins…Sports star, media personality, school
teacher and community radio entrepreneur.
This is part 1 … of a two part series … of Brad’s visit to The Island.
Whilst sharing his primary journey of starting a community radio station,
Brad unearths a story that has a multi-faceted message of commitment,
perseverance and self belief. Without this focused drive, the ability to
connect with others and be supported along the way by his family, he would
not have achieved the amazing outcomes that have occurred.
His engaging personality genuinely reflects the Max’s Island value of
“daring to be human - being unique”.
Simon Carabetta openly describes himself as a typical arrogant, egotistical
20 year old, back in the early 2000’s. He joined me on Max’s Island to
speak about these times and his early introduction into the local
‘pro-wrestling” scene in WA.
After a chance meeting with a group of guys of a similar age, he was drawn
into being involved in an emerging organisation at the heart of this
‘pro-wrestling’ scene. His strong ego put him front and centre of this
group and he immediately took on the roles of ‘marketing/PR guru’ and
‘event night referee’.
He was now in the scene and ready to ride the wave of growth with this
enthusiastic band of wrestling brothers. And, then following an event
mishap to one of the groups wrestlers, that attracted significant media
attention, he was thrust into the public limelight as the spokesman for the
group.
We all aim to set ourselves “Everest Events” … those personal quests that
when completed, provide internal fulfilment and a sense of achievement. The
impact we create for ourselves can be huge … or, it just may be the start
of a series of smaller achievements that build momentum and meaning in our
lives.
But, they don’t need to be as grand as scaling the world’s largest mountain
or crossing the largest oceans.
Lois Keay-Smith used the motivation of completing the Cape to Cape trek in
the South West of WA, and then striking it from her ‘bucket list’ … all at
a time where health had become very important for her and living life to
the fullest … became a priority.
Paul Skewes admits that over his life he has regularly chosen the road less
travelled and this has shaped him. From this, there have been experiences …
some intuitively driven, some pragmatically driven and sometimes even
driven by nothing other than a feeling for what is the right thing to do.
Paul now realises the significance of taking this journey and how important
this approach is toward leading a life … in his words … of just “being me”.
So, Paul’s story, philosophy and life acquired wisdom, fully align with the
Max’s Island value of “Daring to be human – unique”
Tara is passionate about bringing the beauty and power of Australian Sign
Language (Auslan) into early childhood education. This passion is obvious
in her emotionally powerful description of the venture she has created with
her partner. Called Tiny Hands Signs, it has a purpose to introduce sign
language as an additional method to aid the communication development of
all children.
Tiny Hands Signs supported community is growing and they are taking the
learnings from the lived experienced examples being witnessed every day.
To find out more, connect with Tiny Hands Signs:-
https://tinyhandssigns.com.au/
tinyhands_insta
Raff Di Bartolomeo has spent a career helping others and guiding them to
find what’s important for them. Particularly, those with an interest in
looking at how collaboration, connection and intentional action can address
social need and elevate the voices of those most impacted. Ultimately, he
has focused on others and embraced social innovation to make their lives
better.
When the effects of a set of physical challenges began to impact on his own
professional perception of himself, he eventually had to realise that there
were resulting mental health pressures as well. The lived experience from
recurring situations, over a period of time, gradually led him to a place
where he could manage the process of recovery, identify trauma informed
positive action and just acknowledging the importance of the values he
lives by.
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