After suffering from a work related head trauma, Mark Ewing developed an acquired brain injury that needed to be managed as he attempted to return to work. But this was challenging when colleagues kept saying “you look fine to me” … and his manager even said “if you don’t recover, you will be dismissed”.

It took the astute recognition from his GP, of his real condition, for things to change … finally someone who took interest in his post traumatic growth recovery. And then, a considered referral to a psychologist who knew what was possibly happening to his brain, unlocked the inspiration for taking positive action.

The link to art, as a way for Mark to demonstrate his emotional position and feelings, provided the inspiration to follow a path toward recovery. Initially, this art reflected how Mark associated these emotions exclusively through colours and positioning them together.

Rutchi Kaushal was embedded in her chosen career in accounting and finance … and behind the closed door of her CBD office, she had the confidence and skill to successfully be herself and achieve peer recognition.

However, whilst always maintaining this professional outlook and persona, there was a hidden desire to something different. Something that was a true reflection of who she was … what her passions were … and something she saw as her real future.

It took a few years for Rutchi to begin to share these dreams with friends, family and then her work colleagues. But once the “idea” had been released, there was no turning back.

Cynthia Bartolomei and her husband decided it was really important for their family to experience a journey around Australia together. So taking their two boys out of school, with the blessing of the headmaster, they chose to follow the sun and head north from Perth WA in April 2021. This was just when WA was being locked down due to the pandemic … and whilst getting into WA was not possible, actually leaving Perth and eventually the state, was not a problem.

They soon discovered the two boys were actually learning so much from their experiences on teh road and most importantly, learning from things that interested them … and not just what was in a formal curriculum.

In her own words, Jay Wood got a “bop on the head” in a motor vehicle accident. But this was really serious … and resulted in a major “invisible injury” … a catastrophic traumatic brain injury.

The symptoms are so unique and specific to Jay it often makes it difficult for her to acknowledge how her behaviours are perceived by others. Nonetheless, she honestly believes she didn’t lose her essence following the accident … as she says …”her heart didn’t get damaged”. She still believes LOVE is the most important thing in the world and tries to live her life this way.

The impact of the accident, which happened in her early twenties, robbed her of many youthful experiences and doing the things she wanted to do. So, re-learning the forgotten skills of her life … those lost in the brain injury … was important. Especially re-capturing the magic of her music that now inspires her ongoing passions. It took two years for Jay to re-learn to play the guitar and understanding the essence of her songs … how the lyrics and music went together …was her greatest challenge.

Suzie Aries … actor, performer and someone with a positive outlook on life.

Her world was shattered following the removal of a “mass” from her body and the realisation she had to acknowledge the diagnosis of cancer.

Her acting career was still at the forefront of her life focus, even when the cancer treatment resulted in losing her hair and having to deal with the physical and mental challenges of fighting this horrible disease.

Recovery was long … but positive … and eventually Suzie was able to recover her health and the zest for a full life. BUT, this became a new life … different from being an actor. She discovered a passion for “sign language” and the career path toward becoming a “communications support worker” for people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

With a “glass half full” approach to life, Suzie is now forging this new career and looking forward to a future that is exciting and complete.

Paul Hansen is a confident, well educated and strong professional, who has built a successful career for herself in organisational development and leadership. This has been both as a senior manager in major mining companies and as an independent consultant in the sector.

So it came as a shock, when once a ‘new’ manager of her team adopted an adversarial approach that featured a high level of personal bullying and unsupportive team behavour. The explicit negative actions and the implied undermining of individuals in the team … including Paul … saw a number of them leave within a 3 month period. Paul was the second to leave the team, and this was at a time that coincided with the start of the infamous GFC in October 2008.

Tara Ulrich went on a years travel following high school. This gave her a chance to reflect on the career expectations she had to be an Auslan interpreter … and those encouraged by close friends and family. Whilst this expected career direction was something she new well, was emotionally close to and was something she could easily do … she had doubts. Did she really want to do this.

On her return to Perth, an opportunity to enter the corporate world appeared … she took a leap of faith, and ultimately has found a place to professionally thrive.

This was quite different to her previously “expected” career.

Stefan West is a solo artist from Melbourne Australia. Pulling from his own life experiences he uses music as a canvas to paint the experiences of his own life. His previous project, The Velvet Addiction, saw many successes with the likes of national airplay on Triple M, Rebel Fm and MTV.

During his visit to Max’s Island, Stefan continues to openly share his past experiences with drug addition, mental health and friends lost to suicide. He uses this opportunity to weave a story of how his realisation of the past and the personal reconciliation of his actions can be shared through his music.

Stefan has just left the studio finishing his debut album “Cambridge”, with the first single “Take what you need” to be released on September 1st, 2023.

Shaun Williams was well entrenched and purposefully building on the foundations he had already laid in his corporate life.

Then, following a chat with a friend at a party, he became aware of a “nature quest on Noongar Boodja”, run by Claire Vanderplank from Partnering with Nature. He researched, prepared and finally made the decision to do it.

So, not long after the suggestion was made to him, Shaun found himself travelling to country Western Australia early one morning - after attending a “bucks night” - to test himself over 8 days - 4 of them in solitude - and experience some something that was approaching spiritual enlightenment.

James Hoare was born with a brain injury called hydrocephalus and had 4 brain surgeries before he was 7 years old. However, that didn’t hold back his inherent competitive nature to try challenging and exciting past times during his life.

He started mountain climbing in 2011 with Mt Kosciusko then Mt Kilimanjaro in 2013. After Mt Kosciusko he created the goal of being the first person with hydrocephalus to ever climb the 7 summits - the tallest mountain on every continent.

Clare Allen has been a successful C-Suite executive for many years. Her intensity to performing at the highest CEO level comes from self-confessed personality traits … but also has been complimented by strong philosophies toward life and work balance.

The heavy spiritual influence in her life was highly influential when she chose to re-assess her approach to work following a series of serious, related health challenges.

This experience steered her toward writing books on how to balance the human spiritual and belief system with the physical demands of leadership and being a CEO.

Dylan Lamb had a recent experience that he finds difficult to explain.

This mentally challenging episode may have been influenced by drugs … it may have been influenced by his state of mind at the time … or it might have been influenced by deep mental health characteristics. No-one really knows.

This event lasted for just over a week, but it saw him become paranoid around his business and social network, take a swim with sharks in a Brisbane river and even discard valuable possessions as a way to protect his identity.

He was supported by family and friends to recover and reset, but a mystery remains around the entire occurrence, as Dylan continues to really understand what happened.

Sally Grandy and her family’s relocation to Perth Western Australia came from a promise of a job, a new opportunity and the thought that “their stars were aligning”. But, it didn’t happen the way it was meant to.

Literally 1 week before leaving the UK … the job offer was withdrawn.

Nonetheless, they still qualified for a visa to travel, so they decided to take the risk and within 3 days of landing in WA … employment was found.

So for a second time it seemed life was actually working out … But yet again, things didn’t pan out the way Sally thought.

Shane Landers is an educator … a leader in his community. He is passionate about leading young people to become educated and to use this to become meaningful contributors in society.

So, when he had the opportunity to be a relief Principal at a remote community in northern Western Australia, he jumped at it. This was the chance for him to push himself, contribute to his education network and most of all, experience the challenge of supporting those who need it the most.

By authentically engaging with this community, Shane was able to add value as an educator, be a friend to many and feel like he was making a difference.

Michala McMahon came to Australia from Manchester on a working holiday …and has stayed. Whilst Manchester is a big cosmopolitan city, it cannot compete with the weather and unique lifestyle of Australia.

On her initial arrival in Bundaberg QLD, a chance exchange in the street with an engaging couple captivated her attention and was the start of a new life … down-under.

Bec Bowman is someone who is always on an adventure and looking for new challenges. This has seen her travel the world and follow dreams that have created memorable, life enriching experiences.

But for the past few years she has been deeply ensconced in Perth WA, and has become totally immersed in the creative arts scene. By working casual “night shifts” as a nurse - her initial working profession - she can fund this lifestyle and begin to make real social impact in the sector.

These pursuits include being a radio presenter, an organiser, an emcee, a panel facilitator and a writer.

As a 24 year old, Ryan Miller took the opportunity to follow his dream of becoming a TV broadcaster and journalist at Sky News in Sydney.

He immediately hit the ground running and was soon thrust into a management role looking after a news team. As a traditional journalist, he was passionate about reporting the truth but it didn’t take long before editorial direction began to occur from above. This coincided with the ‘on air’ arrival of polarising people like Andrew Bolt and Peta Credlin…things now began to change. When these on air presenters began espousing the conservative views of the network’s “owner” and these views were morally different to Ryan’s, he knew it was time to move.

The dilemma of leaving a position after only 10 months, the potential career consequences of this and the requirement to pay back some relocation costs, made for a difficult time. But a chance referral from a mate to a role in football at the Greater Western Sydney Giants, a sport that had been a large part of his life in WA, was the ideal way to relieve this tension.

Chris Singleton has extensive experience in starting and operating many businesses. This long and successful career has been built on a real inclusive approach, with the adoption of some clear, effective principles.

This is a great episode for budding entrepreneurs and business owners to learn how these principles can be adopted for success … even in challenging times … similar to those faced by Chris after a serious car accident.

Eve continues to tell the story of caring for Rickie’s great aunt, Tatiana, and the challenges that this has posed in their lives.

Recently, as Tatiana approaches 99 years of age, a traumatic visit to an emergency department at a London hospital has again influenced the plans and aspirations of Eve and Rickie. Their dreams of moving to France to live and begin a new stage in their professional careers has again been impacted by their concerns for Tatiana’s health.

So, now they are relocating to Bristol … to be close to the new high care facility Tatiana has moved in to.

Their journey continues.

7 years ago, Eve Lameks and her husband Rickie, moved across the world on an adventure that was to see them based in London, growing their professional careers in the hustle and bustle of the construction industry and enjoying the convenience of taking frequent holiday jaunts to continental Europe. They were really planning to “live the life”.

Soon after their arrival in London they were excited to visit Rickie’s great Aunt … someone who they didn’t know but were keen to meet. Tatiana at the time was 91 years old.