Your Neighbourhood Show By Ubuntu Foundation

Episode 23 - "Say the Thing" — Kristie Melling on Pain, Resilience and the Courage to Be Honest

What does it mean to be the person who holds everything together, even when you're the one who needs holding? This week, Carolyn sits down with Kristie Melling, a Brisbane-based marketing consultant who spent most of her life as the quiet anchor for everyone around her: her friends, her partner, her clients, her team. From the outside, Kristie looked like someone who had it together. On the inside, she was managing a level of chronic pain most people couldn't imagine, and doing it without telling anyone how bad it really was. Kristie grew up in Gladstone, Queensland, in a family she describes as genuinely wonderful, entrepreneurial parents, a community-minded mum, and a tight group of childhood friends. Life felt close to idyllic. Until, at 13, she woke up one morning unable to move. What followed was years of chronic sciatic pain, undiagnosed, mismanaged, and quietly reshaping who Kristie was becoming. Bracing against physical pain taught her to brace against emotional pain, too. She became the tough girl. The protector. The one who stepped in front when someone came for her friends. The one who stayed sober so someone else didn't have to be responsible. In this episode, Kristie speaks honestly about what it felt like to finally be chosen by someone and why that feeling kept her in a difficult relationship for nearly a decade. She talks about the moment she closed her massage business in two days to move home and be with her mum, who had just been diagnosed with stage four cancer three months after Kristie gave birth to her daughter. She shares what it was like to sit with her dad on the balcony after the funeral, and what he said that she's never stopped thinking about. And she talks about burnout, the kind that sneaks up on you so slowly you don't realise how deep you are until the day it stops. Kristie's advice at the end is simple, and it's something most of us avoid every single day. "Say the thing."

Episode 22 - Julia McDonald Buchanan - A Story of Adventure, Resilience, and What Happens When It All Crashes Down

Born on a farm near the Ugandan border with no electricity and horses as her best friends, Julia McDonald Buchanan has lived more lives than most people could dream of. Sent to boarding school at five, shipped to England at thirteen with nothing but a suitcase and a sister, then uprooted again to rural Queensland, Julia learned early that home is wherever you plant yourself next. What followed was a life lived entirely on instinct: teaching kindergarten in Nairobi, running photographic safaris in Tanzania, sailing across the Pacific in a 54-foot steel sloop through Force 11 storms, running expeditions around Cape Horn, and somehow eventually landing on the Sunshine Coast with a macadamia farm and a question she'd spent decades avoiding. It took a horse throwing her off at 4am, a marriage ending, and her son leaving for England with his father before Julia finally stopped running. A yoga teacher training course cracked open something she'd been holding shut since she was five years old. This is a story about a woman who built her resilience so high she couldn't feel anything underneath it, and what happened when it all came down.

Episode 21: Cass Wilson - From Banking to Community: A Story About Belonging, Loss, and Starting Over

What happens when a parent cuts you off with a single email, days after your wedding? In this episode, Carolyn sits down with Cass Wilson, CEO of the Rural Health Research Foundation, for a conversation that moves through small-town childhood, teenage courage, 17 years in banking, and one of the most painful kinds of family disconnection imaginable. Cass grew up in regional South Australia before uprooting to the Central Coast at 12. Arriving at high school without a single friend. At 15, she made a decision that surprised even her parents: leaving the traditional school system to finish Year 11 and 12 at TAFE, where she discovered a love of bringing people together that would quietly shape everything that came after. From the chaos of the Lindt Café siege lockdown and a ransom situation inside her own branch, to the sweetest workplace proposal you'll ever hear, Cass's banking years were anything but ordinary. But the thread that runs through it all is belonging. How we find it, lose it, grieve it, and ultimately build it; sometimes in places we never expected. Today, Cass leads a foundation dedicated to community-led health solutions for rural and regional Australia. Her story is proof that disconnection, as painful as it is, can become the very thing that drives you toward your purpose. The Rural Health Research Foundation: https://ruralhealthresearchfoundation.com.au/ [https://ruralhealthresearchfoundation.com.au/] The Ubuntu Foundation: https://www.ubuntufoundation.com.au/ [https://www.ubuntufoundation.com.au/] Episode Breakdown 0:00 – 0:52 | Welcome + the theme of connection and disconnection. Carolyn sets the show's tone: none of us escapes disconnection, and that's exactly the point. 0:52 – 4:30 | Meet Cass + childhood in Gawler, SA A close-knit regional town, a nurse mum, a Navy dad, and grandparents who ran a strict ship. 4:30 – 8:35 | The move to the Central Coast. Mum's isolation drives the family to NSW, where they arrive at Grandma's tiny unit with a fresh start and zero friends. 8:35 – 16:20 | Not fitting in + the TAFE decision. Years of not belonging at an all-girls Catholic school, and a bold call at 15 to ditch it for TAFE. Parents said no. She pushed until they said yes. 16:20 – 19:20 | Meeting Aaron. Eighteen months of best friendship before he asked her out, five times. She finally said yes, and they're still together. 19:20 – 23:10 | Into banking: call centre to team leader. Straight out of TAFE at 17, Cass joins NAB and works her way up — finding a love for developing people along the way. 23:10 – 32:10 | The Lindt Café siege + a kidnapping at the branch. Locked down during the 2014 Sydney siege, and a customer who needed cash fast, because someone had taken his children. No trauma counselling for either. 32:10 – 35:25 | The proposal. Aaron put the whole call centre floor on hold, sent a courier with flowers, and proposed by note. She still has it in her wallet. 35:25 – 50:05 | Marriage, the email, and twenty years of silence. Days after the wedding, her father sends a page-long email cutting her off. No warning, no reason. They haven't spoken for 20 years. He passed away just before Christmas 2025. 50:05 – 55:30 | Leaving banking + the pivot into community work. At 37, the passion date arrives. A mentor named Beck sees something in Cass she hadn't seen in herself and tells her to make it a career. 55:30 – 1:02:10 | The Rural Health Research Foundation. Cass now leads a new charity funding community-led health solutions in rural and regional Australia. Mini grants open now.  1:02:10 – 1:04:17 | Life's lesson + close. Walk through every door that opens,  even if you don't know where it leads.

Episode 20: Tom Robinson on Rowing the Pacific and Finding Inner Peace

In this episode of Your Neighborhood Show, Carolyn sits down with Brisbane adventurer and boat builder Tom Robinson, who became the youngest person to row the Pacific Ocean after setting off from Peru in a boat he designed and built himself. Tom shares how his love of solitude on the Brisbane River shaped his inner world, and how that quiet became fuel for an enormous self-made rite of passage. Along the way, he opens up about fear, surrender, and the unexpected kindness of strangers—from fishermen at sea to island communities who welcomed him as family. It’s a gripping story of resilience and risk, but also a heartfelt reflection on why disconnection is often the doorway to deeper connection. Episode Breakdown  00:00 – 05:30 | Welcome + theme of connection/disconnection Carolyn introduces the show’s purpose and sets the tone for a story that holds both struggle and meaning. 05:30 – 13:30 | Meet Tom Robinson + the record-setting row Tom’s bio and achievement: building his boat, rowing the Pacific, and the journey’s dramatic end near Vanuatu. 13:30 – 22:00 | Childhood in Yeronga + the river as refuge Triplet life, a chaotic home, and how rowing became Tom’s calm, independence, and meditation. 22:00 – 30:00 | The dream forms: “I’m going to row the Pacific” Adventure books, the mirror moment at 14, and why rowing felt like the ultimate challenge. 30:00 – 39:00 | Preparation: apprenticeship, boatbuilding, and obsessive planning Tom explains learning boatbuilding, designing “Maiwar,” and the thousands of decisions needed to survive at sea. 39:00 – 47:00 | Leaving Brisbane + arriving in Peru + delays and bureaucracy Saying goodbye, customs setbacks, the unexpected “ransom,” and local helpers who make launch possible. 47:00 – 54:30 | The sendoff + early days alone at sea A powerful departure ceremony, then immediate focus on survival near busy shipping lanes. 54:30 – 59:30 | Day 49: fear → connection with fishermen A tense encounter turns into generosity when fishermen bring supplies and tuna after weeks of isolation. 59:30 – 1:08:30 | Day 75: blown off course + major reroute to Penrhyn The emotional hit of losing the original plan, calling home, and aiming for a tiny island with a dangerous reef entry. 1:08:30 – 1:16:00 | Survival mode + surrender + “nirvana” at sea Tom describes hardship, then a profound peace—accepting any outcome and finding inner stillness. 1:16:00 – 1:23:00 | Landfall at Penrhyn: towed into the lagoon + a new name A cinematic arrival, safety at last, and being given the name Mata Hoho Asanga (“the warrior that has paddled from afar”). 1:23:00 – 1:27:30 | Island life + community values Church, singing, work projects, and what Penrhyn taught Tom about meaning beyond individualism. 1:27:30 – 1:30:30 | Capsize + rescue near Vanuatu (high-level recap) Tom recounts the terrifying overturn, the night on the hull, beacon activation, and being picked up by a ship. 1:30:30 – 1:32:00 | Advice + gratitude Tom’s message to young people: make a plan, tell people, commit—plus thanks to his parents for freedom and support.

Episode 19: Reclaiming Her Voice: Julie’s Path After the Storm

In this deeply moving episode of Your Neighborhood Show, Carolyn sits down with Julie, a participant-turned-volunteer at Sailability, to explore the remarkable journey of a woman who has quietly survived isolation, emotional abuse, neurodivergence, and chronic illness—and emerged with strength, creativity, and purpose. From early childhood mornings spent alone in convent gardens, to rediscovering joy on a sailboat in Townsville, Julie opens up about the challenges of being autistic in a world that often misunderstands, the long silence of an abusive marriage, and the radical act of reclaiming her voice through music, writing, and community. This is a story of resilience, reinvention, and the healing power of connection.  Episode Breakdown 00:00 – Introduction Carolyn introduces the theme of connection and disconnection, and welcomes Julie from the inclusive sailing organization, Sailability. 02:30 – A Childhood in Solitude Julie recounts her early years spent alone in convent and school gardens, reflecting on how solitude shaped her comfort with being alone and her hesitancy around connection. 08:00 – Autism, Observation, and Self-Sufficiency She shares how her autism likely contributed to her isolation and her affinity for quiet, creative exploration through nature and books. 12:30 – Music as a Lifeline By age four, Julie was playing piano. Through school, travel, and cruise ships, music became her sanctuary and mode of expression. 18:15 – Growing Up Different Julie discusses the disconnect she felt with peers due to her family's extensive travel and her mature worldview, often keeping her experiences to herself. 22:00 – The Pen Pal That Changed Her Life A French pen pal led to a lifelong friendship, a solo trip to France at 17, and a safe space to build connection at her own pace. 28:00 – The Marriage That Silenced Her Julie opens up about her 25-year marriage where emotional abuse and coercive control silenced her music and joy, until she found the strength to leave. 33:30 – Homeschooling, Healing, and Motherhood Julie reflects on channeling her energy into homeschooling her two children, using music and travel to help them thrive where she once felt limited. 39:00 – Rediscovery Through Travel and Culture She shares adventures from Panama to Costa Rica, instilling in her children a love for the world and resilience through experience. 42:00 – From Breakdown to Breakthrough After her divorce, Julie spent years unraveling chronic health issues and rediscovering who she was outside her roles. 45:00 – Sailing into Selfhood A single ride with Sailability reconnected Julie with the ocean and community. Volunteering led her back to creativity through music and social media, reinventing how she gives back. 49:00 – Owning Her Story Julie shares her greatest life lesson: that courage comes from leaning into community and vulnerability. “These are happy tears,” she says, as she embraces a new chapter with grace.🎧 For more stories of reinvention, resilience, and connection, listen to Your Neighbourhood Show. 📱 Available on Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | ubuntufoundation.com.au/your-neighbourhood-show