Why Zig When You Can Zagga with Alan Greenstein

Why Zig When You Can Zagga with Alan Greenstein

He shipped 200 bottles of single malt to Australia — and paid more in duty than they were worth. Then opened his home every month and shared every single one. Within a year he had a network. Within a decade he had built a $3 billion business. None of it was an accident. Alan Greenstein didn't leave South Africa because things got hard. He left because he saw exactly where things were going, and he refused to let his kids grow up in it. A lawyer turned banker turned entrepreneur, Alan arrived in Sydney in January 2009 at 48 years old, knowing 14 people, most of them family. He'd just stepped down as Group MD of Sasfin Bank. He had no job, no network, and a container full of whisky. What happened next is a masterclass in reinvention. In this episode, Alan gets into: ·      Why he shipped 200 bottles of single malt — and turned them into a community ·      The court case that almost blocked him from ever getting an Australian visa ·      Three defining moments that made leaving South Africa non-negotiable ·      How a career across Mercantile, Sasfin and beyond prepared him for something he hadn't built yet ·      How Zagga — a name born from "zigzagging around the banks" — became a private credit business with $3 billion in transactions And through all of it — the reinvention, the whisky nights, the court rooms - one thing never changed: Alan's belief that the person doing the giving always gets more than the person receiving. "If you can't walk the talk, you shouldn't talk the talk in the first place."

Where Purpose Meets Philanthropy with Lawrence Jackson

He arrived in Australia in 1982 - one of the first wave of South Africans to leave. He brought Mango Groove on tour. Helped raise the first $1 billion philanthropy campaign in Australian history. And is now rebuilding a university's connection to its diaspora, from the outside. Oh, and he never even went to that university. Some people don't follow a plan. They follow a thread. Lawrence Jackson grew up in Sandton, Johannesburg, the oldest of three boys in a close-knit Jewish family, with a big house, a love of sport, and the kind of upbringing he describes as genuinely blessed. Until the late seventies, when things began to change. When his mother's brother came home from Angola in a military hospital bed, the decision was made. The family packed up and left for Sydney in 1982. Lawrence was 16. What happened next is one of those lives that takes you places you never planned and somehow makes perfect sense looking back. In this episode, Lawrence takes us through: ·      How a chance encounter at a Gold Coast pub led to him touring Mango Groove around Australia. ·      The blind job ad that accidentally launched a 25-year career in philanthropy and social impact. ·      How a lunch conversation led to him building WITS Australia and raising funds for scholarships from 10,000 km away. ·      Why he refuses to be the South African who "bought his Wallaby jersey on Thursday and forgot home on Friday" ·      What it means to hold two identities and why he thinks that tension is worth keeping Lawrence's story isn't about one career. It's about a life built around community, connection, and never quite letting go of where you came from. "I don't want to be one of those South Africans who arrived on Wednesday, bought their Wallaby jersey on Thursday, and washed their hands of South Africa on Friday."

Accident of Design with Sanushka Seomangal

She filled out a university application form for fun. Got accepted. Moved to Australia. Got rejected by every law firm she applied to. Went home. Came back. Got rejected again. Today she's a partner at one of Australia's top tier law firms.  Some stories don't follow a plan. This is one of them.    Sanushka Seomangal grew up in Durban on the North Coast, one of the youngest grandchildren in one of those big, beautiful South African Indian families where there's always someone at the door, always food on the stove, and you're never truly alone.  Australia was never the dream. It was almost an accident. A law student visit to the University of Queensland, a paper form filled out on a whim, and an acceptance letter that changed everything.  But the road from that form to where she stands today was anything but smooth.  In this episode, Sanushka gets real about:  ·                Being turned away by every Sydney law firm — twice — and what she did next.   ·                What it's like to walk into a room where nobody looks like you and choosing to stay anyway.   ·                How she co-founded a diplomatic youth dialogue that's now shaped Australia-India relations for 15 years.   ·                The moment in a Mumbai taxi when she finally knew Sydney was home.   ·                Why she believes your difference isn't a disadvantage, it's your superpower    And through all of it — the rejections, the loneliness, the long road to partnership — one thing remained constant: she kept showing up.  "Your lived experience is your resilience, your courage, your problem solving. That authentic side of you is what's most valuable."

Towards Something with Dan Nel

He spent two and a half years waking up at midnight to work Australian hours from South Africa. He got divorced three weeks before he boarded the plane. He landed in Melbourne — alone — with a golf bag that cost him R19,000 just to check in. Was it worth it?   This is one of those episodes that stays with you. Dan Nel is not someone who moved to Australia years ago and has it all figured out. He's living the journey right now. A certified financial planner from Bloemfontein, Dan arrived in Melbourne in January 2023, and more than three years later, permanent residency still hasn't come through. Every morning, he wakes up wondering if today's the day that email arrives.   But what Dan carries with him isn't a story of regret. It's one of deliberate, courageous choice.   In this episode, Dan gets honest about:   The toll two and a half years of uncertainty took on his marriage and his mental health What it actually feels like to be in between — committed to a future that hasn't materialised yet. How he worked his way from doing admin at 1am to becoming a trusted financial advisor in Melbourne.   The two types of immigrants, and which one determines whether you'll thrive or struggle The moment driving through rural Victoria felt like home, not South Africa. And through all of it - the divorce, the visa delays, the overpriced golf bag — one thing never wavered: his why.   "You need to know what you're coming towards, not just what you're running from."   If you're in that in-between space right now — this one's for you.

Before You Pack That Suitcase with Sean Kupferberg

80 enquiries a day. From people dreaming of leaving South Africa. Less than 10% actually make it happen. What separates the ones who do... from the ones who don't?  Anton and Ben sat down with someone who's seen it all, not as someone who emigrated, but as the person sitting across the desk when families take the biggest decision of their lives. Sean Kupferberg is the Managing Director of New World Immigration in Cape Town. Since 2016, he's helped hundreds of South Africans navigate the path to Australia — from corporate professionals to tradespeople — and he's watched the full spectrum: people who arrived and thrived beyond anything they imagined, and people who came back.  In this episode, Sean pulls back the curtain on things most people don't talk about: What does immigration actually cost? (It's not what most people think.) Why does the process take so long and what can you do about it? Why a plumber or diesel mechanic might have a better shot at Australia than an accountant right now.  The biggest misconceptions that keep people stuck — and what clarity really looks like. The story of the butchers that changed everything.  If you're still sitting at the kitchen table wondering whether this is even possible for your family — this episode was made for you.