It Takes Heart

For International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day, Dr Sarah Jane Springer returns for this bonus episode as a DrinkWise ambassador, to talk about something she believes deserves clearer, kinder conversation: alcohol and pregnancy. 

Dr Sarah Jane discusses what FASD can mean for a child's development, why the messaging around alcohol and pregnancy has not always reached the people who need it most, and why s...

Kate Chapman didn't finish school. She left in Year 8, became a nurse at 32, and built a career on one simple belief: people deserve the same standard of care no matter where they live or who they are. That belief has carried her from humanitarian work with Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross, to Remote Area Nursing across some of Australia's most isolated communities. 

In this episode, Kate unpacks what Remote Area Nurs...

Eighteen months ago, Steph Moore was working full time as a nurse and packing scrub orders from her garage between shifts. Today she's the founder of Hey Sister Scrub Club, a fun scrubs brand that's become a fan favourite with Aussie nurses and a runner-up for Rookie of the Year at the SheComm E-Commerce Awards.

Steph opens up about the imposter syndrome that shaped both her nursing career and her business, from feeling like she had...

What happens when the identity you’ve built your whole life around no longer fits? In this episode of It Takes Heart, Jana Pittman shares her extraordinary journey from world champion Olympian to doctor, mother of six and passionate advocate for women’s health. With honesty and warmth, Jana reflects on injury, public pressure and the moments that pushed her towards reinvention and a new sense of purpose beyond elite spo...

What happens when a career built on survival slowly becomes a career built on purpose? For Dr Wayne Lee, a GP now practising in Brisbane, that shift is at the heart of a story spanning three countries, a musical childhood and a leap into practice ownership.

Dr Wayne opens up about why he chose medicine over a music career for reasons that were more about supporting his family than chasing passion, and how that early decision shaped ...

What if specialist healthcare could roll into town, instead of patients travelling hundreds of kilometres to find it? For Dr Rolf Gomes, 2026 Queensland Australian of the Year and founder of Heart of Australia, that question sparked a life-changing idea: mobile health clinics bringing cardiology, radiology, respiratory care and specialist services directly to rural and remote communities.

Rolf shares how his journey from Calcutta to...

Bek Woodbine returns to It Takes Heart for a deeply honest conversation about chronic pain, recovery and finding a new way forward.

Since her last episode, Bek has undergone major back surgery and has been learning to live with the physical and emotional impact of chronic pain. As a nurse practitioner and host of Tenderness for Nurses, Bek shares what it feels like when the helper needs help, how pain can change your sense of self, ...

What does great healthcare leadership look like when teams are stretched, resources are tight, and patient care is always the priority? 

In this thoughtful conversation, Julie Quade, trained dietitian and Allied Health Manager for Northern New South Wales Health, shares how her rural upbringing and early career in allied health shaped her approach to leadership. Julie reflects on the shift from supporting patients one-on-one to...

Most doctors spend their careers working within one healthcare system. Dr Justine Cain chose to take her skills across borders. Through her work with Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières/MSF), she has cared for refugee communities in Lebanon, supported emergency responses in India, and discovered lessons about medicine that can't be learned from a textbook.

Justine takes us behind the scenes of life with Doctors Without...

Some nurses treat symptoms. Others help people feel truly seen. First Nations Nurse Rachel McLeod, shares why healing is about far more than clinical care. Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience across rural and multi-purpose health services, Rachel explains how story, trust, spirituality, and cultural understanding shape the way she cares for people in their most vulnerable moments.

Rachel reflects on growing up on Country, the g...

What does it look like to swap the intensity of the ward for the unpredictability of a comedy stage? In this episode, we sit down with Georgie Carroll — an ICU nurse of 18 years turned comedian — for a refreshingly honest and wide-ranging conversation about career, identity, and finding joy in unexpected places.

Georgie shares the story behind her shift into stand-up, what she loves about life on stage, and the behind-th...

What happens when your clinic looks busy, but the bank balance tells a very different story? In this honest conversation, Podiatrist, multi-clinic owner, and business coach Troy Parsons shares the reality of healthcare business ownership - from payroll stress and overdrafts to the pressure of carrying everyone else while quietly burning out yourself.

Troy unpacks why so many healthcare practices struggle, not because of poor clinici...

What does it really take to deliver safe, high-quality care when you’re hundreds of kilometres from backup? 

Tune in as Dr Marian Dover takes us inside the reality of rural medicine, where clinical decisions carry a different kind of weight and 'support' looks nothing like it does in the city. As a District Medical Officer, Rural Generalist Obstetrician, and founder of the Australian Rural Maternity Association, Marian sh...

Why does your body feel so different in your 40s and why is no one really talking about it? 

In this episode of It Takes Heart, we sit down with Angelique Clark, an accredited practising Dietitian and exercise physiologist, to unpack the often-misunderstood stage of perimenopause. Ange explains why so many women feel like something has shifted long before menopause officially arrives and why those symptoms are often dismissed. ...

What if the only real measure of cultural safety was the voice of the person receiving care?

In this episode of It Takes Heart, Sam and Kate sit down with Dr Sarah Jane Springer - proud First Nations woman, award-winning rural generalist, and passionate advocate for community-led healthcare. Drawing on her lived experience and career across rural and remote Australia, Sarah Jane shares why true cultural safety can’t be written...

What if the thing that saves your nursing career isn’t leaving healthcare… but saying yes to a completely different way of working?

In this episode of It Takes Heart, ED nurse Tessa shares how travel nursing transformed her life after hitting a wall with burnout in a busy metro hospital. Feeling exhausted, disconnected, and questioning her future in healthcare, she took a leap into rural contracts and everything shifted...

We’re back for Season 3 of It Takes Heart and kicking things off with an offsite recording at MBR Health on the Gold Coast, is guest Dr Zane Sherif, renowned Radiologist and founder of MBR Health.

Dr Zane brings deep insight into proactive screening, using preventive health and whole body MRI to shift modern medicine from crisis to care. He shares how MBR Health is using state-of-the-art medical imaging and software innovation...

What’s it like to go from treating ski injuries on the slopes of Queenstown to working ED shifts under the red-hot skies of rural Australia? For Nicole Watts - emergency nurse, adventure-seeker and proud member of the cmr community - it’s a career that blends adrenaline, autonomy and purpose.

Nicole shares what it takes to thrive as both a ski field nurse in New Zealand and a travel nurse in Australia. We step into her w...

Neha arrived in Brisbane from Nepal with good grades, high hopes, and a postcard-perfect image of Australia, but the reality was tougher. Cultural shocks, unfamiliar accents, and the quiet weight of starting over left her searching for solid ground. Nursing became her anchor and in time, aged care quietly captured her heart. 

Now a registered nurse, Neha supports aged care residents through a mix of bedside care and telehealth....