Finding Hope with Georgia Free

Meet Dr Andrew Browning - the Australian doctor saving the lives and dignity of thousands of women in Africa, one surgery at a time.

Dr Browning has spent more than 20 years in Africa – helping women affected by obstetric fistulas in childbirth.  He established the Barbara May Foundation – which has trained local doctors and established programs to prevent fistulas from occurring.

Dr Browning has also written a book about his car...

Sheridan is a broadcaster, speaker and author of nine books. His latest work Praying through Infertility is written by men and women who have faced infertility themselves - a journey that he and his wife Merryn have walked through.  

Sheridan is also no stranger to the microphone – he currently hosts Pause for Thought on BBC2 in the UK, where he now lives with his wife. But he’s also formerly the presenter of Open House on Hope 10...

Warning: This episode contains mentions of addiction, and also contains strong language which has been censored. Listener discretion is advised. 

Ten years ago, Danny Shannon’s life was bleak. From homelessness, heroin addiction, to time in prison – he was wandering in the darkness, hoping for a way back into the light. Today, Danny is a counselling graduate and entrepreneur of a brand new mental health and recovery app called Enc...

Warning: This episode contains mentions of abuse. Listener discretion is advised. If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, in Australia - call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. That information is in the show notes. 

Jessica Clancy was born into a world of brokenness. From a young age, she was physically, sexually and spiritually abused by her parents. Despite th...

Sean is an Australian economist but has spent much of his career in Myanmar. Most recently, he was the economic advisor to Aung Sun Suu Kyi, the former leader of Myanmar. In 2021, following a military coup which overthrew Suu Kyi and the democratically elected government, Sean was arrested and illegally imprisoned by the junta. He wouldn’t see freedom for another 650 days. Sean has recently released a book about his plight called A...

For the first episode of 2024, I am honoured to be speaking to Sean Turnell. Sean is an Australian economist but has spent much of his career in Myanmar. Most recently, he was the economic advisor to Aung Sun Suu Kyi, the former leader of Myanmar. In 2021, following a military coup which overthrew Suu Kyi and the democratically elected government, Sean was arrested and illegally imprisoned by the junta. He wouldn’t see freedom for ...

For the final episode of 2023, we’re doing something a little different. Throughout the last 62 episodes, we have heard some of the most incredible, heartbreaking, hopeful stories from people all over the world. How they have suffered, how they have found hope – and how God worked through it all.

Today, I’m talking to Dr Katherine Thompson - researcher, mental health social worker and author. Katherine's new book The Discipline of...

Dan Box is a Walkley Award-winning journalist and bestselling author. Dan’s most recent book The Man Who Wasn’t There tells the story of Zak Grieve – an Indigenous man who was sentenced to life in prison for a murder he wasn’t even there for. As Dan set out to prove Zak’s innocence, the resulting friendship and connection between Zak and Dan had a profound effect on them both.

Resources: 

• Book - The Man Who Wasn't There – U...

Rev. Kiran Skariah, better known as PastorSKAR is an ordained pastor, who spent almost a decade on staff at his church in Sydney – running the youth ministry. Now, he’s taken that youth ministry global. Today, Pastor Skar spends his days online gaming, with a twist. He uses his platform to tell hundreds of thousands of teens and young adults from all over the world – about Jesus.  

Resources: 

• PastorSKAR - Twitch 
• Pa...

Chee Seng Fah is the senior pastor of Clayton Church of Christ in Melbourne. He was born in Malaysia and his family migrated to Australia in 1988 – and he has remained in the one church for the past 35 years. Incredible. Chee’s life has not been without pain and turmoil. He’s been through a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and more recently, the sudden death of his wife Wei Lyn from a brain hemorrhage.

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If you or someone you know wou...

Susannah McFarlane is an award winning author, creator, publisher of over 80 books. She’s behind some of Australia’s most successful children’s series including Zac Power, Go Girls and EJ12 Girl Hero. Susannah is also the Head of Publishing at Bible Society Australia – and her own story of how she met Jesus, is a quite remarkable one, stemming from a reunion with her birth mother in adulthood.

Resources: 

• Susannah's website...

Safina Stewart is a proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander – a Wuthithi and Mabuiag Island woman. She also has profound Christian faith.  

As the Relationships and Storytelling Coordinator for Common Grace, Safina is passionate about justice, education and faith – and joined the podcast ahead of the Voice to Parliament referendum to share her experiences of being an Aboriginal Christian in modern Australia.

Resources: 

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Mike Gore is no stranger to a microphone. With more than 20 years leadership experience, he’s shared passionately about his work with countless people. He’s the previous CEO of Open Doors Australia – who work with and advocate for persecuted Christians all over the world. His latest venture is changing the way we give to charities and not-for-profits. Charitabl is Australia’s first app-based giving platform – a one stop shop for ge...

Tori Hope Peterson is a wife, a foster mom, adoptive mom, and biological mom - who found Jesus as a teenager after moving through 12 foster homes. She is the bestselling author of Fostered and sought out speaker, inspiring audiences to be resilient, suffer well, and change the world with what they have, right where they are, by loving the people in front of them. 

Further information:

• Tori's Website: Tori Hope Petersen
• Tor...

On episode 55 of Finding Hope, I’m so excited to have a bit of a full circle moment. My very first episode was with a woman called Merryl Mackenzie – who shared of her many years experience working on Mercy Ships – providing life-saving surgeries to those in need in Africa. Today, I interviewed Jess Mepstead who has served as a dietician on Mercy Ships, and is now studying to become a doctor – with the hope of one day returning to ...

Kelsea Clingeleffer has spent her life helping people – it's in her very DNA. She used the money from delivering papers as a teenager, to sponsor a child in need overseas. And since then, her generosity and compassion has simply grown. She’s worked in the United Nations in Cambodia, studied how Taiwanese Buddhists cope in major natural disasters – and she’s currently the International Project Coordinator for Disaster Management wit...

David Hume has lived a full and exciting life. He’s had fruitful careers in radio, retail and recruitment (to name a few). He was the lead singer of popular Australian band The Gondoliers. He’s sailed the Sydney to Hobart yacht race - twice. He’s had two wonderful marriages, which have given him 8 children and 20 grandchildren.  

And he’s done all of this completely blind.  

To find out more about David's memoir Blind Without Bar...

Leah Brett is a Christian, a musician, a music teacher, a wife and a mother. She owns a music school with her husband Tom, and is a mum to 5-year-old Harper. Leah experienced severe prenatal and postnatal depression, which was exacerbated by the pandemic restrictions and lockdowns. She is bravely ready to share her story – and has written a song about her experiences called Save Me

To keep up with Leah: 

• Facebook - LIJA
• In...

In this special mini episode, Georgia shares some tips on how to inject more hope into your own life.

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If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed for the podcast, Georgia would love to hear from you. Leave a comment on the Finding Hope page at hopepodcasts.com.au.   

Listen to more from our Hope Podcasts collection at hopepodcasts.com.au. And send the team a message via Hope 103.2’s app, Facebook or Instagram. 

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