B.O.P I Decided

David Christie is the owner of the SA Toy Museum in Wilmington South Australia. David owns the largest Private Toy museum in Australia. His collection is both diverse and extensive. His collections include all types of toys extending to 130 years of toy manufacturing. I have never seen anything that could match this amazing collection. 

Starting as a hobby he now has attracted international recognition for his range of toys from Di...

Amy Christopherson is the founder and owner of Amy Jane HR who specialises in empowering small business owners to move the needle forward in their business by embracing and nurturing their human resources. Amy created an award-winning business that embraces a flexible business model. This model allowed her and her family to do a Lazy Lap of Oz and experience all Australia has to give in their tiny home on wheels. 

Well, this time I had the tables turned. The interviewer became the interviewee!

Several of my interviewees, clients, and listeners have asked, “So when are we going to hear your story?”. I love to be the one asking the questions and not answering them, but we had a small gap in our 'I Decided' conversations schedule and I thought I would let someone interview me. 

When thinking about who this might be, I thought of several peopl...

It is a pleasure to share with you in our “I Decide Series” for 2023 Michelle McDonell story this month.

Michelle is the CEO of Home-Start Family Services Australia. 

Home-Start exists for parents, single mums and single dads, and New Australian families who haven’t established their new tribe yet and who are finding it difficult to cope. It has been operating across the world for 48 years and is in 22 countries. 

They have free pr...

I would like to introduce you to a very close friend and a truly amazing person. He typifies everything these “I decided” podcasts are about.  

Alan Clements started his working life as an Electrical Fitter Mechanic in Townsville. 

He then joined the Air Force in 1985 as a trainee pilot. He subsequently served in the Royal Australian Air Force for over 35 years reaching the rank of Air Vice-Marshal. After his initial training in 19...

Alan Craig's story came to me through a very close friend of mine Allan Hogan who has written a biography of Alan Craig's life. 

As a young man, I used to race Motor X and my Bike was a Suzuki RM 125.

Al Craig was the local Suzuki dealer. His shop was directly next door to our dentist so each time I visited the dentist I would stick my head in the door and see what the latest bikes were. 

Never did I imagine that one day I would h...

What do you do when you have the skill, talent, ability, and opportunity and you have just secured the professional sporting career you have always dreamed of and worked towards but then your body breaks down and no one can even really tell you why.

Ryan Stig dreamed of wearing the N07 jersey for the Newcastle Knights for many many years. It’s a jersey that had been worn by some of the most famous players in the NRL, notably Andrew...

Dr Bateman has both an undergraduate medical degree and a post-graduate doctorate in Medicine from Sydney University and is a member of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists. He is the Director of MRI, at Hunter New England Health and a Conjoint Associate Professor, at the University of Newcastle. Dr Bateman is also a consultant neuroradiologist based at John Hunter hospital in Newcastle. He specialises in ...

Wes is a very unassuming gentle businessman. He loves sailing, family and his business…. Now!

Version one of Wes’s business was very much around organic and unplanned growth. He grew because more work came his way. He eventually got BUSY - Buried Under Saying Yes. He had got to a point in business where he was “Sick and tired of being sick and tired”. 

I once mentioned to Wes, “Something changes when something changes”. Wes knew he...

Alan’s next sailing adventure was to sail around the world alone in the BOC Challenge, a single-handed yacht race. 27000 nautical miles of sailing in 4 stages Alan started the race in September 1994. Alan and 19 others sailed out of Charleston Harbour, in South Carolina USA and after 181 days at sea, Alan arrived back to see the lights of Charleston again after an epic voyage. Many times not knowing if he could but knowing inside t...

Alan is an avid sailor and a very practical no-frills type of person. When I asked him to share with us on this podcast he said ”Well I haven’t really done anything that special!”. By the end of this podcast, parts 1 and 2, you will begin to realise how understated that comment was. 

I first met Alan in the early 90s. From the first time we met, I noticed something different about Alan. He had a quiet deme...

Susanne Knowles is an educational, counselling and organisational psychologist and the Chair and Founder of the Australian Institute of Professional Coaches. With a PhD in Management and three Masters degrees in Education, Psychology and Business Administration, she is focused on assisting individuals to achieve their personal and professional goals, motivating teams to peak performance, and supporting organisations to increase emp...

Geoff Passfield is a very ordinary bloke. He completed his trade as a motor mechanic and went on to be a teacher in the mechanical trades at TAFE. Enjoying the teaching more than the trade, Geoff retrained as a secondary school teacher in the areas of industrial arts, design and technology.

Geoff went back into teaching in the local area before feeling a call to go to Bourke. He took up a position at Bourke High School to re-establ...

Dr Ralph Gourlay is the Director of Surgery at Calvary Mater Hospital. He is the Supervisor of Surgical Training and has over 20 years experience in Breast and General Surgery.

He is appointed at Hunter Breast Screen and Lake Macquarie Private Hospital and has been involved with Breast Cancer Clinical Trials for 22 years.

Dr Gourlay set up the original multidisciplinary breast cancer clinics in the Hunter and is an active member of...

Born in Sydney but raised in Newcastle, Mark attended Macquarie University and was admitted into practice in 1992 and has worked in Newcastle since 1995 initially as an employed solicitor with Baker Love Solicitors. In 1996 Mark opened his own law firm. In 1999 he incorporated into his practice the longstanding Newcastle law firm of Borthwick, Wilson, Smith and Bates.

Mark is married with 2 adult children and spends his free time w...

Simon is the CEO of ATUNE Health Centres, Newcastle's leading integrated health care centre. Since its inception, ATUNE has grown from a single employee in 2006 to over 60 team members with 2 locations and 17 different health professions and is now a multi-award-winning centre.

Simon has experienced illness during his life and it was through this lived experience that he had a vision of what better healthcare could look like. Simon...

Assoc. Prof. Mark Baker is a University of Newcastle Research Fellow in the Priority Research Centre in Reproductive Science.

For the last 20 years, Mark has been extensively researching infertility, reproduction, contraception, the beginning of life, the formation of embryos, how to work with infertile men rather than only have a primary focus on women when families are hoping to conceive and how to make it possible for couples to...

Jasmine founded occupational therapy business, Inspire Ability and has grown it to a team of 13 across two clinics. Outside of work, Jasmine is a loving wife and adoring Mum to three beautiful children.

Jasmine has a strong faith and love for God and this has been a constant strength and encouragement in her life.

Many times in her life, Jasmine has felt that tap on the shoulder to take on some pretty courageous steps and these cha...

In this month's episode, Ian chats with longtime friend, Richard Prosser. Rick started his journey as a Pastry Cook, and within a few years, was elevated to the role of Area Manager - Bakeries for Woolworths in South East Queensland. 

Rick was managing 12 stores including Toowoomba, which was the largest bakery for Woolworths on a national scale.

Rick felt a tap on the shoulder to go to Bible College in 1997. He accepted a role as ...