Luke and Susie Podcas‪t‬ DOC Media

Today on the podcast we are chatting to author and business relationship guru, Matt Bird. As a child he grappled with dyslexia, before writing 12 books and is now wanting to help others become authors.  He believes everyone has "a book in them".
Matt was challenged to write a book during a conversation with one  of his clients, who is an author of business books. Since then, Matt has gone on to  write 12 books and is also a regular columnist for The Times newspaper. 
He has now launched a 100 day course called "Writing My Book"
Writing My Book is a 100-day course where Matt will coach a small group of budding  authors. Starting in January 2021, Matt says that a group environment helps  encourage people to make their first step into book writing.  
To take part or for more information, register online for ‘Writing My Book’: or contact  Matt Bird to start your journey as an author: mattbird@relationologyinternational.com.

On the podcast today we are speaking to Jason F. Wright, the man behind the new Christmas movie in cinemas now, Christmas Jars!

The new film is based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Jason F. Wright, and has caused a real-life movement of anonymous gift-givers with millions of dollars in spare change collected and distributed to individuals in need.

CHRISTMAS JARS has at its heart a proven inspirational story of kindness and generosity. It’s the kind of film that reminds us how selfless acts of humanity can affect people's lives in deep and unexpected ways.
It's a film for anyone tired of negative news stories and a year of trials and difficulty - CHRISTMAS JARS is bound to warm hearts around the country.
ABOUT THE FILM: Hope is an aspiring reporter who has had her fair share of tragedy in life. Abandoned at birth, she’s grieving the recent death of her adopted mother when her apartment is burglarised of all her possessions. While reporting the burglary to the police, Hope discovers a jar full of money, labeled “Christmas Jar.” Shocked and grateful for this act of kindness, Hope discovers that people all over her hometown have been receiving Christmas Jars for years during times of need. The jars are always anonymous and always contain different amounts. In this heartwarming Christmas classic, Hope goes undercover to discover the secret behind the Christmas Jars, putting into motion a series of events that will change her life, and her community, forever.
WEBSITE: www.christmasjarsmovie.com.au

This was one of our favourite guests on the show, he had us in stitches the whole interview, logie award winner William McInnes. We'll chat about his new book, Christmas Tales, talking all things Christmas in his own hilarious way!
McInnes shares his own run-ins with the Man-in-Red; starting as a teen working at Coles New World in Redcliffe and his first job as a shopping centre Santa, ending in him being frogmarched out by the store security!
William McInnes is an award-winning author and actor, whose popular newspaper columns have further secured his reputation as one of Australia’s favourite storytellers, and we can see why! 

Today we are speaking with an amazing young lady, Jazz Thornton. Having overcome childhood abuse and 14 suicide attempts, Jazz Thornton has now dedicated her life to speaking hope and creating change in the area of mental health.
 

She grew up in Timaru, New Zealand, moving to Auckland when she was 16. She struggled with mental health for as long as she can remember. As a child she had trouble regulating her emotions and as she got older this became increasingly worse. Finally when she was 20 she had a conversation that pivoted her life – and her first book, Stop Surviving Start Fighting, published by Penguin, is based on this conversation.
 

In 2017 Jazz began studying film and television where she directed her first short film "Dear Suicidal Me." The film went viral, being shared on international media around the world and gaining over 80 million views. Not long after that Jazz became the youngest New Zealander to win the annual Doc Edge pitching contest where she pitched her first series idea Jessica's Tree, which she went on to direct. The five-part series won the Best Web Series award at the Huawei NZ TV Awards, a gold award at the International New York Film Festival, and festival awards in Barcelona, Copenhagen and Toronto.
 

She co-founded Voices of Hope, a non-profit organisation which aims to create and implement change for mental health, whilst providing hope through the voices of those with lived experience. Through advocacy, campaigning and storytelling, Voices of Hope produces strategy and content with intent to influence global, communal and individual change.
 

Jazz was a semi-finalist for Young New Zealander of the Year in 2019, spoke at the UN’s Speak Your Mind event during the General Assembly in September 2019, and had coffee with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to discuss mental health in 2018.
 

THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE is available to watch online and in select cinemas nationally to coincide with Mental Health Week (October 10-17).  Find out more at www.thegirlonthebridgefilm.com.au

You will definitely need tissues for this podcast!

Warning, this interview covers heavy themes of suicide and mental health. If you are worried that someone is in immediate danger or you feel in danger yourself please call the police immediately, they are here to help. If you would like to access support and advice please go to www.thegirlonthebridgefilm.com.au to find national and international helplines.

On the podcast this week, we are speaking with author and neuropsychotherapist, Joanne Wilson to chat about her latest book, Renovate Your Relationship.
Joanne has been working with couples and singles for decades to provide a practical guide to overcoming common relationship issues caused by increased stress. From self-awareness, communication issues, managing conflict, parenting and infidelity, this revolutionary guide results in more meaningful, healthier and happier outcomes for couples.
Relationships are fundamental to our mental health and more than ever we rely on support from our loved ones during times of uncertainty. We regularly service our cars and renovate our homes, but the maintenance and attention to our relationship is often overlooked.
We'll get some relationship advice and find out what men find most attractive in woman.
 

On the podcast today we are speaking with a truely remarkable man, John Baker. He has an incredible true story that you will think it out of a movie! 
More than 20 years ago, Sydney wine merchant John Baker set off with his colleague Kevin Hopko to Georgia, a country which, at the time, was keen to get out of the shadow of the Soviet Union, and was hardly a leading tourist destination. Off they were in search of mythical cellar that may or may not have belonged to two of the most famous men in Russian history - Nicholas II and Joseph Stalin – that could have been worth millions of dollars on the market.
Their mission: to see if the cellar even existed, determine how they could prove the wines were what they were promised to be, and hopefully purchase the collection. That was just the start of a 3 year adventure that would take John from Double Bay, Sydney to Tbilsi, Georgia, via France and England, with plenty more bottles of wine, legal minefields, international negotiations, broken bottles and stories to last a lifetime…