Suddenly Different

Leigh-Anne Sharland
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Stories and strategies for life when it doesn’t go to plan. What happens when the life you thought you’d live disappears in a moment? Hosted by resilience speaker and advocate Leigh-Anne Sharland, Suddenly Different shares raw, real conversations with remarkable guests — leaders, change-makers, and everyday heroes — who’ve faced their own “suddenly different” moment. From grief to grit, invisible illness to visible wisdom, these stories inspire and equip you with the clarity, compassion, and courage to face life’s curveballs — and rise.

  1. 21h ago

    I’m Still Me: Alzheimer’s, Identity and Finding the Life That Is Here | Jane Turner

    “I am the same person I was before the diagnosis.” Jane Turner has spent years helping people preserve their ideas, experiences and stories on the page. As an author, publisher and book-writing coach, words and memory have always been central to her work. Then Jane began noticing changes in herself. There were falls, difficulty reading her own notes and moments when familiar things no longer felt quite as familiar. Like so many of us might, Jane explained them away as tiredness, stress, ageing or working too hard. It was an inner knowing—and an unexpected encounter with an Alzheimer’s clinical trial—that finally encouraged her to investigate. The diagnosis was devastating. It brought disbelief, denial, shame, anger and grief. But it also became a wake-up call. In this deeply honest and unexpectedly uplifting conversation, Jane speaks about remaining herself inside a diagnosis that carries enormous fear and misunderstanding. She shares why she initially worried that speaking publicly would destroy her business—and what happened when three new clients chose to work with her after seeing her story. Jane also reveals an extraordinary contradiction: while Alzheimer’s has affected her memory and balance, she says the quality of her life has never been better. After a lifetime of worry, long working hours and a mind constantly anticipating what might go wrong, Jane has discovered something she had never truly known before—presence. As she says, it took her 63 years and an Alzheimer’s diagnosis to find it. This is not a conversation that minimises the reality of a degenerative illness. It is a conversation about refusing to disappear inside a diagnosis. It is about dignity, identity, early awareness, accepting support and continuing to participate fully in the life that is here. Show notes In this episode, Jane and Leigh-Anne explore: • The early changes Jane noticed—and the signs she initially dismissed• The inner knowing that led her to an Alzheimer’s clinical trial• Why receiving a diagnosis can feel both devastating and empowering• The shame, denial, anger and grief that followed• Why Jane remains the same woman she was before Alzheimer’s• The assumptions we make about people living with cognitive change• Jane’s fear that speaking publicly might destroy her business• The surprising response she received after sharing her diagnosis• How systems, structure and trusted support help Jane continue her work• Why her editing skills have become sharper• The difference between supporting someone and taking away their agency• What genuine support feels like: listening, presence and simply “hanging out”• Why Jane is recording her life and stories for her daughter and future family• The relationship between brain health, sleep, movement, nourishment and stress• How Alzheimer’s unexpectedly quietened Jane’s lifelong worry• Finding presence in Sydney Park—and learning to look up• Why a diagnosis is part of Jane’s life, but is not her life• Jane’s beautiful reminder that it is never too late to have a happy childhood Jane’s story invites us to question what we believe about memory, capability and identity—and to remember that a person is always more than what they can immediately recall. Listen to this deeply human conversation about noticing what has changed without losing sight of everything that remains. #SuddenlyDifferentPodcast #JaneTurner #AlzheimersAwareness #LivingWithAlzheimers #DementiaAwareness #BrainHealth #EarlyOnsetAlzheimers #WomensHealth #MemoryLoss #Identity #Presence #Dignity #PatientAdvocacy #LivedExperience #BookWritingCoach

    I’m Still Me: Alzheimer’s, Identity and Finding the Life That Is Here | Jane Turner

  2. Aug 13

    What If You Could Ask Your DNA a Question? ADHD, Genetics and Personalised Health | Len May

    What if your doctor could ask questions of your DNA—not simply to identify what might go wrong, but to understand what may work better for you? Len May believes the future of healthcare is personal. His company, EndoDNA, has developed technology that allows health professionals to explore a patient’s genetic information alongside biomarkers, lifestyle and other health data. The aim is to help doctors look beyond isolated symptoms and develop care that reflects the individual in front of them. But Len’s fascination with human difference began long before he understood genetics. At seven, he arrived in America from Lithuania after a six-month journey through several countries. He entered a world where he was expected to learn a new language, follow unfamiliar rules and quietly fit in. Quietly fitting in was never going to come naturally. Len was called lazy, disruptive and an underachiever. Diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, he received a message many differently wired children absorb: There is something wrong with the way you are. At seventeen, his father gave him five minutes to pack a bag and leave home. What followed was not a tidy climb from homelessness to success. Len moved through music, activism, commercial real estate, medicinal cannabis, entrepreneurship and genetics, driven by a mind that continually searches for connections between things other people keep separate. In this compelling conversation, Len explains how witnessing two people respond very differently to the same variety of cannabis sparked a much larger question: if people receive the same intervention, why don’t their bodies respond in the same way? That curiosity eventually led to EndoDNA and Len’s work in personalised health. Len and Leigh-Anne also explore ADHD, dopamine and hyperfocus; why procrastination can suddenly disappear when a deadline creates urgency; and why popular advice to “focus on one thing” may be completely wrong for some minds. This is not another conversation declaring ADHD a superpower while dismissing its difficulties. It is an honest exploration of what changes when we stop demanding that every brain—and every body—respond in the same way. Because perhaps our differences are not inconvenient deviations from the norm. Perhaps they are information. In this episode: • Len’s six-month journey from Lithuania to America• Growing up as an immigrant during the Cold War• Being labelled lazy, disruptive and an underachiever• The difference between distraction and hyperfocus• How dopamine can influence motivation, urgency and reward• Creating practical guardrails that work with an ADHD brain• Why one person’s formula for success may fail another• How cannabis activism changed the direction of Len’s life• Why the same intervention can affect two people differently• The relationship between genetics, environment and behaviour• How health professionals could “interrogate” a patient’s genome• Personalised healthcare versus symptom-based sick care• Why genetic predisposition does not necessarily mean destiny• Taking action despite fear, uncertainty and possible failure• Recognising the hidden thread within a nonlinear life Len May is the founder and CEO of EndoDNA, host of Everything Is Personal and author of Jack of All Trades, Master of Some: Rewiring the Modern Genius. This episode invites us to imagine a different approach to health and human potential—one that replaces “Why aren’t you responding like everybody else?” with the far more useful question: “What might your individual biology be trying to tell us?” Please note: This episode contains personal opinions and discussion and is intended for general information and conversation only and should not be treated as medical advice. #SuddenlyDifferentPodcast #LenMay #PersonalisedHealth #PrecisionHealth #Genetics #DNA #ADHD #AdultADHD #Neurodiversity #Dopamine #Hyperfocus #Genomics #HealthTechnology #PrecisionMedicine #EndoDNA

    What If You Could Ask Your DNA a Question? ADHD, Genetics and Personalised Health | Len May

  3. Aug 3

    When You Do Everything Right—and Life Still Falls Apart | Kerisma Vere

    What happens when you stop using substances, rebuild your life, grow a successful business and do everything you believe recovery requires—only to find yourself falling apart years later? For Kerisma Vere, 14 years of recovery had not erased the trauma beneath the addiction. When emotions she had suppressed for decades began to surface, the independence and determination that had helped her survive could no longer carry her through. Returning to treatment felt, at first, like falling into the same hole again. But Kerisma was not the same woman—and this time, she was met differently. In this deeply honest conversation, Kerisma shares what happened when she encountered trauma-informed support, harm reduction and compassion rather than judgment. She speaks about learning to cry again, allowing herself to receive help and discovering that she did not need to be fixed—she needed to feel safe enough to understand herself. We explore the belief at the heart of her book, The Light Switch Myth: that meaningful change should happen instantly, completely and permanently if we want it badly enough. But human beings are not light switches. Old patterns can return without erasing the distance we have travelled. A setback can become information rather than evidence of failure. And sometimes, doing everything “right” still cannot protect us from the parts of ourselves that are asking to be heard. In this conversation: Why abstinence did not automatically heal the trauma beneath Kerisma’s addictionWhat happened when her life unravelled after 14 years of recoveryThe difference between being managed and genuinely heldWhy extreme independence can become a form of protectionLearning to receive help after years of relying only on herselfHow compassion succeeded where self-criticism had failedWhy returning to an old pattern does not mean returning to the beginningThe role of trauma-informed care and harm reduction in her recoveryTurning the inner critic into an inner coachThe danger of expecting healing to happen like flicking a switchHow to recognise when we need encouragement—and when we need restWhat it means to build “a good boat” while already in the middle of the oceanWhy sustainable change is personal, imperfect and rarely linearKerisma’s story is not a neat account of breakdown followed by breakthrough. It is an honest exploration of the complicated space between them—and what can become possible when we stop asking, “Why can’t I just change?” and begin asking, “What is this part of me trying to tell me?” If you have ever done everything you thought you were supposed to do and still found yourself struggling, this conversation may help you see that you are not back at the beginning. You may simply be meeting a part of yourself that needs a different kind of support. Please note: This episode includes discussion of trauma, addiction, mental-health challenges and recovery. Please listen in the way that feels safest for you. Learn more about Kerisma and The Light Switch Myth:towardswellness.ca#SuddenlyDifferent #KerismaVere #TheLightSwitchMyth #AddictionRecovery #TraumaRecovery #MentalHealth #SelfCompassion #HealingIsNotLinear #TraumaInformedCare #HarmReduction #PersonalGrowth #LastingChange

    When You Do Everything Right—and Life Still Falls Apart | Kerisma Vere

  4. Jul 23

    Four Divorces, Childhood Anxiety & the Breathwork That Changed Everything | Linda Kaye

    Four divorces. Childhood anxiety. And one breathwork session that changed everything. In this deeply honest episode of Suddenly Different, Leigh-Anne Sharland speaks with transformational mindset coach, breathwork and meditation facilitator, Human Design practitioner and “Boundaries Queen” Linda Kaye. Linda’s story begins long before the relationships, divorces and patterns she would later come to understand. At just three years old, she migrated from Argentina to Australia with her family. Too young to understand what had changed, but not too young for her body to remember. Growing up without English, feeling different, being bullied, and carrying anxiety into ordinary spaces like classrooms and school events, Linda learned early what it felt like to be on the outside. Years later, that same fear of abandonment and anxious attachment quietly shaped her relationships, choices and sense of self. After her fourth divorce, Linda attended a breathwork event that became her Suddenly Different moment. In that session, grief, clarity and truth surfaced. She realised she had been repeating patterns, abandoning herself and tolerating situations because she did not yet know her own worth. That moment did not shame her. It awakened her. This conversation explores childhood anxiety, migration, anxious attachment, divorce, people-pleasing, self-abandonment, nervous system healing, breathwork, boundaries, personal power and what it means to finally come back to yourself. Linda’s story is not about being broken. It is about recognising that the pattern may be the clue. And sometimes the breath is the doorway back. In this episode, we explore: • Moving from Argentina to Australia as a young child• Childhood anxiety, bullying and feeling like an outsider• How anxious attachment can shape adult relationships• The hidden grief beneath self-abandonment• Why four divorces became part of Linda’s awakening• The breathwork session that changed everything• How the body remembers what the mind forgets• Boundaries, self-worth and reclaiming personal power• Why safe love can feel unfamiliar after survival-based relationships• How to stop focusing only on the problem and return to yourself Guest: Linda Kaye https://lindakaye.com.au/https://www.instagram.com/lindakaye.official The Boundaries Queen Podcast Host: Leigh-Anne SharlandPodcast: Suddenly Different If this conversation stirred something in you, perhaps this is your invitation to stop judging the pattern and start listening to it. Because we are all only one moment away from being Suddenly Different. #SuddenlyDifferent #LindaKaye #LeighAnneSharland #Breathwork #BreathworkHealing #ChildhoodAnxiety #AnxiousAttachment #AttachmentStyles #Boundaries #PersonalPower #SelfWorth #SelfTrust #SelfAbandonment #NervousSystemHealing #TraumaHealing #HealingJourney #DivorceRecovery #RelationshipPatterns #PeoplePleasing #EmotionalHealing #MigrationStory #InnerChildHealing #MindsetCoach #HumanDesign #Meditation #WomenHealing #LifeAfterChange #PodcastEpisode #AustralianPodcast #PersonalGrowth

    Four Divorces, Childhood Anxiety & the Breathwork That Changed Everything | Linda Kaye

  5. Jul 14

    The Inner Stutter: How Fear Silences Us Before Anyone Else Can | Karim Boktor

    What if the thing holding you back is not lack of talent, opportunity or discipline, but an old fear quietly running the show? In this 50th episode of Suddenly Different, Leigh-Anne Sharland speaks with Karim Boktor, founder of The Boktor Method®, high-performance hypnotherapist, leadership performance specialist and creator of Championship Through Leadership™. Karim’s story begins far from elite performance. His family fled persecution in Egypt and arrived in Australia with very little. At one point, they were homeless and living in housing commission. As a young child, Karim developed a severe stutter, felt different, and learned early what it meant to stay quiet, adapt, and survive. But the boy who struggled to speak would eventually become a TEDx speaker and work with elite athletes, executives, coaches and high-performance teams. In this powerful conversation, Karim explores the idea of the “inner stutter”: the hidden hesitation, fear, self-doubt and subconscious beliefs that stop us from speaking, choosing, leading or becoming who we are capable of being. Together, Leigh-Anne and Karim discuss childhood beliefs, scarcity, identity, fear as protection, why people repeat patterns they consciously want to change, and how leadership shapes culture from the inside out. This episode is about voice, but not just the voice we hear. It is about the voice underneath. The one shaped by memory.The one interrupted by fear.The one waiting to be reclaimed. If you have ever hesitated before backing yourself, silenced yourself before anyone else could, or wondered why you keep repeating the same patterns, this conversation may help you notice your own inner stutter and begin choosing differently. Because sometimes the thing we thought was our limitation becomes the doorway to our deepest work. In This Episode Leigh-Anne and Karim discuss: Karim’s family fleeing persecution in Egypt and rebuilding life in AustraliaChildhood scarcity, responsibility and the beliefs children quietly formGrowing up with a severe stutter and feeling misunderstood at schoolBeing placed in ESL because teachers assumed he could not speak EnglishThe teacher who saw something in Karim and helped him flourishThe difference between an outer stutter and an “inner stutter”Why fear can become a toxic friendHow subconscious patterns influence up to much of our behaviourWhy trying harder does not always create lasting changeThe role of choice in transforming old beliefsWhat elite athletes, executives and everyday people have in commonHow leadership filters down through families, teams and organisationsWhy the thing we once thought was our limitation may become the doorway to our deepest workKey Themes Inner stutterFear and self-protectionSubconscious beliefsChildhood identityMigration and belongingScarcity and survivalLeadership and performanceHigh achievers and hidden blocksVoice, visibility and choiceTurning adversity into purposeMemorable Ideas“The biggest killer of dreams is not someone standing over you telling you that you cannot do it. It is an emotion.” “Fear can become a friend. Until you realise it is the toxic friend dragging you down.” “Sometimes we silence ourselves before anyone else has the chance.” “The thing we thought was our limitation may become the doorway to our deepest work.” About Karim BoktorKarim Boktor is the founder of The Boktor Method®, a high-performance hypnotherapist, leadership performance specialist, TEDx speaker and creator of Championship Through Leadership™. He works with elite athletes, executives, coaches and high-performance teams to uncover the subconscious patterns that shape decision-making, leadership and performance. Learn more about Karim at karimboktor.com. #SuddenlyDifferent #KarimBoktor #TheInnerStutter #FearAndChoice #SubconsciousMind #FindingYourVoice #LeadershipDevelopment #HighPerformance #PersonalTransformation #LifeAfterChange

    The Inner Stutter: How Fear Silences Us Before Anyone Else Can | Karim Boktor

  6. Jun 30

    The Habit Isn't the Problem. It's the Clue. | Fay Chan

    Why do we keep repeating the same patterns, even when we know better? Why do we procrastinate, emotionally eat, overspend, overwork, or sabotage opportunities that matter most to us? Most of us assume we need more discipline, more motivation, or stronger willpower. But what if those behaviours aren't the real problem? What if they're clues? In this fascinating conversation, Clinical EFT Practitioner and Mentor Fay Chan explains why our nervous system often holds onto patterns that were created years, or even decades, earlier. Together, we explore how childhood experiences can quietly shape our relationships, finances, careers, confidence, health, and daily habits without us even realising it. Fay shares remarkable stories of transformation, including: Why a successful personal trainer couldn't stop eating chocolate under stress. How a business owner finally broke through a long-standing income ceiling. Why procrastination is rarely about laziness. How our subconscious often reacts long before our conscious mind catches up. We also talk about: Why high achievers are especially vulnerable to hidden patterns. The connection between the nervous system, emotional safety and behaviour. Why self-awareness alone isn't always enough to create lasting change. How Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) help uncover the root cause rather than simply managing symptoms. This isn't a conversation about fixing yourself. It's an invitation to become curious. Because perhaps the habit isn't the problem. Perhaps it's pointing you towards the place that needs healing most. If you've ever found yourself asking, "Why do I keep doing this?" this episode may help you ask a far better question. Connect with Fay Chan🌿 Living Well With Fayhttps://livingwellwithfay.com.au If this episode resonated with you, please follow Suddenly Different, leave a review, and share it with someone who might need the reminder that lasting change begins with curiosity, not judgement. #SuddenlyDifferent #FayChan #EmotionalFreedomTechniques #EFT #NervousSystem #TraumaHealing #SelfAwareness #PersonalGrowth #MentalWellbeing #Mindset #EmotionalHealth #HealingJourney #OvercomingPatterns #SelfSabotage #Procrastination #EmotionalEating #MindBodyConnection #Resilience #BehaviourChange #Podcast

    The Habit Isn't the Problem. It's the Clue. | Fay Chan

  7. Jun 25

    What If Belonging Isn’t a Place? | Anna Osherov

    Have you ever changed yourself justenough to fit in? Not because anyone asked you to. But because it felt safer. As children, most of us learn veryquickly which parts of ourselves are welcomed… and which parts are better leftunsaid. For Anna Osherov, that lesson began longbefore she understood it. Born in Ukraine during the final years ofthe Soviet Union, Anna arrived in Australia as a child after her family fled insearch of safety and freedom. She learnt a new language. A new culture. A newway of belonging. But beneath the surface was a questionthat never really disappeared. Who am I when I belong to more thanone place? As conflict in both Ukraine and Israelhas unfolded in recent years, that question has become deeply personal onceagain. What does it mean to be born in Ukraine, speak Russian, be geneticallyJewish, and proudly Australian… when the world keeps asking you to choose aside? This conversation surprised me. It began with migration. It became a conversation about identity. About the stories we inherit. About the quiet ways we learn to hideparts of ourselves. And ultimately, about the freedom thatcomes when we stop trying so hard to fit in. There’s a beautiful moment where Annashares that her life’s work is helping people feel seen, heard and chosen. By the end of our conversation, it becameclear why. Whether you’ve migrated across countries,careers, relationships or simply versions of yourself, I think you’ll find apiece of your own story in Anna’s. Because perhaps belonging was never aplace. Perhaps it’s the moment we stopapologising for all the parts that make us who we are. • Growing up between cultures and identities • Learning to assimilate… and eventually choosing authenticity • The impact of current world events on personal identity • The hidden inheritance of migration • Why travel became an unexpected teacher of freedom • The difference between fitting in and belonging • Helping others feel seen, heard and chosen If this episode resonates with you, I’d love you to follow SuddenlyDifferent, leave a review, or share it with someone who has ever wonderedwhere they truly belong. #SuddenlyDifferent #Belonging #Identity #Migration #RefugeeStory#Ukraine #JewishIdentity #Authenticity #Resilience #PersonalGrowth#LifeAfterChange #Podcast In this episode:

    What If Belonging Isn’t a Place? | Anna Osherov

  8. Jun 15

    When They Cancelled My Name, They Couldn't Touch My Soul | Soreya James

    When They Cancelled My Name, They Couldn't Touch My Soul with Soreya James. What happens when the world decides who you are without your permission? For Soreya James, a single media narrative changed everything. Her name was splashed across headlines, her work was questioned, and a decade later the impact still echoes through her nervous system. But this conversation is not about scandal. It is about what comes after. In this deeply honest episode, Soreya shares her experience of public judgment, the grief of losing a community she loved, and the long journey of rebuilding trust in herself. Together, we explore forgiveness, self-cancellation, addiction, healing, identity, and the courage required to keep showing up when others have already made up their minds about who you are. This is a conversation about the stories society tells, the stories we tell ourselves, and the profound freedom that becomes possible when we stop allowing either to define us. In this episode we explore: ✨ The hidden cost of cancel culture✨ Why public shame can linger in the nervous system for years✨ The difference between being judged and knowing who you are✨ Addiction, self-sabotage and the search for relief✨ Forgiveness as a path to freedom✨ The power of human connection in healing✨ Why the worst cancellation may be the one we do to ourselves✨ Finding strength, compassion and purpose after public collapse If you've ever felt misunderstood, judged, excluded, or defined by a chapter of your life that no longer reflects who you are, this conversation is for you. Because your reputation can be challenged. Your story can be questioned. But your soul remains untouched. 🎙️ Connect with Soreya James:www.soreyajames.co.nz If this episode resonates, please subscribe, share it with someone who needs to hear it, and leave a review to help more people discover these important conversations. #SuddenlyDifferent #SoreyaJames #CancelCulture #Forgiveness #Healing #PersonalGrowth #SelfCompassion #AddictionRecovery #TraumaHealing #Resilience #HumanConnection #NervousSystemHealing #SelfWorth #PersonalDevelopment #LifeAfterChange

    When They Cancelled My Name, They Couldn't Touch My Soul | Soreya James
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About

Stories and strategies for life when it doesn’t go to plan. What happens when the life you thought you’d live disappears in a moment? Hosted by resilience speaker and advocate Leigh-Anne Sharland, Suddenly Different shares raw, real conversations with remarkable guests — leaders, change-makers, and everyday heroes — who’ve faced their own “suddenly different” moment. From grief to grit, invisible illness to visible wisdom, these stories inspire and equip you with the clarity, compassion, and courage to face life’s curveballs — and rise.

Information

  • Creator
    Leigh-Anne Sharland
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    55
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Leigh-Anne Sharland
  • Show Website
    Suddenly Different