May 5th
Life is Like a Box of Chocolates
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”was popularised by the film Forrest Gump, but it actually comes from the novel: Forrest Gump written by Winston Groom
Meet Our Storytellers
Adam Axford
A magician, poet, and creative rulebreaker - Adam Axford engineers moments of awe that shift perspectives and challenge people to dream big.
Growing up working on street markets across London, Adam embraced an unconventional approach to life and its rules. Eventually repurposing his trickster skills, he built a career as a magician and poet. This creative force took him from busking on the streets of London to performing on the Opera House stage, touching countless souls as the journey continues.
Through wonder & wordplay, Adam’s driving purpose is to reconnect people with the spark within. Forget normal. Choose MAGIC.
Jade Turner
Jane is an Author Coach and Publisher who has penned 6 books of her own and helped hundreds of others to become published authors. Best known for the Author Showcase events that she runs at the State Library of NSW, Jane is renowned for her kindness when it comes to helping anyone who is keen to share their story
Simon Harrison
Everything changed for me at 15 when l had a life altering accident! The future l had planned and dreamed of was turned upside down and l found myself on a very different path. After a few years in the 'wilderness' , l found radio and managed to turn my life around, carving out a 23 yr career as a race coordinator for Sky Racing Radio. Even though this was my saviour, the enormity of my teenage accident has always hampered me with mental health challenges, through chronic depression, complex ptsd and suicidal ideation. Now l volunteer my time with various charities and organisations as somebody with lived experience, walking alongside others, who have their own struggles. This incredibly rewarding work has been hugely important in my own journey of healing and acceptance. From the stages of grief and loss over the last 30 years to finally coming through the other side, and learning to appreciate the life we have and find joy in the small things, l look forward to sharing this journey of struggle, pain and triumph with you all.
Naomi Cao
Naomi Cao arrived in Australia at four years old as a Vietnamese refugee. She spent 17 years as a pharmacist and after having her first child, built a children's education business. By every external measure, she had constructed a life that looked exactly right. In 2017, her marriage ended abruptly.
She found herself self-representing in the Family Court, navigating one of the most complex and emotionally brutal processes a person can face. Instead of staying there, she built a way out and created her own job title. Today, Naomi Cao is The Architect of Modern Day Separation. As the founder of SPLIT Happens™, her approach to separation coaching and divorce management sits at the intersection of strategy, psychology, practical tools, survival and future planning. She works with individuals, couples and consults to corporates on the hidden and costly impact to companies when relationships breakdown . Naomi has been featured on ABC Radio and in the Sydney Morning Herald, and her voice continues to reach audiences who are ready to stop surviving their separation and start designing what comes next.
When she is not redesigning how the world separates, you will find her chasing after three kids, three dogs, and a bearded dragon. She is proof that in beautiful chaos you can still thrive. Naomi believes that separation is not the end it is the beginning of architecture for your future
Mick Miller
Mick Miller is a high-performance enhancement specialist who has coached Olympians, world champions, and everyday people to achieve extraordinary outcomes through mindset, movement, and meaning. His debut memoir, What Are You Prepared To Do? , is a raw, powerful refelection on the cost of chasing success without self - worth and the healing that begins when we finally stop running.
Kim Berry
Kim Berry is one of the country's leading journalists on the food and beverage industry, sharing stories about the people, ideas, and innovations shaping this vital sector. It has been said Kim can “see the soul in a tomato canning line” while also being committed to finding the country's best bar. She co-hosts the the premier podcast for the perimenopausal, The Hot Flush, and thinks about doughnuts every day.