WELCOME to the debut episode of The Spark podcast!

This intro launch is rather informal in its style to give a sense of what I am all about as well as background to the show.

So if you feel you've heard my story before, then please go ahead and listen to the first official episode which follows in a few days. Although be warned may miss out on a fascinating tête-à-tête. You can always come back and listen later when you're waiting for your bus, shopping for groceries, or at the gym.

As I know that it’s not just my kids who quickly become bored of my voice babbling away solo, I marshalled a dear friend of mine from university, Liliya May, to join me as co-host and flip the interview for a fun get-to-know Q +A .

There's a healthy mix of philosophy and laughter and we traverse wide terrain including:

• the inspiration behind the show
• what it was like for me to embark on a new career in media whilst living in Berlin
• Liliya's reflections on growing up in the former USSR, her own transition from law to the world of acting in Moscow and LA, her new film "I want to make a film about Women" which screened at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2020, and a new short film Saudade which she narrates in Russian & features music from dutch composer Joep Beving . And shot on location in WINTER in a Soviet ghost town in the Arctic circle!, and how she learnt the art of Brazilian jujitsu.
• pearls of wisdom from my baba / grandma
• understanding the value and grounding a law degree can provide
• appreciating the sense of vulnerability that comes with acknowledging that there is never a linear path to anything in life
• how to have the courage to write your own life 'script' no matter how unorthodox and stand up to naysayers.

It was a fascinating deep dive to explore what it means to be a creator: we agreed that to be able to share creative work with the broader public, means to abandon notions of perfection and instead, strive for excellence.

We had a hoot reminiscing about our days as law students at Australia's oldest university, which involved daily lectures in an underground windowless bunker ... and a few more stories.

As this is a show about being true to yourself: as you heard at the beginning, there was a special cameo from my fabulous mum and at one point Liliya's adorable daughter Lumi says hello too!

Hope you enjoy;)

If you like what you hear, please 'subscribe' on Apple or 'follow' on Spotify app and all your fave podcast platforms so you don't miss out on upcoming episodes. You can also tell your mum, grandma, old school teacher about the show...

As I'm not selling vitamins, tupperware or a thermomix, but sharing ideas and stories, I would adore your feedback- and would invite your to rate and leave a review... I promise I won't spam you. I can't buy you a coffee or a matcha latté yet know that your efforts won't go unnoticed.

Here is my re-work of Marc Antony's speech in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Friends, Listeners, podcast junkies, lend me your ears;

I come to bury boredom, not to praise it.

The evil that people do lives after them;

The good is sadly buried with their bones;

Keep Sparking :)

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