Episode Summary

Sarah de Jong grew up in rural Tasmania with a mother who left for Greece when Sarah was almost four — not out of abandonment, but out of her own battle with anorexia and mental illness. From that early experience of love stretched across distance and grief, Sarah built something quietly extraordinary: A Thousand Hearts, a global kindness movement now in its tenth year, delivering handmade pocket hearts to hospitals, palliative care settings, schools, and communities across the world. In this episode of Grit Diaries, Sarah unpacks what kindness actually means — the science behind it, the difference between being kind and being nice, and why inhabiting kindness as a daily practice might be the most powerful thing any of us can do.

Episode Pillars

• Humble Beginnings, Global Reach: How a handful of handmade pocket hearts given away for free in 2015 grew into a global kindness movement across the US, UK, Japan, Greece, Mexico, and beyond.
• The Science of Kindness: Why kindness works on the brain like a natural antidepressant — boosting serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins — and why even witnessing kindness has the same effect.
• Kind vs Nice — A Crucial Distinction: Niceness is transactional and external. Kindness comes from your core values and sometimes means saying what needs to be said. Sarah unpacks why we confuse the two and what we lose when we do.
• Stop Pushing the River: The wisdom Sarah's dad gave her during a difficult marriage — and how it became a guiding philosophy for learning to let go, say no, and stop mistaking busyness for purpose.
• Self-Kindness as a Practice: Why self-compassion goes far beyond bubble baths and treats — and how learning to look after yourself is one of the kindest things you can do for the people who love you.

The Kintsugi Connection

To see the visual story of Sarah's journey and explore more episodes of resilience, visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes/videos

If Sarah's story moved you, explore these related Hero conversations:

Exploring purpose and community?

Listen to Ian Westmoreland's story of building Kintsugi Heroes from a place of personal adversity.

Turning pain into purpose?

Discover how Daniel Lloyd's journey of resilience inspires millions to find meaning after hardship.

About Kintsugi Heroes: An Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the power of storytelling. Partner with Us: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/partners/ Donate (tax-deductible): https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate/#donate Website: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kintsugi-heroes/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi.heroes/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Kintsugi-Heroes-100084850387170/

Episode Summary

Siobhan Wilson was born at 27 weeks, weighing less than a kilogram. By 16, she had survived open heart surgery at one month old, roughly 130 resuscitations in the NICU, seven anaphylaxis episodes — including one where paramedics ran out of adrenaline — and founded her own social enterprise at age 6.

In this episode of Grit Diaries, Siobhan shares what it takes to turn a lifetime of medical complexity into a mission to make Australia safer for everyone living with anaphylaxis.

Episode Pillars

● Finding Magic in the Hard Stuff: How Siobhan's mum raised her to see possibility in the world despite a

childhood filled with hospital visits, trauma, and medical uncertainty.

● The Night She Nearly Didn't Come Home: Siobhan recounts the 2024 awards dinner where she won Young

Entrepreneur of the Year — and spent the ride home in an ambulance needing the equivalent of 12 EpiPens.

● What Australia's Labelling Laws Are Missing: Why 'dairy free' on a packet doesn't mean what you think it

does — and how a mashed potato nearly cost Siobhan her life.

● Shame, EpiPens, and Why People Wait Too Long: The embarrassment that stops people with anaphylaxis

from acting in time, and why that silence is deadly.

● What Actually Helps: From breathwork and hand pan music to becoming a sports medic — the unexpected

tools Siobhan uses to heal her brain and show up for others.

The Kintsugi Connection

To see the visual story of Siobhan's journey and explore more episodes of resilience, visit our YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes/videos

If Siobhan's story moved you, explore these related Hero conversations:

● Navigating a serious health diagnosis? Listen to Ian Westmoreland's story of launching Kintsugi Heroes while

facing melanoma.

About Kintsugi Heroes: An Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the

power of storytelling.

Partner with Us: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/partners/

Donate (tax-deductible): https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate/#donate

Website: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kintsugi-heroes/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi.heroes/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Kintsugi-Heroes-100084850387170/

In this episode of The Grit Diaries, we sit down with Dave Chauhan — author, leadership consultant, and former corporate executive — to explore what leadership really means in today’s world.

After nearly two decades in the corporate world, Dave realised that traditional definitions of success — titles, income, and status — weren’t aligned with what truly matters. Shaped by a childhood between two very different value systems, he began questioning everything he thought he knew about leadership.

This conversation challenges outdated leadership models and explores what it takes to lead with purpose, empathy, and responsibility.

● Two Worlds, One Identity

Growing up between two sets of parents and conflicting values — and how this shaped Dave’s leadership philosophy

● Success vs Purpose

The moment Dave realised corporate success wasn’t enough — and chose a different path

● Why Leadership Is Broken

How outdated, KPI-driven leadership models are failing people and organisations

● The Captain Set Sail Framework

Beacon (purpose), Wayfinder (adaptability), and Seafarer (courage) — a new way to lead

● The Hidden Weight of Leadership

Decision fatigue, emotional pressure, and the responsibility leaders carry every day

Dave’s journey reflects the essence of Kintsugi — where life’s fractures become the foundation for growth, purpose, and impact.

Rather than being defined by pressure or misalignment, Dave used those experiences to rebuild a new understanding of leadership grounded in values and humanity.

Kintsugi Heroes is an Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the power of storytelling.

We believe that lived experience is a gift to be shared, not a scar to be hidden.

https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/partners/

https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate/#donate

Website: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kintsugi-heroes/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi.heroes/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Kintsugi-Heroes-100084850387170/