It Takes Heart

Three months to pack up your life, move your family halfway across the world and start again. Sounds ambitious, right? But for Irish nurse Sharon Hough, that's exactly what happened. After previously living and working in Australia, Sharon returned home to Ireland for eight years before making the decision to do it all again. Only this time, she had a 10-year-old coming along for the adventure.

In this episode, Sharon shares the realities of moving to Australia as a nurse, from navigating AHPRA registration and finding work, to settling into a new life on the other side...

A passion for physiotherapy and a childhood dream of becoming a pilot might seem like an unlikely combination, but for Kennedy Lay, they sparked an idea that would transform access to allied health services across regional and remote Australia. What started with a rented two-seater plane and a visit to a small country town has grown into Fly2Health, an organisation bringing much-needed healthcare to communities often left without access to essential services.

In this episode, Kennedy shares his journey from physiotherapist to commercial pilot and founder and CEO of Fly2Health. Recognised as a 2026 WA Australian...

What makes a great leader in healthcare? After more than 40 years in nursing and healthcare leadership, Tami Photinos knows it has very little to do with job titles. For her, it's about showing up, listening to your people and being willing to ask the questions others might be afraid to.

With a career spanning everything from intensive care and midwifery to helicopter retrievals, Tami now leads one of Queensland’s busiest hospitals. She shares the lessons that have shaped her approach to nursing leadership, from creating safe spaces for people to speak up to staying true to yo...

For Dr Damien Brown, becoming a rural doctor meant confronting a side of Australian healthcare few people ever see up close. From remote clinics and aeromedical retrievals to communities where distance, poverty and chronic disease shape everyday care, his career has revealed both the rewards of remote healthcare and the healthcare inequity that still exists across Australia.

Damien joins It Takes Heart to share the journey from inner-city emergency departments to Doctors Without Borders (MSF) projects in Angola and South Sudan, before moving into rural and remote medicine across Australia. He speaks candidly about arriving at his...

There is a particular kind of magic in a resident's face lighting up over something as small as a shared joke or a genuine "are you okay?" For Nurse Fiona, that is the whole point of aged care. In this episode, we sit down with Fiona to talk about what it really looks like to lead with warmth, humour and presence in a sector too often misunderstood as easy, quiet work.

Fiona takes us from her first placement through to agency nursing in London, navigating rigid hierarchies along the way before returning to the reason she keeps...

For International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Awareness Day, Dr Sarah Jane Springer returns for this bonus episode as a DrinkWise ambassador, to talk about something she believes deserves clearer, kinder conversation: alcohol and pregnancy. 

Dr Sarah Jane discusses what FASD can mean for a child's development, why the messaging around alcohol and pregnancy has not always reached the people who need it most, and why she believes real change starts with clinicians creating a safe, non-judgmental space for women to be honest about what they are going through. She also speaks openly about culture and community, a...

Kate Chapman didn't finish school. She left in Year 8, became a nurse at 32, and built a career on one simple belief: people deserve the same standard of care no matter where they live or who they are. That belief has carried her from humanitarian work with Médecins Sans Frontières and the Red Cross, to Remote Area Nursing across some of Australia's most isolated communities. 

In this episode, Kate unpacks what Remote Area Nursing actually looks like day to day: the trust built one conversation at a time, the cultural knowledge that has to be earned, and...

Eighteen months ago, Steph Moore was working full time as a nurse and packing scrub orders from her garage between shifts. Today she's the founder of Hey Sister Scrub Club, a fun scrubs brand that's become a fan favourite with Aussie nurses and a runner-up for Rookie of the Year at the SheComm E-Commerce Awards.

Steph opens up about the imposter syndrome that shaped both her nursing career and her business, from feeling like she hadn't earned the right to wear fun scrubs as a grad, to wondering who she was to launch a brand at all...

What happens when the identity you’ve built your whole life around no longer fits? In this episode of It Takes Heart, Jana Pittman shares her extraordinary journey from world champion Olympian to doctor, mother of six and passionate advocate for women’s health. With honesty and warmth, Jana reflects on injury, public pressure and the moments that pushed her towards reinvention and a new sense of purpose beyond elite sport.

Jana opens up about how missing the Olympic Games led her to pursue medicine and eventually specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology. She also shares what working in w...

What happens when a career built on survival slowly becomes a career built on purpose? For Dr Wayne Lee, a GP now practising in Brisbane, that shift is at the heart of a story spanning three countries, a musical childhood and a leap into practice ownership.

Dr Wayne opens up about why he chose medicine over a music career for reasons that were more about supporting his family than chasing passion, and how that early decision shaped the way he has approached every chapter since. He reflects candidly on burnout in traditional general practice, the moment he...

What if specialist healthcare could roll into town, instead of patients travelling hundreds of kilometres to find it? For Dr Rolf Gomes, 2026 Queensland Australian of the Year and founder of Heart of Australia, that question sparked a life-changing idea: mobile health clinics bringing cardiology, radiology, respiratory care and specialist services directly to rural and remote communities.

Rolf shares how his journey from Calcutta to Melbourne, electrical engineering to cardiology, and city hospitals to the Queensland bush shaped the way he sees healthcare access. He reflects on the rural placements that opened his eyes to serious symptoms, limited...

Bek Woodbine returns to It Takes Heart for a deeply honest conversation about chronic pain, recovery and finding a new way forward.

Since her last episode, Bek has undergone major back surgery and has been learning to live with the physical and emotional impact of chronic pain. As a nurse practitioner and host of Tenderness for Nurses, Bek shares what it feels like when the helper needs help, how pain can change your sense of self, and why learning to accept support has become part of her next chapter.

Bek also reflects on the future...

What does great healthcare leadership look like when teams are stretched, resources are tight, and patient care is always the priority? 

In this thoughtful conversation, Julie Quade, trained dietitian and Allied Health Manager for Northern New South Wales Health, shares how her rural upbringing and early career in allied health shaped her approach to leadership. Julie reflects on the shift from supporting patients one-on-one to influencing care at scale by growing strong teams, creating psychologically safe workplaces, and helping clinicians stay focused on the patient in front of them. 

This episode is for healthcare leaders, em...

Most doctors spend their careers working within one healthcare system. Dr Justine Cain chose to take her skills across borders. Through her work with Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières/MSF), she has cared for refugee communities in Lebanon, supported emergency responses in India, and discovered lessons about medicine that can't be learned from a textbook.

Justine takes us behind the scenes of life with Doctors Without Borders, sharing the realities of humanitarian healthcare and the unexpected lessons that come from working across cultures, communities, and healthcare systems. Along the way, she reflects on the va...

Some nurses treat symptoms. Others help people feel truly seen. First Nations Nurse Rachel McLeod, shares why healing is about far more than clinical care. Drawing on nearly 20 years of experience across rural and multi-purpose health services, Rachel explains how story, trust, spirituality, and cultural understanding shape the way she cares for people in their most vulnerable moments.

Rachel reflects on growing up on Country, the grief that shaped her nursing journey, and the realities of working in rural emergency settings where nurses often lead in high-pressure situations. She also shares powerful insights into Indigenous healthcare, communication...

What does it look like to swap the intensity of the ward for the unpredictability of a comedy stage? In this episode, we sit down with Georgie Carroll — an ICU nurse of 18 years turned comedian — for a refreshingly honest and wide-ranging conversation about career, identity, and finding joy in unexpected places.

Georgie shares the story behind her shift into stand-up, what she loves about life on stage, and the behind-the-scenes reality of comedy that most people never see. From her first improvised gig to building a career that still honours her healthcare roots, we explore how humour, conn...

What happens when your clinic looks busy, but the bank balance tells a very different story? In this honest conversation, Podiatrist, multi-clinic owner, and business coach Troy Parsons shares the reality of healthcare business ownership - from payroll stress and overdrafts to the pressure of carrying everyone else while quietly burning out yourself.

Troy unpacks why so many healthcare practices struggle, not because of poor clinicians, but because of unsustainable business models. Drawing on lessons from building his own clinics and coaching practice owners through The Hive, he shares practical insights on pricing, profit, leadership, and the...

What does it really take to deliver safe, high-quality care when you’re hundreds of kilometres from backup? 

Tune in as Dr Marian Dover takes us inside the reality of rural medicine, where clinical decisions carry a different kind of weight and 'support' looks nothing like it does in the city. As a District Medical Officer, Rural Generalist Obstetrician, and founder of the Australian Rural Maternity Association, Marian shares what it truly means to work at the edge of scope - safely, confidently, and with deep connection to community. 

This conversation reframes what capability looks like...

Why does your body feel so different in your 40s and why is no one really talking about it? 

In this episode of It Takes Heart, we sit down with Angelique Clark, an accredited practising Dietitian and exercise physiologist, to unpack the often-misunderstood stage of perimenopause. Ange explains why so many women feel like something has shifted long before menopause officially arrives and why those symptoms are often dismissed. She also shares why perimenopause isn’t just a phase to survive, but a powerful prevention window for long-term health, with implications for cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance, bone den...

What if the only real measure of cultural safety was the voice of the person receiving care?

In this episode of It Takes Heart, Sam and Kate sit down with Dr Sarah Jane Springer - proud First Nations woman, award-winning rural generalist, and passionate advocate for community-led healthcare. Drawing on her lived experience and career across rural and remote Australia, Sarah Jane shares why true cultural safety can’t be written into policy alone - it must be shaped, guided, and defined by the communities receiving care.

Together, they explore identity, leadership, and the responsibility of...

What if the thing that saves your nursing career isn’t leaving healthcare… but saying yes to a completely different way of working?

In this episode of It Takes Heart, ED nurse Tessa shares how travel nursing transformed her life after hitting a wall with burnout in a busy metro hospital. Feeling exhausted, disconnected, and questioning her future in healthcare, she took a leap into rural contracts and everything shifted. From working solo in outback emergency departments to embracing the freedom of contract work, Tessa explains how flexibility, autonomy, and exploration reignited her confidence and clinical capability.

We’re back for Season 3 of It Takes Heart and kicking things off with an offsite recording at MBR Health on the Gold Coast, is guest Dr Zane Sherif, renowned Radiologist and founder of MBR Health.

Dr Zane brings deep insight into proactive screening, using preventive health and whole body MRI to shift modern medicine from crisis to care. He shares how MBR Health is using state-of-the-art medical imaging and software innovation to detect disease earlier and offer patients a clearer path to longevity. We explore the rising need for personal screening and the growing impact of pr...

What’s it like to go from treating ski injuries on the slopes of Queenstown to working ED shifts under the red-hot skies of rural Australia? For Nicole Watts - emergency nurse, adventure-seeker and proud member of the cmr community - it’s a career that blends adrenaline, autonomy and purpose.

Nicole shares what it takes to thrive as both a ski field nurse in New Zealand and a travel nurse in Australia. We step into her world on the slopes, where ski patrol briefings start the day and anything from fractures to major trauma can come thro...

Neha arrived in Brisbane from Nepal with good grades, high hopes, and a postcard-perfect image of Australia, but the reality was tougher. Cultural shocks, unfamiliar accents, and the quiet weight of starting over left her searching for solid ground. Nursing became her anchor and in time, aged care quietly captured her heart. 

Now a registered nurse, Neha supports aged care residents through a mix of bedside care and telehealth. She shares what good care really looks like: calm, consistent, and deeply human.  She also shares lifestyle and nursing content online, offering insight, encouragement, and connection, especially for in...

You might know Erin Barnett from Love Island or I'm a Celebrity…, but her most powerful story isn’t one that played out on screen. A registered nurse living with endometriosis, adenomyosis and PCOS, Erin opens up about what it’s taken to be heard in a system that too often overlooks women’s pain.

From a tough start in the health system to becoming the kind of nurse she wished she’d had, Erin shares the personal journey behind her book Endo Unfiltered and what led her to make the life-changing decision to have a hysterectomy in her 20s...

What happens when you flip the mic from healthcare workers to the people who help place them? In this Behind Recruitment Special of It Takes Heart, we sit down with global recruitment coach Sophie Robertson to explore what 'good' really looks like in recruitment and why it matters more than ever.

With three decades in the industry, Sophie shares how curiosity, consistency and care separate truly impactful recruiters from the rest. From asking better questions to creating 'moments of truth' in every interaction, Sophie invites us to rethink recruitment as a relationship, not a transaction. She explains...

What happens when the path you’ve worked so hard for starts to wear you down? In this honest episode, UK-trained doctor and content creator. Dr Chris G, opens up about burnout, sabbaticals, and building a version of medicine that actually feels sustainable.

Dr Chris takes us from the intense pace of under-resourced NHS wards to new rhythms of practice in Australia, and the surprising clarity he found during two ten‑day silent meditation retreats. We talk rural placements, lifestyle shifts, and why success isn’t a title but something you can feel in your day-to-day. Along the wa...

Content warning: This episode includes discussions of alcoholism, depression, and occasional course language, which may be sensitive for some listeners.

What happens when a nurse known for looking after everyone else hits her own breaking point? For Bek Woodbine (Nurse Practitioner, host of podcast Tenderness for Nurses, and founder of a successful aesthetic clinic), it started with shaking hands and overwhelming anxiety. In a healthcare culture that rewards overwork and masks burnout with 'just one more drink,' Bek chose a different path.

Bek shares how she stepped away from clinical work, navigated anxiety and...

What if the way you walk, rest, or hydrate could shift your entire nervous system? In Part 2 of our chat with Dr Anthea Todd, we explore how to apply the Fundamentals Framework, offering practical, everyday ways to reconnect with your body’s wisdom.

We dive into what hair testing can reveal (including Sam and Kate’s own results), how minerals mirror stress, and why beliefs like 'resting is lazy' may be doing more harm than you think. You’ll also hear why morning sunlight matters, how hydration plays a bigger role than we realise, and why pleasure isn’t...

What if dry skin, headaches or exhaustion weren’t just annoying symptoms, but messages your body’s trying to send? In this two-part episode, we sit down with Dr Anthea Todd, women’s health expert and author of What’s My Body Telling Me, to explore the space between: that frustrating place where test results are “normal,” but you still don’t feel well. 

Drawing from her background in chiropractic care, women’s health and functional medicine, Anthea shares why common doesn’t mean normal and how conventional healthcare often overlooks chronic, low-grade symptoms. Her Fundamentals Framework flips the script: f...

When the government announced sudden changes to the NDIS with only weeks’ notice, allied health business owners across Australia were thrown into crisis mode. For Judy Scott, occupational therapist and founder of My Therapy Crew, it meant pivoting her business while staying true to the values-led culture she’s nurtured over years of practice.

From starting out in a converted garage after redundancy, Judy has grown My Therapy Crew into a thriving multidisciplinary service with more than 80 staff. In this episode, she shares what the recent policy shifts mean for providers and clients alike – from systemic frustrations that p...

What happens when you say yes to adventure, purpose, and the unknown? In this episode, we meet oral health therapist Karli Grace, whose journey from private practice to working in Australia’s most remote Indigenous communities is as inspiring as it is impactful.

Karli shares what it’s really like delivering oral healthcare across Central Australia, East Arnhem Land and the Torres Strait, setting up mobile clinics in remote communities and building long-term relationships in places that often go months without dental services. And in true locum life fashion, her story includes unexpected twists, including a car acci...

What happens when rest doesn’t work? When even after sleep, time off, or a holiday, you still feel depleted? That’s the reality of burnout and it’s something Ruth Limkin has seen up close. 

As Founder of The Banyans, Ruth shares how burnout often hides in plain sight - from professionals quietly struggling with addiction to healthcare workers pushing through chronic fatigue. She explains the difference between being worn out and being burnt out and why recovery takes more than just a good night’s sleep. 

We explore the early signs many overlook, the six di...

What does it take to truly fix healthcare in Queensland? According to Dr. Nick Yim, it starts with smarter systems, not just more funding. In this episode, we sit down with the AMA Queensland President to unpack a bold new idea: a statewide digital passport for clinicians. It’s a simple solution with the power to break down bureaucratic barriers and supercharge workforce flexibility across hospitals and communities.

But Dr. Yim doesn’t just talk policy, he brings lived experience. His winding path from would-be pharmacist to rural GP and now state advocate, reminds us that careers (and...

What would life look like if you couldn’t speak? No way to order your morning coffee, tell someone you love them, or ask for help. For people recovering from strokes or neurological conditions, this loss of communication can be one of the most isolating parts of their journey and it’s where speech pathologist Nikki Wells steps in with purpose and compassion.

Nikki shares how her unexpected start in a teenage sign language class sparked a lifelong commitment to adult rehabilitation. Unlike many who gravitate toward paediatrics, she’s drawn to supporting people through some of life’s...

What drives a doctor to leave the safety of private practice and instead offer care inside prisons and homeless shelters? For Dr Juergen Landmann, it all started with a simple mindset: “Why not?” In this powerful conversation, Juergen shares how burnout led him to rethink the way he worked and opened the door to a more energising, purpose-led path.

Now splitting his time between general practice, correctional facilities, and Emmanuel City Mission, Juergen’s work is rooted in connection, trust, and consistency. He speaks openly about the realities of working with people who’ve experienced deep stigma - those...

Who cares for the carers? Discover how one foundation is quietly reshaping rural healthcare.

In this heartfelt episode, we speak with Fran Avon, CEO of the Rural Doctors Foundation, and rural GP Dr. John Buckley. Together, they reveal the hidden struggles faced by rural doctors who serve as the backbone of their communities. From responding to catastrophic floods to managing everyday burnout, we explore why supporting rural doctors is essential to sustaining healthcare in remote Australia. 

You’ll hear the inspiring origin story of the Rural Doctors Foundation, born out of crisis and driven by com...

Ever felt like your career was running on empty? Travelling Midwives Jess and Millie did and they chose the open road over burnout.

In this episode, we sit down with Jess and Millie, two Dual-Registered Midwives who turned burnout in healthcare into a journey of rediscovery, purpose, and friendship. They open up about the emotional toll of permanent roles and what finally pushed them to make bold moves into rural and remote contract work. From quitting multiple jobs to buying a caravan on a whim, their decisions may have been daring, but they were exactly what they...

What do Disney cruise ships, rural hospitals, and music festivals have in common? For Dr. Tim Turk, they’ve all been part of his incredible medical journey. In this episode of It Takes Heart, Tim chats with hosts Sam and Kate about how saying “yes” to unique opportunities has led him across continents, specialties, and communities - creating a career rich in purpose, adventure, and impact.

Tim shares how rural medicine offers unparalleled hands-on experience, often accelerating learning and confidence in ways metropolitan placements can’t match. His insights reveal how a values-driven approach - shaped in part by...

What do you get when a fourth-generation farm girl swaps her ballet slippers for blister packs? You get Shaylee Mills (better known as The Rural Pharmacist) who shares why she chose to take her pharmacy career off the beaten track and into the heart of rural Australia. 

 Based in Karratha, Western Australia, Shaylee sheds light on what rural pharmacy really looks like, dispelling the myths of outdated clinics and highlighting the modern facilities, advanced technologies, and close-knit teams that make rural practice so rewarding. From working in Aboriginal Health Services to community pharmacies, she highlights how connection an...