This episode of Gobsmacked features Wendy Boast a woman who left school at 16, when the world of work beckoned brighter than the underwhelm of the classroom. Later discovering she has a remarkable IQ, and went on to build a career in the City with big jobs in complex information systems and major corporate achievements.

Wendy’s journey hasn’t been without heartbreak and betrayal, but she has come through wiser, sharper, and more grounded — the most informed and insightful friend you could ever hope for.

Her worldview is vast and surprising, flipping perspectives a full 180. In this conversation she takes us from the rat race to aliens, from ancient wisdoms to global jitters, from Shakespeare to Plato, with the 2012 Olympics woven in along the way.

Bright, centred, and compelling, Wendy Boast will put your brain in shaker-maker mode. This is an episode that will stretch your thinking, shake your assumptions, and leave you wide awake to possibility.

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Some of us say we’ve got anxiety the way others say they’ve got the flu - when really, it might just be a cold. But for some, that anxiety is life-shattering. Dr Jeanne Retief knows this well.

A South African international human rights expert with a PhD and 15+ years of global work behind her, Jeanne collapsed under what she first thought was a stroke. It was panic disorder and it ended her law career in an instant.

From that breaking point, she rose. She trained in cosmetic chemistry, launched FIGGI Beauty, and built a community called The Anxious Calm - for people who understand that anxiety is more than a buzzword.

Jeanne is bright, wise, and deeply learned. This conversation isn’t just inspiring - it’s a survivor’s manifesto. A must-listen for anyone who’s ever felt their wiring was too much for the world.

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Domestic abuse. Sexual abuse. Exploitation. Serious organised crime. Trafficking. Addiction.

These are not easy topics but they are real, urgent, and happening all around us.

This is one of the most powerful and necessary conversations we’ve ever recorded.

Javina Greene, a rap artist, music producer, and fierce truth-teller, shares her story with raw searing honesty and incredible strength. From model pupil to teenage trauma, from addiction to artistic awakening, Javina lays it all bare.

What you’ll hear is more than survival it’s transformation. Her pain has become her power. Her past fuels her mission to create safe spaces for women and galvanise their recovery through music and creative expression.

If you’ve ever wondered what lived experience really sounds like and what it can teach us - this survivor deserves your attention

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.