Danni Brooke joined Britain's Metropolitan Police at 18, but was quickly recruited to join the undercover unit. Her youthful appearance and no-nonsense attitude was perfect for taking down predators and infiltrating organised crime gangs. But 10 years of living a double life eventually took its toll. In this episode Danni reveals what it took to become the UK's most effective female undercover cop, the delicate balance of working a dangerous job as a mother and why she's happy a serial predator ...
Jul 01, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Former special forces commando Heston Russell has an impressive resume from his time in the Australian Defence Force. The fifth-generation soldier has service in his blood, with more than 100 combat missions under his belt. His drive and passion helped him work his way quickly through the ranks. But behind the success, self-doubt, the loss of a soldier under his command and hiding his sexuality play on Heston's mind. LINKS Heston's book 'Forging The Will To Fight' is available now Listen the Hes...
Jun 24, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Suzanne Heywood was just 6-years-old when her father decided the family would embark on an around-the-world sailing expedition. What seemed like a dream trip sailing the world's blue waters and sandy beaches soon became a nightmare, with powerful storms damaging the boat and supplies running low. After years with little schooling or friends, her parents abandoned Suzanne and her brother in New Zealand and continued their adventure. Hoping for more out of life, Suzanne took a chance by writing le...
Jun 17, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 90
Jamila Rizvi was just 31 years old and a rising star in Australia's media landscape when she went to her doctor thinking she was pregnant for a second time. The diagnosis was far more dire than she could have anticipated, and it left her body with permanent, life-changing damage. In this candid interview, Jamila details the extraordinary methods doctors used to save her life, how her family rallied around her in her darkest hours, the toll the tumour has taken on her body, and how the experience...
Jun 10, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 89
James Parr has taken the fashion world by storm, proudly displaying his prosthetic leg and representing the disability community on runways and in photoshoots for the likes of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and lululemon. In this episode, James discusses how the resilience he built up during his unconventional childhood helped him navigate the cancer diagnosis that led to the amputation of his leg, and how having a disability has helped him find his purpose. LINKS Follow James Parr on Instagram an...
Jun 03, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Our frontline workers are often unsung heroes, saving lives and keeping us safe with little to no recognition for their bravery or the toll it takes. In this special episode, Ant looks back on interview with some inspirational emergency services workers who have seen and experienced things many of us could only imagine: former police officer Allan Sparkes, former Commissioner of Fire and Rescue New South Wales Greg Mullins and paramedic Sally Gould. LINKS Listen to Ant's full episode with ex-cop...
May 27, 2025•30 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Climbing the world's highest peaks takes courage, strength and endurance. In this episode, Ant looks back on his interviews with three people who embody those characteristics and so much more: Kenton Cool, Jim Davidson and Nimsdai Purja. LINKS Hear Ant's full chat with Kenton Cool See more from Kenton Cool at kentoncool.com Check out Ant's episode on Kenton's podcast, Cool Conversations, here Listen to Ant's full interview with Jim Davidson Find our more about Jim Davidson and his books, The Led...
May 20, 2025•32 min•Season 1Ep. 86
At 29 years of age, Australian Holly Deane-Johns' life was hanging in the balance. Arrested by Thai police while trying to post illicit drugs back to Australia, she faces the death penalty in a foreign country. Her life is spared, but a harrowing jail experience prompted Holly to turn her life around and finally kick her drug addiction. LINKS Holly's book Holly’s Hell: Seven Years in a Thai Prison is available now You can also follow Holly on Instagram Follow Ant on Instagram , X , and Facebook ...
May 13, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 85
Growing up in Townsville, Elle Armit grew up swimming and playing in water. As she got older, that turned into a passion for water polo that saw her play overseas, before ultimately representing Australia at two Olympics. With the Stingers, she won silver in Paris, helping them become the most successful Australian water polo team ever at an overseas Olympic Games. While training daily and working her day job as a teacher, Elle is told she's being dropped from the team. Her coach says she’s not ...
May 06, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Sally Gould is an Intensive Care Paramedic and joins Ant discuss the realities of her life on the frontline. From her earliest memories of life on the job, to coping with unpredictable and dangerous situations - this is a conversation is a revealing account of life as a paramedic. You can find out more about Sally's book, Frog: The Secret Diaries of a Paramedic, at simonandschuster.com.au. LINKS Follow Ant on Instagram , X , and Facebook Learn more about Ant on his website antmiddleton.com Follo...
Apr 29, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Johannes Egberts was feeling numb and lost in life when he unexpectedly discovered the power of breath and benefits of cold water plunging. Since that discovery over ten years ago, he has made this his life's work and is a world-class breathwork and cold water immersion coach. Ant chats with Johannes to understand the impact this discovery had on his life, and hear some simple ways we can all experience the benefits of breath and cold water. Johannes has just released a book full of his tips and...
Apr 22, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Mountaineer and ex-British Gurkha Special forces commando Nimsdai Purja is a multi-record holder who became the first man to summit all 8000m 'Death Zone' peaks in less than 7 months. He also went on to summit K2 in winter without the use of oxygen. In this episode, Ant deep dives into Nims' unique mindset and finds out what drives him to do what he does so fearlessly. To find out more about Ant & Nims' Kilimanjaro climb visit Elite Exped. LINKS Follow Nims on Instagram. For more information...
Apr 15, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 81
On this episode we chat with Supercars reporter Riana Crehan about finding purpose after grief and how she overcame her darkest days following the loss of her father. Riana also conquered season three of SAS Australia and takes us behind the scenes on what it's actually like to film the show. LINKS Follow Riana on Instagram Follow Ant on Instagram , X , and Facebook Learn more about Ant on his website antmiddleton.com Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the s...
Apr 08, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Kegan Gill is a former Navy F/A-18E pilot that survived the fastest ejection in the history of Naval Aviation. His story is an amazing example of psychological resilience and emotional intelligence. In this episode, Ant dives deep into Kegan's long road to recovery and the incredible head game that got him back in the cockpit. You can find out more about Kegan's book Phoenix Revival: The Aftermath of Naval Aviation's Fastest Survived Ejection at www.kegangill.com. LINKS Find out more about Kegan...
Apr 01, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Billy Dib is a phenomenal world champion in the boxing world. But many of his toughest fights have taken place outside the ring. From losing his wife in her battle with cancer, to facing his own diagnosis less than a decade later, Billy has tackled each of life's challenges with an incredible mindset. Ant takes a deep dive into Billy's life in this inspiring conversation. His resilience, dedication and drive have resulted in a unique approach to life, with lessons we can all learn from. LINKS Fi...
Mar 25, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 78
This week, Ant is joined by fellow Dancing With The Stars alumni, Julie Goodwin. After winning the first season of MasterChef Australia, Julie catapulted into the spotlight. What followed were book deals, a radio show, cooking school and TV hosting opportunities. Julie was burning the candle at both ends 'and in the middle', leaving no time for self-care. As a result, Julie's mental health suffered and she reached breaking point. In this powerful conversation, she opens up about turning her life...
Mar 18, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Dr. Geoff Wilson is a world-class polar explorer, keynote speaker and veterinary surgeon. Geoff's impressive accolades include the longest solo, unsupported Polar Journey in Human History (2019/20), the first summit of Dome Argus, solo and unsupported (2019/20), the fastest unsupported crossing of Greenland, South to North (2017) and the fastest solo, unsupported crossing of Antarctica (2013/14). He was the first to cross the Torres Strait by kiteboard (2012), completed the first and only wind-a...
Mar 11, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 76
Kath Koschel is a survivor who has overcome incredible odds and unimaginable tragedy. The former cricketer and Ironman competitor's world came crashing down when she broke her back twice in the span of five years and was told that she would never walk again. Kath defied the odds by teaching herself to walk again and embracing every challenge given to her. She's now using her story to motivate and inspire others, and has done some phenomenal work in starting The Kindness Factory. She joins Ant in...
Mar 04, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 75
Russ Cook AKA The Hardest Geezer became the first person to ever run the entire length of Africa last year. From his starting point in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, through sandstorms in the Sahara Desert, rainforests, mountain ranges and long empty roads stretched out for miles in front of him, Russ ran the equivalent of 386 marathons before finally crossing the finish line in Tunisia 50 weeks later. In this episode, Russ speaks about the enormous physical and mental toll this feat had, and the t...
Feb 25, 2025•42 min•Season 1Ep. 74
Erika Cramer calls herself the 'Queen of Confidence', and spends her days empowering women to take control of their lives through her books, podcasts, coaching and courses. But behind Erika's infectious warmth and energy are years of struggle and heartache. Erika grew up in the US and endured a traumatic childhood, navigating the brutal foster care system, her mother's mental illness, sexual abuse, and abandonment. In her adult years, she lost her husband in a tragic car accident and hit rock bo...
Feb 18, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 73
In this episode, we meet Arnold Dix who became an unlikely hero in 2023. In rural Victoria, Arnold Dix is known to locals as a farmer and a part-time truck driver. But his name reached global recognition when he played a pivotal role in rescuing 41 Indian workers trapped after a deadly tunnel collapse. As a barrister, scientist and engineer, his intersection of skills made him the perfect person to ask for advice. Arnold dropped everything to help, and got on a flight. But when he reached India,...
Feb 11, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 72
On the 15th of December 2014, the usually bustling Martin Place in Sydney's CBD became the epicentre of chaos, as a terrorist held 18 people hostage inside the Lindt Cafe. Ben Besant was the Tactical Operations Unit officer that brought the 16 hour ordeal to a close by eliminating the terrorist. In the decade since that day he's been known as 'Officer A', but as of November 2024, Ben is stepping into the limelight to share his account of what happened across those brutal 16 hours. He speaks to A...
Feb 04, 2025•43 min•Season 1Ep. 71
Bruce 'Hoppo' Hopkins' life may look glamorous to most - spending his days in the sun and surf. But the true cost of lifeguarding is far greater than most realise. In this episode, the star of the hugely popular Bondi Rescue opens up about the toughest parts of the job, the toll it's taken on his life and how things are changing for the better. In this episode, there is a mention of suicide. If this topic is triggering for you, please seek help by visiting Lifeline's website at https://www.lifel...
Jan 28, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 70
In the firefighting world, Greg Mullins is a legend. He's the former commissioner of Fire and Rescue New South Wales, a Climate Councillor with the Climate Council, and the founder of Emergency Leaders for Climate Action. With over 50 years experience in fire-fighting, he is an internationally recognised expert in responding to major bushfires and natural disasters. In this episode, he joins Ant to speak about the terrifying task of firefighting during Australia's 'Black Summer' of 2019, and the...
Jan 21, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Military and army personnel are regularly pushed to the limits of the human body and mind. From Ant's time in the military, he knows first-hand what toll this can take on your physical and mental health. In this special episode, we're revisiting some of these powerful conversations we've had in the last year. CW: This episode contains discussions of alcohol and substance abuse. Support is available from The Alcohol and Drug foundation at https://adf.org.au/ LINKS Listen to Ollie Ollerton's episo...
Jan 14, 2025•19 min•Season 1Ep. 68
In this special episode, you'll hear from three women who have had to endure unimaginable heartbreak. Dr Lucy Hone, Gina Chick and Safiyya Vorajee each lost a precious daughter, and they share their powerful stories of grief and resilience today. LINKS Listen to Dr Lucy Hone's episode in full here Find out more about Lucy's work with Coping With Loss at copingwithloss.co Details of Lucy's book, Resilient Grieving, can be found here Listen to Gina Chick's episode in full here Gina's memoir, We Ar...
Jan 07, 2025•18 min•Season 1Ep. 67
As we take a short break, we're looking back at some of the most powerful episodes of 2024. In this special, you'll hear from three guests who thought their lives were heading in one direction, and then one tumultuous day changed everything for them. LINKS Listen to Simon Kennedy's episode in full here Listen to Sam Bloom's episode in full here Listen to Nigel Brennan's episode in full here Follow Ant on Instagram , X , and Facebook Learn more about Ant on his website https://www.antmiddleton.co...
Dec 31, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 66
In this special episode, you'll hear from two incredible women who had to think and act fast in a race against the clock to stay alive. Mother Nature turned their lives upside down in a split second, and put their resilience and bravery to the ultimate test. Today, you'll hear from Lisa Blair and Kelsey Waghorn. LINKS Listen to Kelsey Waghorn's episode in full here Listen to Lisa Blair's episode in full here Follow Ant on Instagram , X , and Facebook Learn more about Ant on his website https://w...
Dec 24, 2024•15 min•Season 1Ep. 65
In December 2004, Rebekah Giles made the spontaneous decision to book a holiday to Thailand. After a busy year working as a lawyer, she decided a week on the idyllic Phi Phi Island would be the reset she needed. But her relaxing break quickly turned into a total nightmare, when the deadliest tsunami in modern history struck. 20 years on from that horrific day, Rebekah shares her story and reflects on the tragedy. LINKS Follow Ant on Instagram , X , and Facebook Learn more about Ant on his websit...
Dec 17, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Jeb Corliss was just six years old when he declared that one day, he would fly. His Aunt explained to him that it wasn't possible. But for Jeb, eventually it would be possible. Jeb is one of the most well-known BASE jumpers on the planet. He shares his wisdom on fear, pushing yourself to the limits and learning the value of time in this fascinating conversation. In this episode, there is a mention of suicide. If this topic is triggering for you, please seek help by visiting Lifeline's website at...
Dec 10, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 63
