This is an incredible story. In fact, it is a story of despair, desperation and ultimate triumph. It is a story of how one man utilized a life destroying existence, changed its meaning and turned it into 'golden possibility'. Peter Cook by his own admission scarcely believes he is alive to play out his life story in the groundbreaking theatre phenomena called BREAKING THE CASTLE. It is the enactment of Peter's life on stage played by one man ... Peter Cook. 

In truth, ICE addiction that defined Peter's life just 8 years ago should have won the battle. It had its chance and had it not been for the love of a best mate, who privately paid for Peter's rehab in Thailand, Peter's life would have been a sad waste.

Instead, Peter faced his demons, climbed his way out of a bottomless pit and now gives hope to those who also need a reason to re-engineer their life.

Peter's 90-minute one-man show moves from a struggling home life to alcohol filled evenings at just 14 years of age, through addiction to a Thailand Rehabilitation Centre with Peter playing 17 different characters and voices. It is a masterful performance first receiving strong recognition in London and now attracting full audiences around Australia. Word is that a movie is also in the offering.

In this interview, Peter tells all. It is sometimes dark, occasionally hopeful but in the end, it is glorious.

As Peter says, "To see the light it is almost necessary to have lived in the depths of chaos".
You will find this episode riveting. More importantly, for those live in the East Coast of Australia seeing BREAKING THE CASTLE is compulsory, and if you do, don't forget to see Peter after the show and let him know you first heard him on A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE.

Breaking the Castleis now touring. It will be performed at Frankston Arts Centre (11-12 July 2025), Theatre Works St Kilda (15-19 July) and Sydney Opera House (23-26 July).

Welcome to the first episode of A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE in 2025. 
Yes, they were weekly in the past 2 years, all 100 of them. So why the 2025 delay until April?

Quite simply, if you have been one of our 12,000 listeners, then you will know the scope of learning, awareness, and expansion of though and spirit that this journey offers. It has been remarkable. So much so, that I felt compelled to stop and capture it all in the form of a book, the objective of which is to give all of its readers a roadmap to becoming a more loving and joyful human being. It's a pathway given to us from guests, who you may have met on the front page of your National Newspaper, to those who found some prison time, to sports persons one of which ran around the entire planet, to people who suffered unspeakable traumas and others whose names are foreign to Google.  This guidebook will outline actions, strategies, routines ... an entire manual to living love constantly.

Have no concerns that the podcast is winding down ... not at all!! Temporarily, it might slow down the regularity, but that is all. The podcast coupled with the book is as dedicated to the mission as ever. Both are valuable contributions to our purpose. So too is this podcast. In fact, this Episode 101, may go down as one of our best in our second hundred episodes! 

Cast your mind back to Episode #8, when we first met Joel Staite, a young man who was given months to live thanks to an incurable kidney cancer. Remarkably, Joel through his belief, devotion to wellbeing practices and high-level awareness lives another 6 years. What would you learn about life if you lived everyday with the prospect of death tapping you on the shoulder? 
What Joel learnt and shared with us opened eyes and moved souls, so much so we replayed it in Episode # 98.

Then in Episode # 28, just 5 months after the loss of his Son, Joel's father, Keith gave us a remarkable and intimate insight into who Joel had become. Our take was that while values like gratitude, love and kindness might also be the way for many others, very few became those values to such a high degree as did Joel. In his last years, Joel was the living embodiment of all that can be beautiful as a human. The story of Joel shuffling down the aisle to marry his beloved, Kieran, just 4 days before his passing is beautiful told by Keith at the 23.25 mark of this Episode # 101. You will need a tissue. 

This episode is Keith's story approaching 3 years after Joel's death. It is the journey of a grieving Father, adopting his son's legacy and living so many experiences to honor him. It is the story of the cost of living someone else's life even if it be that of your son. It is the story of recovery, the story of returning home to the power of practices that shift your energies from darkness to life. You will be intrigued by Keith's commentary as to when he feels Joel's presence and how it impacts him. It's as if Joel has returned to remind dad that living gratitude, love and kindness the Keith Staite way is now his mission. This episode is raw. It is authentic and it is powerful. Chip and I are so proud to offer you this remarkable insight into the profound relationship between love and grief. Open up your hearts and absorb every minute of it. 

Bernie Kelly ... +61 412 982 444 ... [email protected] ... Your feedback and follow-ship is so valuable.
Chip ... +61 410 603 336 ... [email protected]
Keith Staite ... +61 411 348 220

When I first started A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE just over two years ago, I thought the podcast objectives would be realized in 10 episodes. Afterall, how many strategies, actions, disciplines, ways of seeing the world can there be that could inspire constant inner joy and greater love for self, life and people?

Well, here we are 100 episodes and 2 plus years later and still the exploration and the thirst for wisdom is alive!

The scope of this journey turned out to be expansive and I began to see that in the very first episode with Emeritus Prof Ken Pakenham. Displaying my amateurish interviewing skills, I asked him … ‘So, what do you see as the Meaning of Life?’

His answer became a reference point over the next 99 episodes. Ken simply suggested, ‘That the meaning of life is found by first identifying and then clarifying one’s values. This becomes your core reference point for all of your behavior and authentic activity. Of course, Ken then rightfully pointed out that the next step is to KNOW your values … to know what they look like as behaviors and finally, the great challenge is to BE the behavioral manifestation of your values’. 

Little did I know that this 'piece of gold' given to us in the very first episode would become a core discussion over the next two years. 

Therefore, it is only appropriate that the guest for our century of interviews be the wisdom of Prof Ken Pakenham, and what an incredible episode it is. The additional insights into our possibilities is coming from a very aware soul. It is a soul that has experienced the traumas, the vagrancies and the tribulations of life. It is a soul who has found a way to manage his challenges and arrive at a place of self-respect and personal harmony.

Apart from this exhilarating discussion you can understand so much more of the journey of Prof Ken Pakenham in his outstanding memoir called “THE TRAUMA BANQUET”. It is a must read.

Finally, I thank you, the 12000 listeners from 52 countries who continue to FOLLOW and SUBSCRIBE to our weekly episodes. You are the ones that give A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE the reason to embrace the years to come. 
Blessings to you all. Bernie K ... +61 412 982 444

This is the penultimate episode before we celebrate a century of A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE and as promised I wanted you to hear the very best of the last two years. That's why it's compulsory for us all to re-visit Episode 57 with Donna Leigh Perfect. If you haven't heard this episode, then you are in for 80 minutes of epic, mind-blowing LIFE. For many people, it would not be conceivable for one at 7 years of age to recover after watching the murder of your Mother.
How does a child then respond to the shallow, mixed, regularly painful experiences of 13 Foster Homes? 
How through these traumatic experiences does one recover to see life so simply, so beautifully, so gloriously?
This is the gift of Donna Leigh Perfect.

I do believe that there is a golden moment in this episode that is one of the top learnings ever offered on A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE. It was when Donna Leigh was working with Lifeline and her advisor helped her realize that 'These things happen TO people, not BECAUSE of them'. In that moment Donna was able to achieve separation from the pain and chaos of her traumatized life. Furthermore, she was then able to use the experiences beneficially to serve her life. I think you should read that last sentence again ! She was able to use the trauma of watching her mother's murder to understand and extract benefit for her life!! If you want evidence of this, see what she is doing now that brings meaning to her life and adds incredible value to 1000's around the globe ... www.donna-leighperfect.com ... There is the miracle.

Embrace the journey dear people!! Just embrace the journey and just remember do all that you do with loving intent.
Bernie K + 61 412 982 444 ... [email protected]

Have you pressed the SUBSCRIBE button yet??

A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE is approaching 100 episodes, and I can honestly share with you that I thought the purpose of this podcast would be fulfilled in 10!! Afterall, how many strategies and actions are there that lead to becoming a more loving and joyful human being?

This Journey has been one of the more profound experiences of my life, with every guest contributing something of value to the ever-expanding pathway towards love becoming a way of life. Of course, some episodes were potent and need to be heard again and again to capture the full learning they offered. Among these were Episodes 8 and 25, which combined to tell the remarkable story of Joel Staite. Joel was diagnosed with an incurable cancer and given 3 months. He lived another 6 years and when I say 'lived', I actually mean he lived every day as if it was his last. Joel's story opened our souls and taught us of what living every moment actually looks like. Only the wisdom of Joel Staite could say something like this ...
 

“This might sound crazy, but I actually think cancer has changed my life for the better – I feel like I have become a better person for having been through this … I so appreciate every moment, every single day so much more”.

His incredible story went to air on Jun 15, 2022. On October 8, four months later, Joel passed away. 

Last month, I received a message from Keith Staite, Joel's dad, whose Episode 28 gave us even more insight into Joel's journey and the depth of our capacity to love. The image Keith gave us of Joel's 'raw courage' leaving the wheelchair and shuffling down the aisle to marry his treasured love, Kieran, will forever be a feature segment on this podcast. Joel did this just days before his death. At the time his body had withered to not much more than skeletal.

The Mater Hospital once described Joel as ... 'An ordinary guy doing extraordinary things in the face of gut-wrenching adversity.' I think they are wrong …

Joel Staite became an extraordinary human being responding in way that few would to the 'grim reaper' tapping him on the shoulder every day for 6 years. Joel brushed death's hand away for all of that time and in the process discovered a meaning in life that few could comprehend. For this reason, giving you the lessons of Joel Staite in this 98th episode seems to be the only appropriate thing to do. Afterall, you are being taught by a man who crossed the bridge and became 'love'.
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Your feedback on this episode is vital and so is your Followship. So please find a minute to press that Subscriber button and send us a message. Together, let's you and I play our role in making our humanity a more loving, joyful and aware species for that surely would bring greater meaning to our lives!

Bernie K ... + 61 412 982 444 ... [email protected]

It was the occasion of my 66th birthday and my good friend Yvonne MacLeod decided that we should celebrate at a restaurant in Brisbane, Australia called EXHIBITION ... www.exhibitionrestaurant.com

What unfolded was the most unique culinary adventure I had ever experienced. As we sat at the high table overlooking the kitchen, we conversed with the multiple chefs who meticulously created 14 savory masterpieces, before our very eyes. The plates ranged from a delicious mouthful to entree sized 'Food Art', most of which were composed of 4 or 5 ingredients, with the combinations of taste, synergetic wine and restaurant ambience exceeding any meal experience I had ever encountered. 

Naturally enough, my intrigue was around who created this 'Food Gallery'. 
What was he or she demonstrating to us? 
What were they telling us? 
What was their message?

In this episode you will meet Tim Scott, who decided that his hyper focused life force is best expressed through creative art, but this art is not with palette and brush. This art is with natural ingredients blended together to consume the senses of his every guest. I cannot imagine anyone doing it better. 

By admission, Exhibition is his second baby. Together, with his dear friend Sarah Baldwin, they initially created 'Joy' ... www.joyrestaurant.com.au ... another reputable food journey that is firmly on my bucket list. It's a bit like this podcast, Tim's next chapter was always going to be next level. 

Built deep underground the Metro Arts Theatre of Brisbane, Exhibition is Tim's intimate 24 seat restaurant which continues the legacy of live theatrical displays, visual arts and performance that still spook this 130-year-old building. Based on Japanese style Omakase dining, the chef will decide your culinary fate. The chef will create. You trust and joyfully invest in the chef ... all 7 of them.

Expect to witness custom handmade cutlery, ceramics from local and international artists and their unique skills and knowledge blossom in front of you. Their goal is to share the story of all the creators, producers, artists and craftsmen that have contributed to tonight's Exhibition Food Theatre. Wowwwww !!

So, what does this experience have to do with becoming a more loving human being ... the stated objective of A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE!
It has everything to do with the mission of this podcast. Listen to this episode and you will hear ...

This dining experience is one man's expression of who he is. He is asking you to not compromise on who you are!!
Tim is bold enough to put himself before the public and serve them with his gifts.
Do you have such courage to put your true self before the evaluators?
Tim plays a mentor role to the young chefs who join him, hoping that through his values and vision, they too might realize their unlimited capacities to be best version of self and express it even through what others call work. How do you and I spread our greatness !!
Finally, the eye-raising moment in this discussion, where Tim announces that he is both blessed and burdened with 2 medically diagnosed conditions, will only help you realize that blockages don't exist if you still seek to maximise what is.

This is a remarkable story with as many learnings and 'Ah Ah' moments as I had on Sept 3, 2024 while at dinner for my birthday. My extraordinary experience is still with me two months later and now dissected in this sensational Episode 97.

Would you like to share your birthday with Tim and his team at EXHIBITION sooner than later.
Here's where you book ... www.exhibitionrestaurant.com

And after this episode, here's where you can find the SUBSCRIBER or FOLLOW US button for A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE.
Please do so immediately and join our near 12000 listeners from 52 different countries.

A Journey with Bernie Podcast Series - Apple Podcasts
A Journey with Bernie | Podcast on Spotify
Bernie Kelly ...+61 412982444

Open up Google and type in Dr Adrian Mattke. If you can find his bio send it to me! I am sure there is a resume page about Adrian Mattke somewhere, but I couldn't find it amidst the hundred plus research articles referencing this incredible Doctor's passion for looking after very sick children ... sometimes dying infants. The vast amounts of references to Adrian's valuable research are stunning. It is obvious that when it comes to Pediatric Intensive Care, Dr Adrian Mattke is world class. 

This entire episode explores so many human dimensions of Adrian's incredible work. 
These five discussions are riveting ...

1. How ego and individual advocacy may have to be modified to allow the collective expertise to arrive at sometimes lifesaving medicinal strategy. 
2. Why it is so important at times to 'ride the pain' with parents and families. At times the best medicine is just 'being there' with them.
3. How parental love can be an even greater medicine than any tablet or formula. Doctors like Adrian know this from experience now. 
4. How Western Medicine has slowly moved to embrace a more wholistic approach to resolve health matters. Consequently, the opinions and collective knowledge of all stakeholders including patient and families can inspire favorable medicinal pathways.
5. This of course, does not diminish professional responsibility. In fact, it is a demonstration of professional accountability to include rather than ignore under the banner of status and perceived right.

The fascinating conclusion is that Adrian points out how so many of the principles that need to thrive in an effective Intensive Care Unit also have to serve our lives. 

Of course, only a man whose foundation was so varied, so rich and so volatile would recognize these valuable comparisons with life. Being raised in West Germany when the country was divided was stimulating in itself. Choosing to do his tertiary studies in East Germany after integration, was a chapter that has colored the tapestry of this man's existence.

Are you ready for a unique ride inside the mind of a reputable medical professional?
Are you ready to learn from someone who plays in the space between life and death on a daily basis?
Are you ready to embrace a man whose work is an extension of values that have been moulded and shaped by both the joy and heartache of serving a child's life. Not all were happy stories.
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References in this podcast promoted "The Courage to be Disliked" ... the worldwide Japanese phenomena to be found on Google or Amazon.
Adrain also suggests you read Erich Fromm's "The Art of Loving" and Scott Peck's epic books "People of the Lie" and "The Road Less Travelled".
Bernie K also advocates that after this episode you will have an excellent reason to immediately 'Follow' A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE by pressing the appropriate button on this link ... A Journey with Bernie Podcast Series - Apple Podcasts

Sometimes your character wins the favor of onlookers without you even knowing of their admiration. This was certainly my take on Michael Kasprowicz, a mighty fine Australian cricketer who played 38 Test Matches for his country and a further 45 games in the shorter forms of cricket. In his career, there were two qualities that defined Michael Kasprowicz. Firstly, the contribution he made to his team environment, be it at national, state or club level was outstanding. The good of the team always came before the good of the individual ... every time with Michael Kasprowicz! Secondly, his resilience and persistence, over 10 seasons was legendary. Michael was recalled to the Australian side no fewer than 12 times. His determination and ability to prove himself regularly outweighing the selectors’ preparedness to write him off. Michael Kasprowicz never gave up. Consequently, his grit and determination created game possibilities that should never have arisen.

The drama of Michael's courageous 59-run last wicket partnership with Brett Lee against England is folklore. After incredible fight and fortitude, it stunningly ended just three runs short of what would have been a memorable victory. Viewers will never forget the sight of England's Andrew Flintoff generously consoling the stunned Kasprowicz amidst English celebration. But life too can be generous, for not long after their Birmingham nightmare, Michael and Brett Lee courageously led Australia to a nail-biting two-wicket victory against South Africa with a tension filled 19-run partnership.

However, as one of Australia's most reliable bowlers, Michael Kasprowicz is honored. You just knew you were going to get 150% effort every time he had the ball in hand! For that reason, Michael shone in the harshest conditions, excelling in the heat, humidity and hot Sub-continent environment. He rightfully became Australia's workhorse. It is a label that may appear at first to be unflattering, but it is a title that reflects the character and principles of the man. It his values that you will hear most loudly in this episode. Michael's views and perspectives on creating community, the power of transparency and vulnerability and how to create belief and confidence in your teams is first-class education, and his lessons are not just sport inspired. With an MBA from the University of Queensland Michael has an eye for international trade. He is an active member of the Australian India Business Council and the founder of the consultancy firm Venture India, which beautifully assimilates the principles of elite performance into the world of commerce and business.

You are about to hear from a sporting icon. More importantly, you are about to receive valuable lessons and awarenesses that just aren't available from 'the person next door'. Welcome to an hour with Michael Kasprowicz.

THE POWER OF BOOKS and PODCASTS .... Wherever I go, I take my book. It is amazing how many times in one day, a meeting is delayed. Someone is running late. You arrive early. The dentist is behind time. There are so many opportunities, even in a single day to take out your book and read 5 pages. If that happens 3 times a day, then you have just read 15 of a 240-page book. That means, you will read it in 16 days and that means you read 20 books per year!

One of my clearly defined values is THIRST FOR WISDOM. Living that value means I choose books that can teach me. When I travel in my car, I listen to podcasts. I am always searching for a learning opportunity.  Growing, evolving, becoming more aware of better mindsets is a not only a joy for me. It fuels new possibilities.

When two such books are The Happiness Trap : Harris, Russ: Amazon.com.au: Books and THE TOP FIVE REGRETS OF THE DYING by Bronnie Ware, then you are going to receive new ways of seeing self, life and people. Do yourself a favour and order both on Amazon now and read them before Christmas, then your festive season will bring you greater joy for sure!!

For example, just imagine what you would learn from someone who for years worked in palliative care with patients who had gone home to die. Bronnie Ware loved them for the last 3 to 12 weeks of their lives. Special times were shared. People see new things ... they grow quickly when faced with their own mortality. This was hammered home to A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE in Episode # 8 with Joel Staite, who was told he had 3 months to live but found greater life to last 6 years. When faced with death, change in so many dimensions can be phenomenal. Such change often brings greater awareness and peace before departure.

So, I'll give you a taste of what is to come for you. Here is one of the 5 regrets of those reflecting on life as they approach their passing ... I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

How many dreams have gone because of one's lack of courage to stop compromising. Why wouldn't you favour your own fulfilment so that you have more to give self, life and others?

This is where The Happiness Trap by Russ Harris ... amazon.com.au/Happiness-Trap-Struggling-Start-Living/dp/1590305841 ... adds so much value, because it focuses on how to create a meaningful life by living your values not compromising them, which Bronnie noticed was at the core of people's regrets as they approached life's end.

THE HAPPINESS TRAP is devoted to effective strategies that can help us unhook from thoughts and feelings that do not serve us.

It addresses the difference between values and goals and admirably suggests we redefine success as living by our values.

You will find this episode loaded with actions and strategies for your contemplation, but perhaps the most obvious message is simply this ... VALUE LEARNING ... READ MORE ... THIRST FOR GROWTH ... SEEK NEW EXPERIENCES. It is a habit that will fuel your life.

Bernie K ... +61 412 982 444

This is A JOURNEY WITH BERNIE best!

Jeff Horn's journey from a timid, bullied teenager to an international lord of the boxing ring reads like the script of a feel-good Hollywood blockbuster. His unlikely transformation from a nervous, "nerdy little kid" into a World Boxing Welterweight Champion is legendary in Australian sport. On a winter's day in Brisbane in 2017 the man dubbed 'the baby-faced assassin' beat one of the greatest professional boxers of all time ... Manny Pacquiao ... who was the only boxer in history to have won 12 major world titles. However, on July 2, in what was hailed the 'Battle of Brisbane', Horn became his nemesis by winning a controversial point decision.  It wasn't controversial at all, because as you will hear in this outstanding episode, 7 judges have declared Jeff Horn as clear winner. I was there. Jeff Horn won. Jeff will explain why it suits a sometimes corrupt industry to call it 'controversial' when the unexpected disrupts plans for future bigger paydays.

The upset victory made “The Hornet” a household name in Australia and captured people’s imaginations. Here was a mild-mannered schoolteacher, a Clark Kent-type character, who had become superman in the ring.

At the time, Horn says, his new fame was hard to get used too. He couldn't go for a reflective walk in a rainforest without being recognised. "I just wanted to be a hermit and close myself in. I didn't like the constant barrage that I would get. Thank God, things have changed. I'm much more comfortable these days just being a dad. I'm just like everyone else. I don't feel like I'm different. I just had an extraordinary moment or two, but that is in the past now." 

What this episode will reveal is Jeff's incredible journey nearly didn't happen. There were dark days as a teenager where constant bullying had him sitting alone in his bedroom reflecting on how little value he could see in himself. In a frank admission, he even considered the ultimate escape from life. Maybe, it was the support of girlfriend Joanna, his wife to be, or maybe it was the day he stepped into a martial arts gym and met Geoff Rushton that brought light. Such pivotal moments are referred to in this absorbing chat, which includes the day Geoff Rushton painted the vision that became Jeff's pathway ...  'I can get you to the Olympics in 4 years and 4 years later, you will become World Champion'. Jeff accepted the journey.

With every incredible victory, there was always one thing that stood out about a post-fight Jeff Horn interview. In contrast to many egotistical pugilists of his industry, Jeff would frequently reference his love for Joanna and his growing family. It became synonymous with his branding. Jeff claims being a dad brings him unlimited happiness. Receiving his children's kisses and cuddles and reading bedtime stories is definitely his new knockout punch. The beauty of Jeff Horn is that his love for life and people now flows into schools where as an ambassador for Bullyproof Australia | Every Student, Every School, Everywhere!, Jeff coaches resilience and understanding. Of course, when Jeff teaches, students listen. Afterall, he is the living embodiment of a person who was a Victim and found a way to become Champion of the World and in a many people's eyes ... He still is!!

Zoe Slater is a master coach. She understands the possibilities of life. She is fully aware of the options. She knows what is available to each and every one of us to manufacture happiness and success, but she also knows what needs to be done to ignite your inner joy. She believes it is possible to attain both. Her breadth of awareness is what makes her one of the most sought-after human performance coaches in this country. You know that because it was your feedback from Episode 84, that recognised her wisdoms and the value of her innate guidance. If by chance you haven't heard that episode, then maybe you might turn today into a profound session with Zoe Slater. I guarantee it will add exceptional value to your life.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/18S1oV02ixcShtmvtQRRXF?si=fec2081a2d794b8d

In this second episode with Zoe, you will explore how inner and sometimes unconscious pains manifest themselves in so many different ways. Often, they lead to poor choices that just create more problems. You will hear Zoe advocate that this pathway is not healthy and is avoidable if you prioritise daily routines or what Zoe calls 'the maintenance work'. Let me not spoil her profound suggestions by mentioning them here. May I suggest that you join Zoe for this less than 50-minute ride which will lead you to a beautiful space of awareness that will go a long way to helping you feel authentic, solid, and stable, from which greater love for self, life and people will emanate.

There is a chance that after listening to this wonderful discussion, that you may want to contact Zoe directly which you can most certainly do by contacting her through ... ECR & EAP Counsellor Brisbane, Victoria Point, Thornlands (freedomchoiceacademy.com)

Of course, your feedback on what you thought of this episode is so valuable for me. 
Drop me a line on +61 412 982 444 or an email at ... [email protected] ... is always greatly appreciated. 

Next week ... Jeff Horn !