We all carry a suitcase packed with stories from where we’ve come from and dreams of where we’re headed. A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story is a podcast about people who’ve left home to build a new life in a new land. Hosted by two immigrants, Anton van der Walt and Ben Liebenberg, this series explores the emotional, professional, and entrepreneurial journeys of immigrants who’ve rebuilt, reinvented, and reimagined their lives. Inspired by Bruno Catalano’s sculpture I Viaggiatori, this podcast dives into the themes of identity, belonging, resilience, and the spaces we fill along the way.
A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story
Claim This Podcastby Anton and Ben
31 episodes
Updated Daily
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇦🇺
44
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality60
Social0
YouTube72
Engagement0
Podcast Overview
We all carry a suitcase packed with stories from where we’ve come from and dreams of where we’re headed. A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story is a podcast about people who’ve left home to build a new life in a new land. Hosted by two immigrants, Anton van der Walt and Ben Liebenberg, this series explores the emotional, professional, and entrepreneurial journeys of immigrants who’ve rebuilt, reinvented, and reimagined their lives. Inspired by Bruno Catalano’s sculpture I Viaggiatori, this podcast dives into the themes of identity, belonging, resilience, and the spaces we fill along the way.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
3/17/2025
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44
Podcast Authority
BetaFairBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality60
Social0
YouTube72
Engagement0
8
Excellent Areas
0
Good Performance
11
Growth Opportunities
excellent
Episode Length
51 minutes
Performing excellently!
needs improvement
Publishing Consistency
Every 16 days
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Recent Episodes
June 18, 2026
Why Zig When You Can Zagga with Alan Greenstein
<p>He shipped 200 bottles of single malt to Australia — and paid more in duty than they were worth.<br>Then opened his home every month and shared every single one.<br>Within a year he had a network. Within a decade he had built a $3 billion business.<br>None of it was an accident.</p><p><strong>Alan Greenstein</strong> didn't leave South Africa because things got hard. He left because he saw exactly where things were going, and he refused to let his kids grow up in it.</p><p>A lawyer turned banker turned entrepreneur, Alan arrived in Sydney in January 2009 at 48 years old, knowing 14 people, most of them family. He'd just stepped down as Group MD of Sasfin Bank. He had no job, no network, and a container full of whisky.</p><p>What happened next is a masterclass in reinvention.</p><p>In this episode, Alan gets into:</p><p>· Why he shipped 200 bottles of single malt — and turned them into a community</p><p>· The court case that almost blocked him from ever getting an Australian visa</p><p>· Three defining moments that made leaving South Africa non-negotiable</p><p>· How a career across Mercantile, Sasfin and beyond prepared him for something he hadn't built yet</p><p>· How Zagga — a name born from "zigzagging around the banks" — became a private credit business with $3 billion in transactions</p><p>And through all of it — the reinvention, the whisky nights, the court rooms - one thing never changed: Alan's belief that the person doing the giving always gets more than the person receiving.</p><p>"If you can't walk the talk, you shouldn't talk the talk in the first place."</p>
June 4, 2026
Where Purpose Meets Philanthropy with Lawrence Jackson
<p>He arrived in Australia in 1982 - one of the first wave of South Africans to leave. He brought Mango Groove on tour. Helped raise the first $1 billion philanthropy campaign in Australian history. And is now rebuilding a university's connection to its diaspora, from the outside. Oh, and he never even went to that university.</p><p>Some people don't follow a plan. They follow a thread.</p><p><strong>Lawrence Jackson</strong> grew up in Sandton, Johannesburg, the oldest of three boys in a close-knit Jewish family, with a big house, a love of sport, and the kind of upbringing he describes as genuinely blessed. Until the late seventies, when things began to change. When his mother's brother came home from Angola in a military hospital bed, the decision was made. The family packed up and left for Sydney in 1982.</p><p>Lawrence was 16.</p><p>What happened next is one of those lives that takes you places you never planned and somehow makes perfect sense looking back.</p><p>In this episode, Lawrence takes us through:</p><p>· How a chance encounter at a Gold Coast pub led to him touring Mango Groove around Australia.</p><p>· The blind job ad that accidentally launched a 25-year career in philanthropy and social impact.</p><p>· How a lunch conversation led to him building WITS Australia and raising funds for scholarships from 10,000 km away.</p><p>· Why he refuses to be the South African who "bought his Wallaby jersey on Thursday and forgot home on Friday"</p><p>· What it means to hold two identities and why he thinks that tension is worth keeping</p><p>Lawrence's story isn't about one career. It's about a life built around community, connection, and never quite letting go of where you came from.</p><p>"I don't want to be one of those South Africans who arrived on Wednesday, bought their Wallaby jersey on Thursday, and washed their hands of South Africa on Friday."</p>
May 21, 2026
Accident of Design with Sanushka Seomangal
<p>She filled out a university application form for fun. Got accepted. Moved to Australia. Got rejected by every law firm she applied to. Went home. Came back. Got rejected again. Today she's a partner at one of Australia's top tier law firms. </p><p>Some stories don't follow a plan. This is one of them. </p><p> </p><p><strong>Sanushka Seomangal</strong> grew up in Durban on the North Coast, one of the youngest grandchildren in one of those big, beautiful South African Indian families where there's always someone at the door, always food on the stove, and you're never truly alone. </p><p>Australia was never the dream. It was almost an accident. A law student visit to the University of Queensland, a paper form filled out on a whim, and an acceptance letter that changed everything. </p><p>But the road from that form to where she stands today was anything but smooth. </p><p>In this episode, Sanushka gets real about: </p><p>· Being turned away by every Sydney law firm — twice — and what she did next. </p><p>· What it's like to walk into a room where nobody looks like you and choosing to stay anyway. </p><p>· How she co-founded a diplomatic youth dialogue that's now shaped Australia-India relations for 15 years. </p><p>· The moment in a Mumbai taxi when she finally knew Sydney was home. </p><p>· Why she believes your difference isn't a disadvantage, it's your superpower </p><p> </p><p>And through all of it — the rejections, the loneliness, the long road to partnership — one thing remained constant: she kept showing up. </p><p>"Your lived experience is your resilience, your courage, your problem solving. That authentic side of you is what's most valuable." </p>
31 total episodes available
Recent guests on A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story
Guests from recent episodes — sign up to see every guest that has ever appeared on this show.
Dr Manny Pohl
Guest
Margaret Dreyer
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Grant Parkin
Guest
Andrew Reitzer
Guest
Kaveer Soni
Guest
Munro Donen
Guest
Tania Wilson
Guest
Pierre De Villiers
Guest
Mark Stanbridge
Guest
Ryan Walker
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John Chan
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Francois Scheepers
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Deep-dive analytics for A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story
Frequently asked questions
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- What is A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story?
- How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
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This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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