Real people. Real stories. Courage in everyday life.
Join Andrew Bothalage as he sits down with people from all walks of life to share honest conversations about courage, faith, resilience, and the moments that shape who we are.”
Nobody Knows What You're Going Through: Immunologist Dr Anna Brooks on Invisible Illness
Courage isn't a heroic moment everyone sees. For Dr Anna Brooks, it's the quiet, invisible work of facing discomfort — and the reason nobody else gets to define it for you.
In this conversation, Anna shares why her entire scientific path was walked with a permanent layer of discomfort. Why she's even more curious about the questions that don't have answers. Why the patients she works with keep showing up for research that may never help them personally. And why courage ends up being about sitting with your own achievements, not anyone else's applause.
About Dr Anna Brooks:
Anna is a cellular immunologist and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Auckland's Liggins Institute, and Director of Auckland Cytometry. Her research focuses on complex chronic conditions involving immune dysfunction. Learn more: https://profiles.auckland.ac.nz/a-brooks
In this episode:
Courage is invisible — and only you can define yours
A scientist's path built on curiosity, not certainty
Why public speaking felt deeply unnatural for her
Dedication to chronic illnesses that get misunderstood
The patients who say "I will always help"
Teaching the next generation: mistakes are lessons
Why science isn't black and white
Learning to sit with your own achievements
Favourite quotes:"I don't see courage as some heroic moment or something that everyone sees... you define your own definition because nobody knows what you are going through.""If this helps the future, the next generation of people with this illness, I will always help.""Knowledge is experience, you can't read a piece of paper and learn experience.""I'm even more curious about something that doesn't have an answer.""It's not about searching for external validation, it's about sitting with your own achievements."Subscribe for more honest conversations on courage, faith, purpose and resilience. New episodes weekly.
1 Oct 2026
Self-Made Is a Lie: Mina Amso on Courage, Action & Building Support
Self-made is a lie. Mina Amso learned it the hard way — from pharmacy, to 12+ years in journalism, to founding PWRFULLY.
In this conversation, Mina shares why courageous people don't feel courageous; they just do it. Why you have to work through overcoming fear (https://app.vidiq.com/research/search?term=overcoming+fear) instead of waiting to feel ready. Why putting successful people on a pedestal kills your own courage. And why every day you wait to change has an opportunity cost.
About Mina Amso:Mina is the founder of PWRFULLY in Auckland, a podcast guesting (https://app.vidiq.com/research/search?term=podcast+guesting)and communication coach (https://app.vidiq.com/research/search?term=communication+coach) (https://app.vidiq.com/research/search?term=communication+coach)practice helping business owners and executives communicate with authority. Learn more:
In this episode:
From pharmacist to journalist to founder
Courage is action, not a feeling
People are just people — stop pedestalling
Self-made is a lie — success takes a village
Life's too short to stay stuck
Favourite quotes:“Courage is just doing something. You just have to do it.”“Life is too short to stay in a thing that I don't like.”“Self-made is a lie.”
Subscribe for more honest conversations on courage (https://app.vidiq.com/research/search?term=courage),faith, purpose and resilience. New episodes weekly.
#TalkWithACourageousHeart #Courage #CareerChange
24 Sept 2026
What a Hospital Chaplain Learned About Death, Silence & Courage with Father Mark Chamberlain
What does true courage look like in the face of death?
In this moving conversation on Talk With A Courageous Heart, Father Mark Chamberlain — priest, chaplain to the University of Otago and Dunedin Hospitals, and Director of Ignatian Spirituality in New Zealand — shares what hospital ministry taught him about faith and courage, finding peace, and gratitude.
Father Mark opens up about sitting with a young father as he was dying, why he wanted to run away yet chose to stay, what the anointing of the sick really means, and why finding peace in silence matters more than ever for young people today. He also shares his own unlikely journey to priesthood and his work providing a home for people facing homelessness, addiction, and mental health challenges.
If you’re walking through grief, loss, or searching for purpose, this one will stay with you.
Tell us in the comments: What gave you courage in a hard moment?
Subscribe to Talk With A Courageous Heart for weekly conversations on courage, faith, and resilience. New episodes every week.
Guest: Father Mark Chamberlain, Catholic Priest & Hospital Chaplain. Host: Talk With A Courageous Heart
00:00 - Intro: Courage Is Not Being Afraid of Vulnerability
01:00 - Welcome to Talk With A Courageous Heart
01:40 - Meet Father Mark Chamberlain - Priest & Hospital Chaplain in Dunedin
03:20 - Living With Students & The Homeless, Serving Through Faith
07:30 - What Courage Really Means: Staying Present in Death
13:00 - Anointing of the Sick - Bringing Peace at End of Life
16:20 - Being Present at the Moment of Death
18:30 - Lesson from Hospice: Don't Let Your Feelings Intrude
20:50 - Why Become a Priest? Helping Young People Befriend Silence
22:40 - How to Overcome Fear of Silence in a Noisy World
25:00 - His Call to Priesthood: A Voice He Couldn't Ignore
27:00 - Fear of Not Being Successful & Finding True Success
29:00 - Final Message to Youth: Gratitude for Life
30:20 - Thank You & Closing
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