Four years ago, we left Ballarat for a lifestyle farm we loved. It became part of our identity. Birthdays. Christmases. Picnics. Chickens, ducks and wide open views. We told everyone how much we loved it because we did.

Slowly, the numbers began to change.

13 rate rises. Insurance nearly doubling. Hay costs up almost 300%. Fuel climbing. Salaries staying the same.

Then came a letter proposing a change to my income and the spreadsheet made the decision unavoidable.

In this episode, I share the emotional reality of choosing to move back to Ballarat, saving over $25,000 a year in the process and why the hardest part wasn’t financial but actually confronting my ego.

We talk about:

• The sunk cost trap
• Financial pressure and relationships
• Why holding on can quietly cost you
• Grief, identity and strategic retreat
• And how letting go doesn’t mean you’ve failed

This episode is about learning to let go without failing. About going back without going backwards. About finding relief in making the hard financial call.

If you’ve ever felt stuck between pride and practicality, then this one’s for you.

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TRIGGER WARNING - This episode does discuss multiple deaths within family. Please keep this in mind for anyone listening who may be feeling sensitive in this topic In this episode, Christian sits down with Bianca Becker, a rainbow hair specialist, counsellor, mother, grief educator, and creator of the Lights Out program (@lightsout.app). Bianca shares her journey from life after school to working in a call centre, to becoming one of Australia’s most celebrated colourists known for her vibrant, expressive hair artistry.

Bianca opens up about the profound losses she has experienced, including the passing of her brother during her teenage years and her mother more recently. She discusses how these moments shaped her life, her identity, and ultimately led her to study counselling and build a program that helps others navigate the world of grief.

We explore:

• How Bianca found her way from call centre life to a creative career
• What grief looks like in day-to-day life
• How Lights Out came to be and how it took her all the way to the US
• What’s next for someone who continues to reinvent herself with every chapter

This is an honest, tender, and inspiring conversation about resilience, creativity, and learning to make meaning from even the hardest parts of life.

In this episode of Finding your way, Christian sits down with Lilly Wright, a Malaysian migrant and beloved “Queen of Sambal,” whose journey shows that courage, culture, and creativity can build a life far from home. From her senior school years in Malaysia, to the messy middle of starting over in Australia, to becoming one of Ballarat’s most recognisable food creators,

Lilly’s story is a powerful reminder that finding your way often begins long before you realise you’re on the path.

We talk about:

*What Lilly was like in her senior school years

* The emotional leap of moving countries

* The challenges and unknowns of starting again

* How her mother’s cooking shaped everything she creates Building a thriving market stall and becoming the “Queen of Sambal”

* The pressure and anxiety behind social media success

* *What “finding her way” means to her now

Lilly’s honesty and heart make this episode one of the most moving yet - especially for migrants, creatives, food lovers, and anyone rebuilding their life from the ground up.

If you loved Lilly’s story and want to support her work, you can:Visit her market stall in Ballarat and try her incredible sambal, pies, pastries, and laksa cheesecake, follow her on Instagram (@flyingchillies) to see where she’ll be each week and share her creations with someone who would love her flavours and story.

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