Women of Wynnum Manly - podcast

22/06/2024

Jelena Logan's parents left the war in Bosnia and settled in Australia, before going on to have Jelena as a third child. We are lucky they ended up in this beautiful part of Queensland.

This conversation allowed me to get to know Jelena, who is a bundle of energy and very, very smart. I have never met anyone who is so keen and enthusiastic in talking about hearts. She spoke of the technology that has advanced, enabling the medical profession to more precisely identify heart health status. She really makes it sounds so interesting.

Talking to Jelena, I also found it interesting how cultural values transcend across continents. Jelena came to the podcast recording with freshly baked brownies. A cultural expectation she grew up with, never show up to someone's house empty handed. I enjoyed being the beneficiary of this!

Listen where you listen to your podcasts, or direct link is in the comments.

13/06/2024

In April last year I interviewed Rachel Sweasey Author about her first novel that wasn’t yet published. Well now it has been published! Congratulations Rachel! 🥳

You can go back and listen to the episode with Rachel and the book is available in the local bookshops and online.

05/06/2024

I met Martene from M for fitness when was she leading the group training class I was doing at 4ShoreFitness. She has a fun and warm energy and the loveliest Scottish accent.

Martene moved to the Bayside only a few years ago, and thanks the beautiful community for her transition. I always enjoy the classes Martene leads at the gym, but I was extra pleased to know that her special interest is the benefits of training women in peri menopause and menopause stages of life. A special interest of mine also!

I am glad that Martene made the choice to move to the Bayside, as she is a wonderful member of our beautiful community. Enjoy getting to know Martene.

You can find out more about Martene's personal training on Facebook and Instagram at for fitness.

Link to the episode in the comments or listen on Apple podcast or Spotify.

22/05/2024

Jess Gatatola is a pure delight to spend time with, and has written and published her first children's book, launching in May 2024. Some Families Change is a story Jess wrote to try and provide her boys a language following her separation from their dad. It became a story about how sometimes families do change, for lots of difference reasons.

I enjoyed hearing about how the concept of a book became reality and you can see from talking with Jess that she is super proud of what she has produced.

People who are creative have a special way of telling stories, and Jess confirmed that in our conversation. Like many of the women who have been interviewed for this podcast, she took on the encouragement she was given and turned her goal into a reality.

You can find Some Families Change at the Mad Hatters bookshop in Manly, the Little Gnome in Wynnum, and online. Jess has also donated the book to the Wynnum Library so that it could be available to everyone.

Enjoy the chat on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, with direct link in the chat.

14/05/2024

Tess was a previous guest on the podcast. How exciting for her, and such important work she has done.

Ms Thelma (Tess) Marion Rowley OAM
For service to community social welfare.

11/05/2024

I have been having some podcast recordings IT issues so my interview with Martene from 4ShoreFitness will unfortunately be delayed, but it is coming!

I sorted the IT issue out to be able to record and now publish a lovely interview with Ali, from Dancing with Ali. She is a gorgeous soul who has come all the way from Canada to live in our beautiful Bayside. Ali shared a romantic story that led her to Australia, and I loved hearing how dancing fills her soul.

Enjoy the chat with Ali - link in the comments.

03/05/2024

April was a pretty big month for me… my husband had major surgery (all good now 🙏) and some time off my real job to help look after my granddaughter.. it has been hectic times with no podcast release.

Things are back to as normal as they get, and I will be publishing an episode over the weekend. It is a conversation I had with the lovely Martene, who is a trainer at 4ShoreFitness. Martene came all the way from Edinburgh to live in our beautiful Bayside.

03/04/2024

Blows my mind the parts of the world that the Women of Wynnum Manly podcast reaches! ❤️

25/03/2024

Talking to Francine was like chatting with an old friend. Before the podcast interview, all I knew about Francine was that she has a fun and energetic daughter, Maryanne. Maryanne chats to anyone; everyone at Wynnum parkrun knows her. I also knew Francine was a former teacher. In discussing how she got to the Bayside I heard such an interesting story. Francine talked about living off the grid in Moreton with young children many years ago, and about her career in advocating for inclusive education. She was very open about some of the frustrating attitudes and societal issues she has seen that excludes people with disability from fully participating in school and in the community. Francine is a Bayside volunteer, and I am glad she is a member of our wonderful community. Enjoy getting to know all about Francine.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or find the direct link in the comments.

04/03/2024

Celebrating all of our wonderful women in the Bayside during Queensland Women’s Week.

29/02/2024

Dannika Patterson - Author is a seriously delightful human; the type of person who you immediately feel like you have known for years in the first minute of meeting her. Dannika is the coordinator of the Cedar and Pine bookclub that meets monthly at the bar. She is also a children's book author, who leads workshops for children to encourage them to tap into the creative imagination we all have within us. Dannika's storytelling offers a reflection of her values.

I really enjoyed chatting with Dannika and it is always fascinating to understand the process of having an idea about writing a book, to publishing books to have them read by many.

Find out more about Dannika's books and workshops at: dannikapatterson.com or on Instagram at and join the bookclub by going to Bayside Bookclub on Facebook.

Episode link in the comments.

25/02/2024

With the local election coming up next month, you might like to get to know 3 of the candidates who participated in the podcast: Councillor Sara Whitmee - Wynnum Manly (ep 16), Alex Givney - Lord Mayor's Representative for Wynnum Manly Ward (ep 22), Bel Ellis - The Greens (ep 19).

15/02/2024

Kitty Hamilton is in her 70s and is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She is probably the longest resident of the Bayside I have interviewed for the podcast, moving here when she was just a young child. Talking to Kitty I learnt all sorts of historical things about the area, and she is still as much in love with it today as she was when she was a child.

Kitty has had her own share of adversity and has experienced breast cancer diagnosis twice, but has a positive mind and a will to keep on going. She is deep into her second career which is training and competing in triathlons, with her first career teaching in the local area. It was a lovely chat hearing about the Bayside of old and how Kitty is now meeting the next generation of people she taught in primary school. Direct link in comments.
Enjoy getting to know Kitty.

31/01/2024

I interviewed Tess Rowley in 2023, she was amazing. She has this week been awarded an Order of Australia. Well deserved Tess!

27/01/2024

Estelle Corr is a friend of mine and has journeyed all the way from Ireland to be part of the amazing Bayside community.

Estelle is a physiotherapist who has a special interest in neuro physiotherapy. It has always fascinated me as to why someone chooses this particular path of physiotherapy. It was great to be able to chat about this, and about all things Estelle - including learning more about her childhood where she would ride her pony through the Moors near her home in Ireland and had horses pop into the house from the back door. Seriously sounds like a Disney movie! Enjoy getting to know the funny, warm and clever Estelle Corr.

Direct link to episode in the comments, or you can find on Spotify, apple podcasts or where you listen to your podcasts.

10/01/2024

What a delightful human Lynda Kendrick is. I knew of Lynda through parkrun, and knew that she is involved in the community with her volunteering roles. Little did I know that she has been volunteering in various roles for over five decades!

I know people who are inspired by Lynda, who in her 70s acknowledges she is fortunate to have good health and the means to live the life that she does. She is a person who has a love of learning and for connecting with people in various ways; running, volunteering or travelling solo. I was fascinated to hear about one of Lynda's latest volunteering roles as a death doula.

I hope that you find the chat I had with Lynda as interesting as I did.

Link to episode in the comments or find on your podcast platform.

04/01/2024

Welcome to 2024! It has been a wild start to the year but I am hoping things will settle and that a great year is ahead for us all.

I will be publishing the first podcast episode of the year next week. Can you believe it will be the third year Women of Wynnum Manly has been going and it will be my 37th published episode?! Lynda Kendrick is a beautiful soul a bit of a powerhouse example of how to make the most of life. It is a great chat to start the year motivated for what is to come.

Thanks again for your ongoing support, for continuing to listen, and for the number of women who keep letting me record them share their story.

29/12/2023

In July this year I had the joy of interviewing Ida Yang. Ida was a mum of two young children who had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer when she was breastfeeding her youngest baby. When talking to Ida I was in awe of her attitude, and when she walked away, instead of feeling low or sad for her and her situation, I felt buoyant because of her incredible mindset, strength of spirit and her infectious energy. Ida was running a support group in Manly for people who were living with cancer, and at the time I said everyone needed to hear this conversation with her. I felt privileged to be able to hear her story.

Sadly, this week Ida's family shared that she had passed away. I was incredibly saddened by the news, as she was only 36 years old. It was a reminder to me of the fragility and preciousness that comes with life.

May Ida's husband and children continue to feel the kind, generous and comforting arms of the Wynnum Manly community around them during their time of grief.

1,707 Followers, 345 Following, 505 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Ida Yang 杨雨薇 (.with.ida)

20/12/2023

When I ask my podcast guests what they love about the Bayside, so many of them talk about the community. The community is what I love too, and this includes the beautiful community of friends I have made running over the last 6 years. This week we did our second pre Christmas dance on the Jetty. We were pretty ordinary, which makes it all the more fun.

Thank you to this wonderful community that follows and supports my podcast. It is two years old now. A huge thanks the amazing guests who open their hearts in sharing their stories with me, who is usually a complete stranger until just before we start recording. I appreciate you all for your time and your stories and will be back for more in 2024.

Happy holidays, be safe. X

Check out shazzarossi21's video.

13/12/2023

Kate Gough was wonderful to chat with. She is easy company, clearly very intelligent and when she talks about Oakley, her three-year-old with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), you can feel her heart holding tight to every moment spent with her.

I wondered how I would feel after talking to a mother who has had a child diagnosed as terminal at a very young age. To be honest, I actually felt uplifted by all Kate has done, and knowing all that she will do for little Oakley in the coming years. She has optimism, she has energy, and she is strong in a quiet and determined way.

I hope you learn something from this conversation, as I did.

Follow Oakley's story on Instagram at (For Oakley by mum (Kate)) - https://www.instagram.com/moveforoakley/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
Direct link in comments or find on Apple podcasts, Spotify or where you listen to your podcasts.

18/11/2023

I was thinking about the wonderfully amazing women who have been guests on the podcast, with the Bayside Community Awards last week, and the Wynnum Fringe 2023 starting on Thursday.

If you haven’t listened to all episodes yet, you may not be aware that a major sponsor of the Fringe (Margaret Vote) was an early guest, as was marketing guru of the Fringe, Tracey Lucock.

Other previous guests include Bayside Community Award winners Mali from Cedar & Pine Bar Claire from Sit 'n' Chat and of course Laura Lewis - Autistic Artist from the last episode is Clay's Cleaning Services proud mum! Sponsors of the awards included previous guests Joan Pease MP and Councillor Sara Whitmee - Wynnum Manly.

What an incredible community of women!

08/11/2023

Laura Lewis - Autistic Artist was one of the women of the Bayside that I had on my list to interview for the podcast for a long time. It was also a conversation that may easily have been in two parts, as we could have continued on. Laura is a business owner, mother, artist and a fierce advocate for people with disability. It was an interesting discussion and Laura was really open about her adult diagnosis of autism, and what that has meant for her. I hope you enjoy getting to know Laura.

Find out more about Laura here, and the link to the episode can be found in the comments.

https://linktr.ee/LauraLewis?utm_source=linktree_profile_share<sid=e7519ad7-19b0-469c-8489-0ab926adfa8d

05/11/2023

I am still living the life on holidays, currently in Madrid! Here are a couple of photos, with the one in Lagos looking just like a Bayside sunrise 🌅. Another podcast episode will go live next week, featuring the fascinating Laura Lewis.

Until then, enjoy the warm weather, we have a maximum of 12 degrees here today 🥶

24/10/2023

It was interesting hearing about Alex Givney - Lord Mayor's Representative for Wynnum Manly Ward's journey to the Bayside, all the way from WA! She has since been a long term local with an extended connection to the Moreton Bay Boys school, firstly as a teacher. The conversation taught me a lot about the history of the school. Alex also talked about why she nominated as a candidate for Councillor of Wynnum Manly Ward.

This chat took us all over the place, from the lengthy journey it took for Alex to become a Baysider, meeting the love of her life, and talking about her involvement with African tours with the boys from the school. Alex is a big supporter of the area.

Direct link to the episode can be found in the comments, or you can listen via Apple podcasts, Spotify or google "Women of Wynnum Manly podcast".



Enjoy learning more about Alex Givney.

19/10/2023

I have left the Bayside for a few weeks and am currently in Brussels on holidays! Podcast episodes were recorded before I left with one ready to be published next week. Enjoy the warm weather! Allana

11/10/2023

Fourth time for posting this one, due to Facebook issues :(

I connected with Kylie from a while ago but got to know her a little more when one of our special local women passed away unexpectedly a little while ago. Kylie worked her butt off at this time, while continuing to manage her own business but doing what she does so well - supporting others.

Chatting to Kylie for the podcast reinforced for me why so many think highly of her as an appreciated member of the incredible Bayside community. It was a really enjoyable and easy chat and I learnt a lot more about Kylie and the values that drives how she lives her life. I hope you like it!

Find the episode link in the comments, or on Apple podcasts or Spotify, or just google "Women of Wynnum Manly - podcast"

27/09/2023

Mandy was just lovely to chat with. I heard that she has been a Family Day Care provider for 25 years and was really intrigued to find out what it was she enjoyed about this important role, to still being doing it after all this time. Spoiler alert, Mandy still loves it, although she has seen a lot of changes to the industry over the past two decades.

I really enjoyed getting to know Mandy, outside of the usual quick chats with her along the waterfront when she is out with her husband on their daily long walks. I hope you enjoy listening.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002642/13643341-episode-20-mandy-day-family-day-care-provider.mp3?download=true

13/09/2023

I have seen Bel Ellis - The Greens name mentioned in a number of different contexts over the past 7 years. She is truly part of the community, and talking to Bel, I discovered that she built a community around her with the different roles she has taken on.

Bel owns Little Gnome in Florence Street in Wynnum, and I discovered she is also "DJ Bel". It was great chatting with her, reminding me of the value of community, but also how at any stage you can change what you do, and embrace what you need.

Enjoy the chat with Bel!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002642/13575390-episode-19-bel-elis-owner-of-little-gnome.mp3?download=true or on Spotify or apple podcasts

03/09/2023

A few people have asked me if I could be interviewed for the podcast. A couple of people have offered to lead the interview. I chose my good friend Kate to be on the other side of the microphone for this one, as she has been involved in supporting the podcast from the very first time I had an idea about interviewing women in the Bayside. She is my unofficial volunteer Business Manager and it was lovely spending time chatting with her all about...me!

I hope that there is something of interest to you in the chat!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002642/13515380-episode-18-allana-bianchi-women-of-wynnum-manly-podcast-creator.mp3?download=true

24/08/2023

Life has been pretty busy for this podcaster, and I haven’t a new episode to publish this week. I have a few women lined up to talk to over the next month, and the episode with me! In the meantime, I know there are some new followers to the page, so if you haven’t yet, have a listen to some of the previous interviews. They are all my favourites and I could only fit a few of them in the photo 🥰

You can listen through Buzzsprout (or google Women of Wynnum Manly), Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

As always; thanks for your support!