A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story

80 enquiries a day. From people dreaming of leaving South Africa. Less than 10% actually make it happen. What separates the ones who do... from the ones who don't? Anton and Ben sat down with someone who's seen it all, not as someone who emigrated, but as the person sitting across the desk when families take the biggest decision of their lives.Sean Kupferberg is the Managing Director of New World Immigration in Cape Town. Since 2016, he's helped hundreds of South Africans navigate the path to Australia — from corporate professionals to tradespeople — and he's watched the full spectrum: people who arrived and thrived beyond anything they imagined, and people who came back. In this episode, Sean pulls back the curtain on things most people don't talk about:What does immigration actually cost? (It's not what most people think.) Why does the process take so long and what can you do about it? Why a plumber or diesel mechanic might have a better shot at Australia than an accountant right now. The biggest misconceptions that keep people stuck — and what clarity really looks like. The story of the butchers that changed everything. If you're still sitting at the kitchen table wondering whether this is even possible for your family — this episode was made for you.

Tim did not just build mines in some of the most remote parts of the world…he built something far more lasting. Tim Netscher’s story stretches across continents, industries and decades, but what emerges from this conversation is not simply a career in mining. It is something far more human, and far more enduring. Growing up in South Africa, moving from one mining town to another, Tim learned early that stability is not something you are given. It is something you create. That pattern would follow him throughout his life, taking him across the world and eventually to Australia, where what began as a six-month assignment became a permanent chapter. What stands out is not just the scale of what he has been part of building. Projects like the Gruyere Gold Mine, delivered in some of the most remote and complex environments, on time and on budget, are rare achievements in their own right. But that is not where the story sits.It sits in how he chose to lead. There is a principle that runs through everything Tim speaks about, and it is disarmingly simple. Leave every place better than you found it. Not only in terms of the asset or the outcome, but in the lives of the people around it. In the communities that exist long before a project arrives, and long after it leaves. Listening to Tim, you begin to understand that leadership, at its best, is not about control or position. It is about contribution. It is about recognising the privilege of experience, of opportunity, and using that to create something that extends beyond your own success. In a world where outcomes are often measured in numbers, this conversation is a reminder that the more meaningful measure is what remains when you are no longer there.🎧 Listen to Episode 26 at https://3spod.comAlso available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. #Leadership #Legacy #MigrationStories #GlobalLeadership #PurposeDriven #3SPod

You don’t realise who you are…until you arrive somewhere you have to learn how to belong In Episode 25 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben are joined by Paul Hanley - a story that moves well beyond finance and into something far more human. Born and raised in Johannesburg, Paul built his career in one of South Africa’s most dynamic financial environments before making the decision, like so many others, to start again in Australia. But this is not a simple migration story. It’s a story about resilience — or as Paul calls it, vasbyt — and what it really takes to rebuild when everything familiar falls away. From early lessons shaped in national service, to navigating identity, leadership and belonging in a new country, Paul reflects on the realities of being “the other” — in business, in society, and in yourself. His journey takes us through unlearning deeply held assumptions, confronting new environments, and ultimately building a life and business from the ground up. What stands out is not just the success that followed, but the honesty of the process - the uncertainty, the pressure, and the quiet determination to keep going when nothing is guaranteed. This is a powerful conversation about migration, leadership and the internal shifts that define who we become. 🎧 Listen to Episode 25 at 3spod.comAlso available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. #Belonging #Identity #Migration #LeadershipLessons #HumanStories #Resilience #3SPod

 What does it feel like to arrive just in time to witness an extinction? In Episode 24 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben are joined by Dr Jenny Gray AM, Chief Executive Officer of Zoos Victoria, whose journey spans Johannesburg, Durban and Melbourne, and whose leadership has reshaped conservation in Australia. Jenny grew up between Johannesburg and Durban, immersed in storytelling, public service and a deep familiarity with wildlife. Early in her career, she found herself leading Durban Transport during South Africa’s political transition, learning resilience, humility and stakeholder leadership under extraordinary pressure. But it was a moment in 2009 that changed everything. Jenny and her team arrived on Christmas Island to try to save the pipistrelle bat. They recorded what turned out to be the final individual of the species. Within days, it was gone. They had arrived in time to document an extinction. That moment became a line in the sand. Zoos Victoria made a commitment that no Victorian terrestrial vertebrate species would go extinct on their watch. Today, they work with 27 critically endangered species. Sixteen years later, not one has been lost. From rediscovering the Victorian grassland earless dragon after 54 years, to breeding programs, reintroductions and engaging children in conservation, Jenny’s work is not about spectacle. It is about responsibility. Her migration story is just as powerful. Head-hunted to lead Werribee Open Range Zoo, Jenny rebuilt her professional network from scratch. She learned to soften her directness. She sought coaching. She consciously travelled light, knowing that what you carry in your suitcase can either strengthen you or weigh you down. Her advice to young people is clear:Work hard. Take opportunities. Learn to lose. Build resilience. Do hard things. Because the glory is not on the easy road. If you had to start again in a new country, what would you carry in your suitcase — and what would you be brave enough to leave behind? 🎧 Listen to Episode 24 at 3spod.comAlso available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode24 #DrJennyGray #ZoosVictoria #Conservation #MigrationStories #Leadership #Australia #SouthAfrica

What if the advantage isn’t being the smartest person in the room… but being willing to break things until they work?Anton speak to Dawid Naudé, whose story moves back and forth between Australia and South Africa with five years of childhood in Australia, then back to the Eastern Cape, and later a deliberate return to Australia on his own terms. This episode starts in the real places that shape a person: Grahamstown and the National Arts Festival, where Dawid helped turn a local computer shop into an internet café by renting unused school computers and making it work, because mobile internet wasn’t a thing and journalists needed a place to file their stories.Then Rhodes: computer science… and the College House pub, where he ran it like a business (spreadsheets, inventory, beer counts) and learned early that “running something” teaches you things lectures don’t. But one of the most defining moments is surprisingly simple: Dawid describes his mum giving him permission to play with the family computer to “break it,” get it fixed, and learn by doing. That permission became a way of operating: resourcefulness, curiosity, and tinkering over overthinking. From there, the arc keeps unfolding: a restart at James Cook University, hard work on his dad’s prawn farm in North Queensland, a finance detour (including passing CFA Level 1) before taking a big leap, a 50% pay cut to move into tech at Accenture, then Cloud Sherpas, then back to Accenture where he became a Managing Director. And then the moment that changed his direction again: ChatGPT. Dawid shares the “tinkering” story that sparked Pathfinder, using AI to make sense of legacy code and turning a painful, slow documentation task into something dramatically faster.For him, “AI for good” is not a slogan. It’s practical: AI as a universal tutor and a way for anyone, anywhere, in any language, to learn faster and better. If you’re building a business (or thinking about it), Dawid’s advice is refreshingly direct: create demand first, make it easy for people to “window shop,” and become known in a niche by translating AI into something specific and useful for real people doing real jobs. If tinkering is the real edge, what would you start testing this week? 🎧 Listen to Episode 23 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story at https://3spod.comAlso on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

What happens when a career built on facts, figures, and investigations collides with the very human question of where, and how you want to raise a family? Anton and Ben sit down with Paul Fontanot, whose journey spans forensic accounting, partnership, migration, and a surprisingly memorable introduction to Australian wine.Paul grew up in Germiston and built his career in forensic accounting, work that demands precision, judgment, and the ability to sit with uncomfortable truths. That path eventually led him to Australia, where he rebuilt from scratch and went on to become a partner in a leading law firm, proving that starting again doesn’t mean starting small. But this conversation is not just about professional success. Paul reflects on the decisions behind the move — weighing responsibility to family against familiarity, choosing long-term stability over short-term certainty, and learning that belonging takes effort, not entitlement. Australia didn’t hand him a life; it invited him to build one. And then there’s the wine. A vineyard in the Hunter Valley, a father-in-law with strong opinions, and a lesson in humility that says more about migration than any spreadsheet ever could. It’s funny, grounding, and deeply Paul - a reminder that no matter how serious the work, life has a way of keeping you human. This episode is about competence without ego, ambition without noise, and the courage to rebuild with your values intact. 🎧 Listen to Episode 22 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story at https://3spod.comAlso available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode22 #PaulFontanot #ForensicAccounting #MigrationStories #StartingAgain #Belonging #Leadership #Identity #SouthAfricansAbroad #Podcast 

What happens when your big adventure finally arrives… fourteen years late and just weeks before the world shuts down? Anton and Ben sit down with Kevin and Romaine Mackenzie, a Johannesburg-born couple whose migration story is as much about partnership as it is about place. After waiting 14 years for a US visa to come through, they packed up their lives and arrived in Chicago in January 2020, driving into the city on a cold, dark, rainy night, only weeks before COVID changed everything. This is a story of starting again together. Of leaving behind family, familiarity, and identity and discovering how much migration reshapes not just where you live, but who you become. Kevin reflects on rebuilding from scratch as an entrepreneur with no network, no shortcuts, and a restless need to stay bold. Romaine shares the emotional cost of leaving a life she deeply believed in, and what it means to re-anchor yourself when safety, trust, and certainty fall away. At the heart of this episode is family. Watching their son Max navigate a new country, a new school, puberty, and lockdown until a chance baseball try-out at Oz Park changed everything. Sport became community. Community became belonging. And slowly, Chicago started to feel like home. This episode is about mindset over nostalgia. About not trying to replicate your old life but re-engineering it. About resisting self-sabotage, choosing boldness, and learning to live forward without comparison. If migration doesn’t just change your address, but your identity, who do you become on the other side? 🎧 Listen to Episode 21 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story at https://3spod.comAlso on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode21 #MigrationStories #FamilyJourney #StartingAgain #Identity #Belonging #Chicago #SouthAfricansAbroad #Podcast 

What if success is not measured by what you accumulate, but by what lets you sleep at night? Anton and Ben sit down with Dr Manny Pohl in Episode 20 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story. Our first episode of 2026, and a fitting one to begin the year. Manny’s story starts on the Blyvooruitzicht gold mine near Carletonville, a place defined by hard work, hierarchy, and deep community. It’s where he learned early that who you are, and how you treat people, matters long after the mine closes. Manny did not migrate chasing adventure. He moved for his three sons to give them opportunity, stability, and a fair shot at the future. Australia was a deliberate choice. What followed was a leadership journey shaped less by titles than by principles: courage to make hard calls, humility to start again, and an unwavering belief that relationships are built by how you show up when no one is watching. Along the way, Manny became a Freeman of the City of London and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, not for self-promotion, but for contribution. Yet when asked what he carried with him, Manny does not talk about awards. He talks about a simple rule that guided every decision: it’s better to sleep well than to eat well. This episode is about community, ethics, and the quiet moments that define a life - treating everyone with dignity, pulling the trigger when your values demand it, and understanding that success without integrity costs too much. When faced with a choice that advances your career but compromises your values—what would you do? 🎧 Listen to Episode 20 at https://3spod.comAlso available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode20 #DrMannyPohl #Leadership #Values #Integrity #MigrationStories #Community #SleepingWell #OrderOfAustralia #Podcast 

What if the thing you thought made you different… is the very thing that connects you to everyone else? Anton and Ben did not set out to make a podcast. They started with a conversation. Two migrants comparing notes over a glass of wine, asking a simple question: “Why did no one tell us this before we came?” What followed became A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story. Episode 19 is our Season One reflection where we look back on the stories, patterns, and moments that stayed with us, and on why this podcast exists in the first place. It’s about what we heard, what we learned, and why these conversations matter for anyone who’s ever packed a suitcase and started again. Across the episodes of Season One, we listened to people who left for different reasons - safety, opportunity, adventure, conscience, family, but arrived carrying the same quiet questions. We heard stories of courage and hesitation, grief and rebuilding, ambition and belonging. Some guests left because things were broken. Others left because things were good, but they sensed another chapter waiting. What emerged wasn’t a checklist for migration, but something more human. That the stranger feeling is normal. That the suitcase is heavier than it looks. That the story you bring with you does not disappear, it asks to be understood. And that belonging often arrives quietly: a neighbour, a colleague, a braai, a conversation where you finally exhale. Season One is not about having the answers. It’s about recognising yourself in someone else’s journey and realising you’re not doing this alone. If these stories helped even one person say: “It’s not just me”, then we have succeeded. 🎧 Listen to episode 19 of a Stranger, a Suitcase and A Story at https://3spod.comAlso on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #SeasonOne #MigrationStories #Belonging #Identity #NewBeginnings #NotAlone #SouthernCrossings #Podcast 

She didn’t wait for permission, she built a table, pulled up chairs, and told women, “Your voice belongs here.” Anton and Ben sit down with MD (Margaret Dreyer), whose default setting is “How can I help?” and whose north star is growing women’s talent wherever she stands. From becoming South Africa’s first female audit partner to serving on Deloitte Australia’s board, her through-line is the same: spot potential, open a door, make sure it stays open for the next woman. That’s how you get to numbers that matter. From five to around 400 female partners at Deloitte Australia today, and why so many careers trace back to a quiet conversation she started, a nudge she gave, a standard she refused to lower. But impact is not only measured in titles. For years, MD helped thousands of South Africans find their footing in Australia. Recruiting, mentoring, and connecting people until “new country” started to feel like “home.” Ask her for a number and she’ll say it straight: more than 8,000 careers touched across firms and roles. Ask how, and she’ll point you to the people, not the spreadsheets. If you want to see who she is, meet her at a Deloitte SAFFA braai. Lane Cove National Park, families everywhere, kids chasing each other between picnic tables, the smell of boerie on the grill, koeksisters on a paper plate, and MD moving through the crowd making sure everyone’s included. That’s the mindset: generous, practical, no fuss. It’s the same mindset behind her inclusion work, fighting for human rights in the everyday, not just in policy documents. Listen to Episode 18 at https://3spod.com Also on your fav channels: Spotify, YouTube, Apple.#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode18 #MD #MigrationStories #Generosity #HumanRights #Inclusion #WomenInLeadership #Legacy #Deloitte #SAFFA #Braai #Belonging #SouthAfricansInAustralia #Podcast

When everything familiar fell away, did he double down on bitterness or choose a frame that let him move forward? He thought getting knocked down was the headline. It wasn’t. The story is how he keeps standing. Anton and Ben sit down with Grant Parkin, who grew up in East London, migrated to Brisbane, and learned, sometimes the hardest way, how to turn pain into perspective without pretending it didn’t hurt. At 3, a dog attack. At 19, a car crash in which his father died while Grant was driving. Years later, a marriage that ended in betrayal. And still… a degree finished, a CA earned, a rowing club founded, multiple Ironman triathlons completed, and a memoir—Yourself or Someone Like You—written and voiced by the man who lived it. This is not trauma for spectacle; it’s choices, responsibility, and the mindset to rebuild, one honest step at a time. There’s a line you’ll hear between the lines: don’t bring yesterday’s baggage to tomorrow’s country, and don’t outsource your agency. Grant talks about arriving with PwC, finding his “crew,” the long tail of grief, why asking for help was a turning point, and even “Fuchsia Friday” as a small weekly nudge to get comfortable being a little uncomfortable. It’s balanced, practical, and quietly brave. Catch Episode 17 of a Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story now at https://3spod.comAlso on your fav channels: Spotify, YouTube, Apple. #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode17 #GrantParkin #MigrationStories #Resilience #Mindset #Responsibility #Brisbane #PwC #Rowing #Ironman #YourselfOrSomeoneLikeYou #SouthernCrossings #SouthAfricansInAustralia #Podcast   

Anton and Ben sit down with Andrew Reitzer, and this onestays with you.Born in Johannesburg to Holocaust survivor parents. Raisedin Cape Town. A life that arcs from a small family glove factory to the CEO seat of Metcash, turning a $240 million loss into a thriving ASX Top 100 company… and yet, that’s not the real story.The real story starts when he’s a teenager and his motherquietly hands him a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank and says, “That’s what happened to me.”No big speech. No drama. Just a sentence that changes everything.  From there, Andrew’s journey is shaped by courage withoutfanfare: conscription and discipline, equestrian boots and factory floors, starting again (and again), saying yes to Australia with 20 minutes to decide and three days to get on a plane, and leading with a “burn the ships” commitment that left no easy way back, only forward. In this episode, we go beyond the numbers.We talk about what it means to grow up in the shadow of silence. About finding out late what your parents survived — and how that quietly forges your views on family, work, loyalty, and leadership.We talk about landing in Australia at the very top of thefood chain… and still feeling like a trainee Australian. About misreading the room, learning the culture, adjusting without erasing yourself.We talk about why South Africans can thrive here, and whysome don’t. About burning ships, backing yourself, and the fine line between bravery and naivety.And there’s a moment  - you’ll hear it - where Andrew connects all of it: his parents’ story, his own choices, and what it really costs to start over and still hold onto who you are. We left that part in almost untouched.What did he learn from parents who survived the unthinkable…and only told him when he was old enough to understand?How do you lead, decide, and belong with that kind ofhistory under your skin?And what does his story ask of the rest of us who’ve come here with our own suitcases, accents, and second chances?Find out in Episode 16. 🎧Listen to episode 16 – find it at https://3spod.com and also on your fav channels: Spotify, YouTube, Apple. #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode16#AndrewReitzer #MigrationStories #HolocaustSurvivorFamily #Leadership #StartingOver #SouthernCrossings #Belonging #CourageWithoutDrama 

“We landed with two suitcases, a toddler, and no idea wherewe were going after the airport.” In this powerful new episode of A Stranger, A Suitcase,and A Story, Anton and Ben sit down with Kaveer Soni, a Durban-born lawyer whose life has been a tapestry of faith, grit, heartbreak, and reinvention. Kaveer's story begins in Durban, born into a Hindu household,yet his early years unfold inside a Jewish school, learning Hebrew before he could fully understand what it meant. Then came a Catholic school, Sunday mass, and a new religion called rugby. His childhood, filled with laughter and mischief, was also where his voice as a lawyer first emerged, not in court, butin the principal’s office, defending his friends. Years later, a family holiday to the US would change everything. What started as a magical trip to Disney World became a decision to leave South Africa behind. But dreams abroad don’t always unfold as planned. Bureaucracy, uncertainty, and endless waiting forced his family back home, a move that taught him resilience before he even knew he’d need it again. And then came Australia.A country that promised clarity but delivered challenge after challenge. A new life in a tiny one-bedroom apartment in Sydney, a young family starting over from nothing, and the devastating loss of a pregnancy in their first year. It was a season of heartbreak and perseverance, the kind that tests the limits of love and faith. But through it all, Kaveer's quiet determination never wavered. From sitting for new legal exams while his wife rebuilt her career, to opening Soni Legal from scratch with no network and no guarantees, he turned every setback into a stepping stone. Today, nearly a decade later, Kaveer has built a thriving practice, a beautiful family, and a sense of belonging that was once only a dream. His story reminds us that “home” isn’t a place you find. It is something you build, one choice, one struggle, and one act of courage at a time. 🎧 Listen to Episode 15: The Long Road Homewith Kaveer Soni now on https://3spod.com orwherever you get your podcasts — Spotify, Apple, and more. #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory#3SPod #Podcast#MigrationStories #Courage #Resilience #Belonging #HumanSpirit 

The gun clicked against his temple—and didn’t fire. Ten years later, Munro packed a suitcase for Sydney. In Episode 14 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben sit down with Munro Donen. He grew up in Houghton, Johannesburg, in a close, bookish home where neighbours popped in for tea—including Nelson Mandela, who’d later spot Munro across an airport cordon and ask, “How’s your father?” Life felt safe, contained—until it didn’t. A violent carjacking outside his parents’ gate pulled the floorboards up. Months later, a restaurant he’d just left was held up and friends were locked in a walk-in fridge. Trauma didn’t have a name then; it does now. What it left behind was clarity.Australia wasn’t an instant soft landing. Munro arrived with degrees, grit, and zero shortcuts. He learned the city by driving routes at night so he wouldn’t get lost the next day. He learned the language behind the language—how “you must” becomes “you might want to,” how a “marone” car is maroon, and how “looking for a park” isn’t a lawn picnic. He found his lane in Sydney property, building a buyer’s-agent practice with an old-school South African service ethic in a market where open homes last 20 minutes and auctions move like lightning. He picked clients up, sat with them, listened—then showed colleagues why the long car ride matters. There were knocks, too: tall-poppy moments, pay re-cut, KPIs that made no sense. So he started his own firm. Years on, he’s helped families make the biggest call of their lives and still treats every purchase like it has his name on the contract. And the country gave something back: the night he walked through Rushcutters Bay at 2 a.m., looked around, and realised—calmly, fully—“I feel safe.” Now settled, Munro’s circle has widened again. He raises funds with the Wits Alumni in NSW, leans into Southern Crossings, and keeps a simple promise: if you’ve just arrived, message him for a coffee. Someone did that for him 27 years ago; he remembers their names. 🎧 Listen now at https://3spod.comOr on your favourite channel: Apple, Spotify, YouTube. Because sometimes migration isn’t just lived, it’s written. #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #Episode14 #MunroDonon #JohannesburgToSydney #MigrationStories #Belonging #StartingOver #SafetyAndFreedom #BuyersAgent #WitsAlumni #SouthernCrossings #PayItForward #AndAndIdentity

What if the journey that changed your life wasn’t just about a new country, but about finding the courage to finally tell the truth?You can’t outrun your past. It always finds a way into your suitcase.” – Tania WilsonIn Episode 13 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben sit down with Tania Wilson — author of The Secrets We Keep: Spilling the Beans, whose migration story stretches from a barefoot, rebellious childhood in Durban to three decades of reinvention in the United StatesTania’s memoir is raw and unflinching: tracing family tragedy, the silence that followed, and the radical relief of truth-tellingShe opens up about leaving South Africa with “five suitcases and a trunk,” the heartbreak of saying goodbye to her parents, and the unexpected lessons of trying to fit in from mispronouncing La Jolla to brewing Amaretto coffee at 4:30 a.m.But what makes her story unforgettable is how writing became her anchor. In retirement, Tania discovered a writing group that pushed her to finally bring decades of memories onto the page. Her book doesn’t just capture migration — it shows how honesty, resilience, and storytelling itself can heal across generationsThis episode is about more than moving countries. It’s about grief, courage, belonging… and how one woman turned her immigrant story into a book that helps others find hope in their own.🎧 Listen now at https://3spod.comOr on your favourite channel: Apple, Spotify, YouTube. Because sometimes migration isn’t just lived, it’s written. #MigrationStories #ImmigrantVoices #StrangerSuitcaseStory #PodcastCommunity #AuthorLife #TheSecretsWeKeep 

“In my first month here, I told myself: just Look, Listen, and Learn.” But what if the very skills that helped you survive back home… became the very edges you needed to soften to belong somewhere new? In Episode 12 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben sit down withPierre De Villiers, whose journey has taken him from ironing school shorts in Durban, to boardrooms across the world, and finally to a new life in Australia. Pierre’s story is one of contrasts: accountant-turned-HR leader, world traveler-turned-root builder, South African rugby fan raising Wallabies supporters. Through it all, he’s had to wrestle with the classic migrant’s question — how much of myself do I hold onto, and how much do I adapt? He reveals the “Three L’s” that carried him through his toughest early years in Australia: Look, Listen, Learn. It’s advice that seems simple, but hides a lifetime of wisdom about patience, perspective, and the slow work of building trust in a new land. This episode goes beyond career shifts and visas — it’s about identity, family scattered across continents, and the quiet courage of starting over when it would have been easier to stay put. 🎧 Listen now at https://3spod.com Or on your favourite channel: Apple, Spotify, YouTube.Because sometimes migration isn’t just about moving countries. It’s about moving yourself. #MigrationStories #ImmigrantVoices #StrangerSuitcaseStory #PodcastCommunity #Belonging #Identity

“Ali’s on the plane… and Chris Hani’s been assassinated.” The tour Mark helped organise became a peace mission before the wheels hit the tarmac. Back in Durban, Mark’s legal career was rising when 1993 rewrote the script. Muhammad Ali arrived; the country erupted. Overnight, logistics turned to triage: townships in flames, cathedral meetings, a balcony plea for calm. Ali’s humanity cut through—staying to sign every autograph, embracing miners underground, showing what dignity looks like under pressure.Then a personal fork: asked to stand for public office, Mark couldn’t square his liberal convictions with the policy path on offer. He chose Australia—and the long grind of re-qualifying, rebuilding networks, and learning the quiet nuances of how things get decided here. In time he led major deals across Asia, carried an “and-and” identity without apology, and poured energy into causes like the Australian Rhino Project—proof that “the right thing” can still be the hardest thing.His takeaway for the 22-year-old with a suitcase: try. Keep your roots. Learn the local nuance. Hold your values. #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #MarkStanbridge #MuhammadAli #ChrisHani #SouthAfrica1994 #StartAgain #Australia #AndAnd #RuleOfLaw #RhinoConservation 

In 1984 he nominated Nelson Mandela for Chancellor, when “terrorist” was still the word echoing down campus corridors. Mark Stanbridge’s beginnings read like a paradox: a carefree Free State childhood and a country split by curfews and colour lines. Around a dinner table of books and debate, he formed a stubborn belief in the dignity of the individual—long before law school gave it language. At uni he chose principle over popularity, pushing back on ritual and rhetoric, and learning that values don’t announce themselves; they’re tested. An exchange year to small-town NSW opened a window on another way of being, then he returned to South Africa with clearer eyes and a steadier compass.This first episode is the making-of: family, teachers, and a divided society forging a liberal spine—setting up the question that will define everything that follows: do you stay and fight from the inside, or leave and begin again? #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #MarkStanbridge #Belonging #SouthAfrica #Bloemfontein #StudentActivism #MigrationStories #Identity #LiberalValues

“Immigration is not for sissies. If anyone tells you it’s easy, they’re lying.” What do you do when life hands you a choice between comfort and calling? For Ryan Walker, it meant leaving behind his beloved grandmother, a young daughter, and the familiar rhythms of Johannesburg to answer something bigger.In this episode of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben sit down with Ryan, an enterprise leader in Australia’s tech sector, to uncover how faith, grit, and “old school values” carried him through the hardest parts of migration. Ryan opens up about the heartbreak of separation, the discipline forged by his grandparents, and the unexpected blessings that met him the moment he landed in Sydney. It’s a conversation about the strength it takes to start over, the courage to hold onto your values, and the joy of discovering that home is not just where you arrive—it’s what you choose to build. 🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or at www.3spod.com. #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #PodcastLife #StorytellingPodcast #RealStories

Everything around him had settled—but inside, he still feltlost.He had the house.His kids were thriving.His wife had embraced the new life.But John Chan couldn’t shake the feeling: “I was the only one who hadn’tarrived.”In Episode 8 of A Stranger, A Suitcase & A Story,John shares the quiet but deeply personal journey of starting over—not just ina new country, but in his own sense of identity.After a successful corporate career in South Africa, Johnmoved to Australia in search of a new life. On paper, it all made sense. Butbeneath the surface, he struggled with purpose, identity, and the weight ofinvisible expectations.This isn’t a story about escape—it’s a story aboutrealignment.He opens up about losing his professional self, navigatingthe disorienting middle space of migration, and slowly rediscovering meaningthrough entrepreneurship, contribution, and self-awareness.Today, he helps others find their voice, not because healways had his, but because he knows what it’s like to lose it.🎧 Episode 8 – NoRegret, Just PurposeNow streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and 3spod.com#StrangerSuitcaseStory #Episode8 #JohnChan #QuietStrength#MigrationWithMeaning #Entrepreneurship #LifeInAustralia #IdentityAndBelonging#NoRegretJustPurpose #3spod

He arrived in Australia with no job, no backup plan, and noguarantee it would work.But Francois Scheepers had already made the decision: “I’m going to make thiswork.”In Episode 7 of A Stranger, A Suitcase & A Story,Francois Scheepers shares the raw, real journey of building a life from scratch in a place where no one knows you, and no one owes you anything.He speaks openly about what it was like to arrive young,full of energy, but unsure of where (or how) he’d fit in. The accent gave him away. His directness rubbed some people the wrong way. And his confidence built in South Africa, had to be re-earned in a new context. But through sport, service, and the hard work of self-reflection, Francois found belonging.He learned that sometimes it’s not about having a perfectplan. It’s about staying open, showing up, and backing yourself when it mattersmost. This episode is for anyone who’s had to start over beforethey felt ready, and chose growth anyway. 🎧 Episode 7 – No Plan B: Just Keep GoingNow streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and 3spod.com#StrangerSuitcaseStory #Episode7 #FrancoisScheepers#MigrationJourney #YoungAndBrave #LifeInAustralia #StartOverStories #NoPlanB#3spod

We packed up our lives into nine suitcases… and waited.And waited.For four years, Kevin Horstmann and his family lived inlimbo, chasing a dream that seemed like it might never come. Just when he was about to give up, something extraordinaryhappened. In Episode 6 of A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story,Kevin shares the deeply moving journey from uncertainty and heartbreak to finally feeling at home in Australia.He talks about losing his father at five, living with hisgrandparents, forging his own path, and building a better life for his children, with honesty, humour, and incredible heart.

“This wasn’t my idea,” Donovan admits, yet the decision tomove across the world reshaped everything: his identity, his career, and hisfamily’s future. This episode, on the podcast A Stranger, a suitcase and aStory,  is about a man who didn’t plan tomigrate, but found something better than he imagined. Donovan had built a life in South Africa: a career, a home,a community. Migration wasn’t his idea, it was his wife’s. But love, trust, and family meant stepping into the unknown, together. What followed wasn’t easy. Uprooting. Rebuilding. Feelinglost in a place that was supposed to be a fresh start. But with time and a fewkey constants like family, faith, and even a familiar couch—Donovan found hisfooting. And what started as resistance became resilience. This is a story about letting go of certainty, leaning intochange, and discovering that starting over doesn’t mean losing yourself. It canmean finding more: more freedom, more safety, more space to breathe, and more moments that matter. Most of all, Donovan reminds us:Keep an open mind. Because sometimes, the life you didn’tplan becomes the one you were meant to live. 🎧 A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story - Availablenow on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.www.3spod.com

Backpacks, Bold Moves, and Belonging: Nicol &Mareli’s Journey to AustraliaThey left everything behind… not because they had to, butbecause they wanted to see what else was possible. In this heartfelt and uplifting episode, Anton and Ben sitdown with Nicol and Mareli, a young South African couple who swapped corporatesuccess and ocean views in Cape Town for a backpack, six months of travel, anda bold move to Sydney.Their story is one of intention, courage, and curiosity.They didn’t migrate because they had to. They did it because they choseto. What started as an adventure soon became a new life—and what they’vediscovered along the way will leave you rethinking what it means to start over.They talk about adjusting to Australia’s culture, the powerof perspective, rebuilding from scratch, and what happens when you stop tryingto recreate your old life and start embracing your new one. It’s not just a migration story, it’s a life philosophy. 

From Resettling Doubts to Rebuilding Dreams: Afzal's Journey to Belonging. In this episode, Afzal Ali shares what it really feels like to leave a successful life behind and start over in a new country. He speaks candidly about growing up in a huge, tight-knit family in India, his early struggles studying in London, and why he ultimately chose Australia for a fresh start.From food delivery jobs to job rejections, housing challenges to school enrollment battles, Afzal walks us through the highs andheavy lows of migration.At his lowest, he almost gave up.But with patience, faith, and resilience, his story took a powerful turn and today, he’s building a new life in Newcastle, Australia.This is a story of hope, hardship, and the light at the endof the tunnel. 

In this episode of A Stranger, A Suitcase & A Story, Anton and Ben continue their personal migration stories—sharing what happened after they arrived in Australia. From emotional goodbyes and missed funerals to flat batteries, rugby injuries, and shoe-stuffed suitcases, they reflect on the realities of starting over in a new country.They unpack what it means to plant new roots while holding onto your past, how sport and community help build belonging, and what they miss most about South Africa. It's a heartfelt conversation about emotional baggage, resilience, and finding connection in unfamiliar places.🎧 Whether you've migrated, are thinking about it, or simply want to hear honest, relatable stories—this episode is for you.

In this first episode of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story, Anton and Ben share their personal journeys—before the suitcases were packed and the planes were boarded. They reflect on who they were back home in South Africa, the careers they had built, and the lives they lived before making the life-changing decision to migrate to Australia. It’s a conversation about identity, courage, and the emotional turning points that lead us to leave everything familiar behind.This is where their suitcase stories begin.