Your Neighbourhood Show By Ubuntu Foundation
Theme:
Your Neighborhood Show is a podcast by the Ubuntu Foundation about building and celebrating community. Hosted by Carolyn, the series delves into the universal human experience of connection and disconnection, highlighting personal stories of belonging, resilience, and community-building.
Purpose:
Through heartfelt conversations and inspiring stories, the podcast aims to normalize moments of disconnection in life, explore ways to overcome them, and celebrate the power of human connections in enriching lives. Carolyn’s own journey of rediscovering community after moving across countries serves as the foundation for the series.
Key Focus Areas:
- Stories of Connection and Disconnection:
Real-life stories from diverse guests about their struggles and triumphs in finding belonging. - Community-Building Strategies:
Insights and practical tips for fostering meaningful relationships and building supportive networks. - Highlighting Inclusive Initiatives:
Featuring organizations and initiatives that create spaces of belonging for marginalized groups, promote peace, or bring people together. - Personal Growth Through Community:
Exploring how connecting with others fosters personal transformation, resilience, and happiness.
Target Audience:
Anyone who has felt disconnected, seeks a sense of belonging, or is passionate about building stronger, more inclusive communities. Whether you’re a neighborhood advocate, a community leader, or just someone searching for ways to connect, this podcast provides stories and strategies that inspire and resonate.
Why It’s Unique:
Rooted in Carolyn’s own experiences of culture, migration, and resilience, Your Neighborhood Show brings warmth and authenticity to conversations about community. By sharing deeply personal and diverse stories, the series humanizes the universal need for connection and offers listeners actionable ways to build their own network of support and belonging.
Your Neighbourhood Show By Ubuntu Foundation
Your Neighborhood Show Episode 7 : Rooted in Connection: Luke Dunning on Family, Business & Being Real
Episode Synopsis
In this heartwarming and deeply authentic conversation, host Carolyn introduces Luke Dunning—creative entrepreneur, father of four, and the very person who helped bring this podcast to life. This episode delves into Luke’s journey from a childhood of connection and freedom on the Gold Coast to navigating disconnection, fatherhood at 21, and the entrepreneurial leap that shaped his life.
Luke shares candid reflections on growing up in a supportive family, how early disconnection shaped his resilience, and why intentional connection is at the core of both his personal and professional life. From humble beginnings in web design to founding a creative video agency, Luke's story is one of adaptability, integrity, and heart. The episode is also filled with relatable insights about balancing business and family, managing ADHD, and cultivating meaningful relationships in a digitally driven world.
Listeners will come away with a renewed appreciation for community, creativity, and the power of everyday stories to inspire connection.
Episode Breakdown
[00:00 - 04:30]
Carolyn introduces the podcast’s mission—exploring human connection through real stories—and shares her personal journey from a connected upbringing in Mumbai to feeling isolated in Australia after her marriage ended.
[04:31 - 10:45]
Meet Luke Dunning: Luke shares how his business, Umbrella Creative, began as a response to personal financial pressures and evolved into a video-first storytelling agency rooted in honesty and integrity.
[10:46 - 17:25]
Luke reflects on his childhood, growing up with older siblings, playing outdoors, and how those formative years built a foundation of connection and curiosity.
[17:26 - 24:40]
The culture shock of moving to a small town as a teenager, feeling disconnected, and learning to adapt and stay occupied through creativity and independence.
[24:41 - 30:55]
Luke opens up about becoming a single dad at 21, the support of his parents, and how that season—though difficult—strengthened his sense of responsibility and purpose.
[30:56 - 39:10]
The leap into entrepreneurship: why he left a secure job to start a business during paternity leave, how ADHD became a creative asset, and the importance of choosing projects that align with personal energy.
[39:11 - 44:30]
Working with his wife Caitlyn in business, the realities of balancing work and family, and the intentional communication that keeps their relationship strong.
[44:31 - 49:10]
Parenting philosophies, instilling confidence and emotional openness in their kids, and how the family works together as a team—even in the studio.
[49:11 - 52:00]
Closing thoughts: Luke shares his one piece of advice—do something kind for someone else, even a small gesture can be transformative. A simple but powerful reminder that connection begins with action.
🎧 Tune in for a raw and inspiring episode that celebrates the beauty of everyday connection, resilience, and creative courage.