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 12 - Lou Wilson’s Journey of Resilience, Reinvention & Connection
In this deeply moving and expansive episode of Your Neighbourhood Show, host Carolyn sits down with the inspiring Lou Wilson for a rich conversation that weaves together themes of belonging, personal transformation, resilience, and purpose. From a deeply rooted childhood in Toowoomba to her career transitions, personal heartbreaks, a life-altering cancer diagnosis, and ultimately, a newfound passion in supporting Indigenous education through Yalari, Lou opens up with raw honesty and warmth.
Listeners are treated to an intimate look at Lou’s evolution — from pharmacist to philanthropy leader, from young traveler to olive oil entrepreneur, and from disconnected to deeply reconnected. This is a story about the beauty of starting over, the importance of intentional community, and how adversity can serve as a gateway to discovering your truest self.
📂 Episode Breakdown:
[00:00 – 03:20]
Carolyn introduces the podcast’s mission: exploring the power of connection through real-life stories.
[03:20 – 07:00]
Meet Lou Wilson: Carolyn welcomes Lou and introduces her current role at Yalari, a nonprofit supporting Indigenous students through education.
[07:00 – 13:10]
Lou reflects on her warm, stable upbringing in Toowoomba — filled with neighbourhood play, family traditions, and lasting friendships.
[13:10 – 18:30]
School years: Lou shares the impact of teachers, both positive and negative, and how early relationships shaped her.
[18:30 – 23:40]
Studying pharmacy and finding her independence at university, living in college, and stepping into her early career.
[23:40 – 29:10]
Traveling overseas: Lou recounts her transformative trip to Europe, where she met Costas in Greece — a relationship that offered deep emotional reflection.
[29:10 – 33:20]
Returning to Australia, settling into marriage and motherhood, and the joy and complexity of family life.
[33:20 – 39:00]
The 1987 stock market crash prompts a bold move to London, where Lou and her family start anew and welcome their first child.
[39:00 – 44:30]
Raising a young family in the UK, discovering a new rhythm, and leaning into community once again.
[44:30 – 48:00]
Back in Australia: the family grows, life continues, and beneath the surface, change begins to stir.
[48:00 – 52:10]
At 43, Lou is diagnosed with breast cancer. She shares her healing journey — from chemotherapy to the unexpected gift of meditation and reconnection.
[52:10 – 55:50]
The unraveling of her marriage: discovering her husband’s affair and the difficult process of reclaiming her sense of self.
[55:50 – 59:00]
A new beginning with Yalari: how a single conversation led to a role that gave Lou deep meaning and aligned with her values.
[59:00 – 1:02:30]
An unexpected business venture: importing high-quality olive oil from Greece, connecting health, memory, and purpose.
[1:02:30 – 1:05:00]
Final reflections: Lou’s advice to her younger self, thoughts on true connection, and how stepping outside your comfort zone leads to discovery.
🌟 Why Listen:
This episode is for anyone seeking hope after hardship, craving deeper human connection, or navigating life’s transitions. Lou’s story is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to rewrite your narrative, and that healing, purpose, and joy often bloom from life’s toughest moments.