Front Porch America – Rick White (Part 3) Episode 49 – Who Is Your Hero

Front Porch America – Rick White (Part 3)

Episode 49 – Who Is Your Hero

Sometimes the best conversations in life don’t happen in boardrooms, studios, or big stages.

They happen on a front porch.

A place where people sit down, slow down, and finally tell the stories that matter.

In Episode 49 of Who Is Your Hero, Buzz continues his powerful conversation with Rick White, host of the podcast Front Porch America. This is Part 3 of a remarkable series that explores storytelling, human connection, and why people everywhere are searching for someone who will simply listen.

Rick started Front Porch America with a simple idea: give everyday people a place to share their stories. Not celebrities. Not headlines. Just real people with real experiences.

And what he’s discovered along the way is something profound.

People want to be heard.

During this conversation, Buzz and Rick dive into what happens when people finally have a space to tell their truth.

They talk about the lessons Rick has learned after a year of podcasting, the incredible stories he’s heard from guests, and why storytelling can be one of the most powerful forms of healing.

Rick shares a simple but powerful belief:

Everyone has a story, and every story deserves to be heard.

From overcoming addiction, surviving trauma, rebuilding lives, and rediscovering purpose, Rick’s podcast has become a place where people can sit down and speak openly about the moments that shaped them.

But this episode also reveals something deeper.

When we listen to someone else's story, we often rediscover parts of our own story.

Memories come back.
 Lessons resurface.
 And we begin to understand that every person we meet is carrying something we cannot see.

That’s why podcasts like Front Porch America and Who Is Your Hero matter.

They remind us that connection still exists in a world that often feels disconnected.

Lessons From Rick White

During the conversation, Rick shares some of the most important lessons he has learned through podcasting:

• People want someone to listen to them.
• Your past mistakes do not define who you are.
• Everyone has a story that matters.
• Listening can be just as powerful as speaking.

These lessons are simple, but they carry enormous weight.

Because when people feel heard, something powerful happens — they begin to heal.

Support Independent Storytelling

Rick White is doing incredible work through his podcast Front Porch America, creating a space where people can sit down and tell the stories that shaped their lives.

If you enjoy real conversations and meaningful storytelling, we encourage you to support Rick by checking out his podcast on YouTube.

Search for Front Porch America and subscribe to follow his journey.

World Who Is Your Hero Day – March 19

Before you go, remember something important.

March 19 is World Who Is Your Hero Day.

The idea is simple.

Take 19 minutes out of your day and tell someone why they matter to you.

It could be a parent.
 A partner.
 A teacher.
 A friend.
 Or someone who helped you through a difficult time.

Tell them why they are your hero.

Because sometimes the most powerful words we can say are the ones we leave unsaid for too long.

Listen to Episode 49 Now

🎧 Front Porch America – Rick White (Part 3) is now available on all major podcast platforms.

Listen now and join the conversation.

And remember…

Everyone has a story.

Maybe all they need is someone willing to sit on the porch and listen.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 1:28

Legends, welcome back to episode 49, part three, with Rick White and Front Porch America. Today we're heading back across the Pacific to a Front Porch in America. And if you've been following the series, you already know something special has been happening between two podcasters, two storytellers, two blokes on opposite sides of the world who discovered they're pretty much cut from the same cloth. This is part three with Rick White, a man behind the podcast Front Porch America. Now, if you ever sat in a front porch before, you know the magic of it. It's where stories get told. It's where strangers become mates. It's where people finally say things they've been carrying around for years. And that's exactly what Rick has created. A place where every day people can sit down, take a breath, and tell their story. Because Rick believed something that I absolutely agree with. Everyone has a story worth hearing. And over the last year, he's been proving that from people who survived life-changing trauma to guests who rebuilt their lives after addiction to stories so unbelievable. They sound like a Hollywood movie. But here's the thing about Rick White. He's not just a podcast host, he's a listener. In a world where everyone wants to talk, Rick learned something powerful. Sometimes the most important thing you can do for someone is simply listen. In this part of the conversation, we dive into some credible territory. We talk about the wild and unbelievable stories Rick has uncovered through his podcast. Why people desperately want to be heard, the lessons he's learned after a year of sitting across from strangers sharing their lives, and why every story, every struggle, every comeback really matters. But we're also getting into something deeper because when you start listening to people's stories, something strange happens. You start discovering parts of your own story too. Memories come back, lessons appear, and suddenly you realize that every conversation has the power to change you just a little bit. So today we sit back on the porch for the last time in this series. Two blokes, two microphones, two countries, but one bloody mission to remind the world that every person you meet is carrying a story you can't see. This is Front Porch America, Rick White, part three, and legend. Let's get into it where we left off. You know, when you get you into your podcast, and you know, an hour, if I go over an hour, I make two episodes, part one and two, because my listeners will come back and you say, I only want 30 minutes, buzz. An hour's too long.

SPEAKER_02 4:22

Right.

SPEAKER_03 4:22

So I then split them up, or sometimes I've had to split it up into four episodes. That's cool.

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Yeah. Well, listen, uh I'm just gonna tell this to your Aussie audience, man. Um, I'm sorry, but I'm ADHD, I'm scatterbrained, and I will ramble. Uh I'm like uh, you know, so I'm like squirrel and I'm distracted for the rest of the day. Um and I'll start something. My wife will be like, do this. And I'd be like, okay, so I'll go start doing this, and then something will catch my eye and I'll forget that and start this. And before I know it, I've got seven different things going on, and then I've already completely forgot what I'm doing, you know. So I do apologize for that. But yeah, I th I think it's amazing that you're you're to the point where you can do it full time now. I've been really blessed. I've got a few sponsors, and they each contribute in a different way, right? Uh, a couple of sponsors actually give out discounts for the Q, you know, for my listeners. You know, they don't really contribute much to me, but they'll give, you know, they'll give a five, 10, 15% discount on their products or whatever. And to me, that is helping me because when they do that, it's like, oh man, you know, Rick's got all these sponsors, and this is what they're doing. You know, and I and I have a couple that uh one sponsor, man, such has been a freaking backbone for me. Um, the Fat Boy app.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

Uh it's a local mom and pop restaurant locator, like the only one of its kind.

SPEAKER_03 5:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:52

They only have those restaurants. They don't have big chain restaurants. Man, they they have been freaking awesome. And another gentleman um who has actually just been phenomenal. So yeah, I'm lucky to have those, but eventually, absolutely, I would love to figure out how I can do this full time. Uh, I'm definitely not making the money to, you know, so well, okay, take this job and shove it. But uh and it never gets that to that point, it's okay.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

Yeah, but I I'm not saying I'm I'm creating records. I'm l I'm living so much different to what I was now. You know, I might have mean in in my crazy days, the devil days, I might have needed five grand a week, Aussie to lift, you know what I mean? My mortgages and all that sort of shit, you know, and the more you make, the more you spend. So we're not saying a literary of, I'm just living, you know, lightly. It's um it's crazy. And I've because my wife's so big and you know, my worthy and my health's, you know, my health's under control, it it the wealth just looks after itself and you will, buddy. It it you just keep going on this journey of giving and good, and all of a sudden you'll turn around and go, shit, I'm not gonna make a decision now. I can I can just go part-time to that hospital. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 7:07

Um was there ever in the last year, was there ever a point where you were just like, I'm done. This is not working, you know, locals aren't supporting like you think they would, or you're not getting support, and you just kind of get bummed out.

SPEAKER_03 7:20

I don't think so. I think I knew I had to do like um up to 47 episodes, but they've got part threes and fours, so I think I'm 78 episodes or something now. Wow. But I don't think there was, Rick. I I that I'm like you, I I've got eight things going on at once, and you know, with my ex She would I was renovating a house and she's going, Fuck, is this ever gonna end? You start finishing something. You know, and like let's be proud of I'm just listening, you know. Uh maybe podcasts uh uh are cut with the same cloth, man, because most of the stuff you're you're telling me, I'm thinking you're my brother from another mother, you know.

SPEAKER_02 8:00

But uh well you know, you're talking about renovating a house. We did the same thing to ours. And if you've if you've never renovated a renovated a house that you're actually living in at the same time, I highly suggest don't do it.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

You know, did the same thing or it's crazy, but um yeah, no, to answer your question in short form, no, I've never given up, but I've I'm the sort of person in life which you sound like too. I it's not in my vocabulary, mate. I don't quit. I don't and um Sam Childer's got that new documentary out. Um Never Stop's called It's a Great Docco. And he's still Never Stop or something, I think it's called. And he did the movie with Jared Butler, the machine gun preacher, about 2011. But this is another doco he's just put out, and it's a real more truer story of what he's actually doing in Uganda uh 28 years later. Um pretty powerful. And Sam's uh testimonial is on short form on my podcast, but there's plenty of things to listeners, and you know I plug Sam quite often. I've met Sam here in Australia. I went to one of his testimonials uh in Yuribar down in the Northern Rivers. And man, I do wanted I wanted to pick up an M16 and go and fight with him. I was at Pumps. And uh right I was after his testimonial, I said, bro, I'm coming with you. He says, No, no, no, you've got to do God's work here. When you finish that, you can come and help me. Yeah, I was pumped, bro. Just how gutsy and what he came from like he was a Philadelphia bloody bikey drug dealer stuck with the death level, mate. He was a nasty man. And now what he's doing now, he's put that energy into saving hundreds and hundreds of kids in Uganda. Incredible story. Um that is lead leading into incredible stories. This thing's flowing really good because we sort of uh ending on somebody that takes us to the next subject. You mentioned Anna Keebler's story really moved you. Yeah, her book, The The Ghost in the Middle Kingdom, uh powerful title of that book. What struck you most about her journey and what did you learn from interviewing her?

SPEAKER_02 10:18

You know, so Anna actually reached out to me and she was like, I think I have a story you might like. And she sent me this long paragraph and I read it and I was like, there is no way this is true. You know, it's always you all you get those one stories that you're like, if you weren't there, you you can't hardly believe it, right? So her story was that, exact that. And and her being just a couple hours away from where I live, it was just really, it was really neat, you know. So she uh she's this college student, grew up just kind of like I did it, you know, out in the middle of nowhere. She goes to college, sees this exchange program, she goes to China, uh, falls in love in China, gets conned. Uh, she almost gets kidnapped, she escapes a kidnapping. Um and one of the biggest things is that the guy she falls in love with convinces her to have an abortion. And it just kind of flows off of those decisions. But the story of her journey of okay, I'm 19 years old, I'm gonna pack my life up and go to China was just I was just like, people do that, you know? Yeah at 19 years old, if if I would have known that was possible, I guess if you you know, that would I I would have packed my crap and went to went to Australia. Yeah. Um, but I didn't know that was possible. And to hear her journey and hear her this her story should be a movie. There is no doubt this would make a movie. The way she told that story, and you know, she she starts writing this book and she talks about how she documented everything and wrote everything down and she learned to learn to speak Chinese and the culture there and and the way of life over there compared to our way of life. It was just so unbelievable, but I was just so drawn in. Just the paragraph she sent me, um, kind of just describing what she wanted to talk about. I knew that this was a story that I wanted to hear. I don't care if anybody else lists through it, I want to hear this story.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

Yeah, you know, but would motive motivate others to.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

Oh my gosh. If if if I urge people, if you get a chance, actually the episode's actually gonna drop here just in a little bit about around noon, noonish my time. Uh so in a couple no couple of hours, that's it's gonna be available. It'll be available on YouTube, Spotify, and all the all the platforms. Uh but it's gonna drop in in just a couple, like a couple of three hours. And dude, like I've interviewed a gentleman that we rescued out of a grain bin who was caught in a grain bin. Um, you know, I've talked to people who've lost people, and everybody has such an amazing story. And this was a completely different route of a story. It's literally like I'm sitting here thinking, who can play her in the movie? Who's gonna play her her her fiance? Yeah. I'm like, this is like it's one of those that I literally felt like I was watching a movie when she was telling a story. She is such an incredible storyteller. She has another book coming out the first of May called Firecrackers, and it's more of a lighthearted collection of stories, and there's some really good ones in there. She kind of gave me a sneak peek. Yep. Um and so it it hit different than then. I don't know if it's because I'm getting more seasoned since this is, you know, I've been doing this a full year and I've interviewed several people. Uh stories are hitting different now. Uh, or if I'm just seeking something different. But the way she she needs to go around and tell the story, uh, and people need to pay her. I'm just telling you, it was so intriguing. Oh, inspiring.

SPEAKER_03 14:11

An answer to that question, Nate, your energy levels and and what you're letting off is what you're attracting. Uh, because it's it's happening to me. Um, and I and you know, you pitch yourself listening to it, you're stuck in a story time with some of the podcasts, and you've got to snap yourself out of it at times. That's the next question, don't you? I mean, you end up watching the game, you know, it's like I even mentioned that to her, you know.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

I was like, Anna, I I have ADHD, and normally I have a hard time sitting still and not saying something. Um, but I was so intrigued with her stories. Like, there was times I was like, oh crap, I need to ask this question. You know, I had to bring myself back to reality, if you will. Um, it was just it was so it was so interesting. So i I don't know, I don't know exactly how to explain it, but it was just one of the most interesting stories I've ever heard.

SPEAKER_03 15:01

No, I I get it. I'm doing a made of mine rolling old at the moment, part one and two. I've just released them, and he's uh what was schooled in Jamaica and then the South Sudan over to England and he's a Pommy guy and he's he sent me his memoirs, uh about 16 pages, because he wanted to have some history to teach around the world, basically has. We're 75 years of age, and and um he sent me his memoirs. He said, Oh, buzz. Yeah, have a have a read of these and tell me what you think of them. I've written them for my kids if I die and they know actually what their dad's done. And I said, Roland, this is absolutely incredible. You need to you need to come on and and and tell them we need to we need to write a book. We need to write a book, Roland. He goes, Settle down, buzz. He's he's got this South African pommy accent when you listen to him. But I'm I'm listening to him talk the other day and I'm reading his memoirs, and um I mean I could do ten podcasts on it. It is it is a life so well lived that you just say, could you actu like you just said, can you actually do that? How did you how did you pack so much?

SPEAKER_02 16:18

How does one person decide that this is what they're you know, I never at 19 years old, I would have never thought that I would be able to pack my stuff, leave and go to China or Australia or you know, anywhere like that. And and I don't know if it's you know what we're introduced to growing up or you know, uh more of a sense of family and gathering and and whatever. I don't know what what kept me from doing it because you know I'm getting older now and there's things that I'm like, gosh, I should have done this, you know, and I'm beating myself up for not taking that chance. You know, so now um, and I always kid that if I end up with a terminal illness, um, I'm I'm in love with P51 Mustangs. I love the history of World War II. And I always kid that I'm not gonna die in a hospice center if I have cancer or I'm gonna die in the middle of the ocean from stealing a P51 Mustang from somewhere. You know, that's that's that I'm go I'm if I'm going out, I'm going out my way, you know.

SPEAKER_03 17:18

Going out, sliding it, sliding in to meet the makers saying what a hell of a ride. Yeah, yeah. So that's fair. But yeah, I mean it was just that leads me on to a another thing, and um the lessons of of year one um is a topic I just want to talk about now. And I've got a few questions on it. One one is what have you over the last year in podcasting, what do you learned about people?

SPEAKER_02 17:44

I I I was like, man, one of the biggest things I've learned about people is people want to have their story told. You know, people are looking for someone to listen. I've learned that just because you made a mistake early in life doesn't mean that defines you as a person. What that means is you made a choice that turned out to be the wrong choice, but you figured out how to fix that choice, right? And people are gr are really quick to uh judge you on the choices you made before you quote unquote changed your life, right? They don't judge you on on the things you're doing now. Um there's always somebody's always gonna have negative stuff to say. But that that's the biggest thing. I think people want to be hurt. We kind of touched on this earlier. People want to be hurt, people want to be listened to, people want to feel relevant. You know, people want to feel like people care about them. And I think that that's the biggest thing that I've noticed is when I have these people in these seats, you know, um no matter what they're here for, whether they're advertising for their business or they're they still want that, they still need that connection and they and they want to be heard. And by the time they leave, I feel like that okay, they came, they advertised, but they also got a little more than they bargained for, you know.

SPEAKER_03 19:23

What do you learn about yourself?

SPEAKER_02 19:27

Man, I I've learned to sit and listen. Yeah. That's what I've learned, you know. Um and I'm and I don't mean that just because of the ADHD thing. I I I've learned to sit, work on how I look at people, right? I've always been really open-minded and try to be the most non-judgmental person because I've made mistakes. I've made a lot of mistakes. Uh I've answered for those. I I've I'm really big um on accountability. I like I try my best to hold myself accountable. Now, am I perfect? Absolutely not. I don't claim to be. I still screw up daily, you know. Um but I've learned to sit and listen to people because they're telling you something. Um whether whether whatever it is, they sit down in this chair, they're they're telling me something. And I'm gonna get something. I have gotten something from every interview I've done. I have taken something away and applied it to my own life. And that that's I think that's the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

And this and their story is ultra, ultra important to them. 100%. I mean, we might uh that there's not really anything I find.

SPEAKER_02 20:41

Listen, your your story is your life. You know, it's your legacy. Yeah, and to them, when they're telling that story, it's their life, it's their legacy, it's super important to them. It defines who we are. Our stories start at birth and define us until the day we die.

SPEAKER_03 20:58

Yeah, and and how good is it? When when you're talking to people like this, things come up, flashbacks in my life. Yeah, I've got a notebook with me, so every guest I have on spikes something that I'd sort of forgotten about in in my post. You know, write it down and it's sort of filling the cracks in in for me too, which is there's a lot of therapy, and I'll tell my listeners this all the time. I I'm uh obviously with feedback's helping and saving a lot of people, but to my listeners and followers, and I say it, oh, but so much gratitude for you guys that you tune into this show each each week and and uh keep keep lining up the downloads, but you're listen you're you're helping me as as much as I'm helping you, and I need to make that Oh absolutely need to make that really clear.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

I don't think they realize that, you know. My to them it's just another podcast that has a message, but they don't realize how much it's actually helping us. Yeah. Um, you know, you you mentioned about bringing flashbacks and stuff. If You know, I do video podcasts, and if you're watching uh some of my podcasts, you'll see me just randomly smile at something, you know, they'll talk about something and it's kind of serious, but it'll bring back a memory from when I was a kid and stuff to happen that I'm just like, you gotta be kidding me, you know. I haven't thought about that in years. And and it triggers those things. And that's the greatest feeling. The greatest feeling is closing a podcast and having your guest say thank you, or man, you don't know how that how much better I feel.

SPEAKER_03 22:31

All right, Townsville. Listen up. Let's have a short break and talking about if you're thinking about cooking this week, don't. Rob and Katie at the Australian Hotel have already done the hard work. This is how the week rolls. Smash burger, crispy chips, pot of beer, Monday night, 20 bucks. Tuesdays, 400 gram rump chip cellar gravy, 20 bucks. 400 grams, that's not a snack, that's a damn commitment. Wednesday, 19 bucks, pot and palmy, midweek sorted, hump day's gone. Thursday, steak, sangarin chips, 15 bucks. Trade's office crew and anyone with taste buds, that's your lunch and dinner sorted. And Friday, the 50 cent wing ding special. Yes, 50 cents a wing, six flavors, bring you back up. And if you stay light long enough, I think you can shuck some oysters, not the other thing, you can shuck them after four to five o'clock, I think. Sunday, Irish spice bag and a pint of Guinness just to get rid of the Saturday night, maybe hung over tour of the 30 bucks. That's a comfortable food done probably. Rob and Katie just aren't running specials. They're keeping Townsville fed without smashing the wallet. So get to the Aussie Hotel, support local legends, grab your mates, and tell them Baz sentcha. Australian Hotel, mates looking after mates. And don't forget punters, hero up. Oh, it's it's it's that's brilliant. I mean, Tim Tim today, he's uh he's been a lawyer, a lawyer in Townsville where I'm living at the moment for 40 years. So he's the Ilka Society and a really good guy. And we thanked each other and shook hands at the end of the podcast, but two hours later he sends me a text message and gets thank you so much for this morning. And I'm just like trying to do backflips or high five someone, you know what I mean? It's right Well, he goes back it completes Yes, it completes exactly what we're saying.

SPEAKER_02 24:36

People want to be heard, yeah, and then people want somebody to listen to and then he walks away saying, Do you want some more guests?

SPEAKER_03 24:42

I've got some great mates that got great. Yeah, so it just grows and grows and grows. Like you'll get you'll get to a part now. Um like I sort of three, four months ago was just battling along with probably 9,000 or 10 people, I don't know, eleven to twelve thousand listeners or something like that. Yeah, and all of a sudden it reached this point where it just went crazy. I'm look I'm looking at my stats and going, what the hell's happening here?

SPEAKER_02 25:14

It it's someone told someone and someone told someone, and it just grew like the measles or the mumps or the well do you think that since you're doing you know strictly audio, you're you're probably uh promoting different platform styles more, right? I promote YouTube and Facebook uh because uh mine's a visual podcast. Um so you know, like we said, you know, people don't want to give you uh don't want to help, you know. Um but I feel like I've connected with you now and I'm like, hey, I can probably get some pointers. This guy knows what he's talking about, you know, it's growing. You're succeeding in just a little bit of time that you you've had yours on.

SPEAKER_03 25:51

And do you know I think um one person uh the guy on Monday who I did the golf cart chronicles with, he goes, wouldn't it be great if we put a GoPro in this golf cart? And I go, Yeah, it would be, but you know, on the other side of it where I do who is my hero, who is your hero, I think I'd scare a lot of people off at the moment with a visual.

SPEAKER_02 26:13

So so I think I think you know, your who is your hero. Um could that could it could because I have guests that say I would love to come on, but you know, I don't know if I want to be on camera.

SPEAKER_04 26:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:27

Um and but the golf cart, dude, you throw you a couple of GoPros up, get you some wireless mics, and you want to talk about funny. I mean, I can see where that would be very any tape.

SPEAKER_03 26:41

It'd be funny. I bought the mic kit, the remote mic kit, when I was down to see my father, and I've got that going, and we're wired up and it works 200 metres away, so they could be having a a pee behind a tree on their moon. Talk me to someone I get the whole fucking lot.

SPEAKER_02 26:56

Yeah, you you need to definitely get you some GoPros mounted, some kind of action cameras to to record on, dude, because that that would be I can tell you, I can see that really blowing up.

SPEAKER_03 27:08

But if someone had like the coppers the police have or the emergency waves had it have a body cam on them or something, then this one in the car, I don't know, but it it's got legs, and and one thing it's really doing at the golf club already is people are getting to know each other because there'll be a group sitting over there, there's like 1,200 members or 2,000 members of this golf club. And they've all got their little cliques and after their games they all sit together or they play golf together. This is now getting a conversation going. Oh, I heard you on the podcast the other day, you know. I didn't know this at all, anyway. I know this about you, I didn't know that was your job, I didn't know where you come from, how many brothers and sisters, and all of a sudden there's synergies and connections which creates the culture of a club, it changes the whole thing.

SPEAKER_02 27:58

Yeah, yeah, it's not a clickish club, it starts to become an actual community.

SPEAKER_03 28:02

And all of a sudden you're playing golf with someone you wouldn't play golf with. And you're and you're listening to their story. Like 18 holes of golf is four and a half hours of your day. You you you gotta talk, you gotta sleep to the your partner. It's a competition. Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02 28:18

So so Oh, so 18 18 hoes is supposed to only last like four and a half hours. I think I was on 18 hoes for like 10 hours once.

SPEAKER_03 28:27

Yeah, you probably had too much beer.

SPEAKER_02 28:29

I probably didn't. I just really suck at golf.

SPEAKER_03 28:32

And a lot of them, a lot of them just come to get out of the house and drink beer and talk to their mates. It's quite uh an interesting, and I think I'm um I think I'm onto something with it. It's gonna take a lot of work. I think you are gonna take a lot of work, it's a lot of editing, but um Yeah, I bet it is. You know, they're running an hour and a bit at the moment, and I I I asked the guys up at golf for days, is it okay? They go, Yeah, we're doing it. We put it on when we go to sleep. You know, it's their nighttime, nighttime thing. A lot of a lot of poo Australia is so big as you know, I mean uh it takes you five, six, three days to drive from one side to the other if you want to go to Perth. And I think a lot of I found podcasting before I was doing my own podcasting, they'd have it on in the car and kill thirty, forty minutes.

SPEAKER_02 29:20

Right. You know, a lot a lot of the times that's what I do is when I'm we're transporting patients three or four hours away, I'll turn a podcast on and what I'll do is how I select it is I'll go through some of the groups that are, you know, we're part of on Facebook or whatever, and I'll look and the first one I shut see is what I'll listen to.

SPEAKER_04 29:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:39

Um and I'll listen to it whether it it's something I'm interested in or not, because I I feel like, okay, I'm gonna go ahead and listen to this hour and a half podcast, even though it's really not what I like, because I know that there will be people sitting in my chair that really don't like me but want to tell their story. You know what I mean? Yeah. So that that's kind of why that's kind of how I how I do it.

SPEAKER_03 30:02

Rick, just just one of you and you know what, man, I was talking to my partner, uh Carly on the phone. She she lives a f a fair way away from me at the moment, but um she goes, What do you got on? I said, I'm I'm I've got this guy, Rick White, on my podcast. He goes, Who? I said, Is that in America? Uh I'm I'm gonna do it about midnight or one o'clock tonight. He goes, She goes, You're nuts. And I go, Yeah, I am, but I'm really feeling some good energy already, and it happened so fast. Um, we're gonna sort of wind this show up a little bit because we've we've gone an hour and 36, so there's a couple episodes there for us anyway.

SPEAKER_02 30:38

It doesn't even feel like that. That's so crazy.

SPEAKER_03 30:40

It is. I've had I've actually had my podcast um recorder turn off from me after two hours, not even knowing. And I was oh wow, yeah, 10 minutes interviewing someone, and we're not even recording.

SPEAKER_02 30:52

I apologize to you to your listeners. I'm sorry, this this this white boy over here in America, man. I just I can ramble on and on and on. I love people, I love talking to people. So um I've been so excited since you know when when you said, hey man, let's let's get together and do this. Um I've like I said, I've been freaking out about the time difference. I'm like, dude, this dude is living in the future. You talk it's it's it's it's just crazy. What a on how how something so small brings people together.

SPEAKER_03 31:19

Yeah, and it's it's brought me a lot of joy, and it's it's how 2 37 in the morning in Australia here in the future, as you say, but I don't even feel tired. I I don't know I'm gonna go back to sleep. I'm actually on my dialysis in my in my cycle as I am uh when I do a lot of podcasts. Um but uh I said to Carly uh this afternoon, I said this could be somebody that that Rick and I catch up once a month or something, and I would love to and check out what's happening in your world and and cross cross um cross our synergies over because you know we're you're a mile away from us, but we've still got these same these same problems and everyone needs a voice. Now, Rick, winding this up on this show we ask one question that matters to all of my guests. You're a unique guest because you're doing what I'm doing, and I bloody love it because I'm I just believe if I can help you and you can help me, and we can help someone else doing this, we get the message out faster. And that's all I want to do is you know, listen to people's stories. But I asked one question and you tell me preempted what it's gonna be, and everyone goes, I knew you'd ask that. Rick White, who is your hero.

SPEAKER_02 32:36

Yeah, so you know, we can always give that cliche answer of it's my dad or it's my it's so and so. But if I'm gonna answer that as honest as I can, my hero is the underdog. My hero is the one that people forget about. My hero are those people that survive those traumatic events, that overcome addiction, that start over with without anything. You know, I've been there, I've done that. Um and and to actually say one person is my hero, I can't do that. I can't do that because there's so many people out there that have stories and and have these qualities that we would look for in a hero, right? Uh I'm a huge Johnny Cash fan because I just love the fact that he was this way, he changed his life this way, he lived this way, and he stood by it, right? So I I've always looked up to not really not idolized him, but just kind of looked up to him. But my heroes are the pe are the people that we forget about, the people that are overlooked and and not in your everyday life, but the people that show up when nobody else shows up. So I I just I can't say one person is my hero. I can't do it. I don't think it would be fair. I feel like I would be lying about it.

SPEAKER_03 34:12

I get it. I mean, I listened to this solicitor lawyer today, and at the end of it said, Tim, you're a bloody hero. You know what I mean? Every yeah, everyone I talk to is a hero. And right, yeah. I got a little cliche.

SPEAKER_02 34:24

You know, ill in my line of work, I don't mean to over talk you, but in my line of work, uh we get called that every once in a while. I mean it's rare, but we do. You know, you're a hero. No, I'm not. You're the hero for surviving it. You're the hero for going through it. All I did was my job. Yeah. You know, so to me that that that's I I don't I don't like the word hero.

SPEAKER_03 34:48

No, I d I I've actually never liked the word hero, but yeah, it I I use the word hero in this, and some people said oh and I and I get that.

SPEAKER_02 34:58

And and I, you know, I that's what I liked about when I seen the name of your podcast, I was like, that is so genius.

SPEAKER_03 35:04

Well because I get it. I want people to be their own hero, to find their inner hero, to tell their story, and and and knowing full well that uh you know your story might be a bit uh blanched or uh stuffed up at times of your life, but that hero is always within you from when you were born, when you're a young boy or a young girl, it's sitting there. And sometimes uh we as human beings do things that we've we we lose our hero or we forget where it went for a while, but it never goes, it's always uh flickering down somewhere and you know, stay another day and see if you can find your hero again.

SPEAKER_02 35:41

And you know, uh it's always hidden, right? And you can always use the analogy the Clark Kenton Superman. You know it's it's underneath that suit. Yeah, and in order to in order to get it out, you gotta take that suit off. And that could be, you know, living another day, making a different choice. Yeah. Um reaching out to that person nobody else wants to reach out to, making that difference big or small. Uh to me that that's and the people who accept it and the people who uh uh reach out for that help and want that help, those are the heroes, man. That that's those are the people that deserve that big S on their chest in the cape, in my opinion.

SPEAKER_03 36:23

Absolutely. Uh before we wind this up, Rick, how can my listeners follow you?

SPEAKER_02 36:31

Man, you could go, they could go to YouTube, uh, Front Porch America. Um, you know, I have my Facebook is Rick White, Front Porch America, Spotify, Apple, uh, let's see here. iHeart Pandora RSS feed. Um I haven't mastered, I haven't mastered Podbean or utilize Podbean or any of those yet. But my main one, since I'm a video podcaster, YouTube would be the way to support me if you're just a listener. Obviously, Spotify and Apple um is available too.

SPEAKER_03 37:04

All right, and just before I I um go into my outro, and we'll have a little chat once I finish my outro, but um the book book, the book Ian's done is actually called Just One Reason. Oh wow, I like Just One Reason. That's little pocketbook. I will put some information up on my Facebook and socials about it. And we'll have a chat after this where I can send you some copies, or it might be we'll see how we go. I'm not sure if he's got it on Amazon and all that record might be easy to send you bills that way, but or do that. But just one reason. It's a great title, and I've I've funnily enough, uh after looking at it, added to stay another day without even knowing I've done that. So um that is Yeah, and it is just give me just give me just one reason, you know, and it's a it's a mighty statement. It's a mighty statement. Rick mate, one year ago you started something without knowing exactly where it would go, and today you're building a porch, people are sitting at. Imagine mate, that's impact, that's courage. To everyone listening, go check out Front Porch America, support independent storytellers, and if you've got a little bit more time, go and look up Anna Kiebler's book, A Ghost in the Middle Kingdom. Uh, and Rick's saying that's that's coming live in a few hours, which is great. I might even have to stay up for this. But most importantly, have a porch conversation somewhere this week. I love the title. Ask someone about their story. It doesn't have to go to air, it could be just sitting down, having a cup of coffee, and Rick says on that old rocking chair. Because everyone you meet is carrying something you can't see. Rick White, different country, same mission. Thanks for coming on and let's all hear up. Thank you very much, Rick.

SPEAKER_02 39:07

Absolutely, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_03 39:08

Legends, what a ride. That was part through with Rick White, the man behind the podcast, Front Porch America. And I gotta say something straight up, Rick mate, thank you. Thank you for the conversation. Thank you for your honesty. Thank you for doing exactly what this world needs more of right now. Listening to people. Because that's really the whole conversation has been about. No fame, not downloads, not chasing numbers, but something much simpler. Giving people a place to sit down and take a breath and tell their story. And Rick's built exactly that. Front, a digital front porch. A place where everyday people, the ones walk past every day without really seeing and finally say what they've been carrying around inside. Because the truth is, everyone you meet is fighting something, everyone you meet is carrying a story. Some stories are loud, some are quiet, some are full of pain, some are full of triumph. But every single one of them matters. That's why conversations like this are important. When people feel heard, something powerful happens. Walls come down, connections form, and suddenly we all feel a little bit less lonely. Rick White is doing that from his front porch in America, and we're doing it here on Who Is Your Hero from Australia? Different countries, different accents, but the exact same mission. Helping people find their voice, and maybe, just maybe, helping someone out there realising alone. So, Rick Mate, thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for sharing your journey, and thank you for reminding us that sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply sit down with someone and listen. Now, legends, before I wrap this up, I want to remind you about something that means a lot to this podcast. March nominee for my birthday, it's World Whoas You Here Today. And the idea is simple take 19 minutes out of your day, just 19 minutes, and tell someone why they matter to you. It might be your mum, your dad, your partner, a teacher, a mate, someone who helped you through a tough time, or someone who never ever realized the impact they had on your life. Just ring them up and tell them, just find them and colour them. Because we spend far too much time waiting for the perfect moment. It's normally in a bloody eulogy. And sometimes the moment never comes. So don't wait much, take 19 minutes, tell someone why they are your hero. And while you're at it, make sure you go and support Rick Wine on his podcast. You can find Front Polish America over on YouTube where Rick is sharing powerful conversations with everyday people and the incredible stories they carry. Come on YouTube, search for Front Polish America, subscribe, support independent storytellers who are doing the work that really, really matters. Because podcasts like Rick's, shows like this one, aren't just entertainment, they're conversations that can change life. Legends, thank you for being here. Thank you for listening, thank you for sharing these stories with the people around you. Because every time you share an episode, you might just help someone hear the message they needed that day. I'm Buzz, this is Who is Your Hero, and remember your hero might be closer than you think. Until next time, hero up the only one.

SPEAKER_01 42:41

I hope someday you will join us. And the world would be a one. Imagine though when we would go.