The Inspiration Project

Episode Description

On this episode of The Inspiration Project, Brendan Corr talks to Australian Theatre Actor and Australian of the year finalist, Daniel Widdowson about his early work for Saturday Disney, Hope 103.2, and why he started acting in the first place. To what it’s like experiencing some high highs and some low lows in the acting industry. Along with how experiencing intense emotions have helped Dan craft stories and influence other’s emotions.

Among other things Dan shares:

* How Dan got the role at Saturday Disney
* What it’s like being an actor experiencing a range of emotions
* What entertainment is
* How Dan views influencing other’s emotions
* What are the things that form the bedrock of experience or of life
* Does Dan think that there are a relative morals in film? Is there right and wrong? Are there things that are good and bad?
* Dan’s particular God moment that lead him to faith

On this episode of The Inspiration Project, Producer Jarred (Jay) Fantom talks to Psychologist Sue Bartho about the intersection of Christian faith and human psychology, why our core sense of self will influence every aspect of our lives, and how to attain core beliefs about self based around the word of God.

Episode Summary

• How to attain core beliefs about self based around the word of God
• The intersection of faith and human psychology
• Bringing spirituality into psychology to help people with mental health issues
• How Sue became a Christian
• What it’s like working as a Christian Psychologist and what she loves most about this vocation
• What working in a rehabilitation centre taught her about human psychology
• Helping people through depression and anxiety

Episode Description

On this episode of The Inspiration Project, Brendan Corr talks to bestselling author and president of The Grace Message, Dr Andrew Farley about living in Texas, the naked gospel, church without religion, how grace is the answer, how certain writers became mentors to Andrew and why the deity of Christ is important.

Episode Summary

• Knowing the importance of the deity of Christ.
• The Naked Gospel and Church without religion.
• Andrew coming to Christ for salvation.
• What sin is and isn’t.
• Life in Texas for Andrew.
• What is applied linguistics and how Andrew got interested in that field of study.
• How Andrew has been able to understand the language of God, the language of scripture, the person of Jesus and his message.
• Why It's so vital that we choose the right words to describe our relationship with Jesus.
• Andrew’s favourite scripture and why.

Episode Description

On this episode of The Inspiration Project, Brendan Corr talks to Darlene Zschech the acclaimed singer and songwriter about where her love for music came from, coming to Christ at age 15, realising what God’s unconditional love meant to her, finding her voice in Christian Worship and what was life like for Darlene after her song ‘Shout To The Lord’ was discovered.

Episode Summary

• What were some lessons Darlene learned from School growing up
• How she discovered her talent for singing
• How Darlene became a Christian
• What does it mean to achieve excellence in Christian Music
• What it was like for Darlene starting out in a small startup Christian Worship group assembling extraordinary talent
• Where does a good song come from?
• What has it meant for Darlene to carry on the Legacy of the song ‘Shout to the Lord.’ And is it something that she is still able to celebrate
• Is Darlene happy about the next generation of God-inspired songwriters whether they are recognising the continuation of the Spirit in the lyrics and the worship and intent

Episode Description

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Claire Rogers the CEO of Oho about the nature of leadership and how her faith plays an important role in leading larger organisations. Claire’s understanding of purpose and faith and why failure is a beautiful gift. Plus so much more!

Among other things Claire shares:

* What was school like for Claire
* Why leadership skills and principles are so important to Claire and where she learned those skills
* Why failure is a beautiful gift
* How did Claire come to faith and what has being a Christian meant to her?
* Claire’s understanding of purpose and faith
* How faith has shaped what Claire prioritises and what she has pursued in terms of her work.
* How Claire’s faith has helped her lead.
* The connections between doing what you love and finding what you are good at.

Episode Description

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Professor Michael Adams about how Michael got into the corporate law specialisation, the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, what is good law in the first place. And so much more.

Professor Michael Adams Episode Summary

• The absolute concept of law and a local generic expression of it
• How Michael got into studying his specialised field of corporate law
• The differences between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law
• What is a good law? What would be the hallmarks of good law?
• What is the universal concept of morality in law?
• How Michael became a Christian
• How does Michael bring together his faith and a life that's beyond our own?
• How does Michael make sense of the conception of law and the Christian experience?

Episode Description

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Australian Olympic Athlete Eloise Wellings about overcoming stepbacks, finding faith in God and the importance of good coaches and mentors.

Eloise Wellings Episode Summary

• Growing up in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire
• Finding faith in God
• Why Eloise chose running as her profession
• The importance of coaches and mentors in Elosie’s life
• How a setback can become a set up
• Going to Rio and doing well
• Missing out on several Olympic games and what that taught Eloise
• Starting her foundation in Uganda

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Tim Mannah the former Captain of the Parramatta Eels about how growing up in a Christian Family and in Church helped shape his decisions on and off the Football field. Plus who made the biggest impacts in his life and an encouragement to young people about living for God.

• How Tim got started playing rugby league
• Key people that helped shape Tim’s life
• What it was like for Tim growing up
• When and how God saved Tim
• The importance of faith in Tim’s life
• Tim’s life-changing commitments on and off the field
• Adjusting to life after retirement from professional rugby league
• The importance of education and studying
• What is next for Tim Mannah?

Episode Description

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Mike Gore the CEO of Open Doors Australia about faith and persecution, how you can identify your purpose and what it’s like confronting the stories from suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.

Mike Gore Episode Summary

• Mike Gore’s story from Hindu to Christ (11:00)
• What Open Doors does to support the persecuted church (29:03)
• How Open Doors Started (01:32)
• Faith and persecution (21:24)
• Identifying your purpose (40:24)
• What it’s like for Mike to confront stories from suffering brothers and sisters in Christ (05:38)
• Confronting racism in our culture and society (16:17)
• Why fear is the genesis to hate, discrimination, violence and racism (18:12)
• How we can support the work of the persecuted church (43:09)
  

Episode Description:

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to actor, director and musician Peter Cousens about serving others through performing arts, and how losing everything financially led Peter to a deepened faith.

Peter Cousens Episode Summary

• Peter discovering his "happy place" at 16 years of age.
• Musical theatre was part of Peter's family heritage.
• Music gives Peter a heightened sense of the universe.
• How you can serve others through the performing arts.
• How losing everything financially led Peter to a deepened faith.
• A moving story of Peter praying in the middle of the night.
• How theatre can change peoples' lives.

Episode Description:

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Associate Professor Elissa Deenick who works at the Garvan Institute where she is the head of Immunity and Inflammation. Dr Deenick talks about going to a Christian School, where her interest in science originated and following Jesus.

Episode Summary

• How an interest in the human body led to immunology.
• How studying science at a Christian school led to her becoming a scientist.
• Science explores the natural world; God created the natural world.
• How Christianity makes more sense of the world than other religions.
• What was it like as a young Christian studying science at a secular university?
• Pursuing the truth no matter the cost.
• What does it mean to be created in the image of God?
• Where true peace is found in an uncertain world.
• How Christians should view vaccines

Episode Description:

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Kate Bracks the winner of the 3rd season of MasterChef Australia. Kate shares why she decided to go on MasterChef and how God played an important role in her winning the show.

• What was Kate doing before her MasterChef experience?
• Why food is so important to Kate
• The process leading up to being a contestant on MasterChef
• How God has been part of Kate’s life even while on MasterChef
• What is Kate’s purpose in life?
• What it was like being a Christian in that heady world of reality TV
• Kate not calling The Dalai Lama “His Holiness”
• Life after MasterChef

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Ken Ham about debating Bill Nye, the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum and how Ken handles personal attacks from those who don’t understand what he believes.

• What was it like for Ken to grow up in an Australian Christian Family?
• What influenced Ken to become a teacher?
• “It's only what's done for Jesus that lasts”
• Why Ken still teaches at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum
• What does Ken see as the possible contention between faith and fact and the need to prove the things of God?
• How Ken handles personal attacks for what he believes
• What is the complimentary side of knowing the Word and having a personal relationship with God?

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Claire Madden about what led Claire into the field of Social Research particularly focusing on Gen Z’s, how faith plays a role in her life as a social researcher and is there still a generational gap in our society today.

• What is Claire’s particular focus area?
• How do social demographers come up with fantastically obscure labels?
• What were the characteristics of Gen Zs that captured Claire’s interest?
• Is there still a generational gap in our society today?
• Do younger generations have less place for God in their shared lives?
• Are there Gen Zs and Millennials in church?
• Who is setting today's cultural narrative?

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to John Ford about what failure has taught John about life and faith and about working with some of the leading global companies.

On this episode of ‘The Inspiration Project’, Brendan Corr talks to Mark McCrindle about what led him to work in the field of social research and how generations respond differently to faith, COVID-19 and technology.

Dr Michael Spence is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney. Under his leadership, the University has risen to 1st in Australia and 4th in the world for graduate employability. An alumnus of the University, Dr Spence has a BA with first-class honours in English, Italian and Law. He is recognised internationally as a leader in the field of intellectual property theory and holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford. In 2017, Dr Spence was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day Honours List for  leadership of the tertiary education sector and to the Anglican Church of Australia. He was ordained an Anglican priest in 2007.

Originally from the Blue Mountains, Clare studied a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering at the University of Western Sydney before also earning her Master of Divinity from Sydney Missionary & Bible College. She had a diverse career working in corporates like Accenture and Macquarie Bank as well as in local preschools and churches before starting as the CEO of Compassion Australia in 2020. Immediately before taking up the position with Compassion, Clare was the Chief Operating Officer of Anglican Deaconess Ministries, a role she held for three and a half years. Clare is married with three children.

Brett began his career as a registered nurse where he served in ICU and Accident Emergency at various hospitals around Melbourne for 14 years. He then moved into full-time ministry, working as the Children and Family Pastor for CityLife Church for 12 years before commencing as CEO for Focus on the Family Australia in 2013. Brett is an accomplished public speaker on relationships, parenting, mental health, suicide, sexuality, addictions and work-life balance. Brett and Kate have been married for three decades and have raised 3 adult sons. Kate works alongside Brett in Focus on the Family, regularly co-presenting marriage and family workshops.

Comedian Ben Price is a national talent who performs at an international level. Ben has performed his 200+ impersonations on television networks around the world and at functions for corporate clients such as Telstra, AMP, Commonwealth Bank, Mercedes Benz, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Cadbury. He was also a finalist on Australia’s Got Talent in 2011. As well as live performance, Ben has also acted in several television commercials and featured in 4 feature length films. He first discovered his talent for impersonating voices when he was at primary school where he used his talent to entertain and prank classmates.

Dr Luke Barnes is a John Templeton Fellow at Western Sydney University. With a PhD in astronomy from the University of Cambridge, he has published papers in the fields of galaxy formation, the fine-tuning of the Universe for life and the philosophy of science. Luke is the co-author of "A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos” and the recently released “The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook”. Luke is an accomplished public speaker and also a committed Christian who believes that the fine-tuning in our universe points to a Creator God.

Andrew Scipione is a former police officer who served for 10 years as Commissioner of the New South Wales Police Force. He was born in London and his family immigrated to Australia when he was an infant. Upon leaving school after his father’s death, Andrew commenced work as an electrician's apprentice to help with household expenses. He shifted to policing in 1980 and worked his way up through the ranks. Andrew holds a master's degree in management and is known for his leadership skills. For his service to policing, Andrew received the Australian Police Medal in 2003 and an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2016.

Sally Irwin founded The Freedom Hub in 2014, a business dedicated to ending modern slavery in Australia. Sally is committed to raising awareness of modern slavery, helping people escape the injustice of slavery, rehabilitating people who have survived slavery and inviting others to help fight this crime. With over 10 years experience working with survivors of human trafficking in Australia and Europe, Sally has expanded The Freedom Hub to include a survivor school for victims of slavery, an ethical cafe and event venue and ethical business services. In 2017 Inside Small Business listed Sally as one of Australia's Top 50 Small Business Leaders.

Margaret Court is a retired world No. 1 tennis player. Margaret won 24 Grand Slam singles titles in her career, which is more than any other player in history. She is also the only player to have won all 12 Grand Slam events at least twice and to have won the Grand Slam in both singles and mixed doubles. Margaret is a Member of the Order of the British Empire, an Officer of the Order of Australia and an inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Margaret is the senior pastor of Victory Life Centre, Perth.

Rev Tim Costello is an Australian Baptist minister, qualified lawyer, current Executive Director of Micah Australian and Chief Advocate of World Vision Australia (where he formerly served as CEO from 2004 to 2016). Tim studied at Monash University, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws in 1978. From 1981, Tim studied theology at the International Baptist Seminary in Switzerland, graduating with a Bachelor of Divinity before returning to Australia to become the minister of St Kilda Baptist Church, and later Collins Street Baptist. He was made an officer of the Order of Australia in June 2005.

Duncan Armstrong is an Olympic champion swimmer and former world record holder. He is most fondly remembered by the Australian public for winning a gold and a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics under the coaching of Laurie Lawrence. For his service to swimming, Duncan received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 1989. Since retiring from competitive swimming, Duncan has worked as a swimming commentator for Channel Nine and Fox Sports. He is currently employed by Telstra as an Executive Coach.

Professor Ian Harper is the Dean of Melbourne Business School at The University of Melbourne and also Co-Dean of the University’s Faculty of Business and Economics. In 2016 he was appointed to the Board of the Reserve Bank. Ian was a Partner of Deloitte Access Economics from 2011 to 2016 and from March 2014 to March 2015 chaired the Australian Government's Competition Policy Review. He authored “Economics for Life”, which won the Australian Christian Book of the Year Award, and “Confessions of a Meddlesome Economist”. Ian’s career has spanned academe, government and business.

Wendy is an experienced business leader and entrepreneur. She received a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2013 for service to the community through a range of women's and youth organisations. That same year, Wendy was inducted into the Australian Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame and named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence. She has also held global leadership roles with QBE Insurance, Alcatel and TNT International. Wendy is on the organising committee of the annual Sydney Prayer Breakfast and the board of World Vision Australia.

John Anderson was the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia and leader of the National Party from 1999 to 2005. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 1989 to 2007, serving as Minister for Primary Industries & Energy (1996–1998) and Minister for Transport & Regional Development (1998–2005) in the Howard Government. In 2011, Mr Anderson was named an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the Parliament of Australia. Having retired from formal politics before the 2007 election, he now hosts the popular podcast ‘Conversations’.

Patricia Weerakoon is a Sexologist, sex educator and writer with a Christ-focussed, Biblical framework. Patricia trained in medicine in the University of Sri Lanka and did a postgraduate study in Sexology at the University of Hawaii. 

Patricia spent 25 years as an academic at the University of Sydney, during which time she was the director of an internationally recognised postgraduate program in sexual health. 

Patricia is now retired and continues to follow her passion to educate people of all ages on good holistic sexual health by speaking and writing.

Found of Jim's Mowing, Jim Penman started a part-time gardening business while earning his PhD in history at Latrobe University. He launched a full-time mowing business in 1982 with a $24 investment. He originally aimed only at taking on subcontractors, but his business grew and he gradually began to specialise in the building up and selling of lawn mowing rounds. By 1989 he franchised his business, and since then Jim’s Mowing has become the largest franchise chain in Australian and the largest and best-known lawn mowing business in the world. Jim’s Cleaning was launched in 1994, followed by more than 50 other divisions which now operate in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. Jim’s Group now has over 3,800 Franchisees and a turnover of approximately $500 million.

As Co-founder of Gloria Jean's Coffees in Australia and as one of the team members who helped launch McDonald's in Australia, Peter Irvine has over 40 years' experience in building businesses to phenomenal levels of success. Today he is a sought-after keynote speaker and business consultant who travels the world challenging audiences to dream bigger and to achieve greater success in life and in business. He is the author of two business books and a regular speaker at industry forums and events, including Franchise Council of Australia events, the National Retailers Convention and the BRW Franchising Round Table. He and his wife live in New South Wales.

Jonathon Douglass or ‘JD’ (as he is known by his childhood nickname) is one of Hillsong Church’s foremost worship leaders and Creative Pastors, and has been a part of the UNITED team since its beginning. He credits the love and encouragement he experienced growing up at Hillsong, as playing a vital role in the development of his passions – the greatest of which is a firm belief in the power of a healthy local church in seeing God’s Kingdom established across the earth. His wife Lauren partners him in ministry, and his two beautiful daughters Indie Bo and Sailor Rose are always along for the ride. When JD is not leading worship in church or somewhere else on the globe, or discipling others pastorally, you can find him with his family at the beach or cycling.

Rev. David Robertson is a Scottish minister who was Minister of St. Peter's Free Church in Dundee, Scotland. He graduated from both the University of Edinburgh with a degree in History and from Free Church College (now Edinburgh Theological Seminary) with a degree in Theology. He was also a former club chaplain of Dundee F.C. In 2019, David left St Peters to become the Director of Third Space, a new evangelism initiative of City Bible Forum. In 2014, 2015, and 2016, David was voted as one of the 100 most influential Christians in the UK on Archbishop Cranmer's Top 100 List. He has authored several books and regularly debates atheists on various topics related to God.