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Breaking barriers, changing lives

02 February 2026

A powerful new podcast featuring stories of grit, courage and life-changing support, narrated by Sarah Macdonald.

Listen to the trailer here.

National children’s education charity The Smith Family is launching All I Can Be, a new podcast series that takes listeners inside the deeply personal journeys of Australians who've risen from tough beginnings – their stories intertwining through the challenges they’ve faced and the turning points that changed their lives.

Narrated by respected and much-loved journalist and radio presenter Sarah Macdonald, this six-part series features prominent and everyday Australians who’ve faced unbelievable obstacles but gone on to thrive, achieving goals and dreams that once felt impossible.

From young singer-songwriter Faith Kayrooz who has cared for her mum since the age of 10, to demographer Dr Liz Allen, who went from homeless at 16 to completing her PhD, their stories prove that where you begin doesn’t have to define where you go.

“The experience of making this podcast has been powerful,” Sarah Macdonald says.

“I’ve met some very successful people in my life, but to me, the people I met for All I Can Be have been the most successful of all. Because the greatest measure of success, is how you rise above challenges and how you live your life.

“They’ve all had tough starts in childhood, without the opportunities most of us take for granted. Through their incredible hard work, endurance, intelligence and some help along the way, they have broken the cycle of disadvantage to create a different future.

“It’s been an honour to hear and tell their stories. It’s also been emotional at times but the power of human beings never ceases to amaze me.”

Every child has potential. Every child deserves to be seen. And when one young person gets the chance to be all they can be, it doesn't just change their life. It changes everything.

Sarah Macdonald is available for interview, as well as Faith, Josh and Tabitha.

For guest images click here

Episodes 1-3 of All I Can Be are out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify

Episode 1 - When A Lyric Hits You: The Power of Self-Belief
Faith is a talented singer-songwriter who spent much of her childhood juggling school, work and caring for her mum. Music became her lifeline – and her launchpad. Faith takes us inside her world as a young carer, the struggles that go unseen and how one person believing in you can change everything. Plus, journalist and TV presenter Sarah Harris, who – like Faith – was raised in a home where money was tight, reflects on the tough times in her childhood and the teachers who saw a spark in her and nurtured it.

Episode 2 - The Place Where I Escaped: Finding Hope in Hard Times
For Tabitha, it was hard to see a better future when she was a child. She found escape in the library shelves, when life outside felt impossibly heavy and hard. Now a young mum and successful business owner, she talks about what it took to rise above the challenges and how she’s become the strong person she is today. And demographer Dr Liz Allen, who knows poverty firsthand, speaks powerfully about her own experiences and how we can help more young people like Tabitha to not just survive, but thrive.

Episode 3 - The Boy Who Never Gave Up: Grit, Courage and the Right Support
At 12, Josh was told he was “the man of the house”. His life began amid instability – frequent moves, a turbulent home life and adult responsibilities thrust on him far too young. Josh reveals how grit, courage and the right support helped him escape disadvantage, and create a life and career he never could have imagined. We also hear from Robyn, the Smith Family support worker who backed him for more than a decade, and from his parents and partner – underscoring the crucial importance of having people in your corner.

Guest quotes

“Younger me would have no conception of the journey that I've been on. It would be so far removed from the challenges I had as a young boy. I think it speaks volumes of education in our society that someone like me can come to this amazing, privileged position I am now from a really difficult upbringing.”
George Williams, Vice Chancellor University of Western Sydney and constitutional lawyer

“A lot of my friends, my close friends, are shocked when I tell them some of the stories from my childhood. They're in disbelief a lot of the time. They can't imagine that I had life that hard and I've managed to kind of claw my way out, in a sense.”
Josh, solutions engineer and former Smith Family student

“That's all it takes – just one person to believe in you, just one person to see a special part of you, to see a little spark in you and to nurture that.”
Sarah Harris, journalist and television presenter

"Going from a life of feeling like you weren’t always picked or you weren’t always special, or you didn’t have a voice, and then someone asking you, ‘Are you okay?’ Wanting to know if you were okay, that can make such a difference to someone’s life, especially mine."
Tabitha, business owner and former Smith Family student

“When I think about poverty, it physically hurts my body because I still remember the hunger. When I get emotional about poverty, it's an overwhelming rage that anyone has to live through it. Any child has to endure it and that society has just become so complacent.”
Dr Liz Allen, demographer and author

“There's so much to balance as a young carer, there's so much that goes unseen. These are very much adult experiences of caring for somebody, that normally an adult would take on, but you're a child, and you don't have that support that should be there. When people showed up, when that support entered my life, that was incredible.”
Faith, singer-songwriter and former Smith Family student

Media contacts:

Andrew Dickson | National Media Manager (National) - 0421 285 529 | andrew.dickson@thesmithfamily.com.au
Carla Horton | Senior Media Advisor (QLD & WA) - 0423 618 776 | carla.horton@thesmithfamily.com.au
Reid Jermyn | Media Advisor (VIC, SA & NT) - 0412 803 566 | reid.jermyn@thesmithfamily.com.au
Ben Chenoweth | Senior Media Advisor (NSW, ACT & TAS) - 0413 346 934 | ben.chenoweth@thesmithfamily.com.au

The Smith Family is a national children’s education charity that helps young Australians experiencing disadvantage to create better futures for themselves through harnessing the power of education. We partner with around 800 Australian schools and work with over 186,000 children and young people experiencing disadvantage access our education support programs to help them overcome. For more information, visit thesmithfamily.com.au