Ian Westmoreland · 22 min
Thirty years after a handwritten note from Dick Smith told him to pursue his dream, Ian Westmoreland finally launched Kintsugi Heroes, a podcast network turning broken lives into gold.
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In the early 1990s, Ian Westmoreland had an idea. He wanted to ask people who had survived adversity to share their stories, so that others facing hard times would know they were not alone. He wrote to three community leaders about it. Dick Smith wrote back by hand, just a few lines, telling him to do it. Ian kept that note for years. But thirty years passed. He didn't have the confidence, the time, or the money. Then, earlier this year, he stepped back from running another organisation he had founded called Mentoring Men. He had space to think again. He decided to act.
A mentor suggested the name Kintsugi. Ian learned the story behind it: a Japanese emperor's broken pottery, repaired not by hiding the damage but by filling the cracks with gold, making it more beautiful than before. The metaphor fit perfectly. People who have lived through trauma often say it made them stronger, more able to help others. The broken places become the most valuable ones.
Kintsugi Heroes is built on two aims. The first, which has not changed since the 1990s, is to give hope to people going through crisis. The second emerged as the work took shape: to educate the wider community about what adversity looks like, and how to support someone experiencing it. The conversations themselves are the heart of it. They are not interviews. The person sharing their story is given space to speak without interruption, to be truly heard. Ian's wife Helen has funded the startup. When doubt creeps in, he watches one of the episodes and remembers why the work matters. A book is coming in early 2025. A grant-funded project in the Alpine region is capturing stories from people affected by the Black Summer bushfires. And there is a plan to crowdfund a campaign on addiction in all its forms.
“those experiences make us far more valuable to the world around us to the community to support people”
“the number one objective and that's remained unchanged is to provide hope and inspiration to other people who may be going through life challenges”
“I feel like I've been part of an activating or an incubating or part of their own healing Journey even though they've already healed”
The hero, today
Ian held the idea for Kintsugi Heroes for thirty years before he had the time and confidence to bring it to life, and once he committed, he acted on everything within his power to make it happen. The kintsugi metaphor works because people who have been through adversity often give thanks for it, recognizing that the damage has made them more valuable and able to help others. Ian started out wanting simply to provide hope and inspiration to people facing challenges, but the project has also become an education tool for the broader community about what adversity looks like and how to support someone experiencing it. The conversations work because they are genuine dialogues where people are given free rein and space to speak without interruption, allowing them to be truly heard. Ian funds the startup himself with his wife Helen's support, and he returns to watching the podcasts whenever doubt surfaces to remind himself why the work matters.
Yes. Ian Westmoreland is a real person who shared their own story in their own words. Kintsugi Heroes is a not-for-profit that shares first-person stories of overcoming adversity, told with the person's consent.
Kintsugi Heroes, a registered Australian not-for-profit. Every story is shared with the hero's own consent and reviewed under Kintsugi Heroes' trauma-informed content standard before it goes public.
Ian held the idea for Kintsugi Heroes for thirty years before he had the time and confidence to bring it to life, and once he committed, he acted on everything within his power to make it happen.
The kintsugi metaphor works because people who have been through adversity often give thanks for it, recognizing that the damage has made them more valuable and able to help others.
Ian started out wanting simply to provide hope and inspiration to people facing challenges, but the project has also become an education tool for the broader community about what adversity looks like and how to support someone experiencing it.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 00:02
Welcome to the Kintsugi Heroes Podcast, where we share inspirational stories of everyday people going through different challenges and how they overcome them. Please be aware that the story you're about to hear may have moments of deeply felt emotions and personal experiences. If anything you hear has a triggering effect, please reach out to someone who can help keep you safe. If you love this conversation, please like and share it with your friends so we can continue to share more inspiration and hope to as many people as possible. Now listen up for our next hero's story. Hello, it is Aveline here, your host of Kansuki Heroes. I am so excited because this is the I guess the unofficial or the official first episode of the Kintsugi Heroes podcast. And what makes this so special is that I've got Ian with me, the founder of Kintsugi Heroes. And I just want to welcome you, Ian, and thank you for agreeing to be my first guest.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 01:16
G'day, Av, and my wife always tells me I'm special, so you've just reaffirmed that.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 01:22
You absolutely are. That's right. And given that I'm the host of Kintsugi Heroes, I get to ask the questions. And the question that I ask the other guests is obviously about their story. And given that this is the first episode, it would be great for me to hear from you, you know, the story of Kintsugi. And the listeners to this obviously want to know that as well. So how about you take us back to the beginning? Where did Kintsugi start and how did this come about?
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 01:54
So at the beginning, it could have even been before you were born, because it's back in the early 1990s. Uh, I've always been inspired by reading people's stories, and I was living in Melbourne, and the idea came to me that, uh, to ask people who'd been through adversity to share their story, to give hope and inspiration to others. And at the time, I didn't have the confidence, I didn't have the time, or I didn't have the money to progress it, but I thought it was a, it was a good idea. So I wrote to 3 community leaders, um, in Australia. One of them, Dick Smith, actually took the time to send me back a handwritten note, which I, I kept for years. I saw it a couple years ago. I don't know where it is now. But anyway, he said, Ian, it's a great idea, you do it. And it just sat there for 30 years. And earlier this year, I had some time. I, I, I just started previously started this organization called Mentoring Men. I stepped aside from the operational responsibility from that, and so I had some time to do some thinking, and I thought, yeah, I really want to do this. So, uh, that was it. Once I make a decision to do something, I just commit to doing everything I can within my power to make it happen. And so it started. Now, back then, of course, it wasn't called Kintsugi. I've established a fairly broad network through Mentoring Men, and I, I share in my idea to get this going. And one of the mentors in my life said, well, what about the name Kintsugi, which I'd never heard of before? And he explained, and I checked it out, and it goes back to a Japanese emperor who had some valuable pottery. And here's my $2 coffee cup. But the pottery got damaged, it got cracked, it got broken. And he said to his craftsmen, put it back together again. So you can't see any of the damage. And they couldn't do it. But what they could do is put it back together again and cover up the damage using a precious metal like gold. And now when you look at the pottery, it's far more valuable than what it was before. It's beautiful. It's an art form. And I think it's a fantastic metaphor for people. We go through these experiences, but those experiences make us far more valuable to the world around us, to the community, to support people. And it's interesting, through the stories we tell, Many people give thanks for the adversity that they went through. Um, so that's, that's a story. It's, it's my, uh, huge passion for me, and, uh, I just love being involved in this, this project and just seeing where it's going.
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The conversations work because they are genuine dialogues where people are given free rein and space to speak without interruption, allowing them to be truly heard.
This conversation includes a thirty-year-old idea finally begins, dick smith's handwritten note, the name kintsugi arrives, hope and education as the twin goals, what makes these conversations different and helen backs the startup, doubt creeps in.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 04:31
Thank you. I, I love the, the background. I love the art of Kintsugi. I'd never heard of it before until you told me about it, so it makes so much sense. Because we're all— we're, as humans, I mean, we're all kind of broken to a degree, in that there are parts of us that break down. We, we fall over metaphorically and literally, and we get back up, put ourselves together again, and keep going. And it's a, it's a great analogy. It's perfect. So now that you're, you're on the, on the verge or the brink of birthing this, this baby. Ian, tell me, what's the— what do you hope to, to get from this? What do you want to achieve?
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 05:18
Well, back in the early 1990s, the number one objective, and that's remained unchanged, is to provide hope and inspiration to other people who may be going through life challenges or at risk of going through life challenges. So that stays the same. I want to I want this to be a message of hope. But as it's gathered momentum over the last few months, I've also realized there's a big education goal with this as well. I've learned so much from the conversations that we've already had, and I'd love to, for the broader community, to get the same sort of educating. Um, there's things like addiction, um, grief, mental disability, physical disability, abuse, and how do we support the people around us who are experiencing those sorts of adversity. So this has been, as I said, a huge learning curve for me. I'm much richer from having gone through this process. So I'd say they're the main objectives: hope and inspiration to those experiencing the challenges and the broader community to get a better understanding of what these people are experiencing and how best to support them.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 06:29
It's beautiful. It's really powerful. For those who are listening to this and you can't see us, there's a banner behind Ian. Mine's a little bit crooked, but at the top there's some words and it says, "Uncovering our hidden value." And that really is the purpose of Kintsugi, isn't it, Ian? For us to uncover the hidden value in our stories and our humanity.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 06:55
Absolutely. And the people who've been through adversity often enthusiastically want to share. They want to share that hidden value that they've got and help other people see their own hidden value.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 07:10
What kind of conversations are these?
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 07:15
So first, they are genuine conversations. The style that you use, Av, is it's not an interview, it's not Q&A, it's a conversation where we We call them heroes, the heroes, the people sharing their stories. They're given free rein to share their story. I think you do it brilliantly. Sometimes people talk 15 or 20 minutes just pouring out their story, no interruptions, and know that they're being heard. Being heard is such a powerful thing as a speaker, know that someone's actually listening to you and they get you. The stories can be tough. I've been in tears. To be honest, a few times just watching the podcast. But in every instance, I found them uplifting, encouraging, and I've gained from the experience of watching the podcast.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 08:07
That's beautiful. And how heartwarming for you as the founder, the person that came up with the idea in the first place, to now witness that, to listen and go, yeah, this is This is amazing. You must be excited.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 08:23
I am. I think like any big project, like we're putting a lot of time into this. My wife Helen has kindly agreed that we fund the startup of this. And when you put a lot of effort into something and you think, oh, is it, you know, why am I doing all this? And whenever that thought occurs to me, I just go and watch or listen to a podcast and it immediately becomes clear. Why I'm doing this and the importance of what we're doing.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 08:49
I can only imagine what it's going to be like once we actually launch and the conversations get out there and people start listening. What do you think it'll be like?
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 08:59
I think there'll be a lot of excitement. It'll be— there's a tendency often when people are going through a hard time to think they're the only ones who are experiencing this. But then when they hear someone else's story, and they realize, oh, they're not on their own. Like, I listened to a podcast last night, so I keep talking about these podcasts, but only you and I have heard these. It's a bit unfair, but it would resonate. This one was around addiction. It would resonate with so many people. And so yeah, I think there's going to be a lot of excitement. There's going to be a lot of people saying, thank you for sharing that story. I've got hope. And yeah, if that person can do that, then yeah, look, I'm going to— so that would be fantastic feedback to get.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 09:44
Yeah, for sure. What other projects or ideas have you got, um, moving forward for these stories?
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 09:54
Well, we, we put in for a couple of grants and amazing— or not amazing, uh, we really appreciated being successful with our first one, which is in the Alpine area of Victoria. And the Alpine area was decimated in the Black Summer bushfires. So they've given us a small amount of funding to capture the story of men and women who were heavily impacted by the bushfires. And as part of that project, we'll capture the stories as with other Kunsugi heroes, and it will be part of helping the community heal. It'll be part of getting the community together to actually share stories. Often men struggle that we've got this thing of this stoic attitude that we feel we've gotta have. We don't share some of the emotions here, but by maybe having an event where we have some of the heroes on stage share a bit of a story, and they'll realize— men in the audience will realize, hey, it's okay, you know, and, and they'll start talking about it. And as part of that, we'll also have a book. So the— so this will be a permanent history, both digitally and in written form, of the stories there, and they can be passed on. And of course, that resource about how people cope And with a bushfire, it's not just alpine, applicable just the alpine area, it's Australia-wide, it's even worldwide. So really looking forward to that story. It's already started having conversations. I spoke to a journalist this week and we're gonna be in the Myrtleford Times in the next issue and chatting around to the various groups who supported that. So really looking forward to personally going down there myself. It's in a beautiful area of Victoria. Victoria. I'm a keen bike rider, doing a few rides there, but also just meeting some of these people. I spoke to the mayor today and, uh, he's fully on board. Ian, make sure you invite me to the community function. So yeah, so that's exciting. Um, we've also got our first book, which is about probably about 70 or 80% done now. So, um, so have you— from you, just to go through the process, which you know but the audience won't know, so we have record a conversation. Uh, Av is the, uh, delightful host of those recorded conversations. They're edited into audio, video, podcast. Then a transcript of those conversations is sent over to Paddy. Paddy's an author, and Paddy, uh, edits the transcripts into a story. And those— these will be featured into our first book. The stories cover a wide range of people from different backgrounds, age, gender, uh, culture, language, uh, adversity experience. So amazing stories, and our first book will be published in the first quarter of, uh, uh, next year. Also something that I've, I've learned a lot about addiction, uh, one of our amazing heroes, uh, Danny Lloyd, what a brilliant ambassador he is for, for reeducating the community around addiction. Um, so we, we're going to start a a crowdfunding campaign to, to fund capturing the wide range of stories about addiction. For many of us— and this is, this is Ian— 6 months ago, I just jumped to a conclusion that addiction meant drugs and alcohol. But clearly most of us are addicted in some way or another, and it could be to our devices, it could be around food, there's a whole bunch of things. And the other thing that Prince William's wife Kate, they're ambassadors for around addiction, and she made a comment that no one sets out to be addicted. They just, what they're trying to do is cover up the pain. So I'm really excited about this campaign. I'd love to get people on board supporting it or sharing their story. Now, can I, I wanna pause you there. Now you've asked me a lot of questions and I've I've never, never done this before, but are you okay if I ask you a few questions?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 14:00
Oh, I don't know, I'm a bit nervous. It's not usually the way this goes, Ian, but you know, I guess, uh, okay, let's see.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 14:09
So first off, why did— and I, I'm so glad you did— but why did you agree to get to take part in, get so fully involved in Kintsugi Heroes project?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 14:23
All right, the real reason it was all about you. No, well, it was partly you. It was, it was the— I obviously the whole project itself, but also because of the kind of person that you are. So it was, it was both. So if you weren't the person you are, uh, and, and, you know, all the amazing things that, that make up who you are in, in terms of your passion and your integrity and your drive, it would have been difficult to say yes because you are such a go-getter and you know how to bring an idea to life and be an ambassador for something. So there was that side of it, and the other side was the actual project. And I, I did sleep on it because, as you know, I run another podcast, I have a business, um, you know, and I'm doing big things there. And I thought, wow, you know, this is going to take up some of my time, and, and can I afford the time? But then the question became, well, if you take out the cost of it, what would it give you? And the answer was it would fulfill me, it would give— provide meaning and aligns directly with my personal purpose, which is to help improve people's lives. So then it was, it was a a no-brainer.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 15:44
Beautiful. I love it. And I just say it again, I'm so glad you're part of the project. What do you enjoy most about doing this, what you do here for, for, um, I think most, well, all of it.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 15:54
I love meeting the different people. You know what I really do love is having the conversations with people and giving them the space to share their story. And there's often a moment in the, in the storytelling where they've, they've shared to a point. And as you know, we have layers to us, and, and they'll share, they're already quite open, but then another layer comes off, and, um, that layer comes back, and then they share a little bit more and a little bit more, and they feel safe to then sort of let down that guard. And at the moment that they're really grateful, they sort of express that it's like I feel like I've been part of a, an activating or an incubating or part of their own healing journey, even though they've already healed, even though they've already gotten over that challenge or adversity. I feel quite honored that they've, they've opened up with me and gone to a place that maybe they haven't before, or they've had a new realization, or they've had an aspect of the past that's been able to be set free. That's, that's where the gold happens for me.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 17:10
I love that. And I know in, in some of the cases people have shared stuff and they said they'd never actually shared that before. So it, it's just creating that platform for where, where people know they're being heard and, uh, yeah, it's, they just talk from the heart. Um, what are you most excited about given where the project is heading?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 17:29
Um, I'm excited about the launch, but I'm also excited about once it gets going, you know, and, and the response from the community and from people and seeing, seeing that first book and seeing that first project, like with the Myrtleford Shire and, um, the Alpine Shire at Myrtleford. And, and yeah, just seeing the impact on people's faces and how they respond to that. Yeah.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 17:56
Okay. A really hard question. Of all the conversations that you've done so far, can you pick one that stands out and, and tell me why?
Aveline Clark (Host) · 18:08
Oh gosh, okay, now just give me a sec. All right, so I'm going to answer it this way. The first episode, because it actually— that— there's two. So there's the first episode because, A, it was the first, but B, it was a love story. It is a love story. And I think we all, we all are romantics at heart and we love a good love story. And the way that he describes it and shares, like, it literally is better than watching The Notebook, right? It's— and it really got me. Um, and oh, look, of the all the others, there was— it's hard, really hard for me to, to, you know, choose a favorite or one that, um, it is above all the rest because there was just so many amazing ones. But let me, let me tell you this. I think the one that stood out for me, um, another one that stood out for me was one that I related to on a personal level. And, uh, her name is Lena, and part of her journey was very similar to a little bit of my journey, and it I was really moved by that, and it was, um, I didn't share that with her because it was, it was her space for her story. So, but I was able to understand and empathize with her. So it was actually one that kind of really, um, I connected with, but also it was very moving, um, and it, and it, yeah, was cathartic in some ways as well. And I said to our author Paddy afterwards, I said, I'd love to get your view on this one when you listen to it, because, you know, she knows my background. I've known Patty for many years. I said, you know, and, and she came back with, after she listened to it, and there was one line she said, you, it's almost like you were soul sisters.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 20:24
Wow. Love that. Okay. That was a hard question. And sorry to spring that on you, but I'm gonna do one more final question. Not Kintsugi related. Now, I've got to know a little bit about you through this process, but I want you to tell me one thing about yourself that I don't know.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 20:45
Okay, that's easy. Well, you only met me this year, so there's obviously going to be a lot of things, but this is something, one of those questions that you get to have fun with. I can play 7 instruments.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 21:05
Wow.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 21:05
Not that I do it right now, but over the years I have learned and played 7 instruments.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 21:11
Well, you're 7 ahead of me.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 21:13
Okay, amazing.
Aveline & Ian (Guest) · 21:17
Okay, okay, I'll stop the, the question there. But, but, but thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for what you're doing for Kintsugi Heroes.
Aveline Clark (Host) · 21:27
Oh, you're welcome. It's a joy, it really is. It's a joy. I, I have no idea how, where the journey is going to unfold, like how it's going to unfold, where it's going to go to. But it's, to me, it's, it's just a beautiful thing, and I'm really honored and grateful to be part of it. So thank you for, um, offering me the chance to do this with you. It's really cool. Good. Thank you. And listeners, uh, look for— I hope you look forward to the next episode, number 2, which is our first guest, and that will be John Milham. And like I've said, better than the notebook. You might need a box of tissues Uh, but yeah, it's a good one. So thank you so much for being a support, and we look forward to hopefully connecting with you and hearing from you should you want to reach out to us. Thanks for listening and enjoy the Kintsugi Heroes podcast. We hope you've enjoyed this episode of Kintsugi Heroes. Please like and share the show to your friends so we can get this out to even more people. If you have a story you'd like to share with us, please reach out using the contact details below. Join us next week for our next hero story. Until then, keep being you, and remember that we are all heroes in our own unique way.
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