Kintsugi Heroes
Joanne Brooks · 51 min
After losing her husband in a sudden accident, discovering a devastating secret, and then watching a $30-million business collapse overnight, Joanne Brooks rebuilt her life not once but repeatedly — driven each time by purpose, her daughter, and an unshakeable refusal to stay down.
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Joanne Brooks grew up in a household where her father made every decision unilaterally, and her mother had no say. At 18, forbidden from going to university, she was forced to ring bank managers every day until she landed a job. That experience taught her something essential: if she wanted something to change, it had to start with her own action. She spent 17 years in banking, rising to teach commercial lending to brokers in rooms full of men who questioned her authority. But work was also her escape from a difficult marriage.
In September 2001, Joanne was told at her office that her first husband had been killed in a car accident. Within 72 hours, she learned he had been HIV positive. Her family pressured her to keep it secret, a burden of silence that traumatized both her and her four-year-old daughter Nicole. Joanne stayed focused on giving Nicole the most normal life possible. Nearly a year later, a man named Paul picked Nicole up after she fell in a ditch while doing landscaping work next door. He became her anchor through everything that followed.
Frustrated by long daycare hours, Joanne left her finance job to start her own business. It grew slowly until she saw an opportunity to launch an RTO called Entamio. From zero to $30 million in turnover in just 24 months. But the pace was relentless. She signed contracts with people she wasn't aligned with, made decisions she knew were wrong, and felt trapped on a machine she couldn't step off. When a major partner suddenly cancelled their contract and withheld $2 million owed, the business collapsed overnight. Rather than drag it out past Christmas, Joanne liquidated the company. Her staff, nearly all of them, stayed unpaid for a week to help her move furniture.
After five minutes on the floor, Joanne returned to the question that had worked at 18: what is the one thing I can do today? She learned that staying connected to purpose, surrounding herself with people who served her growth, and letting go of what no longer aligned with her values was what got her through. Today, she is healthy, thriving on the Gold Coast with her family, and building again.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses grief & loss, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you're not alone. Help is available: • Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au • GriefLine: 1300 845 745 · griefline.org.au
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