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A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story

A Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story

By: Anton and Ben
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About this listen

We all carry a suitcase packed with stories from where we’ve come from and dreams of where we’re headed. A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story is a podcast about people who’ve left home to build a new life in a new land. Hosted by two immigrants, Anton van der Walt and Ben Liebenberg, this series explores the emotional, professional, and entrepreneurial journeys of immigrants who’ve rebuilt, reinvented, and reimagined their lives. Inspired by Bruno Catalano’s sculpture I Viaggiatori, this podcast dives into the themes of identity, belonging, resilience, and the spaces we fill along the way.Anton and Ben Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Margaret Dreyer - Generosity with a Backbone
    Dec 15 2025

    She didn’t wait for permission, she built a table, pulled up chairs, and told women, “Your voice belongs here.”

    Anton and Ben sit down with MD (Margaret Dreyer), whose default setting is “How can I help?” and whose north star is growing women’s talent wherever she stands. From becoming South Africa’s first female audit partner to serving on Deloitte Australia’s board, her through-line is the same: spot potential, open a door, make sure it stays open for the next woman. That’s how you get to numbers that matter. From five to around 400 female partners at Deloitte Australia today, and why so many careers trace back to a quiet conversation she started, a nudge she gave, a standard she refused to lower.

    But impact is not only measured in titles. For years, MD helped thousands of South Africans find their footing in Australia. Recruiting, mentoring, and connecting people until “new country” started to feel like “home.” Ask her for a number and she’ll say it straight: more than 8,000 careers touched across firms and roles. Ask how, and she’ll point you to the people, not the spreadsheets.

    If you want to see who she is, meet her at a Deloitte SAFFA braai. Lane Cove National Park, families everywhere, kids chasing each other between picnic tables, the smell of boerie on the grill, koeksisters on a paper plate, and MD moving through the crowd making sure everyone’s included. That’s the mindset: generous, practical, no fuss. It’s the same mindset behind her inclusion work, fighting for human rights in the everyday, not just in policy documents.

    Listen to Episode 18 at https://3spod.com Also on your fav channels: Spotify, YouTube, Apple.

    #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode18 #MD #MigrationStories #Generosity #HumanRights #Inclusion #WomenInLeadership #Legacy #Deloitte #SAFFA #Braai #Belonging #SouthAfricansInAustralia #Podcast

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Yourself or Someone Like You with Grant Parkin
    Nov 21 2025

    When everything familiar fell away, did he double down on bitterness or choose a frame that let him move forward?

    He thought getting knocked down was the headline. It wasn’t. The story is how he keeps standing. Anton and Ben sit down with Grant Parkin, who grew up in East London, migrated to Brisbane, and learned, sometimes the hardest way, how to turn pain into perspective without pretending it didn’t hurt.

    At 3, a dog attack. At 19, a car crash in which his father died while Grant was driving. Years later, a marriage that ended in betrayal. And still… a degree finished, a CA earned, a rowing club founded, multiple Ironman triathlons completed, and a memoir—Yourself or Someone Like You—written and voiced by the man who lived it.

    This is not trauma for spectacle; it’s choices, responsibility, and the mindset to rebuild, one honest step at a time.

    There’s a line you’ll hear between the lines: don’t bring yesterday’s baggage to tomorrow’s country, and don’t outsource your agency. Grant talks about arriving with PwC, finding his “crew,” the long tail of grief, why asking for help was a turning point, and even “Fuchsia Friday” as a small weekly nudge to get comfortable being a little uncomfortable. It’s balanced, practical, and quietly brave.

    Catch Episode 17 of a Stranger, a Suitcase and a Story now at https://3spod.com
    Also on your fav channels: Spotify, YouTube, Apple.

    #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode17 #GrantParkin #MigrationStories #Resilience #Mindset #Responsibility #Brisbane #PwC #Rowing #Ironman #YourselfOrSomeoneLikeYou #SouthernCrossings #SouthAfricansInAustralia #Podcast

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • Courage Without Drama, The Andrew Reitzer Story
    Nov 7 2025

    Anton and Ben sit down with Andrew Reitzer, and this onestays with you.

    Born in Johannesburg to Holocaust survivor parents. Raisedin Cape Town. A life that arcs from a small family glove factory to the CEO seat of Metcash, turning a $240 million loss into a thriving ASX Top 100 company… and yet, that’s not the real story.

    The real story starts when he’s a teenager and his motherquietly hands him a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank and says, “That’s what happened to me.”
    No big speech. No drama. Just a sentence that changes everything.

    From there, Andrew’s journey is shaped by courage withoutfanfare: conscription and discipline, equestrian boots and factory floors, starting again (and again), saying yes to Australia with 20 minutes to decide and three days to get on a plane, and leading with a “burn the ships” commitment that left no easy way back, only forward.

    In this episode, we go beyond the numbers.
    We talk about what it means to grow up in the shadow of silence. About finding out late what your parents survived — and how that quietly forges your views on family, work, loyalty, and leadership.
    We talk about landing in Australia at the very top of thefood chain… and still feeling like a trainee Australian. About misreading the room, learning the culture, adjusting without erasing yourself.
    We talk about why South Africans can thrive here, and whysome don’t. About burning ships, backing yourself, and the fine line between bravery and naivety.

    And there’s a moment - you’ll hear it - where Andrew connects all of it: his parents’ story, his own choices, and what it really costs to start over and still hold onto who you are. We left that part in almost untouched.

    What did he learn from parents who survived the unthinkable…and only told him when he was old enough to understand?
    How do you lead, decide, and belong with that kind ofhistory under your skin?
    And what does his story ask of the rest of us who’ve come here with our own suitcases, accents, and second chances?

    Find out in Episode 16. 🎧Listen to episode 16 – find it at https://3spod.com and also on your fav channels: Spotify, YouTube, Apple.

    #AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode16#AndrewReitzer #MigrationStories #HolocaustSurvivorFamily #Leadership #StartingOver #SouthernCrossings #Belonging #CourageWithoutDrama

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    1 hr and 19 mins
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