Walter Villagonzalo left the military in the Philippines during the 1986 revolution and moved to Australia with his family soon after. He built a career, then found himself needing something no job could give him: a sense of belonging. That search took him from volunteering in Werribee's Filipino community to founding The Migrant Hub, sitting as Wyndham City Councillor and Deputy Mayor, and now leading a cooperative planting trees across the western suburbs.

In this episode of My Migrant Soul, Walter sits down with Imran to talk about the twelve years it took him to feel at home in Australia, the moment his own children told him they were Australian, and why he believes belonging isn't given — it's built by showing up for your community.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Belonging isn't handed to you when you arrive in a new country. Walter didn't feel it for over a decade, and it only came after he threw himself into community work.
The deepest test of his identity didn't happen in council chambers — it happened when his own kids told him, through tears, that they were Australian.
He ran for council five times before winning. Losing four elections didn't change his approach; it sharpened it.

Walter draws a clear line between being an activist and being a reformist — one makes noise, the other gets in the room and changes the policy.
His concept of "the Filipino in the middle" reframes an entire community: most migrants aren't struggling or thriving, they're quietly present, and that quiet middle is where real leadership can start.

At 73, his answer to "what's next" is the same as it's always been: keep working for the community, this time through a tree nursery cooperative aiming to help plant a million trees.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Cold Open: "I Am First Class Citizen, I Am Australian"
00:38 - Welcome to My Migrant Soul & Introducing Walter Villagonzalo
02:36 - From Naval Officer to Migrant: Leaving the Philippines in 1986
03:52 - Building a New Life in Melbourne
04:44 - The Struggle to Feel Like You Belong
05:47 - Bringing the Family Back to the Philippines — and the Kids Who Said No
06:39 - Diving Fully Into Community Work
08:16 - Founding The Migrant Hub
09:15 - Turning Advocacy Into Real Change at Council
11:05 - Running for Council Five Times Before Winning
12:59 - Life as One of Two Migrant Councillors
15:10 - The Filipino in the Middle: Lessons on Belonging
16:44 - Advice for New Migrants: Give Back to Belong
18:34 - Current Projects: Tree Nurseries and the Canopy Accelerator Co-op
20:26 - Partnering With Lions Club to Plant a Million Trees
21:24 - Closing Thoughts

GUEST INFORMATION

Walter Villagonzalo
OAM Founder & President, The Migrant Hub Inc. and Canopy Accelerator Co-operative Limited Community Development
Social Enterprise

Connect with Walter Villagonzalo
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/waltervillagonzalo/
Website: https://canopyaccelerator.coop/

Every migrant has a story—of dreams, struggles, and triumphs. My Migrant Soul brings you powerful, real-life conversations with migrants from diverse backgrounds who have navigated the challenges of starting over in a new land. Hosted by Imran Abul Kashem, this podcast sheds light on personal migration journeys, cultural transitions, and the resilience that fuels success.

HOST INFORMATION

Imran Abul Kashem
Founder, My Migrant Soul
Serial Entrepreneur, Former Journalist and Personal Branding Expert

Connect with Imran:
Website: https://westendpodcast.au/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mymigrantsoul-aus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imran_abul_kashem_melbourne/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranabulkashem/

Subscribe for more real stories of migration, identity, and human experience.
Got a story to tell? Start your podcast with Westend Podcast: https://www.westendpodcast.com.au

Tim Beanland started cold calling at 18 for a debt reduction firm and getting hung up on. Now he runs Video Authority, a Melbourne video production business that turns a single 45-minute filming session into three months of content, and he closes 90% of his sales calls. In this episode, Tim walks Imran through the exact moment he realized nobody buys from a stranger but everybody listens to a brand they trust, how a broke university student turned a $200 cash tip into a full-time business, and why he tells every aspiring marketer to skip the degree and go sell something first. The conversation also goes somewhere Tim says he's never said publicly before: the reason a desk inside Melbourne's Rialto Towers means more to him than office real estate ever should.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A message lands differently depending on who's delivering it, the same offer that gets hung up on from a stranger gets a "let's talk" from a trusted name.
A marketing degree teaches you why people buy; a sales job teaches you how to get them to. Tim argues you need the second one first.
Tactics change every few years: social media, AI, whatever's next. Human buying psychology doesn't. Build strategy around the constant, not the trend.
Don't build a website and a lead funnel before you've served a single client. Find one customer, deliver for them, and use that feedback to find the next.
Networking works because of who the people in the room know, not who's actually in the room.
A reliable sales system is what keeps a business alive, Tim calls it the oxygen a business runs on.
Tim's five-year goal is tied to family: he's working toward owning space in the Rialto Towers, the building his late father engineered and where his parents met.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Cold Open: The $200 Video Deal
00:55 - Meet Tim Beanland
01:57 - What Tim Does: 3 Months of Content in 45 Minutes
02:33 - The Cold Call That Changed His Career
03:52 - Been Talking: Why Trust Makes Sales Easy
05:00 - Does a Marketing Degree Actually Matter?
07:03 - Tactics Change, Human Psychology Doesn't
09:49 - Why Marketing and Sales Need Each Other
10:41 - Lessons From Sales: Get Out of the House
11:09 - How Tim Started His Business: 50 Coffee Chats
12:18 - The Yohan Story: Getting Paid for the First Time
14:44 - "Nothing Happens Without a Sale"
15:33 - The Power of Networking
16:07 - Find One Client Before You Build a Brand
18:03 - Different Networks for Different Stages
19:38 - Why Tim Sponsors Imran's Networking Events
22:00 - Tim's Dream for the Next Five Years
23:24 - The Rialto Towers and His Dad
25:23 - Advice for Aspiring Marketers: Learn to Sell First
27:23 - Where to Find Tim + Closing Thoughts

GUEST INFORMATION

Tim Beanland
Founder, Video Authority
Video Marketing & Personal Branding

Connect with Tim:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tbeanland/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timbeanland/
Website: https://videoauthority.com.au/

Every migrant has a story—of dreams, struggles, and triumphs. My Migrant Soul brings you powerful, real-life conversations with migrants from diverse backgrounds who have navigated the challenges of starting over in a new land. Hosted by Imran Abul Kashem, this podcast sheds light on personal migration journeys, cultural transitions, and the resilience that fuels success.

HOST INFORMATION

Imran Abul Kashem
Founder, My Migrant Soul
Serial Entrepreneur, Former Journalist and Personal Branding Expert

Connect with Imran:
Website: https://westendpodcast.au/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mymigrantsoul-aus
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imran_abul_kashem_melbourne/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranabulkashem/

Subscribe for more real stories of migration, identity, and human experience.
Got a story to tell? Start your podcast with Westend Podcast: https://www.westendpodcast.com.au

Richard Cozzella opens up about building a career from a tanning studio in Geelong at 19 to a portfolio spanning NDIS disability housing, insurance, and property development. He talks candidly about the near-failure that taught him resilience, the "20 meters of headlights" way he approaches big decisions, and why he doesn't chase retirement — he's chasing mentorship. The conversation also gets personal, touching on faith, fatherhood, and the charity ride he organized for his niece.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Failure isn't the opposite of success, it's part of the process. "Either we win or we learn."
• Vision doesn't require seeing the whole road, just the next 20 meters.
• Before scaling a business, count the cost of losing, not just the upside of winning.
• Change in a business often has to start at the top before it reaches the rest of the team.
• Personal branding rests on three pillars: authority, results, and trust.
• Self-care isn't optional for founders — Richard leans on faith and fitness to stay grounded.
• The next 10 years, for Richard, aren't about retiring — they're about mentoring others.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Teaser: Motivation, Mindset & Belief
00:56 - Meet Richard Cozzella
01:16 - Who Richard Is Today
01:41 - Where It Began: Family Business Roots
02:13 - The Headlights Metaphor
02:39 - First Business: The Tanning Studio Near-Failure
03:16 - Becoming a Serial Entrepreneur
03:41 - Win or Learn: Reframing Failure
05:00 - The Best Business Day of His Life
05:37 - Mindset, Motivation & Belief
06:52 - Starting a Charity for His Niece
07:39 - COVID, Innovation & Thinking Outside the Box
08:39 - Fixing the NDIS Business
10:08 - Advice for Dreamers & Personal Branding
11:36 - Trust in the Digital Age
12:16 - Work-Life Harmony, Faith & Self-Care
13:39 - Current Projects: Housing & Insurance
14:05 - The Next 10 Years: Mentorship & Legacy
15:49 - A Future Charity
16:10 - Closing Thoughts

GUEST INFORMATION

Richard Cozzella
Entrepreneur, Business Consultant & Community Leader
Business Development, Strategic Consulting, NDIS & Insurance

Connect with Richard:

• LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/cozzellarc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1JTw9zxuoc/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richard_cozzella
• Website: https://cozzella.com.au/

Every migrant has a story—of dreams, struggles, and triumphs. My Migrant Soul brings you powerful, real-life conversations with migrants from diverse backgrounds who have navigated the challenges of starting over in a new land. Hosted by Imran Abul Kashem, this podcast sheds light on personal migration journeys, cultural transitions, and the resilience that fuels success.

HOST INFORMATION

Imran Abul Kashem
Founder, My Migrant Soul
Serial Entrepreneur, Former Journalist and Personal Branding Expert

Connect with Imran:

• Website: https://westendpodcast.au/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mymigrantsoul-aus
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imran_abul_kashem_melbourne/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranabulkashem/

Subscribe for more real stories of migration, identity, and human experience.

Got a story to tell? Start your podcast with Westend Podcast: https://www.westendpodcast.com.au

Martin Probst moved from Switzerland to Australia after working around the world and on cruise ships for many years, chasing a childhood dream of travel and having palm trees in his own backyard. Fifteen years later he's running PROfound Leadership, a coaching and leadership development company built on a simple belief: If you want things to change, you have to change. In this episode, Martin talks with Imran about the difference between being interested and being committed, why we need to have a "healthy relationship" in relation to obstacles, rather than seeing it as a threat, and how listening to his clients during COVID rebuilt his entire business from zero in under six weeks. He also opens up about his "mindset factory," the practice of Tai Chi as a form of slowing down, and why looking after yourself is the first step to serving anyone else.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Vision without action is just a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare on repeat. But vision aligned with action can change the world.
• There's a real difference between being interested in something and being committed to it. To achieve our vision, we must show commitment as there is no substitute for action.
• Obstacles aren't the enemy. They're opportunities for growth, to fulfill our values, and reveal who we are and what we're made of.
• When COVID wiped Martin's business to zero, listening to what his existing clients actually needed rebuilt it within four to six weeks.
• The "mindset factory" produces thoughts constantly. As leaders, our job is to model, inspire and produce better thinking.
• Innovation doesn't have to be complicated. Sometimes it's as simple as listening closely enough to see the solution.
• Looking after yourself is the starting point for being able to serve anyone else well.
• Work-life balance might be the wrong term. Martin prefers "work-life harmony," where the different parts of life move with each other instead of competing.

TIMESTAMPS

• 00:00 - Introducing Martin Probst and Profound Leadership
• 01:16 - Turning dreams into action: from bestselling author to "interested vs. committed"
• 03:26 - From cruise ships to a career in leadership
• 05:37 - The real challenges of building a business, from ignorance to COVID
• 09:19 - Rebuilding through listening: clients, mindset, and innovation
• 13:47 - Advice for dreamers and redefining work-life balance
• 19:44 - Selfishness as service, and what's next for Martin
• 24:44 - On leadership in the world today, and closing thoughts

GUEST INFORMATION

Martin Probst
Founder, PROfound Leadership
Leadership Development & Coaching

Connect with Martin:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinprobst/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/profoundlead
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profoundleadership
• Website: https://www.profoundleadership.com.au/

Every migrant has a story - of dreams, struggles and triumphs. My Migrant Soul brings you powerful, real-life conversations with migrants from diverse backgrounds who have navigated the challenges of starting over in a new land. Hosted by Imran Abul Kashem, this podcast sheds light on personal migration journeys, cultural transitions, and the resilience that fuels success.

HOST INFORMATION

Imran Abul Kashem
Founder, My Migrant Soul
Serial Entrepreneur, Former Journalist and Personal Branding Expert

Connect with Imran:

• Website: https://westendpodcast.au/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mymigrantsoul-aus
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imran_abul_kashem_melbourne/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranabulkashem/

Subscribe for more real stories of migration, identity, and human experience.

Got a story to tell? Start your podcast with Westend Podcast: https://www.westendpodcast.com.au

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Amol Kasaju came to Australia in 2009 as a student with no connections and no plan. He started as a housekeeper just to survive. Fifteen years later, he became co-owner of Quest Werribee alongside his business partner Natalie Bui.

But behind every role and every setback was one constant. His family. In this episode of the Dreamer and Doers Series, Amol shares the unfiltered story of how he got here and why purpose is what keeps a dream alive.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• From Housekeeper to Franchise Owner: The 15-year journey and the mindset that made it possible
• Rejection Is Part of the Process: How Amol got turned down repeatedly and chose to invest in himself instead
• Dream vs. Purpose: Why a dream is not enough and how Amol's purpose evolved into a family mission
• The Hustle Nobody Sees: Why people assume success was easy and what it really took behind the scenes
• When You Share a Story It Is Not About You: The insight that inspired Amol to speak openly

TIMESTAMPS

02:03 From Housekeeper to Dream: Amol's Journey Begins
02:58 The Desire That Started Everything
03:56 Getting Rejected and Choosing to Grow Anyway
04:56 The Graveyard Shift That Quietly Changed His Life
06:46 How Meeting Natalie Bui Led to Business Ownership
08:40 Why a Dream Without Purpose Goes Nowhere
09:50 The One Thing You Must Never Forget as You Grow
11:20 The Mindset Shift From Employee to Owner
44:51 Would You Do It All Over Again?
45:57 The Hustle Nobody Sees Behind Every Success Story
47:26 Why Family Is the Real Why Behind Everything
49:13 Why Sharing Your Story Is Never Just About You

GUEST INFORMATION

Amol Kasaju

Co-Owner, Quest Werribee
Entrepreneur and Community Leader

Connect with Amol

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amol-kasaju-732a3170/
• Website: http://www.questwerribee.com.au

Every migrant has a story—of dreams, struggles, and triumphs. My Migrant Soul brings you powerful, real-life conversations with migrants from diverse backgrounds who have navigated the challenges of starting over in a new land. Hosted by Imran Abul Kashem, this podcast sheds light on personal migration journeys, cultural transitions, and the resilience that fuels success.

HOST INFORMATION

Imran Abul Kashem
Founder, My Migrant Soul
Serial Entrepreneur, Former Journalist and Personal Branding Expert

Connect with Imran

• Personal Website: https://imranabulkashem.com.au
• Podcast Website: https://westendpodcast.au/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mymigrantsoul-aus
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imran_abul_kashem_melbourne/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imranabulkashem/

Subscribe for more real stories of migration, identity, and human experience.
Got a story to tell? Start your podcast with Westend Podcast: https://www.westendpodcast.com.au

What does it take… to face the parts of your story you've spent years avoiding?

Not later.
Not when it's easier.
But now.

In this episode of My Migrant Soul, Imran sits down with Kabinga Mazaba — an award-winning author, speaker, and transformational coach whose journey is as powerful as it is deeply human.

Born in Zambia and now based in Australia, Kabinga's story is shaped by migration, loss, and the quiet weight of unspoken trauma. But this conversation isn't just about what she's been through.

It's about what she chose to do with it.

From navigating life as a migrant spouse…
to rebuilding her identity across multiple countries…
to confronting the past that once defined her —

Kabinga shares what it really means to reclaim your life.

Because healing doesn't happen by accident.

It happens when you decide to face what's been holding you back.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

• Kabinga's migration journey from Zambia to Australia

• Growing up with trauma — and the impact it leaves behind

• The challenge of losing identity while starting over

• Life as a migrant spouse and rebuilding from the background

• Why identity is not fixed — and how that changes everything

• The power of community, connection, and curiosity

• What it means to truly "confront" your past

• Lessons on resilience, self-worth, and personal growth

Key Takeaway:

You can't change your past — but you can confront it, and in doing so, reclaim your future.

Special Thanks to Our Partners

This podcast is proudly supported by Westend Business Hub, Westend Digital, Westend Photography, Westend Podcast and WeConnect.

Their support helps bring these important stories to life and creates space for voices and experiences that matter.

Thinking about starting your own podcast?

Westend Podcast can help you turn your idea into something real.

Learn more: https://www.westendpodcast.com.au

What does it do to a person… to witness the world at its most confronting?

Not from a distance.
But up close. Through a lens. In real time.

In this episode of My Migrant Soul, Imran sits down with Jake Simkin - a photojournalist and filmmaker who has spent over two decades documenting life inside war zones, humanitarian crises, and places most of us only see in headlines.

From Afghanistan to Syria, Jake's work is not just about conflict.
It's about people.


Behind every image is a story of survival, fear, resilience, and sometimes… quiet moments of humanity that don't make the news.

But this conversation goes deeper than the work itself.

It explores what it means to carry those experiences.

To witness injustice. To walk away… and not fully leave it behind.

Because some stories don't stay where they happened. They stay with you.

• Jake's early life and the influences that shaped his path

• The moment photography became more than just a craft

• What it's like working in Afghanistan and Syria

• The reality behind the images we see in the media

• Experiencing fear, risk, and "scary moments" in conflict zones

• The concept of moral injury and its lasting impact

• Stories that are hard to forget — even years later

• Witnessing injustice and the human cost of conflict

• The migrant crisis and the responsibility of telling these stories

• What "safety" really means after seeing the world this way

When you see the world at its most fragile, it changes how you understand humanity.

This podcast is proudly supported by Westend Business Hub, Westend Digital, Westend Photography, Westend Podcast and WeConnect.

Their support helps bring these important stories to life and creates space for voices and experiences that matter.

Thinking about starting your own podcast?

Westend Podcast can help you turn your idea into something real.

Learn more: https://www.westendpodcast.com.au