Episode 4

full
Published on:

5th Nov 2025

From curious scientist to inspired TEDx speaker and author, guiding entrepreneurs on their own bold journeys with Kate de Jong

Kate De Jong is the author of the #1 Amazon bestselling memoir Seeds of a Calling — a powerful and cautionary tale about the cost of ignoring your inner truth. With raw honesty, Kate shares her journey of straying from her “inner knowing” and the tragic consequences that followed, ultimately delivering an uplifting message for anyone seeking vocational contentment.

After a 15-year career as a process engineer, Kate followed her entrepreneurial spirit and transitioned in 2012 to building and growing small businesses. Today, as a business growth specialist, she helps entrepreneurial people start, grow, and scale ventures effectively, driven by her passion to see others succeed in doing what they love.

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About the Podcast

Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace with Mon and Mazz
Join your hosts Mon and Mazz as they uncover inspiring stories of local heroes – often unsung, but always extraordinary.
Welcome to The Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace, a podcast where resilience meets real life. Hosted by dynamic duo Mon and Mazz, we shine a light on the powerful, untold stories of people who have overcome adversity, hardship, and life's toughest challenges - with grit, heart, and grace.

Each episode, we sit down with unsung heroes from all walks of life to explore their journeys through struggle, survival, and transformation. These are raw, honest conversations that go beyond the headlines - stories that inspire, challenge, and remind us of the strength within us all.

Whether it's bouncing back from rock bottom, navigating personal loss, or turning pain into purpose, The Grit Diaries is a tribute to the human spirit - and a space where vulnerability meets victory.

Real stories. Real people. Real resilience.

Subscribe, listen, and join us on the journey from Grit to Grace.

The Grit Diaries is a flagship series within the Kintsugi Heroes network — built on the belief that the most powerful stories aren't the polished ones, they're the honest ones. Through Mon and Mazz's warm, no-filter conversations, our guests share the moments most people don't talk about: the rock-bottom days, the quiet rebuilds, the family they leaned on, the help they finally asked for, and the small wins that turned into whole new lives.

This isn't a series about perfect comebacks or neat endings. It's about real people doing the hard, messy, beautiful work of becoming themselves again — and the grace that's found on the other side of grit. Whether you're walking through something heavy right now, supporting someone who is, or simply need a reminder that you're not alone, The Grit Diaries is for you.

Kintsugi Heroes is an Australian not-for-profit (DGR endorsed) dedicated to strengthening mental wellbeing through the power of storytelling. We believe lived experience is a gift to be shared, not a scar to be hidden.

To find out more about Kintsugi Heroes and our other podcast series, head to KintsugiHeroes.com.au.

Connect With Us:
🌐 Website: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@kintsugiheroes
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kintsugi.heroes/
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❤️ Donate (tax-deductible): https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/donate/#donate

About your host

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Ian Westmoreland