News from the Room
Small talk makes me uncomfortable. I tend to say something awkward, then try to overcompensate to then say something even more awkward. If a topic I’m interested in comes up, I usually take over and forget the other person was meant to be talking too.
So, yeah. Conversations and I have had a weird relationship.
But here’s the thing. After Billie died, I realised something important. Grief isolates you. It makes you feel like no one really understands, even when they care deeply. And sometimes, the only thing that helps is talking to someone who’s been through something similar.
Someone who doesn’t flinch when you talk about the dark stuff. Someone who just nods, because they’ve been there too.
That’s one of the reasons I started this podcast. Not because I think I’m a great interviewer or a polished host. I’m not. But I believe in what happens when people share their stories honestly. I believe in what opens up when we speak about grief and trauma without trying to tidy it up.
The podcast isn’t just about other people’s stories. It’s helping me find my own voice too. It’s teaching me how to hold space for others, how to really listen, and how to have the kinds of conversations I never thought I’d be able to have.
The 411
This Week at Room Eleven
The Room Eleven Podcast: Episode 1 OUT NOW!
The Room Eleven Podcast is now live.
Episode one is officially available on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts.
It’s honest. It’s open. And it’s exactly the kind of conversation I hoped this podcast would become.
As mentioned last week, I sat down with Michelle McCranor, a bereaved mum, Stillbirth Foundation Ambassador, and endurance runner with a new documentary premiering next week, called Her Name Is Celeste.
We talked about grief, running, legacy, and what it means to keep showing up when life knocks you down.
If you’ve ever felt lost, alone, or like the only one trying to make sense of loss, this one’s worth a listen.
Episode 2 is also in the can!
I spoke with Chris Wood. He and his wife have unfortunately experienced multiple losses across their pregnancy journey, including the loss of their son Liam after 22 hours of life with his mother and father. Since that moment, he’s made purpose through seeking to help other bereaved dad’s. Most notably Australia’s first in-person bereaved dads support group through his work at Red Nose, and a sporting club that’s become a much needed support for fathers navigating unimaginable loss.
It will be out on the 20th, so I hope you will tune in for that one!
Sponsor a Kilometre. Power the Ride. Fund Real Change.
As mentioned last week, but leaving it in as a reminder. We launched a new way to get behind Scooting for Hope — and it’s perfect for people and businesses who want to be part of the record-breaking ride, without, you know, riding 270 km on a scooter.
We’re inviting 135–270 individuals and businesses to sponsor 1 or 2 kilometres of this world record attempt.
1 km = $150
Includes a certificate of appreciation, your name on our sponsor wall and official tracker, plus an invite to the private event at Calder Park.2 km (1+ lap) = $250
Everything above — plus a feature in the livestream, event materials, and across our socials.
This isn’t just a donation. It’s a purpose-driven partnership.
Support helps cover the infrastructure and broadcast costs, so every dollar from public donations can go straight to the Pregnancy After Loss Service at the Royal Women’s.
Room Eleven takes no profit. Just heart, wheels and momentum.
Pregnancy After Loss Guide Update
Had another great meeting with the Stillbirth CRE team this week to go over the latest draft of the Pregnancy After Loss Guidebook. It’s really starting to come together.
Even though progress is getting close to the finish line, this round of feedback reminded me why final reviews matter. Having the whole team in the room sparked new ideas and brought fresh clarity to sections finalised. It was a good reminder that progress doesn’t always mean rushing to the end. Sometimes it means slowing down and letting the right conversations shape the work.
Which brings me to the quote I’ve been thinking about...
Weekly Musings
Quote I’m Pondering: “faster alone, further together”
The full quote is: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” I’ve since learned it’s an African proverb, and it’s one I keep coming back to.
There have been plenty of times where I’ve chosen to go it alone. Whether it was work, a personal challenge, or trying to improve myself, I’ve often defaulted to just handling it myself. And to be fair, you can get things done quicker that way. You’ve got full control. You can move at your own pace, make decisions without waiting, and do things your way.
But that only takes you so far.
To go further, you need people. You need community, collaboration, and sometimes even the tension of different perspectives to help you see angles you’d never find on your own. That’s where the real growth happens. That’s how the path opens wider.
This is still something I’m working on, but I’ve noticed I’m starting to embrace this idea more than I used to. Letting others in earlier. Letting the process be shaped by more than just my view of the world.
Turns out, further feels a lot more meaningful than fast.
What I’m Watching: Doctor Who
This might be a bit niche, but if you’re keeping up with the Time Lord’s adventures, we’re now in the fifteenth regeneration. Ncuti Gatwa has been the Doctor since 2023, and I’ve really enjoyed his take. He brings that mix of goofball energy and heartfelt moments that the best Doctors tend to have.
That said, I think the streaming era has made it harder for the character to properly land. The seasons are short. Just eight episodes at a time. And even though Ncuti has been in the role for three years, it’s only added up to two seasons. Compare that to someone like David Tennant, who had almost 50 episodes by the time his run was up. There was simply more space to explore his version of the Doctor, and more time for the supporting cast to develop too.
There’s also a trend I’m not loving. Everything now feels like it needs to feed into a bigger shared universe. The new UNIT show, for example, is already being teased in the main storylines. That MCU-style approach can work, but when the episode count is this low, it comes at the cost of those one-off gems — the haunted house stories, the train full of monsters, the locked room murder mysteries. You lose the oddities that make the show feel alive.
It’s not that spin-offs can’t work. Torchwood proved they can. But I’m still a little sceptical. Sometimes, a great Doctor Who episode is just one weird idea, well executed, in 46 minutes. I hope there’s still room for that.
What I’m Reading: We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
This isn’t my first time reading it. With a new book recently released in the series, I decided to start from the beginning and give myself a full refresh.
The story follows Bob Johansson, a software engineer who signs up to have his head cryogenically frozen. He dies, wakes up a century later, and finds out he’s now an artificial intelligence tasked with piloting a self-replicating probe into deep space. From there, the series expands into space exploration, colonisation, philosophical dilemmas, and constant internal arguments between Bob and the other versions of himself. Yes, plural.
It’s a fun and clever read. The pacing moves quickly, the ideas are big, and there’s a solid mix of humour, science, and action. Somehow it manages to stay light without being shallow, and thoughtful without being too heavy.
This is one series I’d love to see turned into a TV show. There’s so much visual potential in the world-building, and the concept of a character debating with copies of himself would be brilliant on screen if done right.
If you like science fiction with personality and a bit of heart, it’s well worth picking up.
If there is a thread running through everything this week, from the podcast, guidebook meetings, to the quote I’m sitting with, even the stories in books and shows, it’s this: we are not meant to do the hard stuff alone.
Whether we are grieving, growing, building something new, or just trying to make sense of the world, it is the people we invite into those moments that shape and give meaning to the journey.
If you have not yet, I would love for you to listen to the podcast. And if there is someone in your life who might need to hear one of these stories, please share it with them.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.
See you next week!
Rob
Giving Back
Donate a Still Billie Box
Our care packages for families who’ve lost their baby, named after our baby daughter Billie. Offering comfort during what should be a special, happy time.
Your donation can make a real difference in allowing us to provide free Still Billie Boxes to hospitals across Australia and fund our Scooting for Hope $100k Campaign.
Room Eleven is a social enterprise business and does not qualify for DGR status.