What happens when a career built on facts, figures, and investigations collides with the very human question of where, and how you want to raise a family?

Anton and Ben sit down with Paul Fontanot, whose journey spans forensic accounting, partnership, migration, and a surprisingly memorable introduction to Australian wine.

Paul grew up in Germiston and built his career in forensic accounting, work that demands precision, judgment, and the ability to sit with uncomfortable truths. That path eventually led him to Australia, where he rebuilt from scratch and went on to become a partner in a leading law firm, proving that starting again doesn’t mean starting small.

But this conversation is not just about professional success. Paul reflects on the decisions behind the move — weighing responsibility to family against familiarity, choosing long-term stability over short-term certainty, and learning that belonging takes effort, not entitlement. Australia didn’t hand him a life; it invited him to build one.

And then there’s the wine. A vineyard in the Hunter Valley, a father-in-law with strong opinions, and a lesson in humility that says more about migration than any spreadsheet ever could. It’s funny, grounding, and deeply Paul - a reminder that no matter how serious the work, life has a way of keeping you human.

This episode is about competence without ego, ambition without noise, and the courage to rebuild with your values intact.

🎧 Listen to Episode 22 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story at https://3spod.com
Also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

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What happens when your big adventure finally arrives… fourteen years late and just weeks before the world shuts down?

Anton and Ben sit down with Kevin and Romaine Mackenzie, a Johannesburg-born couple whose migration story is as much about partnership as it is about place. After waiting 14 years for a US visa to come through, they packed up their lives and arrived in Chicago in January 2020, driving into the city on a cold, dark, rainy night, only weeks before COVID changed everything.

This is a story of starting again together. Of leaving behind family, familiarity, and identity and discovering how much migration reshapes not just where you live, but who you become. Kevin reflects on rebuilding from scratch as an entrepreneur with no network, no shortcuts, and a restless need to stay bold. Romaine shares the emotional cost of leaving a life she deeply believed in, and what it means to re-anchor yourself when safety, trust, and certainty fall away.

At the heart of this episode is family. Watching their son Max navigate a new country, a new school, puberty, and lockdown until a chance baseball try-out at Oz Park changed everything. Sport became community. Community became belonging. And slowly, Chicago started to feel like home.

This episode is about mindset over nostalgia. About not trying to replicate your old life but re-engineering it. About resisting self-sabotage, choosing boldness, and learning to live forward without comparison.

If migration doesn’t just change your address, but your identity, who do you become on the other side?

🎧 Listen to Episode 21 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story at https://3spod.com
Also on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode21 #MigrationStories #FamilyJourney #StartingAgain #Identity #Belonging #Chicago #SouthAfricansAbroad #Podcast

What if success is not measured by what you accumulate, but by what lets you sleep at night?

Anton and Ben sit down with Dr Manny Pohl in Episode 20 of A Stranger, A Suitcase, and A Story. Our first episode of 2026, and a fitting one to begin the year.

Manny’s story starts on the Blyvooruitzicht gold mine near Carletonville, a place defined by hard work, hierarchy, and deep community. It’s where he learned early that who you are, and how you treat people, matters long after the mine closes.

Manny did not migrate chasing adventure. He moved for his three sons to give them opportunity, stability, and a fair shot at the future. Australia was a deliberate choice. What followed was a leadership journey shaped less by titles than by principles: courage to make hard calls, humility to start again, and an unwavering belief that relationships are built by how you show up when no one is watching.

Along the way, Manny became a Freeman of the City of London and was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia, not for self-promotion, but for contribution. Yet when asked what he carried with him, Manny does not talk about awards. He talks about a simple rule that guided every decision: it’s better to sleep well than to eat well.

This episode is about community, ethics, and the quiet moments that define a life - treating everyone with dignity, pulling the trigger when your values demand it, and understanding that success without integrity costs too much.

When faced with a choice that advances your career but compromises your values—what would you do?

🎧 Listen to Episode 20 at https://3spod.com
Also available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcasts.

#AStrangerASuitcaseAndAStory #3SPod #Episode20 #DrMannyPohl #Leadership #Values #Integrity #MigrationStories #Community #SleepingWell #OrderOfAustralia #Podcast