Madeleine West shares the stories of some Incredible Heroes

Sydney NSW, Australia—Actor, author and activist Madeleine West takes listeners behind the scenes with extraordinarily ordinary Australians who are making the world a better place, in the new smooth podcast series Invisible Heroes.

As most of Australia, and the world at large, start taking the first tentative steps out of isolation and return to ‘normal life’, it’s those who have lost the most, who’ve learnt the most and have incredible stories to tell.

Madeleine West said, “I consider myself a storyteller and everyone has a story that deserves to be told. Throughout the recent crisis I’ve made a point of seeking out and working alongside those who are striving to make the world a better place, behind the scenes, by thinking outside the box. You may never see them on the cover of a magazine, in the papers or on the news, but their stories are incredibly inspiring and needed more now than ever. It is with great honour that I am using my voice, so you may hear theirs.”

In each episode, Madeleine West will sit down with those people at the coal face of crises; be it climate, coronavirus or crises of conscience, who are best equipped to lead us into a new era. Their industries might not be deemed ‘essential’ by any governmental decree, but listeners will discover the services these people offer, speak less to keeping society as we know it afloat, and more to our physical, psychological and social well-being and to that end, our very humanity.

In the first episode of this powerful podcast series from smooth, Madeleine will share the story of near-death experience and recovery, after being hit by a bus 18 years ago this month. She speaks candidly about what it means to face your fears, be your best self and give back when tempted to give in. Madeleine reveals her struggles with PTSD, acquired brain injury, the ongoing effects of the injuries themselves, and how with a little self-belief nothing can stop you, not even a bus.

Some of the inspiring stories featured in smooth’s Invisible Heroes include:

• Kon Karapanagiotidis OAM, CEO and founder of the Asylum Resource Centre, a human rights lawyer, social worker and philanthropist, who dubs himself ‘the hateful humanitarian’.
• Indigenous artist Tony Albert whose work captures and quells the current mood more effectively than any rally slogan.
• Abdul Razzoq, the asylum seeker who maintains his love and respect for this country despite 11 years of surviving incredible odds striving for residency
• Samart, a shaman who practices plant medicine as a logical response to an increasingly disconnected world which has forgotten the power of ritual as a crucial element to our personal belief systems.
• Detective Superintendent Jayne Crossling, a senior member of the federal police domestic violence task force, identifies an area of significant focus and deep concern currently attracting little to no attention from the wider public: human trafficking in the form of child brides still increasing in Australia’s suburban fringes.
• Sergeant Trevor Russell from the Australian Federal Police whose experience of dealing with human trafficking and sex slavery here in Australia will shake you to your core.

This eight-part powerful series will challenge listeners to contemplate what material goods, habits, services or freedoms are truly essential to them, and how their existence would be affected if they were taken away.

Madeleine said, “After listening to any of my incredible guests, you might feel reassured in what you value and the way you live your life, or you might just change your mind forever.”

Andrew Brentnall, NOVA Entertainment’s Managing Producer of Original Podcasting said, “Invisible Heroes is a breath of fresh air during such turbulent times we’re living in. Madeleine’s passion and drive to uncover these stories of incredible people around Australia highlights the one thing that connects us all – our humanity.”

Madeleine West is an actor, an author, an activist, but she considers herself a storyteller. She has been determined that her own hardships would be the making, rather than the breaking of her, and has sought out and worked alongside those who are striving to make the world a better place. From working to better the conditions of those seeking asylum, to learning how to regenerate rainforests and reverse climate change, to philanthropic travels to Morocco and Africa to learn about educating and emancipating girls to avoid slavery and servitude, to exploring alternative medicines in Australia’s secret sanctuaries and exploring what it means to be indigenous in the current climate, she has sought out the faces behind the struggle and made their work part of her own.