How OzHarvest charity queen and internationally renowned leader Ronni Kahn found her true calling in this passionately uplifting memoir.
Life throws us mysterious ingredients. If we are brave enough to put the recipe aside and experiment, it’s right there that things get interesting.
As the owner of a successful events company, throwing away huge volumes of leftover food at the end of the day came with the territory. But when Ronni Kahn hit midlife, she found herself no longer able to turn a blind eye to her food waste problem. Hand delivering the untouched food to homeless shelters around Sydney became her renegade solution. Little did she know that fixing her small problem at work would lead her to unlock a hidden purpose at the very core of her inner life.
Now founder and CEO of the food rescue organisation OzHarvest, Ronni leads hundreds of staff and thousands of volunteers with the goal to nourish Australia. She is an advocate, lobbyist and activist renowned for disrupting the food waste landscape in Australia. She serves in an advisory capacity to government and is an instrumental leader in changing federal laws to improve social justice and environmental policies. Her mission towards sustainable action is supported through close collaborations with some of the world’s finest chefs, including Jamie Oliver. In 2018, her journey became the subject of a feature film, Food Fighter, directed by Dan Goldberg.
Ronni is – and this is a massive understatement – an absolute powerhouse. Utterly inspiring, in all that she’s achieved, I was enthralled when reading her memoir, and learning more about her.
A Repurposed Life is the story of how Ronni found her voice, her heart and her deepest calling. Written with her daughter-in-law, Jessica Chapnik Kahn, an Argentinian-Australian writer, the book is an absolutely inspiring read.
From her early years growing up under the brutal system of apartheid South Africa, to a socialist commune in Israel, Ronni finally settled in Australia to discover a profound new way of living. Shared with the humour, warmth and energy that have made her an internationally renowned keynote speaker, this heartfelt exploration of the choices that define us will speak to anyone seeking a more passionate expression of being alive.
Easy, polished prose makes this an extremely readable memoir – I tore through it in two sittings. It’s also filled with fabulous photos, adding to the awe I now feel for Ronni.
A Repurposed Life really is a fabulous, honest memoir about a life well lived. I’m now looking at my own life and wondering how I can give back more. Ronni Kahn blazes a trail we can all follow in our own ways. I’m giving this book to a number of female friends – Inspiring, refreshing… a must-read.
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