About Our Guest
Georgina Banks is a writer, facilitator, and occasional performer, with an interest in what makes people tick and social justice issues. With backgrounds in performance and applied psychology she splits her time between her consulting business, ‘Changeable’, and her writing projects.
What Happens When the Truth Demands Your Voice
In this conversation, Georgina Banks shares her journey of writing a book to honour her great aunt Bud, an Australian army nurse killed in the Bangka Island Massacre during World War II. What started as an act of remembrance transformed into something far more challenging when Georgina discovered that the truth about what happened to those nurses had been suppressed for decades.
Georgina reveals how she navigated the weight of intergenerational silence that had shaped her family for generations, carrying grief that had been frozen and unprocessed since 1942. Despite never having written a book before, she felt compelled to speak up for her great aunt and the other nurses, ensuring their full story was finally told with honesty and dignity.
In this vulnerable and honest conversation, Georgina shares how her passion became stronger than fear, how creativity became a pathway through devastating material, and how breaking the silence began to heal her family across generations. This isn’t just a story about uncovering historical truth. It’s about finding the courage to speak when staying silent feels safer, and discovering that the opposite of fear isn’t bravery, it’s passion for justice.
Georgina’s Tips
1. Hard things are hard
Steel yourself. Don’t back away when it gets hard. Learn to tolerate discomfort (you don’t have to like it).
2. For me the opposite of fear isn’t bravery, it’s passion
Fear is a force that can keep you immobilised. Ask yourself, what is the opposite force that will propel you forward and override your fear?
In my case it is passion for justice, and for expressing that creatively through writing.
That passion enabled me to advocate and give voice to the women’s full story.
3. Don’t sit in the stands, get into the arena.
(Brene Brown quoting Roosevelt)
‘It’s not the critic who counts … the credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena … whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood …’
4. Adopt a growth mindset
You do not know how far you can go through dedication, hard work, learning, and perseverance.
The power of YET.
I’m not a good writer (insert what matters to you) … YET
Change the question
From: ‘Am I a good writer’?
To: ‘How do I become a good writer’?(This change opens up a mindset of learning rather than judgement and perfectionism)
Georgina’s Contact Details
Instagram: @georginabankswriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GeorginaBanksAuthor/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-banks-600b255/
Website: https://www.georginabanks.com.au
Georgina’s References
‘Back to Bangka’ by Georgina Banks
https://www.penguin.com.au/books/back-to-bangka-9781761341137
‘Mindset’ by Carol S. Dweck
https://www.booktopia.com.au/mindset-carol-s-dweck/book/9780345472328.html
Theodore Roosevelt Speech
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7-it-is-not-the-critic-who-counts-not-the-man
Brene Brown, ‘The Man in the Arena Speech’
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Time Stamps
00:00 Unveiling Family Secrets: The Journey Begins
02:39 Confronting the Past: The Impact of War Crimes
05:11 Intergenerational Grief: A Family’s Silent Struggle
10:16 The Weight of Silence: Navigating Family Dynamics
15:04 The Power of Storytelling: Writing as Healing
19:31 Finding Peace: The Response of Family
24:27 Passion for Justice: The Heart of the Narrative
25:42 Navigating Vulnerability and Criticism
29:34 The Drive for Justice and Storytelling
31:08 The Gift of Writing and Family Healing
34:49 Personal Growth Through Adversity
41:06 Lessons Learned and Messages for the Future
47:43 It’s A Wrap
If anything in this episode resonated with you and if you feel like you could use a little extra support, please consider reaching out to trusted local support services in your area. You don’t have to go through it alone.
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