A country boy from rural NSW spent 30 years building a life across London, Hong Kong, and New York. In 2020, his identical twin son died. Days later, New York locked down. Six years on, hear how Duncan rebuilt as a single father and found purpose in childhood bereavement work.
⚠️ Content advisory: this episode discusses addiction & recovery and grief & loss, which some listeners may find distressing.
If you need support, you’re not alone. Help is available:
• SMART Recovery Australia (addiction): smartrecoveryaustralia.com.au
• ReachOut: au.reachout.com
• Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 · lifeline.org.au
• GriefLine: 1300 845 745 · griefline.org.au
Duncan Schieb was raised in Coonamble, rural NSW, with values that anchored him through three decades chasing opportunity across continents. He built businesses, mastered sales, and lived what looked like an enviable life. Then in February 2020, his seven-year-old identical twin son Lachlan died unexpectedly. Duncan performed CPR on his dead son and couldn’t save him. Days later, New York locked down. The family was trapped in an apartment, grieving and isolated, with no tools to process what had happened together. His marriage fractured under the weight. Without community, without language for the grief, Duncan spiralled into numbness.
But he chose clarity over escape. He stopped drinking for five years to stay present for his four children. He forgave his ex-partner, forgave himself, and forgave the people who hurt him during divorce. He took his kids on a seven-day cruise with no phones, no schedules, just time together. And he found his way back to the values that had always grounded him: pragmatism, connection, showing up for the people you love.
🕒 CHAPTERS:
00:00 Performing CPR on his dead son
03:16 A country boy’s anchoring
06:08 Left the family business at his father’s push
15:35 Built businesses across three continents
24:28 Country roots kept him grounded
32:29 The marriage couldn’t survive the grief
35:55 New York locked down around their fracture
39:28 Lachlan dies, the city locks down
46:46 The guilt of a father who couldn’t save him
52:41 Five years sober to stay present
01:05:38 The cruise that reconnected him with his kids
01:15:49 Working in childhood bereavement, the space that held him
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📌 RESOURCES MENTIONED:
A Friend’s Place (formerly National Centre for Childhood Grief): childhoodgrief.org.au
Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14
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Welcome.
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Kintsugi Heroes was created from a simple belief: every person has a story worth sharing, and sometimes the story we need to hear arrives exactly when we need it most.
Our name comes from the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with gold. Rather than hiding the cracks, they are honoured as part of the object’s history. We believe people are much the same. The experiences that challenge us, break us, shape us, and help us grow are often the very things that connect us to one another.
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• Animals & Us, hosted by Natalie Stockdale
• Grit Diaries: From Grit to Grace, hosted by Simone Allan and Maryan Bova
• From There to Here, hosted by Emma Bellamy-Dodd
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