About Us
Ponderings is a Magazine to spark your innate curiosity and share the stories of us.
A new paradigm in storytelling, Ponderings is a grassroots magazine platform and a feast for the heart and mind, seeking to inform, inspire and create reflection.
Real stories and emotional intelligence combined with creating a community rewarded with a sense of connection is the guts of it. It’s resonating quickly.
Ponderings online magazine was born from an existential crisis and the personal forging from tragedy to triumph. A positive space.
I believe people are seeking something more, a primal need to be together in what can feel like a very separate world. There are stories out there waiting to be told. A communication feast of the heart and mind is at our core at Ponderings.
x Kirsten Macdonald – editor
The Journey
Spurred on by an existential crisis after brain surgery, the Ponderings of Kirsten blog became a reality with some pushing from a wonderful sister.
The overwhelming support from readers was life altering. Apparently a dark sense of humour paired with real life anecdotes about dying hit a note. But I soon grew tired of writing about myself…
When the platform grew to bursting point, I recognised the hunger in readers for good news. Inspiring stories about everyday people were nowhere to be found. A team was created and Ponderings is now a magazine and a feast for the hearts and minds of thousands of people, along with a loyal subscriber base.
There are digital magazines, podcasts and then there are printed copies of your magazine…
The progression to physical copies, choosing the best stories in a printed Anthology was more than a little ambitious, intimidating and challenging. It was worth every bit! The very generous and support of Michael Leunig meant our first printed copy created in Melbourne was set to jet!
We grew an ecosystem of new dynamic layers; Podcast + App. We then achieved Google News syndication (a yikes moment)
Presenting readers with a different lens to see some of Australia’s most celebrated artists, journalists, performers and leaders is awesome and humbling.
But the best bit? To interview some of our country’s most incredible people, often going under the radar of celebrity, gleaning insights into their stories so very worthy of telling.
Our Hard Cover Coffee Table Book
COVID hit and we wanted something very special to inspire our readers while also creating a beautiful Book, rich with colour and imagination. This Second Anthology features some incredible humans.
We fiercely buck the trend of “negative news sells.”
The genesis of our human narrative comes from being inspired, reflecting on this inspiration and prospering from the action. Bonds are formed. “I see you.” Our goal succeeded; there is a sparkling thought spring for Ponderings folk to drink from in the content we wordsmith, record and present.
With a swiftly growing subscription base and ongoing support from some of the country’s best writers, the success of Ponderings has been exciting and is now a community.
Life is all about light and shade, which means when we are real, and when we communicate with vulnerability and truth, we get a connection. The stories of us.
Our mission is to take you, the reader, the viewer and the listener, the Witness- through a journey of tears, laughter, breathlessness and heart smiles, into a world of reflection and evaluation. A positive space, but not one that oozes positive rhetoric, no BS, warts and all humanity with an edge of humour that brings the tribe together. Telling each other our stories is also about developing theoretical paradigms for making sense of the world we live in.
Ponderings is an expression in a discourse of a distinct mode of experiencing and thinking about the world- in simpler terms- real events that showcase emotions with the addition of interesting.
Why do people become a Ponderer?
They want to hear the real stories, they want to emotionally connect. The genesis of our human narrative comes from being inspired, reflecting on this inspiration and prospering from action. Bonds are formed. I see you. Our goal has succeeded; there is a sparkling thought spring for Ponderings folk to drink from in the content we wordsmith, record and present. The most fundamental aspect of our biological origins is our social nature.
Welcome!
Our Ponderings Writers
Kirsten Macdonald
Wordsmith & Editor
Narnia, A Faraway Tree with a smidge of a Doc called Suess, and some Kahlil Gibran is the word charm that grew seeds in Kirsten Macdonald's imagination. She has an innate curiosity about the stories of "us" and a deep faith that is strongly supported by a dark sense of humour.
Ask this wordsmith about anthropology, ancient religions, the curious nature of humanity and the incredible cuteness of sloths and you will have a conversation for hours.
Writer, editor and researcher, Kirsten has developed Ponderings into a space that is now shared by a team and a shared vision that is infectiously positive and forged in good stuff.
Kate O'Donnell
Wordsmith and Media Officer
A celebrated and award winner author, key note speaker and educator, Kate O'Donnell is passionate about advocacy. A tree house lover from way back and is quite partial to a warm fire, guitar and the great outdoors. Kate can often be found in the company of 2 labradors, a jack russel and a parrot!
She completed her Bachelor of Teaching, and Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Anthropology.
Kate spent her teaching days, living in an Aborigianl communities working with the Mardu people in Jigalong WA and the Yolgnu people of Ramingining in Arnhem Land NT.
A beloved team member of Ponderings.
Jasmin Pedretti
Journalist
Deakin University Journalism graduate, Jasmin Pedretti, has a collection of passions. Food, culture, travel, and books spark her joy. After studying abroad in Milan and trekking Europe, Jasmin has enjoyed dabbling in a variety of different activities, in pursuit of a new hobby.
This wordsmith enjoys watching documentaries about celebrities from the golden era, winding down with yoga, spending quality time with her dog and writing articles for Ponderings Magazine about people who inspire. If you can’t find Jasmin, she’s probably in a treehouse somewhere reading Bronte.
Thankful to be working with an incredible team, Jasmin feels proud that Ponderings is giving the unheard a voice and shining a light on important topics that are often ignored.
Cassidy Krygger
Wordsmith & Actress
Cassidy Krygger is a young actress and writer with a passion for film, history and media. With qualifications in Social Media Marketing and a Acting for Film and Television. Our shining star Cass is fantatical about old worlde Hollywood and has an impressive Instagram following of 40,000+
Her favourite author is Emily Bronte and her perfect day consists of reading a good book and watching a classic movie. London is a favorite haunt and Cassidy loves to travel.
Alongside this, Cassidy has a passionate interest in making a positive change in the world, and this passion flows through into the media work she contributes to as part of the Ponderings team.
Montanna Macdonald
Journalist & Public Relations Officer
Promotions Team member and wearer of a mascot suit when required, Montanna is passionate about human rights and is a member of the United Nations Youth. A talented wordsmith, she will write a speech to move an audience and inspire them into change, and can make an excellent coffee, because coffee is life.
The art of communications, public relations tied in with a social conscience that runs deep fuels Montanna's Bachelor of Arts- BA focused in Communication, Journalism,
She has worked with Emmy Award winning producers, has a Stevie Nicks obsession and holds a strong belief in loyalty and integrity.
Harry Potter holds her heart and the Book of Kells.