As Kath Koschel steps behind the crease, she grips her bat just a little tighter than usual: she’s pushing through an annoying but minor back injury.  

The next thing she sees is the sky. She’s laying flat on her back. She can’t feel her legs. Turns out that back injury wasn’t so innocuous, and Kath’s on her way to the hospital.  

She doesn’t know it yet, but it’s not going to be her last operation, and it’s certainly not going to be the last curveball she faces. How does Kath, an athlete and cricket fanatic, put on her game face when she’s got months of rehab ahead for her?  

And when another unspeakable tragedy unfolds, how can she harness the kindness around her to carry her through? 

Kath Koschel is the unstoppable force behind The Kindness Factory which has expanded to The Kindness Curriculum, available in many schools in Australia and beyond. 

+++ 

Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Sometimes, life throws up moments that are unexpected. Things you could never plan for. Challenges you couldn’t have seen coming. The human experience is all about adapting. On Curveball you get the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. And get more wisdom and life lessons delivered to you directly with Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Rachel Fountain and Liam Riordan. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices