In Episode 14 of What a Stranger Told Me, Jon meets an anonymous health worker on her lunch break — a rare pocket of calm in a high-stress job. She’s been smoking for 40 years, quit once using hypnosis and medication, and now finds herself back at three to four cigarettes a day. This isn’t a public health lecture — it’s a raw, human conversation about why quitting smoking the second time feels harder, even when you’ve done it before and know the stakes.

She first quit after one powerful hypnosis session. “It was like a switch flipped,” she says. Paired with short-term medication, the cravings disappeared. For years, she was free — family celebrated, colleagues noticed, her body recovered. But then came the relapse: long hours, a cyclone cleanup, one cigarette “to cope.” That turned into two, then four. Now she’s stuck in a loop of guilt and habit. “I did it once. I know I can. But this time… it’s different.”

The real trap, she reveals, isn’t nicotine — it’s the ritual. The hand-to-mouth motion. The three-minute escape. The social connection. “You make more friends smoking than anything else,” she laughs. At airports, outside offices, in hidden corners — smokers bond instantly. “You can say anything. Then walk back in and pretend you don’t know each other.” It’s honest, fleeting, and oddly comforting.

She’s tried patches, gum, willpower — nothing works like that first hypnosis + meds combo. But medically, she has to quit. Her lungs, her heart, her future depend on it. And she’s living proof: hypnosis can work, even after decades of smoking. The key? Finding the right practitioner and pairing it with support.

This episode goes beyond cigarettes. It’s about habits, shame, relapse, and starting over — especially when you’re supposed to “know better.” Whether you’re trying to quit smoking, cut sugar, or stop doomscrolling, her story resonates: relapse isn’t failure — it’s information. She’s not giving up. She’s planning her second quit. And this time, she’s wiser.

The smoking circle, she says, might just be the most honest place in the world. No judgment. No pretence. Just strangers sharing truth in a cloud of smoke. And in a 10-minute chat on a park bench, she gave Jon — and now you — a masterclass in quitting smoking the second time.

Listen now to hear how one lunch break became a lesson in resilience, ritual, and the quiet power of trying again.

 

Chapters
00:00 – Lunch Break Confessions: Why This Health Worker Smokes
01:30 – 40 Years of Smoking: “I Quit Once… Then Started Again”
02:15 – How Hypnosis + Meds Helped Her Quit the First Time
03:40 – The Relapse Trigger: Stress, Cyclones, and One “Harmless” Cigarette
04:50 – Why Quitting Smoking the Second Time Is Harder
05:20 – The Secret Social Power of the Smoking Circle
06:30 – “I Have to Quit — Medically, I Have No Choice"

 

Key Takeaways
Hypnosis can help quit smoking — one session worked for 40-year habit
Relapse is about ritual, not just nicotine — hand-to-mouth action is the real trap
Quitting smoking the second time is harder — shame and familiarity make it brutal
Smoking creates instant community — strangers bond fast outside the “smoke zone”
Best quit method? Hypnosis + short-term medication (worked first time)
Average daily smokes after relapse: 3–4 (not “pack a day,” but still risky)



 

🎙️ Want more, Stranger?

Like the idea of story-collectors Tim Reid & Jon Coghill chatting to attendees at your next conference or event? Or maybe you'd like them to chat to strangers in your part of the world. Hit them up here.

📸  Join us behind-the-scenes

Follow the What a StrangerTold Me podcast madness on Instagram.

☎️  Got a story you'd love to share?

Call us +61 489 272 286. You've got a whopping 10-minutes, so sit back, take a big breath and go for gold.

👽  Don’t be a stranger

Got some feedback? Bring it on. Just be gentle. One of us has thin skin ;)

🤩  Who’s behind all this strangeness?

Made & Hosted by Tim Reid & Jon Coghill
Music Supervision by Dennis Feletto
Photography by Will Reid & Andy McColl

 

In Episode 14 of What a Stranger Told Me, Jon meets an anonymous health worker on her lunch break &mdash; a rare pocket of calm in a high-stress job. She&rsquo;s been smoking for 40 years, quit once using hypnosis and medication, and now finds herself back at three to four cigarettes a day. This isn&rsquo;t a public health lecture &mdash; it&rsquo;s a raw, human conversation about why quitting smoking the second time feels harder, even when you&rsquo;ve done it before and know the stakes.
She first quit after one powerful hypnosis session. &ldquo;It was like a switch flipped,&rdquo; she says. Paired with short-term medication, the cravings disappeared. For years, she was free &mdash; family celebrated, colleagues noticed, her body recovered. But then came the relapse: long hours, a cyclone cleanup, one cigarette &ldquo;to cope.&rdquo; That turned into two, then four. Now she&rsquo;s stuck in a loop of guilt and habit. &ldquo;I did it once. I know I can. But this time&hellip; it&rsquo;s different.&rdquo;
The real trap, she reveals, isn&rsquo;t nicotine &mdash; it&rsquo;s the ritual. The hand-to-mouth motion. The three-minute escape. The social connection. &ldquo;You make more friends smoking than anything else,&rdquo; she laughs. At airports, outside offices, in hidden corners &mdash; smokers bond instantly. &ldquo;You can say anything. Then walk back in and pretend you don&rsquo;t know each other.&rdquo; It&rsquo;s honest, fleeting, and oddly comforting.
She&rsquo;s tried patches, gum, willpower &mdash; nothing works like that first hypnosis + meds combo. But medically, she has to quit. Her lungs, her heart, her future depend on it. And she&rsquo;s living proof: hypnosis can work, even after decades of smoking. The key? Finding the right practitioner and pairing it with support.
This episode goes beyond cigarettes. It&rsquo;s about habits, shame, relapse, and starting over &mdash; especially when you&rsquo;re supposed to &ldquo;know better.&rdquo; Whether you&rsquo;re trying to quit smoking, cut sugar, or stop doomscrolling, her story resonates: relapse isn&rsquo;t failure &mdash; it&rsquo;s information. She&rsquo;s not giving up. She&rsquo;s planning her second quit. And this time, she&rsquo;s wiser.
The smoking circle, she says, might just be the most honest place in the world. No judgment. No pretence. Just strangers sharing truth in a cloud of smoke. And in a 10-minute chat on a park bench, she gave Jon &mdash; and now you &mdash; a masterclass in quitting smoking the second time.
Listen now to hear how one lunch break became a lesson in resilience, ritual, and the quiet power of trying again.
&nbsp;
Chapters
<ul>
<li>00:00 &ndash; Lunch Break Confessions: Why This Health Worker Smokes</li>
<li>01:30 &ndash; 40 Years of Smoking: &ldquo;I Quit Once&hellip; Then Started Again&rdquo;</li>
<li>02:15 &ndash; How Hypnosis + Meds Helped Her Quit the First Time</li>
<li>03:40 &ndash; The Relapse Trigger: Stress, Cyclones, and One &ldquo;Harmless&rdquo; Cigarette</li>
<li>04:50 &ndash; Why Quitting Smoking the Second Time Is Harder</li>
<li>05:20 &ndash; The Secret Social Power of the Smoking Circle</li>
<li>06:30 &ndash; &ldquo;I Have to Quit &mdash; Medically, I Have No Choice"</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Key Takeaways
<ul dir="ltr">
<li>Hypnosis can help quit smoking &mdash; one session worked for 40-year habit</li>
<li>Relapse is about ritual, not just nicotine &mdash; hand-to-mouth action is the real trap</li>
<li>Quitting smoking the second time is harder &mdash; shame and familiarity make it brutal</li>
<li>Smoking creates instant community &mdash; strangers bond fast outside the &ldquo;smoke zone&rdquo;</li>
<li>Best quit method? Hypnosis + short-term medication (worked first time)</li>
<li>Average daily smokes after relapse: 3&ndash;4 (not &ldquo;pack a day,&rdquo; but still risky) </li>
</ul>
<hr>
&nbsp;
🎙️&nbsp;Want more, Stranger?
Like the idea of story-collectors Tim Reid &amp; Jon Coghill chatting to attendees at your next conference or event? Or maybe you'd like them to chat to strangers in your part of the world. Hit them up <a href="https://whatastrangertoldme.com/contact/">here</a>.
📸&nbsp; Join us behind-the-scenes
Follow the What a StrangerTold Me podcast madness on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/whatastrangertoldme">Instagram</a>.
☎️&nbsp; Got a story you'd love to share?
Call us +61 489 272 286. You've got a whopping 10-minutes, so sit back, take a big breath and go for gold.
👽&nbsp; Don&rsquo;t be a stranger
Got some feedback? <a href="https://whatastrangertoldme.com/contact/">Bring it on</a>. Just be gentle. One of us has thin skin ;)
🤩&nbsp; Who&rsquo;s behind all this strangeness?
Made &amp; Hosted by Tim Reid &amp; Jon Coghill Music Supervision by Dennis Feletto Photography by Will Reid &amp; Andy McColl
&nbsp;

Storytelling meets human connection in this intriguing Australian podcast. Hosts Jon Coghill (Powderfinger) and Tim Reid (award-winning podcaster) travel around chatting with strangers of all ages & backgrounds - uncovering their raw, unique, and very personal stories. Take a break from the everyday, and dive into lives of people you’d never otherwise meet.

And if you’ve got a story you’d love the world to hear, then call us on +61 489 272 286.

Or maybe you'd like us to chat to strangers in your town, or maybe you’ve got a conference you’d like us to podcast from, then contact us at What a Stranger Told Me.

Credits ...

Made & Hosted by Tim Reid & Jon Coghill

Music Supervision by Dennis Feletto

Photography by Andy McColl & Will Reid

 

Storytelling meets human connection in this intriguing Australian podcast. Hosts Jon Coghill (Powderfinger) and Tim Reid (award-winning podcaster) travel around chatting with strangers of all ages &amp; backgrounds - uncovering their raw, unique, and very personal stories. Take a break from the everyday, and dive into lives of people you&rsquo;d never otherwise meet.
And if you&rsquo;ve got a story you&rsquo;d love the world to hear, then call us on +61 489 272 286.
Or maybe you'd like us to chat to strangers in your town, or maybe you&rsquo;ve got a conference you&rsquo;d like us to podcast from, then contact us at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.whatastrangertoldme.com">What a Stranger Told Me</a>.
Credits ...
Made &amp; Hosted by Tim Reid &amp; Jon Coghill
Music Supervision by Dennis Feletto
Photography by Andy McColl &amp; Will Reid
&nbsp;

Storytelling meets human connection in this intriguing Australian podcast. Hosts Jon Coghill (Powderfinger) and Tim Reid (award-winning podcaster) travel around chatting with strangers of all ages & backgrounds - uncovering their raw, unique, and very personal stories. Take a break from the everyday, and dive into lives of people you’d never otherwise meet.

What a Stranger Told Me

Storytelling meets human connection in this intriguing Australian podcast. Hosts Jon Coghill (Powderfinger) and Tim Reid (award-winning podcaster) travel around chatting with strangers of all ages & backgrounds - uncovering their raw, unique, and very personal stories. Take a break from the everyday, and dive into lives of people you’d never otherwise meet.

Take a break from the everyday, and dive into the lives of people you’d never otherwise meet.

And if you’ve got a story you’d love the world to hear, then call us on +61 489 272 286.

Or maybe you'd like us to chat to strangers in your town, or maybe you’ve got a conference you’d like us to podcast from, then contact us at What a Stranger Told Me.

Credits ...

Made & Hosted by Tim Reid & Jon Coghill

Music Supervision by Denis Feletto

Photography by Andy McColl & Will Reid

Storytelling meets human connection in this intriguing Australian podcast. Hosts Jon Coghill (Powderfinger) and Tim Reid (award-winning podcaster) travel around chatting with strangers of all ages &amp; backgrounds - uncovering their raw, unique, and very personal stories. Take a break from the everyday, and dive into lives of people you&rsquo;d never otherwise meet.
Take a break from the everyday, and dive into the lives of people you&rsquo;d never otherwise meet.
And if you&rsquo;ve got a story you&rsquo;d love the world to hear, then call us on +61 489 272 286.
Or maybe you'd like us to chat to strangers in your town, or maybe you&rsquo;ve got a conference you&rsquo;d like us to podcast from, then contact us at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.whatastrangertoldme.com">What a Stranger Told Me</a>.
Credits ...
Made &amp; Hosted by Tim Reid &amp; Jon Coghill
Music Supervision by Denis Feletto
Photography by Andy McColl &amp; Will Reid

A health worker quit smoking after 40 years using hypnosis — then relapsed. Hear why quitting smoking the second time is harder, and how the smoking circle builds instant community. Episode 14.