A Repurposed Life

How OzHarvest charity queen and internationally renowned leader Ronni Kahn found her true calling in this passionately uplifting memoir.

Life throws us mysterious ingredients. If we are brave enough to put the recipe aside and experiment, it's right there that things get interesting.

As the owner of a successful events company, throwing away huge volumes of leftover food at the end of the day came with the territory. But when Ronni Kahn hit midlife, she found herself no longer able to turn a blind eye to her food waste problem. Hand delivering the untouched food to homeless shelters around Sydney became her renegade solution. Little did she know that fixing her small problem at work would lead her to unlock a hidden purpose at the very core of her inner life.

Now founder and CEO of the food rescue organisation OzHarvest, Ronni leads hundreds of staff and thousands of volunteers with the goal to nourish Australia. She serves in an advisory capacity to government and is an instrumental leader in changing federal laws to improve social justice and environmental policies.

A Repurposed Life is the story of how Ronni found her voice, her heart and her deepest calling. From her early years growing up under the brutal system of apartheid South Africa, to a socialist commune in Israel, Ronni finally settled in Australia to discover a profound new way of living. Shared with the humour, warmth and energy that have made her an internationally renowned keynote speaker, this heartfelt exploration of the choices that define us will speak to anyone seeking a more passionate expression of being alive.

About the Authors

Ronni Kahn is a South-African-born Australian social entrepreneur and founder of the food rescue charity OzHarvest. She is an advocate, lobbyist and activist renowned for disrupting the food waste landscape in Australia. She appears regularly in national media, serves in an advisory capacity to government and is a keynote speaker all over the world. Her mission towards sustainable action is supported through close collaborations with some of the world's finest chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Massimo Bottura, Neil Perry and Bill Granger. Ronni is an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) and was named Australian Local Hero of the Year in 2010. In 2018, her journey became the subject of a feature film, Food Fighter, directed by Dan Goldberg.

Jessica Chapnik Kahn is an Argentinian-Australian singer-songwriter, actor and writer. She has worked in theatre and TV, played in the bands of some of Australia's finest artists, and released two solo albums under the moniker Appleonia. She is the author of children's book Lenny and the Ants and poetry collection MADRE, which was inspired by the birth of her son, Lev. Jessica lives in Sydney and is married to musician Nadav Kahn. She is happy to call Ronni her mother-in-law.