Mirte is as a true creative genius. Hailing from the Netherlands, Mirte has a strong background in fashion and branding all across Europe and Australia. Mirte believes brands should be about inclusivity, making people feel accepted as if they're a part of something greater. She's worked with Nike, Landrover, Microsoft and start ups all over.
Mirte on Instagram:
@mirte_vdl
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“That's what all Australians say and nobody does it.”
“I think every single person has it. Some people are just a little bit better at doing the new path thing.”
“It's not a magical thing. It's a conscious decision. That you stay together and grow together.”
“Like I might have a different—”
“I don't give a fuck about fruit. Give me some croissants.”
How can you manage ADHD or chronic procrastination without relying on medication?
Build healthy habits deliberately—Mirte describes a structured morning routine, daily yoga, running and meditation as the replacement for Ritalin, arguing that creating a new habitual 'path' takes sustained time and effort before it becomes as easy as the old one.
How do you make a big joint decision (like buying land/building a house) without resentment building between partners?
If one partner isn't ready to commit, let the other make the decision independently rather than being convinced into it, so there's no sense of obligation; genuine enthusiasm can follow once you're not forced into agreement.
How do you deal with disappointment in friendships where effort isn't reciprocated?
Don't expect others to treat you exactly as you treat them—doing so sets you up for disappointment; instead build self-awareness over time about which relationships and patterns are and aren't working, understanding your own psychology around acceptance.
Mirte describes being seen as a difficult, 'dumb' student in Dutch high school due to undiagnosed ADHD, deciding at around 16 to try Ritalin, and finishing school within two years as a result, calling the medication a thing that 'saved' her before she stopped taking it this year.
Mirte recounts modeling as a child and teen in the Netherlands, including an androgynous bleached-eyebrow look during Fashion Week, and that when her parents eventually gave her the money she'd earned, she believes she spent it on weed.
When Damon wanted to buy land and build in Daylesford but Mirte wasn't ready, she told him it had to be his decision alone so she wouldn't feel resentful obligation; he went ahead, and she ended up genuinely inspired to join the project, which became something they're grateful to be doing together.
Mirte planned an elaborate surprise flight to Australia to surprise Damon at his jobsite, lying to friends about a trip to Paris to cover her tracks, only to discover on arrival that Damon had engineered the entire 'surprise' himself and proposed to her in a hotel room, with a running joke afterward about a promised fruit basket that never arrived.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
She says Ritalin acts like speed and was adding to her stress hormones and anxiety, so after relying on it since her teens to help her finish school, she stopped taking it this year and now manages focus through exercise, meditation and habit routines instead.
From episode 151→In the Netherlands healthcare is obligatory and must be paid for (with fines for gaps in coverage), but once covered, costs like medication are largely taken care of, whereas in Australia she found herself needing to pay around 80% out of pocket despite having Medicare.
From episode 151→They did a foundation course together at VCA Film and TV around 2007/2008, lost touch, and reconnected after Josh found an old class photo and recognized her Dutch surname, discovering they'd both coincidentally been in the same class as a man later convicted of murder.
From episode 151→Every episode featuring Mirte Van Der Lugt on The Daily Talk Show.
