When Brett Kelly lost his job at age 22 he was devastated.

With his confidence and motivation challenged, he began imagining meeting anyone he wanted to, anyone famous and/or interesting, anyone whose qualities, experience or achievements he could learn from. He realized that not only could he grow from interviewing successful people, but that he could turn the interviews into a book, which could help others.

The 34 interviews that make up Collective Wisdom are a testament to Brett’s tenacity; organizing the interviews took more than 3,000 phone calls, hundreds of letters and six months during which Brett had no income.

In the book, each contributor comments on a variety of issues, including Australia’s future, unemployment, racism, drugs, education, the republic, tax reform, voluntary euthanasia, and Aboriginal land rights.

What Brett learnt from the interviews is that you can’t be successful unless relationships are the primary part of that success. With those relationships, you achieve more, your life is richer and more interesting, and you have a lot more fun.