Peter Hobbs

05/06/2026

One of the things I loved most about my years in The Salvation Army was sitting with people and hearing the stories that shaped them.

This conversation reminded me of that.

This week on Real Conversations, I sat down with Melissa Floreani from Clark St Coffee.

On the surface, she’s a coffee roaster.

But like most people, there’s a much deeper story underneath.

A story about the people who influence us.
The values we inherit.
The things that stay with us for decades.
And the quiet ways those things shape the lives we eventually build.

I won’t give too much away.

But if you’ve ever reflected on where your values came from, or who helped make you the person you are today, I think you’ll enjoy this conversation.

I’d love to know:

Who had the biggest influence on your life?

Full interview in this link.

Some of the most important influences in our lives aren't dramatic ...

03/06/2026

Why is being real so hard?

Four young women jumped into my Uber expecting a normal ride.Instead, we ended up having one of the most unexpected conversations I’ve had yet.This started w...

30/05/2026

Ed Mylan shares openly about Depression, Darkness and a friend that saved him.

What happens when the person who always fixes everything… can’t fix themselves?In this deeply honest Real Conversation, Ed Mylan opens up about childhood los...

22/05/2026

I’ve started a new project called Real Conversations with Peter Hobbs — a space built around honest conversations about life, faith, relationships, purpose, struggle, healing, leadership, community, and the things people often carry quietly.

I’ve just released a conversation with Ian Baxter, and I think many people here may genuinely connect with it.

The heart behind this project is simple: Create space for real human conversations in a world that often feels noisy, performative, and disconnected.

The full conversation is now available, and throughout the week we’ll continue unpacking different themes and reflections over on Substack.

You can join the conversation here:

Instagram:

Substack:

And if you ever feel like having a real conversation yourself — wherever you are in the world — feel free to reach out. I’d genuinely love to chat.

Watch last weeks video here.

What happens when two people sit down and have a genuinely honest conversation? In this episode of Real Conversations, Peter Hobbs sits down with Ian Baxter ...

17/05/2026

I wrote Heirs to the Empire after researching my own ancestor and reflecting on my experience inside institutional life in Australia.

What started as family history slowly became a much deeper exploration of belonging, loyalty, faith, colonial history, power and the systems that shape us without us even realising it.

If you’ve ever loved an institution, questioned one, served inside one, or wrestled with what it means to stay loyal while remaining honest with yourself, this book may resonate with you.

Heir to the Empire is a confronting and deeply reflective exploration of the lasting influence of the British Empire on Australia — and how systems of power, media, politics, organised religion, and c

07/05/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/withpeterhobbs/p/what-the-last-three-years-have-taught?r=48bavw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

The last three years have probably been the most misunderstood season of my life.

07/05/2026

Over the years I’ve had the privilege of speaking with many of you through community work, ministry, media, advocacy, and everyday life - and those conversations have genuinely shaped me.

The last three years have been one of the most refining and liberating seasons of my life. There’s been loss, rebuilding, healing, growth, and a deeper understanding of what truly matters.

For those who have followed parts of my journey through The Salvation Army years, community work, Drink X, media, or friendship — thank you. Your encouragement and conversations have meant more than you realise.

Out of this season, something new has emerged.

I’ve launched a new project called Real Conversations with Peter Hobbs — focused on honest conversations, meaningful stories, and exploring life, faith, culture, hope, leadership, healing, and the human experience.

If this resonates with you, I’d love for you to follow the journey — and feel free to DM me on Instagram anytime. I genuinely love hearing people’s stories.

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/peterhobbsrealconversations/

Substack:
https://substack.com/

I genuinely believe people are longing for deeper connection and conversations that actually matter.

This is just the beginning.

12/04/2026

There are many good people still inside The Salvation Army.

People who care deeply.
People who are trying to bring change.
People who feel the tension between what they believe is right… and what they’re told to accept.

Some stay because they love the mission.
Some stay because they fear being pushed out.
Some stay because they don’t know what life looks like on the other side.

If that’s you, I want to speak to you honestly.

Jesus never lived as a slave to systems, expectations, or fear.

He surrendered fully to the will of His Father — knowing it would cost Him everything.
He knew He would be misunderstood.
He knew He would be rejected.
He knew obedience would lead to death.

But in that surrender, He became fully Himself.
And in that death, He revealed the power of resurrection.

There is something deeply freeing about that.

To live truthfully.
To walk in love.
To stand in what you know is right — even when it costs you.

Not driven by anger.
Not driven by rebellion.
But grounded in peace.

You don’t belong to any system that asks you to deny truth, suppress love, or live in fear.

You are not a slave to ideology, position, power, or control.

You are held by God.

And when you truly understand that…
you realise you are free.

Free to love.
Free to walk in truth.
Free to lay your life down for others without fear of what it will cost you.

Because your life is not in their hands.

It never was.

There is power in that kind of surrender.
There is life in that kind of obedience.
There is resurrection in that kind of freedom.

12/02/2026

Grab my new book: 📕Breaking the Narcissists Grip - A Christians Guide to Cutting the Strings of Manipulation, Setting Boundaries That Stick and Reclaiming Y...

05/01/2026

If this is resonating with you, it may be because something in you knows that peace has been missing for a long time.

Not the kind of discomfort that comes with growth or challenge, but the deeper kind. The kind where your body is tense, your voice feels smaller, your joy is thinning out, and your spirit feels worn down. The kind where you are faithful, committed, sincere, and yet you are being spoken down to, overlooked, controlled, silenced, or slowly eroded.

Jesus takes that seriously.

In Luke 10, he does not tell his followers to stay where peace is absent. He does not tell them to endure environments that crush the soul and call it obedience. He gives a clear instruction: where peace is not received, you are to leave, and not carry the dust with you.

This matters, because ongoing lack of peace is not neutral.
It is often a sign of harm.

When disrespect becomes normalised, when fear replaces freedom, when your dignity is repeatedly compromised “for the sake of the work” or “for the sake of the mission”, something has already gone wrong. Jesus does not spiritualise that away.

Shaking the dust is not anger.
It is not revenge.
It is not weakness.

It is Jesus protecting people from remaining in places that damage them.

And he does not send people out into nothing.

Just before he speaks about shaking the dust, Jesus says the harvest is plentiful. He promises that provision will come through people of peace, through those God has already raised up in your life over the years. Through family, community, friends, and relationships where peace is mutual, not conditional.

I want to say this plainly, as testimony and not theory: he really does give us everything we need. That has been my lived reality. Not easily, not instantly, and not without grief, but faithfully. What was needed came through the harvest: through people who welcomed, protected, and restored peace.

If you are staying somewhere only because you feel trapped, because leaving feels disloyal, frightening, or impossible, please hear this clearly and gently:

Jesus does not command people to remain where they are being harmed.

Trusting Jesus sometimes means trusting him enough to leave. Enough to believe that your life, your calling, and your worth are not owned by a system. Enough to believe that God’s provision does not depend on your silence or endurance of abuse.

This is not about impulsive decisions.
It is about honesty.
It is about refusing to call harm “faithfulness”.

You are not stepping into nothing.
You are stepping away from what is hurting you, and toward the people of peace God has already prepared.

So if you are carrying dust from somewhere that has taken more from you than it gave, you are allowed to put it down.

Keep your dignity.
Trust Jesus.
And keep walking.