On an otherwise unremarkable morning in a Sydney apartment building, two women – strangers to each other – found their lives irrevocably changed within minutes. What followed was an act of violence. What endures is something else entirely – survival, instinct and an extraordinary display of strength.
In the latest episode of marie claire’s podcastYou’re Gonna Want To Hear This, Chloe Paul, a photographer and mother of three, and Christine Campeau, a mother of two, wellness therapist and yoga teacher, recount the moment on March 3 when a man entered their building and carried out two separate, random attacks inside their homes. The man – later identified as Central Coast dentist Steven Lin – was subsequently shot dead by police.
Listen To You’re Gonna Want To Hear This
Christine had stepped into the building’s shared laundry when she was first confronted. At the same time, just floors away, Chloe was working at her desk with her front door slightly ajar – a detail that would become pivotal. What unfolded next was not coordinated or targeted, instead two parallel encounters, bound by proximity and timing.
Christine describes how quickly the situation escalated. “There was not an ounce of violence in his face or his eyes… there was no fear,” she says. “And then he just hit me… it was violent, it was strong… there was not a moment where I could even engage – he was just bashing me as hard as he could.” Even then, her instinct was to stay conscious. “I thought, okay, I’m going to die… and I turned around and said, ‘Please stop.’”
For Chloe, the attack came just as abruptly – and her response was immediate. “I just looked up, and this guy’s standing halfway in the door,” she recalls. “And then he just whacked one whopping great punch across my face… all I thought was, oh my God, we are getting robbed.” What followed was instinctive. “It’s like a superpower that takes over… I don’t know, I can’t explain it.”
The episode lays bare the reality of how quickly ordinary life can change – but also what happens when survival instinct takes hold. Both women describe a moment where the body leads. For Chloe, it was a fight response. “He completely cut off my air supply… and I remember thinking, is this it? Because I could not breathe,” she says. “But then I just went into fight.” She managed to break free, get to safety and alert others in the building – actions that likely prevented further harm.
Just two weeks on, the conversation moves beyond the attack itself to its immediate aftermath. Both women speak candidly about the disorientation that follows trauma – the physical shock, the emotional fallout, and the slow, uneven path back to a sense of safety. “I couldn’t open my eyes… there was a lot of blood,” Christine says.
And yet, threaded through their accounts is something else – resilience. Despite not knowing each other prior to that morning, the women are now inextricably linked. “Whether she wants it or not, she’s my family… she’s my sister now,” Christine says. Community support – from neighbours, friends, and strangers – has also played a critical role. “I feel so loved and supported… this is the most loved I’ve been in my entire life.”
There is also unmistakable pride in what they endured. “You’ve got to know how strong you actually are,” Chloe reflects. “In that moment, I did everything I could… and I’m really proud of myself for that.”
The episode of You’re Gonna Want To Hear This also raises broader questions about women’s safety – particularly within spaces that are assumed to be secure. “The system is failing. We need to do something for women,” Christine says. Both reflect on the unsettling reality that the attack took place inside their own building, during daylight hours, in the course of a routine day – a reminder that risk is not always predictable, and that systems designed to protect can fall short.
Importantly, the conversation does not sensationalise the violence. Instead, it centres the lived experience of survival – what it feels like in the moment, what it costs in the days after, and what it takes to begin again. Above all, it is a portrait of two women who, when faced with the unthinkable, found strength they didn’t know they had.
If this episode raises anything for you, support is available via 1800RESPECT and Lifeline (13 11 14). In an emergency, call 000.
Listen to the full episode here
To support Chloe and Christine in their recovery, please visit the Go Fund Me links below
Chloe Paul – gofundme.com/f/violence-survivor-support-chloes-recovery
Christine Campeau – gofundme.com/f/surviving-violence-please-support-christines-recovery
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