For those who have followed the tortuous path of Australian climate policy over recent decades, a 2024 report by the Australian Energy Market Commission of a “shadow price” of A$70 a tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent elicits some painful memories. Meet Ross Garnaut who if you are an economics tragic like me, will be a household name. In brief, Ros…

AI is everywhere and has impacting how we as humanity do our work, build our communities and even how we relax. Do you think much about how tools like generative AI platforms from ChatGPT to Chatbots we use when buying products and services online are changing our existence? Today, as AI-based technologies become more pervasive, machines can augmen…

I met today's guest at the 2024 Stevie’s Asia Pacific Awards event in Manila, and as fellow Australian business owners we connected instantly. Domestic violence is more than a domestic issue – it’s a well-known national problem in Australia that seems to be a permanent stain on our communities. Recent ABS statistics indicating 41% of Australians ha…

Oil is a divisive issue. Climate change debates remain as heated as ever in Australia with nuclear energy, renewables and the legacy realities of oil and gas necessity remaining at the heart of the story. In the face of our climate crisis, my guest says “today is the time for a wake-up call to the dangers of unchecked power and influence”. Royce Ku…

Traditional leadership tools are failing to meet the challenges and opportunities of the ecosystem we live and lead in now, according to my guest today. Leaders need a flexible and interconnected system of ideas and frameworks to successfully lead for high performance – and the good news is, her new book shows you how. In The Leaders Ecosystem: A G…

The idea of true balance in our lives can often feel allusive and at times impossible. What if there was a way to make it more of a reality in our personal and professional lives? I am speaking with Danielle Colley, integrative life coach, speaker, event facilitator and writer. For the past five years, she has been helping people who are feeling st…

AI is the hot topic of the past two years in all kinds of businesses from insurance to fashion to finance. What about the world of coaching? My guest today is on board. With over three decades of entrepreneurial success and the remarkable ability to overcome life-threatening health challenge, Katharine Loucaidou is a powerhouse of resilience and in…

Retail has been undergoing an unprecedented transition of late and the global pandemic speeded that up in a way one could maybe not have predicted. Online platforms have led to new sales channels and fresh opportunities to reach out to a world of customers, and over the past 20 years more globalisation has opened markets and introduced new competit…

Meet Deborah Hart, a climate and environment-focused creative producer and writer based in Narrm (Melbourne). After 16 years working in development roles with leading Australian arts and culture organisations—as increasingly neoliberal government policies were forcing important public organisations to form ever-closer alliances with harmful industr…

We all need and want human connection – most of us do anyway. That could be in a variety of forms from friendship, family ties or via a more romantic or sexual nature. As a business leader and successful entrepreneur, Anna Grosman has been in my online social orbit for years and when I heard she was launching a new business, called Her Confidant I …

Jason Malouin started his career as a Lighting Designer for live theatre and worked all over the United States for about 5 years. He was obsessed with creating these dramatic, shifting lightscapes for the actors on stage to move through it was replicating something as boring (and tricky) as office light or a laser-pointer-esque, dramatic spotlight.…

Failure is part of life. It can hit harder – more publicly perhaps- when it comes to your business as well. Here with me is Jim Cocks, who is a respected Australian business coach with a passion for helping entrepreneurs grow and scale faster. Following a ‘quarter-life crisis’, he discovered his love for coaching and became an ICF-accredited coach …

Everyone has something they are good at right? Many years ago, my then business coach said I could turn my expertise into a business as long as I could also make money from it and have passion for what I did. Being an expert looks easy but how do you become the ‘go-to’ expert for your sector and ensure you land the right clients or customers easier…

Customer service can make or break a brand in terms of its reputation and longevity. Today I am speaking with Jaquie Scammell is Australia’s leading expert in Customer Service, a sought-out speaker, author, Founder and CEO of ServiceQ: a business focused on helping organisations reimagine the future of service through mindsets and behaviours. Her w…

Estate planning is at times a vexing issue – it seems like plenty of films and TV shows have shown the heated family dynamics of legacy and also money is often not exactly fun to navigate! Does it need to be done differently to become less of a taboo topic or can we even accept that inheritance is a gift, not a birthright? I do wonder. My guest has…

Property investing has become both a political hot-button topic in Australia where we have some of the world’s most expensive housing in our capital cities as well as a great way for “mum and dad” investors to build wealth. Safe as houses as the saying goes. Then there are the types – in short residential and then commercial property investing. So …

If I said I’d like to give you some feedback, how do you immediately react inside? Welcoming? Hostile? Something more nuanced? That is today’s podcast topic and I have to be honest; I have had to get better at both giving and accepting feedback from others over many years in workplaces and personally. It can be hard at times especially when it's no…

Amanda Rose was an early guest on this show (in fact ep 95 The Politics of Ambition) and that was some years ago. Since then, much has evolved for her and those she works with and how to create impact in business communities. Today Amanda Rose (#BossLady) is an advocate for women in business, a media commentator, keynote speaker and an entrepreneur…

Bad things can and do happen to all kinds of people. It can be hard to see the good or the why in such times and adversity is not something we can always easily “get over”. Yet maybe we can. Positive thinking and reframing go hand in hand – we can for example choose to focus on the positive aspects of a situation, rather than the negative. Reframin…

The mental load is a term for the invisible labour involved in managing a household and family, which typically falls on women's shoulders. It seems to have become something we can debate and dissect but what does it mean for feminism and equality between genders? Enter my guest Mia Northrop who regularly shares insights and inspiration on life adm…

In this episode we delve into positive psychology. Alison Gault is a qualified Positive Psychology coach, Wellbeing strategist, and Speaker. Alison specializes in helping busy, professional women to build a life full of happiness, energy and freedom by tapping into the power of positive psychology. Having worked with hundreds of busy professionals …

Jeremy Sandell is a highly accomplished tech entrepreneur, sales professional, and personal development trainer. With over 10 years of experience and over $15 million in one-on-one sales, he has revolutionized the lives of countless individuals through his mentorship and coaching whilst becoming a top 1% earner in the online business space. Notably…

Dr Jane Foster has been a teacher and educator for over four decades, both in Australia and abroad. Throughout her career, she noticed how the pervasive culture of blame, criticism and judgement can be damaging and destructive. This realisation inspired her to establish MYTERN, which has since evolved into Emotional Resilience (ER). In her doctoral…

This episode refers to trauma (obviously) so listener caution is recommended. Dr Caroline Lloyd is a GP with a multifaceted career. After graduating from Monash University she has worked in traditional general practice, women’s health, sexual health, cosmetic dermatology, hypnotherapy and bariatric surgery and has now found her passion in Mental He…

Known as the coach's coach, Charlotte Blair is someone who believes in living each day to the fullest, aiming for ten out of ten types of days, every day. As an International Coaching Federation (ICF) Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and one of Australia’s most experienced Gallup Accredited Strengths Coaches, she loves helping people find their p…

Before we start this episode talks about a topic that may be upsetting and affect some listeners so please bear that in mind before you tune in Kristi McVee is a passionate advocate for child safety and the prevention of child sexual abuse, dedicating over a decade of her life to this critical cause through her career as a police officer, detective…

This episode mentions mental health conditions and may not be suitable for all. Jacinta Dietrich is a neurodivergent and bisexual writer, editor and podcaster based in Melbourne, Australia. She is an autistic ADHDer with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and a family history of suicidality, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Jacinta uses her liv…

When I say medicinal cannabis what comes to mind? It is definitely mainstream and helps patients with chronic conditions such as epilepsy and back pain. My guest today Adam Guskich is here to discuss medical cannabis which was made legal in Australia in 2016, and his company Medigrowth launched a year later. With multiple companies vying to become …

Challenging behaviours are something many parents and carers and educators face in engaging with kids and teens – but sometimes it is more than this. Enter my guest Dave Jereb who is a distinguished paediatric occupational therapist with over 20 years of experience and co-founder of MoveAbout Therapy Services. His vision centres on creating a world…

Much is made of intergenerational wars so to speak. For the first time, we now have 4 generations working together or at least having some participation in paid work – as in Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y or Millennials, and the youngest group Gen Z. Each has been shaped by their external circumstances, values of the time they were raised, and major world e…

The famous saying goes, if only you could put an old head on young shoulders. When I was a teen and my dad said this it seemed like a positive validation that getting older was a milestone to be celebrated and revered even. However, western society today is youth-obsessed – from stories of billionaires in their 20s and 30s being the big news, to th…

Australians are highly generous people. The Charities Aid Foundation report in 2022 identified Australians as the fourth most generous, out of 119 countries surveyed. At the heart of this is a theme of social change our topic today. Charitable causes seem to be everywhere – from micro philanthropy from individuals using platforms like GoFundMe to l…

Lizzie Macaulay is the owner of Write It! A copywriting service that helps entrepreneurs and business owners find and use their big voice to build a dedicated following. As a launch copy specialist, she supports business owners to create compelling, character-filled copy that sets their products, services and businesses up for success! She loves to…

For over a decade, Doreen Brown has helped transform businesses, supporting clients to optimise for more income and impact. After struggling with burnout, Doreen decided to laser focus on how to do business with more ease while still growing my income. That's where Human Design comes in. It completely changed her life and business. Her yearly profi…

Exiting a business is something special and not everyone gets to do it graciously or profitably. My guest today Fleur Madden is a career entrepreneur with 20 years in business running 4 of her own companies. She is an award-winning businesswoman, experienced CEO/Founder/ Board Member, recognised industry expert and women in business speaker who was…

Dr Lucy Burns is a smart woman! As a GP and lifestyle medicine doctor and has extensive training in psychological medicine. She ran a successful medical weight loss clinic which was the inspiration for creating an online learning platform with Dr Mary Barson called Real Life Medicine. They help people reclaim their health and weight by addressing t…

Obu Ramaraj is the CEO of Smart Money Solutions, Money Management Expert, Speaker and Author of two books ‘Smart Women, Smart Home loans: what your lenders won’t tell you’ is a guide and ‘Smart Women, Smart Habits: Powerful practices to create your ideal financial future’. Her experience is quite unique in that she is a first-generation Australian …

This episode does delve into mental health issues so comes with a listener warning. Vanessa Stuart is the Founder, Director, and CEO of Total You Coaching, and she's on a mission to empower individuals to lead powerful and passionate lives, especially if they're struggling with anxiety. She understands that anxiety can be a significant obstacle in …

Ever wondered what makes a business visible? I don’t mean the likes on their socials; I mean household name kind of visible or a known leader in their niche. Today I chat to Deb Szabo, a business owner who specialises in this and for 30 years has leveraged her expertise to help build and scale businesses through innovative marketing. She now shares…

Many people enjoy for examplemultiplayer games and virtual worlds. Learn how to stay safe while you're gaming online. Our screentime has become part of BAU in work and socially. Smartphones are life as my teen says! One review I read comparing children's screentime before and during COVID, shows children’s screentime spiked by a whopping 52% betwee…

Dina Cooper is a parent coach of 12 years and a wife and mum of two teens. She believes in the limitless potential of us all to heal and be the parent we want to be. She is especially passionate about children growing up with the mindset, courage, and resilience to live their potential through helping parents develop their leadership skills. She is…

Wellbeing isn’t a nice-to-have; it is necessary. It is necessary for our health, energy, connection, creativity, relationships, performance - and so on. But despite this, investing time in our health and well-being often hits the bottom of our priorities – and if you are also wired to seek out high performance it can seem like an oxymoron perhaps. …

Noah Riseman is Professor of History. He specialises in Australian histories of sexuality, gender and race. He is author or co-author of five books, including: Defending Country: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Military Service since 1945 (2016); Serving in Silence? Australian LGBT Servicemen and Women (2018); Indigenous Peoples and the Secon…

The Politics of Everything podcast with Amber Daines: https://amberdaines.com/podcast/ Here we discuss mental health including suicide so this episode may not be suitable for all listeners. 208 The Politics of Mental Health Stewart Hawkins Stewart Hawkins is a multi-award-winning journalist, photographer, TV producer and editor. He has covered assi…

Let’s face it, leaders have been through a lot over the past three years. Yet the storm of organisational change keeps coming, and uncertainty is the new normal. Leadership is ultimately about people, yet many find themselves responsible for implementing change without ever being taught the foundations of how to actually lead people through it. My …

We all know about burnout and my show has done a few episodes that have specifically looked at the causes, treatments, and best of all prevention. My guest today Melo Calarco is on a mission to help millions of people beat burnout in the modern world but ever wondered what that takes? He is the published author of Beating Burnout-Finding Balance an…

Many executives and business leaders as well as entrepreneurs get a business coach to drive them further and ensure they stay the course through the investable peaks and troughs of a career or business life. Enter today’s guest Karen Stein, a professional Certified Executive Coach who is passionate about supporting leaders to be their best selves. …

In its simplest explanation, a website conversion happens when a user completes a desired action on your website, like making a purchase or filling out a contact form. A good conversion rate apparently is between 2 percent and 5 percent. The thing with conversion rate is that even a jump of 0.5 percent can be a big deal. I assume that is about the …

203 The Politics of AI Bias Tracey Spicer Having been an early guest on this podcast back in 2017 when her book The Good Girl Stripped Bare was released, I am excited to welcome back Tracey Spicer AM. For anyone wanting a recap, Tracey is a multiple Walkley Award-winning author, journalist, and broadcaster who has anchored national programs for ABC…

Security is something that most of us have come across, at a major sporting event, live concert or even a shopping centre. Have you ever thought much about what it’s like to work in and run such as business? And if I say picture a security guard, you would more likely think of a male. Meet Gina Field. She is the Managing Director of a successful se…