I’m proud to be a co-owner of The Bird Whiskey, alongside Andrew Nugent — but the person running the show every day is Paul Giles. In this episode, we sit down with the man who’s been flying the flag for The Bird since day one. Paul shares how this whiskey came to life, the story behind the name, and why we’ve taken a different path—focused on authenticity, First Nations culture, and creating something that connects with people, especially women, in a space traditionally dominated by men. This i...
Jun 23, 2025•49 min
David Short went from running major operations in the liquor industry to backing himself and launching Shorty's Liquor —a boutique business that built a reputation serving some of Australia’s biggest corporates. In this episode, he takes us through the highs and lows of building Shorty's from scratch, the grind of sales and team building, and the bold expansion decisions that set him apart. We dig into how COVID-19 forced a business rethink, what came next after a major acquisition, and why Davi...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr
When Joey Pepperoni and Marty McFly launched Pizza Bros in 2019, they saw a pizza scene obsessed with tradition—and asked: Where’s the rebel energy? Their answer? A mobile pizza truck that crashed festivals until COVID left them bankrupt, in debt, and delivering pizzas to survive. I sat down with Joey and Marty (between oven rotations at The Imperial Hotel) to break down their phoenix-from-the-ashes comeback. We talk about their story, how getting expelled at 16 led Joey to a decade-long pizza a...
Jun 09, 2025•1 hr 1 min
When Jason Titman took the helm of Swyftx in 2019, he saw a crypto industry riddled with complexity—and a glaring gap: Where was the customer-first mindset? His answer? An exchange that treats Web3 like any trusted service, not a Wild West gamble. Jason and I sit down for a conversation as he breaks down the Swyftx difference, and why culture—not just code—is their competitive edge. We also discussed how they’re rewriting crypto’s risky reputation, with security as a selling point, the societal ...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 4 min
When they launched Bassike in 2006, Deborah Sams and Mary Lou Ryan weren’t just starting a brand—they were solving a problem. Frustrated by the lack of high-quality, sustainable wardrobe staples, they set out with a mission to build what didn’t exist. From day one, their vision was clear: organic cotton, Australian craftsmanship, and ethics woven into every decision. What began as a commitment to local makers and responsible materials has grown into a relentless pursuit of better—pushing boundar...
May 26, 2025•57 min
When she was a kid, Tracy Sheens—author, businesswoman, and AI commentator—was obsessed with how tech worked. Today, she’s still tearing systems apart… only now, it’s AI myths she’s dismantling to help businesses win. In this episode, we discuss everything from automation myths to why AI won't steal your job - but not using it might put you behind. She reveals how businesses are winning with AI, the tools worth your time, and why technophobia is more dangerous than any algorithm. The verdict? Th...
May 19, 2025•50 min
Ivana Alfonso has worked many jobs since emigrating from Croatia at a young age. Coming out of the pandemic in 2020, Ivana's husband, a keen angler, found himself selling brag mats and making a considerable profit. Ivana and her husband saw potential, and a way to entertain themselves when self-isolation was the norm. They combined their respective knowledge and skills to create The Bragmat Bloke, a thriving company that offers customers customizable brag mat that reflect the best of design, cra...
May 13, 2025•29 min•Ep. 12
When pregnancy left her craving coffee without the guilt, this mum turned her ‘what if?’ into Mumma’s Beans—a warm hug in a cup for thousands of health conscious Australians seeking a lower acidity lower caffeine brew that won't upset their gut or spark jitters and anxiety. Founded during a canceled wedding and fueled by love (and caffeine), they don't just stick to delicious low-acid brews, but also use their beans to craft coffee skincare, made from nothing but Australian sourced natural ingre...
May 05, 2025•23 min•Ep. 11
Offshore Boat Sales is a family-run business dedicated to crafting high-quality, custom boats—whether for serious anglers or weekend explorers—designed to suit every budget and lifestyle. With trusted brands such as Cutting Edge Marine Plate Alloy Boats, Yamaha Outboards, Garmin Electronics and All things Business through Cutting Edge Business Solutions. But with Australia's economy tightening, they are feeling the strain-like so many small business owners fighting against a wealth of challenges...
Apr 28, 2025•41 min•Ep. 10
Picture this: a waste management company that doesn’t just haul away your junk—it builds up its community. That’s 'Mildura Waste & Recycling', a 100% locally owned Mildura business with a passion for reliability, fairness, and sustainability run by Mark Forbes-Wilson. From sourcing Aussie-made bins to supporting local fundraisers, they’re all about keeping business—and waste—where it belongs: in trusted hands. But with Australia's economy tightening, he's feeling the strain-like so many smal...
Apr 21, 2025•23 min•Ep. 9
Lloyds Building and Constructions Pty Ltd is owned by Anthony Lloyd, a qualified carpenter with an ACT builder's license and over a decade of experience in both commercial and domestic construction. Since completing his apprenticeship in 2009, Anthony has built a strong reputation in Canberra's building industry. But with Australia's economy tightening, he's feeling the strain-like so many small business owners fighting against a wealth of challenges. My team and I have been paying attention, an...
Apr 14, 2025•36 min•Ep. 8
Step into The Real Florist, owner Renee Williams's dreamy florist café, a place where fresh blooms and great coffee collide. Located within the heart of Albury's CBD, their talented team has a passion for floristry education, offering workshops to teach you the skills to craft stunning personalised arrangements, all done in a relaxing atmosphere, making it the perfect spot for flower lovers and caffeine addicts alike! But with Australia's economy tightening, she's feeling the strain-like so many...
Apr 07, 2025•38 min•Ep. 7
For over 37 years, Sam Beau Patrick has dedicated her career to holistic health—first as a nurse and pharmaceutical rep, then as a naturopath and health performance coach. Today, she’s a published author, art therapist, and life coach who blends science, nature, and creativity to help clients worldwide. But with Australia's economy tightening, she's feeling the strain-like so many small business owners fighting against a wealth of challenges. My team and I have been paying attention, and one thi...
Mar 31, 2025•25 min•Ep. 6
Ben Crowley isn’t your typical health entrepreneur. He started out teaching English in Japan, got hooked on boxing, and ended up building one of Australia’s leading supplement businesses. Today, he runs Bulk Nutrients, the flagship sponsor of our Project 100 series. In this episode, I sit down with Ben to unpack how he built a high-growth, direct-to-consumer business that cuts out the middlemen and delivers premium products at unbeatable value. We talk the importance of work culture manufacturin...
Mar 24, 2025•59 min
My team and I have been paying attention, and one thing is clear - you want to hear from businesses beyond Sydney, not just the success stories, but especially those facing real challenges. That’s why we’re launching The Small Business Callout under The Mentor channel-giving business owners across the country a voice. In between The Mentor episodes, we’ll hear what’s working, what’s not, and what real support from the government should look like. We want to hear from all industries - those strug...
Mar 17, 2025•25 min•Ep. 5
Sam Gordon is an entrepreneur, property investor, and host of the Top 1% Podcast, where he shares insights from his journey as a high school dropout to building multiple multi-eight-figure businesses, offering listeners strategies to maximise their potential and impact. In our conversation, we covered how he built his property portfolio, his inspiration from Harry Triguboff, how to identify growth opportunities in real estate, the complexities of scaling a property portfolio, his entrepreneurial...
Mar 10, 2025•57 min
Brandon Dodoro and Katherine Tippett, founders of STEPZ, have been innovating the marine industry since 2017, driven by a passion for safety and accessibility on the water, and an emphasis on adventure. Their specialised boat trailer ladders make launching and retrieving vessels easier and safer for boating enthusiasts across Australia. However, as Australia's economy tightens, they're feeling the strain-like so many small business owners, fighting to stay afloat. It’s not always a success story...
Mar 03, 2025•31 min•Ep. 4
Nathan Grant, founder of SlantBoardGuy , has been pioneering posture and mobility solutions through his innovative slant boards since 2010, driven by a passion for helping people improve their wellbeing and physical health through proper alignment. But with Australia's economy tightening, he's feeling the strain-like so many small business owners fighting to stay afloat. It’s not always a success story. Running a small business can be lonely, and despite being the backbone of this country, too o...
Feb 24, 2025•31 min•Ep. 3
Kate Inglish, founder of Kate Inglish Designs , has been crafting personalised baby hampers and keepsakes since 2010, driven by a passion for sparking joy and preserving precious memories for new mums. But with Australia’s economy tightening, she’s feeling the strain-like so many small business owners fighting to stay afloat. It’s not always a success story. Running a small business can be lonely, and despite being the backbone of this country, too often, business owners feel like their voices a...
Feb 17, 2025•19 min•Ep. 2
Small businesses are the backbone of this country, yet too often, owners feel like their voices aren’t being heard. And I know many of you tuning in on The Mentor can relate. My team and I have been paying attention, and one thing is clear - you want to hear from businesses beyond Sydney, not just the success stories, but especially those facing real challenges. That’s why we’re launching the Small Business Callout under The Mentor channel - giving business owners across the country a voice. Eve...
Feb 10, 2025•23 min•Ep. 1
Michael Ramsey is the co-founder of STRONG Pilates alongside Mark Armstrong in 2019, has built a global fitness brand that blends traditional Pilates principles with high-intensity, low-impact cardio training. With a Master of Commerce in Marketing from RMIT University and experience owning F45 franchises, Michael has extensive expertise in brand strategy, business development, and digital marketing. STRONG Pilates is rapidly expanding, with recent launches in the USA, Japan, Singapore, and Duba...
Feb 03, 2025•1 hr 8 min
Sam Kelly is the Managing Partner and owner of Hello Social - one of Sydney’s top integrated marketing agencies. Recognised as Campaign Magazine’s Social Media and Influencer Marketing Agency of the Year in both 2022 and 2023, Hello Social has set the standard in the industry. In this episode, we explore Sam’s journey and what makes his agency stand out. I’ll share key lessons from my own experience with rebranding and refining messaging. We’ll also tap into insights from business icons like Ric...
Jan 27, 2025•59 min
Stella Petrou Concha is the Founder and CEO of Reo Group, a leading national talent and executive recruitment agency. Stella is a powerhouse in the recruitment agency world and she's also the author of Stone Heart Light Heart: The Intelligence of Self Mastery . Her self-mastery frameworks are embraced by global giants like Google, TikTok, and Meta. She also shares her expertise as a guest lecturer at leading universities, including UNSW, Macquarie, and UTS. We spoke about Stella's journey, the d...
Jan 20, 2025•50 min
Diogo Ferreira is at the helm of Tuga Pastries, a family-run business that has brought the rich culinary traditions of Portugal to life right here in Australia. With an impressive 14,000 pastries rolling out each week, Tuga Pastries has become an icon in Sydney mainly due to their legendary Portuguese tart—widely regarded as the best in the city. In this episode, we explore Portugal’s rich cultural roots and how they’ve shaped Diogo’s journey and approach to business. He takes us through his fam...
Jan 13, 2025•49 min
Dan Bova, co-founder of The Yard Gym, leads a franchise network of over 50 locations in Australia, with ambitious plans to expand to 200 sites worldwide by 2025. In our conversation, we explored Dan’s journey and early life, his move into gym franchising, the founding of The Yard, and what sets it apart. We also delved into its innovative business model and curriculum, the intricacies of franchising, his strategies for growth, and his bold vision for the future of The Yard. You can subscribe to ...
Jan 06, 2025•50 min
It was a massive year on The Mentor . We had some brilliant guests sharing incredible business insight. Who stood out to you, and who should we bring on next? Here are some highlights of the standout episodes of 2024. 00:00-12:59 (Radek Sali) 13:01- 25:15 (Eight Sleep) 25:16 - 30:44 (Lia Georgantis) 30:46- 40:37 (Nick Palumbo) 40:40- 50:01 (Jenny Child) Listen to the full podcast via the links below. #431 Radek Sali #466 Eight Sleep #441 Tim Duggan #451 Lia Georgantis #433 Jenny Child Follow Mar...
Dec 30, 2024•50 min
It’s been a massive year on The Mentor . We’ve had some brilliant guests sharing incredible business insight. Who stood out to you, and who should we bring on next? Here are some highlights of the standout episodes of the year. 00:00-10:57 (Lewi Brown) 10:59-16:24 (Jess Sepel) 16:27 - 24:26(Tim Duggan) 24:29- 33:50 (Deanne Stewart) 33:53- 44:57 (Amanda Price) Listen to the full podcast via the links below. #447 Lewi Brown #429 Jess Sepel #441 Tim Duggan #458 Deanne Stewart #438 Amanda Price Foll...
Dec 23, 2024•44 min
Helen Baker is the visionary founder of Xolvit, a groundbreaking crowdsourcing app designed to foster student innovation by helping companies tackle pressing social issues. Xolvit's mission is to bridge the gap between socially responsible organisations and the next generation of the workforce. In our conversation, we delved into Helen's inspiring journey, from her upbringing with her adoptive parents in rural Australia to her personal experiences with racism. We explored her impressive corporat...
Dec 16, 2024•56 min
Matt Jones is a creative strategist and entrepreneur who co-founded Four Pillars Gin in 2013, transforming it into a multi-award-winning global brand. We had a fascinating conversation about his early career in politics and brand strategy before venturing into the gin business, how he made Four Pillars stand out in a fiercely competitive market, the essence of building a great brand, how they got it so right at Four Pillars, his new book, and what’s next on the horizon. Don’t miss this one if yo...
Dec 09, 2024•53 min
Liquid & Larder is the brainchild of two lifelong mates who’ve turned their passion for hospitality into one of Sydney’s most celebrated groups. With four standout venues—Bistecca, The Gidley, The Rover, and Alfie’s—Warren and Jimmy have created something special. Warren leads the charge on quality and culture, while Jimmy drives growth as CFO, and together, they’ve built a reputation for execution that matches their authenticity. From The Gidley Burger being crowned the best in Australia an...
Dec 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min
