The Roots of Leadership: From Head Boy to Minister Our conversation began with a look back at Felix's first brush with leadership as the head boy of his primary school in Broome, Kimberley. He candidly shared that he felt ill-prepared at the time and didn't represent his peers as well as he would have liked. This early experience taught him valuable lessons about preparation, focusing on people, and the essence of servant leadership. The Reality of Trade We discussed Felix's background as a plum...
Mar 01, 2024•40 min
Cheryl's remarkable contributions to emergency services in New South Wales have earned her nominations as the Surf Lifesaver of the Year for both New South Wales and Australia. Collaborative Leadership: A Key to Success During our talk, Cheryl emphasised the importance of a collaborative approach to leadership. Recognising the diverse skill sets and experiences that each team member brings to the table is crucial. She believes that adapting one's leadership style to embrace and enhance the stren...
Feb 15, 2024•1 hr 20 min
A Wild Symphony: Shaun Warden's Journey from Music to Wildlife Advocacy Today, I'm thrilled to share the insights and experiences of Shaun Warden, the remarkable founder of the Growing Food for Wildlife Project, a wildlife rehabilitator, citizen scientist, educator, aspiring vet, violinist, and conductor. A Symphony of Skills: Shaun Warden's Multifaceted Life Shaun's journey is a testament to the power of diverse interests converging towards a singular purpose. From his early days mediating disp...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 14 min
In a recent episode of our podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Lauren Cassimatis, the principal lawyer and director of Gallant Law, the founder of Connecting Lawyer Mums, and an ambassador for She Inspires Me Australia. Lauren's journey is a testament to her innate leadership skills, her passion for problem-solving, and her commitment to community wellbeing. Advocating for Rehabilitation and Prevention Lauren, a criminal lawyer, strongly believes in the importance of rehabilitation and prev...
Dec 13, 2023•1 hr 20 min
From Cricket Captain to Cage Fighter: A Journey of Leadership and Self-Discovery with Adam Hollioake Introduction A former cricketer and captain of the Surrey cricket team, Adam's journey of leadership and self-discovery is nothing short of inspiring. The Unexpected Leader Adam's first experience of leadership came unexpectedly when he was asked to captain the Surrey cricket team at the tender age of 21. Among those who mentored him were cricket legends like Alex Stewart, Graham Thorpe, Saqlain ...
Nov 23, 2023•1 hr 17 min
I recently had the pleasure of welcoming Stephanie Copus Campbell, Australia’s Ambassador for Gender Equality, to my podcast. The Role of Gender Equality in Society As Australia’s lead advocate on gender equality, Stephanie works under the portfolio of Minister Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister. She emphasises that when every person has equal opportunities to reach their full potential, society as a whole benefits. She has witnessed the positive impact of gender equality throughout her lo...
Nov 09, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Hello there, I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of our Courage to Lead podcast series, where we had the privilege of hosting the brilliant Professor Cordelia Fine. A philosopher of science, psychologist, and writer, Cordelia's work on gender differences is both enlightening and thought-provoking. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation: 1. The First Experience of Leadership: Cordelia believes that our first experience of leadership begins at birth, emphasizing the role o...
Oct 29, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Hello there, I'm thrilled to share with you some exciting insights from our latest podcast episode of the Courage to Lead series. This time, we had an enlightening discussion on resilience with four distinguished leaders: Carlene York, Amy Brown, Mick Willing, and Peter Scott. The Resilience Factor: Our panelists shared their personal experiences, emphasising the importance of resilience in overcoming setbacks. Carlene and Mick, both having faced unexpected departures from their respective organ...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 32 min
I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of our "Courage to Lead" series, where we had the pleasure of hosting Michelle Bundy, the inspiring leader behind the "She Inspires Me" movement and the "Tell Your Story" initiative. 1. The Power of Persistence: Michelle shared her first leadership experience, where she led a major wellbeing reform in the state government. Despite facing opposition and disciplinary action, she never gave up. Her initiatives like Wellness Wednesday and Fresh Fruit...
Oct 04, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Discover the Power of Resilience and Well-being in Leadership I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of the Courage to Lead Interview Series, where I had the pleasure of hosting Fleur Heazlewood, an award-winning author and founder of the Blueberry Institute. Fleur's journey is a testament to resilience and well-being in leadership. She shared her experiences as a young female leader in a male-dominated industry, facing adversity, bullying, and even manipulation. Yet, she stood her gr...
Sep 22, 2023•1 hr 33 min
In the latest episode of the Courage to Lead series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Brown, a highly regarded leader with a diverse career spanning various fields, including homelessness. I've known Amy for a while and have always admired her leadership abilities. * Introduction of Amy Brown as a highly regarded leader * Amy's background and experiences as a leader * Amy's career journey and early career experiences * Amy's reflections on being a young woman in the workforce * Amy's exper...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 34 min
In this podcast episode of the "Courage to Lead" interview series, I interview one of my favourite guests so far, a truly beautiful human being, Emelda Davis, a councillor on the City of Sydney Council who is deputy to Clover Moore Lord Mayor of Sydney in a myriad of important areas. We laugh and we cry and we are exposed to some of the best leadership wisdom on the program so far. We discuss Emelda's background as as a proud Australian South Sea Islander and survivor of trauma of the “Black-bir...
Sep 01, 2023•1 hr 43 min
There is so much to say about Scott Chapman. To get the full bio go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-chapman-48804921/ To give you a hint. Scott is the CEO of the Royal Flying Doctors in Victoria and has held that position for 14 years. 3 weeks before this interview he was awarded the 2023 Melbourne Achiever Award Committee for Melbourne which is no small feat. One of the best adaptive leaders I have interviewed, to mould his organisation in a changing world, Towards the end of the interview...
Aug 20, 2023•1 hr 20 min
This is one of my first interviews on The Courage to Lead Interview Series, and I must confess one of my favourites. I just learnt this week that the interview ended at 48 minutes with another 20 minutes to go. I have reedited the Interview so everyone gets to hear one of the best leaders I have ever met, tell his complete story. Please excuse the audio, I have remastered it as best I can but this was one of my first interviews where I was only just learning the best way to record what was said....
Aug 15, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Melo Colarco is the Author of "Beating Burnout Finding Balance" A Mental health support coach, mindfulness and meditation expert across mental health facilities, the highest echelons of business, sporting and entertainment excellence arenas. There are so many gems in this interview but here are a couple of stand outs Humans need to be growing, learning, developing and challenging ourselves we if we are doing the opposite, we are shrinking and dying, loosing purpose and direction. “ Hibunto. “ is...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 19 min
John Trevillian AM DIRECTOR Planning and Events for NSW GOVERNMENT (1999-2015) Some of the large jobs he coordinated at a Government level: The Sydney Harbour Bridge turf the deck The Olympics The Oprah Winfrey show at the Opera House. Indigenous Walk Across the Sydney Harbour Bridge Centenary Celebrations Trust and confidence in people’s abilities are crucial. 110% support not a competitive environment but a friendship environment where people can makes mistakes and still grow. Need a strong te...
Jul 21, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Welcome back from to Part 2 of the Andrew Colvin Interview. In Part 2 we hear Andrew talk about - [ ] His Commissionership - [ ] His ongoing role in the Champions of Change organisation - [ ] His role in leading the National Bushfire Recovery Agency - the first of it kinds at national level in response to the 2019 Black Summer Fires As Commissioner he identified the AFP had a negative culture that was holding the organisation back from what it could be. So he took culture on at a hierarchical le...
Jul 08, 2023•38 min
This is the first podcast in the Mentor Stories of the Courage to Lead Interview Series, where we interview the mentors of our previous guests. In this case we are introducing Andrew Colvin AO APM former AFP Commissioner, mentor to Mick Willing, the 3rd guest of this podcast. Andrew says he was not a natural leader but that he could help mould people around him. He is still learning every day, we all are. We are all far from perfect as human beings. The obvious support, respect and gratitude And...
Jun 24, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Welcome to the next guest of the Courage to Lead Interview Series, Former NSW POLICE FORCE, Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing, now the Managing Director, National Security and Safety, Accenture. This interview has been remastered as it was the 3rd interview I did when I first started the podcast series in late 2022. The quality of that 3rd interview was atrocious and I didn't know how to fix it. I've learned some new skills since then so this is an improved copy of this very popular interview. Ho...
Jun 18, 2023•1 hr 29 min
Sharee is a registered Psychologist and Executive Coach. Integrating mindfulness into her coaching practice enables her clients to benefit from a growth mindset and improve their performance and their well-being. A good early lesson in Teamwork came from her parents. With the right support and the right encouragement and an overwhelming sense of belief in our ability to succeed from the people around us, we can achieve almost anything. As humans, we are not islands we are meant to support each o...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Robert Andersson - AUTHOR of: "Who makes a leader not What" "This is the future of leadership, where actions speak louder than outputs and supporting our people (and looking after ourselves) is fundamental to success." Kristy Keltie, Manager of Organisational Change Management in the Public Sector As an entrepreneur, Robert has been the founder of more than a dozen successful businesses across Australia and Europe. As a youth Robert lived a very dark life moulded by the divorce of his parents an...
May 26, 2023•1 hr 28 min
Ali specialises in leadership, teams, culture and workforce transformation. She is Adjunct Faculty at the Australian Graduate School of Management UNSW and a nationally accredited mediator. She is the founder & CEO of Ality. Where she has designed personality assessments that identify your connection type and motivational drivers in relationships, teams and leadership. Ali is the bestselling author of 3 books Click or Clash? (2023), Get Conscious: How to stop overthinking and come alive (201...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 6 min
Do you want to listen to a story about a international leader who was at the peak of his game, then resigned from his high performing jobs against the wishes of his bosses, and at the same time filed for divorce? This is a story about a leader who learns to let ego go and live their life in service of other people. This is the story of Nick Jonsson Managing Director of EGN an executive support network where CEO Executives support each other through the things that keep them up at night. Nick is ...
Apr 27, 2023•1 hr 25 min
Would you like to hear about a leader, who doesn’t consider themselves to be a leader? Would you like to hear about a leader who has created a community where people have the trust to share their deepest fears and vulnerabilities, with each other, and at the same time genuinely support and celebrate the successes of each person within the community when they succeed in doing something they did not think they were capable of doing? This is the story of Kelly Irving. Kelly has created the Expert A...
Apr 12, 2023•1 hr 5 min
Do you want to learn how to be a leader when the most confronting of crisis’s are occurring around you? This is the interview for you. Jamie Caldwell is the Director, Energy Operations Part of the NSW Treasury cluster in the Office of Energy and Climate Change, Jamie has lived the blueprint for how to prepare for leading in a crisis across a wide and varied level of situations simply because he has created the experiences repeatedly where he has the skills to perform at a high level in any crisi...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 10 min
This next interview is simply amazing in its simplicity. We are about to listen to how Jan Willett was the Director of Events for New South Wales from 2004 to 2021. In that role Jan was responsible for ensuring events such as Mardi Gras, City to Surf, Sydney Marathon, New Years Eve, Australia Day, The Invictus Games were organised and ran to such as successful level that the community did not know that Jan Willet and her team even existed. I give a long introduction in the interview with Jan as ...
Mar 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Our next guest on The Courage to Lead Interview Series is Paul Watson and Author of Lost and Found - why we need adventure. He describes himself as the original nerd. His story is beyond interesting. Paul owned several large pharmacies in rural Victoria and they were very successful. He had the fast cars, the wealth, the house but he did not have a sustainable lifestyle. Paul survived on minimal sleep, striving for more success in wealth and a thriving business model. He lived off fast food and ...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Matt is the co-founder and creator of wellbeing program The Change Room and author of the book with the same name : The Change Room. He is best known for his NRL coaching career, but it is his most recent endeavours that are having on impact outside the elite sporting arena and helping everyday people. Combining both his qualifications (a Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise and Sports Science), performance coaching experience and extensive research into wellbeing, Matt has created an excellent...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 47 min
On 30th October 2019, Carlene was appointed NSW State Emergency Services (SES) Commissioner. Carlene leads the combat agency with legislated responsibility for storms, floods and tsunamis. Literally 3 months later in March 2020, the world, New South Wales and the rest of Australia went into Lockdowns because of Covid 19. That meant that none of the 10,500 volunteers in the SES all over New South Wales could not meet or train together, it all had to be done over Zoom or similar. Then New South Wa...
Feb 02, 2023•1 hr 29 min
Emma Doyle and Natalie Ashdown What Makes a Great Coach? Emma is a coach, mentor and keynote speaker who is sought after around the world. She can help turn your motivation into action. She is a former Division 1 US College Tennis Player and has represented Australia as a World Team Coach on 20 occasions. Emma is deeply qualified to know What Makes a Great Coach because she asks the question of all her guests on The Coaching Podcast as the host of that show. She has interviewed over 500 expert s...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 7 min
