My guest this week is Arielle Gamble – Co-Founder and Director of Groundswell, a passionate leader dedicated to mobilising collective action on climate change through philanthropy, storytelling, and community engagement. Arielle is committed to unlocking funding for climate solutions and empowering everyday people to be part of meaningful change. Through her work at Groundswell, she helps direct resources to grassroots initiatives tackling the climate crisis, ensuring that bold ideas and urgent ...
Mar 10, 2025•40 min•Ep 412•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Te Pūoho Katene – Director of Tapuātea, a visionary leader dedicated to supporting Indigenous communities through his deep-rooted expertise in governance, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Te Pūoho is committed to advancing Māori-led solutions that empower communities and foster a sustainable future. His leadership at Tapuātea, an organisation focused on strengthening Māori communities, is grounded in a strong sense of cultural heritage, responsible st...
Mar 03, 2025•53 min•Ep 410•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Anna McCracken – Director at Anna & Friends, and host of How To Host A Dinner Party Podcast , a social strategist, storyteller, and adventurer, who blends her diverse experiences in social work, human rights law, and chronic health management to guide businesses towards relational ways of being. Anna’s nomadic lifestyle has taken her across Australia, listening deeply to community stories and working in partnership to translate these voices to government and business. H...
Feb 24, 2025•48 min•Ep 409•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Jackson Rowland – Director of the Aotearoa New Zealand Stewardship Code , a vital initiative guiding investors to create a sustainable future through responsible stewardship. Jackson is dedicated to accelerating the transition to sustainable finance, helping investors navigate the complex landscape of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. With his leadership in sustainable finance, he is steering investments towards positive impact, ensuring that financial dec...
Feb 17, 2025•49 min•Ep 408•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Jessie Williams – Community Manager at Proveda , a leader in improving community engagement in end-of-life care and planning. Jessie is dedicated to raising awareness around the importance of community connections in managing life’s final stages. Through her work at Proveda, she is helping to transform the way people approach end-of-life planning by fostering meaningful conversations and empowering individuals and families with the tools and knowledge they need for this cru...
Feb 10, 2025•48 min•Ep 407•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Robert Glazer – Founder of Acceleration Partners and a world-renowned expert in performance marketing, leadership, and company culture. Robert is the author of several best-selling books and the host of the Elevate podcast . Through his work, he helps individuals and organisations build capacity to reach their highest potential. From developing values-driven company cultures to pioneering affiliate marketing strategies, Robert’s insights are shaping the future of work and l...
Feb 03, 2025•49 min•Ep 406•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Rachel G. Barnard – Founder of Young New Yorkers , a groundbreaking arts-based diversion program empowering young people involved in the criminal justice system. Young New Yorkers leverages the power of art to create meaningful change, offering participants a space to reflect, express themselves, and reimagine their futures. By focusing on education, creativity, and community, Rachel and her team are transforming how we approach justice—shifting from punishment to empowerme...
Jan 27, 2025•57 min•Ep 405•Transcript available on Metacast David Whyte is a poet philosopher, and is the author of twelve books of poetry and five books of prose, including his latest, Consolations II , the Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words, which further explores what David calls “the conversational nature of reality.” His 2017 TED talk has had over 1.2 million views where with his signature charm and searching insight, he meditates on the frontiers of the past, present and future, sharing two poems inspired by his niece's hi...
Jan 22, 2025•57 min•Ep 414•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Skye Riggs – Co-Founder of Ripple Opportunities , a platform dedicated to creating pathways for purpose-driven individuals to step into impactful and sustainable careers. Ripple Opportunities aims to address the challenges of transitioning into meaningful work by equipping people with future-focused skills like creative problem-solving, digital literacy, and systems thinking. Skye and her team are redefining what it means to pursue purpose-driven careers, ensuring that indi...
Jan 20, 2025•52 min•Ep 404•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Jason-Urranndulla Davis – Founder of WUNA , a pioneering platform redefining digital identity for Indigenous communities. WUNA is dedicated to empowering First Nations people with tools to assert sovereignty over their digital identities. By blending cultural knowledge with cutting-edge technology, Jason and his team are creating pathways for Indigenous individuals and communities to securely and confidently navigate the digital world while preserving cultural integrity. Th...
Jan 13, 2025•54 min•Ep 403•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Neala Fulia – co-founder and CEO of MoreGoodDays , a digital health platform dedicated to providing compassionate, evidence-based, and low-risk programs to help people with persistent pain regain their lives. Neala's journey into health-tech entrepreneurship was deeply personal, inspired by her father's battle with chronic pain. This experience led her to establish MoreGoodDays in 2021, aiming to democratise chronic pain management by offering sufferers a better option than...
Jan 06, 2025•50 min•Ep 402•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Joel Anderson – a former construction worker and civil engineer who founded Foremind , a proactive mental health support platform dedicated to reducing suicide rates among workers. Joel's mission is to make mental health support accessible and affordable for businesses of any size, aiming towards zero suicides by putting proactive mental health support in the pocket of every worker. Snow Entrepreneurs You can read all about the 17 Snow Entrepreneurs here , and we urge you t...
Dec 30, 2024•42 min•Ep 401•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Ren Fernando – a passionate social entrepreneur and advocate for sustainable living. Ren is the founder of ReLove , an organization focused on creating meaningful impact through pre-loved furniture stores and innovative initiatives. Ren’s mission is to foster community connection and reduce waste while creating sustainable income streams to fund vital community work. Snow Entrepreneurs You can read all about the 17 Snow Entrepreneurs here , and we urge you to visit their we...
Dec 23, 2024•52 min•Ep 400•Transcript available on Metacast My guest this week is Tony Rothacker - a qualified civil engineer who previously founded an Internet service provider, and led the Coffs Coast Innovation Hub alongside his son Finn (Co-Founder and CTO at Youngster.co ). Tony aims to provide purpose, employment and technical assistance across generations, using technology as a tool for genuine human connection to build stronger and healthier communities. Snow Entrepreneurs You can read all about the 17 Snow Entrepreneurs here , and we urge you to...
Dec 16, 2024•43 min•Ep 399•Transcript available on Metacast This is a truly exciting episode in the seven year life of the humans of purpose podcast. I’m thrilled to kickstart our first "Snowie Season", with an introduction to the woman who made it all possible, Georgina Byron , CEO at the Snow Foundation . Georgina grabbed the reigns of her family office foundation in 2006 and has significantly grown the Foundation’s reach and impact from its origins in Canberra. Through Georgina’s leadership, the Foundation has deepened its commitment to the local Canb...
Dec 09, 2024•47 min•Ep 398•Transcript available on Metacast David Ritter is the chief executive officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific . He is also an adjunct professor in the Sydney Democracy Network at Sydney University; an affiliate of the Sydney Environment Institute; an associate of the Sydney Policy Lab at Sydney University and an honorary fellow of the Law Faculty at UWA. A few weeks ago we published a conversation I had with David back in 2020, at the height the pandemic lockdowns. The world had seemingly turned on its axis, but in David’s view ...
Dec 02, 2024•54 min•Ep 397•Transcript available on Metacast Piroska Bisits-Bullen is Director and co-founder at ZapCat and currently serves also as the Secretariat at Syndics, Non-Executive Director at Umbo and Advisor at Youngster.Co. With a background in data and technology, they were the Head of Data, Technology & Growth at Umbo and Data Science Director at Mable. As the Co-founder of tools4dev, they provided resources for international development professionals. With experience in program management, technical advising, and project implementation...
Nov 19, 2024•40 min•Ep 396•Transcript available on Metacast Tim Silverwood is an award-winning environmentalist committed to reducing human impacts on Planet Ocean. As co-founder of Ocean Impact Organisation , Tim is supporting innovative startups with game-changing solutions to transform ocean health. Tim was previously co-founder and CEO of celebrated non-profit organisation, Take 3 for the Sea and continues to support as a board director. Tim is highly regarded for his skills and contributions to conservation and, broadly as an Ocean Futurist. Ocean I...
Nov 11, 2024•40 min•Ep 395•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Mel talks with Elise Sernik , founder of Leadership Space . Elise is an executive and team coach, strategy consultant, leadership and culture change facilitator and trainer with a long history of specialising in the social purpose sector. She founded Leadership Space to help the sector fulfil its critical role in the Australian and global economy. Over the past 15 years, Elise has worked with hundreds of leaders across the sector helping them to unlock their ability to set strat...
Nov 04, 2024•47 min•Ep 394•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Mel talks with pioneering social entrepreneur, Mandy Richards, founder and CEO at Global Sisters. Mandy is a social entrepreneur fiercely passionate about human rights, animal welfare, eradicating poverty and empowering women. She established Global Sisters to democratise entrepreneurship in 2013 – with the goal of creating a scalable and efficient model for supporting women to create an income stream via self employment, when mainstream employment wasn’t accessible. Mandy’s div...
Oct 28, 2024•51 min•Ep 393•Transcript available on Metacast David Ritter is the chief executive officer of Greenpeace Australia Pacific . He is also an adjunct professor in the Sydney Democracy Network at Sydney University; an affiliate of the Sydney Environment Institute; an associate of the Sydney Policy Lab at Sydney University and an honorary fellow of the Law Faculty at UWA. Greenpeace has launched and executed a number of highly successful and deeply collaborative campaigns during David's time as CEO, including most recently: - Stopping big oil com...
Oct 21, 2024•57 min•Ep 392•Transcript available on Metacast We know how groupthink, politics and inertia can feed costly and unproductive ways of thinking and doing. Through reframing, Josie Gibson and her team at CatalystFX gets right to the root causes so that we address the right problem, not a symptom of something deeper. Josie has an illustrious career in corporate and leadership, she builds communities and helps clients build change capability. Josie Gibson established CATALYSTFX to address an urgent need for different thinking and responses to com...
Oct 14, 2024•38 min•Ep 391•Transcript available on Metacast In this week’s episode, we sit down with the extraordinary Miriam Rose — an Aboriginal elder, artist, activist, and educator with a lifelong commitment to preserving cultural independence and fostering reconciliation. As the Northern Territory’s first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher, Miriam has been a trailblazer, advocating for the inclusion of Aboriginal art and culture in education and public life. Her work through the Miriam Rose Foundation bridges the divide between Aboriginal culture an...
Oct 08, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Ep 349•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Humans of Purpose, Mel sit's down with the extraordinary Mykel Dixon – award-winning speaker, musician, author, and creative force. A "fierce nonconformist" and "prolific anti-perfectionist," Mykel helps senior leaders and teams at Fortune 500 and ASX 200 companies unlock their breakthrough creativity. In this episode, Mykel shares how he inspires people to rediscover their natural strengths, redefine their unique value, and reimagine their impact at work and beyond. From building a...
Sep 30, 2024•57 min•Ep 348•Transcript available on Metacast In our latest Humans of Purpose episode, we sit down with the incredible David Leser—award-winning journalist, author, and social commentator. David shares his journey from shy childhood dreams to writing about some of the most complex social issues of our time, including his powerful reflections on: 💡 The "brokenness" in our society and how it shapes us 💡 The origins of toxic masculinity and the path towards healing 💡 The deep connections we find in everyday moments of community In this thou...
Sep 23, 2024•55 min•Ep 347•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we sit down with the inspiring Sarah Wilson – multi New York Times best-selling author, social philosopher, philanthropist, and founder of the global "I Quit Sugar" movement. From editing Cosmo to hosting Masterchef Australia, Sarah has led a dynamic life dedicated to creativity, minimalism, and deep global conversations. In this powerful conversation, Sarah shares her unique perspectives on: ✨ Facing existential risks like climate change ✨ Living with anxiety and the wisdom beh...
Sep 16, 2024•56 min•Ep 346•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Humans of Purpose, we dive deep with Hana Assafiri, a fierce advocate for women's rights, social justice, and cultural understanding. In this powerful episode, Hana shares her journey from her early struggles in war-torn Lebanon to becoming a pioneering force for change in Australia. We explore her unwavering commitment to challenging societal norms, her role in establishing one of Australia's earliest social enterprises, and her creation of safe spaces for women through initiatives...
Sep 09, 2024•47 min•Ep 390•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Humans of Purpose, we sit down with Keith Rovers, a seasoned leader with over two decades of experience in the corporate world. Keith has been instrumental in shaping the pro bono and social impact practices at MinterEllison , one of Australia's leading law firms. From providing employment pathways for those who have been out of the system for years to integrating social enterprises into corporate supply chains, Keith shares invaluable insights on how businesses can drive meaningful...
Sep 02, 2024•52 min•Ep 389•Transcript available on Metacast This week on Humans of Purpose, we dive into an inspiring conversation with Margot Faraci, a seasoned leader on a mission to reshape leadership globally. Margot has over two decades of experience working with top-tier companies like Macquarie Bank, NAB, Amazon, and Coca-Cola, but her real passion lies in transforming leadership. In this episode, Margot opens up about how she teaches leaders to let go of fear-based leadership and embrace love as a guiding force, unlocking the potential of individ...
Aug 26, 2024•48 min•Ep 343•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re excited to bring you an insightful conversation with Terence Kwan, Co-Founder of Fidelis Advisors and a risk management expert who believes that risk is not just about numbers—it’s about people. Fun fact! Outside the office, Terence’s passions include singing, playing piano, golfing, tennis, skiing, and even running his own coffee roasting business! 🎙️ In this episode, Terence shares his journey from medicine to finance, his experiences working with Macquarie, and how he’s usin...
Aug 19, 2024•53 min•Ep 345•Transcript available on Metacast 
