Wil Anderson knows you think your mates are funnier than him, but that doesn’t bother him. After more than two decades dominating the Australian comedy scene, Wil’s learned that his job isn’t just to be funny: his job is to be funny when the red light comes on. Wil recognises that life is hard more often than it’s easy, and nobody performs at their best when things are truly tough. However, what separates the professionals from the hobbyists, he says, is the ability to perform even (and especial...
Aug 30, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast On his enormously popular blog, Wait But Why, Tim Urban writes about some pretty heavy topics. He’s covered North Korea, the state of American politics and culture, and Elon Musk’s rise to fame, to name just a few. So you might be surprised when you click onto the blog for the first time and see it’s overrun with… stick figure drawings? Tim’s writing style is playful and personable, but his unique illustrations do a lot of the heavy lifting to make his work so eye-catching and so memorable. Whet...
Aug 23, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Among great thinkers, the long walk or run is nothing new. Philosophers, artists, novelists and world leaders have long espoused the value of solitude for working through thorny problems. Award-winning investigative journalist Nick McKenzie is no different. Whether he’s stuck in a tough patch of writing, or trying to figure out his next move in a delicate investigation, running alone often leads to the solution. But Nick doesn’t always run alone. In fact, he’s turned running into one of his favo...
Aug 16, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Matthew Dicks is a master storyteller, and he’s just as committed to understanding great stories as he is to crafting them himself. The author, school teacher and writing coach has spent years studying stories, trying to figure out why they impact us so deeply, and searching for the principles that underpin the very best of them. His most important finding: stories are about change over time. Whether it’s an historical epic like War and Peace or the recounting of a single conversation, all great...
Aug 09, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast What does it take to lead one of the world’s most creative and innovative companies? Mel Silva’s been with Google for over 16 years, and now as the Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, she’s a pivotal part of fostering the company’s world-famous culture. Mel unpacks the key lessons she’s learned in her many roles with the company, including the lessons she’s learned from her coach, and what she’s learned about herself and her leadership style since becoming a mentor for up-and-coming...
Aug 02, 2023•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast You’ve heard it a million times - improving your writing will make you better at just about any job you can think of. But how do you actually improve? How do you hone the craft? Marketing expert and bestselling author Ann Handley dedicates much of her own writing to teaching the craft, and she says the most important component of effective writing is the unique voice of the author. Especially today, when everyone with a social media account is a defacto marketer, and AI writing tools are improvi...
Jul 26, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast “We’re all cogs in a wheel,” Melissa Doyle tells her kids. “But we’re all vital…” As one of Australia’s favourite TV presenters, you won’t be surprised to learn Melissa fields a lot of requests for career advice. But at the beginning of her own career, she just wanted to become like the women she admired. She imitated their voices and studied their styles, but quickly realised - she would never truly be like her heroes, because she would always be herself. When she first cried on camera, she was...
Jul 19, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Nigel Marsh doesn’t suffer fools - even when they pay him! After an enormously successful career in the commercial sector, Nigel’s now a bestselling author, and the host of the hit podcast, Five of My Life, and a highly sought-after executive coach. But his coaching isn’t a walk in the park… The cornerstone of Nigel’s coaching practice is his unique line of questioning: he’s discovered over the course of his career that most people already know what they need to do, whether it’s in their work or...
Jul 12, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series you’ll learn some low-effort and high-impact ways to remove reoccurring stressors in your life. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting research findings through to gadgets I am loving. Yo...
Jul 09, 2023•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Workers in the modern age are already changing careers far more frequently than previous generations - but that doesn’t make transitioning any easier, especially when you’re moving into an entirely different field. Elise McCann can confirm: the actor, singer and dancer is one of Australia’s most celebrated performers, but at the height of the pandemic, she decided to try something (very) different. In an effort to make meditation an easier and more accessible practice for everyone, Elise and fel...
Jul 05, 2023•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Staying healthy doesn’t need to be a pain. In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series you’ll hear some tips and tricks to get exercise into your life in a meaningful way – no matter how busy your home and work schedules are. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work better, which range from interesting resea...
Jul 02, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’ve listened to How I Work for a while, you’ve definitely heard me talk about the Four Day Week, and how much we love it at Inventium. But if you want to implement the practice at your own organisation, you probably have a lot of questions… Doesn’t a four day week just mean longer working days? Should everyone take the same day off, or is it better to stagger? And of course, how do you know if the practice is suited to your business? In a recent virtual Ask-Me-Anything, I sat down with Inv...
Jun 28, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of the Happy Families crossover series we cover all things work life balance. Is it even possible in 2023? Yes, but you have to set some strong guidelines and keep them enforced. You’ll get actionable tips to help demarcate your family time starting from today. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that contains three cool things I have discovered that help me work b...
Jun 25, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast In case you weren’t already aware - artificial intelligence is well and truly everywhere now. Even professional athletes are speeding up their online interactions with the help of ChatGPT! Or maybe that’s just American-Australian AFL player Mason Cox, who calls himself a mechanical engineer at heart, and who’s always looking for ways to get things done more efficiently. Now that he’s also a podcast host and a passionate advocate for Aussie Rules in the U.S., he needs all the help he can get with...
Jun 21, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who doesn’t love a collaboration? This is the first episode in a four-week crossover series with the popular podcast Happy Families all about how to improve health and wellbeing in your home life. In this episode we talk about why you need to stop treating sleep like a luxury item. We go through why it matters and how to get more of it. Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin Twitter Instagram If you’re looking for more tips to improve the way you work, I write a fortnightly newsletter that con...
Jun 18, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast We psychologists tend to lean more on science and statistics when thinking about how best to live our lives… but sometimes numbers and statistics don’t give us the whole, human picture. Sometimes, even the professionals need a good old-fashioned chat with their mums - and that’s exactly what I’ve decided to do! My mum is Doris Imber, a clinical psychologist, award-winning poet, memoirist and children’s author. As fellow psychologists, we dig into some of the advice Doris shares with her patients...
Jun 14, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lucy Durack is on the edge of a nervous breakdown… Or at least, that’s how it can sometimes feel on opening night of a new play or musical. If she lets her focus lie on all the production notes, line changes and new stage directions, she’ll collapse into an anxious wreck. But of course, those are all important parts of a performer’s job - so how does she play her part, without falling apart? Over the course of her career, Lucy’s received a wealth of wise advice from the stars who came before her...
Jun 07, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast When the smash-hit reality TV show Married At First Sight started airing in Australia, Mel Schilling wasn’t one of its relationship experts - but she was one of its biggest fans. Her husband noticed, and understood why: it was right up her alley as a therapist and dating coach. He told her she should be on the show, and reminded her: if you don’t ask, you don’t get. This piece of advice has stayed with Mel, and it’s still something she shares with clients regularly. Some of her advice is a littl...
May 31, 2023•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast After more than twenty years dominating the radio waves in both the UK and Australia, Christian O’Connell has talked to just about everyone, and they’ve covered just about everything. In order to keep his show exciting and engaging after so many years, Christian himself needs to remain excited and engaged. One way he keeps himself engaged at work is by following in the footsteps of legendary jazz musician Miles Davis, who would only ever prepare 75% of a recording, leaving space for the magic of...
May 24, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in the last few years, you’ve almost definitely come across something made by Jessie Stephens. If you’re a podcast junkie, you’ll have heard her on Mamamia Out Loud, or Cancelled. If you’re more of a reader, you’ll find Jessie writing articles about everything from Married At First Sight to the proliferation of gambling ads for Mamamia, for whom she’s also the Executive Editor. Oh, and she’s now a best-selling author, having released her debut book, Hear...
May 17, 2023•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast As the founder of the hugely popular blog, Zen Habits, Leo Babauta’s built a reputation for seeking simplicity in work and in life. So it might be surprising to hear that he often looks to the tech world for inspiration… After looking into the “agile software development” process, Leo realised he didn’t need to hide his creative work from the world until it was completely finished. Watching tech companies release software while it was still in development and then constantly updating it live, Le...
May 15, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s hard to imagine a more disciplined and demanding lifestyle than that of a professional athlete. Whether it’s the countless hours of training, the highly regimented eating, or the mounting mental pressure of upcoming competitions, athletes leave little to chance. But what happens when an athlete retires? Which elements of the spartan lifestyle serve them well beyond the area, and which ones are they happy to leave behind? Figuring out this balance has defined much of Libby Trickett’s persona...
May 10, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you want something done right, do it yourself. Or at least, that’s the approach Patrick Lightbody takes. After years of wrestling with different physical planners and calendar apps, Patrick decided to make his own. So how does someone who designs calendar apps actually use it himself? Well, it begins with the past… Patrick believes that he can’t possibly be oriented towards what matters to him if he’s only looking forwards. Instead, he needs to periodically look back on what he’s already done...
May 08, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s an old story about an aspiring comedian meeting Jerry Seinfeld, and asking his advice on success in the entertainment industry. Seinfeld told the budding comic that great comedy is nothing more than great jokes, so the aim is to get as good as possible at writing jokes - and to get good at anything, you have to do it every day. Australian comedy legend Wil Anderson concurs - and he’s spent a good chunk of time thinking about the creative process behind comedy himself. Wil shares how he w...
May 01, 2023•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why would Four Pillars Gin turn down the opportunity to open another distillery? That’s an important question, because the answer isn’t necessarily obvious. After all, more must be better, right? That depends, and to avoid falling into a never-ending cycle of discussing what it depends on, Four Pillars co-founder Matt Jones and his team have developed a series of frameworks to aid their decision-making. Opening another distillery might service some of some of the company’s goals, but is it the r...
Apr 24, 2023•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hugh Van Cuylenburg was not having a great time, to say the least. He was already unpopular with his then-pregnant wife for being out of town while she and their children all had COVID (and fair enough, he says!), when a previously minor medical problem unexpectedly became very serious. After some painful injections, he managed to get on stage for a speaking engagement, only to finish his presentation suddenly feeling ill. So, when he finally sat down for a podcast interview with someone he bare...
Apr 17, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all want to simplify our lives, and especially our work lives, and that’s hardly surprising: the modern age is defined by distraction and excess. But Leo Babauta, the founder of Zen Habits, worries that our culture’s desire for simplicity might inadvertently be sending us down the wrong path. Simplicity, Leo says, isn’t about deprivation. When you imagine the simple life, you might picture a monk, or a writer living in a cabin in the woods, but this isn’t the whole picture. Instead, simplicit...
Apr 10, 2023•6 min•Transcript available on Metacast Since publishing her beloved book about anxiety, Sarah Wilson’s been bombarded with questions about its opposite: calm. And her answer is almost always the same - go for a hike! The combination of sustained but not too intense physical activity and the exposure to nature make hiking a uniquely powerful practice. When hiking for at least an hour, you enter an elevated, almost euphoric mental state, which is perfect for creative problem-solving. As Sarah puts it, this state allows the right ideas ...
Apr 03, 2023•5 min•Transcript available on Metacast “What the? Thirty companies? I can barely run one!” Daniel Flynn couldn’t believe what he was hearing. As co-founder and managing director of thankyou, Daniel was struggling to keep a cool head, and asked a mentor for some advice. That mentor ran 30 companies, and his advice was that Daniel should clear his calendar for one day a week, every week, and use that day for thinking. Initially, it sounded impossible. How do you remove yourself from the day-to-day work of your company a fifth of the ti...
Mar 27, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are you actually solving your procrastination problem, or are you just putting duct-tape over it and hoping you’ll stay afloat? Tim Urban, the writer behind the hugely popular blog, Wait But Why, is a self-described master procrastinator. He even delivered a Ted Talk on the topic, and most of the speech was about how long he procrastinated writing the speech! But as a master procrastinator, Tim has a lot of experience beating procrastination. And now his focus is on beating his bad habits for go...
Mar 20, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
