A mentor in your pocket.The Creating Synergy Podcast brings to life the journey of people who are achieving success in their fields, community, business or personal lives, and it deeps dive into their process, learnings and ups and downs. Discover innovative approaches, new ideas and learn about Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Culture, Communication, Self-development, Performance, Diversity, Innovation and much more. Listen, Learn and Lead your own Transformation.
Ready to hear a story of true resilience, leadership, and unstoppable drive?In this week’s Creating Synergy Podcast, we sit down with the extraordinary Al Jawhari, Co-Founder and CEO of Starke-AMG. Al’s story is nothing short of inspiring—he’s faced it all, from fleeing a civil war to building global businesses that break barriers.
In this episode, you’ll hear Al’s firsthand insights on:
This episode is packed with lessons on leadership, resilience, and innovation that you won’t hear anywhere else!
🎧 👉 Tune in now or catch us on your favorite podcast platform!
Trust us—this is one conversation you don’t want to miss. If you’ve ever doubted what you’re capable of, Al’s story will remind you that you can create your own success, no matter the odds.
And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Like, share, and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes of the Creating Synergy Podcast.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:04:38 - Al’s background and the origin of Starke-AMG
00:07:13 - Growing up in Liberia and lessons from Al’s father
00:15:11 - Fleeing the civil war and its impact on Al’s mindset
00:19:00 - Military background and leadership lessons from the Egyptian Air Force
00:25:32 - How military precision shaped Al’s business leadership style
00:40:33 - Building a successful team: Empowering others to greatness
00:57:18 - The secret to creating 'unbeatable' technology
01:00:01 - Vulnerability and personal growth as a leader
01:23:53 - Business fundamentals: Trust, clarity, and responsibility
01:39:24 - The power of resilience: Turning failure into success
Where to find Al Jawhari
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Ready to learn how to take your business from local to global?
In this powerhouse episode, Tim Stollznow, CEO and founder of MyVenue, shares his insider secrets on building a scalable business, growing a winning team, and overcoming challenges to achieve international success.
🔑 Key Highlights You Don’t Want to Miss:
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, business leader, or simply curious about what it takes to scale a business, this episode is packed with actionable insights and inspiration.
🎧 Tune in now to learn the proven strategies that can help you grow your business, overcome challenges, and lead with confidence.
TIMESTAMPS:00:26:00 - Scaling a Business Globally
00:28:00 - Tim’s Journey to Becoming CEO of Quest
00:34:00 - From Bottle Shops to Stadiums: The Evolution of MyVenue
00:37:00 - The Importance of Face-to-Face Networking
00:45:00 - The Secret Formula for Scaling a Business
00:45:00 - Why Process and Agility Are Key to Growth
00:46:00 - Leadership Lessons From Tim’s Football Club Days
00:48:00 - Empowering Your Team for Success
00:49:00 - Building a World-Class Team
00:53:00 - Turning Setbacks Into Opportunities
Where to find TIM STOLLZNOW
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Welcome to another inspiring episode of the Creating Synergy Podcast!
This week, we’re thrilled to have Martin Westwell, the Chief Executive of the Department for Education, join us for a deep dive into the future of education, leadership, and the powerful intersection of neuroscience and technology.
In this episode, Martin shares his wealth of knowledge and insights on topics that are not only relevant but crucial for anyone looking to make a difference in the world of education, business, or leadership. Whether you’re an educator, a leader, or someone passionate about personal growth, this episode offers something valuable for everyone.
Key Highlights
Don’t miss out on this thought-provoking conversation with one of the leading minds in education today. Click below to listen to the full episode and discover how you can apply these insights to your own journey.
And as always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Like, share, and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes of the Creating Synergy Podcast.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:03:14 - The Power of Education to Change Lives
00:04:18 - Changing the World One Kid at a Time
00:08:07 - The Importance of Hard Work and Dedication
00:15:08 - Innovations in Antibiotics and Their Impact
00:17:45 - The Science of Learning and Cognitive Development
00:21:16 - The Influence of Technology on Learning and Behavior
00:35:10 - The Role of Leadership in Modern Organizations
00:40:12 - The Human Element in Leadership and Business
00:45:54 - The Challenges of Remote Work and Maintaining Relationships
00:53:36 - The Need for Adaptability in Leadership During Times of Change
Where to find Martin Westwell
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
What does it take to lead in a world that’s constantly evolving?
In this new episode, we dive deep into the mind of Dean Rosenfield, CEO of Nova Systems, a leader who’s not just keeping up with change—he’s driving it. Whether you’re a leader in business, a curious thinker, or someone passionate about Australia’s future, this conversation is one you can’t afford to miss.
Why Listen?
You’ll walk away with powerful insights on leadership, innovation, and the future of defense. It’s a conversation that’s as thought-provoking as it is inspiring.
So, are you ready to rethink what it means to lead and innovate in today’s world? Hit play and join us for this compelling discussion.
TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Introduction to Dean Rosenfield and Nova Systems
01:15 - Dean’s Journey: From Military to CEO of Nova Systems
05:46 - The Importance of Communication in Leadership
14:06 - Adapting to New Cultures and Environments
22:17 - Strategic Decision-Making in High-Stakes Situations
27:21 - Balancing Logic and Gut Instinct in Leadership
33:03 - The Role of Trust and Expertise in Special Forces
46:18 - Innovation and Risk in the Defense Industry
57:08 - The Vision for Australian Sovereignty in Defense
59:22 - Leading Through Change: Strategies and Challenges
Where to find Dean Rosenfield
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this episode, we welcome the phenomenal Taryn Brumfitt, 2023 Australian of the Year and founder of the Body Image Movement.
Get ready for an inspiring journey as Taryn shares her incredible story of transforming personal struggles into a global movement that’s touched over 200 million lives.
Join us as we dive into Taryn’s candid reflections on:
But that’s not all! We also discuss Taryn’s upcoming documentary, Embrace Humanity, and explore the wisdom she’s gained about self-love, resilience, and the transformative power of embracing our authentic selves.
Even our host and CEO gets personal too, sharing his own battles with body image and the relentless pursuit of self-improvement. This conversation is raw, real, and packed with AHA! moments that will make you rethink how you see yourself.
So, whether you’re struggling with self-acceptance, curious about the body positivity movement, or just love a good story, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in, get inspired, and join the movement towards a more accepting and loving world.👇
**HIGHLIGHTS:
00:00** - Introduction
01:03 - Taryn's Journey and Impact
02:15 - The Power of Speaking at Prestigious Venues
04:31 - Embracing Authenticity
10:14 - The Viral Photo that Started It All
13:04 - Body Positivity and Modern Challenges
18:47 - Creative Solutions in Storytelling
25:14 - Overcoming Self-Criticism
32:04 - Finding Peace in Self-Compassion
37:00 - Role Modeling Positive Behavior
42:04 - Identifying Unhealthy Patterns in Children
Where to find Taryn Brumfitt
Books mentioned in the podcast:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
What does it take to lead a $2.67 billion industry through rapid change and innovation?
Join us as Darrel Jacobs, the dynamic CEO of the Motor Trade Association shares his insights on driving change and innovation in the automotive industry, leading a $2.67 billion sector, and empowering over 16,000 employees.
If you’re curious about the complexities of leading a major industry through change, this episode is for you. This is a conversation you don't want to miss 👇
Here’s why you should listen:
* Learn how to manage change in today’s fast-paced world.
* Get strategies for engaging your team and reducing their fears about change.
* Gain insights into systems thinking and solving problems together.
* Hear Darrel's personal story from his humble beginnings to becoming a CEO.
* Pick up practical advice on leadership and sparking innovation.
Key Highlights:
* 00:00 - Introduction
* 01:53 - The Evolution of the Automotive Industry
* 02:33 - Darrel's Background: From Country Lad to CEO
* 15:41 - Values of Hard Work and Honesty
* 55:10 - The Importance of Everyday Change and Continuous Improvement
* 57:30 - Enhancing Training Efficiency and Customer Engagement
* 58:25 - Embracing Customer Feedback for Effective Solutions
* 1:00:06 - Managing Change and Reducing Employee Fear
* 1:03:10 - Systematic Thinking and Collaborative Problem Solving
* 1:40:25 - Innovation and Seizing Opportunities Every Day
* 1:07:46 - Leadership Through Understanding and Employee Engagement
* 50:06 - Strategic Vision: Profit with Purpose Mentality
* 1:39:52 - Customer-Centric Leadership and Adapting to Change
What’s in it for You?
You’ll walk away with practical, actionable insights from Darrel Jacobs, a leader who has successfully navigated the automotive industry's complexities. Whether you’re a business leader, aspiring entrepreneur, or just curious about industry dynamics, this episode is packed with valuable lessons on innovation, strategic thinking, and effective leadership.
Where to find Darrel Jacobs
* Website
Books mentioned in the episode
* Peak Performance By: BRAD STULBERG
* Open by Andre Agassi
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Are you ready to discover the secrets of scaling a business from local success to a global powerhouse? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Anthony Kittel, the visionary CEO of REDARC, in this must-listen episode of the Creating Synergy Podcast.
Anthony Kittel took the reins of REDARC, transforming it from an 8-person operation into a 400+ employee leader in advanced electronics. In this episode, Anthony shares his incredible journey, the pivotal moments, and the strategic decisions that propelled REDARC to international success.
What You'll Learn:
Why Listen: Whether you're an entrepreneur, business leader, or aspiring innovator, Anthony's story is packed with actionable insights and inspiration. This episode offers valuable lessons on scaling, leadership, and fostering a culture of excellence.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn from from one of the industry's best! ⬇
Listen Now!
TIMESTAMPS:
[14:13] - Collaboration in Leadership
[15:59] - Pursuing Higher Education
[20:28] - Deciding to Buy Redarc
[30:24] - Early Business Challenges
[30:04] - Vision for Redarc
[36:28] - Setting Up an R&D Team
[50:52] - Moving to a New Facility
[54:26] - Embracing Change
[58:12] - Establishing Company Culture
[59:42] - Long-Term Strategic Planning
Where to find Grant Wilckens
Books mentioned in the episode
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
have the incredible Grant Wilckens, CEO of the G'day Group, joining us to share his insights on navigating rapid expansion and change in the business world. You absolutely don't want to miss this one!
Curious about how one of Australia's largest regional accommodation provider manages rapid growth and constant change? Grant spills the secrets!
Grant dives deep into:
🚀 The secrets behind G'day Group's phenomenal growth.
🚀 How to steer a company through times of rapid change.
🚀 Insights on leadership and staying resilient.
Whether you’re leading a team, running your own business, or just curious about the dynamics of growth and change, you’ll find something valuable here.
TUNE IN NOW, subscribe, and don't forget to share this episode with your network.
TIMESTAMPS:
[02:15] - Grant's Early Career and Background
[10:30] - Challenges in Leadership
[18:45] - Importance of Mentorship
[25:00] - Navigating Organizational Change
[33:20] - Maintaining Work-Life Balance
[41:05] - Embracing Innovation
[50:15] - Building a Strong Team
[58:30] - Future Trends in the Industry
[1:04:00] - Leadership Strategies
[1:05:30] - Professional Growth Tips
Where to find Grant Wilckens
Books mentioned in the episode
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this insightful episode, we sit down with Kerry Rowland, the visionary CEO of Cancer Council SA, to explore her journey through the multifaceted world of healthcare leadership.
With a career marked by empathy, innovation, and resilience, Kerry shares her profound experiences and the lessons she's learned along the way. From her early days influenced by a strong and independent mother to her pivotal roles in various organisations, Kerry's story is a testament to leading with courage and a heart.
Why You Can’t Miss This Episode:
Join us for a deep dive into Kerry Rowland’s world, where compassion meets leadership, and purpose drives success. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a healthcare professional, or someone passionate about making a difference, this episode is for you!
TIMESTAMPS:
[03:24] - Introduction to Kerry Rowland
[04:24] - Influence of a Strong Role Model
[07:27] - Balancing Family and Career
[09:57] - Breaking Gender Stereotypes
[18:02] - Early Career Lessons at Kimberly Clark
[27:43] - Overcoming Career Challenges
[46:14] - Customer-Centered Design
[55:21] - Reflections on the Ripple Effect Program
[1:06:21] - Transition to Cancer Council SA
Tune In and Share!
Don't miss out on this enlightening conversation! Tune in and be sure to share this episode with your network and help us spread the word about the incredible work being done at Cancer Council SA. Listen and share today!
Where to find Kerry Rowlands
Books mentioned in the episode
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Curious How a CEO Can Influence Both Corporate Success and Community Well-being?
Don't miss our latest episode of the Creating Synergy Podcast, where we explore the profound impact of leadership through the lens of Mark Hoffman-Davis, CEO of SYC Limited.
Here’s why you need to tune in:
This episode provides rare insights into the making of a leader who’s not only at the forefront of business innovation but also deeply committed to social impact. Tune in, get inspired, and maybe steal some of his secrets for yourself! Don’t forget to subscribe – you won’t want to miss this!
TIMESTAMPS:
[2:03] - Early Life and Move to Australia
[6:21] - CIA influence from Mark's father
[8:12] - Lessons in Hard Work
[18:19] - Childhood Lessons
[27:21] - Leadership at a Young Age
[44:43] - Career Progression
[50:38] - Customer-Centric Philosophy
[1:04:46] - Transition to CEO of SYC
[1:29:20] - Technology in Human Services
[1:41:39] - Vision for the Future
Where to find Mark Hoffman-Davis
Books mentioned in the episode
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Dive into this enlightening episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast where we sit down with the dynamic Stacey Northover, Executive General Manager at Believe Housing Australia. Stacey brings over 25 years of transformative leadership in the housing sector from the bustling streets of the UK to the vibrant communities of Australia. Prepare to be inspired by her dedication to changing lives and challenging norms.
Why You Can’t Miss This Episode:
🎧 Listen now and let Stacey’s story inspire you to think differently about community, change, and the places we call home. Available now on all major podcast platforms!
TIMESTAMPS:
[09:51] - Affordable Housing Crisis
[14:55] - Community Housing in Australia
[21:19] - Career Progression in Housing
[24:52] - Breaking Stereotypes and Supporting Tenants
[30:38] - Mental Health Support for Tenants
[38:13] - Domestic Violence and Support Systems
[48:29] - Challenges of Immigration and COVID-19
[1:04:22] - Leadership and Change Management
Where to find Stacey Northover
Books mentioned in the episode
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
We are thrilled to welcome back the extraordinary Dr. Gemma Munro for an episode that promises to be a turning point in your journey towards self-discovery and transformation.
Known as the Alchemist at Work, Gemma, an award-winning speaker and facilitator, has the unique ability to ignite courage and spark rapid, easeful change. In this episode, we dive deep into the essence of transformation, the power of courage, and how to turn the seemingly impossible into reality.
With a PhD in performance psychology, Gemma has touched over 72,000 lives worldwide, proving that change is not only possible but within reach. Tune in now!
Here's why you ABSOLUTELY can't miss this episode:
🎙️ Courage to Change: Gemma dives deep into the psychology behind our fear of stepping out of our comfort zones and how to embrace calculated risks.
🎙️ Finding your Purpose: Unravel the importance of discovering your purpose and common mistakes to avoid.
🎙️ Power of Intuition: Discover practical tips to tap into your intuition and how it can guide your life decisions.
🎙️ Transformative Strategies: Get firsthand tips from Gemma's "What Comes Next?" program, proven to guide participants towards clarity, purpose, and action.
Be ready to be inspired, hopeful, and ready to take on your next challenge.
Where to find Gemma Munro
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Ready for something truly inspiring to kick off your weekend? We’ve got something special for your ears this weekend with our latest episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast featuring the incredible Claire Scapinello, CEO of ECH Inc.
Claire’s story is the kind of listen that’ll have you hooked from start to finish. Her journey is packed with lessons on resilience, innovation, and what it means to lead with vision and heart.
Here's why:
We dive deep into how she's transforming aged care, blending technology with a touch of humanity, and making real changes that matter.
It’s not just about the challenges; it’s about seeing opportunities where others see obstacles. Make your day a bit more meaningful, fuel your motivation and spark new ideas and give this episode a listen!
TIMESTAMP:
[05:17] - Introduction to Claire's background and influences
[25:02] - Claire discusses a life-changing injury in 2009 and its impact
[35:25] - The moment Claire was told she might never walk again
[38:11] - Exploration of stoicism and its role in Claire's recovery process
[44:01] - Claire shares her experience of regaining movement and her determination
[58:34] - Transitioning into Claire's career and her role as CEO of a major aged care provider
[1:04:14] - The importance of customer focus and digital understanding for CEOs
[1:13:12] - Discussion on change management and transforming the aged care industry
[1:27:15] - The growing impact and challenges within the aged care sector
[1:39:49] - Claire's appreciation for stoicism and the best advice she has received
Where to find Claire Scapinello
Books discussed in the episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
We're kicking off with a new episode this year as we sit down with David Panter, the inspiring CEO of Minda Incorporated, for an intimate conversation that promises to uplift, motivate, and transform your perspective on leadership and personal growth.
David takes us through his remarkable life story, sharing the highs and lows, the moments of doubt, and the triumphs of courage that have defined his path.
From standing firm in his identity in an unaccepting era to spearheading transformative change in healthcare and aged care sectors, David's story is a testament to the power of leading with authenticity and purpose.
Why Listen?
Ready to see how embracing your true self can transform your approach to leadership? Then you absolutely need to tune into this episode.
TIMESTAMP:
[00:16:59:19] - David's Role as an AIDS Information Officer
[00:22:02:15] - Princess Diana's Involvement in AIDS Activism
[00:39:01:06] - Being Called In to Fix and Transform Organizations
[00:42:57:02] - The Importance of Authenticity and Being True to Oneself as a Leader.
[00:53:03:05] - State of Minda When David Panter Took on the Role of CEO
[01:39:27:05] - Advice for Emerging Leaders
Where to find David Panter
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
We're thrilled to bring you another episode in our Synergy Shorts series, featuring one of our most celebrated guests yet—Tobi Pearce, the dynamic CEO of EZLicence as one of our highest viewed and most downloaded episodes on the Creating Synergy Podcast.
Join us as Tobi unveils the secrets behind Navigating Emotions and Leadership in Building a Million-Dollar Empire.
💡 Why You Can't Miss This Episode:
🎧 Tune in now to discover how you, too, can navigate the intricate dance of emotions and leadership to build your own million-dollar empire. TIMESTAMP:
[00:00:15] - The Flawed Assumption About Emotions
[00:01:50] - Skill Acquisition and Emotional Control
[00:02:10] - Leadership and Emotions
[00:02:47] - The Goldilocks Zone of Emotions
[00:03:00] - Stimulus, Response, and the Space in Between
[00:05:33] - Learning Through Experience and Reflection
[00:06:37] - Advisory and Coaching Insights
[00:07:14] - Seeking Truth Over Knowledge
[00:09:51] - The Importance of Writing Decisions Down
Where to find TOBI PEARCE
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
We are back with another exciting episode in our Synergy Shorts Series featuring our all-time favorite guest, Vinh Giang!
This episode has not only stolen the spotlight as our most downloaded but has also become a fan favorite for its profound insights on effective communication. Vinh, a renowned international keynote speaker, shares his unique perspective on how communication shapes our lives, careers, and brands.
Key Highlights:
Whether you're aiming to inspire change, make a lasting impression, or simply connect more meaningfully with those around you, this episode with Vinh Giang offers invaluable lessons.
Tune in to start transforming the way you communicate and watch as new doors open in every facet of your life. Don't miss out on this journey to finding your voice and making it heard!
TIMESTAMP:
[00:00:28] - Great Communication
[00:01:21] - Balancing Content and Delivery
[00:02:00] - Communication as Connection
[00:02:17] - The Role of the Listener
[00:02:59] - Empowering the Next Generation
[00:03:52] - The Power of Effective Expression
[00:04:15] - Self-Awareness in Communication
[00:06:15] - The Impact of Lack of Self-Awareness
[00:07:10] - The Importance of Review and Reflection
[00:09:06] - The Influence of Personal Network
[00:09:34] - Stories of Resilience and Grit
[00:12:19] - Overcoming Self-Doubt
Where to find VINH GIANG
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Get ready to dive headfirst into an electrifying episode of our special segment in #SynergyShorts!
We're rolling out the red carpet for the highlights from our incredible chat with none other than David Fogarty, the brilliant CEO and Founder of The Oodie and The Davie Group.
Imagine sitting down with a business juggernaut who's cracked the code to turning social media into a multi-million dollar megaphone for his ventures – that's exactly what you're about to experience!
Whether you're a hungry entrepreneur, a savvy marketer, or a business aficionado thirsty for next-level insights, this episode is your golden ticket. Prepare to be infused with ideas that will supercharge your impact in the digital arena.
Tune in, get inspired, and transform the way you see and do business in the digital world. You definitely don't want to miss this!
TIMESTAMP:
[00:00:15] - Importance of Continuous Learning in Business
[00:01:01] - Utilizing Diverse Resources for Rapid Growth
[00:01:31] - Incredible Power and Impact of Community
[00:02:04] - Transition to Community-Focused Brand Building
[00:03:09] - CEO Leadership and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome Where to find DAVID FOGARTY
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Welcome to this special edition of "Synergy Shorts," where we bring you compact insights from the giants of industry and innovation. In this episode, we are thrilled to feature the highlights from our most viewed podcast episode with Marc Randolph, the visionary Co-founder of Netflix, as he unravels the secrets to fearless entrepreneurship and the art of making bold moves.
Marc shares invaluable lessons that are not just about building a successful business but about nurturing a mindset that dares to disrupt and redefine.
In this short but impactful episode, you'll discover:
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a seasoned business leader, or simply curious about the man behind the world's leading streaming service, **Tune in NOW and empower your journey with the wisdom of Marc Randolph—because even the grandest ventures begin with the courage to take that first bold step.
HIGHLIGHTS:
[00:00:49] - Decision-Making in Ambiguity
[00:02:05] - Evolution of Risk-Taking
[00:02:53] - Persistence and Entrepreneurial Grit
[00:04:19] - Importance of Culture in Success Where to find Marc Randolph**
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Dive into an insightful episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast with our incredible guest, Martin Haese, former Lord Mayor of Adelaide and a trailblazer in entrepreneurship.
We explore Martin's multifaceted career - from founding successful fashion ventures like Youthworks and Sole Shoes to leading significant civic and business initiatives in South Australia.
Key Highlights:
This episode offers a unique glimpse into the mind of a leader who's consistently challenged the status quo, embraced innovation, and pursued his vision with relentless determination. It's a must-listen for those interested in entrepreneurship, leadership, and community development.
TIMESTAMPS:
[00:00:10] - Introduction of Martin Haese and his notable achievements.
[00:04:22] - Martin's early years and his aspiration for business.
[00:14:08] - The inception of Youthquake in 1993 and its journey.
[00:21:07] - Emphasis on the importance of systems and reinvesting in business.
[00:26:13:] - Building a strong company culture centered around values and customers.
[00:32:14] - 'Freedom Fridays': Allocating time for research and future planning.
[00:43:04] - Martin Haese discusses selling his business and transitioning roles.
[01:03:27] - Exploring the potential for entrepreneurship in South Australia.
[01:09:30] - Explaining the role and responsibilities of the Lord Mayor of Adelaide.
[01:21:19] - Martin Haese's enthusiasm about South Australia's leadership in renewable energy.
Where to find Martin Haese
Books Mentioned:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Dive into our lates episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast as we unravel the extraordinary journey of Shaun Westcott, CEO of Mitsubishi. From the challenging military ranks in South Africa to leading a global automotive powerhouse, Shaun's story is a masterclass in resilience and innovation.
Discover how Shaun's early military experience shaped his formidable leadership style. Hear about his transformative role at Coca-Cola and how he revolutionized AC Whitcher amidst the 2008 Global Financial Crisis with his out-of-the-box thinking.
The episode takes a personal turn with Shaun's move to South Australia following a traumatic incident, leading to pivotal changes both personally and professionally. Learn about his rapid rise to CEO at Mitsubishi, a record-breaking achievement demonstrating his exceptional strategic vision.
Shaun shares insights on his leadership philosophy, the future of electric cars, and balancing a demanding CEO role with family life.
🎧 Tune in for this inspiring conversation and don't forget to like, subscribe, and share your thoughts on Shaun's remarkable journey!
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:[05:04] - Shaun's Childhood on a South African Farm
[06:21] - Shaun's Passion for Adventure and Adrenaline Activities
[07:27] - Shaun's Ambition to Visit Antarctica
[08:14] - Influence of Shawn's Entrepreneurial Parents
[09:01] - Resilience and Resourcefulness Lessons from Parents
[09:46] - Compulsory Military Service Experience in South Africa
[10:18] - Youngest in School & Joining the Military
[11:07] - Identified as a Leader in the Military
[12:22] - The Importance of People and Motivation
[13:47] - Reflections on Compulsory Military Service
Trigger Warning: Please be advised that some parts of this episode contain discussions on sensitive topics, including personal experiences of violence and trauma. Listener discretion is advised, especially for those who may find such subjects distressing. We strive to handle these topics with respect and sensitivity, but we understand if some listeners choose to skip this content for their well-being.
Where to find Shaun Westcott
Books Mentioned:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Join us in this inspiring episode of the Creating Synergy Podcast as we delve into the remarkable journey of Alisa Fraser, an entrepreneurial force in the Australian business landscape.
Known for her rise to fame on 'The Block', Alisa's story is a testament to the power of resilience, innovation, and unyielding ambition. From her early days in the police force to dominating the world of interior design and creating the multimillion-dollar AL.ive Body brand, Alisa's journey is filled with invaluable lessons, daring risks, and breathtaking successes. In this conversation, she shares the highs and lows of her entrepreneurial path, her approach to overcoming challenges, and the insights she's gained along the way.
This episode is more than just a success story; it's a narrative of transformation, leadership, and the relentless pursuit of dreams. Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur, a business enthusiast, or simply love success stories, Alisa's insights and experiences are sure to motivate and enlighten. Tune in now!
KEY HIGHLIGHTS:
[1:55] - Age and Self-Image
[4:02] - Awards and Success on "The Block"
[6:18] - Childhood and Upbringing
[11:10] - Importance of Sports in Life
[12:31] - Duration of Mother's Business and Sibling Relationship
[16:43] - Aspiration to Join the Police Force
[23:22] - Applying for "The Block"
[32:17] - Using Social Media for Business Growth
[34:33] - Starting an Interior Design Business
[1:16:09] - Winning the 40 under 40 Award
Where to find Alisa Fraser
Books Mentioned:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Join us on the Creating Synergy Podcast for an engaging episode featuring Brenton Cox, Managing Director of Adelaide Airport, as we delve into his journey from a childhood enriched with cricket, reading, and community service to leading one of South Australia's most pivotal aviation hubs.
Discover Brenton's unique leadership style, marked by calmness, humility, and a welcoming nature, which has guided him through various challenging roles in the aviation industry.
This episode offers an in-depth look at his transition from law to aviation, his strategic navigation through the COVID-19 pandemic at Adelaide Airport, and the leadership philosophies that have shaped his successful career.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation that highlights the essence of effective leadership and the impact of personal growth on professional success.
Key Highlights:
Tune in to this captivating episode for a deep dive into the world of aviation leadership and the inspiring journey of Brenton Cox.
TIMESTAMPS:
[07:10] - Introduction of Brenton Cox and His Role at Adelaide Airport
[08:24] - Brenton's Entry into the Aviation Industry and Interest in Aviation
[17:50] - Impact of Brenton's Upbringing and Parental Influence
[31:37] - Transition from Legal and Finance to Aviation Industry
[46:12] - Brenton's Journey into the Aviation World and Finding Passion
[53:24] - Brenton as Managing Director: Challenges and Experiences During COVID-19
[1:07:26] - Managing Director Role: Focus on People and Airport Projects
[1:09:18] - Importance of Airport Security and Cybersecurity
[1:14:09] - Future of Airports: Technological Advancements and Sustainability
[1:21:57] - Brenton's Leadership Style and Philosophy: Servant Leadership and Accountability
Where to find Brenton Cox
Books Mentioned:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access Syn
Dive into the remarkable journey of Andrew Downs, founder of SAGE Group, in this latest episode of the Creating Synergy Podcast. Discover how a small automation company from Adelaide soared to global heights, navigating through noise complaints and the brink of financial crisis to become a leading industry giant with over 700 employees and $200 million in revenue. Listen in as Andrew opens up about his early life's pivotal moments, the character-building challenges he faced, and his innate ability to forge lasting partnerships based on trust. With a blend of humor, wisdom, and candid revelations, this conversation is a trove of valuable lessons and a peek into the innovative future of SAGE Group.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
This conversation isn't just a glimpse into a business magnate's mind—it's a blueprint of ambition, resilience, and visionary foresight.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
[1:09]- Budget and Revenue
[6:21]- Entrepreneurial Spirit from Grandparents
[7:15]- Decision to Leave School
[8:50]- Apprenticeship Application
[27:01]- Founding of Sage
[31:20]- Long-term Employees
[32:24]- Skunk Works Strategy
[43:51]- Lack of Initial Business Strategy
[58:41]- 2008 Recession Challenges
[1:14:38]- Sage Group as a House of Brands
Where to find ANDREW DOWNS
Books Mentioned:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this enriching episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast, join us as we uncover the layers of wisdom and humanity in one of the most esteemed leaders of our time, Alf Ianiello, the visionary CEO of ASX-listed powerhouse, CODAN, and the influential former CEO of the iconic South Australian enterprise, Detmold.
🌟 Episode Highlights:
Prepare to be inspired and enlightened, as Alf Ianiello bares the heart and mind behind the leader, sharing not just strategies for success, but the essence of a life well-lived.
🎧 Listen now and immerse yourself in a narrative of leadership, empathy, and strength, and perhaps, find pieces of wisdom to weave into your own story.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:[6:27] - Influence of Parents
[17:59] - Sports and Leadership
[21:34] - Evolving Leadership Style
[31:56] - Joining Detmold
[39:12] - Customer Centricity
[45:57] - Corporate Transitions
[58:16] - Goal Setting Strategies
[1:03:05] - Leadership Philosophy
[1:15:56] - Facing Recession
[1:19:52] - Work-Life Balance
Where to find Alf Ianiello
Books Mentioned:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Join us on a riveting journey as we unpack the success story of Craige Whitton, CEO of Northline. From his roots in Perth, the guidance of his father, to his meteoric rise in the corporate world, Craige has quite a tale to tell. Especially, as Northline celebrates its 40th anniversary, it's the perfect time to hear how he spearheaded its exponential growth while ensuring the values of culture and positive work environment remained intact.
🔑 Top 5 Key Topics Discussed:
if you're as intrigued as we are by Craige's story, then don't just sit there! 🎧 Tune in NOW!
Feel enlightened? Elated? Eager for more? Then make sure to click on that like button, 🔄 share this episode with your mates, and 📌 subscribe to keep the synergy alive.
Let's create a community where inspiration meets action!
HIGHLIGHTS:
3:29: Craig's background and upbringing
13:58: Family values in the workplace
28:33: Impact of the global financial crisis
30:00: Importance of having the right people and culture
35:08: Strategic plan for growth and consolidation in the industry
45:00: Employee value proposition and high employee retention
52:01: Personalized customer service and relationship building
56:22: Managing the appetite for new technologies and focus on long-term challenges like sustainability
1:01:15: Insights from the Oxford leadership program
1:16:47: Navigating through economic crises and potential recession
Where to find Craige Whitton
Books Mentioned:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this thought-provoking episode, we delve deep into the mind of Professor Marnie Hughes-Warrington, a globally renowned historian and philosopher, who has been pivotal in reshaping educational perspectives both in Australia and internationally. From her humble beginnings to being at the forefront of some of today's most pressing challenges, Professor Hughes-Warrington offers an insightful blend of history, philosophy, and modern education. Dive in with us as we explore her personal journey, her thoughts on intertwining academic disciplines, and her significant role in the university merger that's been making waves in South Australia.
🔍 Here are some cant-miss highlights of this episode:
1️⃣ The unique worldview of a historian & philosopher melded into one.
2️⃣ The monumental university merger – what it means and the genius behind it.
3️⃣ How AI is taking notes from historians. Yup, it’s as cool as it sounds!
4️⃣ Marnie's journey from being a Rhodes Scholar to a game-changer in modern education.
5️⃣ Insights from her 8 (yes, EIGHT!) trailblazing books.
A blend of wit, wisdom, and 'wow' moments, this is an episode you won't want to skip! 🌟
We hope you enjoy this insightful episode! As always, your feedback is invaluable to us. Please like, share, and subscribe to stay updated with our latest content. And do share your thoughts on the topics discussed in this episode—we'd love to engage in meaningful conversations with our listeners!
HIGHLIGHTS:
3:32 - Discussion about the prestigious Australian Prime Minister's award for teaching.
5:58 - Sharing a personal story about being a first-generation university graduate and the journey to becoming a Rhodes scholarship recipient.
7:29 - Insight into the bestselling book and sneak peek into upcoming publications.
11:33 - The purpose and vision behind Marnie's scholarship, emphasizing on education and working with the deaf community.
14:18 - A candid talk about Marnie's struggle with video games and her perspective on questioning fairness.
18:08 - An emotional reflection on impactful memories, especially her father's staunch belief in education and his love for nature.
22:13 - Highlighting the immense importance of asking questions and the ability to think differently in today's world.
29:42 - The philosophy of maintaining humility in the world of academia and the essence of continuous learning.
38:24 - A profound conversation about self-awareness, emphasizing the importance of recognizing our own strengths and weaknesses with compassion.
1:20:08 - A stimulating debate on the subjective nature of history versus majority beliefs, and how this shapes our understanding of the past.
Where to find Marnie Hughes-Warrington
BOOKS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Dive in as we unravel the journey of an absolute powerhouse, Christine Zeitz. Ever been the only one left standing? Christine was - overlooked in her uni days, only to shoot up as a beacon in the defense sector. If TOP GUN's fighter jets got your heart racing, know that Christine leads the charge at Northrop Grumman, the brand behind those beasts!
From 25 pivotal years at BAE to breaking ceilings as the first female CEO in Australia's top 40 defense giants – Christine's tale is nothing short of epic. And she's not just playing the defense game. She's in the boardroom, on the footy field, and lighting up platforms like the Advertiser's 2023 top 40.
Join us for a rollercoaster ride: We touch on everything from her early 'weirdo hippie' days to deep dives into the defense industry's future. And yes, if you loved the fighter jets in TOP GUN, she's got stories for you!
Tune in now and let Christine's story inspire your next big leap!
HIGHLIGHTS:
01:03: Christine's journey from being the only overlooked university graduate to becoming a defense titan.
07:45: Diving deep into her 25-year stint at BAE and what really anchored her to the company.
13:52: The exciting connection between Northrop Grumman and Hollywood's TOP GUN.
21:28: The transition challenges from Lockheed to Leidos and her strategies behind the whopping 100% growth in revenue.
29:15: Christine’s candid take on her "weirdo hippie" phase amidst the corporate world.
37:10: A close look at the dynamics of leading in a male-dominated defense industry and her vision for diversity.
44:25: Her role outside the defense circle - from football to economic development.
51:38: Insights into the rapidly evolving defense sector and the challenges that lie ahead for Australia.
59:04: Personal battles: How Christine manages emotions, fears, and mental health given the high stakes of her role.
01:05:20: Looking back, looking forward: Christine's advice for aspiring leaders and her views on the future, especially regarding AI.
Where to find Christine Zeitz
BOOKS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this fresh new episode , we had the privilege of diving into the world of healthcare leadership with the remarkable Dr. Robyn Lawrence, the visionary CEO of SA Health. Her insights and experiences offer a roadmap for navigating the complexities of healthcare.
Here's why you should not miss this episode:
1. Resilience in Leadership- Explore how Dr. Lawrence's journey, from projects to pandemic response, reflects resilient leadership in the face of challenges.
2. Future-Proofing Through Innovation- Discover how technology can reshape healthcare, as Dr. Lawrence envisions a patient-centric, tech-driven future.
3. Inclusivity and Cultural Transformation- Learn from Dr. Lawrence's insights on fostering inclusivity and navigating cultural shifts for a stronger healthcare ecosystem.
4. Strategies for Effective Leadership- Gain practical leadership strategies from Dr. Lawrence's experiences at the helm of SA Health.
5. Collaborative Power -Understand the impact of collaboration in healthcare, driving positive changes and improved patient care.
Join us as we explore these key takeaways from our conversation with Dr. Robyn Lawrence. Her expertise and insights redefine healthcare leadership and inspire us all to create synergy within the industry. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives and strategies for navigating the evolving landscape of healthcare. 🎧
HIGHLIGHTS:
1:36 - Early life and decision to pursue a career in medicine
8:10 - The importance of curiosity and willingness to ask questions
12:35 - Involvement in opening the Perth Children's Hospital
30:03 - Leadership lessons and the importance of communication during crisis
38:22 - Experience and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic
49:25 - Managing personal and professional challenges as a leader
1:02:37 - Focus on improving emergency access and hospital redevelopment projects
1:06:32 - The potential to fix the issue of ramping in healthcare
1:23:05 - Maintaining mental health and avoiding burnout
1:28:44 - Excitement for future opportunities at work and personally
Where to find Dr. Robyn Lawrence
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Get ready for an insightful conversation with the remarkable Andrew Bills, CEO of SA Power Networks.
Andrew captivates us with his inspiring personal journey, laced with resilience and transformation, from navigating personal loss to combating significant adversities in his career, including a cyber-attack and personal health challenges.
This episode offers a wealth of insights into leadership, crisis management, and the importance of maintaining a work-life balance. Join us as Andrew shares his vision for the future of SA Power Networks and invaluable leadership advice.
This episode is an absolute must-listen for those seeking inspiration and practical wisdom from the top echelons of leadership. Tune in now!
Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:
1:43 | Andrew's background and early life
3:46 | The impact of losing his father at a young age
6:12 | Attending boarding school and developing independence
7:59 | Moving to Brisbane and working at Coopers and Lybrand
11:53 | Joining Babcock and Brown and experiencing the financial crisis
19:57 | Joining Origin Energy and working on cultural change
27:28 | Discussing the recent issues at PwC and the importance of balanced perspective
29:33 | Leaving PwC and joining Stanwell Corporation
33:46 | Working at Babcock and Brown Power during the financial crisis
40:15 | Building a safety culture at Origin Energy
45:42 | Turning around the LPG business at Origin Energy
49:21 | The mindset and actions needed to change culture
52:35 | The ROI of improving culture at Origin Energy
54:59 | Discussion about the impact of culture on business
57:21 | Transitioning to the role of CEO at SA Power Networks
Stay tuned, stay connected, and don't forget to subscribe and give us follow! Let's keep #CreatingSynergy! 😉
Where to find Andrew Bills
Books mentioned in the podcast:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this riveting episode, we welcome back the remarkable Connor O'Rourke, Co-Founder and Director of Nuago. Recently crowned as the South Australian Entrepreneur of the Year 2023, Connor takes us behind the scenes of his entrepreneurial saga and his journey of transforming Nuago into a trailblazing IT solutions powerhouse.
Delve into the mind of a business titan as he discusses the vital role of embracing discomfort and ambiguity on the entrepreneurial path. Gain rare insights into overcoming Imposter Syndrome and understand the incredible importance of validation on this tumultuous journey.
Get ready to be inspired, to challenge your perspectives, and to elevate your entrepreneurial game. You don't want to miss out on these nuggets of wisdom!
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
This episode is more than just a podcast; it’s a masterclass in entrepreneurship. Tune in now!
Where to find Connor O'Rourke
Books mentioned in the podcast:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this special episode, we have the privilege of hosting an extraordinary guest, Khadija Gbla. Her resilience and determination have shattered the boundaries of adversity, and her story will leave you inspired, enlightened, and motivated to create positive change.
⭐ Highlights:
⚡ Key Takeaways:
Join us on the Creating Synergy Podcast as we delve into Khadija Gbla's incredible story of resilience, activism, and hope.
Where to find Khadija Gbla
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Ever wondered about the journey of a true leader? What drives them, inspires them, or how they manage during a crisis? Today's your chance to find out!
Join us for an exclusive episode featuring the 46th Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall! We're going behind the scenes, uncovering stories from his early life, his shift into politics, and the thrill of becoming Premier.
Here's what you can look forward to:
👉 Steven's inspiring transition from business to politics.
👉 The behind-the-scenes of managing a team, a pandemic, and the media's attention.
👉 How he's fostering South Australia's thriving startup ecosystem.
👉 Balancing work and family life: a leader's perspective.
👉 Living in South Australia: the inside scoop.
This episode is brimming with leadership insights, resilience, and the power of creating synergy.
So why wait? Tune in NOW! Share it with friends who love to learn, grow, and be inspired. 🚀
Where to find Steven Marshall
BOOKS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Welcome to the latest episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast where we redefine entrepreneurship, finance, and life itself! This time, we're joined by Tammy Barton, the visionary Founder and Director of My Budget.
🎧 Tune in as Tammy offers a first-hand account of her journey, transitioning from a young entrepreneur to a business titan, breaking barriers along the way. We delve into the heart of financial challenges in today's society, with Tammy offering golden nuggets of advice for anyone wrestling with financial hurdles.
Prepare for a deep dive into:
🔥 This episode also ignites a passionate conversation about supporting and empowering the next generation of female entrepreneurs, a cause close to Tammy's heart.
💡 This isn't just an episode; it's a stepping stone towards transforming your mindset and approach towards entrepreneurship, finance, and life.
Get ready to be enlightened, challenged, and inspired.
Remember to subscribe, share, and leave us a review. We appreciate your support!
Where to find Tammy Barton
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Get ready for an inspiring and insightful conversation with Tobi Pearce, Co-Founder of SWEAT, on our latest podcast episode.
In this episode, Tobi shares his personal and professional journey from his early musical career to becoming a successful entrepreneur and building a $400m empire.
Join us as we dive deep into topics such as work-life balance, managing emotions, leading with compassion, and using metrics to your advantage.
Key takeaways from this episode:
Tobi also shares practical tips on how to improve your decision-making skills and become a better leader.
Whether you're an aspiring entrepreneur or an established business leader, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in now and discover how Tobi built his empire through resilience, hard work, and leadership.
Where to find Tobi Pearce
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
🎙️ Discover the Secrets to Entrepreneurial Success with Netflix Co-founder, Marc Randolph!
Are you ready to unlock the 🔑 to entrepreneurial success? Don't miss this exclusive episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast, where we sit down with the legendary Marc Randolph, co-founder of Netflix, to dive deep into the fascinating world of entrepreneurship, innovation, and personal growth!
In this power-packed episode, you'll learn:
🚀 The importance of hands-on experience in shaping successful entrepreneurs
🌟 How to master decision-making in uncertain situations
🔧 The unmatched value of trying, failing, and learning from feedback
⏰ Why there's no better time to start your entrepreneurial journey than now
🏋️♂️ The crucial balance between courage, grit, and perseverance
🧩 The secret to finding fulfillment in your entrepreneurial pursuits
And that's just the beginning! Gain insights into:
💡 How the idea for Netflix was born out of countless pitches and brainstorming sessions
🎯 The art of striking the perfect balance between your professional and personal life
📈 The power of adaptability and strong company culture in driving business success
🌠 Marc Randolph's book, offering an authentic portrayal of the entrepreneurial journey
Get ready to be inspired and empowered by Marc Randolph's incredible story, wisdom, and practical advice. Don't miss this game-changing episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast! 🎉
👉 Listen NOW and embark on your path to entrepreneurial success!
Where to find Marc Randolph
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
🎉🎙️ Celebrate with us as we unveil our special 100th episode of #CreatingSynergyPodcast!
Creating Synergy has connected us all since March 2020, delivering inspiring stories, valuable insights, and innovative ideas in leadership, entrepreneurship, culture, and more. 🚀
From a humble start to a beautiful studio in Adelaide, we're grateful for the tens of thousands of listeners, supporters, and incredible guests who made this journey possible. 🙌
Let's dive into captivating discussions on topics such as:
🤖 The future of work with robots and AI
🏡 Remote work & productivity
🌟 The importance of integrity in business
🚀 Creating a strong culture in startups
🌏 Attracting talent to grow your state
Join us for this unforgettable episode as we welcome back four superstars who've made a lasting impact on our community: Claire Parkison, Eloise Hall, Andrew Nunn, and Mick O'Rourke. 💡
Let's celebrate our milestone together and look forward to the next 100 episodes of transformation!
Listen now to this insightful and EPIC panel discussion and share your favorite moments from the Creating Synergy Podcast journey!
TIMESTAMP:
Growing up in Adelaide (8:56)
Overcoming life's challenges (11:35)
Impact of technology on jobs (18:00)
Work-from-home productivity (25:54)
Preserving culture in cities (30:05)
Navigating office politics (44:14)
Digital governance (56:15)
Attracting talent to the state (1:03:26)
Integrity in business (1:15:56)
Playing to your values (1:23:00)
Focusing on the consumer (1:33:12)
Excitement for the next five years (1:39:56)
CONNECT WITH OUR GUESTS:
Andrew Nunn
Mick O'Rourke
Eloise Hall
Claire Parkinson
Books mentioned in this episode:
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
Leading Edge by Holly Ransom
Four Thousand Weeks The smash-hit Sunday Times bestseller that will change your life By: Oliver Burkeman
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Discover the Power of Resilience, Passion, and Innovation in our Latest Episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast!
Join us for an exciting and insightful conversation with Kelly Jamieson, the inspiring CEO of Edible Blooms. In this episode, we explore Kelly's unique entrepreneurial journey, from her early career in London's magazine industry to building her thriving business in the world of Edible Blooms.
n this must-listen episode, 🎧 Get ready to learn about:
🔸 The inspiration behind Edible Blooms
🔸 Her unique career path, her experiences in scaling a business, and the importance of hustle and persistence.
🔸 The challenges and benefits of being a female founder today and the pressing issues faced by female founders, such as the funding gap for women-led businesses in Australia
🔸 Their decision not to enter the US market (for now)
🔸 The importance of staying engaged during the process of change.
🔸 Striking the balance between the desire to be liked and the desire to succeed
🔸 Encouraging and supporting women in business, from idea to commercial success
Don't miss this inspiring conversation with Kelly and hear how she broke the mold and turned her passion into a thriving business. 💥
Tune in now!
TIMESTAMPS:
11:14 Working in magazines in London and the UK.
16:36 Where did the idea come from for the podcast?
21:30 Diversity is highly sought after these days.
27:03 What holds people back from starting a business?
29:31 How did you get to the point where you had to hire someone?
34:18 How she got her first paying customer.
36:48 The importance of hustle hustle hustle.
41:47 Why do you decide to go into state when you can’t even get a loan?
46:45 You don’t have to be the entrepreneur.
54:11 Change is an iterative process, as long as you keep the people engaged.
56:10 What advice do you give to young entrepreneurs now?
1:00:41 Why Edible Grooming doesn’t want to go into the US market.
1:05:12 The desire to be liked vs. the desire to be liked.
1:11:02 What are the challenges that come with being a female founder?
1:15:38 Women are not getting enough funding in businesses in Australia.
1:19:38 How do we get women from idea into actual commercial?
1:24:14 Is there a benefit for the mother to stay home for the first time?
1:28:46 What’s the future looking like for edible blooms?
Where to find Kelly Jamieson
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Looking for insights into the logistics and ports industry? Look no further than the latest episode of #CreatingSynergyPodcast, featuring CEO of Flinders Ports Holdings, Stewart Lammin.
With over 35 years of experience in the industry, Stewart shares his vast knowledge and experience on the importance of the logistics and ports industry, and how Flinders Port Holdings became one of the top 10 companies in South Australia, employing over 700 people and supporting over 6000 jobs locally, with an annual turnover of over $200 million.
In this episode, you'll learn about what makes a great CEO, the key behaviors Stewart looks for in his leadership team, the art of holding people accountable, and the importance of listening and seeking first to understand.
Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, a seasoned CEO, or simply interested in the logistics industry, this episode is not to be missed!
Sit back, relax, and join us for an engaging and informative conversation with the inspiring Stewart Lammin!
Tune in now!
TIMESTAMPS:00:04:25 Make the most of life.
00:07:45 Take opportunities when they arise.
00:12:23 Focus on relationships, not numbers.
00:14:09 Leaders must listen and be brave.
00:19:00 Pack carefully to avoid damage.
00:26:19 Automate or become obsolete.
00:27:17 Take risks to innovate.
00:34:44 Manage health risks on ships.
00:37:00 Trust your team and look for opportunities.
00:40:38 Leadership is about setting example.
00:45:07 Trust the gut feeling.
00:53:50 Make your own luck.
00:59:51 Prioritize family over work.
01:05:07 Practice gratitude daily.
01:09:09 Culture is ever-evolving.
01:14:09 Hold people accountable.
01:18:30 Trust in others takes time.
01:20:41 Prepare for success.
01:25:16 Be a courageous leader.
Where to find Stewart Lammin
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Discover the world of creativity and innovation with visionary leader Heather Croall, CEO of the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
In this episode, Heather shares her incredible journey in the creative sector, innovative leadership methodologies, and exciting happenings behind the scenes of the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere.
With over 800,000 ticket sales per year, the Adelaide Fringe Festival is one of the biggest arts festivals in the world.
Heather's adaptive and agile leadership methodologies have led to innovative digital platforms and systems, growth in ticket sales, and expansion of audience demographics.
Tune in to gain insight into the future of the Adelaide Fringe Festival and Heather's leadership methodologies that have contributed to her recognition as CEO of the Year by CEO Magazine.
If you're interested in leadership methodologies, innovations, and business growth, this episode is a must-listen. Don't miss it!
Here are just a few highlights from the conversation:
🎯 Hear about the positive influence of Heather's parents on her life and how their support inspired her career path.
🎯 Get an inside look at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and all the exciting happenings behind the scenes. You'll hear about how Heather's leadership has helped increase ticket sales, expand audience demographics and garner high critical acclaim.
🎯 Learn about Heather's innovative leadership methodologies and how they can help drive change and growth in any sector.
Tune in now!
Where to find Heather Croall
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this latest episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Myron Mann, CEO of the Bedford Group and expert in turning businesses around.
With a wealth of experience leading Fortune 500 companies, Myron has a unique perspective on the key elements of success.
He is passionate about the social impact that businesses can make and believes that high-quality leadership is the key to changing society and improving the world we live in.
Here are just a few of the highlights you can expect in this episode:
📌Discover the story behind Myron's journey, from attending Woodstock at 18 to leading Fortune 500 businesses through turnarounds and restructures.
📌 Learn about Myron's passion for the social impact that businesses can make and how high-quality leadership is key to changing society and improving the world we live in.
📌 Gain valuable insights and strategies for managing a thriving organization and taking your business to the next level.
📌 Hear about all the amazing work that the Bedford Group is doing as the second largest employer of people with disabilities in Australia.
📌 Get inspired by Myron's experiences and challenges, and take away valuable lessons for anyone looking to make a real impact in their business.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to improve their leadership skills, make a real impact in their business and be inspired by the incredible journey of Myron Mann. So don't wait, tune in now and start learning from one of the best in the business.
Watch it live in our Youtube Channel here: 📺
Where to find Myron Mann
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
TIMESTAMPS:20:26 - 20:37 Learning to accept that you can never be ready with anything.
22:51 - 23:07 Managing Expectations
23:57 - 24:09 Getting benefit from Experience
31:44 - 32:04 You start to process leadership by listening.
33:11 - 33:17 it's highly unlikely that doing what you're doing better is going to actually change anything.
33:46 - 34:03 Making a paradigm shift
35:07 - 35:13 Managing toxic culture
36:19 - 36:38 Determining your Why
49:45 - 49:57 Recognising what's happening in the market and the need to adapt.
01:03:22 - 01:03:28 What employees in disability employment said about working where they are working.
01:17:57 - 01:18:05 about Social Impact
01:25:40 - 01:25:40 the single biggest thing government can do for people with disability
01:29:07 - 01:29:15 Lessons about leadership
01:32:42 - 01:33:00 Difference between management and leadership
01:33:32 - 01:33:49 Can you learn leadership from a half day course?
01:35:55 - 01:36:17 Importance of communication
01:36:43 - 01:36:45 How learning to trust yourself helps in your leadership journey
Learn the secrets from international bestselling author Bob Burg on the latest episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast and discover how giving, not just getting, is the key to reaching stratospheric success. 🚀
😱 With over 1 million copies sold, his book "The Go-Giver" has been rated #10 on Inc Magazine's Most Motivational Books of all time and Hubspot's Top 20 Most Highly Rated Books of all time.
Bob shares with us his journey to:
📌 Becoming an author and the global success of "The Go-Giver"
📌 Discover the key to success through giving, not just getting
📌 Learn about the 5 Laws of Stratospheric Success outlined in his book and how these laws work together and how serving others is the secret to achieving stratospheric success.
📌 Explore the importance of providing value without costing too much money
📌 Understand the difference between a win-win and a losing proposition
🎧 Sit tight and tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on how to achieve success through serving others. You definitely won’t regret this!
Where to find Bob Burg
Books mentioned in this episode:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Join us for a special episode of the #CreatingSynergyPodcast as we sit down with Claire Parkinson, a member of the Senior Executive team at Oz Minerals.
Claire's journey is truly inspiring. From becoming a mother at 16 and being kicked out of her home to finding her calling as a holiday rep in Turkey and later flourishing in leadership roles in the prison system.
She shares her story of resilience, perseverance and growth, including how she became a qualified hostage negotiator and her role in major reform in South Australia. Don't miss this riveting conversation on leadership, communication, and conflict resolution.
Tune in now, and we promise you won't be disappointed by the ride!
Where to find Claire Parkinson
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Our latest episode features special guest Louka Parry, CEO + Founder of The Learning Future, as we delve into the importance of humanizing the educational system.
From speaking multiple languages to spending time with indigenous communities, Louka shares insights on:
🔸 the value of great communication
🔸 how we can learn so much from indigenous cultures, and
🔸 the significance of being a global citizen.
✨Plus, we delve into the importance of learning a new language from an empathetic perspective and how to shift the current schooling system towards personalization rather than standardisation.
Don't miss this thought-provoking conversation on how to create a more inclusive and effective education system.
Tune in now on any of your favourite podcast platforms!
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Louka Parry
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Today's episode is going to be a smash hit. We have an incredible guest with us today—Flavia Tata Nardini, the CEO and founder of Fleet Space Technologies.
Flavia's a self-proclaimed "space geek" and engineer. She has an inspiring journey from her childhood in Italy to her current role leading a cutting-edge space technology company in South Australia.
We're talking about everything from:
🎯 Depression to leadership
🎯 What it takes to run a successful company in the tech industry.
🎯 The highs and lows of being a leader in this field, so she's got some advice for us that you won't want to miss.
🎯 her thoughts on leadership and the relationship between sports and entrepreneurship
🎯 the exciting projects that Fleet Space is working on, including their revolutionary technology that has the potential to change the mining industry.
🌟Plus: we've got an extra bonus segment with Flavia's children sharing their thoughts on their mum!
Make sure to stick around until the end to hear her inspiring story and how she's creating synergy in her business and personal life.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Flavia Tata Nardini
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Creating Synergy is back with a brand new episode with Grant Stevens, Commissioner of the South Australian Police on leading SA through a once-in-a-century pandemic!
This episode is jam-packed with real-world leadership insights from the man himself.
Grant leads one of the largest police services in Australia with over 5,000 staff and He has been a calm, steady presence over the past few years as State Coordinator for COVID-19, which has been one of the most significant challenges our state has faced in recent history.
In this episode, you'll learn:
🎯To remember that work becoming a priority over family life can happen but it isn’t and shouldn’t be the status quo
🎯A lot of people talk about ‘work life balance’, but Grant doesn’t subscribe to that concept and shares his own approach
🎯How to create a strong and positive culture and why it’s critical for leadership roles and ought to be considered fundamental for all organisations.
Plus, a lot more!
This podcast gives you a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the most prominent people in SA led our state through a once-in-a-century pandemic and you'll quickly learn how down-to-earth, committed and easy-going Grant Stevens is!
We look forward to you hearing this one!
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Grant Stevens
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In this episode, Kylie Morton, Head of Change at Synergy IQ explains why she doesn't believe that people are generally averse or 'resistant' to change—and why that's a problem.
Why is it that we’re all apparently ‘fatigued by change’, but we rarely do anything to change the way we navigate change?
Kylie wants us to rethink the way we approach change.
She wants less:
And what does she want?
Well, you'll have to listen to this episode to find out, but I can tell you it starts with us challenging this assumption that we're change resistant or fatigued by change... (because really, we're just having a reaction to change that has been poorly managed).
And she has a whole new approach to managing change which she outlines in this episode.
This is a must-listen for all leaders.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Kylie Morton
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
New episode in #CreatingSynergyPodcast with Anton Andreacchio who owns five companies and is on six prominent Adelaide boards. But here’s what you probably don’t know about him:
There's a reason Anton has been so successful and is on so many boards, including the South Australian Entrepreneurship Advisory Board; he’s refreshingly wise and is all about creating value.
Get Anton into your ears now!
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Anton Andreacchio
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Today on the show, we have Simon Hackett, an Australian technology entrepreneur, who co-founded Internode in 1991 , and after growing it to 450 staff, with 190,000 customers and an annual turnover of $180million, he sold it to iiNet for $105million in December 2011.
Simon Hackett is a man of many (unbelievable) firsts.
He was part of the team that first figured out how to bring the internet to Australia. He was the first person to connect a domestic appliance to the internet.
He also took delivery of Australia's first electric vehicle (he wasn't allowed to drive it on Australian roads mind you!) after a chance meeting with an ambitious young man by the name of Elon Musk. He founded Internode, one of Australia's most successful internet providers.
In this week's episode, we talk about all this… plus:
🎯his businesses near death experience
🎯the thing that took his business from 15 to 500 people
🎯why we should think about work life 'separation', rather than balance
🎯the thing that will lead to business failure more than anything else
🎯why he sold Internode
🎯his biggest fear and challenge right now
🎯 what his life looks like now
Get the insights of one of Australia's most successful entrepreneurs into your ears.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Simon Hackett
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
David Fogarty’s portfolio company, the Davie Group, has done over $400 million in revenue in four years. How did he do it?
Entrepreneurs are the new rock stars, and this episode of the #creatingsynergypodcast has something special for you: a story of an entrepreneur who built a multi-million dollar eCommerce business at the age of 27!
This episode is like a mini-MBA in growth hacking a group of companies from nothing to over $400 million, from one of the best in the business.
We discussed:
🎯The resources he uses to grow his mindset and business
🎯His formula for business growth and happiness
🎯If he had to do it all over again, how he'd grow a multi-million dollar business faster
🎯Why building a community is the secret to high-growth ecommerce
🎯Why growth and imposter syndrome go hand-in-hand.
🎯 And much more!
If you're looking to learn more about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, scale, and mindset, this episode is for you so don't miss it!
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Davie Fogarty
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Today's special guest in #CreatingSynergyPodcast was recently named by Cyberscoop, Australia’s only Top 50 Global cyber security thought leader.
As DTEX Systems Co-founder and CTO together with his 20+ years of cyber experience, he has a specific passion for the intersection between security and privacy and for helping organizations to define a balanced approach.
Today's episode is pretty hard-hitting on how we have been using google, social media and anything digitally. The cyber threat is real as we have just seen in the news recently with the Optus Breach.
In it, we discussed:
🎯 What business leaders should be thinking about right now
🎯 What we should be teaching our families and friends when it comes to protecting our data and privacy
🎯 Why culture matters when it comes to mitigating cyber threats
🎯 The potential for cyber warfare and the risks that Australian businesses and governments are watching closely.
If you're anything like most people, you don't want to think about the potential for cyber attacks or the perils of sharing information online, but inaction can be one of the most dangerous things when it comes to cyber security.
So, have a listen and find out what you can do to protect yourself and your business.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Mohan:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
On today’s show, we have Adrian Tembel, CEO of Thomson Geer and chair of the South Australian Productivity Commission.
He's back for round two, and again, he makes no bones about the SA economy and what we need to do to turn things around.
Adrian is challenging the economic policy consensus in South Australia and we wanted to give him the opportunity to set out his thinking, why he thinks we have an economic problem, why he thinks our policies aren't working, and what he thinks is the best way forward.
In this new episode, Adrian pulls no punches talking about:
🎯 The three main weaknesses facing the SA economy
🎯 Why SA has continuously lagged behind other states and why it's time to reject old excuses
🎯 Our debt levels and calls for a bipartisan approach to sustainable debt levels
🎯 Interventionist industry policy and why the macro data shows it's not working
🎯 Why he believes government shouldn't build precincts like Lot 14, Tonsley
🎯 His ideas for the future - it's not all doom and gloom!
Adrian is optimistic that with a few key changes, we can turn it around and he shares his ideas in today’s episode.
If you do business in SA or care about the future of SA, this refreshing episode is a must-listen.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Adrian Tembel:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
A great thinker, strategist and business leader, Paul talks to us about his journey and learning experiences as CEO and how he led SYC to become one of the largest and most innovative purpose Organizations in Australia.
As a not-for-profit veteran, with over 18 years of experience as a CEO of some of our most game-changing organisations including Vinomofo, Paul Edgington knows one thing:
There’s no such thing as a Proper CEO.
So don’t bother trying.
Starting off as a sixteen-year-old who walked into his local pizza joint and thought, hey, I could run this place, Paul has learned some serious lessons in leadership.
In this episode, we explore:
🎯 Why hope alone isn’t a strategy for the not-for-profit sector
🎯 And why certainty is a false idol for leaders
🎯 Curing the plague of the Proper CEO and being the one you want to be
Paul’s journey from start-ups to c-suite, from large not-for-profits to industry disruptors like Vinomofo, has shown him the importance of calibrating, recalibrating and then calibrating again.
In a world of constant change, Paul will explain how language matters, disruption is vital and how his sixteen-year-old self had it all wrong.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Paul Edginton:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
In today’s episode, Following a jam-packed, sold-out Lunch and Learn session in Adelaide, Synergy IQ Executive Director Michelle Holland is back on the podcast to lay down some cold hard facts about some current trends in change and the uncomfortable truth of the Great Resignation, or how she describes it as the Great Reality Check.
We explore:
Michelle also shares some of her top tips on what you can do to stay ahead of the curve, build an engaged culture and create an experience your employees will love.
If you want to stem the tide of turnover in your organisation or keep your best talent from looking elsewhere, this episode is a must-listen.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Michelle Holland:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Hello there Synergisers, and welcome back to another episode of the Creating Synergy Podcast with Daniel Franco.
Today on the show we had the amazing Eloise Hall, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Social Enterprise Business Taboo Period Products.
When Eloise Hall was just 17 years old, she was sitting at a leadership conference with her bestie and a light bulb moment hit.
Could they start a social enterprise that would make period poverty history?
And so, with the support of their families and school, they founded TABOO - a ground-breaking menstrual health social enterprise.
Now, you'll find TABOO pads and tampons in major retailers like OTR and National Pharmacies and their online "Pad it forward" program is also making huge inroads, helping to provide free pads and tampons to those experiencing period poverty.
Eloise also speaks about:
🔸The big lessons she learned in the first few years of running TABOO
🔸Period poverty and how businesses can play a role in solving this global problem
🔸How we can bridge the inequality gap
🔸The ins and out of social enterprise
🔸And much more!
Whether you need a dose of inspiration or you want a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to get a social enterprise up and running, this conversation is for you!
If you like this episode, you'll love the rest of our episodes with high-profile leaders, thinkers, entrepreneurs and athletes. Find us on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen to podcasts. Remember to share, like and subscribe, this really will help us out.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Andrew Nunn:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq).
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Andrew Nunn is Co-Founder, Chairman and Executive Director of JBS&G Australia—one of Australia’s largest privately-owned environmental consulting companies. Andrew also acts as Director for several companies focused on property development, private equity investments, and entertainment opportunities. In partnership with his wife Alexandra Dimos, he founded the Nunn Dimos Foundation, a philanthropic fund focused on supporting key social and arts causes in South Australia.
Andrew was Appointed in early 2021, as the South Australian Chief Entrepreneur, with the role to provide high-level, independent advice to the South Australian Cabinet and the business community, to enable entrepreneurialism across all forms of business, industry, and the public sector.
We discussed so many of the intricacies of being a business owner, entrepreneur, and leader, then coupled it with his insights and experiences along the way, and how he grew and scaled his business JBS&G.
Like everyone else, he went through all the teething problems of growing a business but maintained his position to continually treat people with respect and dignity, which he believes enabled good things to happen.
Andrew also provided some insight around:
And plenty more!
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Andrew Nunn:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq), and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing, and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Shaun's career in the AFL speaks for itself, playing 407 games of professional football, the 5th most ever in the history of the AFL and the 1st indigenous player to have ever played over 400 games. He is a x4 premierships player, winning 3 with Hawthorn Football Club and 1 with Port Adelaide Football Club.
Since retiring at the end of 2021, he has transitioned into media where he now finds himself on Channel 7 and triple M commentating the AFL matches, as well as working in multiple positions at Port Adelaide such as Indigenous Liaison officer, Football Service officer, and Community Ambassador.
On today’s show, whilst we speak a lot about football in this podcast, this chat is more about the inner mindset of a football player and the inner workings of an elite football club. Shaun was recruited in 2009 to the Hawthorn Football Club, and the club under the leadership of Alistair Clarkson, built a dynasty, winning 4 premierships over 8 years. We talked about the high-performing culture the club created, the meaning of living and breathing the values within a football club context, and the absolute obsession with giving and receiving feedback.
We also deep-dived into Shaun's own mindset, and how he grew from a pretty easy-going teenager who had just been drafted to becoming elite with his habits and behaviors, his application, his mental state, and how he managed through the ups and downs of injury, how he kept himself in the best possible position they play week in and week out, and finally how he managed to be a husband and father of 4 whilst playing at the highest level for 20+ years.
Shaun also shared with us :
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Shaun Burgoyne:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq), and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing, and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Niki is the Co-founder of Blackbird, a venture fund that exists to supercharge the most ambitious founders. Blackbird Ventures is one of the leading Venture Capital funds in Australia and NZ, counting companies such as Canva, Culture Amp, and Safety Culture as part of its portfolio.
Niki Co-founded Blackbird in 2012 with an initial $29M. That initial fund proved to be hugely successful, with the fund selling 40% of fund 1 for $100M. The sale provided a guaranteed 3x return to all 96 investors who contributed to fund 1 while retaining an interest in the 12 portfolio companies with a carrying value of $6.50 per $1 invested.
On today’s show, Niki shared his journey from starting a business with his University friend, Mike Cannon Brookes, whom you may know as the founder of Atlassian, all the way to co-founding Blackbird Ventures and how he became known as the 'Godfather' of Venture Capital here in Australia.
He also shared the Blackbird’s investing philosophy, "Taking a chance on the hungry, not the proven" which means he is more interested in those who are passionate to succeed than those who possibly have already proven themselves, and also discussed why "investing is more phycological than it is data and analytics".
Niki also shared with us :
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Aaron Hickmann:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq), and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing, and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
A serial entrepreneur, Aaron started his first business as a 15-year-old while still in high school. He has since established, sold, and grown ventures within the technology sector. Passionate about collaboration, innovation, and returning manufacturing to Australia, he is demonstrating that it can be achieved through the adoption of advanced technology to achieve cost comparative products while exceeding quality standards.
With over ten years of experience in the lighting industry, Aaron has forged relationships with ‘best of breed’ entrepreneurs and innovators across the globe, from Silicon Valley to Germany and Japan. His renewed focus is working on R&D projects which reimagine lighting technology of the future.
In 2021 InDaily 40under40 for South Australia, Aaron was awarded the state’s top young entrepreneur award, for his development of LED lighting systems. VALO’S technology has pushed into fields spanning SPORTS, transport, and defense and over the past decade, you may have seen their LED lights lighting up spaces across South Australia such as the Titanium Security Arena and the light, and Art & Technology winter festival here in South Australia, Illuminate Adelaide.
Moreover, you may have seen the VALO name on signage around numerous places as they are sponsoring so many amazing sports and sporting teams such as:
On today’s show, we deep-dived into Aaron’s journey of founding VALO, expanding in SA, and bringing manufacturing back onshore. Aaron shares how having production move back onshore helps to increase employment in South Australia and provides economic benefits for the state in an emerging advanced manufacturing industry.
Aaron also shared the ambitions and purpose of VALO focused on constantly researching and developing smart lighting products which will improve sustainability, reduce carbon footprints and provide significant benefits to wide-ranging communities.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Aaron Hickmann:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq), and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing, and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Jim has 30 years of experience in both the private and public sectors. Before joining Nova Systems, he was South Australia’s top public servant in the role of Chief Executive for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
Prior to that, he was the CEO of BAE Systems Australia for 10 plus years, where he oversaw the purchase of Tenix Defence. Under his leadership, the company expanded to become Australia's largest defense prime, with more than 6,500 employees and annual sales of approximately AUD $1.7 billion. He then moved to BAE in Saudi Arabia where he took up the role of in-country CEO for the $6 billion business.
Jim has also served as the Chancellor of the University of South Australia and he also worked in legal, commercial, and marketing roles with the aerospace company Bombardier Shorts for 18 years after graduating from the University of Warwick (England).
On top of all this, he has also been in Non-executive director roles, for Codan, RAA, Austral, and Micro X.
On today’s show, listen to:
Timestamp:
12:27 – Leadership point of view
15:29 – Art and Literature
24:23 – Insight on US Defense
28:33 – On being CEO
32:32 – On Making Change and Building Relationships
35:14 – Being a Leader
36:45 – On Knowing the Right Strategy
41:49 – Nova Systems and Nova Strategies
47:13 – People Aspect of Growth
51:43 – Integrating Business
1:02:16 – On Defense and Protecting Ourselves
1:06:37 – Leadership Growth, own experience
1:09:10 – Leadership Management
1:14:39 – Feedback and Accountability
1:19:57 – Advise on Being First Time CEO
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Jim McDowell:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram (@synergyiq), and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing, and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Gatik Chaujer is the co-founder of the global, award-winning Leadership Development firm, TransforMe. He is a passionate facilitator, coach & keynote speaker, with 20 years of training and coaching experience, his journey is a story worth listening to!
Driven by his mission to transform a million lives, Gatik’s uniqueness lies in his innate ability to connect, spontaneously share, be mindfully present and bring humour to learning! Gatik is not just a brilliant storyteller but also a highly sought after storytelling coach – for speakers, leaders and marketers of the world’s leading organizations including Google, Adobe, EY, McKinsey and many more.
His expertise lies in the areas of Leadership Development, Coaching & Mentoring, Leadership Team Synergy, Storytelling & Influencing Without Authority.
A completely family-oriented man, he enjoys spending time with his beautiful daughters, Keisha & Kyra and his wife Sandra.
On today’s show, we deep-dived into his journey to becoming a world-class facilitator and coach. He shared with us his experiences of starting a very successful business in India, picking up the family and moving to Australia in the quest to grow the business globally. Being a masterful storyteller, Gatik shared how to tell a good story, about the aspects that make a good story and keep people glued, and shared some tips and tricks on how to become a better storyteller and communicate with influence.
Listen as we discuss:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Gatik Chaujer:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Georgie is the CEO of Beyond Blue and is known for her decisive and personable leadership style and her track record of delivering complex reforms. She has significant experience in policy development, service delivery and change management across the community, public and private sectors.
Appointed CEO of Beyond Blue in May 2014, Georgie has diversified the organisation’s activities and led significant growth in service innovation, suicide prevention and digital offerings in response to community needs.
Previously, she was Deputy CEO of the National Mental Health Commission and for six years prior to that, served as a senior executive at the Commonwealth Department of Health where she had national responsibility for mental health, suicide prevention, substance misuse, cancer and chronic disease. At the same time, she led the strategy and development of legislation to introduce plain packaging of tobacco products in Australia – a world first.
Georgie has also led national reforms to lift Australia’s organ and tissue donation rates and worked in the HIV/AIDS sector in Australia and the UK.
Georgie is driven by a determination to do better for people and their families using a community heart and a business head.
On today’s show, we dived into her journey to becoming the CEO of Beyond Blue and she describes how it is the most purposeful job she has ever had, and still continuing her own growth journey after 8 years in the role. We talked about the challenging work that the team at Beyond Blue faces every day, and how building a culture of trust and clear communication is key to their success.
Listen as we discuss:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Georgie Harman:
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Say hello to our host Daniel Franco on LinkedIn.
Aga Bajer is an expert in corporate culture and is currently the Founder and CEO of CultureBrained® Which is a one-of-its-kind, virtual community of leaders looking for new ways of cultivating remarkable cultures at scale in this brave new world of work.
On top of this, Aga runs her own consultancy firm, is an author, a keynote speaker, and a fellow podcast cast host, where she runs the world-renowned podcast The Culture Lab where every interview is of the highest level, and where she has interviewed World Leading thought leaders such as Simon Sinek, Frances Frei and Seth Godin.
Aga is one of the foremost experts in Corporate Culture and over the past 20 years, she has been helping companies pay attention to their culture in a way that produces desirable results. From VC-courting startups to Fortune 500, she has worked on cultivating remarkable cultures that scale and that help people do the best work of their careers first, as part of consultancies such as HayGroup, Korn Ferry, and PwC – and later as the founder of her own consulting firm, Aga Bajer & Associates.
On today’s show, Aga shares her journey from founding and leading an Ice Cream company, to consulting, and now becoming the CEO of CultureBriains and Host of the very well known podcast The Culture Lab.
We deep-dived into a range of topics such as:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Aga Bajer:
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Dan made over 150 appearances for Richmond Footy Cub throughout his career, otherwise known as the Tigers, #yellowandblack picking up various accolades along the way. In 2013, he won the Jack Dyer Medal, making him the oldest player to win the Tigers' Best and Fairest for the first time since Great Matthew Richardson in 2007. He also won the club's Jack Titus medal for runner-up Best and Fairest in 2009.
Dan has continued to go strength to strength since his playing career – gaining an MSc in Performance Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, working as the Director of his own company, Integrative Performance, and excelling in his role as Leadership Development Manager at the Adelaide Crows Football Club.
In this episode, Dan Jackson shares his Journey through his AFL Career, travelling the world and stumbling into a corporate world he finds himself in. He also shares his thoughts on Culture and Leadership in sport and how it applies to the corporate world, and much more:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Dan Jackson:
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Grant Kelley joined Vicinity Centres in January 2018 and has over 30 years’ of global experience in real estate investment, corporate strategy, funds management and private equity.
Grant was formerly CEO at City Developments Limited, a Singapore-based global real estate company with operations in over 20 countries. Prior to this, Grant was the Co-Head of Asia Pacific for Apollo Global Management, leading their real estate investment activities in the region. In 2008, Grant founded Holdfast Capital Limited, an Asian-based real estate investment firm, which was acquired by Apollo in 2010.
From 2004 to 2008, Grant was the CEO of Colony Capital Asia where he guided acquisition and asset management activities in Asia. From 2002 to 2004, he was based in New York, where he was a Principal at Colony with responsibility for US and European investment opportunities.
Grant holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Adelaide, a Masters in Economic Sciences from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Grant is Chairman of the Adelaide 36ers, Chairman of Holdfast Assets, a Director of the Shopping Centre Council of Australia, Deputy Chair of the Board of Governors of Pulteney Grammar School, a Council Member of the Asia Society Policy Institute, and a Member of the Premier’s Economic Advisory Council (South Australia).
In this episode, Grant and Daniel talked about:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Grant Kelley
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Bek is a fitness industry professional, a former physiotherapist, a professional public speaker, psychology educator, wellbeing advisor and coach.
Bek Smith enables transformation by teaching a layered psychological skillset we need to perform at our best. She is a former researcher, physiotherapist and sponsored athlete, who now uses applied neuroscience and psychology to build high-functioning individuals, teams and organisations. Bek loves working with out-of-the-box thinkers and guiding them to build the confidence they need to challenge the status quo and make a real difference in the world.
Bek's purpose is to expand awareness and elevate consciousness so we can love ourselves, each other and the planet more. The vehicle she uses is mental fitness, where she teaches practical "bite-sized" psychological exercises which help to shift mindsets and behaviours.
Bek and Daniel Franco went deep in this conversation and just dived straight into it. They talked about Bek's feeling of not belonging to a community or group and feeling as though she was a fringe dweller. They also talked about the idea of being normal, what is considered normal, and who actually decides what is normal.
Bek shares her thoughts on the realism of burnout, the negative mental health effects of working from home, how we can fill up our own cups by designing circuit breakers in our lives and much more about Psychological Fitness.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Bek Smith
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Carmen Garcia is the CEO and Founder of national award-winning diversity and inclusion certified social enterprise, Community Corporate. Operating in the niche space of corporate social responsibility, they specialise in recruitment with a social conscience and corporate volunteering.
In 2021, Community Corporate won National Social Enterprise of the Year at the Australian Small Business Champions Awards. Fondly known by her peers as the Diversity and Inclusion Warrior, Carmen is a well-regarded social entrepreneur driven to make a profound economic and social impact through work. Based in Adelaide the social enterprise operates nationally.
In 2021 Carmen received the Women in Innovation Award for Social Impact and was listed as one of the Top 50 Small Business Leaders in Australia by Inside Business. In 2020, she received an Australia Day Commendation Award for Inspiring SA Women, was also jointly awarded the Governor’s Multicultural Award for Individual Outstanding Achievement and her business was listed as one of SA’s Fast Mover companies in 2020. She is also an inaugural winner of the 40 Under 40 Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs in SA
This episode was so inspiring, as we learnt about some of the amazing work Carmen and the team at Community Corporate are doing, making a profound social impact on the community.
Her passion to bridge the gap for Refugee and Migrant people helping to secure them work in corporate Australia is prevalent through this conversation. Statistics such as on 6% of refugees have worked after 6 months being in Australia, and still, only 25% after 2 years is a damming statistic that Carmen is feverishly trying to fix.
She shares some great insights for corporate leaders in how to improve their social impact and diversity and inclusion within their organisations and how we can recognise our unconscious bias and reprogram our brains.
We also discuss the challenges of being an entrepreneur and dive into her experiences along the way.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Carmen Garcia
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🎙The Synergy IQ female team took over the Creating Synergy Podcast from Daniel Franco to talk about the International Women's Day 2022 campaign theme: #BreakTheBias
Hosted by Michelle Holland, listen to each one of the women on the Synergy IQ team discuss what this theme represents and the stories they have to share that impacted them when trying to break the bias.
We are working together to #breakthebias
Guests: Sophie Bretag , Fiona McAllister, Kylie Morton, Roxy Wardle FCIPD, FCPHR, Paula Jacques, Gabriela Vasconcelos, Jane Russo, Jane Miller and Skye Browne.
Learn more about the campaign here: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
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Jindou Lee is the CEO and Co-Founder of HappyCo, a software company that builds mobile and cloud solutions to enable real-time property operations. Prior to his current role, Jindou also founded and exited two previous tech companies. Jindou spent most of his adult life growing up in Australia and graduated from the University of South Australia with a Bachelor of Visual Communications (Design). After that, he worked at Midway Games where he led the User Interface team to work on classic titles such as Mortal Kombat, Gauntlet and Dukes of Hazzard. Besides his love for technology, Jindou is also an avid real estate investor, ex-semi pro soccer player and speaks five languages.
In this episode, Jindou shows us that success comes from being vulnerable, not being afraid to just have a go, and putting yourself into uncomfortable situations.
Jindou and Daniel went down many rabbit holes, but some of the topics we explored were:
Books mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Jindou Lee
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Bruce Djite is currently the CEO of Committee for Adelaide, a membership-based and non-sector specific company, that brings together diverse organisations to drive economic, social, cultural and community growth in South Australia.
In an earlier life, Bruce is a former Socceroo who has played football for clubs in several countries including, Turkey, China, South Korea and Indonesia. Business has always been a passion for Bruce, and during his time playing, he spent over 4 years on the Executive and Governance committee of Professional Footballers Australia. He has also held other positions, at PKF Adelaide, Fox Sports Australia and most recently was Adelaide United Football Club’s Director of Football.
He is a current board member of the South Australian Multicultural Commission and the Australia Day Council of South Australia, as well as being a member of Welcoming Australia’s Sports Advisory Committee. You can also see his face commentating on the A-League on Network 10 and Paramount Plus.
In this episode, Bruce and Daniel touch on Bruce's new CEO role at Committee for Adelaide and the great work they are doing, Shaping the future of Greater Adelaide.
Book mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Bruce Djite
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Trevor Cooke is one of the State’s most highly regarded property and finance leaders and has an outstanding track record in funds management globally, and a wealth of experience in the property and health sector. In his role as CEO, Trevor provides Commercial & General with a competitive advantage as the company continues to expand its national footprint.
He is an experienced operator with a diverse skill set which enables C&G to deliver a truly unique and complete business solution across funding and investment models, design and development, program and project management, feasibility analysis, building, marketing and sales. Trevor’s portfolio of projects includes Calvary Adelaide Hospital, 88’O’Connel Street and the Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy & Research.
Further to this Trevor sits across multiple boards for Junction Australia, Asia Pacific Real Estate Association, Committee for Adelaide and is division councillor for property council of Australia.
In this episode:
Listen to Trevor as he spoke in detail about his journey which started where he was born in Canada, then all around the world to where we find him today as the CEO of Commercial & General. Daniel and Trevor also deep dived into:
Books and Podcast mentioned in this episode:
Where to find Trevor Cooke
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With over 20 years of experience and as a leader in creating business excellence through people, Michelle has helped thousands of leaders to build their confidence and skills in change. She is an experienced culture change expert, a certified Dare to Lead™ facilitator, and a strategic advisor to some of Australia's largest businesses and corporations. The author of 3 books, including the best seller “Culture Inc”. Michelle speaks at conferences, runs workshops, advises and consults, challenging the thinking of some of Australia's greatest leaders. Not only is she a regular on this podcast, but She can also regularly be seen and heard as a guest on podcasts, networks, and interviews. Checker her out at Michelle T Holland on LinkedIn.
In this episode, Michelle and Daniel had a great conversation on the challenges businesses are facing and how they can bring optimism and pragmatism to tackle the brand-new year ahead of us.
We also deep-dived into:
Where to find Michelle T. Holland
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Appointed as Commissioner for Public Sector Employment in 2014, Erma Ranieri is driven to create a world-leading public sector that delivers great results and outcomes for the South Australian community through an agile, flexible and inclusive workplace.
Erma’s extensive career has focused on helping organisations optimise productivity and employee wellbeing and has spanned roles in the private and public sectors.
Erma has been described to me as a great leader who creates more great leaders, and her amazing qualities haven't gone unnoticed. In 2021, she was awarded the Public Service Medal and added to the Honours list for her long-standing advocacy of gender equality, diversity and disability employment, as well as her commitment to public sector reform. Previous to this she has also won the Telstra Business woman of the year award, a feat not achieved by a person in government before.
In this episode, Erma and Daniel touch on Erma's journey being born in a small village in Greece/Macedonia all the way to today where she finds herself as the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment.
We also deep-dived into:
Where to find Erma Ranieri PSM
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Books and Podcast mentioned on this episode:
Nick Reade is Chief Executive of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Head of the Public Sector. His focus is on collaboration across government, the community and the private sector, growing the economy, innovation, and making it easier for people to do business with the government.
A proud and passionate South Australian, Nick has a breadth of experience in South Australia’s business community, having served as CEO of Bank SA and State General Manager for South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory for Westpac.
His career in financial services spans 30 years, during which Nick has held responsibility for small business banking nationally and built a strong track record in digital transformation, driving growth and innovation. Nick is an alumnus of the University of South Australia and INSEAD in Paris.
In this episode, Nick and I touch on his journey from where he began his career with CommSec all the way to CEO at Bank SA, to today where he finds himself as the Chief Executive of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Head of the Public Sector.
We also deep-dived into:
Where to find Nick Reade
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Gavin Wanganeen is a former AFL player who played for Essendon in the AFL and Port Adelaide in both the AFL and SANFL.
Wanganeen won the 1993 Brownlow Medal and has been inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
He was a 2x AFL premiership player (1993, 2004), was a SANFL premiership player (1990), was a John Cahill Medallist in 2003 and the Port Adelaide captain between 1997-2000.
In addition to this, he was a 5x All-Australian team representative (1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2003) and participated in the National Football Carnival championship of 1993.
Further to this, Wanganeen was awarded the following honours: Michael Tuck Medal (1993), Essendon Team of the Century (back pocket) and Champions of Essendon (number 19). Port Adelaide also have the Gavin Wanganeen medal for the best young player and has been honoured by having the eastern stand at Adelaide oval named after him.
Today, Gavin is an Indigenous Australian Activist, who is also working as an artist, painting stories that remind him of his heritage. In his business career he is a Director for the Port Adelaide Football Club, and founder & managing director of Murra Partners, a recruitment company that does all types of recruitment from blue-collar to white-collar, however, has the vision aims to close the gap in corporate Australia.
Gavin says 'It's an area that is neglected and so we're playing a leading hand at MURRA in creating culturally safe workplaces, educating leaders and creating role models to ensure brilliant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have clear pathways to peruse their dream careers and be mentored along that journey."
In this episode, we talked about all things football and business:
Where to find Gavin Wanganeen
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Dr Gemma Munro is a thought leader, a transformational facilitator and an uplifting and award-winning speaker, with a PhD in performance psychology and a flair for lighting up leaders. Winner of the Duncan Prize for speaking, and a two-time Telstra Businesswoman of the Year finalist, Gemma is known as a catalyst for laughter, a-ha moments and wake-up calls.
Dr Gemma has spoken to audiences at Google, Amazon, PayPal, Qantas, Vodafone, and the NHS in London. She has inspired over 72,000 people around the world, and her keynote at Google headquarters in Silicon Valley was live-streamed to every Google office on the planet.
As a classically trained singer, Gemma has performed in Westminster Abbey, Radio City Music Hall and, somewhat heart-stopping, to 53,000 screaming fans as a backing vocalist for the Rolling Stones.
In this episode, we deep-dived into:
Where to find Dr Gemma Munro
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Today we had our first international podcast, from Massachusetts, USA, Alain Hunkins.
ALAIN HUNKINS Is the CEO of the Hunkins Leadership Group, a Forbes Contributor, Author of Cracking the Leadership Code and TEDx Speaker who spends his days helping high achieving people become high achieving leaders.
Over his twenty-year career, Alain has worked with over 2,000 groups of leaders in 25 different countries. His Clients include Wal-Mart, Pfizer, Citigroup, General Electric, State Farm Insurance, IBM, General Motors, and Microsoft to name a few.
In addition to being a leadership speaker, consultant, trainer, and coach, Alain is the author of CRACKING THE LEADERSHIP CODE: Three Secrets to Building Strong Leaders which has been endorsed by leadership luminaries such as Daniel Pink, Jim Kouzes, Barry Posner, and Marshall Goldsmith.
On top of all this, Alain is a faculty member of Duke Corporate Education, which was ranked #2 worldwide in 2019 by Financial Times on its list of customized Executive Education programs. Alain's exceptional writing has also been featured in Fast Company, Inc., Forbes, Chief Executive, Chief Learning Officer, and Business Insider.
After reading his book, Cracking the Leadership Code, I can honestly say it was a fantastic, extremely practical guide on leadership. So many key pearls of wisdom that I empower all leaders and aspiring leaders to read. You will most definitely learn something that will take your leadership level to the next height.
In this episode, we deep-dived into:
Where to find ALAIN HUNKINS:
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Brendan Rinaldi is an Executive leader at the ANZ, managing the health sector portfolio and who is focussed on creating high-quality leaders and managing their wellbeing, which leads to high performing cultures. Brendan is a mentor to many, a father and grew up on a family farm, which is still in operation and something he is very passionate about.
With a background in accounting, restructuring, banking & finance, Brendan previously worked for PwC & KordaMentha before joining ANZ. He now leads large national and state teams and has done so over the past 8 years, focusing on creating a world-class culture with a values-based approach.
Brendan is always keen to develop and expand on leadership skills and bring the best out in others, particularly with a passion for wellbeing and performance, and has put a lot of time and effort into his own leadership development and growth. He is highly sought after to speak and discuss the great well-being initiatives he and the team have implemented with the ANZ bank. On top of this, Brendan is one of the masterminds behind the very well regarded ANZ Community ball, which raises $100,000's of dollars each year for charity.
In this episode, Brendan shares his journey, from his early career to becoming of the youngest executive leaders of ANZ.
We also deep-dived into:
Where to find Brendan Rinaldi:
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Books mentioned on this episode:
As CEO of the Langley Group and Academic Director of the Langley Group Institute, Sue inspires people to apply emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience to achieve the best possible outcomes for themselves and their businesses.
Since founding the Langley Group in 2002 Sue has had a remarkable gift for synthesising science into simple, practical tools to teach and advise thousands of leaders, change agents and human resources professionals how to harness the brain's potential and use emotions more intelligently.
Sue has chaired conferences and presented her research work internationally and developed large-scale projects with organisations such as Salesforce, Schneider Electric, Unilever and WHSmiths to cultivate a positive culture and emotionally intelligent leadership.
A Licensed Master Trainer in evidence-based emotional intelligence and strengths tools, Sue has earned an industry reputation as the leading advisor in Australia on the practical workplace application of emotional intelligence, positive psychology and neuroscience. Sue was one of the first people to earn a Masters in Neuroscience of Leadership, a rigorous new research degree and the most in-depth credential in this emerging field.
Sue is the lead developer and facilitator of Australia’s first and only Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing and partners with the UK’s Centre for Applied Positive Psychology to bring innovative strengths-based approaches to organisations across Asia-Pacific.
She sought after a media expert, having been featured as an emotional intelligence expert in the ABC TV series Redesign My Brain. She is also a Director of Wellbeing Australia and a member of the Student Wellbeing Action Network, a new alliance of researchers, practitioners and educators furthering positive education.
In this episode, Sue shares her journey of 20 years of experience, from her early career, to where she finds herself today as a highly sought after speaker, teacher and consultant.
We also deep-dived into:
Where to find Sue Langley:
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Vinh Giang’s passion for magic and self-taught business skills lifted his family out of poverty and into a top tier income bracket. An award-winning entertainer, international speaker, and entrepreneur, he is the co-founder and director of the Encyclopedia of Magic, an online magic school that instructs over 41,000 students per year. Additionally, he is the CEO of Luminary Productions, where he coaches a select few businesses and leaders, teaching them how to compete on an emotional level.
Just six months short of completing a degree in accounting, Vinh decided to take a leap of faith and do the scariest thing he could imagine; he told his parents that he was giving up school to pursue a career as a magician and entrepreneur. Needless to say, his father was not happy that his son wanted “to be Harry Potter,” but after three years of hard work, Vinh’s magic tutorial website began to take off, winning him the prestigious South Australian Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2013. The business has since joined forces with 52Kards, a leading U.S. based online magic school. Together the two organizations will instruct an estimated half a million students per year.
In recent years, Vinh’s speaking career has exploded due to his unique ability to seamlessly interweave the principles of magic, business, and success. Pre-pandemic, Vinh spent 80% of his time travelling from continent to continent performing and presenting one-of-a-kind business keynotes about building confidence, boosting presentation skills, facing fears, problem-solving, and pushing limits.
During the pandemic, Vinh turned his skillsets to creating online programs for many of his clients, specifically for the company's Learning Management System, with one of his key current clients being Microsoft where Vinh has created an internal communications program. Other key clients of note have been Facebook, Linkedin, Zoom, Merk and many many more.
In this episode, Vinh and I touch on his journey from being a MAGICIAN to becoming an International Keynote Speaker, his strong belief in that "life is a miracle" and we should not take it for granted.
We also deep-dived into:
Where to find Vinh Giang:
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Adrian Tembel is a prominent South Australian lawyer and businessman and is an economics and honours law graduate of the University of Adelaide. He began practising corporate and technology law at Thomson Geer in 1993, became a Partner of Thomson Geer in 1997, and went on to become Chief Executive Partner in 2009 and held the position ever since.
When operating as a full-time lawyer Adrian specialized in the Corporate and Technology space and had the opportunity to serve on some amazing pieces of work, one name was with one of the greatest drivers in Formula One, Ayton Senna's Merchandising team.
Adrian’s focus is now on leading Thomson Geer, whereas Chief Executive Partner, he has grown the Adelaide headquartered Thomson Geer to a major Australian Law firm with annual revenue close to $200m.
At the time of the podcast, Thomson Geer is ranked 10th largest law firm by partner number, 22nd in South Australia's top private companies and rose 32 places in the 2019/2020 Australia's top 500 private companies ranking, and now has offices all across Australia in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth.
Adrian is an Adviser to the Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, and in 2018, Adrian was appointed as a Commissioner of the South Australian Productivity Commission and went on to become Chair of this commission in July 2021, Adrian, and further to this he also has time to serve as a Director of the Menzies Research Centre.
In this episode, Adrian and I touch on his journey from being a full-time lawyer to becoming the Chief Executive Partner at Thomson Geer, and as a very proud South Australian, he provides his insights into how we can build and make South Australia better by focusing on building a world-class Research and Development platform.
I loved the modesty coming from Adrian in this podcast, where he describes himself as an 'insecure' and 'not very talented' person, but was able to share with us that through hard work and persistence, it is possible to achieve really great things.
We also deep-dived into his thoughts around:
His journey and how he ended up in the legal world
Where to find Adrian Tembel:
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Books and podcasts mentioned on this episode:
Robert Menzies - The Art of Politics - By: Troy Bramston
Chris' background in coaching and mentoring packs a mean punch when it comes to working with elite performers. This covers Military, Elite Sports, Performing Arts and Corporate Athletes.
Spending the early part of his career working with developing future leaders, Chris identified that a necessary part of the succession plan is to improve the individual’s performance capacity and this can be achieved by adapting the individual capacity in three key areas: physical, mental and emotional. Chris works with these leaders to help develop these three key components and reduce the risk of burnout!
Now, more than ever we are seeing that leaders in the business world, that are dealing with the constant Cognitive Fog and the feeling of Groundhog Day can no longer be accepted as the new 'norm'.
This is why Chris built an accelerated program that supports those of us go ALL IN and true candidates to face the risk of Burnout.
In this episode, Chris and Daniel touch on his journey from arriving in Australia from the UK and setting up his first business in his backyard, to his current work and mission of helping people see the early warning signs in order to avoid burning out.
Chris shares with us his research and findings around:
Books mentioned in this podcast:
Where to find Chris Wilson:
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Michael Mojo is a Mindset and Mental performance coach for some of Australia’s top rich listers, industry leaders, athletes and business teams. He’s been featured alongside the likes of Dr Joe Dispenza, Dr John Demartini, Dr Dave Logan, Grant Cardone, Gary Vee and Barbara Corcoran (Shark tank USA) and recently named by the Australian Business Journal as one of the top 20 Australian Personal Development Experts and Coaches to Work Within 2022.
Michael is known for challenging the way people think and smashing a lot of the myths and misconceptions that we are unaware of are keeping us stuck personally and professionally.
Michael bridges the gap between advanced sciences, human behaviour, personal development and mental performance fields to give powerful tools, teaching and methodologies to help people succeed at greater levels.
His business “Mojo Human Performance Institute” runs events, workshops, training and seminars for the general public right through to large corporate teams, teaching implementable, evidence and scientific-based tools to help people excel in their quests.
Michael’s mission and what drives him every day is to help people live an inspired life by performing better in their personal and professional lives.
In this episode, Michael and I touch on his journey to today from the day he got expelled from school to the life of luxury he finds himself in today.
Michael shares his learnings and the process he went through to find his passion, his purpose and mission in life and how he is “Helping people perform better” through scientific-based mental performance tools and education.
Books mentioned in this podcast:
Where to find Michael Johnson.
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Leonie is a China-Educated Strategist, a Business Consultant, Internationally Published Author, Workshop Presenter, and Keynote Speaker.
She lived in the Greater China Region for several years, learning Mandarin and immersed herself in Chinese culture. During her time in China, she noticed a trend that all Chinese people have, at their core, Knowledge of the timeless Chinese Negotiating Strategies, known as the 36 Chinese Strategies, derived from Sun Tzu's – The Art of War, that she became obsessed with them and decided to build a career around helping people understand them.
She states that "These Strategies are fundamental concepts within Chinese culture and manifest themselves in all aspects of Chinese business negotiation and everyday life."
Leonie has worked with hundreds of business people and has also written six books to help people understand how to use the 36 Strategies in any business environment.
In this episode, Leonie and I touch on her journey to today, from backpacking all over the world to spending years living and working in Asia and how she came to become an expert in the art of doing business with China, and she shares her learnings with some great tips on where to start.
Leonie and I also spoke at length of her passion for the 36 Chinese Strategies, and we deep dive into five specific strategies, which Leonie was kind enough to provide some very clear and practical examples and tips.
Books mentioned in this podcast:
Video/Podcast mentioned in this podcast:
Where to find Leonie McKeon.
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George Freneyis an experienced entrepreneur who is passionate and curious about how rapidly accelerating technology, combined with changing human behaviour, creates challenges and opportunities for people, businesses and governments.
George is fascinated with the idea lifecycle and the best way to generate worthwhile ideas, quickly assess if they are worth testing and validating if they are worth launching.
George has been involved with many technology-centric businesses as an investor, advisor, founder, director and executive.
In 2007 he helped found conTgo a market-leading mobile travel technology platform that was sold in 2013.
In 2012, he co-founded booodl to solve a complex problem for physical retail businesses. George led the company from initial idea through 5 rounds of fundraising, securing strategic customers and partnerships, multiple strategies and product pivots and the decision to stop pursuing the mission.
George is now a founding partner of 11point2, a boutique advisory and technology lab focused on helping people, businesses and government validate worthwhile ideas and co-founder and executive director of Space Machines Company, an Australian Space Transport and Logistics provider and a member of the Flinders University Governing Council Audit & Risk Committee.
George has previously held board positions with the South Australian Government Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and was a director of the RAA and member of the Investment Committee.
George holds an Honours Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Adelaide, completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
In this episode, George and Daniel touch on his journey to where he finds himself today from studying Chemical Engineering to unpacking his experiences through his Entrepreneurial exploits, to what does the start-up mindset look like and its importance in uncovering and validating ideas.
Georges core philosophy is "those that are able, are obligated to do" and his belief that "uncovering ideas that are worthwhile is an art".
We also spend we spent a lot of time talking about the start-up world and the decision that all entrepreneurs fear: The idea of closing down or not pursuing a business.
George shared with us the thought process he went through and how he came to make the tough decision of liquidating and what was to "fail the right way" and all the lessons he took away from this experience.
Books mentioned in this podcast:
Where to find George Freney.
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Fiona is the People Executive Lead at OZ Minerals after joining the forward-thinking mining company in February 2019, and she believes the focus on corporate culture can no longer be seen as an optional extra.
For the past two decades, Fiona has worked with organisations to help build cultures that create value for all stakeholders. With a Masters in Org Psych, an MBA and 20+yrs multinational corporate HR experience Fiona is passionate about evidence-based practices to help leaders build the cultures they need. Its through her experience, she knows for certain that In toxic cultures engagement drops, turnover increases and market values decrease.
Fiona began her career with Shell in the UK before establishing the HR function for Bausch and Lomb UK’s manufacturing division. After moving to Australia to complete her MBA, Fiona joined Lion Nathan as HR Director Wines and Spirits, followed by a series of roles in corporate strategy and capability. Across all of these roles, Fiona’s passion has been the development of high performing cultures through the application of evidence-based practices.
Most recently, Fiona ran her own leadership development consultancy supporting leaders to drive culture change through a focus on their mindsets and behaviours.
Fiona is a Fellow of the Australian HR Institute, an accredited coach with the International Coaching Federation and a member of the Australian Adaptive Leadership Institute’s advisory committee.
In this episode, Fiona and I touch on her journey today from backpacking all over the world to unpacking her experiences through her corporate career. We deep dive into systems, symbols, behaviours and the mindset required for high performing cultures.
We also spend we spent a lot of time talking about the innovative ways OZ Minerals manage their workforce, inclusion and diversity, to how they are positioning themselves for the future of work.
Books mentioned in this podcast:
My Year Of Living Vulnerably By Rick Morton
An Everyone Culture - Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization
Where to find Fiona Blakely.
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Michelle T Holland is an international best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and the Founder and Creative Director of Synergy IQ. With over 20 years of experience and as a leader in creating business excellence through people, Michelle has helped thousands of leaders to build their confidence and skills in change. In addition, she is an experienced culture change expert, a certified Dare to Lead™ facilitator, an accredited Human Synergistics practitioner, and a strategic advisor. The author of 3 books, including the best seller “Culture Inc”, Michelle speaks at conferences, runs workshops, consults and challenges thinking.
Michelle dreams of a world where people are accepted and valued for their unique contributions, feel safe to be who they authentically are, and are inspired to fulfil their potential.
In this episode, Michelle gives us a sneak peek into her upcoming book Imperfect Leadership, which is an invitation for leaders just to start looking at leadership differently, start looking at this perfect version of leadership that they've created in their head and start unpacking why we're striving for this perfection of leadership.
More about the Imperfect Leadership book:
“You will always fail when you are trying to be a perfect leader; you are a human after all.” Said, my mentor. After a particularly challenging week trying to be everything to everyone, I was ready to give up. This was the beginning of my journey to embrace imperfect leadership.
Imagine a world where people are able to give their best every day and reach their full potential. A world where we leverage strengths so that our leaders can be inspiring, caring and successful, and workplaces that support our well-being and emotional lives…
Contrary to this utopia, we have created a world where our good leaders feel they are failing because they are not great. They look at the textbook leader with shame and longing and work themselves to exhaustion trying to meet this perfect yet unrealistic view of leadership. This talk explores the phenomenon of working extremely hard, compromising our wellbeing, and trying to be the perfect leader. It’s time for a revolution in leadership that appreciates us for our fallible humanness.
Key takeaways:
Where to find Michelle T. Holland
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Dr James Muecke AM is an Adelaide-based ophthalmologist with over 35 years of experience, having practised all over the world in countries Kenya, Jerusalem, and London.
Through his profound experience, James has taught the diagnosis and management of eye cancer in ten countries in Asia. He founded the not-for-profit organization Sight For All in 2008, turning his boundless energy into a fight against blindness in the Aboriginal and mainstream communities of Australia and some of the poorest countries of the world. Sight For All’s comprehensive and sustainable projects are now impacting the lives of over one million people each year.
His commitment to social impact and humanitarian endeavours has earned him several awards, including:
In this episode, Dr James shared the incredible journey that led him to become a world-renowned ophthalmologist and 2020 Australian of the Year. We deep-dived into the amazing impact his not for profit, Sight for all, is having globally, which has the ultimate mission to create a world where everyone can see.
Using his platform as Australian of the year, James is passionate about educating the world on the root cause of diabetes and prevent looming health catastrophes. In addition, he wants to challenge our perception and our relationship with sugar, as he states that "Sugar is as toxic and addictive as nicotine".
He walked us through the growing cases of type 2 diabetes and ways to avoid this. We also spoke about one of his patients, Neil, who, as a result of his extreme sugar intake, led to Neil waking up one morning completely blind and lead to 9 separate amputation operations. The negative effects that sugar has on our health and the correlation between sugar and blindness is confronting.
James also shared his thoughts on what the future looks like for the human race if we keep going down the path of fast food, sugars, alcohol etc.
Where to find Dr James Muecke
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Wendy Perry is the Managing Director of Workforce BluePrint and Entrepreneur Facilitator for Adelaide – West, Switch Start Scale.
Wendy is an entrepreneur herself, with her business doing work all over the world. Further to this, she is also an author, educator, explorer, innovator, mentor and speaker on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Wendy is also a renowned expert in Workforce Planning and Development, Vocational Education and Training (VET), International Capability and Capacity Development.
Wendy is living a life purpose, working to her strengths in Mentoring and facilitation, where she works alongside entrepreneurs, founders, individuals, organisations, start-ups, scaleups, students and unicorn companies.
On top of her own business, Wendy is strongly aligned to other business interests and partnerships, which include Australia Bhutan Ventures, Blue Poppy Ventures and Big Kids Adventures.
In this episode, Wendy shares insights into her career journey, to the world she finds herself in now, her description of an entrepreneurial mindset and her approach to scaling the business globally: with tips on, where to start, what countries to look at and a typical approach to take.
We also discussed how to improve productivity and get stuff done, and how she manages her busy schedule. We talked about what is workforce strategy and why is it important, what the future of work looks like and to finish up, Wendy shared with us the meaning of her personal # of #humblehustle.
Where to find Wendy Perry
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Books and podcasts mentioned on this episode:
Katrina Webb is recognised and acknowledged for her success as a Paralympic athlete. She has won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in athletics at three Paralympic Games.
She was the first torchbearer to enter the Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and in 2006 Katrina was selected on behalf of the International Paralympic Committee to speak at the United Nations in New York.
Off the track, Katrina is the Director of Silver 2 Gold High-Performance Solutions which specializes in powering organisations, teams and individuals best.
Katrina is a global ambassador for the International Paralympic Committee and due to her own experience in dealing with a disability and a deep love of helping others, Katrina is the Founder and Director of Newday Leadership a platform to inspire leadership for the greater good.
Katrina Webb is an international speaker, leadership and personal mastery consultant, a trainer in Wellbeing and Resilience, a physiotherapist and an accredited workplace trainer and assessor.
Katrina loves to be challenged. She has walked the Kokoda track and has trekked to Basecamp Everest twice. She is also a mother to not just one but to three beautiful boys.
In this episode, Katrina shares her journey and experience of being an athlete and talks to her thoughts on the role that sport plays in setting people up for success not only in the business environment but in life itself. She also shares how challenging it was dealing with her disability and the fear of being different.
We talked about her desire to keep putting herself into situations that are tough, uncomfortable, scary, such as speaking at TedX, trekking both the Kokoda track and the Everest Basecamp, not once, but twice, and currently, she is over in Japan and will be hosting the Paralympics on Channel 7!
To finish up, we also discussed Katrina's thoughts about what can businesses do to support their people through the pandemic from a well-being perspective and the importance that the organisational culture plays in wellbeing and resilience.
Where to find Katrina Webb
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Books and podcasts mentioned on this episode:
Daniel Gannon is one of South Australia’s leading and most influential industry executives - an expert and strategic leader in membership-based organisations.
Over the past seven years, Daniel has spearheaded successful historical campaigns to abolish commercial stamp duty, reform land tax and defeat punitive taxes on CBD car parks and banks. Advocacy outcomes like these have increased South Australia’s investment attractiveness - particularly the state’s property and real estate sectors.
In 2020, Daniel was named one of South Australia's 50 Most Influential People and Top 10 Real Estate Heavyweights, while in 2018, he was named one of South Australia’s Top 40 Leaders Under 40 and one of the state’s Top 50 Powerbrokers.
“Often credited as one of the most strategic operators in South Australia,” the 2020 list says of Daniel, “[he is] a forceful yet smooth operator.”
Daniel has worked across Local, State and Federal Government policy spheres throughout his career and has embedded himself in membership-based organisations. He has also driven significant change in the property and investment industry as the South Australian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia – now arguably the state’s most powerful association.
In this episode, Daniel shares his journey from growing up living in a caravan with his family, to how he dreamed of being an architect, to working in the family business in retirement villages, to taking on his former bosses Steven Marshall and Rob Lucas in a battle to squash land tax changes. Daniel is Fierce in promoting South Australia and trying to attract people and businesses from all over the world to our great state. He shares his thoughts on what the workplace will look like moving forward, and the impact people working from home will have on all industries. Daniel also speaks about the impacts of the pandemic in the market from a landlord to the shop front and provides us with some statistics about how we are faring post-pandemic.
Where to find Daniel Gannon
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Books and podcasts mentioned on this episode:
With over 22 years of global industry experience, Terry Sweeney is recognised as a thought leader in digital health, healthcare innovation through technology and commercialisation. Terry’s industry insights are in regular demand from international governments, healthcare organisations, public forums and media outlets, and he is a strategic advisor to a number of global organisations, including the G20.
He has currently stepped into the Digital Health CRC CEO role, establishing a digital health innovation strategy for Australia. Terry is also a Professor at the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. Previously to where he finds himself today, Terry has established and scaled two major startups, both of which have been acquired by large global multinationals. One of those start-ups was Cúram Software, a social health and care technology business. Based in Ireland, Cúram’s global presence and market leadership led to IBM acquiring the company in 2012.
Terry is particularly effective in identifying and incubating opportunities in new and emerging markets, not least a $1bn+ partnership with China. Terry is the founder of Auxilia, an international digital health advisory at the intersection of healthcare, technology and big data. He helps healthcare, life sciences and human services organisations around the world to solve real-world business problems through the use of technology and data.
In this episode, we deep dive into Terry's journey to understand and analyse his personal motivations, from where he came from and how he got to the position he finds himself in right now. Terry shares the importance of sports in his life, how discipline and work ethic helped him succeed, and how he ended up in the health field by accident.
Terry shares the crucial work he and his team are doing in health that will help to solve a major healthcare problem, empower patients, improve understanding of health risks in individuals and communities, support clinical practice, improve system efficiency and access to quality care and Develop Australia’s future digital health workforce.
He also shares his thoughts on being comfortable with failure and the importance of his family in giving him the confidence to take risks and his final message of "If you don't believe in yourself, no one will".
Where to find Terry Sweeney
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Books and podcasts mentioned on this episode:
Nicola Lipscombe is a global professional speaker and facilitator who bridges the gap between western science with eastern philosophy and ancient wisdom. She is known for her ability to blend cutting edge research and storytelling into practical and engaging tips her audiences love.
She is the Creator of HeartWise™ Leadership, Powerful Listening, Powerful Speaking and Friday’s Mindful Moments, and works with leaders who genuinely care about their people first. Her work has recently been featured in Inspiring Workplaces (UK), The Happiness Project (India) and on Side Walk Talk (US).
With a deep love of learning, she has degrees in Pharmacy, Higher Education, a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and certifications in Neurolinguistic Programming, Management Practices, Training and Assessment, Coaching, Hear With Heart and The Art of (Feminine) Presence.
A former pharmacist and academic her quest is now one of CONNECTION, AWAKENING and BELONGING.
More than a speaking professional Nicola is also a poet, a photographer, and a mindfulness practitioner who adores nature, street art and her collection of (op shop) denim jackets!
She empowers leaders and human change-makers to authentically and powerfully transform themselves from the inside out and positively change the world of work.
An introvert at heart she seeks deeply meaningful conversations and is truly not interested in your new iPhone and matching AirPods.
In this episode, we deep dive into Nicola's journey to find, understand and appreciate herself, how she overcame the fear of worrying about what others may think. She also shares her story about her battle against cancer and all the reflections that came from this part of her life, We discuss some tips and tricks on how to be your authentic self, the art of listening and how to become comfortable with silence.
Where to find Nicola Lipscombe
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Adam Vonthethoff is the current Chief Operating Officer at Adelaide Oval and works to implement the company strategies, supporting management and staffing teams, external stakeholder engagement, and looking for new business development opportunities and has been working at Oval for the past 10 or so years.
Adam has spent all of his 25-year career in hospitality, having worked in hotels and casinos before moving to the Stadium.
His career kicked off when he was 17 years working at the Lakes Resort in various departments, then as Food and Beverage Manager for roughly three years each at some of the big names, being Hotel Adelaide, Stamford Grand, SKYCITY Casino, Outrigger – Fiji and the CROWN Perth.
Adam is a born and bred Adelaide man, a father, a huge port Adelaide power fan, lover of golf and is proud of his MBA and AICD qualifications.
In this episode, we deep dive into Adam's career journey to his current position as COO, the perks and challenges of his work, how the oval managed the ongoing covid situation, specifically focusing on communication, on the staff and customer experience and all the plans and challenges for the future.
Where to find Adam Vonthethoff
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Books and Podcast mentioned on this episode:
Vincent Tarziaisthe Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services of South Australia, appointedin July 2020. He was elected to the South Australian Parliament as the Member for Hartley in 2014 and 2018.
Since entering politics, Vincent has been the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Start-ups, and Shadow Cabinet Parliamentary Secretary.
In May 2018, he was elected as the 35th Speaker of the House of Assembly, the youngest Speaker in South Australia's history, serving until he was appointed Minister.
Vincent is passionate about his local area, the eastern suburbs of Adelaide, where he has lived his whole life. He attended St Joseph's School Payneham and then Rostrevor College, where he was Head Prefect and Dux of the College. He has been active in many local community and sporting groups, including Neighbourhood Watch, the Campbelltown Rotary Club, Norwood Football Club and Payneham RSL.
He went to Adelaide University and completed a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Law, and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Before politics, Vincent worked in the financial, legal and commercial sectors and served as a Councillor for the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters in 2010.
Vincent has a genuine interest in his local community and is passionate about making South Australia more lively and prosperous. He wants real action to relieve the cost of living pressures, create more local jobs, deliver better frontline services and provide opportunities to get ahead.
In this episode, we deep dive into Vincent's journey and passion for the community, why he entered this world of Politics, his main driver and purpose, how he manages his work-life balance, what his day as a politician looks like, and all the challenges he has faced since entering politics.
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Where to find Vincent Tarzia
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Rebecca currently holds the position of CEO of Civil Contractors Federation SA and an Executive Director of Civil Apprenticeships and Careers Ltd. Rebecca had worked in the civil, commercial building and construction industries for over 22 years, project managing in various roles before she fulfilled her entrepreneurship streak by starting her own consultancy company an operated it for 10 plus years.
Rebecca's early projects played an integral part in the Olympic Dam Expansion Project, Southern Expressway Project (when it was one way), and the Memorial Drive Tennis Centre, all of which fostered her love of the infrastructure industry.
Rebecca is a single mother of Shelby, 8, Harrison 10 and Busta, the dog; in her day was an ultramarathon runner where she could run 100kms in 19hours, and she loved to jump out of planes and climb rock faces too.
She was a latchkey kid who grew up in an ex Housing Trust home in Christie Downs. Her continued work with apprenticeships and building trade pathways supports her love of talking to young people, parents, the community and schools about the amazing career and life-changing opportunities Construction can provide. Her life, her family and her career are a testament to it.
In this episode, we deep dive into Rebecca's life from her childhood where she faced some really confronting challenges, to living a life battling an autoimmune disease, to starting her own businesses, to having only 10 days off after giving birth to her children, to becoming the CEO of the Civil Contractors Federation SA.
This episode is an impactful one with essential dialogue. Rebecca's message on how she faced and overcame many adversities is an inspiration to us all.
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Where to find Rebecca Pickering
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Special Episode
in the last Australian HR Institute (AHRI) SA State Conference, we had the opportunity to interview some of the attendees discussing all things the Future of Work.
Listen to Daniel Franco interviewing 13 wonderful attendees of the event and was able to pick their brains on their thoughts about the future of work. Their responses were far and wide with some really great perspectives with the common theme that the future work will be all about the people.
Michelle Holland, Executive Director of Synergy IQ also gives us a quick recap of the day.
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Andy Keoughgrew up in Sydney, and always had a dream to serve his country. After finishing high school, he decided to join the Royal Australian Navy where he served for two decades and built and illustrious career, which included the commanding of two Collins Class submarines and an exchange with the US Navy Submarine Force in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In 2006, he was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross Award (CSC) for leadership in a recent deployment.
In 2007, Andy decided to try his hand at corporate life, where today he finds himself as the Managing Director of the defence and security company Saab Australia. He was previously Chief Executive of Defence SA and held many senior management roles in ASC.
Further to his Directorship duties at SAAB Australia, Andy is an Adjunct Professor with the University of South Australia, Chair of the Australian Industry Group (AiG) Defence Council, Co-Chair of the University of Adelaide Defence Advisory Board, Board member of the Training & Skills Commission and Board member of SACE
In this episode, Andy was kind enough to share his journey and experiences of his career, from joining the Navy, to the experience Being a submarine commander, to the transition to corporate life. We discuss the culture of the navy, his thoughts on leadership, and how important it is to have the ability to self-reflect.
If you enjoy this episode, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and check us out on synergyiq.com.au.
Where to find Andy Keough
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Erin Faehrmann is the Chief Executive of Youth Opportunities and a leading speaker on personal leadership and coaching to help our inner superhero shine. Her experience spans from the utilities & public industries to the youth, education and the not-for-profit sectors.
As a kid from humble beginnings, Erin has a passion for working with young people facing complex challenges. She is known for her refreshing approach to encouraging purposeful play in our organisations and our lives to boost happiness and connection.
In this episode, Erin shares her career journey until she became CEO at Youth Opportunities. Daniel and Erin discuss how young people face more complex challenges in today's world than we ever did, that prevention is best when it comes to wellbeing & mental health, and how important it is to learn to lead OURSELVES well.
If you enjoy this episode, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and check us out on synergyiq.com.au.
Where to find Erin Faehrmann
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Videos mentioned on this episode:
Susan Stewart, also known as Sue is an out of the box thinker, a strategy, business transformation and change management specialist having championed major projects in multinational professional services, government and private organisations, including global design firms Aurecon, Woods Bagot, Hood Sweeny and Unispace, Ernst & Young and also Chaired the Change Connect Group for 7 years.
Sue is an accomplished and confident leader, driving the implementation of a range of projects across America, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, which have included: global strategic planning, new international market expansion, mergers and acquisitions, cultural transformation, knowledge management strategy, business development strategy, technology system implementations and organisational restructures.
As a young honours graduate, Sue’s “It’s A Wonderful Life Moment” came when she bogged a tractor in a wheat field and realised that the world would be a better place if she no longer worked in research. Luckily a Big Four firm adopted her and for the next decade she absorbed best practice in strategy, organisational development, change, communication and knowledge and immersed herself in the explosion of mobility and digital. And along the way, she completed a Post Grad in Communications, Master of Arts and has scribbled her thoughts in papers and presented her experiences at national and international conferences.
Although well-credentialed, Sue is most proud of her family, her ability to make the most out of left-overs, her innate and irrelevant knowledge of film and her love of making Spotify playlists.
Talking about the playlist, in this episode, Sue shared her journey and experiences through a playlist of four iconic pieces of music, which we deep dive into during the podcast and all things about Strategy, Culture and Change management.
If you enjoy this episode, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and check us out on synergyiq.com.au.
Where to find Susan Stewart
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Jamie Getgood is the Founder & CEO of Getgood Consulting and an Ambassador of The People Shift. Jamie specialises in Senior HR Leadership, employee redundancy and workforce transition, organisation restructure and rebuilding company culture. He bagged the Australian Leader of the Year award in 2017, as well as multiple accolades & nominations from lead leadership bodies, after contributing to the workforce transition in GM Holden.
Following Holden’s closure, Jamie became an international key speaker specialising in Industrial Relations, Leadership and Employee Engagement and currently manages his own business called Getgood Consulting.
In this episode, Jamie shares his career journey in GM Holden. He also shares key messages, such as the value of building relationships with employees, how people-focused leadership can radically change the organisation's culture, how important is to "Treat people with dignity and respect" even in the hardest of times and lastly and how "We drastically impact our employees' lives", so is the time to be more human, more compassionate and more empathetic.
If you enjoy this episode, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and check us out on synergyiq.com.au.
Where to find Jamie Getgood
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Sara Siami is the Head of People & Culture at SWEAT, developing and leading the people strategy across the organisation. Having been there from very early in the companies Journey, Sara has contributed immensely to the success of Sweat, helping it grow to be one of the world’s largest communities of women in the fitness arena.
Sweat is an innovative technology company in the health and fitness sector, founded in South Australia by Tobi Pearce and one of the world's most influential fitness persons, Kayla Itsines. Sweat connects a community of women with the world’s best trainers, technologies, content and products that helps enable them to lead their best life.
Always having a passion for human behaviour, Sara actually majored in Criminology, legal studies and sociology, before she went onto her graduate diploma in Human resource management. Previous to Sweat, Sara provided business partnering solutions to Coca-Cola Amatil in South Australia and Northern Territory and provided organisational development and workforce relations solutions at TAFE SA.
In this episode, Daniel and Sara talked about Sara's Journey to the role she finds herself in today to leading the people aspect of one of the most successful startups to come out of South Australia and how they managed through the times of rapid growth. They discussed the ups and downs of the HR world, from trying to find quality talent, to managing teams that are working from home.
If you enjoy this episode, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and check us out on synergyiq.com.au.
Where to find Sara Siami
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Steve Testar is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Showcase SA, which supports and connects South Australia's business community, and showcases SA's industries, people and events. Showcase SA’s mission is to build business connections between members, allowing them to work together and prosper.
With the defunding of Brand SA in June 2019, Steve saw the opportunity to continue supporting and fostering the success of local South Australian businesses. Thus, Showcase SA was born. Steve’s passion for local business and a strong network of South Australian professionals has driven Showcase SA to where it is today.
Steve’s devotion to helping South Australian businesses is also displayed in his charitable work. Together with Glam Adelaide and the Glam Adelaide Foundation, he raised almost $500,000 for South Australian bushfire affected communities in 2020 at the SA4SA Bushfire Appeal Gala.
On Australia Day 2021, Kelly Noble (CEO of Glam Adelaide) and Steve were awarded the City of Adelaide Citizen of the Year award for the Community Event of the Year for this event.
In this episode, Steve shared his journey from being an international student to his CEO role and how Showcase SA came to be. He talked about many of the highs and lows of his journey, his vision for Showcase SA and also the challenges faced during the COVID19 pandemic and how the business thrived through that period.
If you enjoy this episode, please share it with your friends and colleagues, and check us out on synergyiq.com.au.
Where to find Steve Testa
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Francesco Vassallo, also known as Frank, is the founder of effektiver ppl. (which stands for - more effective people), where he works together with his clients providing them with bespoke consulting services in agile coaching, training, mentoring, facilitation and workshops.
Frank is a Highly qualified Agile Coach and IT Delivery Leader with extensive experience over 25 years in public and private sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom across a number of industries, including Utilities, Natural Resource Management, Land Administration, Taxation, Insurance, Agribusiness, Criminal Justice, Health, Retail and Education.
He is a self-confessed Agile geek, a connector and collaborator, and is constantly seeking to bring out the best in people and himself, through his commitment to a life long learning and connection with the community.
In this episode, Frank and Daniel talk about all things AGILE, from the origins of Agile to how to effectively implement it, to the difference in agile with a capital A to agile with a little a.
If you are interested in learning more about Agile, this is the episode to listen to.
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Where to find Frank Vassallo
LinkedIn
effektiver ppl.
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Books mentioned on this episode:
Elaine Bensted is Chief Executive of Zoos SA which operates both Adelaide Zoo and Monarto Safari Park and has been in this role since September 2012.
Since being in the role Elaine has led an improvement in the financial position of this conservation charity and an increase in Zoos SA membership base from 26,000 to over 50,000. She also led the work that culminated in the release of a 20 year Master Plan for both Adelaide and Monarto Zoos in early 2015.
A wife, a mother and a proud owner of German shepherd dogs, Elaine was the recipient of the 2014 Australian Institute of Management Not for Profit Manager Award and the recipient of the Telstra South Australian Business Woman of the Year Award for Purpose and Social Enterprise 2017.
Outside of her work with Zoos SA, Elaine is also Vice President of Zoos & Aquarium Association (ZAA) and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, Board member of Children’s University Advisory Board, Uni SA Business School Program Advisory Board, The Australian Rhino Project Board, International Koala Centre of Excellence Advisory Board, World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Membership & Ethics Committee and the Treasurer, Board member of the Regional Development Australia Murraylands and Riverland Board and Environment Institute Advisory Board.
In this episode, Elaine and Daniel talked about Elaine's journey to where she is today, the future of Zoos SA and how they managed through the tough time of 2020. We also touched on what we can do to be more environmentally conscious and play our part in creating a better world not only for the humans on this planet but for the longevity of all life.
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Where to find Elaine Bensted
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Books mentioned on this episode:
The Living Planet - A Portrait of the Earth - By David Attenborough
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - By Stephen R. Covey.
Man's Search For Meaning - By Viktor E Frankl
Cassandra Gannon, also known as Cass, is an Experienced Senior Leader and Innovation Specialist with a background across multiple sectors in mining, manufacturing, not for profit and local government.
Currently working for the City of Marion Council as a Project Manager and Performance and innovation leader, Cass Gannon is known for her ability to scan the external environment for opportunities, particularly within the emerging technologies space.
Besides being a mother of two 10-year-old twin girls, Cass is also a part-time lecturer at the Flinders University teaching Innovation and Creative Thinking and a mentor in the Flinders New Venture Institute's innovative manufacturing accelerator.
Cass and Daniel spoke about innovation, disruption and leadership in this episode and touched on her learnings and experience within the local government space.
A must-listen for those looking to create an innovative culture within their business, especially for those in the local government.
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Where to find Cassandra Gannon
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Thomas Mitchell is a global biotech executive who has recently relocated to Adelaide, Australia, after spending time leading drug development programs in Boston, USA and Cambridge, UK. He works in an interesting area of medicine - developing microbial therapies for many gut-related conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease. Previously, Thomas held important positions at Finch Therapeutics and Microbiotica, both microbial therapy companies.
Having grown up in Newcastle, Australia, Thomas has returned to be CEO of BiomeBank and intends to build an Australian-based microbiome biotechnology company to treat unmet medical need globally, with an immediate focus on the APAC region.
In this episode, Thomas and Daniel broached a few topics, including Thomas's journey, his vision of where Biomebank could be, the benefits of the drug industry, growing and scaling companies, his beliefs around leadership, plus much more.
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Where to find Thomas Mitchell
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Leesa Chesser is a non-executive director, advisory board chair, skilled senior leader and mentor. She served as the Minister for Disabilities, Mental Health and Substance Abuse leading the NDIS decision making, delivery of service reform and transformation in South Australia. As Chair of the Public Works Committee, Leesa oversaw large public infrastructures construction projects such as the $450M Adelaide Oval redevelopment with consideration of economic evaluation, procurement, project management and ongoing reporting for public value.
Leesa now runs her own Strategic Advice consultancy firm named Blue Sky Consulting, where she specialises in strategic governance solutions. She also coaches, mentors, Chair and builds Advisory Boards where she primarily works with the private sector with commercial enterprises, startups, SME’s, not-for-profit organisations and social enterprises, helping them in the health and human services, defence and space industries.
In this episode, Leesa Chesser and Daniel broached a few topics, including her time in politics, women in business, and all things Directorship & Boards.
Where to find Leesa Chesser
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In this episode, we have Stuart Snyder who, on his business cards, describes himself as an unemployed lazy bum. He states that this title gives him the freedom to do what he wants to do.
Stuart grew up in Cupertino California, a place we now know and refer to as Silicon Valley, where he went to school with what he describes as a "long-haired hippy dude" called Steve Jobs.
Growing up in a dysfunctional family, Stuart wandered out into the world by himself at the young age of 19 and a few years later, eventually moved to Adelaide, Australia after finding love. Stuart started as an Accountant, working for KPMG, then moving to a world-leading defence company called Amrad, where he recognised the quality of individuals in his team and went out with them to create Your Amigo, a global internet marketing powerhouse.
Stuart describes the journey as creating his own business a really tough experience. Many challenges and attributes a great deal of his ability to grind through the tough times was the resilience he built at a young age. Stuart believes that each individual is on earth for their particular purpose and believes that the greatest learning experiences come from life's toughest times.
Now a wealth of life and business experience, Stuart focused on giving back, where he invests in Australian technology startups, provides his time mentoring promising founders and is an influential voice in South Australia's startup scene in particular.
In today's podcast, Stuart shares such an interesting story, filled with all the ups and downs of his entrepreneurship journey and the lessons learnt along the way.
Where to find Stuart Snyder
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Connor O’Rourke is the Director of Sales and a founding member of Nuago, a strategic IT partner which helps businesses transition IT by aligning strategic business objectives with technology solutions.
Connor has more than a decade of experience in the IT industry and has considerable expertise in all elements of Sales and customer service across market segments in South Australia. He brings a strong customer-centric leadership style and an entrepreneurial mindset which means that Nuago’s customers are often respectfully challenged with new ways of thinking about technology and how it can aid their organisation. Connor has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Psychology from Colorado State University. Before starting Nuago, Connor was the General Manager of Sales at Datacom Systems. He also holds numerous sales certifications across the Nuago technology stack as well as having completed several leadership and self-development courses. As Director of Sales, Connor is responsible for the overall management of relationships with our customers, trusted partners and Nuago’s outstanding customer-focused sales team.
In this episode, Daniel and Connor deep dive into the world of sales, business development and customer service. Connor breaks the salesperson stereotype and shares why do some people consider "Sales" a dirty word. Conner believes that sales is not something you do to someone; it is something you do for someone. His emphasis is on customer service, and he shares how important it is to be authentic and provide products and services that add value to the client. He also shares the characteristics and behaviours he sees in some of the most successful salespeople and what he looks for when hiring and growing a world-class sales team.
Where to find Connor O'Rourke
LinkedIn: Connor O'Rourke
Nuago's Website
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As 2020 ended, there was a sigh of relief across the globe and high hopes for a more relatively normal year ahead. In this episode, Michelle Holland and Daniel Franco discussed the challenges and the best lessons for 2021. Michelle and Daniel also talked about moments they are proud of last year, achievements, and a great conversation about self-care and boundaries.
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Here is Michelle's LinkedIn Profile
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Mick O'Rourke has worked in varying business environments ranging from start-ups to the largest firms in the world, primarily in the computer industry. His roles have included project management, marketing, sales, senior management, and small business ownership.
Mick started as an engineer with Exxon in Alaska, then obtained his MBA and switched to marketing. He worked 15 years for Hewlett-Packard and as Vice-President of Marketing for several Silicon Valley companies. He permanently moved to Australia in 1996 where he bought a computer dealership in Adelaide and grew it from $5M to $36M in 7 years. It was subsequently sold to an ASX listed company. He then started up another IT company, Datacom SA, with 5 partners in 2006, that became the largest such firm in South Australia achieving over $50M in sales in five years.
He now devotes his time as chairman of Nuago, an IT start-up firm serving entities in South Australia to plan and implement the latest in IT developments.
Mike is a dual citizen of Australia and America. His education includes an MBA and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering, both from Stanford University, Palo Alto, California. He also spent two years at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
In this episode, Mick and Daniel discussed on Mick's methods and processes on successfully growing a business, where Mick believes a key focus should be on developing your people, living to the company values and excel in marketing & sales. Mick also talked about his love for Stephen Coveys 7 Habits of Highly effective people, and how he entwines these habits into his daily life and believes that creating small positive habits are fundamental to any success.
Where to find Mick O'Rourke
LinkedIn: Mick O'Rourke
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Adam is a consultant in strategy and organisational design, writer and video producer. He's known for having a deep knowledge of people and organisations and delivering this is in a way that is straightforward, understandable and practical. He helps leaders who are both reflective and results-oriented create a strategy that will work and then build the capability in their organisation to deliver. Founding his practice in 2012 after a successful executive career focussed on rebuilding teams, department and businesses, he has been involved in a range of profit and for-purpose industries, working in both the UK and in Australia. With his ability to integrate the latest thinking with foundational concepts of work, people and organisations, he has many long-term clients who return to him a so they can lead their organisations and divisions to make the difference they are looking to make.
In today's podcast, Adam and Daniel discussed Adam's thoughts on why engagement within companies is at an all-time low and the fundamental strategies that leaders can utilise in order to begin the process of improvement. We also discussed the different types of leaders he sees within businesses and his recommendations in ways that the level of thinking can be elevated.
This was an enlightening podcast and a must-listen for all strategic leaders out there.
Where to find Adam Thompson
LinkedIn: adamgthompson
Blog: http://zenorganisations.com/
Website: https://www.thompsonorganisations.com.au/
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Paul is an experienced, innovative and entrepreneurial Board Director and Executive who has earned a stellar reputation for achievement during a distinguished career in both the Finance and Not for Profit sector. Paul has been acknowledged for his contribution to the Banking and Investment Industry by being awarded a Senior Fellowship of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. Paul has also been recognised for his contribution to the not for profit industry by being awarded the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year in South Australia/Northern Territory and has also been awarded the Equity Trustees Australian Not for Profit CEO Award for Innovation.
Paul is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and currently holds positions as a Non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair of FIA Ltd, Non-Executive Director AusHealth Pty Ltd, Non-Executive Director Biomebank Pty Ltd, Director of Australian Centre of Excellence for Post-Traumatic Stress, Trustee of the Pulteney Foundation Inc. and Executive Director of Australian Prostate Cancer Research Society Ltd.
Paul is Chief Executive Officer of The Hospital Research Foundation Group and of its Australian affiliates: The Repat Foundation – The Road Home Inc; Australian Centre of Excellence for Post-traumatic Stress; Australian Breast Cancer Research; Kidney, Transplant and Diabetes Research Australia; The Centre for Creative Health; Cure for Stroke Australia; Parkinson’s SA/NT; Laurel Palliative Care Foundation and Australian Heart Research.
In today's podcast, we learn a lot about Paul's journey, the challenges he faced when he first became the CEO of the hospital Research Foundation, his innovative approach to leading a business and how he believes that mistakes are fundamental and an investment into training and development. We also discuss how he became a father for the first time at the age of 50 and how he manages his family life amongst his hectic schedule.
Where to find Paul Flynn
Books mentioned in this episode:
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Matthew has more than 20 years of experience in starting and running high-growth tech companies, especially in the areas of machine learning, predictive analytics, and decision optimisation. He is currently the CEO of Complexica, a provider of Artificial Intelligence software for supply & demand optimisation, and a director of several ASX-listed companies.
In today's podcast, Matt and Daniel discuss Matthew's book in which he co-authors, called The Rise of Artificial Intelligence. Matt's book is important for any modern business leader, executive or manager, who is interested in the learning the basic fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence and what propelled to the level of popularity and prominence that it enjoys today. Matt also talked about the potentially existential threat of AI, how he is much more optimistic about the rise and benefits of AI, and also shared some concerns and provides with a different perspective on some of the risks with the Rise of AI.
Where to find Matthew Michalewicz:
LinkedIn Profile
Website: https://www.michalewicz.com.au/
Complexica: https://www.complexica.com/
Download the first 2 Chapters of The Rise of Artificial Intelligence book here.
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Bruce Djite is currently the director of Football at Adelaide United, a club where he as a player, won all domestic trophies with Adelaide United, including the Premiership and Championship double in 2016 and tops the list as Adelaide United’s record goal-scorer. Bruce has also represented Australia as a Socceroo and has played football all around the world for clubs in several countries including, Turkey, China, South Korea and Indonesia.
Bruce spent over 4 years on the Executive and Governance committee of Professional Footballers Australia (the PFA), which is the Australian Players’ Union that represents all Australian professional footballers, including the Socceroos and Matildas. He is currently a board member of Women Onside, whose goal is to increase opportunities for women’s football and women in football. Bruce is also an Ambassador All Together Now, Australia's only national charity with the sole focus of erasing racism, and the Little Heroes Foundation, a South Australian charity that supports seriously ill children and their families ad various others.
As a businessman, Bruce stems from an accounting background working for a firm named PKF Adelaide and Fox Sports Australia before returning to his beloved Reds in 2019 as Adelaide United's Director of Football.
In today's episode, Bruce spoke about his journey, and how he ended up leading a professional sports club through a pandemic. He also delves into leadership, feedback, self-awareness and the importance of having the right people in the team. Bruce shared his views on the black lives matter movement, and how he manages his work, family and life through his hectic schedule and his interesting for finance.
Where to find Bruce Djite:
Bruces's LinkedIn
Bruce's Twitter
Bruce's Instagram
Books mentioned in this episode:
Books By Jocko Willink
Episode notes:
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Ben Smit is an entrepreneur and highly skilled at growing scale-up companies and leveraging technology to solve human problems, with a focus on engaging team members to own and advocate the improvement process. He is a co-founder and CEO of Teamgage, software that enables team collaboration, wellbeing, and continuous improvement. The system measures behaviours and sentiment aligned to the strategy of the organisation and drives teams and managers to action their own improvements in real-time. Ben and Teamgage are taking on the worldwide market, and it has grown to service clients across Australia, Asia Pacific and North America.
In today's episode, Ben spoke about his entrepreneurship journey, going into business with his wife Noelle, scaling the business across the world, the highs and lows of running your own business and how Teamgage's software adds value to companies and teams, helping to create a culture of high performance through technology.
Where to find Ben Smit:
Ben's LinkedIn
Teamgage's website
Books mentioned in this episode:
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Jo Stewart-Rattray has 25 years' experience in the technology field, where she's worked in multiple industries and multiple positions and worked her way up to into Chief Information Officer roles and Chief Security Officer. She currently works as a consultant helping her clients through strategic technological issues and opportunities.
In today's episode, we spoke about Joe's journey, how she rose to the positions where she is now and how she and we can all enable more women in technology. We also delve into some of the cyber risks that face the world.
Where to find Jo Stewart-Rattray: Jo's LinkedIn
Books mentioned on this episode:
Daring to Drive: A Saudi Woman's Awakening
Hard Choices by Hillary Clinton
Becoming byMichelle Obama
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David Scarsella is currently the CEO of a renewable energy company called Solmech specialize in solar farm technology across Australia and NZ and is passionate about energy, innovation and technology, and really wants to make a difference in this world. David also had the luxury of playing and coaching at a professional level of football in the UK, and Australia, and was the inaugural goalkeeper for the South Australian elite team Adelaide united.
In today's episode, we dive into David's journey into managing a successful values-led company, all the ups and downs he's faced along the way and his love for entrepreneurship.
Where to find David Scarsella:
David's LinkedIn
Solmech's website
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Michelle Holland is an international best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and the Founder and Creative Director of SynergyIQ. She has over 20 years of experience helping businesses to create better outcomes through processes, people and customer engagement.
In this episode, Michelle talks about the top 10 reasons people resist change, according to her experience and research, and what you can do about it.
For more, download our free ebook and find out how to overcome resistance and lead change. FREE EBOOK - TOP 10 REASONS PEOPLE RESIST CHANGE
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Here is Michelle's LinkedIn Profile
Here is Daniel's LinkedIn Profile
For more information about Dare to Lead™ Program and tickets, please visit the page.
Michelle Holland is an international best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and the Founder and Creative Director of SynergyIQ. She has over 20 years of experience helping businesses to create better outcomes through processes, people and customer engagement.
In this episode, Michelle talks about the Dare to Lead™ which is an empirically based courage-building program based on the research of Dr Brené Brown, designed to be facilitated by organisational development professionals.
In the balmy city of San Antonio Texas early 2019, Michelle Holland became one of the first people to learn the Dare to Lead™ Program live and in-person with Dr Brené Brown. Adding to her research of the last 20 years, Brené worked with Fortune500 companies (like Pixar, Nike and Google) to apply her unique personal development formula into the workplace. She discovered a method of helping leaders to become courageous which created Dare to Lead™.
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Here is Michelle's LinkedIn Profile
Here is Daniel's LinkedIn Profile
For more information about Dare to Lead™ Program and tickets, please visit the page.
Sharyn Broer is a highly experienced and strategic executive leader in the national not-for-profit food and health sector. In her current joint roles as CEO of Meals on Wheels South Australia and Meals on Wheels Australia President, Sharyn has a passion for improving the health and wellbeing of communities through the delivery of high-quality community services and programs.
Sharyn leads South Australia's largest community-based volunteer organisation and is responsible for 80 branches, 7000 volunteers and 60 staff delivering 4000 daily meals and supporting 11,000 people annually. In her national role, Sharyn was instrumental in the development of Australian meal guidelines promoting improved nutrition, balance and healthy choice and in influencing aged care reform to ensure communities can benefit from services like Meals on Wheels well into the future.
Sharyn was a former Telstra Businesswoman of the Year Finalist and is leading the transformation of Meals on Wheels South Australia to expand its social impact through new service models and markets.
In this episode, Sharyn Broer shares her professional journey, values and characteristics that made her succeed in her career and become a CEO. Sharyn also shares her thought process on culture, leadership, life and Meals on Wheels' purpose and challenges.
Where to find Sharyn Broer:
LinkedIn
Meals on Wheels South Australia
Recommended books in this episode:
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Shayne Harris is the Asia Pacific Device as a Service Leader at Lenovo and has worked with customers throughout Asia and Australia while being in senior roles in HPE and Australian Cloud providers before continuing his career at Lenovo. Currently, he focuses on enabling customers to continuously evolve and transform by providing strategic direction and insight on how they manage the lifecycle of their technology. He is responsible for the Device as a Service business for the Asia Pacific and works closely with customers to help them transform into a modern workplace.
In this episode, Shayne Harris shares how Lenovo is helping businesses in today’s current environment to modernise the workforce through a new concept that many industries are adopting to become more productive and is a positive influence to employees.
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Where to find Shayne Harris:
Dan Levy is the principal of More Space for Light. More Space for Light is an Innovation and Strategy Consultancy. Their design-led approach to solving business problems helps leaders and teams overcome constraints related to strategy, product, service, or process. Dan is also active in tertiary industry education lecturing and also speaking nationally on the subjects of Human-Centred Design, Design Thinking and Strategy.
In this episode, Dan shares the story of More Space for Light and the power of Design Thinking and Design Sprint as well as how to use Design Thinking to solve complex business programs and how this links into the process of strategy and execution.
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Where to find Dan Levy:
LinkedIn
More Space for Light Website
Future Of Now
More Space for Light LinkedIn
More Space for Light Instagram
Michelle Holland is an international best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and the Founder and Creative Director of SynergyIQ. She has over 20 years of experience helping businesses to create better outcomes through processes, people and customer engagement.
In this episode, Michelle talks about the importance of culture and shares some of the steps from her book 'Culture Inc: Create a business that delivers results and people love’ to transform your culture.
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Here is Michelle's LinkedIn Profile
Here is Daniel's LinkedIn Profile
Buy the Culture Inc Book
Matthew Michalewicz is a speaker, author and entrepreneur who has more than 20 years of experience in starting and running high-growth tech companies, especially in the areas of machine learning, predictive analytics, and decision optimisation. He is currently the CEO of Complexica, a provider of Artificial Intelligence software for optimising sales & marketing activities, and a director of several ASX-listed companies. He is also the author of several books, including Life in Half a Second, Winning Credibility, Puzzle-Based Learning, and Adaptive Business Intelligence.
In this episode, Matthew shares his journey as an entrepreneur, his motivations behind his book Life in Half a Second and the five doors you must walk through if you’re serious about achieving success in your career, business, or personal life.
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Where to find Matthew Michalewicz:
LinkedIn Profile
Website: https://www.michalewicz.com.au/
Book Life in Half a Second: https://www.lifeinhalfasecond.com/
Kylie Morton has developed a deep appreciation for the value of work and the potential of people in her career as an enabler of improvement and change. As the enterprise leader for Change Management at BAE Systems Australia, she is building a team, a capability and an experience that she hopes will leave a lasting legacy and improve work for thousands of people. She's a lean six sigma black belt who's terrible at math, a failed graphic designer, a terrible hip hop dancer and a wannabe neuroscientist.
In this episode, Kylie will talk about the science behind change management, how she is building a team from scratch, how to build resilience, and how to normalise the human response to change.
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Where to find Kylie Morton:
LinkedIn Profile
Email: kylie.morton@baesystems.com
While most people instinctively avoid confrontation, leadership coach, facilitator and speaker Ally Nitschke knows confrontation and Courageous Conversations are central to getting results.
In this episode, Ally brings her expertise through tough conversations to the forefront and creating a culture of feedback which significantly reduces performance issues. Ally shares her mission to change the way we perceive 'tough conversations in the workplace' and to inspire, empower and motivate leaders to lead with Empathy and throw out the rule book!
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Where to find Ally Nitschke:
LinkedIn Profile
Email: ally@madeformore.com.au
Website: madeformore.com.au
Amanda Sheedy is a leadership and development coach that helps people, teams and organisations increase their self-awareness, harness their strengths and discover new approaches. She has 25 years of experience working in senior roles across diverse industries and is specialised in operations management and strategic and transformational change projects.
In this episode, Amanda talks about leadership and development coaching and how it helps people move past the mental brick wall, the benefits of Team Coaching versus 1:1 coaching and self-awareness. As a neuroscience nerd, she also talks about the science behind the change and brings her knowledge around our triggers, how we think and behave.
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Where to find Amanda Sheedy:
LinkedIn Profile
Email: awsheedy@me.com
Website: https://www.amandasheedy.com/
Today our chat is with Roy Papalia, who is an exercise physiologist and a workplace rehab specialist. He has over 15 years of industry experience, and he runs his own business called Allied Health Consulting, a company specialised in injury prevention, injury management and focused on the movement of the human body. In this episode, Roy shared with some great tips for us to think about and how to be proactive instead of reactive when thinking about your body and health when working from home. He also shared some tips for leaders in businesses on how to think about their people who are working from home and things to look out for when transitioning back into the workplace.
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Where to find Roy Papalia:
LinkedIn Profile
Mobile: 0403 625 626
Email: info@alliedhealthconsulting.com.au
Pete Holliday is an organisational futurist and business agility expert specialising in helping leaders and organisations be fit for the future and understand new ways of working. Pete’s specialities include creating agile teams & high performing cultures. He works with leaders of multi-national organisations, helping them to rethink leadership development, assisting organisations in redefining high performance in the 21st century.
In this episode, listen as Pete and Daniel talk about the future of work, modern leadership development, creating agile team and organisations and everything else that goes along with it in these times of change.
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Where to find Pete Holliday:
Website
LinkedIn Profile
Facebook Page
Instagram Profile
Fiona McAllister is an executive coach and has a track record of connecting people to purpose through coaching, culture change and leadership development. She describes her job as “creating clarity for leaders and refining their leadership identity”. Listen as Fiona and Daniel talk about self -awareness and the power of coaching, as well as her personal journey and challenges throughout her career.
Join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast.
SynergyIQ Website
Fiona's LinkedIn Profile
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Andrew Ferguson, more commonly known as Ferg, is a communication specialist with over 20 years of experience as a writer, editor and trainer, designing and implementing business information solutions for clients in a wide range of industries. He may also be familiar to some listeners around Adelaide as singer/storyteller Fergus Maximus. In this episode, Ferg and Dan talk about the art of storytelling and how it can help people through challenges in business and life.
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Here is Ferg's LinkedIn Profile
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Michelle Holland is an Authentic Leadership and Courageous Culture specialist and has helped business to transition from ineffective to effective practice in Australian and overseas. Listen as Michelle talks about why Organisational Culture matters in times of uncertainty the world is going through with Coronavirus (COVID19) and some of the challenges that business is facing in consequence of the changes.
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Here is Michelle's LinkedIn Profile
Here is Daniel's LinkedIn Profile
Check out the Transcript here.
Michelle Holland is an Authentic Leadership and Courageous Culture specialist and has helped business to transition from ineffective to effective practice in Australian and overseas. Listen as Michelle talks about the challenges of business, what the future has in store for workplaces, and the essential characteristics required in tomorrow’s leaders.
Join the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast.
Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.
Here is Michelle's LinkedIn Profile
Here is Daniel's LinkedIn Profile
Check out the Transcript here.