Infinite Possibilities: Recent Episodes
Karen Liang
The podcast where we explore the lives of amazing people- their choices, challenges, and opportunities.
It's easy to feel the pressure on the court- the weight on your shoulders from coaches, your team and family. However, so cool to know Dom only ever played for himself.
Andrew Yates started his career at KPMG as fresh graduate from university to now CEO. We chat about almost closing the door on KPMG and the 6 month ski trip break in Austria.
Daphne's one of the few people my age that I know who has been able to turn her side hustle to her full time gig! So inspiring!
We chat about Dr Robert's 3 careers- civil engineering, investment banking and now digital economics. We chat about his journey to 130K+ subscribers by posting daily, unedited videos for 5 years!
From gymnastics to Shaolin martial arts, we chat about Blake's love for competition and movement.
Paul is a former Australian Federal Police (AFP) Federal Agent who served in Australia, and on international deployment as a peace maker/peacekeeper, and instructor. Prior to joining the Australian Federal Police, Paul served for several years as a corporate security consultant, and close personal protection (Bodyguard) specialist for prominent corporations, and celebrities in Australia. He also served as a soldier in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) for 15 years and served on international deployment. During his twenty-five (25) years of military and law enforcement experience, he has had assignments in Counter Terrorism (CT), Protective Security Intelligence (PSI), Federal & International Investigations, High Risk Warrants, Operational Safety Training (OST), Learning & Development (L&D) as well as roles in management and administration.
Despite almost dying in a fire at 6 weeks old, Ramesh's life has been series of awesome adventures- elite swimmer, Shaolin master, nurse and upcoming podcaster (stay tuned!)
Not an easy road, but glad Dom has recovered from it! Thank you Dom so much for sharing!
Yoga King is leading supplier of yoga equipment and products (retail and wholesale). So how did former optometrist Sairam come up with the idea, build it with zero marketing and shape it into a lifestyle business.
"I don't mind jumping off big (career) cliffs." We chat about a 17 year long career in the navy and the courage to begin again in corporate as a senior consultant at Deloitte. I have so much admiration for Jonathon's curiosity, humbleness and discipline. Thank you for the opportunity to chat!
Nicole was such a pleasure to chat to, we chat about bee keeping (15 hives!!), having two younger twin brothers and her strong drive to succeed academically from a young age.
We chat about the original plan- trying to get into medicine, however, luckily was unsuccessful. Then trying to go in the opposite direction and how a friend and case comp sparked his interest in consulting.
When your primary school friends turns a millionaire, we take a deep dive in how Louis makes his money, how a breakup turned into a learning opportunity of 6 months working 24/7 and finding work life balance after health concerns.
We chat Nick's hardest 3 hours of his life- both physically and mentally and how he learnt to build resilience. We trace the beginning of his karate days from age 15 to progressing to black belt.
We chat about the struggles of getting a job as a business management grad, how Nick got into KPMG and his love for practicality.
We chat about Zee's incredible journey from growing up in a small coal mining town to being to first in the family to achieve many milestones- finishing high school, finishing university to earning more than her father when she was 18 years old. We chat about her amazing work ethic, the struggle to pay for university and her resilience and hope that saw her through even the most toughest of times.
Matt was so much fun to chat to, we chat about what it's like having high functioning Asperger's and funny stories, how he got into KPMG and trying to make the most of life.
Thank you so much Matt!!
I absolutely loved chatting to Paris. We chat about her life changing experiences- being a homestay family to a European boy and volunteering in Africa when she was 18. We explore her journey from Scotland to Australia and from BDO to KPMG.
We explore Josh's former life in bartending, customer service, sales to now being a Sourcing and Procurement Advisory Consultant at KPMG. We chat about his 2 year gap year- working including being a ski resort chauffeur in Japan, travelling, and soul searching.
We chat about what exactly a forensic consultant does, Chantelle's love for numbers and what an amazing achievement it is to be the first in your family to go to university #proud fam!
Martijn was heaps of fun to chat to, we chat about re-inventing himself every 4 years, finding work you "don't hate" and those very random events (you'd be surprised) that has lead him to where he is today.
Hazel was a lot of fun to chat to, we chat about day in the life of a assistant valuer, her love for yoga and how to network with people :) Hazel is a bundle of positivity and joy and I'm inspired by her love for life and her various passions.
We talk about what it's like being the "boring" kid growing up and how Mark found his love for music (from trumpet to guitar & bass). We explore his "chill attitude" to life and why there is no point in getting stressed as things eventually sort themselves out.
We explore why Nook is so passionate about her job as the Cross River Rail Experience Centre Coordinator and how her energy, positivity is contagious. We chat about funny experiences as a flight attendant, working for a museum and her natural ability to make people feel comfortable and at ease.
We talk about Muheeb's role as project manager, what it means to be a deep generalist and his startup The Pluralist (world’s first truly linguistically diverse watch brand).
https://thepluralist.com.au/
We chat about Sarah's studies in Journalism, pivoting directions after internships and finding her place as KPMG's Emerging Talent QLD Lead for Engagement and Attraction.
Simon was such a pleasure to chat to, we chat about his university education in Fudan University studying Computer Hardware. We explore Simon's journey from China to Australia, how and why he got into mushrooms and what's a day in his life managing 3 mushroom farms.
We chat about how video games got Asil into fitness when he saw the link between video game characters climbing walls and being able to actually climbing walls in Parkour. We dive into Asil's love for logic, problem-solving and how it translates into a career in tech.
We chat about having a cool name that people often mispronounce, being the oldest of the 4 sisters and Inais' fashion sense. Of course, we speak about the her amazing tech advisory consulting work at KPMG as well :)
It was a lot of fun chatting to Hamish, beware this episode has a lot of laughing. We talk about Hamish's passion for languages, the toss up between studying agriculture and business and his impressive list of injuries to date- concussions, torn shoulders, broken jaw and etc. (hopefully less injuries from now on).
Had a such a lovely time chatting to Sam, we explore how her passion for social justice was there all along in her childhood. We chat about comparison, being a twin and finding "your people."
Aroha Kaa is a NZ Maori woman, who never graduated from university, suffers from mental health issues and can't code yet she is also the Director of Technology for one of the QLD's largest technology employers Entain. We explore the journey of a wannabe geologist, finding her way into tech, going through redundancy to being at her career peak!
We chat about dropping out of high school, travelling the world managing restaurants and bars to when bitcoin entered Danielle's life. We chat about Danielle's career pivot to blockchain educator and why she founded the All Things Blockchain community!
We chat about how Matt graduated from university studying German and music then fell down ICT route and eventually down the blockchain rabbit hole. We chat about the power of learning another language, why he's passionate about blockchain and his side hustle Fresch Enterprises.
We chat about Karen's career in HR, from Accenture to McKinsey and etc. We chat about her being made redundant sparking her freelance career as she felt like she had "nothing to lose."
Ali said entrepreneurs generally have 3 traits- they are overly optimistic, gritty and get bored easily. We chat about Ali's journey from nursing to corporate to entrepreneurship, which she really feels was her calling from the beginning. We chat about going from "idea" to to start-up and to where Beyond the Clinic is today!
We chat about Amy-Rose growing up in a tough neighbourhood and thinking she’d grow up to be a police officer. We explore her developed interest in technology- after fixing her boyfriend’s computer, her journey to blockchain in 2016 and becoming a co-founder of Cortex Brainwave Technologies.
We chat about Bikesh's curiosity and love for research, we explore his journey from doing a Bachelor's in Nepal to doing a Masters and PhD in Finland to lecturing in Australia!
We explore Will’s wholesome childhood- growing up playing music, sports and fishing. We chat about what it’s like having an identical twin brother and working at Coles Deli (one week shy of 5 years), his “home away from home.”
We chat about Kai’s natural knack for technology when he got his first computer at 11. We chat about his choice to go back to university to pursue software engineering after completing his law degree. Finally, we chat about his love for the outdoors, travel, camping, fishing and of course, video games!!
Lloyd studied Bachelor of Science (Applied Maths and statistics with a minor computing) despite disliking maths, nevertheless, saw it through. Together we explore his journey and connect the dots of how he started out in IT support technician and found himself into knowledge management.
We chat about Julia not liking to quit things, staying loyal and and her travels to 36 different countries.
We chat about Genevieve starting martial arts at 9 years old and how it helped her grow in confidence. We chat about general life as a high school student and future aspirations!
We chat about Wei Lyn Ong's shyness as a kid growing up and her move from Malaysia to Australia and making friends in high school. We also chat about her current work at KPMG enterprise and what drew her to accounting!
We chat about what it's like cooking (almost) 10-course lunch parties for friends, what happiness looks like and loving the work you do.
We chat about being a shy kid growing up but still having a passion for performing and acting. We chat about Katie's interest in people! and what motivates and drives individuals!
We chat about the hard realities and sacrifices about having a demanding job whilst also being a mum. We chat about "figuring it out as you go" and how consulting really helps with one's ability to cope with uncertainty.
We chat about Vanessa's logical brain and how it got it her in trouble when she was younger because she missed some important social cues. We chat about "doing things on a whim" and getting outside one's comfort zone!
We chat about song writing with Levi, growing up and wanting to a Rockstar and how performing music gave him a lot of confidence.
We chat about going to Hong Kong for her Bachelor's Degree, going to Canada on Exchange and doing her Masters in Australia. We chat about growing up in a small bubble and tight knit community in India and her desire for adventure and travel!
We chat about being Head Girl in high school, 12 years of martial arts, and Lili's gift with people and networking. We chat about her awesome opportunities, whether it be her KPMG, Deloitte, EY internships, running a non-for-profit and how to make the most of uni!
We chat about David's inspiration behind his music, his love for keyboard and how music helps connect him with others.
We chat about how Thanh fell into speech pathology and why it "makes sense" looking back. We chat about farm life, values and the importance of having a "function" in society.
We chat about why "42" is the meaning of life and it was at 42 years of age Marti transitioned. We chat about her various careers including being in the British army, being a driving instructor, and many more to her current role as a police officer. Just going from one adventure to another!
We chat about Chris' artistic and mechanical brain and not having a solid career direction growing up. We chat about joining KPMG in 2000, the journey to partner and the multiple meanings to life.
We chat about Roosevelt's dislike for studying, his extroverted nature and why being project manager is the best job ever!
Surendra had the opportunity to become a millionaire as his businesses were doing very well however, he made the choice to focus his efforts on serving the community. We dig more into his decision, his thoughts on money and why he has never regretted his decision.
We chat about what it's like being a tall girl (186cm) and learning to embrace who you are. We also chat about becoming an avid runner during Covid lockdown to doing her first (and hopefully not last) half marathon!
We chat about Xue Li's struggles of growing up poor and seeing education as the golden opportunity to change one's life. We also explore some of his most exciting data science projects in healthcare and social media!
We chat about how Chanel came to study business, her uni experience and the role Christianity plays in her life. We are also super excited for her upcoming Business Transformation Grad role at ANZ!
We chat about being an elite sports person- competing in Goalball World Championships, what it feels like to be fully blind (with no light perception) and being grateful.
We chat about how Lara first got into diving, competing at an elite level, going to college in the States and retirement. We then explore the new chapter in her life doing HR advisory at KPMG!
We chat about Dom's chronic back pain since 16 years old, the temporary paralysis that came with it as well as how he coped and recovered when he went to college in the States. We also touch on his various career transitions, from professional tennis player to entrepreneur to KPMG tech risk consultant while simultaneously playing Padel for Australia.
We chat a bit about finding a balance between the rigorous study of a medical student and creative interests, as well as keeping an eye on mental health. Elizabeth talks about gaining self-confidence through her exploration of fashion as a creative outlet, and how music plays an important role in her life.
It was so great to chat to Alex about growing up on a farm (but not really) and chatting about going through QA SMT to UQ BAFE then finally to KPMG.
We chat about Firen's journey in teaching people how to speak (teaching English as a second language) and to fight (teaching Wing Chun).
We chat about about Ned's open heart surgery at just 10 days old, his humble beginnings moving furniture into aged care and journey to becoming a Big 4 consultant.
We chat about how sometimes direction is more important than effort, how to avoid being "trapped by your success" as well as Paul's strong work ethic!
We chat about Hayley's current transition from UQ Marketing Officer into a job sharing role doing UQ website-related things.
We chat about the reality of what it takes to run a café- the long hours, the difficulty in finding "good people" as well as being on exchange in Copenhagen during Covid and being frugal (haha).
We chat about Khoi's early childhood experiences and how he built up his confidence as well as his career change from sales to the coaching space.
We chat to Bryan about his passion for game design and how he manages his double life as a KPMG tech risk consultant and QUT tutor!
We chat about Emma's love for human connection and her past 14 years in the international education sector. We also explore her various mottos including "student for life", "live, love, and laugh" and much more!
We chat about how Ben ended up at KPMG IT Helpdesk straight out of uni, the joys of gaming, and living a simple, happy and fulfilled life.
Shout out to Marion for her honesty (perhaps a bit too honest for the internet) throughout the interview! We explore growing up in the jungle, breaking bones & near death experiences but being still alive (hence, the unlucky lucky) as well as her first job straight out of university teaching kids in an Aboriginal community.
We chat about Kenny growing up as a sickly child which prompted his parents to send him to learn martial arts. We learn about his first official job as a pastry chef to then a becoming a table game dealer to his later transition as finance broker in the automotive industry.
We chat about Andrew's childhood dreams to play cricket for Australia to deciding to study Economics and the 33 year journey to becoming KPMG's CEO.
We dig into Chris Wong's classic phrase of "Don't Do Things for No Reason," his bravery to pursue his dream to be a musician, and the surprising common ground between martial arts and music.
We chat about Anton's mixture of different hobbies as well as her journey into CFO advisory.
Hiya, today we chat to Felipe about his double life as an engineer and cleaner and why he does what he does. We also explore his hobbies like martial arts and uncover his philosophy about life.
We chat about Tapani's initial dreams to be a teacher, finding his passion for research and what a day-in-the-life looks like.
We chat about Katie's initial career dreams of being a dietitians, to studying human resources at TAFE then about finding your place in the career world.
We chat about a life of teaching, being an academic that works closely with industry, and building a brand for yourself.
We chat about Tania's journey since joining toastmasters, and how she is the wildest senior I know.
Paul was interesting to chat to, we learn about his contracting work with KPMG, starting various companies and the value of coaching.
Michael was lovely to chat to, we talk about the benefits of doing a double degree in commerce and psych, his work ethic and the day-in-the-life. .
Faith was brilliant to chat to, we explore leaving home at 15 years old, starting her third company and the meaning of life.
Frank and I chat about his journey in starting university at 15 years old, his motivation to learn and his curiosity.
Pia was so much fun to chat to, we chat about starting martial arts at 10 years old, wanting to be a vet, and her passion for working in the public sector for social good.
Cameron was a pleasure to chat to, we explore his love for the sonic world, what's it like working in higher education, as well as his journey from high school to university.
Jenine was a pleasure to chat to, we talk all things about starting companies, empowering women in tech, as well as doing research!
Shoutout to Sonja for the connection!
Raeyeong was fun to chat to and we explore what it was like to look after her cute sister when she was in primary school, the brochure that led her to Urban Engineering and how she met her husband :)) hehe
Brooke was so much fun to chat to, we talk about growing up with undiagnosed autism, being an "alien" and now her mission for inclusion and supporting diversity in education.
Sol's journey is incredible, she has written a graphic novel (Historias Clandestinas) on her childhood and we discuss how her earlier experiences have shaped her today.
Bruce has had quite the journey, we talk about failure, having a vision for yourself and lessons learnt from how to deal with people.
We chat about Stan's wild adventures when travelling, his consulting roles and how he found his way into research.
We talk about Abby growing up (attending 11 different schools in 4 different countries) as well as her love for economics since age 14 and her 8 year consulting journey.
Stuart has dabbled in a few different careers and even considered becoming a priest at one point in time , it's interesting to follow his life's journey.
Armando was hilarious to chat to, we talk about his entrepreneurial endeavours, his passion for teaching students and in general, the value in understanding different perspectives.
We talk about doing deep focussed work, whether a PhD was worth it and why he was encouraged by lecturers to pursue a PhD.
Darren was so fun to chat to, we talk about dropping out of uni twice, his passion for reading and writing from a young age, and the experiences of being a shy, introverted guy!
We chat about Tri as a child, growing up with 4 languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and English) and what has changed since then.
Jane was easy to chat to, she is quick to take actions on new ideas that pop into her mind. We talk about her growing up as an "obnoxious", smart child, being enrolled in a social work degree, starting her own business then breaking into blockchain. Shout out to Sonja for the connection! :D
Adrian was fun to chat too, this episode contains a bit too much banter, laughter, and sarcasm. We talk about being a goody two shoes in primary school to testing boundaries, protective parents, and having your heart set on software engineering from a young age.
Chris is humble and down-to-earth and we chat about how hard it was to give up architecture (6 years of study done) and go back to university to do a second degree in exercise science. We also explore the difficulties in being a business owner- learning to let go of control, diversifying your revenue streams, and rebuilding after your business burns down.
Ryan Webb is down-to-earth, easy to chat to and we discuss anything from bullying, hospitality, surrogacy to becoming UQ MBA Careers Consultant.
Sarah was a pleasure to chat to and we explore anything from the various jobs she's taken, leaving psychology and her journey to finding her passion in career advising.
Maria was so great to chat to, I really got to learn more about her. It was great talking about her childhood, her journey to Australia, and some of the steps that lead her to where she is today.
Valentina was super fun to chat to, I admire her courage, resilience and determination to carve out her own path in life
Zelda is funny and charismatic and we explore some of her childhood dreams of being a table superstar and scientist.
Note- the correct Gaokao sequence is actually Day 1- Chinese and Maths and Day 2- Science and English.
Sonja is funny, adventurous and authentic. We talk anything from being a uni dropout, being sacked, starting your own business, single parenting and being bestowed the Medal of the Order of Australia.
Note- the pronunciation of "sonja" has a similar pronunciation to "sonia." I am so sorry for the mispronunciation, Sonja! :P but I did manage to correct myself after the beginning part.
Also, the quality of the audio is a bit muffled due to incorrect microphone settings. My bad, hope the good conversation makes up for it!
Katrina is warm and compassionate but also, full of curiosity and her "just give it a go" attitude is inspiring. It's funny to see how her various professions of being the world champion power lifter, psychologist and nurse all tie in together for an extraordinary life.
Mark was heaps of fun to talk to, this episode definitely has a lot of loud laughing, for sure. Mark’s love statistics is impressive but his love for learning is even more amazing. He is currently doing his 6th degree and is just getting started!
It was really interesting to see how Len found his way into teaching and the breakdown of the workload. We have a chat about his various careers, and his ultimate love for "methods."
Jeremy came across his love for languages almost by accident, through taking a Spanish elective at university with friends. Jeremy loves food, travel, adventure and anything to do with broadening his horizons.
Michael is funny, charismatic, and down-to-earth, and a collector of anything from typewriters to coffee cups. Together we we explore his childhood, academic life (from honours to phD), as well as choices that got him to where he is today.
Hello friends, I had a lovely chat with my friend Brian Kerle. It was great to take a trip down memory lane of the living basketball legend, but most importantly fellow human being. Thanks for coming, Brian! ☺️
Brian’s website: https://briankerlebasketball.com
Side note: I’m new to interviewing, please be kind in the comment section 😅
Hiya, had a super fun time chatting to Guy about his story about how China came to play a big role in his life. His story is about luck, bravery, and seizing opportunities along the way!