For Love & Money: Recent Episodes

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE

What does it actually take to run a purpose-driven business? Not talk about it — actually do it? Abdullah Ramay, CEO of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters, has a clear answer: start with great coffee. Purpose is an AND statement, not an OR statement. And if the product isn't excellent first, purpose can't carry it.
In this conversation, Abdullah shares his unconventional journey from Pakistan to Canada to Sydney — and how a part-time accounting role at a small Sydney roastery changed everything. He talks about what it means to steward a purpose-led business built by someone else, why the Australian cafe industry is facing a crisis hiding in plain sight, and what he believes is possible when the next generation of leaders stops treating profit and purpose as a trade-off.
On the day we recorded, Pablo & Rusty's had just released their 2025 Impact Report — five years of public accountability in action. The ambitions inside it are audacious for a business of their size. This conversation brings those ambitions to life.

WHAT WE COVER

• Why love is necessary but not sufficient — and what else purpose-driven leaders need
  Abdullah's journey from Pakistan to Canada to Sydney, and the part-time job that changed his plans
• The GFC, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the seeds of a values-led career
• Why Pablo & Rusty's describes itself as a coffee company first
• The 2030 goals: $1 million to 1% for the Planet, a regenerative blend, and Science Based Net Zero
• How P&R builds shared goals — and why vigorous disagreement is part of the process
• The coffee value gap: why Australian espresso prices are roughly 40% below the OECD average and what's at stake for cafe culture
• Why being busy is not the same as being profitable
• Profit and purpose as AND statements — not OR

ABOUT ABDULLAH RAMAY

Abdullah Ramay is the CEO of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters, a B Corp certified, Carbon Neutral Organisation and 1% for the Planet member based in Sydney. He is a recognised industry leader and advocate for the specialty coffee industry, particularly around sustainable cafe economics and the coffee value gap. Beyond his executive role, Abdullah serves as a non-executive director of the Westmead Hospital Foundation and as a board member of ARCA (Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association). He advises early-stage startups and mentors emerging leaders across business, technology, and purpose-driven leadership.

RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED

• Connect with Abdullah on Linkedin
• Pablo & Rusty's website
• Pablo & Rusty's 2025 Impact Report
• Abdullah's LinkedIn article — Lessons in Purpose
• Let My People Go Surfing — Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni
• 1% for the Planet
• Episode 66 — Saxon Wright, Founder, Pablo & Rusty's

WORK WITH CAROLYN

Carolyn Butler-Madden works with leaders and organisations on how purpose becomes a powerful driver of trust, performance, and resilience. She speaks at leadership conferences and company events about how purpose shows up where it matters most — in leadership, culture, and strategy — helping organisations grow with clarity and confidence in a changing world.

Keynote speaking: Carolyn Butler-Madden

Consulting: The Cause Effect

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EPISODE OVERVIEWWhat if the biggest obstacle to creating change in your organisation isn't a lack of resources, effort, or intention — but the questions you're asking? That's the central challenge Hildy Gottlieb has spent 30 years answering, and it cuts right to the heart of what purpose-driven leadership actually requires.

Hildy Gottlieb is a futurist, social scientist, and the developer of Catalytic Thinking — a question-based framework for systems change published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review and used by nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, and purpose-driven businesses around the world. Over three decades working with community organisations, Hildy and her partner Dimitri Petropolis made a confronting discovery: the tools most organisations rely on to pursue change — strategic planning, resource development, board governance — were never designed to create the world we want. They were designed to maintain the world we have.

In this conversation, Hildy unpacks the deceptively simple maths behind why most change efforts stall, walks us through the seven questions of Catalytic Thinking, and makes a compelling case for why the most important thing a purpose-driven leader can do right now — in business, nonprofit, or social enterprise — is dream bigger, not smaller.

Listeners can expect actionable ideas for leaders in nonprofit, social enterprise and business who want to move from reactive fixes to ambitious, inclusive change — starting with one simple shift: change the questions, change the world.

WHO THIS EPISODE IS FORThis episode is for you if you're a CEO, nonprofit leader, social entrepreneur, sustainability or ESG leader, or anyone responsible for organisational strategy and culture who:

• Wants to move beyond incremental, reactive change toward genuine systems change
• Is grappling with how to embed purpose more deeply into how your organisation plans and operates
• Leads teams and wants to unlock more creativity, inclusion, and collective ownership
• Is navigating a difficult external environment and looking for a framework that builds resilience and hope alongside action
• Is curious about what inclusive leadership and stakeholder-centred strategy actually looks like in practice

ABOUT HILDY GOTTLIEBHildy Gottlieb is the co-founder of Creating the Future and the developer of Catalytic Thinking — a framework for social change rooted in neuroscience, mathematics, and economics. Her work has been published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and her SSIR article on Movements vs. Organizations was selected to open their ebook Essentials of Social Innovation: Transforming Leadership — and directly inspired the design of the Community Centric Fundraising movement.

Hildy is a TEDx speaker and the author of multiple books used as texts in undergraduate and graduate programs around the world. With her partner Dimitri Petropolis, she co-founded the world's first Diaper Bank, sparking a movement across North America and earning a Points of Light Citation from President Bill Clinton. She helped develop the Masters degree program in Community Leadership at Duquesne University (pron. Dew-cáyne), where she and Dimitri taught as professors, and has lectured at institutions including UC Berkeley and the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Her forthcoming book, How to Create the Future, distils 30 years of research and demonstration projects on what actually creates lasting change.

WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE* Why love isn't just welcome in business — it's essential to good decision-making, and why its absence leads to what Hildy calls 'really dumb decisions' * How Hildy and Dimitri moved from commercial real estate to founding a social change movement — and what values drove that journey * The five-year wake-up call: why doing nonprofit strategic planning 'the right way' produced good reputations but no community change * The maths that changes everything: why less bad does not equal good, and what the number line from minus one to plus one reveals about how organisations set their ambitions * Why most organisations are aiming at zero — and how Catalytic Thinking reorients purpose-driven leaders toward the positive future they actually want to create * The seven questions of Catalytic Thinking, grouped into Radical Inclusion, Radical Possibility, and Radical Strength * Why the first question — who will be affected, and what will it take to include them — changes everything downstream in organisational planning * Radical Inclusion vs. target marketing: why centering your community (not your organisation) produces fundamentally different strategy * Why strategic planning inherited from the military and church charity was never designed to create systems change — and what to use instead * The Amy's Organic Foods story: what a small startup learned about collaboration by calling one of the world's largest frozen food companies * Why money is not a resource — and the concept of Collective Enoughness that transforms how organisations think about what they already have * The AIDS coalition story: how asking 'what does good look like for the whole community?' led to orange T-shirts and a breakthrough in HIV prevention among seniors * How purpose-driven leaders can hold onto hope and long-term vision while navigating a world that feels like it's moving backwards * Why simultaneously resisting what's wrong and creating what's possible is the only path out of playing defence forever

KEY INSIGHTSLess bad is not the same as good — and the maths proves it

Hildy uses a simple number line — minus one to plus one, with zero in the middle — to expose a structural flaw in how most organisations pursue change. When success is defined as eliminating a problem, we're aiming at zero: a world without poverty, without homelessness, without illness. But zero isn't good. It's stasis. The question that unlocks genuine systems change isn't 'how do we end this bad thing?' It's 'what does a healthy, equitable, joyful community actually look like — and what will it take to create that?' Purpose-driven leaders who make this shift stop playing defence and start building something worth aiming at.

The questions leaders ask determine the results organisations get

Every thought is the answer to a question — including the questions we don't know we're asking. Conventional strategic planning asks 'what can we accomplish in the next two years?' or 'what can we get funded?' Those questions produce reactive, incremental plans. Catalytic Thinking asks 'what would our community look like if we were 100% successful?' — and that question produces a fundamentally different strategy. For purpose-driven leaders, the implication is significant: the questions you bring into your planning process are already shaping what's possible before anyone picks up a pen.

Radical Inclusion: start by asking who isn't in the room

The first question of Catalytic Thinking is: who will be affected by whatever we're considering, and what would it take for them to be part of the decision — or even to lead the direction we take? A 30-person strategic planning group making decisions that affect a million people isn't just inefficient — it's structurally designed to miss the most important knowledge available. Radical Inclusion is the opposite of target marketing: instead of narrowing your focus to who you think matters, you expand it to everyone who will be touched by your work. That shift, Hildy argues, is where love enters leadership.

Money is not a resource — and reframing this unlocks abundance

Money is a means of exchange for the things organisations actually need: information, expertise, relationships, space, vehicles, cooking facilities. When leaders jump straight to 'we need more funding,' they skip past the question of what they truly need — and miss the abundance that already exists in their community. Hildy calls this Collective Enoughness: together, we already have everything we need. It's only when organisations go it alone, in a scarcity mindset, that they experience lack. For nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs especially, this reframe changes how you approach partnerships, resource-sharing, and community engagement.

Hope is a leadership practice, not a feeling

In a world that feels like it's moving backwards, Hildy's challenge to purpose-driven leaders is direct: resist and react, yes — but simultaneously plan for the world you want. If all we do is play defence, we'll be playing defence forever. The current moment is part of a longer pendulum swing, and the organisations that will matter in 10 years are the ones building toward what's possible right now — not just protecting against what's wrong. Hope isn't wishful thinking. It's a practice rooted in concrete planning, causality-driven strategy, and the brain science that says creativity requires quieting the reactive, fear-driven part of the brain.

RESOURCES MENTIONED* Creating the Future (includes free weekly Catalytic Thinking exercises via newsletter) * Hildy's forthcoming book: How to Create the Future (out late 2026) * Hildy's TEDx Talk * Hildy's article in Stanford Social Innovation Review: 'Creating a Better World Means Asking Better Questions' * The Catalytic Thinking fact sheet: The 7 Questions * The Creating the Future podcast * Community Centric Fundraising movement

CONNECT WITH HILDY* Website: creatingthefuture.org * Newsletter: creatingthefuture.org — sign up for free weekly Catalytic Thinking exercises * Amazon: search 'Hildy Gottlieb' for full book list

WORK WITH CAROLYNCarolyn Butler-Madden works with leaders and organisations on how purpose becomes a powerful driver of trust, performance, and resilience. She speaks at leadership conferences and company events about how purpose shows up where it matters most — in leadership, culture, and strategy — helping organisations grow with clarity and confidence in a changing world.

• Keynote speaking: Carolyn Butler-Madden
• Consulting: The Cause Effect

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EPISODE OVERVIEWEpisode 100 is a milestone celebration — and a role reversal. This time, Carolyn Butler-Madden is in the guest seat, interviewed by purpose champion and trusted colleague Peter ter Weeme. Together they reflect on 100 episodes of For Love & Money: the insights that have surprised, some of the stories that guests have shared, and the ideas that have grown more powerful with every conversation.

What began as a 12-episode companion to Carolyn’s book became something far bigger — a growing archive of proof that purpose-led business is not a trade-off but a compounding advantage. This episode draws threads across all 100 conversations: love as the unexpected connective tissue, purpose as the engine of genuine innovation, and identity as the foundation everything else is built on.

ABOUT PETER TER WEEMEPeter ter Weeme is one of Canada’s most respected purpose champions — a leader whose commitment to purpose in challenging industries has earned him recognition that goes well beyond titles. The Canadian Purpose Economy Project named its Purpose Champions Award in his honour: the Peter ter Weeme Purpose Champions Award. He and Carolyn collaborate through Purpose Ignition, and his decision to turn the tables and interview Carolyn for this milestone episode is a tribute to the relationship they’ve built through shared belief in what business can be.

THEMES EXPLORED IN THIS EPISODELove as the unexpected constant* Why Carolyn opens every interview with the question: “Do you believe there’s a role for love in business?” * How “love” arrives differently in every conversation — and yet keeps arriving * The Dave Dahl story: a guest who resisted the question and answered it completely by the end * What 100 episodes have clarified: when business is driven by humanity and is profitable, that is business at its absolute best

Purpose and profit: proof over 100 episodes* The case for purpose and profit going hand in hand rather than head-to-head * Intrepid Travel: from Episode 2 to Episode 99, the most-featured guest on the show and why — on track to $1.3B, AFR Fast Growth List 2024 (#2), B Corp certified * The elephant rides decision: pulling out of a highly profitable offering because it conflicted with who they were * The Antarctica decision: withdrawing from a profitable tour and partnering to do it more sustainably * Sarah King’s concept of “impatient capital”: purpose held to the same standard as financial targets * COVID as a test: Intrepid going to zero revenue overnight, using purpose as their North Star — and rehiring most of those they’d let go * Other proof points: Who Gives a Crap, Outland Denim, Future Super, Dave’s Killer Bread (sold to Flower Foods for $275M USD)

Purpose as the engine of genuine innovation* Good Citizens Eyewear: born around a dining table during a climate conversation — Harry Robinson (aged 8) holding a water bottle next to a pair of sunnies * Koskela: an office furniture subscription model designed to solve the waste problem, applying a familiar model in a new context * Pioneera (Danielle Owen Whitford): an AI-driven language model that detects burnout signals in workplace communication platforms like Slack and Teams * film (Elizabeth Tyler): a film platform built to bridge a divided world — curating films that tackle complex social issues including domestic violence and coercive control * Athena Manley / The Flexible CEO: identifying a two-sided problem (experienced C-suite leaders overlooked; mid-sized businesses unable to attract quality CEOs) and building a bridge * Robin Power / Insitutek: civil engineering touches 70% of Australia’s emissions — using that stat as a foundation for a new kind of company built around positive impact * The pattern that kept emerging: people who had been “smashed” by their own experience and came out of it determined to help others avoid the same

Purpose isn’t powerful until it’s personal* Sandy Blackburn (Ep 89): 15 years in South Africa, living in townships, married into a Black South African family — Ubuntu as an antidote to Western individualism, and “money as a way to buy yourself space to love” * Simon Sheikh (Ep 4): founding Future Super with a question — “In 2050 my son will be 35. What’s the world going to look like? I can’t sit on my hands” * Peter Baines (Ep 91): forensic investigator sent to the Bali bombings and the Boxing Day tsunami — founder of Hands Across the Water, unable to walk away from what he saw * James Bartle / Outland Denim: a champion motocross rider who saw the film Taken, then witnessed sex trafficking firsthand in Cambodia — “I could not walk past this” * Desmond Campbell: introducing himself in language before the interview — discovering he was descended from Vincent Lingiari of the Wave Hill Walk-Off, and how knowing that changed everything * The big takeaway across 100 episodes: “If your purpose isn’t connected to who you are, I’d question whether it’s genuinely a purpose”

The next chapter: Episodes 101 and beyond* Carolyn’s intention for the next 100: create more space to go deeper into the guest’s personal purpose and the story that brought them there * The connection to the third book: identity + purpose + action = the stories people tell about who their organisation truly is * Purpose isn’t powerful until it’s personal — the single thread that runs through every episode

GUESTS AND EPISODES REFERENCED* Geoff Manchester, Co-founder, Intrepid Travel — Ep 2 (also featured across multiple episodes – Ep 69 Part I & Part II; Ep 99 Sara King) * Dave Dahl, Creator, Dave’s Killer Bread — Ep 8 * Simon Sheikh, CEO & Co-founder, Future Super — Ep 4 * Sandy Blackburn, Founder Social Outcomes — Ep 89 * Peter Baines, Founder, Hands Across the Water — Ep 91 * Sarah King, GM of Purpose, Intrepid Travel — Ep 99 * Robin Power, Founder, Insitutek & Ground Improvement — recent episode (Ep 97) * Nik & Harry Robinson, Good Citizens Eyewear * Sasha Titchkosky (Koskela), office furniture & sustainability * Danielle Owen Whitford, Founder & CEO, Pioneera * Elizabeth Tyler, Founder good.film – Ep 90 * Athena Manley, The Flexible CEO – Ep 94 * James Bartle, Founding CEO, Outland Denim – Ep 10 * Simon Griffiths, CEO Who Gives A Crap – Ep 29 * Desmond Campbell, CEO Welcome To Country – Ep 59 * Peter ter Weeme – Ep 86

WORK WITH CAROLYNBook Carolyn as a keynote speaker: carolynbutlermadden.com

Purpose consulting and advisory: thecauseeffect.com.au

Connect with Carolyn on Linkedin

Get in touch: carolyn@thecauseeffect.com.au

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

What does it look like when purpose isn't a department, a report, or a communications device — but the operating system of an entire business?

Sara King is General Manager of Purpose at Intrepid Travel, one of the world's most recognised purpose-led businesses. She's responsible for delivering Intrepid's environmental, social and governance commitments across a remarkable scope: climate action, gender equality, modern slavery, reconciliation, animal welfare and the Intrepid Foundation.

This is Carolyn's fourth Intrepid episode — and there's something poetic about it landing at Episode 99. The very first guest on this podcast, back at Episode 2, was Geoff Manchester, co-founder of Intrepid. Some organisations just keep giving you things worth talking about.

In this conversation, Sara and Carolyn explore what it truly means to embed purpose into business strategy — not as an add-on, but as the guide for every significant decision the business makes. Including some very difficult ones.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE

• Why Sara describes her role not as a purpose leader, but as a facilitator of others creating impact — and why that distinction matters
• How Intrepid embeds purpose into its board-level scorecard, treating impact targets with the same accountability as financial targets
• The Antarctica decision: why Intrepid exited a profitable product on environmental grounds — and why revenue targets went up anyway
• How Intrepid's shift from carbon offsetting to a decarbonisation fund is reshaping its entire business strategy and growth profile
• The vertically integrated model that enables Intrepid's local impact — and the India story that brought it to life
• Why Intrepid's Borneo family trip is a masterclass in turning environmental education into lasting memory
• How Intrepid created an activism trip in response to US national park funding cuts — and why it sold out in ten minutes
• What B Corp certification has meant for Intrepid's culture of accountability — and what the new standards will demand
• Why purpose-led hiring attracts over 220 applicants for a single role — and what executives need to speak fluently at Intrepid

ABOUT SARA KING

Sara King is Intrepid's General Manager of Purpose, responsible for delivering the company's environmental, social and governance commitments, including as a signatory to the UN Global Compact and a certified B Corp. Her remit includes Reconciliation, Modern Slavery, climate change, gender equality, animal welfare and the Intrepid Foundation.

Prior to joining Intrepid, Sara held a number of roles at the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, including a posting to Vanuatu where she delivered a national investment incentive scheme for tourism. Sara holds a Master's in International Relations and Affairs from Macquarie University and a Graduate Certificate of Management from the UNSW Business School.

ABOUT INTREPID TRAVEL

Intrepid Travel has been a world leader in responsible travel for more than 35 years. The company's mission is to create positive change through the joy of travel, which comes to life on more than 900 trips designed to truly experience local culture. With its own network of country offices in 33 countries, Intrepid has unique local expertise and perspectives. B Corp certified since 2018, their not-for-profit, The Intrepid Foundation, has disbursed more than $20 million to more than 160 partners.

RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED

• Intrepid Travel website
• The Intrepid Foundation website
• Intrepid's 2025 Integrated Annual Report
• The Good Times — 10 new purposeful ways to travel responsibly
• Sara King on LinkedIn

WORK WITH CAROLYN

Looking for a keynote speaker who will challenge your thinking on purpose-led leadership? Visit carolynbutlermadden.com

Ready to embed purpose into the heart of your business strategy? Visit thecauseeffect.com.au

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

What does it really take to do your best work as a leader? Cherie Mylordis has spent her career at the leading edge of that question — from the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games to boardrooms across the globe. Her research with 200 leaders revealed a confronting truth: only one in three felt they were doing their best work. And when she dug deeper, even those who said yes were constrained in almost exactly the same ways as everyone else.

In this conversation, Cherie shares the experiences that shaped her thinking — growing up as the first in her family to go to university, finding herself at the forefront of change management before anyone knew what to call it, and what the Olympics taught her about what people are truly capable of when purpose ignites them.

She introduces her Work in 3D framework — Dare, Ditch, Dial — and explains why the middle D is the one most organisations keep missing. And she makes a compelling case for why, in an age of AI and uncertainty, the most urgent work leaders can do is create the conditions for their people to thrive.

WHAT WE COVER

• Why Cherie became what she calls a "conscious curator" — and how that instinct has driven her entire career
• What it was really like to be employee number 52 at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games — and the radical ways of working that made it the best Games ever
• The research finding that stopped her in her tracks: two thirds of leaders are not doing their best work — and why even those who say they are may be more constrained than they realise
• The Work in 3D framework: Dare (bold purpose), Ditch (let go of what no longer serves), and Dial (future-focused ways of leading and working)
• Why "ditch" is the D most organisations skip — and what gets left on the table as a result
• The concept of "conscious unbossing" and what Gen Z's rejection of traditional career ladders signals for the future of leadership
• The Siemens Energy innovation sprint: coaching a global team through the "messy middle" to produce some of the highest-scoring initiatives in the program
• A small coaching intervention that helped a talented woman engineer stop undermining herself — and end up delivering the final pitch
• Cherie's big audacious goal: making Work in 3D a global movement, not the exception

ABOUT CHERIE MYLORDIS

Cherie Mylordis is a leadership, innovation and future of work expert passionate about helping people do their best work and make a meaningful difference.

With decades of experience across diverse sectors, including leadership roles for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Cherie has seen what’s possible when people are united by purpose and given the right conditions to thrive.

As the founder of nextgenify and nextgenify Academy, she works with leaders at all levels to challenge outdated ways of working and create environments where purpose, leadership and change come together for a better future.

Recognised as a LinkedIn Top Voice, Cherie’s work is featured in podcasts and publications including CEO Magazine, Dynamic Business and HR Leader, where she shares practical insights and fresh perspectives to help leaders navigate change and shape the future of work.

CONNECT WITH CHERIE MYLORDIS

• LinkedIn: Cherie Mylordis
• Website: nextgenify
• Academy: nextgenify academy

RESOURCES MENTIONED

• Work in 3D framework — Dare, Ditch, Dial. Cherie Mylordis / nextgenify
• Exponential Organisations — Salim Ismail (book referenced in relation to the Siemens Energy innovation sprint methodology)
• Conscious Unbossing — a term that emerged from UK research on how Gen Z relates to traditional management careers

WORK WITH CAROLYN

• Keynote speaking: carolynbutlermadden.com
• Purpose-led consulting: The Cause Effect

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EPISODE OVERVIEWSeventy percent. That's the share of Australia's emissions associated with the infrastructure we build and operate — roads, railways, airports, tunnels. And the profession best placed to move that number? Civil engineering. Which also happens to be one of the most conservative industries on the planet.

Robin Power is the Chief Executive of Insitutek and the founding Chair of Ground Level Alliance — a volunteer-powered non-profit with a single ambition: to make sustainability a daily practice for the people who design and build our world.

He's not a civil engineer by training. He's a manufacturing engineer — which means he sees the industry through a people-and-process lens that most in the sector don't have. And it was that outsider's perspective, combined with a painful experience of losing everything in a failed property venture, that set him on the path to purpose.

In this conversation, Robin and Carolyn explore what it really means to use business as a force for good — and what it costs to choose to be a change agent in an industry that doesn't always want to change.

THEMES EXPLORED* Business as a relationship — and what it means to show up for clients when they're "up against the wall" * The painful moment that reframed everything: losing a property business and what emerged from that period of deep reflection * Why 70% of Australia's emissions connect back to civil engineering — and why the profession has more power than it realises * The London Underground case study: how looking through a carbon lens changed what was possible * Ground Level Alliance: building a movement of change with volunteer power and a vision of industry-wide transformation * The first follower principle — why change agents need their people, not just their conviction * Legacy thinking at 50: what it means to be in your "legacy phase" before you're anywhere near retirement * B Corp certification in civil engineering — why most clients don't care, and why Robin does it anyway * The Melbourne Business School partnership and what a sustainability course built into "flow of work" could unlock

ABOUT ROBIN POWERChief Executive, Insitutek, and Chair, Ground Level Alliance

Robin Power has spent his career pushing boundaries – and encouraging others to do the same. A strategist, educator, and advocate, he brings fresh thinking to civil construction challenges, combining practical experience, theoretical knowledge, and business acumen blended with his manufacturing engineer background.

For over 15 years, Robin has partnered with consultants, asset owners, government agencies, contractors, and researchers across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific to implement modern in situ testing and ground improvement methods that boost construction productivity, reduce costs, improve quality, minimise risk, and lower environmental impact.

Robin also champions sustainability as founding chair of Ground Level Alliance.

LINKS & RESOURCESInsitutekGround Level AllianceClick the 'Get Involved' tab to explore how to contribute — from sharing case studies to joining the community.

Connect with RobinRobin Power on LinkedIn

Mentioned in This Episode* B Corp Movement * Ground Level Alliance Sustainability in Civil Construction Course (in development, in partnership with Melbourne Business School) * Derek Sivers: First Follower — Leadership Lessons from a Dancing Guy (YouTube) * Intrepid Travel — intrepidtravel.com

ABOUT FOR LOVE & MONEYFor Love & Money is the podcast for leaders who believe that profit and purpose belong together. Each episode, host Carolyn Butler-Madden explores the intersection of business performance, human-centred leadership, and meaningful change — through stories of the people who are doing it.

Hosted by Carolyn Butler-Madden, founder of The Cause Effect.

Subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts.

WORK WITH CAROLYNIf this conversation sparked something for you, Carolyn works with leaders and organisations who want to put purpose at the centre of their business.

Keynote speaking — carolynbutlermadden.com

Purpose-led consulting — thecauseeffect.com.au

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Episode Overview

What does a performing arts institution have to teach the business world? As it turns out — everything.

In this episode, Carolyn speaks with Terri Martin, Head of Corporate at NIDA — the National Institute of Dramatic Art — about why communication is the most underinvested leadership skill in organisations today, and what happens when leaders finally get it right.

Terri's journey to this work is anything but conventional. From a mortifying early experience presenting to a major client, to building and leading businesses across marketing, not-for-profit and education, she arrived at NIDA with a uniquely personal understanding of why so many leaders struggle to communicate with clarity and confidence — and what it costs them when they do.

Together, Carolyn and Terri explore why communication is far more than the words we choose, how performers' techniques can transform business leaders, and why the ability to inspire, influence and connect is absolutely vital for anyone who wants to lead a movement of change.

In This Episode

Terri and Carolyn cover a lot of ground, including the three components of communication — words, voice and body — and why most leaders only focus on one. They discuss what actors understand about presence that many leaders don't, why the pause is one of the most powerful tools a communicator has, and how communication misaligned with purpose creates distrust rather than followership. Terri also draws a sharp distinction between performing leadership and truly embodying it, and shares her vision for a future where communication skills are taught in schools.

About Terri Martin

Terri Martin is a commercial business leader passionate about helping individuals, teams and organisations communicate with clarity, confidence and impact. Terri leads NIDA Corporate Training, the National Institute of Dramatic Art's executive education business. The division works with leading organisations across Australia to develop communication, presentation and leadership capability using NIDA's world-renowned performer-training techniques. Each year, thousands of professionals participate in programs designed to strengthen presence, influence and authentic leadership in the workplace.

Before joining NIDA, Terri built and led consultancy businesses, marketing agencies and not-for-profit organisations, and began her career working in marketing and media including at Nickelodeon in London. This mix of commercial and creative experience underpins her strong belief in the power of communication to transform careers, teams and organisations.

Terri is an alumna of The Marketing Academy Leadership Program, a mentor for Future Women and previously served as Vice Chair and Non-Executive Director of ADHD Australia.

Connect with Terri:

On Linkedin

Nida corporate website

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In this International Women’s Day 2026 special, Carolyn Butler-Madden speaks with negotiation expert Sam Trattles about women in leadership, pay equity, professional development budgets, and the power of self-advocacy. Together they explore how conviction, craft and courage help leaders confidently ask for what they want — without damaging relationships — and why valuing yourself is a leadership responsibility, not an indulgence.

Episode OverviewWhat if balancing the scales doesn’t begin with policy — but with permission?

In this International Women’s Day special, I’m joined by Sam Trattles — strategic negotiator, Founder and CEO of Other Side, and author of I Love Negotiating and Negotiate Your Worth.

With experience across more than $575 million in negotiations, Sam has built a uniquely Australian methodology called The Power To Ask — helping leaders bridge the gap between knowing and asking.

But this conversation isn’t about becoming aggressive or combative.

It’s about the long shadow of the “good girl” conditioning.
It’s about the hidden cost of not asking.
And it’s about why valuing yourself is not indulgent — it’s leadership.

Together, we explore:

• Why so many women were raised to be “seen and not heard” — and how that still shapes behaviour at senior levels
• The financial, psychological and relational cost of not asking
• Why simply “doing a good job” rarely results in recognition or reward
• The myth that negotiation equals conflict
• The surprising hesitation of senior women to ask for professional development budget
• And how to structure a confident, strategic ask without blowing up the relationship

Sam unpacks her 3Cs framework:

Conviction — Do I truly believe what I’m asking for is fair and reasonable?
Craft — Have I prepared properly and understood the other perspective?
Courage — Am I willing to have the conversation, knowing the outcome may be yes, no or maybe?

As Sam reminds us:

“We know what we want to ask. We just don’t know how to do it so that we don’t blow up the relationship.”

And perhaps most powerfully:

“What’s the cost of not asking? That’s got to be greater than asking.”

This episode is an invitation — not just to ask for more — but to model what self-advocacy looks like in leadership.

Because if we want to balance the scales, perhaps it begins with valuing ourselves — not as an act of ego, but as an act of leadership.

About Sam TrattlesSam Trattles CEO-Founder | Strategic Negotiator | Author | Speaker

Fear stops people from asking for what they want. Sam Trattles is changing that. She helps leaders overcome the hurdle between knowing and asking.

With experience from over $575M in negotiations, Sam created a uniquely Australian methodology, The Power to Ask, taking insights from high-stakes negotiations into practical frameworks for everyday leadership challenges.

Author of bestselling books, I Love Negotiating and Negotiate Your Worth, Sam helps leaders find their voice in the moments that matter. It’s not about becoming an aggressive ‘gun-slinger instead, Sam teaches people how to negotiate their way, getting results whilst strengthening relationships.

As Founder and CEO of Other Side, Sam transforms powerless moments into acts of conviction, inviting you to confidently embrace the power to ask.

Learn more at: thepowertoask.com

Links & ResourcesSam on Linkedin

The Power To Ask Website

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If this conversation resonated with you, I’d be so grateful if you left a rating — and, if you have a moment, a short review on your favourite podcast platform.

It genuinely makes a difference. Ratings and reviews help more purpose-driven leaders discover these conversations — and grow a community of people who believe business can be a force for good.

And if you haven’t already, make sure you’re following or subscribing to the podcast so you don’t miss future episodes. There’s so much more to explore at the intersection of love and money.

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The Flexible CEO: Athena Manley on reimagining leadership, life and impactWhat if the leadership talent businesses need most is hiding in plain sight?
In this episode, I’m joined by Athena Manley, founder of The Flexible CEO, to explore a new leadership model connecting underutilised senior leaders with mid-sized organisations — and why reimagining leadership matters for people, performance and society.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

What happens when someone reaches the centre of corporate power — and decides the traditional leadership path no longer makes sense?

Athena is a strategist, advisor and entrepreneur whose career spans senior leadership roles across ASX-listed companies, Fortune 500 organisations and high-growth businesses. Just as she was being positioned for a CEO role, Athena paused to question the model itself — researching the personal, organisational and societal cost of how leadership is typically structured.

What she uncovered led her to create The Flexible CEO: a model designed to connect highly experienced, underutilised executives with mid-sized organisations that need senior capability but can’t always access it through traditional pathways.

At the heart of this work is a bridge — between boards of mid-sized organisations facing complex growth and transformation challenges, and what Athena calls “hidden superstars”: seasoned leaders whose talent is too often sidelined by outdated assumptions about age, career paths and leadership fit.

Athena shares the personal purpose driving this work — improving financial wellbeing and mental health — shaped by her own lived experience and what she witnessed growing up. We also explore the broader social impact of this model, including its potential to address ageism, unlock economic value and create healthier, more sustainable leadership outcomes.

In this conversation, Athena reflects on recent milestones — including speaking at Harvard and the United Nations, and the upcoming release of her book The Flexible CEO — and offers practical insights for leaders, boards and organisations curious about how this model could work for them.

This is a thoughtful, future-focused conversation about leadership — and what becomes possible when we design work around life, not sacrifice.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE:

• Why Athena chose to question the traditional CEO pathway — and what she found when she did
• The hidden cost of executive leadership on health, family and wellbeing
• How The Flexible CEO bridges the gap between organisations and “hidden superstar” leaders
• Age bias, the myth of being “overqualified,” and the talent we are wasting
• Portfolio careers, flexible leadership models and alternative CEO structures
• Why purpose isn’t powerful until it becomes personal
• What reimagining leadership could unlock for business, people and society

ABOUT ATHENA MANLEY

Athena Manley is a seasoned executive and owner of 3 companies. Across her 20+ year banking & insurance career, Athena has successfully led corporate strategy, distribution, IT, digital, people and culture, and business development in Fortune 500, ASX Top 10 and not-for-profit organisations.

Athena completed her MBA at UQ, being awarded the Excellence in Leadership Award, she is also a Harvard Alumnus and member of the AICD. Through her firm The Flexible CEO, Athena empowers businesses to navigate CEO transitions and CEO's and NEDs to transition to flexible portfolio careers. Her mission is to lead and inspire exceptional businesses that improve financial empowerment and mental health in society.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Athena on Linkedin

The Flexible CEO Website

Join the next ONLINE MASTERCLASS: Grow and succeed in a portfolio career- for CEOs, NEDs and Executives . Use code VIPCEO for free registration.

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Episode Overview

What does it look like when a global brand doesn’t just talk about values — but organises around them?

In this episode of For Love & Money, I’m joined by Hilary McAllister, Activism Manager at Ben & Jerry’s Australia.

Hilary’s path into activism has been anything but linear. Beginning her career in events, she followed a growing concern for climate and environmental justice into grassroots campaigning, co-founding the not-for-profit For Wild Places before stepping into one of the most unusual roles in Australian business — leading activism from inside a global brand.

In our conversation, Hilary shares what drew her into purpose-led work, why serendipity and shared values matter more than rigid career plans, and how Ben & Jerry’s approaches climate justice as an always-on commitment rather than a one-off campaign.

We explore how activism operates inside the business, what it takes to earn the right to speak on social issues, and why progress is rarely linear — especially when you’re working for long-term systemic change.

Hilary also takes us behind the scenes of a major Australian climate campaign, unpacks Ben & Jerry’s mission-lock structure, and reflects on the balance between urgency, hope and personal sustainability when working at the frontlines of climate action.

At its heart, this episode is about purpose in action — and what becomes possible when business chooses courage over convenience.

In this episode, we explore

• Hilary’s non-linear journey into activism and purpose-led work
• Why love does have a role to play in business — depending on how you define success
• How Ben & Jerry’s embeds climate justice into its Australian strategy
• What “always-on activism” looks like inside a global brand
• Why progress in social and environmental change is rarely neat or predictable
• The importance of community, partnerships and earning the right to speak
• How individuals can connect everyday climate observations with meaningful action

About Hilary McAllister

Hilary is based in Gadigal, Sydney, and is the Activism Manager at Ben & Jerry’s Australia. In her role, Hilary leads the strategic development and execution of climate justice campaigns, supporting grassroots campaigners across the country. A dedicated environmentalist, Hilary is also the CEO and co-founder of For Wild Places, a not-for-profit dedicated to protecting wild places under threat. Hilary’s path to activism has been anything but ordinary - shaped by curiosity, conviction, and a deep desire to contribute to lasting, planet-saving change.

Links & Resources

Hilary McAllister on Linkedin

Ben & Jerry's Australia website

For Wild Places website

Hilary's personal website

Ben & Jerry's Double Dip book - how to run a values-led business and make money too

Connect with Carolyn/Learn more about her work

Speaking website

Consulting, Leadership Development & Coaching

Linkedin

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EPISODE OVERVIEWWhat responsibility does business have in shaping the kind of country we want to be?

In this episode of the For Love & Money Podcast, I’m joined by Sarah Sheridan, Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of Clothing The Gaps — a certified Aboriginal business, social enterprise and B Corp that uses fashion as a platform for truth-telling, education and First Nations justice.

Sarah shares her personal journey from well-intentioned activism to deep accountability, and the realities of building a purpose-led business that must also be commercially sustainable to endure.

We talk candidly about the challenges of rapid growth, reshaping a business after COVID, and why purpose is not a magic pill — it demands better leadership, clearer focus and tougher decisions.

At the heart of this conversation is the Not a Date to Celebrate campaign, and a powerful exploration of why celebrating January 26 as Australia's national day remains deeply painful for First Nations people — and what role business can play in advocating for a more inclusive national story.

This is a grounded, honest and hopeful conversation about love in business — not as a soft idea, but as a force that requires courage, responsibility and action.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE

• Why Sarah believes love must be central to business, activism and leadership
• What it really takes to build a purpose-led business that can survive and scale
• The tension between impact and commercial sustainability — and why both matter
• Why January 26 is not a date to celebrate for Australia Day, and how the narrative can change with an alternative national day of unity
• The Not a Date to Celebrate campaign and how businesses can get involved
• Allyship, fear of “getting it wrong,” and how to move forward responsibly
• Future dreaming: What Australia could look like in ten years if we choose a more inclusive story

ABOUT SARAH SHERIDAN

Sarah Sheridan is the Co-Founder and Deputy CEO of Clothing The Gaps, a Melbourne-based streetwear label and social enterprise that champions Aboriginal people, culture and justice through fashion.

A certified Aboriginal business, social enterprise and B Corp, Clothing The Gaps is widely known for its role in national conversations around truth-telling, allyship and the movement to change the date of Australia Day.

Sarah grew up on a farm in north-central Victoria on Wotjobaluk Country and brings a deeply reflective, values-driven approach to leadership — grounded in listening, learning and long-term impact.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Learn more about Clothing The Gaps

Explore and support the Not a Date to Celebrate campaign

Sign the petition or find ways for your business to get involved

Connect with Sarah on Linkedin

Connect with Carolyn/Learn more about her work

Speaking website

Consulting, Leadership Development & Coaching

Linkedin

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

What does leadership look like when everything is on the line?

In this deeply moving episode of For Love & Money, I’m joined by Peter Baines OAM — humanitarian, leadership expert, founder of Hands Across The Water, and author of the powerful new book Together We Can (his fourth book).

Peter’s career began in forensic policing, investigating homicides and leading international disaster victim identification teams following events such as the 2002 Bali bombings and the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. But it was his work in Thailand after the tsunami — and a chance meeting with children who had lost everything — that set him on a completely different path.

Twenty years on, Hands Across The Water has raised more than $40 million, supporting children and young people through long-term care, education and opportunity.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the tsunami, Peter undertook an extraordinary 1,400-kilometre run across Thailand in just 26 days — the equivalent of 33 marathons — an experience that he captures in his latest book, Together We Can.

But this conversation isn’t really about endurance.

It’s about collective effort, presence, belief, and what becomes possible when people come together around a shared purpose. Peter shares the leadership lessons forged through crisis, the power of community, and why doing hard things — together — matters more than ever.

IN THIS EPISODE, WE EXPLORE

• Why Peter believes love has a role in business and leadership
• What two decades of forensic and disaster work taught him about presence
• The moment that led to the founding of Hands Across The Water
• Why charity growth is not the ultimate measure of success
• The story behind Together We Can and the Run to Remember
• What it takes to lead when success is uncertain and failure is possible
• How leaders “bring the weather” — and why that matters
• The cost of doing big things alone, and the power of doing them together
• Peter’s vision for the next five years of Hands Across The Water

ABOUT PETER BAINES OAM

LEADERSHIP EXPERT.
POWERFUL STORYTELLER.
EVERYDAY HERO.Investigating homicides, leading international teams into scenes of crisis and disaster is not your normal path to global keynote speaker and business consultant. It was this unique path that provided insights into leadership which are so different yet offer relevant reflections and learnings to businesses facing change, growth or challenges of their own.

Peter worked in countries following major crisis including Indonesia, Japan, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. His grounding came from two decades as a forensic investigator that saw him unravel the mysteries and discover the secrets of criminals thought rested solely with them. Prior to finishing his career as a forensic investigator he would spend time working with both Interpol in Lyon, France and the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime advising on Counter Terrorism and capacity building.

But it was the work in Thailand that brought the biggest change. In response to the needs of the children left without a home or parents he would form Hands Across the Water and commence fundraising in Australia to build them a home. Almost twenty years after starting the charity, he now spends much of his time helping other charity and business leaders on how they can and indeed should benefit from their engagement with their community partners through corporate social responsibility programs.

In 2024, to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the 2004 tsunami he ran 1400km’s in just 26 days in Thailand averaging 60kms a day in the heat and humidity of Thailand the equivalent of running 33 marathons in 26 days.

When he is not engaged in work, you will find him driving his tractor on the farm where he lives with his wife, Claire, raising cattle and nurturing the ground on which they live. His other interests that he embraces with a passion is as a helicopter pilot flying at every opportunity he gets and crossing the finish line of ultra marathons with his dogs Burton and Frankie.

In 2025, Peter was identified as one of the top five most influential Australians working in Thailand.

LINKS & RESOURCES

Together We Can — Peter Baines: Buy the book, buy the audiobook, get a sample chapter.

Hands Across The Water website

Peter Baines — Leadership & Speaking

Watch a short video about Run to Remember

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Episode Overview

What if the stories we watch could help rebuild the social fabric?

In this episode, I’m joined by Elizabeth Tyler — co-founder and CEO of good.film, a platform using film and television as a catalyst for connection, empathy and real conversation.

With declining social cohesion, rising loneliness and increasing polarisation across Western democracies, Elizabeth believes film offers something we desperately need: a shared narrative space where we can explore complexity together — not through debate, but through emotion, curiosity and story.

Elizabeth’s career began far from entertainment. From early student activism at UTS, to working on one of Tasmania’s most consequential political campaigns, to shaping creative-led advocacy for major nonprofits, her path has always centred on one thing: bringing people together around a vision of what’s possible.

Today, through good.film, she’s building a new category she calls Impact Entertainment — ambitious stories (from blockbusters to indie documentaries) that reveal something meaningful about the world, and help us see one another more fully.

We explore how she’s turned this mission into a business model, the hidden work of rebuilding social trust, and why film is uniquely positioned to spark the conversations we’re no longer having.

In This Episode We Explore:

• Why Elizabeth believes love has to be the starting point for meaningful changemaking – whether it’s love of your work, your collaborators, or even those you’re “working against”.
• The fundamental truth that sits under good.film: that stories move us emotionally first – and emotion is what opens us up to new perspectives.
• How good.film works in practice: from their “impact entertainment” category and recommendation platform, to partnerships with cinemas where every ticket purchased through good.film also donates to a cause.
• Elizabeth’s experience in the Tech Ready Women program, and a gorgeous story about a stranger at a pitching event who changed her trajectory with one handwritten note.
• Her personal journey from priding herself on not needing help… to intentionally building an advisory board and a community where asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.
• And her bigger vision: a future where once a month, most of us head to our local cinema – alone or with friends – to watch ambitious stories together and have the kinds of rich, complex conversations we can’t have in a comments thread.

Across each of these threads runs a single question: how do we rebuild meaningful connection in a fractured world?

This is a conversation for anyone feeling the fractures — and looking for hopeful, human ways to stitch connection back together.

About Elizabeth Tyler

Elizabeth Tyler is the co-founder and CEO of good.film, a platform bringing people back together through film and television. With a mission to counter declining social cohesion, loneliness and political polarisation, good.film curates ambitious stories — from blockbusters to Oscar winners to indie documentaries — and builds community around the conversations those stories spark.

Elizabeth’s career began in politics, where she worked on two successful election campaigns and served as an adviser to a Tasmanian Member of Parliament. She later led creative-led advocacy campaigns as Strategic Director at the Motion Picture Company, working with major charities across Australia. Internationally, she has contributed to global environmental politics through the Global Greens, supporting more than 100 Green parties worldwide.

She holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson, where she was awarded the Cockrum Fellowship for social change and the Wolfen Fellowship for entrepreneurship.

Her leadership philosophy centres on creating community, naming a bold vision, and reverse-engineering it into practical, scalable outcomes.

Connect with Elizabeth

Website: good.film

Linkedin: Elizabeth Tyler

Resources & Links* Explore good.film: Sign up to build your watchlist and join the community * Learn more about the Scanlon Foundation Social Cohesion report * Information on the Impact Investment Summit (Sydney)

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Episode OverviewWhat does it mean to redefine wealth — not as accumulation, but as enoughness?
And what happens when you build a life and a career around community, purpose and shared humanity instead of individual achievement?

In this profound and compelling conversation, I speak with Sandy Blackburn, one of Australia’s leading voices in social impact and the founder of Social Outcomes and Impact Culture Australia.

Sandy spent 15 years living and working in South Africa during the final years of apartheid and the emergence of democracy — years that shaped her identity, worldview and lifelong commitment to social change. She shares the lessons those years taught her about community, belonging, and Ubuntu — the African philosophy meaning “I am because we are.”

We explore what Western cultures have lost in their worship of individualism, how business can rediscover its collective heartbeat, and why “enough” might be the most radical idea in the purpose economy.

Sandy also takes us inside her new venture, Impact Culture Australia, and the next frontier for purpose-driven organisations: embedding impact deeply into their culture, systems and ways of working.

This is a rich, layered, deeply human conversation about what really matters in business — and in life.

In This Episode We Explore* Sandy’s perspective on whether there is a role for love in business * Her extraordinary journey living in South Africa during the last violent years of apartheid * How Ubuntu reshaped her understanding of identity and connection * What Western cultures lose when individualism is elevated above community * The deep lessons she learned about privilege, belonging and bearing witness * How South Africa taught her the real meaning of “enough” * Why so many corporate leaders privately feel unfulfilled * The “golden hour” of township life — and what it reveals about authenticity and humanity * The origins of Social Outcomes and the creation of Impact Culture Australia * Why impact measurement is no longer enough — and why culture is the next frontier * How flexible, trust-based business models can create richer lives * What Sandy hopes the sector will look like in the next three years

About Sandy BlackburnSandy Blackburn has four decades of experience working in social change, organisational development, capacity building and culture change in Australia and internationally, including extensive work in community and organisational development in pre- and post-apartheid South Africa. Her autobiographical book, Holding Up the Sky: An African Life, captures her 15 years living through one of the most tumultuous and transformative periods in South Africa’s history — a journey that profoundly shaped her identity, worldview and commitment to social justice.

She is one of Australia’s leading thought leaders in social impact and is the founder of Social Outcomes, and more recently Impact Culture Australia.

Before founding these organisations, Sandy was Head of Social Innovation at Westpac, where she created the Organisational Mentoring Program — mobilising hundreds of employees to support for-purpose organisations to build their capacity, a systemic need that is notoriously underfunded. Through this work, and through Social Outcomes, Sandy has worked closely with many hundreds of for-purpose organisations, developing a deep understanding of the sector’s strengths and development needs.

Sandy is also co-founder of Impact Investing Australia, sits on the NAB Foundation’s Investment Committee, and serves on multiple for-purpose boards. She is a sought-after speaker, bestselling author, and holds a Masters Degree in Adult Education.

Connect With SandyWebsite: Social Outcomes
Impact Culture Australia
LinkedIn: Sandy Blackburn

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What does kindness look like in business — and why does it matter for commercial success?

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr David Cooke—Executive Director of ESG Advisory, Adjunct Professor at UTS Business School, and author of Kind Business: How Values Create Value.

In this deeply human conversation, David shares his journey from a traditional corporate career to leading Konica Minolta Australia as its first non-Japanese Managing Director, where he transformed the culture around a single, powerful vision: to build a company that cares. He unpacks what it really takes to embed purpose, kindness and human rights advocacy into a large technology business — and how that shift created stronger engagement, trust, and profitability. He also reflects on the “shadow we cast” as leaders, the moral and business imperatives behind Kind Business, and how every organisation can align values with value creation.

💡HighlightsLove & leadership: What “love in business” really looks like across stakeholders—and why it’s commercially smart.

From vision to practice: The pivotal choices that turned caring into a strategic operating principle.

Human rights in supply chains: Modern slavery advocacy and how it galvanised employees and partners.

Values create value: Evidence of cultural lift, customer preference, and long-term performance benefits.

The leadership shadow: How to build psychological safety and alignment without losing accountability.

ESG now: What David is seeing in boardrooms and executive teams—and where leaders get stuck (and unstuck).

About Dr David CookeDr David Cooke is Executive Director of ESG Advisory, Adjunct Professor at UTS Business School, and author of Kind Business: How Values Create Value. He spent 35 years in the corporate sector, holding senior roles at Xerox and Canon before serving as Managing Director & Chair (ANZ) at Konica Minolta. David has chaired the UN Global Compact Network Australia and the Australian Human Rights Institute Advisory Committee, and served on multiple NFP boards. He earned a doctorate for research on building social capital through corporate social investment (recognised with Emerald Publishing’s Global Social Impact Award) and was awarded an honorary doctorate for implementing responsible business initiatives including addressing modern slavery in supply chains. He’s a noted speaker who has presented at UN conferences in New York and Geneva.

Connect with Dr David CookeOn Linkedin

ESG Advisory Website

Kind Business book

Kind Business audiobook

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In this insightful and forward-looking conversation, Shirley Chowdhary joins Carolyn Butler-Madden to explore what modern governance and leadership look like in an age defined by rapid change, technology and social transformation.

A seasoned board director, Chair and former CEO, Shirley shares her belief that good governance underpins everything— from commercial outcomes and productivity to culture and trust. She discusses the urgent need for boards to embrace diverse thinking, lived experience and inclusive leadership, and explains why the next frontier of effective governance lies in AI as a collaborative thinking partner.

Shirley also reflects on her own non-linear career across law, finance, Indigenous education and board leadership — including how her lived experience across cultures has shaped her resilience, empathy and approach to leadership.
From advancing women in political leadership to preparing boards for an AI-driven future, this is a conversation about courage, foresight, and the human intelligence behind great governance.

💡 Key Themes

• The changing face of governance: why inclusion and diversity of thought matter more than ever
• AI as a governance tool — the opportunities and risks of boards using AI for decision-making
• The importance of feedback, trust and positive intent in effective board culture
• Non-linear careers and the freedom to prioritise family, learning and different goals at different stages of life
• Women for Election and the need for greater representation in political and organisational leadership
• The balance between commercial imperatives and social impact — why the best boards ask, “Should we?”, not just “Can we?”

👤About Shirley Chowdhary

Shirley has extensive leadership experience in corporate law and governance, alongside cultural and strategic change. She is an outspoken advocate for women’s leadership and diverse voices, and is a seasoned Non-Executive Director, Chair, and former CEO with substantial international experience. Shirley has a proven record of partnering with diverse communities and driving values alignment at board and organisational levels. Throughout her work, Shirley maintains a priority on commercial returns and stewardship, whilst balancing diverse stakeholder interests and prioritising customer confidence.

She has a current research focus on how boards can adopt AI as a collaborative thinking partner to enhance judgment, improve productivity in the boardroom, and strengthen governance decision-making. Her work responds to growing expectations on directors to lead with foresight and confidence, supporting responsible innovation while maintaining trust, transparency and alignment with emerging regulatory frameworks.

Shirley is currently the Chair of Women for Election and an external member of the University of Sydney Senate People & Culture Committee. She sits on the Advisory Boards of Propel Group, an organisation empowering boards and C-Suites to ‘get social media right’ in moments that matter, and Mentor Walks, providing mentoring to over 12,000 women across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada and Dubai.

Her previous board roles include being Deputy Chair of YMCA NSW, Chair of the Australian Institute of Architects, and non-executive director on the boards of the Australian Associated Press and Northrop Engineers.

Career highlights include being in private practice at Cleary Gottlieb in New York and Tokyo, Regional Counsel for JP Morgan Investment Management, and CEO of the GO Foundation, an NFP founded by Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin of Sydney Swans fame. She lived and worked for a decade in Japan, and has worked internationally across Asia, North America, Europe and Africa in the listed, private and for-purpose sectors. She has also hosted two series of the Women’s Agenda Leadership Lessons podcast and written a biography for a WW2 POW.

In 2024, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Sydney for her contributions to law, business, gender equality and Indigenous education, and she was recognised as a 2019 AFR 100 Women of Influence. She is currently part of the AICD’s flagship Chair’s Mentoring program and a member of the AICD Faculty teaching Governance and director’s duties.

Connect with Shirley

Shirley's website

Shirley on Linkedin

Other Links

Women for Election website - Women for Election

• Find all our events here - Events - Women for Election
• Register for our digital tool, Campaign in Your Pocket here - Campaign In Your Pocket Register
• Blog page - Blog Page - Women for Election
• Media page - Media Page - Women for Election
• Follow us on LinkedIn - Women For Election LinkedIn
• Follow us on Instagram - Women for Election (@womenelectionoz)
• Get in touch with us here - Contact Women for Election

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In this powerful episode of the For Love & Money Podcast, Carolyn Butler-Madden speaks with Peter ter Weeme, a lifelong activist and global leader in values-based business.

Peter’s career has spanned corporate, government and nonprofit sectors across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. From his early awareness of apartheid in the 1980s to his leadership in the social purpose movement, Peter has always believed business must be about more than profit — it must also serve people and society.

In this conversation, Peter shares how love, inclusion and courage have shaped his journey. He speaks candidly about living as a gay man, raising a child with disabilities, and navigating a terminal cancer diagnosis — experiences that have deepened his philosophy of curiosity over judgment and his perspective on leadership and legacy.

This episode is both inspirational and practical — an invitation to reflect on what it means to lead with courage, authenticity and love.

Highlights from this episode:

• The role of love in business and leadership (02:09)
• How apartheid sparked Peter’s early awareness of consumer activism and purpose (03:33)
• Reflections on meeting Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the lessons that stayed with him (08:20)
• Why shifting people’s thinking about the role of business is his proudest achievement (11:00)
• Tackling complex industries with courage and curiosity (16:30)
• Living with authenticity through a terminal cancer diagnosis (36:00)
• The power of inclusion and belonging in workplaces (24:00)
• Peter’s perspective on legacy, leadership and purpose (54:00)

👤 About Peter ter WeemePeter ter Weeme is a lifelong activist for purpose and a global leader in values-based business. His career has spanned corporate, government and nonprofit sectors across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. With an MBA in environmental management and a deep commitment to social change, Peter has designed campaigns and initiatives addressing issues from public health and climate action to environmental conservation, diversity and inclusion.

In his most recent role, Peter serves as GM, Safer Gambling at a hospitality and entertainment company, where he leads strategy and programs focused on embedding social purpose at the heart of business. Prior to this,Peter was the Chief Social Purpose Officer & Vice President Player Experience at the British Columbia Lottery Corporation. There he had responsibility for marketing, communications, safer gambling, sustainability and stakeholder relations.

At the core of Peter’s work is his personal purpose: to give people the community and confidence required to solve the world’s social and environmental challenges. This commitment has shaped his career and continues to inspire the many people he has worked with around the globe.

👉 If you’re inspired by this conversation, subscribe to the For Love & Money Podcast and explore more resources at thecauseeffect.com.au.

Connect with PeterOn Linkedin

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In this episode of For Love & Money, I speak with Jeremy Meltzer, Founder and CEO of i=Change, Australia’s fastest growing impact marketing platform.

Jeremy has built partnerships with over 400 brands – from Camilla and Clarins to law firms and hospitality businesses – raising more than $12 million for NGOs and impacting the lives of over 2 million people globally.

At the heart of i=Change is Jeremy’s passion for empowering women and girls, tackling gender-based violence, and creating a more sustainable world.

👤 About Jeremy Meltzer

Jeremy Meltzer is Founder & CEO of i=Change, Australia's fastest-growing impact marketing platform that bridges the worlds of businesses and impact.

In partnership with over 400 brands like Camilla, Ginger & Smart, National Tiles, Clarins - and now law firms and hospitality business, i=Change has raised over $12 million and counting for NGOs, $1 at a time, impacting the lives of over 2 million people in Australia and globally. With a focus on empowering women & girls and mitigating climate change - and delivering value back to businesses for their giving, i=Change is leading a purpose-driven business movement.

i=Change has won 4 x Australia Post ORIAs (2023, 2022, 2019), NORA’s ‘Best All-Round Sustainability Partner’ (2023), is a certified B-Corp and was voted one of 50 most innovative start-ups in Australia. i=Change uniquely leverages business to create impact, by engaging businesses pragmatically, creating system change from within - and ultimately a new business model. Jeremy believes it is critical we engage business to fund NGOs in Australia and mostly, across the developing world, where funding can provide up to 5X social return on investment - and that we see NGOs as equal partners in security and development. This helps ensure our nearest neighbours can have their basic needs met - and the opportunity to thrive - at a time when foreign aid has been so drastically cut, it is now more essential than ever.

🔍 In This Episode We Explore:

• The deeply personal experiences in Cuba that opened Jeremy's eyes to the prevalence of gender-based violence – and why he couldn’t walk past it.
• His journey from olive oil entrepreneur to impact tech founder with no tech background.
• Why businesses must move beyond profit-first thinking, and what authentic partnerships between brands and NGOs can achieve.
• How purpose and profit are not opposites, but mutually reinforcing drivers of innovation, loyalty, and growth.
• The vision for i=Change by 2030 – raising over $30 million annually to create systemic, measurable impact.

This is a conversation about what business can and must become when it integrates love, compassion, and human values into its DNA.

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In this episode of The For Love & Money Podcast, I speak with Abigail Forsyth OAM, co-founder and Managing Director of KeepCup—the company that kickstarted a global revolution in reusable coffee cups and helped change the way we think about single-use packaging.

From her early days as a lawyer to co-founding a bustling Melbourne café chain with her brother Jamie, Abigail shares how a growing discomfort with packaging waste led to the creation of KeepCup—the world’s first barista-standard reusable cup. We explore the highs of fast growth, global expansion, and viral adoption, as well as the confronting challenges brought on by COVID, shifting market narratives, and scaling a purpose-led organisation.

This is a raw and honest conversation about entrepreneurship, purpose, leadership, and the tension between impact and profitability. Abigail’s insights are as grounded as they are galvanising—and essential listening for anyone building a values-based business that aims to drive real change.

👤 About Abigail ForsythAbigail is a leader in the global campaign to promote sustainability.

Known worldwide for its bright, bold and instantly recognisable reusable cups, KeepCup is a global campaign for reuse. Since launching the world’s first barista-standard reusable cup in 2009, KeepCup is now embraced by reusers the world over, diverting millions of single-use cups daily.

KeepCup is in business for better - a certified B Corporation, living wage employer and member of 1% for the Planet, donating at least 1% of global revenue to environmental causes.

Following a successful career as a solicitor, Abigail and her brother Jamie set up their own chain of cafes across the city. Alarmed by the amount of disposable packaging being wasted, Abigail started her search for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious way to serve food, and the concept of KeepCup soon became a reality.

Abigail has been honoured with an Order of Australia Medal in the General Division, for her years of outstanding service to sustainable design on the Queens Birthday list for 2021.

Abigail has opened offices and warehouses in Australia and the UK, and set up hub operations in the USA to service growing consumer demand in over 76 countries around the world, but the business has stayed loyal to its roots. KeepCup’s HQ is located in the Melbourne suburb of Clifton Hill, where Abigail lives with her family.

🔍 In This Episode We Explore:* Abigail’s leap from law to entrepreneurship * The inspiration behind KeepCup and how it found early traction * How KeepCup became a global lifestyle brand with a loyal tribe * Navigating major setbacks—from COVID to cultural backlash * Why profitability is vital to sustaining purpose * Leadership lessons learned through growth, failure and recovery * The evolution of KeepCup from innovation to lifestyle * The launch of their new campaign, #SipCheck

🔗 Links & Resources🌐 KeepCup: keepcup.com

📸 KeepCup Instagram: instagram.com/keepcup

🔗 Abigail Forsyth on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/abigail-forsyth-68886211

💡 The Cause Effect (Carolyn’s consultancy): thecauseeffect.com.au

🎧 More podcast episodes: Podcast Page | Listen on Spotify | Apple Podcasts

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Episode Summary

What does it take to turn outrage and opposition into legitimacy and consent?

In this episode, we explore that question with one of the world’s leading authorities on social licence and legitimacy. My guest, Katherine Teh, is the founder of a pioneering social purpose company that’s rewriting the rules of mining—transforming the industry’s most polarised conflicts into powerful opportunities for inclusive, ethical development.

You’ll hear how this consent-based model is unlocking stranded assets, accelerating approvals, and delivering long-term value for people, planet, and business.

We explore:

The power of empathy in business—even in high-stakes, high-conflict sectors.

Why legitimacy isn’t a compliance issue, but a foundation for resilience and profit.

The real meaning of social licence—and why it’s vital to the net zero transition.

How the “DAD” model (Decide, Announce, Defend) is being replaced with “DAVE” (Declare dilemmas, Acknowledge issues, unify Vision, Evaluate).

Why partnering with Indigenous communities is essential to ethical growth.

This is a conversation about reimagining what development can look like when business begins with humanity, listens deeply, and leads with purpose.

Guest Bio

Katherine Teh is a strategist, reformer, and changemaker whose work has helped reshape some of the world’s most complex and contested industries—from mining and renewables to public policy, agriculture, and pharmaceuticals.

Katherine Teh is one of the world’s foremost authorities on social licence and legitimacy. For over three decades, she has worked at the intersection of sustainability, governance, and public trust—bringing sharp clarity where others see only risk. Her ability to align fractured interests and rebuild trust has made her a trusted adviser on more than $200 billion in major projects around the globe.

But Katherine’s story begins far from the boardroom.

Driven by an early ambition to become a war correspondent, she rose quickly through the ranks of journalism—becoming the youngest female A-graded journalist in Australian history. At 29, she led one of the country’s most influential gender justice campaigns, mobilising over one million women to reframe gendered violence as a workplace safety issue—more than two decades before the #MeToo movement swept the world.

Since then, she has led national and international public dialogue processes on polarising issues, designed innovative products and business models to solve systemic problems, and helped industries navigate outrage, restore legitimacy, and deliver long-term value. In 2002, she founded the world’s first social licence agency—developing a methodology that combines strategic foresight, stakeholder alignment, and social impact design to turn opposition into durable, earned support.

Today, as Executive Chair of Spektrum, Katherine leads a new kind of critical minerals company—one that does development differently. By partnering with Indigenous communities and applying consent-based models, she and her team are unlocking stranded assets, accelerating approvals, and creating nature-positive regional futures.

Katherine is on a mission to transform not just who development is done with—but how it’s done, and what it leaves behind. She builds systems that restore legitimacy, resolve conflict, and demonstrate that ethical, inclusive development isn’t a trade-off—it’s the foundation for resilience and long-term success.

She’s an entrepreneur. An activist. A visionary. And a woman who’s never waited for permission to lead.

Resources & Links: Learn more about Spektrum: https://www.spektrumdevelopment.com/ * Connect with Katherine on LinkedIn: Katherine Teh * Book Mentioned: Amusing Ourselves to Death* by Neil Postman

More for You:Explore how purpose-led business can drive systemic change:
👉 thecauseeffect.com.au

Grab your copy of For Love & Money—and help protect rainforest with every sale:
📗 Buy the book

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Episode SummaryIn Part 2 of this two-part feature on Woollahra Council’s transformation, Carolyn speaks with Craig Swift-McNair, the Council’s General Manager. Craig offers a refreshingly candid account of what it takes to embed purpose and values across a whole organisation. He reflects on the early culture challenges, the creation of a new leadership structure, and how trust, honesty and consistency enabled real change to take root. From navigating tough decisions—like a significant restructure—to seeing the payoff in a post-redundancy engagement survey, Craig shares how a unifying purpose helped guide the organisation through both challenge and change.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode- How leadership enables culture and values to move beyond strategy documents.

• Why organisational transformation requires investment in people.

• The challenges of shifting legacy mindsets and breaking down silos.

• How a clear purpose and set of values can guide even the most difficult decisions.

• The importance of embedding purpose into leadership behaviours, not just branding.

• What it looks like to lead with honesty, integrity, and accountability.

Key Themes Discussed* Aligning a leadership team around shared purpose * Leading through transformation and restructure * Reimagining culture in a historically siloed organisation * Building a respectful, values-led workplace culture * The role of storytelling, transparency, and consistency in leadership * Why council staff engagement improved after one of the toughest periods

Guest BioCraig Swift-McNair is the General Manager at Woollahra Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, a role he commenced in July 2020. Prior to this, he was the General Manager of Port Macquarie-Hastings Council on the mid north coast of NSW, from 2014 to 2020.

Craig has spent over 20 years in local government in NSW in a range of roles across three Councils and prior to his time in the public sector, he had a twenty-five-year career in the private sector. Craig is dedicated to giving back to the local government sector and as part of that, he has been on the Board of Local Government Professionals Australia, NSW since 2018 and is currently the Vice President.

Craig is focused on building a strengths-based and values-based organisation that delivers on its purpose; provides its people with opportunities to grow in their roles and as individuals, which in turn delivers an improved customer experience and services for our community.

Links and ResourcesWoollahra Council Vision, Mission & Values: Woollahra Council Website

Episode 81 (Part 1): Patricia Occelli on Culture, Community & Customer Experience

Connect with Carolyn Butler-Madden: LinkedIn | The Cause Effect

Explore For Love & Money Podcast: Podcast Homepage

Buy Carolyn’s book For Love & Money

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Episode Summary:In this episode of the For Love and Money podcast, In this episode, Carolyn Butler-Madden speaks with Patricia Occelli, Director of Community and Customer Experience at Woollahra Council. Patricia shares the story of how doing the work to create a unifying purpose transformed the Council’s vision, culture, and strategic direction. What began as a challenge to create a meaningful customer experience strategy evolved into a whole-of-organisation transformation—fuelled by purpose and a deep commitment to community. Patricia reflects on the pivotal moments, the leadership challenges, and the lasting cultural shifts that followed. This is Part 1 of a two-part series on Woollahra Council’s purpose-led transformation. Part 2 features General Manager, Craig Swift McNair, sharing his perspective on the transformation process.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode* How a unifying purpose can drive whole-of-organisation transformation * Why purpose is essential in local government and public service * How to bridge silos and shift culture with a shared North Star * The difference between customer service and customer experience * What it takes to embed values that guide everyday behaviour * How the council has seen results in both internal culture and community engagement

Key Themes Discussed* The transformational impact of a unifying purpose * Bridging organisational silos with a shared North Star * Driving cultural change in complex public environments * The role of language, values, and tone of voice in public service * Why brand archetypes matter for councils and community connection * How purpose-aligned strategy drives both internal and external outcomes

Stay tuned for Part 2, Episode 82, where Carolyn speaks with Craig Swift-McNair, Woollahra Council’s General Manager, to further explore the leadership behind this transformation.

Guest BioPatricia Occelli is the Director of Community and Customer Experience at Woollahra Council, leading customer experience, communications, community engagement, cultural and arts initiatives, and Woollahra Libraries. With over 35 years of leadership in the human services sector, Patricia has driven transformation across local and state government and the for-purpose sector. She is passionate about social justice and delivering high-quality services that make a real difference in people’s lives. Her expertise spans service integration, cultural reform, customer-centric design, and staff engagement. She has successfully led ICT transformations, governance frameworks, and operational efficiencies—all while fostering empowered employees and engaged communities. A strategic leader, Patricia is committed to shaping innovative, sustainable, and impactful services.

Links and Resources Woollahra Council Vision, Mission & Values: Woollahra Council Website * Connect with Patricia Occelli on Linkedin * Carolyn Butler-Madden: LinkedIn | The Cause Effect * Learn more about the For Love & Money* Podcast

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Episode SummaryIn this powerful and deeply thoughtful episode, political economist and changemaker Katherine Trebeck joins Carolyn to explore what it means to build an economy that works for people and planet. Katherine shares her journey from working with Oxfam and Rio Tinto to co-founding the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll), and how her work is reshaping the way we define economic success.

Together, they unpack the shortcomings of our current growth-at-all-costs model and what’s possible when we embrace a wellbeing economy — one designed with purpose, prevention, equity, and people-powered participation at its core. Katherine also reflects on the rise of Trumpism, the role of business in systemic change, and where she finds hope in uncertain times.

What You'll Learn in This Episode* Why GDP is an outdated and inadequate measure of progress * What a wellbeing economy is — and what it looks and feels like in practice * The 'four Ps' of a wellbeing economy: Purpose, Prevention, Pre-distribution, and People-powered * How businesses can be powerful actors in system change * Why the current economic system is driving disconnection and despair * The impact of far-right populism and why it signals an urgent need for economic transformation * The power of storytelling and imagination in creating systemic change

Key Themes Discussed* Economic system change and the rise of the wellbeing economy movement * False binaries: economy vs society, business vs love * Reimagining success: from growth to wellbeing * Practical pathways for transforming economic structures * The danger of failing systems and the opportunity they create for bold leadership * Community, belonging, and the importance of connection in resilience * The role of business leaders in shaping a more just and sustainable future

Guest BioKatherine Trebeck is a political economist, writer and advocate for economic system change. She co-founded the Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) and WEAll Scotland, and played a key role in initiating the Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) partnership. Katherine is Writer-at-Large and Co-Director of the Compassion in Financial Services Hub at the University of Edinburgh, and Strategic Advisor for the Centre for Policy Development. She also serves in advisory and governance roles for numerous progressive economic institutions around the world.

Links & ResourcesKatherine’s website

Follow Katherine on LinkedIn

Follow Katerine on BlueSky

Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll)

Katherine’s TEDx Talk: “Why the Future Economy has to be a Wellbeing Economy”

Carolyn Butler-Madden on LinkedIn:

As mentioned in the episode:

• Link to video of “Restaurant of Mistaken Orders”
• The “Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism” book by Anne Case and Angus Deaton

More episodes of the For Love & Money Podcast

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Episode Summary

In this inspiring episode of the For Love & Money Podcast, Carolyn Butler-Madden speaks with David Ferreira, Head of Marketing at wholesale bakery Bob & Pete’s, about their transformative journey toward becoming a purpose-led business.

What started with one passionate junior marketer asking the tough questions—“What are we doing for our community and our planet?”—has evolved into a deeply embedded purpose strategy that permeates every part of Bob & Pete’s operations.

From waste reduction and food donations to employee engagement and redefining sustainability in the food industry, David shares the real, raw and practical story of how purpose—“Baking Things Better”—became the foundation for stronger culture, deeper customer relationships, and sustainable profit.

This episode is a must-listen for business leaders, marketers, and purpose-driven professionals seeking to integrate meaningful impact with business performance.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

✔ How Bob & Pete’s uncovered and activated their business purpose: “Baking Things Better”
✔ The surprising origins of their purpose strategy—and the impact of one junior employee’s bold questions
✔ How purpose drives decision-making across safety, sustainability, and innovation
✔ The creation of the Foodbank Donut and how it's helped provide nearly 60,000 meals to Australians in need
✔ Practical insights on engaging employees and embedding values deeply into business culture
✔ The importance of measuring what matters—from waste, power and water usage to employee engagement and customer alignment
✔ How being purpose-led helped Bob & Pete’s achieve top-tier results in Gallup’s global employee engagement benchmarks

Key Themes Discussed

• Purpose in Practice: How Bob & Pete’s purpose drives everyday operational decisions, from food safety to packaging and energy use
• People First: Embedding values across the workforce, from factory floor to leadership, and measuring impact through employee engagement
• The Power of One: The ripple effect of one young employee’s purpose-fuelled initiative that sparked systemic change
• Purpose-Driven Innovation: Turning food waste into new products and repurposing bakery waste to benefit the community and environment
• Strategic Partnerships: The evolution of a deep, meaningful partnership with Foodbank that goes beyond donations
• Courage and Conviction: Navigating internal pushback to stay true to a long-term purpose-led vision
• Impact Aspirations: David’s bold vision for reaching 100,000 donated meals through the Foodbank Donut initiative

About Our Guest – David Ferreira

David Ferreira is the Head of Marketing at Bob & Pete’s, a wholesale bakery supplying quality baked goods to cafés across Australia. With a rich background in FMCG marketing and operations, David brings a deeply human, practical and strategic approach to leading purpose within the business.

Over the past seven years, he has championed Bob & Pete’s purpose journey—from guiding the articulation of their higher purpose “Baking Things Better,” to embedding it in their values, operations, and stakeholder relationships. David is a passionate advocate for businesses being a force for good, showing that purpose doesn’t just inspire—it delivers.

Connect with David and Bob & Pete's

Bob & Pete's website

David Ferreira on Linkedin

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Episode Summary:

Welcome to the For Love and Money podcast, where Carolyn Butler-Madden explores the intersection of business and social purpose. In this episode, Carolyn sits down with Hunter Leonard—business owner, author, speaker, and advocate for ending ageism. As the CEO of Blue Frog Marketing, Hunter has helped over 500 businesses drive strategic growth. He also pioneered solutions for mature professionals transitioning into business ownership. Through his extensive research, bestselling books, and thought leadership, Hunter challenges outdated business norms and offers evidence-based strategies for purpose-driven success.

Carolyn and Hunter explore what it truly means to create change through business, from leveraging experience and wisdom to redefining leadership and workplace inclusivity.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Why experience is an untapped asset in business and how mature professionals can drive innovation.
• How purpose can be integrated into business strategy for long-term impact.
• The importance of evidence-based solutions in leadership and decision-making.
• The role of storytelling in shaping business success and challenging societal norms.
• How businesses can give back to communities while driving profitability.

Key Themes Discussed:

• Challenging Ageism in Business: Hunter shares how his work empowers mature professionals to thrive in business ownership and leadership.
• The Power of Experience: Why knowledge and wisdom should be valued assets in driving business growth and innovation.
• Purpose Beyond Profit: How Hunter integrates purpose into his business strategies while achieving measurable results.
• Evidence-Based Business Strategy: The importance of research and data in making informed business decisions.
• Storytelling & Legacy: Hunter’s journey as an author and ghostwriter, helping business leaders shape their narratives and impact.

Featured Guest:

Hunter Leonard – CEO of Blue Frog Marketing, author of 10 books, business strategist, and advocate for ending ageism in the workplace.

Hunter Leonard is a business owner, author and speaker who has developed a significant reputation for outstanding marketing and strategic growth as the CEO of Blue Frog Marketing.

Hunter has also been active as an advocate for ending ageism and is achieving this through positive and practical solutions helping mature individuals with business ownership training and work transition programs. His aim is to change the world one mature age individual at a time.

Hunter has authored ten books including the Amazon best sellers - The Experience Equation and Generation Experience. Both these books were named as finalists in the Australian Career Book Awards. Red Giraffe was a hot new release on AMAZON in several categories. His organisations have won six major awards for marketing excellence as well as being listed in both the Smart 100 and Cool 100 Awards in 2018.

Hunter believes in evidence-based solutions and has surveyed more than 12,000 business owners to develop the services offered by his organisations. He has delivered over 800 seminars and presentations and contributed to over $2 billion in sales growth for his 500+ clients since 2001. Blue Frog Marketing is also active in giving back to the community via pro-bono work for various groups including Landcare, and through donations when new clients are onboarded.

He is highly regarded for his warmth, generosity, innovative thinking and his ability to get measurable results for his clients.

Hunter is working on book #11 - The 8 Rooms of Business, introducing a new way to become a better business owner.

As a ghostwriter, Hunter shares the stories and advice of business and community leaders and a recent project is also a best seller in 8 categories in the USA market.

When not running his business, Hunter is a keen bushwalker, musician, photographer and cook.

Resources & Links:

• Blue Frog Marketing – Company Website
• Hunter Leonard’s Books – on Amazon
• Connect with Hunter Leonard on Linkedin
• Ghost Hunter - Hunter's Ghost-writing website

How can businesses create lasting change while staying profitable? What role does experience play in driving business success? Share your thoughts and join the conversation!

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of For Love & Money! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast to support more conversations at the intersection of profit and purpose.

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Episode Summary:

In this episode of For Love & Money, Carolyn Butler-Madden is joined by Chris Hudson, Founder & CEO of Company Road, to explore how his own personal purpose has driven his work in catalysing organisational change.

Chris shares his journey from childhood to the Ad Agency world, through corporate marketing to entrepreneurship—driven by curiosity and a deep desire to challenge the status quo. They discuss how leaders can embed purpose into their work, create meaningful cultural transformation, and reimagine traditional business models through curiosity, storytelling, and innovation.

This conversation unpacks the emotional and strategic aspects of change-making, exploring how work can become more than a means to an end and instead a space for experimentation, personal fulfilment, and systemic impact.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• Discover how Chris Hudson's personal purpose inspires him to drive business transformation, challenge leadership norms, and create innovative workplaces.
• How personal purpose can lead your work choices and inspire new business ventures.
• Why curiosity and questioning assumptions are essential for both innovation and leadership.
• The concept of 'intrapreneurship' and how employees can drive change within organisations.
• How designing customer experiences can be an experience itself.
• The parallels between performance in music, art, and leadership at work.
• How work environments can be stretched beyond conventional structures to foster engagement, creativity, and impact.
• The need to challenge traditional leadership archetypes and embrace humility in leadership.
• Why leaders must deeply understand their teams to create productive and fulfilling workplaces.

Key Themes Discussed:

• Curiosity as a Leadership Skill: Chris reflects on how his innate curiosity has inspired his career path and his belief that curiosity is a critical tool for fostering change.
• Intrapreneurs as Rebels: Chris highlights how intrapreneurs are the 'rebels' of an organisation, pushing against the norm to drive meaningful change from within.
• Work as an Expansive Concept: The conversation explores how traditional work structures can be stretched and reimagined to create environments that promote innovation, fulfillment, and purpose.
• The Experience of Designing an Experience: Chris discusses how designing a customer experience can be an enriching experience for the people creating it, not just the end users.
• The Art of Leadership as Performance: Using music and art as an analogy, Chris draws parallels between great performances and the leadership required to create an engaging work culture.
• Challenging the Alpha Leadership Model: Chris calls for a shift away from the traditional dominant leadership style, advocating instead for consultative and humble leadership that fosters collaboration.
• Understanding People to Drive Productivity: Leaders need to invest time in truly understanding their teams to create a work environment that is both high-performing and human-centered.

Featured Guest:

Chris Hudson – Founder & CEO of Company Road, host of the Company Road Podcast, and an advocate for purpose-driven organizational change.

Chris is an Intrapreneurship Coach and Founder of Company Road, a business transformation coaching and consultancy. He formed his business in response to seeing over-niching and specialisation as a significant barrier to change within corporates.
During his career, he’s worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally.

Chris is also a fellow podcast host. The Company Road Podcast explores what it takes for intrapreneurs to change companies and organisations and inspire personal growth for themselves. I’ve listened to several episodes, as well as being one of his guests. What I love is the breadth of guests and experiences that he shares. There’s some real gold in there, sometimes from unexpected places.

Our interview explores Chris’ personal purpose and how it has inspired his work and the way he approaches his work in Intrapreneurship Coaching, business design, product design and experience design. It’s a fascinating insight into how to blend what you care about personally into your work.

Resources & Links:

• Company Road website
• Listen to the Company Road Podcast
• Connect with Chris Hudson on Linkedin

How is personal purpose shaping your leadership style? Leave a comment or tag us on social media with #PurposeDrivenLeadership!

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In this special episode of For Love & Money, we celebrate the launch of What Is Love, an anthology of unconventional love stories from a global community of storytellers. Host Carolyn Butler-Madden is joined by Rumi Tsuchihashi, the book’s editor, along with contributors Leanne Fournier and Sabah Mirza, to explore the profound role of love in storytelling and life. Through heartfelt conversations and personal readings, this episode delves into the power of love as a force for connection, healing, and transformation.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• How What Is Love came to life through the Story Republic community.
• Rumi Tsuchihashi’s journey to becoming the book’s editor and her reflections on the power of personal storytelling.
• The role of love in business and the broader world, as explored by the guests.
• Deeply personal readings from contributors, sharing their unique perspectives on love.
• Insights into how storytelling can shift perspectives and open hearts.

Featured Guests:

• Rumi Tsuchihashi – Editor of What Is Love, author of three essay collections, and a contributor to The New York Times’ Tiny Love Stories column.
• Leanne Fournier – Canadian copywriter, journalist, and storyteller, who shares a deeply personal story of love, resilience, and family.
• Sabah Mirza – Writer and former corporate professional who rediscovered her love for storytelling and shares an emotionally resonant piece about love, loss, and advocacy.

Key Themes Discussed:

• The underestimated power of love as a motivator in life and business.
• How stories shape our identities and understanding of love.
• The importance of listening deeply and telling honest stories.
• The impact of community and creative expression in fostering human connection.

Guest Bios

Rumi Tsuchihashi - Editor

Rumi Tsuchihashi is an essayist who spreads the word about the life changing joys of all things tiny. Her first book I Want To Remember This: Recognising the Tiny Moments That Make Up a Life, led to her 100-word essay, 'Where Our Palms Touch', getting published the "Tiny Love Stories" column in the New York Times. As an editor and coach, Rumi helps emerging authors put potent stories and pocket-sized books out into the world. Her upcoming book, I Want This for Us: The Tiny Moments That Give Marriage A Chance, connects the dots from heartbreak to second marriage in a series of vignettes.

Learn more about Rumi here or visit her nudge newsletter on substack.

Leanne Fournier - contributing author

Leanne Fournier writes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in the stunning wilderness of Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Her creative work is infused with vivid imagery and a profound sense of place, evident in her beautifully illustrated poetry collection. The collection explores the contradictions and parallels she sees around human connection and belonging—and is set to be released in 2025. Leanne founded MightyWrite—Write for Business, where she helps clients tell stories with clarity and impact and find their unique voice. A passionate writer and social justice advocate, Leanne publishes stories about the people most often unseen and unheard at mightywrite.substack.com. You can also read more about her work at mightywrite.ca.

Sabah Mirza - contributing author

Sabah Mirza is a business advisor, facilitator, and writer whose work is grounded in the ethics of human worth and dignity.

She creates workshops bringing leaders and teams together to build bridges of empathy, connection, and belonging through interactive games, reflections, and personal story sharing.

With a BSME from MIT, an MBA from Stanford University, and decades of personal, professional, and spiritual journeying, Sabah brings a unique, heart-centered approach to professional development and team building.

Find Sabah's stories about heart-centered living, learning, and leading at sabahwrites.substack.com.

Learn more about Sabah’s workshops at sabahmirza.com.

LINKS

What Is Love Book Learn more here

Buy the book on Amazon (Australia)

Buy the book on Amazon

Learn about Story Republic and the Story Skills Course here

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In this episode of For Love & Money, Carolyn Butler-Madden dives into the transformative world of ethical fashion with Lalita Lowe—TEDx speaker, author, fashion designer and advocate for sustainable practices in the fashion industry.

Lalita shares her journey from working with leading designers in Paris and New York to becoming a champion of slow fashion and ethical production in Australia. Drawing from her must-watch TEDx Talk, Every Piece of Clothing Has a Story, Lalita unpacks the hidden costs of fast fashion, the ripple effects of our purchasing decisions, and the power of storytelling in fostering behavior change.

Discover how Lalita is inspiring a shift in the fashion industry and learn how even small, thoughtful choices can create a big impact for the planet and its people.

What You'll Learn:

• The economic and environmental consequences of fast fashion.
• How every piece of clothing tells a story—from the fibres to the people behind its creation.
• The role of love and care in building purpose-driven businesses.
• Practical tips for making more conscious fashion choices.
• How Lalita is redefining sustainability through collaboration and transparency.
• How Australians are one of the world's biggest fashion consumers (actually the world's BIGGEST, as of May 2024)

About Lalita Lowe:

Lalita Lowe, author of "It’s Time to Rethink Your Fashion - Creating a Better Future," emphasises examining our values and understanding the impact of our clothing choices on the planet. She believes education is crucial for advancing a more considered and responsible fashion future. As a trained fashion designer and sustainability educator, Lalita has worked globally, from Australia to New York and Paris, and has served on the Fashion Advisory Board of RMIT. With a global perspective and a deep understanding of the fashion industry, Lalita is attuned to its current state and future direction. Her fascination with fabrics and textures, along with her appreciation for traditional techniques used by artisans worldwide, underscores her commitment to sustainable fashion

Lalita runs her own eponymous fashion brand, known for the "From Farm to Fibre to Fashion" campaign, featuring ethical, sustainable wool from Tasmania. This campaign has garnered significant media and industry attention. . Lalita’s TEDx talk 'Every Piece of Clothing Has a Story’ focuses around this campaign. Lalita weaves her talk around a picture of a good story and a bad story asking us to consider the part we all play in the story of the clothes we wear.

Links & Resources:

• Lalita Lowe’s Website
• Lalita’s TEDx Talk: Every Piece of Clothing Has a Story
• Book: It’s Time to Rethink Your Fashion
• Lalita's Linkedin Profile
• Learn more about the Tasmanian Fashion Festival

Connect with Us:

• Host: Carolyn Butler-Madden | Website | LinkedIn
• The Cause Effect Consultancy website
• Enjoying the Podcast? Buy the For Love & Money book

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Today’s guest is Ash Rosshandler - a thought leader in corporate social responsibility and the founder of GoodCompany, Australia and New Zealand’s largest unified platform for Workplace Giving, Volunteering, Fundraising, and Rewards.

Under his leadership, GoodCompany has driven over $100 million in impact through donations, volunteering, and corporate engagement, helping thousands of charities connect with much-needed support.

Ash has been at the forefront of social innovation, creating Australia’s first Charity Gift Card and the GoodCompany Volunteer Mystery Bus and loves giving solutions that empower companies like Optus, ANZ, CSL, NBN, and Medibank to align their business strategies with social good.

He’s a champion for scalable social impact, and is dedicated to helping companies become forces for good.

In this interview, Ash shares his background and what led him to doing what he does today as CEO of Good Company. We get into how important it is to employees to find meaning in their jobs; and the role of volunteering, including some of the personal expectations that come with it. He explains the benefits that Good Company can bring to businesses, charities and individuals. And he shares some of the initiatives that Good Company has created. My personal faves… the Volunteer Mystery Bus and Chooseday.

Connect with Ash

Ash on Linkedin

Good Company website

Learn about the Volunteer Mystery Bus

Choosedays

Volunteer at Garma

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Welcome to another insightful episode of the For Love and Money podcast. Join host Carolyn Butler-Madden as she delves into the world of purpose-driven business with Jenni Harding, founder and managing director of Greatest Good.

Jenni is driven to create opportunities for positive behavioural, social and systemic change in business and society. From working/consulting in the investment industry, to founding a social enterprise, she contributes to a world where everyone can flourish and thrive.

She combines 35+ years working in the investment industry, performing due diligence; governance, risk and compliance; and positive strategy, people and change management, with 30+ years providing pro-bono/low-bono and volunteering in the for-purpose sector. She is the founder/Managing Director of both Greatest Good and Harbridge Optimal Performance.

Greatest Good is a one-stop hub helping individuals and organisations to their greatest good, by finding and supporting social enterprises, charities/other not-for-profits and B Corps aligned with their values, then supporting them in a meaningful way for each person. Greatest Good is B Corp and People & Planet certified.

This enlightening discussion explores Jenni’s journey from the corporate sector to creating a vibrant ecosystem that connects conscious consumers with for-purpose organisations.

Greatest Good serves as a directory, community, and marketplace, making it easier for individuals to support organisations that align with their values. Discover how Jenni's innovative platform bridges the gap between social enterprises, charities, and conscious consumers, ultimately building a stronger for-purpose sector committed to tackling social and environmental challenges.

Tune in to learn about Jenni’s belief in the power of love within business, her insights into the significance of ikigai, and her ambitious vision for a future where every organisation can thrive on shared values. This episode will inspire you to reconsider the possibilities of aligning positivity with profitability. Enjoy!

Connect with Jenni and Greatest Good

• Website: Greatest Good - Helping you do good, find and support Australian social enterprises, B Corps, charities and not for profits, ethical directory, ethical shopping
• Greatest Good Australian Christmas Gift Guide: Australian Christmas Gift Guide
• Shop the entire Greatest Good range: Social Impact Marketplace | Greatest Good Australia
• Make a donation to a registered charity: Impactful Donations | Greatest Good

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Welcome to the For Love and Money podcast where business and social purpose meet. In this episode, host Carolyn Butler-Madden dives into the inspiring journey of Louisa Mackay, founder and chief lemon peeler of Byroncello, a locally crafted Limoncello from Byron Bay.

Through Byroncello, Louisa has combined her passion for entrepreneurship and her love of learning new things to cultivate a brand that celebrates the rich flavours of locally sourced ingredients through handcrafted liqueurs. With a background in marketing and an appreciation for sustainable practices, Louisa has positioned Byroncello as a growing name in the local Byron Bay craft beverage industry. Her approach highlights the beauty of the region and the common traits it shares with Italy–the home of Limoncello–while supporting local farmers and producers.

Carolyn explores Louisa's multifaceted career, her experiences in the marketing world, and the passion that led her to start Byroncello during the pandemic.

Join us as Louisa shares her personal and organic approach to building the Byroncello brand, despite having no previous experience in the alcohol industry. Discover the uplifting mantra of Byroncello, "When lemons give you life," and gain insight into the unexpected support Louisa received from her community. This episode is a celebration of finding joy in what you do and letting love drive your entrepreneurial spirit. Tune in and be inspired by Louisa's story of growth, authenticity, and the joyful art of creating something you love.

Connect with Louisa

Louisa's Linkedin Profile

Byroncello website

Byroncello on Instagram

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In this episode of the For Love and Money podcast, Carolyn Butler-Madden explores the concept of being a purpose-led business or leader by challenging the traditional notion of starting with "why". She introduces the idea of starting with "who" as a fundamental approach to understanding and defining a business's purpose. By understanding who you are as an organisation and whom you’re aiming to serve, leaders can build a more authentic, connected brand purpose that deeply resonates with both their people and customers.

Carolyn delves into the success story of Liquid Death, a beverage brand that has disrupted the bottled water market with its rebellious and sustainable branding. She illustrates how Liquid Death's unique identity and understanding of its audience have propelled it to success.

Carolyn revisits Simon Sinek's "Start With Why" framework, using Apple's evolution as an example to highlight the importance of aligning a brand's identity with its purpose. She argues that businesses need to understand their unique characteristics and values—'who' they are—to truly connect with their 'why' and drive meaningful change.

Carolyn also addresses the limitations of generic purpose statements, using Australia's major banks as examples, and highlights the vital role that meaningful purpose can play in connecting with employees, customers, and communities.

Throughout the episode, Carolyn emphasises the significance of a meaningful purpose in today's business landscape, exploring its impact on financial performance and societal contributions. She encourages organisations to embark on the journey of discovering "who" they are to build deeper connections with stakeholders and foster a movement for positive change.

Key Takeaways:

• Rethinking Purpose: Start with WHO: Uncover why understanding your organisation’s unique identity and values can transform your purpose from a "nice-to-have" statement into a powerful rallying call.
• Liquid Death Example: Learn how this unconventional bottled water brand redefined its category by embracing a bold identity that aligns with environmentally conscious consumers and builds a community around "people like us."
• Purpose Beyond Profit: Carolyn shares her definition of purpose—“the change your organisation contributes to society in a financially sustainable way, through and beyond your products”—and explains why it’s essential for today’s world.
• Crafting a Meaningful Purpose Statement: Insightful questions to start your journey with WHO.

Links:

Related episode: Episode 25 “People Like Us”

https://www.thecauseeffect.com.au/the-podcast/episode/1f223990/ep-25-carolyn-butler-madden-chief-purpose-activist-at-the-cause-effect-on-people-like-us

Referenced episode: Episode 16 Nicky Sparshott, CEO Unilever Australia & New Zealand (now Global Chief Transformation Officer, Unilever) on Purposeful Leadership

https://www.thecauseeffect.com.au/the-podcast/episode/1c69381f/ep-16-nicky-sparshott-ceo-of-unilever-australia-and-new-zealand-on-purposeful-leadership

Learn more about my work and how you can Start with WHO here

Connect with me on Linkedin here

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"Gently shoving elephants" (in case you're scratching your head), is a metaphor for the work Phil and I are doing in supporting purpose-driven business transformation. But before we get into that, I'm excited to introduce you to my collaborator-in-purpose, Phil Preston.

Phil helps leaders and teams navigate change with purpose so they can respond to the powerful forces impacting their organisations.

After leading high-performance teams in corporate roles, he went out on his own and spent time in Boston with Harvard leaders in the business purpose field.

Since then he’s worked with more than a hundred clients across all sectors as a speaker, strategist and facilitator.

Phil’s the author of Connecting Profit with Purpose and was recently featured in The CEO Magazine, CPA’s InTheBlack and the AFR report on purpose in business.

In this episode, Phil shares his journey from corporate roles to becoming a strategist and speaker, working with over 100 clients across sectors to connect profit with purpose. He emphasises the importance of genuine care in business, reflecting on his own transition from a corporate career to pursuing purposeful work.

Phil discusses the concept of Shared Value, illustrating how businesses can address societal challenges while benefiting commercially. He shares insights from his experience, including his time with Harvard leaders in the business purpose field, and highlights how organisations can leverage purpose to navigate today's fast-paced, change-driven environment.

We touch on the UN Global Goals and the research the UN Global Compact has done on the market opportunity represented by these goals - valued at, at least US$12 trillion.

Later in the episode, we share our collaboration, aiming to support purpose-driven leaders in transforming their organisations. We discuss the challenges these leaders face and share our vision to create a community where like-minded individuals can share experiences and strategies to accelerate their purpose journey.

The episode concludes with Phil's vision for the future, focusing on expanding our impact and fostering the next generation of purpose-driven leaders.

Connect with Phil

Phil Preston on Linkedin

Phil's website

Learn about Phil and Carolyn's solutions for purpose-led leaders

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Welcome to part two of the For Love and Money podcast's special Intrepid episode, "Cultural Immersion in Australia's Red Centre". In this episode, Carolyn Butler-Madden continues her journey through Central Australia, sharing the second part of her transformative experience with Intrepid Travel.

Join us as we delve deeper into the stories and insights of Benji Kenny, owner of 100% Finke Cultural Adventure Tours, as he introduces us to Rodna Homelands and the profound connection his people have with the land. Hear from my fellow travellers about their personal highlights and reflections, and discover the beauty and significance of one of the world's oldest rivers, the Finke River.

This episode offers an enriching perspective on the importance of connecting with Australia's First Nations culture and the land itself. Whether you're an avid traveller or someone seeking a deeper understanding of cultural heritage, this episode is sure to inspire and enlighten.

If you missed Part 1 of this episode, tune in here.

Learn more about Intrepid

Learn about Intrepid's Cultural Immersion Tour here

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What if your next holiday could transform your understanding of history and culture?

In this first episode of a two-part special, take a journey with us into Central Australia, where I had the incredible opportunity to experience the sacred sites of the Western Arrernte people with Intrepid Travel. Guided by the knowledgeable Benji Kenny, founder of 100% Finke Cultural Adventure Tours, my fellow travellers and I discovered the spiritual connection between the land and its traditional owners.

Listen as I share my reflections on this life-changing experience and interview Annette Sharp, Intrepid's Global Social Impact Manager. Annette discusses her extensive background in multicultural communications, community building in tourism, and human rights advocacy, offering a deeper look into how Intrepid's travel ethos promotes authentic cultural immersion and supports local communities.

We also explore the profound impact of cultural tourism and the significant role it plays in community recovery and reconciliation. From a transformative trip to Morocco to a unique cultural immersion in the Northern Territory, this episode highlights Intrepid's commitment to meaningful partnerships with First Nations communities. Hear from Stefan Hellmuth, Product Category Manager for Australia, about the genesis of a new cultural tour with Benji, emphasising the importance of experiencing culture firsthand. Our interview with Stefan took place at camp, so don't be surprised to hear noises in the background of people talking, laughing and connecting.

This episode promises to inspire and encourage a deeper appreciation of Australia's rich history and its traditional custodians, leaving you with a sense of awe and a desire to champion reconciliation efforts.

We hope it also inspires you to learn more about Intrepid and their efforts to create positive impact through the joy of travel.

In Part 2, we will hear from Benji and my fellow Intrepid travellers.

Listen to Part 2 here.

Learn more about Intrepid

Learn about Intrepid's Cultural Immersion Tour here

Connect with Annette Sharp on Linkedin

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Abigail Thomas is a purpose driven sustainability and digital leader with a vision to create positive environmental and social change through innovative solutions. She has more than twenty years’ experience in digital strategy, transformation, sustainability, innovation and product development, having led teams at SBS, Commonwealth Bank, Deloitte, ABC and in the UK Government. She was Vice Chair of the Australian Design Centre and President of not-for-profit One Step Walks which connected local communities with refugee communities. She is intrigued by the ways digital tools and approaches can be used to solve global environmental and social challenges. Abigail is currently Head of Sustainability and Product Strategy at SBS, combining her passion for both sustainability and digital products.

In this episode, Abi shares the story of SBS’s sustainability journey, including her personal story driven by her own passion and commitment to climate action.

She highlights how her experience in change management helped shape her approach to driving sustainable change by building allies—an approach based on recognising that sustainability is everyone’s job; and using data to make a case.

Abi invites us to think about the role of emotion in engaging people within an organisation, sharing a story about how a risk she took in changing how she opened a presentation to the leadership team, paid off. The song and video she references in this story – Paul Kelly’s “Sleep Australia Sleep” can be found here.

She shares stories and examples of actions taken by individuals and departments within SBS, from the TV Show department to Legal, Finance and the Audio and Languages Team. We discuss the impact of action on team morale and how it engages people’s discretionary efforts.

She shares some of the key milestones that SBS have achieved over the last 18 months, as well as their ambition to be a leader in the industry—adopting a collaboration over competition mindset, to help the industry to accelerate their transition to sustainability.

Read about SBS’s sustainability here

Connect with Abi:

On Linkedin

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Today's guest, Penelope Goodsall, is a passionate and purpose driven business leader with over fifteen years of global expertise in brand strategy and communications.

As Australian Vintage’s Sustainability Manager, Penelope is responsible for leading the global ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategy, setting the roadmap to deliver net zero absolute reduction across all scopes by 2040, delivering positive environmental and social impact, and ensuring purposeful growth and transparent reporting. Incorporating sustainable business practices across the organisation to mitigate risks and enhance stakeholder value, she is committed to using business as a force for good. This dedication saw Australian Vintage become B Corp certified in February 2024, ensuring long term commitment to transparency, accountability, and purpose-driven business.

Australian Vintage is the company behind wine labels like Tempus Two, Nepenthe, McGuigan Wines, Barossa Valley Wine Company, The Shy Pig, Not Guilty and many more.

In our interview, Penelope shares Australian Vintage's groundbreaking shift towards sustainability, guided by a forward-thinking CEO and board in 2022. We explore the influences behind this strategic move and she walks us through the company's full-scale involvement in the wine production value chain, their innovative low and no alcohol products, and their B Corp certification.

We also explore the significant commercial benefits of being purpose-driven, from increased employee engagement to attracting like-minded investors.

Tune in to be inspired by Australian Vintage’s dedication to making wine that is truly good and their leadership in the sustainability space.

Connect with Penelope and Australian Vintage

Penelope on Linkedin

Australian Vintage website

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Today's guest has roots in the coffee industry going back 20 years and has pioneered many businesses including coffee education, coffee farming and processing, cafe’s and roasting. Saxon Wright is the founder and owner of Pablo & Rusty’s Coffee Roasters, a B Corp certified roasting company based in Sydney, Australia.

He is also the co-founder and CEO of Huskee, also a B Corp certified company focused on eliminating single-use products from the coffee and broader hospitality industries. Huskee has developed a reusable cup that utilises waste from the farming of coffee, however more importantly has created a swap system so consumers can exchange the cup for a freshly cleaned one, removing the need for single-use disposables.

Saxon is the recipient of the NSW Green Globe award, Australian Good Design Award and multiple sustainability and business awards. He also serves on the board of Greensquare, a tech platform connecting coffee roasters and traders. He is deeply committed to seeing business solve issues linked to our broader environmental crisis.

This interview covers Saxon’s background – the key experiences that led him to where he is today. He shares his inspiring approach to people development which, when applied to Pablo & Rusty’s, enabled him to create the head space for other opportunities, ultimately leading to building Huskee.

You’ll notice how much the theme of curiosity, design and innovation threads its way through our interview, all driven by Saxon’s commitment to using business to solve environmental issues and creating systems change.

Discover how Saxon's companies are making a difference, from supporting farmers to reducing single-use plastics. Saxon also provides practical steps consumers can take to minimise their environmental footprint. This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in sustainable business practices and making a positive impact on the world.

Super inspiring!

Connect with Saxon

Saxon on Linkedin

Pablo & Rusty's website

Huskee website

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Welcome to the For Love and Money podcast, the show where business and social purpose meet to inspire a movement for positive change.

In this episode, Carolyn introduces Lisa Erhart, author of Advanced Grant Writing for Female Founders. Lisa is a passionate funding specialist with over two decades of experience helping women entrepreneurs secure the funding they need to grow their businesses. With a remarkable personal journey in the funding sector, Lisa has secured millions in grants and assessed over $50 million in applications.

Lisa shares her insights on why more women need to apply for available funding and how they can improve the quality of their applications. She emphasises the importance of balancing love and profit in business, encouraging female founders to aim for financial sustainability and generational wealth.

Throughout the episode, Lisa and Carolyn discuss the power of partnerships, the necessity of data in building a compelling case for funding, and the transformative impact of securing grants. Lisa's stories of successful funding journeys, like those of Melanie Greblo and also the Maternity Consumer Network, serve as inspiration for female business owners to pursue funding opportunities confidently.

If you are a female business owner looking to grow your business and secure funding, this episode is a must-listen. Lisa's practical advice and passion for empowering women will leave you inspired and ready to take action.

Connect with Lisa

Buy Lisa's book "Advanced Grant Writing For Female Founders"

Lisa on Linkedin

Funding4growth website

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Josh Kirkman, CEO of Surfers for Climate is our guest today.

Surfers for Climate is an Australian charity dedicated to turning the tide on climate change.

Since it was founded in October 2019, it has inspired the collective power of surfers through initiatives like the successful Fight for the Bight campaign in South Australia and more recently the Draw a line in the Sand campaign that successfully contributed the NSW Parliament unanimously passing amendments to legislation that will ban all offshore oil and gas in NSW waters for good.

Surfers for Climate continues to grow, with thousands of people from the surfing community across Australia coming together to take off on the party wave of climate action and become part of the solution to the climate crisis.

Josh became CEO of the organisation in 2021. He has a history in climate communications in the Nordic Cleantech Investment space as well as a sporting history in competitive bodyboarding, earning multiple Australian Championship titles as well as being a highly-ranked competitor on the global stage.

He is passionate about affecting change in the diverse and growing surf community, focussed on leading this community towards greater political agency for people and planet.

You’re going to love this episode, from learning about Josh’s personal journey to understanding the many different and inclusive ways that Surfers for Climate are educating and supporting the surfing community to take meaningful climate action. And also representing the community to advocate for changes like the recent NSW legislation banning all offshore oil and gas drilling.

As Josh says – the reality is surfers could decide every election.

Interview Highlights:

• Josh's environmental awakening and career journey
• Overcoming imposter syndrome
• Surfers for Climate vision, mission and legislative impact
• Diverse representation in surfing
• Surfers for Climate Programs: Wave Changer and Trade Up
• The PEP 11 fight
• The intersection of politics and conservation
• Josh's five year dream

Connect with Josh and Surfers for Climate:

Josh on Linkedin

Surfers for Climate website

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Win-win-win…at scale.

That is the message behind Episode 63 of the For Love & Money podcast, featuring Geoff Wilson AO, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Wilson Asset Management and Founder of Future Generation and Caroline Gurney, Chief Executive Officer of Future Generation.

Geoff has over 42 years’ direct experience in investment markets having held a variety of senior investment roles in Australia, the UK and the US. He founded Wilson Asset Management in 1997 and created Australia’s first listed philanthropic wealth creation vehicles, Future Generation Investment Company Limited and Future Generation Global Investment Company Limited

Caroline has more than 25 years’ experience in the financial services sector focused on marketing, corporate affairs and corporate social responsibility. She has held senior roles at UBS and Citibank and has worked in London, across Asia-Pacific and Australia during her career. She is a member of Ascham School Council and the Centennial Park and Moore Park Foundation, an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF), a director of Our Watch, an organisation focused on preventing violence against women and children and set up and was a director of the UBS Australia Foundation. Caroline has also previously served as a director of Future Generation Australia and as a Council Member of Chief Executive Women, and is currently an active member.

The Future Generation companies are Australia’s first listed investment companies to deliver investment and social returns. Shareholders pay zero management performance fees for access to leading pro bono Australian and global fund managers. This allows the Future Generation companies to donate 1% of assets each year to Australian not-for-profits.

Future Generation Australia (ASX: FGX) provides investors with diversified exposure to Australian equities while supporting children and youth at risk. Future Generation Global (ASX: FGG) provides investors with diversified international equities exposure while supporting not-for-profits promoting wellbeing and preventing mental ill-health in young Australians.

Geoff and Caroline share the story of the creation of Future Generation and how the model behind it works, delivering value for all stakeholders. They highlight the eye-watering scale of the impact that this model and organisation has created – $75.8 million donated so far, with a 2030 goal to increase their philanthropy to $130 million

The win-win-win?

❤️ Shareholders win, with exposure to leading fund managers without paying management or performance fees.

❤️ Social impact partners win, with a stream of annual investments.

❤️ Fund managers win, with a unique opportunity to make a positive difference to Australia’s future generations.

CONNECT WITH FUTURE GENERATION

Future Generation's Website

Geoff's LinkedIn

Caroline's LinkedIn

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Tim Stubbs, founding Director of WolfPeak, a strategy and environment consultancy, joins us on this episode of "For Love & Money." Tim would much rather be surfing than working, but with bills to pay, he and co-founder Steve Fermio set up WolfPeak to grow a profitable company doing work they believe in. WolfPeak is committed to doing good.

With his training as an environmental engineer and being a people person, Tim naturally focuses on the intersection of environment, engineering, and people, exploring how these elements can come together to improve our world.

The theme of today’s episode is “Starting Point.” Tim challenges the traditional approach of prioritising business and economic growth, which often forces environmental and human considerations to fit around these priorities. Instead, he invites us to consider an alternate perspective: understanding the constraints of human beings and the environment as the natural starting points and then asking how business can fit into that. How would our behaviours and actions change if these were our starting points?

This conversation with Tim was thought-provoking, drawing on his diverse knowledge sources. My hope is that this interview might open new perspectives for you as it did for me.

In our discussion, Tim shares his views on the traditional business approach that prioritises economic growth at the expense of environmental and human needs. He argues for a perspective shift, suggesting we start by understanding the constraints of humans and the environment, and then figure out how business can fit within these limits.

He discusses the valuable lessons from Aboriginal culture, where contribution is valued over material wealth, and highlights how understanding interconnection is crucial for grasping the implications of our actions. Tim shares a personal project idea for his children’s school, illustrating the long history of Aboriginal occupation in Australia compared to European settlement, underscoring the depth of knowledge we could gain from Australia's First Nations people.

Tim talks about the risks of greenwashing and purpose-washing by businesses, advocating for thorough understanding of business impacts to build credibility and foster innovation. We discuss the growth of impact-driven startups as examples of how businesses can drive societal improvement.

Introducing WolfPeak, Tim describes their work with government and corporate clients, and their involvement in Aboriginal projects, such as the Eden Land Council’s Bundian Way walking track. He shares an inspiring story about an ancient hunting ritual involving collaboration with Killer Whales, emphasising the value of cultural learnings.

Throughout the interview, Tim reflects on cultural evolution, drawing insights from his Aboriginal friend Les and David Sloan Wilson’s book "This View of Life." He encourages an open mindset to let opportunities find you, rather than actively seeking your starting point.

Tim concludes by sharing a story about walking through the Argyll Cut with a group of natural resource scientists, highlighting the fascinating history that can be read in the rockface. He hopes listeners take the time to reflect and perhaps adjust their perspective a little.

Connect with Tim

Wolf Peak website

Tim Stubbs Linkedin profile

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Paloma Rose Garcia is the owner of Paloma hair salon in Paddington.

I first heard about Paloma over a year ago, after reading a Guardian article on the workshops that she runs. In collaboration with climate experts, she trains hairdressers on how to have conversations about the facts on climate change, helping clients who want information on what meaningful climate action they can take.

Paloma has become known as Australian hairdressing’s climate influencer, using her voice and connection as a hairdresser; her power, to educate clients for change and supporting other hairdressers with the knowledge to do the same. “A Brush With Climate” is what the program is known as.

I think you’re going to love this episode (apart from the audio quality – I’m so sorry – rookie error I forgot my microphone). But please bear with it because this episode deserves to be heard all the way through.

If you don’t fall in love with Paloma at the end of this interview, I think I might have to check your heart for signs of life. She recognises her power and the power of her business to create important meaningful change. And she uses it, doing it in such a beautiful way.

During our interview Paloma elaborates on how her journey from awareness to action unfolded. She shares how they train hairdressers to find easy ways to introduce climate to the conversation. She identifies with clarity exactly who their target audience is for these conversations and she highlights the impact of this initiative on the business as well as her personal growth.

You'll hear how Paloma transformed her business into a platform for high quality hair makeovers AND heightened environmental consciousness and social change work.

Paloma speaks with strength and pride about the power that hairdressers have and the trust and confidence instilled in them by their clients. She treats that trust with respect, ensuring that the conversations her hairdressers have about climate action are only undertaken with clients who are interested in engaging. Her passion for social issues beyond climate, bubble up during our conversation. Her orientation for action over talk makes her a natural leader.

Discussing the essence of businesses thriving with heart-driven choices, we discover the magnetic effect of such management on like-minded customers. Our conversation highlights how this approach builds robust patron loyalty and fosters an ever-expanding client base.

Delving deeper, we discuss the role businesses play in customers' lives outside the expected commercial transaction. Brands become an important part of clients' lives by playing a role on social issues that they care about. We also highlight the instrumental role businesses play in community events, promoting healthy discourse and societal changes.

She shares her hottest tip for taking climate action: understanding ethical banking and/or superannuation but being gentle on yourself and doing what you can do at this moment.

Join The Movement

Climate Checklist (Link At Bottom Of Page)

marketforces.org

Connect With Paloma

Paloma Website

On Instagram

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Danielle Owen-Whitford founded start up Pioneera in 2018 to improve our mental health by tackling the crippling issue of workplace burnout and improving “positive” productivity.

Pioneera's purpose is to unleash everyone's potential to be happier, healthier and more productive at work.

In this episode we explore the transformational role of artificial intelligence (AI) in preventing workplace burnout. Danielle narrates her inspiring journey, explaining how her personal experience with burnout led to the creation of Pioneera, a platform using AI to foster positive mental health and safe workplace atmospheres.

Their world-first solution uses artificial intelligence informed by evidence-based psychology, to identify signs of burnout and provide tech-assisted early intervention. Ahead of it’s time, Pioneera's award-winning solution is now the only product in the market that can provide real-time mental health data to meet new safety regulations and ESG reporting requirements and is gaining strong interest across both large and small Australian businesses. Pioneera's app won the social impact category of the 2022 Australian Good design awards and was recognised as a World Changing idea by Fast Company in 2021.

Productivity in the modern workplace and the delicate balance between efficiency and wellness are explored in-depth in this interview, providing listeners with valuable insights on these critical issues.

Our conversation highlights the disturbing prevalence of 'toxic productivity' and the need for systemic changes in the way productivity is measured. We explore the corrosive effects of a relentless drive for efficiency on both work quality and employee mental health. Danielle provides a fresh perspective on combating workplace stress, focusing on the value of 'positive productivity' -- a productivity paradigm that prioritises mental clarity and wellness over sheer output.

Our discussion further examines the innovative role of Pioneera in promoting systemic change. By using data and AI, Pioneera not only detects signs of burnout but also encourages organisations to change outdated productivity measures and create healthier workplaces. Discover more about Indie, the groundbreaking app designed to provide real-time, data-driven feedback to individuals and teams. Tune into this insightful conversation to understand the necessity of reassessing productivity measures and embrace systemic change for the mental well-being of employees and society as a whole.

The conversation also sheds light on trust-building, risk-management, and fostering productive workplaces through technology. Gain valuable knowledge about organisational dynamics management, especially during challenging times. This episode is a must-listen for employers, leaders, and individuals interested in enhancing workplace safety and productivity. The inspiring journey of Pioneera, from a personal hardship story to a game-changer in workplace environments, leaves listeners with an impactful realisation about the immeasurable potential of AI in transforming workplace cultures.

GET A FREE HEALTH CHECK FOR YOUR ORGANISATION

Danielle is offering a free health check to assess where your organisation is and where you want it to be. To claim your free health check, email Danielle with Free Health Check in the subject line.

Connect with Danielle

On Linkedin

Pioneera website

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Desmond Campbell is a proud Gurindji and Alawa-Ngalakan man from the Northern Territory and is the CEO of Welcome to Country with a background in consulting, social policy and Government services. Desmond joined Welcome to Country to continue to build a platform that is First Nations led and operated, contributing to economic independence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and by sharing the world's oldest continuous living cultures and languages by First Nations people on their terms and cultural integrity.

Our yarn starts with Desmond sharing his own identity and the proud legacy of his family which flows through his blood. It weaves through to his role at Welcome to Country, why this organisation exists and how it serves its stakeholders. And it ends with a powerful and emotional vision for the future.

For those of us who believe we should be proud and fiercely protective of the oldest living civilisation in the world, through this interview, Desmond opens a door which he invites us to walk through.

Highlights:

• Desmond shares his family background including his legacies from both his mother’s and father’s side. He highlights on his father's side his relationship to Vincent Lingiari, his Great Grandfather, who Paul Kelly’s song “From Little Things Big Things Grow” is about; and his mother's Uncle who was awarded a Member of the British Empire Medal for, amongst other things, diagnosing leprosy in Aboriginal people throughout the Northern Territory
• We talk about the importance of identity and Desmond shares his approach to leadership and his mission to carry forward his cultural legacy through his role at Welcome to Country
• He shares his view on leading with emotion despite being told that it might not be appropriate and we discuss the human value of emotion in leadership
• Desmond takes us through some of his childhood experiences which made him feel like a second class citizen, but contrasts this with his deepening curiosity and pride as he started learning about the history and legacy of his mob
• He talks about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have always led events to connect language and culture and connect to our past so we can move forward together. By acknowledging our traumatic past and walking forward together
• Desmond describes himself as a “walking billboard”, sharing a couple of stories about being approached at the pub by two different non-Indigenous people separately to talk about things related to his Aboriginal identity. He explains that while he doesn't mind it, there is an emotional cost to him of engaging, which is why he offers some advice to non-indigenous people who might want to ask questions of or discuss relevant issues with an Aboriginal person
• Desmond introduces what Welcome to Country is all about and its purpose – to support greater economic independence for First Nations entrepreneurs, sharing the language and culture with the world on their terms
• He shares what Welcome to Country has achieved so far since launching in 2019 during the bushfires and leading into the pandemic
• He tells us about Welcome to Country’s new location in Glebe and his vision for what the space will enable as a vibrant cultural hub, including a shop. He highlights the Open Day that is planned (dates tbc will be shared)
• Desmond explains the challenge of balancing cultural integrity with the need to educate those organisations that want to be connected with Welcome to Country and more widely with Aboriginal culture
• Desmond’s dream: he shares his vision of what he’d love Welcome to Country to look like in 5 years time, but he also shares what he’d love our world to look like in that time.
• Desmond closes the episode by sharing what Australians who voted YES in the referendum on the Voice can do to continue to show their support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Connect with Desmond and Welcome To Country

Desmond on Linkedin

Welcome To Country on Linkedin

Welcome To Country website

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My guest is a woman after my own heart. Aga Bajer is obsessed with the opportunity to create thriving cultures by understanding what it is that people need to do their best work.

Aga wears many hats as the driving force behind CultureBrained®, where she steers the ship as both founder and CEO. Beyond leading her company, Aga is an author and a captivating keynote speaker, known for sharing insights that resonate deeply with her audience. She's the voice and brain behind the CultureLab podcast, where she dives into the intricacies of organisational culture, and has built a vibrant community for culture leaders around these conversations. Her impactful contributions, books and thought leadership in her field have earned her a spot as one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices of 2024, marking her as a must-follow for those interested in the world of company culture and leadership.

I absolutely loved our conversation. Aga challenges some of the ‘truths’ that we as a society seem to have accepted with very little rigour. She shares the insights she has uncovered through her research as well as her own experience. For Aga, her work is personal and this shines through our interview. The need for people to feel a sense of belonging is the central theme of this episode and Aga also shares with us what it takes to help foster a sense of belonging in organisations.

Interview highlights:

• Aga shares and expands on her insights on the 3 things people need to do their best work – fun, meaning and belonging
• She shares her fascinating career journey from starting an ice cream factory aged 22 to later joining large consulting businesses, in a quest to understanding how to build an environment where people can thrive.
• Her fascination and obsession with understanding the impact of environment on people and their ability to do great work and to thrive.
• She introduces her consultancy CultureBrained® and it’s “crazy dream”, a mission to make work synonymous with fun, meaning and belonging.
• Aga explains CultureBrained’s approach:
  • Codify culture
  • Embed and activate it
  • Evolve culture
• She shares that a big part of this is focused on creating a community of practitioners, a creative space for heads of people and culture, CEOs, CMOs, all finding new better ways of cultivating healthy cultures
• We talk about the Fireside Chats that Aga hosts for her members – a small, deep, intimate format. She confesses that, as a business owner, this can be quite terrifying to run this kind of format, when the rest of the world seems to be pulling in the other direction of big, mass, scaled.
• Our discussion moves to Dunbar’s number – Robin Dunbar’s theory that the maximum number of people we can manage to be ‘friends with’ is 150 people – and how this inspired Aga in how she manages her CultureBrained community
• Aga shares the story of how she came to be writing her book, which originally started as an exploration of the concepts of fun, meaning and belonging, but eventually moved to single-mindedly explore the topic of belonging
• She shares a fascinating insight into scientific research which reveals that belonging is actually the Number 1 human need (in conflict with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs)
• Aga takes us on a deeper dive into the topic of belonging and why she is so personally invested in exploring and understanding it. She talks about her personal experiences as well as what she has observed in organisations and teams
• She explains the three things we need to generate Belonging, providing deep insight on what it takes, including being valued as well as creating value
• The strong link between belonging and organisational performance, which is backed up by scientific research
• The cost of “Unbelonging” and the benefits of Belonging
• Aga’s ambition for the next five years towards a more regenerative society and what that could look like for business

Connect with Aga and CultureBrained

The Culture Lab Insider Newsletter

Aga on Linkedin

agabajer.com

The CultureBrained community

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Can you imagine loving your bank?

Can you imagine your bank being a reflection of how you see yourself, in the same way we choose fashion brands to reflect parts of our identity?

Well, perhaps if your bank is Bank Australia, you might not have to imagine too hard. From today’s interview, this bank is one that I can easily imagine loving and identifying with.

My guest today is Georgia Windrum, Manager Climate Action Strategy, Bank Australia. Georgia leads Bank Australia’s work to reach their ambitious net zero by 2035 target. She has previously worked on climate strategy, policy and campaigns at Climateworks Centre, the Australian Conservation Foundation and the Australian Council of Trade Unions

Our conversation uncovers the unusual way that Bank Australia conducts it’s business, from being customer-owned, to not paying out bonuses or dividends and to serving their purpose – to inspire and empower our customers to use their money to create a world where people and the planet thrive.

There’s much we can learn from this Australian bank and one of their ambitions is that other financial institutions use and adopt their model. This collaborative mindset comes from the ambition they have to use business as a force for good.

Interview highlights:

• Georgia shares her background journey from growing up with a strong connection to nature to her role at Bank Australia today, managing their climate action strategy
• She explains what it means to be a customer-owned bank, including what it means to have values-aligned customers as your shareholders
• Georgia highlights Bank Australia’s four key impact pillars – climate action, affordable and accessible housing, nature and biodiversity and First Nations reconciliation – and some of the ways they support these areas
• She shares Bank Australia’s 2035 Net Zero target and highlights some of the initiatives that have come from this target
• I ask Georgia to share an initiative that she’s particularly passionate about and she highlights their pilot home electrification program in Victoria, getting their customers off gas
• We discuss the benefits and challenges of having customers who are so aligned and emotionally invested in the bank’s activities
• Georgia shares what it means from an employee perspective to be part of a purpose-driven bank

Connect with Bank Australia and Georgia

Bank Australia website

Georgia on Linkedin

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I first came across Neal Foard about a year ago. I saw one of his videos on Linkedin and I was hooked. Since then, I light up every time I see the distinctive black backdrop with his smiling face inviting me in for another immersive life lesson.

Neal is a storyteller. He shares beautiful, heart-warming stories – always with a powerful takeaway. In an age where many of our political leaders and media personalities encourage us to think the worst of each other and to focus on the rage, Neal highlights the best of us. Through his stories, he inspires the best of us.

Neal’s background is in in advertising and marketing. Thirty years spent creating award-winning campaigns for global power brands like Budweiser, Sony and Nokia. For his work on Toyota, Neal ranked among the top ten most awarded creative directors in the world in 2002. As the author of an innovative talent development series, Neal was named Worldwide Director of Creative Learning for global ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi. He has consulted on creative messaging for Fortune 500 companies and universities and been a featured speaker at TEDx conferences. Most recently, Neal has gained a sudden following on social media for his inspirational videos about the kindnesses of everyday people.

Today, I am so excited to introduce you to Neal. This episode is filled with stories and insightful nuggets of gold. Ultimately the message that rises up is the immense power of stories to connect us in a disconnected world, to build trust and to inspire the best from us.

Highlights:

• Stories – many of them - littered through our chat. You’re welcome!
• Neal shares a story about a car dealer friend, whose philosophy is to be prepared to lose a little money to make a friend. I’ll leave you to figure out how healthy his bank balance is!
• We talk about how the best leaders bring a real energy when they walk in the room; they don’t just have that energy, they inspire it in others
• Neal shares his belief that brands are not only defined by what they do, but what they don’t, or won’t do
• We talk about trust and Neal shares his view (which I share) that trust is the most valuable commodity a business can offer. He shares the story of Sandra, a hotel receptionist who left an enduring impression on him through her thoughtful and playful approach
• Neal shares his background story of thirty years in advertising, along the way he shares the insight of what great brands do – enable people to be seen. He uses the Barbie movie as a great example of this.
• He explains what Storyfire does and why it is so important – words, persuasion and most powerfully stories, allow us to relate to each other, which build trust
• We explore the idea of energy, the magnetic gravitational pull, that stories can inspire
• Neal loops back to the story of Sandra, sharing a deeper explanation of why the impression she created was so powerful – by making him the hero of a story he could share with others, she had played to his narrative (one we all share) of being the hero of his own story. There’s a beautiful insight here around ‘Story Gifting’ and the power we all have to do this.
• We explore the value of being our unique selves and attracting the people and opportunities that reflect who we are – connecting to our identity. Neal shares a personal story that demonstrates the Pygmalion effect – when you set a standard of behaviour and expect people to live up to it, they usually will.
• Neal explains why he shares stories of human kindness; through his own personal experiences, to combat the confected rage that is being stirred up by elements in society
• We discuss the importance and power of stories to inspire the best of us. Not brand stories or marketing stories, but everyday stories that reflect our identity.
• Neal explains why he believes CEOs should be the greatest tellers of stories, to infuse a culture with belief… “Stories are the CEO providing a vision and warm safe place for people to be their best self; for them to think of new ideas because they’re not terrified of losing their job tomorrow” (had to include that)!
• He also shares why CFOs ought to be storytellers – to tell you where the numbers are headed; and of course, why sales people too should be storytellers
• Neal envisions his dream for the future: travelling America to tell the stories of American small businesses – relationships, truth telling, values, old fashioned traits - people taking care of each other

Connect with Neal

On Linkedin

On YouTube

On Instagram

On TikTok

Storyfire website

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Sasha Titchkosky is the co-founder and CEO of Koskela; Australia’s leading sustainability practitioner in the furniture and design industry. She has become an influential voice for circular business and social impact as she transforms Koskela towards total circularity by 2027 and absolute-zero emissions by 2035.

She also leads programs that use design skills to support Australia's Indigenous communities.

Sasha founded Koskela in 2000 with her partner Russel Koskela, both leaving behind lucrative jobs in the corporate sector in a bid to create a company with a courageous mindset and strong social conscience.

Today, they work with some of the world's leading corporations and educational institutions to create work and learning spaces of the future, from Airbnb to Pinterest, Apple, Google, and Australia's leading law firms and banks.

In 2017 Koskela became Australia’s first certified furniture B Corporation.

Sasha is committed to manufacturing Koskela’s range in Australia and is a fearless advocate for using design skills to affect social change.

Our interview covers Sasha’s career journey leading to why and how Koskela started 24 years ago.

Sasha shares the story of Koskela’s evolution from a business that started with the principles of designing furniture that was affordable and sourced and manufactured locally, to their commitment to achieve total circularity by 2027.

It’s a story of innovation and leadership and one that I’m certain will provide inspiration and insight to others who want to understand how business can solve some of society’s most challenging problems.

Interview Highlights:

❤️ Sasha introduces Koskela, highlighting their two impact pillars – reconciliation and environment

＄ She shares her background journey from law and working at the ASX to how she and her partner started Koskela

❤️ The problem Koskela set out to tackle – the horrific level of waste in the way commercial tenancies worked

＄ The evolving thinking of Koskela’s founders on certain climate certifications and why they decided to move beyond carbon neutrality

❤️ Sasha explains their move towards creating their own carbon budget and she highlights and recommends the tool they’ve adopted, through The SME Climate Hub

＄ She shares their ambitious 2027 deadline to become fully circular

❤️ Sasha explains the scale of the problem they are tackling, highlighting both waste and health factors.

＄ This provides the context for her to share how Koskela have designed their shift to circularity, including their ReHome second life program

❤️ Sasha shares the next exciting phase of Koskela, a subscription model award-winning concept that is currently in development

＄ We discuss the importance of profitability for a purpose-driven business

❤️ Sasha outlines her vision of what Koskela could look like by 2030

Connect with Sasha and Koskela:

Sasha on Linkedin

Koskela website

Koskela's 2027 Circularity Action Plan

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Lucy Piper is the Director of WorkforClimate and a passionate voice for moving the needle on climate change. After a decade in the corporate sector working in advertising and film production, Lucy faced her own climate reckoning. As a new mother, hearing the voice of Greta Thunberg addressing the UN, "We will never forgive you", echoed in her mind and she decided to turn her skills towards climate solutions.

In 2020, she left her much-loved role as the Global Head of Creative at Intrepid Travel to join WorkforClimate – a non-profit that equips climate-concerned professionals with the education, resources and community to make impactful change. Since then, Lucy has spent her days empowering Australians to push for change within their workplaces so that more businesses can set and achieve ambitious climate goals.

Lucy believes that businesses are key to solving the climate crisis and that employees are critical to its success. “You don't need to quit your day job in order to have a big impact on climate change.” She says. Her team is helping build a ‘green collar’ workforce and increasing practical climate literacy in every role and department.

My interview with Lucy was such a boost of energy and I hope it flows through to you. It is exactly the kind of energy we need, because it comes from a place of empowerment. A recognition that we all have a role to play in the climate crisis. And we can do something. And that something – no matter how small it is – can level up into something bigger.

Work for Climate is an antidote to the philosophy that little old me can’t do anything. Yes you can.

Interview highlights:

❤️ Lucy shares her background from the perspective of – as she describes, a “geriatric millennial” – starting work at the intersection of the analogue and digital worlds.

• Her ten years at Intrepid Travel – from starting on contract to becoming Head of Creative; and why she loves the company so much
• How the catastrophic bushfires in Australia in 2019, combined with Greta Thunberg’s inaugural speech at the UN became a catalyst for Lucy to join WorkforClimate

💲 Lucy explains the concept behind WorkforClimate – empowering people to take action on climate change within their organisations

❤️ She recalls and describes a powerful Venn diagram concept shared at the 2023 Purpose Conference by Adaptation Architect Digby Hall, explaining how we all need to respond to the Climate Crisis today – at the intersection of mitigation and adaptation. She connects this with what corporate organisations must do now to meet their stakeholders’ needs

💲 Lucy explains the specifics behind WorkforClimate and the four comprehensive action areas they support, which include the tools and resources for employees – leadership skills to influence others in their team; and technical skills

❤️ She fleshes out the four action areas:

1. Energy – switching to renewable energy
2. Emissions - Getting the organisation to have a science aligned ambitious target to reduce emissions
3. Money – investments, default superannuation funds
4. Influence – Lobbying efforts and what they call Scope X – advertised emissions (what emissions are you enabling? Who are your clients? Using your influence to minimise the expansion of the fossil fuel industry).

💲 Lucy passionately describes the imperative for everyone to take some form of action. Because the alternative is to be a bystander!

❤️ Lucy shares the dream for WorkforClimate – that “every job should be a climate job” - to grow the community exponentially globally, for employee-led change, across industries, sectors, companies, to accelerate what is possible in the corporate sector.

Get Started now in your climate job here

WorkforClimate website http

Connect with Lucy

On Linkedin

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There are 40,000 victims of modern slavery on any one day in Australia, as reported by the Australian Federal Police. Shocking right?

My guest on this episode is Sally Irwin, Founder and MD of The Freedom Hub, who is committed to create a world of freedom by ending Modern Slavery.

Sally has a career background in the corporate sector, but in 2008 she moved to Germany when her husband took up a Diplomatic post in Berlin. There, Sally was confronted with the issue of human trafficking in Eastern Europe, and established a charity in Berlin to fund organisations that supported the victims. She became very active in a centre supporting women trafficked in prostitution and was personally involved in helping a number of these women return to their country and begin a new life.

After four years working face to face with trauma victims of modern slavery, Sally returned to Sydney in 2012, keen to apply her experience in Australia.

She found a gap in Australia’s care for slavery victims, resulting in the creation of The Freedom Hub (TFH). In March 2014 Sally founded TFH Survivor School, that rebuilds the lives of slavery victims and is the ONLY specialised long-term support in Australia. TFH trauma informed classes train, equip and provide work experience to survivors of modern slavery in Australia. With over 14 years of frontline experience TFH is now a leading organisation in this field.

Sally is such an inspiring leader committed to creating change and this is an episode you don’t want to miss. What is remarkable and what I absolutely LOVE is how her commitment to tackling this problem has led her to creating an innovative organisational model that creates value for a range of different stakeholders.

Her story and that of The Freedom Hub is utterly compelling and will – I have no doubt – inspire you. My hope is it inspires you into action. Small steps or big leaps, it doesn't matter. One action almost always begets another, as Sally's story confirms and as the quote featured on TFH's website also supports...

“Start by doing what’s necessary, then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”

~ Saint Francis of Assis

Interview highlights:

❤️ We learn about the shocking scale of the problem that is modern slavery in Australia.

💲 Sally describes the problem that she discovered – not just the existence of Modern Slavery in Australia, but the absence of long-term care for its victims.

❤️ Sally shares her extraordinary story that saw her move from a corporate career in procurement to being posted overseas as a diplomat’s wife, to eventually starting The Freedom Hub, the only organisation that exists in Australia to support victims of Modern Slavery with long-term care.

💲 Sally tells us about the origins of The Freedom Hub - a cafe in Surry Hills, Sydney - that then became an event venue

❤️ How the Modern Slavery Act 2018 led to Sally expanding TFH into ethical business consulting for corporates, leveraging the work of TFH as well as Sally's earlier corporate expertise in procurement.

💲How Sally's passion to eradicate the problem of Modern Slavery has led to TFH also running Zoom training sessions for smaller organisations to do it themselves as a voluntary exercise, making improvements over time. She also talks about the business opportunity for medium and small organisations supplying corporates.

❤️ The galvanising statistic! 75 per cent of global slavery in the world is in Asia-Pacific - Australia's shopping ground, for our government, businesses and consumers. Meaning WE, Australians can dramatically impact global slavery just through conscious buying.

💲Sally describes the 5 pillars of TFH's Survivor School - the human-centred journey for survivors, the length and depth of which can vary for each individual; and which links to TFH's employment program.

❤️ Marking TFH's 10 year anniversary, Sally shares her inspiring 5 year vision of success and what she needs (businesses, please take note - there is so much opportunity for business partners in this, corporates and small to medium businesses alike)!

Connect with Sally

Linkedin

The Freedom Hub Website

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In the last episode for 2023, I reflect on the interviews that have aired this year and some of the themes that have emerged.

When I started this podcast back in 2021, it was only meant to be a limited 12-episode series and yet here we are at Episode 52. I guess I have become a bit addicted to interviewing people who I consider to be true leaders of our time, who are charting a new and better path for business.

Our 2023 interviews covered a range of topics including:

❤️DEI – Diversity Equity and Inclusion

💲Social Enterprise, BCorp and Fair Trade

❤️Brands leading change

💲 The power of community and collaboration

❤️Creating more human-centric workplaces

💲Challenging the purpose of business

❤️Leadership

💲The Environment

❤️Cultivating Resilience

And I then dive into two key themes that consistently emerge through these interviews and my conversations with others on purpose-led business. And that I believe are intrinsically linked:

❤️ The proliferation of women driving purpose-led change

💲The importance of connecting profit with purpose

I also talk a bit about an article by author and researcher Thomas Klaffke on “Pleasure Activism”. It is such a perspective-altering read about the organising principle of the modern world being pain and the opportunity that reframing it to one of pleasure offers us.

If you're enjoying this podcast, please rate/review it on your favourite listening app and share with others who you think may also enjoy it.

Connect with Carolyn:

Linkedin

The Cause Effect website

Carolyn's personal website

Buy the For Love & Money book

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Heidi Dening is a professional keynote speaker, author and trusted expert and educator on resilience. She regularly features in the media on this topic and believes that education changes lives.

Combining the insights she has learned from surviving a paralysing illness, a gunpoint kidnapping, a life-threatening tsunami, and petrol bombs with her impressive business and health education background, she has a unique ability to elevate the professional resilience of leaders and their teams. This enables them to make better decisions, be more innovative, have more energy, optimism and empathy, and successfully deal with change, stress, and uncertainty.

Heidi has dedicated her career to inspiring thousands of people globally with practical strategies that improve resilience, self-leadership and wellbeing, from small children on remote Pacific Islands to professional teams across numerous industries.

In this episode, Heidi shares her story that brought her to becoming one of Australia’s foremost experts on resilience. She generously shares some strategies for cultivating resilience and why it is so important.

Why is this relevant to a podcast that explores the intersection of Love & Money (Purpose & Profit)?

Well, leaders of the movement for purpose-led business will face many bumps on their path to purpose. There will be resistance to the change that becoming truly purpose-driven demands of businesses and leaders. Cultivating resilience in yourself is vital if you are going to go the distance. Clearly it is also a vital trait for teams, but today’s episode is for you. This is about cultivating resilience for yourself.

I hope you get value from this episode. Heidi is amazing and has so much wisdom to impart on this subject.

Interview Highlights:

• Heidi shares her back story into how she came to become a trusted expert and keynote speaker on Resilience
• She shares her actual “petrol bomb” moment – a frightening and confronting life-changing experience for Heidi – and relates this to a metaphor for the “petrol bomb moments” we all face in our lifetimes, offering advice on how to prepare for those moments
• We talk about the Voice Referendum result in Australia and the impact of the No result on First Nations People, as well as non-indigenous supporters of the Yes campaign
• I ask Heidi to share her thoughts on how those of us who were committed supporters of the 'Yes' campaign can respond to the feeling of disempowerment that comes from the 'No' result. She talks about the vicarious trauma from bearing witness to traumatic events and the deep need for connection with likeminded others at this time.
• She also shares one powerful practice we can do that is all-important at times like this – scanning for the “micro-wins”
• We talk about the unrivalled resilience of First Nations Australians and what we all might be able to learn from that, including our moral obligation to honour the resilience of our own ancestors, by showing up to do the right thing for future generations
• Heidi shares her insights on how we can give the world "the best of us, not what's left of us". Link to the mental health plan template she mentions here.

Connect with Heidi

Heidi's website

Heidi on Linkedin

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In this episode, I wanted to introduce our listeners to an organisation that I love; one of our amazing impact partners.

Rainforest Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation that has been protecting and restoring rainforests since March 1999 by providing opportunities for individuals and businesses to Protect Rainforests Forever.

Their projects re-establish rainforests through planting, maintenance, and restoration programs, as well as purchasing and protecting high conservation value rainforest and preserving its biodiversity

The majestic Daintree Rainforest is their key client, if I can put it that way. The forest they love, learn from and invest most of their time to protect.

I interview Rainforest Rescue’s CEO Branden Barber and Partnerships Director Kristin Canning. Both of their bios are below. It was a wonderful opportunity for me – and I hope, n turn, for you – to learn more about the Daintree and Rainforest Rescue’s efforts in collaboration with their partners, to protect it forever.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Branden introduces us to Rainforest Rescue, including the history of how it started and why it exists.
• He and Kristin share with us the impact that Rainforest Rescue are creating and some of the ways in which the Forest is a teacher.
• Branden touches on the UN’s decade of restoration and what that means.
• We learn a bit about some of the new investment schemes coming out that are supportive of restoration and that go way beyond Carbon Credits, including the Government’s Nature Credit Scheme, Reef Credits and Cassowary Credits and the Land Restoration Fund.
• Branden describes the importance of the work that Rainforest Rescue is doing with the Traditional Owners of the land, the Jabalbina Aboriginal Land Corporation, representing the Eastern Kuku Yalanji; and their desire to do more and learn more from them.
• For those listeners who enjoy learning how people of impact came to do what they’re doing, both Kristin and Branden share their respective journeys that led them to work with Rainforest Rescue.
• Why Rainforest Rescue? What makes them unique and so appealing as an impact partner for businesses as well as individuals.
• Why business partnerships are so vital to Rainforest Rescue and the confidence it gives them to take on some mighty risks.
• The 1% Profits to Rainforest Rescue Program which opens partnerships up from small business all the way to large corporates.
• The necessity of setting big audacious and scary goals.
• Branden shares a bit about one of their projects, Lot 1 Cape Tribulation Road

And if you’re looking for some great Christmas gifts, take a look at their wonderful merchandise here

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Before founding her own enterprises, All of the Good Things and Authentic Selling, Nimmity worked for 25+ years in senior management in the software industry. Working across a broad international landscape, this included working in Africa, Middle East, Europe (including Russia and Central Europe), Scandinavia, Asia and the Americas.

As well as providing fantastic experiences exploring the world, these experiences also highlighted the extreme contrast in her living and travelling circumstances, and those she saw in her travels. Nimmity is passionate about using her business experience for good. Her travels and work experience sparked a passion in the Fair Trade movement. Nimmity currently volunteers as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand. Nimmity enjoys hiking, exploring new cities, art and camping.

In this interview we explore the importance of relationships – the emotional bonds we build with other human beings. Not just friends and family, but through business. Nimmity talks about Fair Trade being the antidote to Modern Slavery, but our conversation also reveals it is so much more than that. It is about moving away from transactional bonds to emotional bonds. And in the process building more human businesses and reconnecting to our humanity.

I loved this conversation. It has inspired me to dive deeper into the Fair Trade movement. I hope it achieves the same for you.

Some of the highlights:

• The value of the relationships we build with people through the organisations we work with
• Nimmity’s background and the role travelling played in opening her eyes to the inequities in the world
• How Nimmity’s experiences inspired her to volunteer with the Fair Trade Movement and to eventually leave her corporate background to start her business “All Of The Good Things”
• She shares the mission of All Of The Good Things, including why ethical gifting has such positive impact
• Nimmity explains what Fair Trade is about – the problems it is committed to solving and the principles it adheres to
• She talks about how Fair Trade goes beyond reducing negative impact and instead creates positive impact
• We discuss the empowerment of consumer choice and how the importance of micro actions, on their own but all collectively in creating positive impact
• She explains the scale and depth of Modern Slavery and and how Fair Trade is the antidote
• She reveals to us the Artisan side of the Fair Trade movement beyond goods like coffee/tea/chocolate that people usually associate with Fair Trade
• We chat about the idea of buying less but better quality and products using natural fibres; and wearing things till they fall apart
• The stories we can tell about the things we buy including the connections we have as a buyer to the people who produce the goods – bringing us back to the value of relationships
• Expanding on this theme of relationships, Nimmity shares a beautiful story about what happened during Covid when overseas artisans were unable to work during lockdowns and how Fair Trade businesses here in Australia responded
• The ripple effect of employing someone and the positive impact it creates
• The different ways people can support the Fair Trade movement – as a consumer, as a business and as a citizen

Connect with Nimmity

On Linkedin

All Of The Good Things website

All Of The Good Things on Instagram

Connect with the Fair Trade movement

Fair Trade Association website

List of Fair Traders in Australia

Get involved

NSW Meet-ups

Fair Trade Australia (commodity products)

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In this special episode on The Voice to Parliament, I have the privilege of interviewing Yes campaigner and Director for Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, Thomas Mayo.

Thomas is a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man. He is the Assistant National Secretary of the MUA.

Thomas is a signatory of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and has been a leading advocate since its inception in May 2017. He is the Chairperson of the Northern Territory Indigenous Labor Network and a director on the Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition board.

Thomas is the author of six books published by Hardie Grant and has many articles and essays published across the major media providers.

His latest book is co-authored with well-respected journalist, Kerry O’Brien: The Voice to Parliament Handbook - All the details you need; published 17 May 2023.

In this special episode I ask Thomas to answer the many questions arising from the proposal for the referendum for the Voice to Parliament. Some of these questions are legitimate. Sadly and frustratingly many are borne from a campaign of wilful disinformation. This means there is a lot of misinformation floating around and this episode is a chance to hear directly from one of the leaders of the YES campaign.

I hope you find this episode valuable, however you ultimately decide to vote. And I ask you please – if you have found it valuable, please share it with someone else who you think it could be helpful to. I also echo Thomas' ask at the end of our interview; to reach out and speak to people about this important proposal. To listen to them with patience, curiosity and respect and if and when you hear some of this misinformation as part of their consideration process, share the truth.

A healthy democracy depends on our citizens being well informed. Sometimes we need to get involved personally to protect our democracy. I believe this is one of those times.

Highlights of this episode:

• Thomas shares his vision of the future if this referendum is successful
• He shares the lessons learned from the history of struggle of Indigenous people for recognition and justice and how that has shaped the path forward including the proposal for the Voice to Parliament
• We talk about the deliberate campaign of disinformation
• He explains the history and the comprehensive process leading up to this proposal today
• Thomas answers some of the legitimate questions arising from the proposal
• He also debunks the more mischievous claims and outright disinformation designed to confuse and manipulate Australians
• He invites Yes supporters to reach out and speak to others respectfully about the Voice proposal
• He shares his hopes for a future where as a nation we have turned a page and taken the colonial past of their shoulders

Connect with

Thomas Mayo on Linkedin

Yes23 website

Other links

Uluru Statement from the Heart

AEC Disinformation Register

RMIT FactLab

The Voice To Parliament Handbook by Thomas Mayo and Kerry O'Brien

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Today's episode features Kirrily Graham, founder of Dovetail Social Enterprises. Through Dovetail, Kirrily is on a mission to transform how small & medium sized charities operate, creating more sustainable organisations through empowering micro, small and medium sized businesses to develop successful charity partnerships that don’t just raise the funds they need for their projects but also become social impact investors, building the charity's capacity and capabilities to amplify the great work that they do in the world.

Kirrily’s combined experience of working in the NFP industry, running her own micro, small & medium-size businesses (MSME) as well as working in the corporate sector, has led her to create her own Social Enterprise to empower partnership between MSME's and small but mighty, grass-root charities.

If you are a leader of a small to medium business and you want to make a greater difference in the world through simple and powerful partnership with grass-root charities that will help them scale – this episode is for you!

Kirrily shares with us

• How her background in the charity sector and her own personal burnout experience opened her eyes to a massive gap that small charities are struggling with
• The TED talk by Dan Pallotta that got right inside her head and spurred her to take action
• How all of this led to her starting Dovetail Social Enterprises
• She explains what a Social Enterprise is
• She shares the really smart model that she has created through Dovetail that benefits both charity partners and the for-profit businesses who join her program
• She talks about some of the charity partners within her program as well as the vetting procedure she goes through in selecting them
• She highlights the different levels of partnership a business can come in at; and at the top level, she talks about Charity Challenges – a wonderful opportunity to fundraise while challenging yourself and potentially your team or even your clients.
• Her vision for scaling the program to create more impact
• Network for Good - a great way for anyone interested to get involved now

Resources and links to connect with Kirrily

Kirrily Graham Linkedin

Dovetail Social Enterprises website

Network for Good

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Earlier this year I was part of a panel at Mumbrella CommsCon 2023 to discuss "how to profit with purpose". I joined three leaders in Australia’s communications industry – all women, movers and shakers; founders and leaders of their respective Communications Agencies. The discussion we had was a good one, but barely had time to scratch the surface of such an important topic within an industry that has such influence and leverage.

So I invited them to join me on the podcast to take a deeper dive into the topic. I managed to get two of them into the interview. The third, Simone Gupta, who is co-founder of a new independent creative agency, Supermassive, helped us shape the subject but unfortunately couldn’t make the actual interview on the day.

My two guests in this interview are

Joanne Painter - Co-founder & Group Managing Director of Icon Agency

Dena Vassallo - CEO and Founder of SOCIETY

Joanne Painter Co-founder & Group Managing Director of Icon Agency Joanne has over 30 years of experience across media, strategic communications and public relations. She was recently named ‘2022 PR Agency Head of the Year' in the prestigious PR Asia Awards.

Formerly a senior journalist with The Age, Joanne now consults to Icon’s government and corporate clients in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific, including Salesforce, Schneider Electric, ADP, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Department of Defence, AUSTRAC, the Department of Education and the National Library of Australia.

Dena Vassallo CEO & Founder of SOCIETY

SOCIETY is an independent, female-led creative agency with a fresh and brave approach to marketing communications. SOCIETY puts people at the heart of everything they do, and works to support brands and organisations that are positively shaping the societies in which we live, work, and play.

Dena lives her values of environmentalism and female representation and empowerment through her work on the board of Green Adelaide and as the Chair of She Creates.

In this interview, the rabbit hole we go down is, I believe, a really important one...the power of brands to lead positive change within business. But it’s actually more than that – this interview is about brands leading societal progress. Our conversation expands to leadership, the risk of inaction, the need for bravery and how brands and leaders can move forward with their purpose agenda.

It's a rich conversation with two brilliant women who are driving change through their industry. I hope you enjoy it.

Highlights of this interview:

• Brands – the benefits of emotional characteristics over functional in building brand saliency and resilience; and the impact of a brand on building connection and belonging
• Who leads purpose and ESG standards within an organisation?
• Why brand leadership is so important to building a purpose-led economy.
• The importance of the SME community to embrace ESG standards to meet Australia’s ESG targets, as well as to position themselves for the supply chain needs of large organisations
• Bud Light and Dylan Mulvaney – a case study of how to damage a brand through inauthentic cause marketing/purpose washing and a failure of leadership
• Unilever ANZ’s B Corp Certification – how Society approached PR and Comms announcing this achievement
• Joanne and Dena’s advice to business leaders who are holding back on leading with purpose because of fear of the risks

Connect with Dena

Linkedin

Email

Society website

Connect with Joanne

Email

Linkedin

Icon Agency website

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Danielle Chiel is founder and CEO of KOCO, a knitwear company specialising in commercial hand knitting. KOCO (Knit One, Change One) engages women in rural villages in the south of Tamil Nadu, India, to produce artisan knitwear for global fashion brands.

Combined, her lifelong passions for innovation, education, and giving women a voice, have enabled her to make significant social contributions in both Australia and India.

She’s a published author, her book KOCO – How Handknitting is Changing Lives and the Fashion Industry describes the story of KOCO’s sisterhood, has touched the hearts of brands and consumers around the world.

In this interview, Danielle shares...

• How knitting became a passion for her from a young age, but because of family expectations, she initially took an academic path before finding her way back to fashion.
• The story of how new Australian government legislation in the fashion industry forced her to find knitters outside of the country, taking her to Southern India.
• How KOCO was established in Australia by Danielle in partnership with women who live in rural villages of Tamil Nadu southern India.
• Danielle talks about what began as a solution to producing hand-knitted garments offshore is now a sisterhood of artisans and a business with the United Nations’ Global Goals for Sustainable Development entwined in their DNA. They have scaled the art of hand knitting to produce commercial quantities of garments, all entirely hand knitted.
• Along the way she is helping to give those women a voice, inadvertently also helping to break the economic cycle and the cycle of DV that many of them have lived with. As she says it’s about supporting them to be strong, independently-minded women.
• We also talk about how for people who have connected to their higher purpose, it is often connected to something that they experienced in their childhood. I reference a book called The Desire Map Experience by Danielle le Porte

I hope you enjoy this episode and the fascinating stories and insights that Danielle shares.

Connect with Danielle:

KOCO website

Danielle's Linkedin Profile

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“Imagine waking up to a world without nature. Blue skies replaced by grey, grass by dirt, oceans turned to dust and mud. This isn’t some far-fetched Science Fiction movie, it is the reality we are facing now. We are staring down the gun at the end of the world as we know it and business leaders need to unite to implement new ways of thinking and doing before it’s too late.”

Introducing Paula Kensington, award-winning CFO, business leader and director of consulting group, PK Advisory; and founder/CEO of CFO Conversations.

In her recently published green paper, Paula draws on global research, highlights the pitfalls of the past and offers hope for the future by outlining a strategic road-map out of outmoded, profit-focussed business practices to a new ‘planet-centric’ approach, with CFOs and CEOs leading the way.

“More than just a numbers person, CFOs are ‘key stewards’ that can drive change from within to align business outcomes with earth outcomes to go beyond carbon credits to turn profit into purpose,” she says.

Our conversation on this podcast centres on three key themes:

1. Why should CFO’s lead the purpose agenda
2. How do we ‘flip the business model’?
3. How do we reconstitute what we value as business success

If you are a CFO, this episode is especially for you.

If you’re not a CFO, the value this interview offers is understanding that Purpose and Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’. The ‘compliance’ stakes are gearing up and soon. Paula shares her thoughts, insights and paths to navigating from ‘biz-as-usual’ to a new world of business. Great insights and I hope you might consider sharing with a CFO you know; perhaps in your own business.

Some of the highlights of this interview:

• Why CFO’s should lead the purpose agenda
  • What might be holding CFOs back from leading the purpose and sustainability agenda
  • CFO Excellence Index report – when the CFOs leads the sustainability agenda, the business is more successful
  • How new regulations and standards are going to mandate sustainability reporting which sits alongside the financial results and reporting
  • Her thoughts on probable timing of these reporting requirements (and it’s soon!)
  • What can CFOs do to prepare for these new mandates
  • The risk frameworks (COSO) around effective internal controls over sustainability reporting
  • Campfire Conversations: Paula’s approach and an analogy on how CFOs can navigate this new world and expectations
  • How “CFO Conversations” works and what CFOs can expect to gain out of them
• “Flipping the business model” – how do we change our focus on valuing the end product to a new world where we also value all inputs and resources?
  • How do we value nature while its living?
  • How do we bring living nature onto the balance sheet?
  • How do we transition to this new world which may be 5-10 years away?
  • Disrupting the business model. Paula shares the deep questions she believes business leaders must ask
  • She questions how businesses are allocating their capital reserves, challenging the notion that the majority is re-invested into business-as-usual
• How do we reconstitute what we value as business success?
  • Do we need new language, models, ledgers?
  • Horizon concepts
  • What can we do right now?
  • Stewardship over ownership
  • Whole system approach
  • As a CFO now we need to be aware of whole system thinking
  • Regenerative principles… challenge our thinking …decoupling everything tied to a financial outcome

Links promised in the interview:

BCG Article on CFO leading the way on Sustainability and ESG Paula's Green Paper No.1 COSO report on Achieving Effective Internal control over sustainability Reporting CFO Conversations on LI

Connect with Paula Linkedin PK Advisory Website Email

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Episode 43 features Nikki Beaumont…Founder and CEO of Beaumont People, a leading recruitment business who are all about placing people first – whether its their own people, their clients or the candidates they place.

This ‘people first’ philosophy and purpose-driven vision to connect people with organisations that empower them to do meaningful work and to create more opportunities for meaningful work in Australia, has seen Nikki's team provide much more than standard recruitment services to her customers.

Key to Nikki's and Beaumont People's success has been the unfaltering investment she makes in her people. She has crafted a work environment that is conducive to success - where her people are nurtured and motivated to achieve their personal best not only for the business, but as importantly, for themselves.

In this episode we talk a little bit about Beaumont People’s approach and some of the initiatives it has driven, but we zero in on one key initiative that they implemented 3 years ago – the 4-day work week.

As one of the first Australian businesses to do this, Nikki has some valuable insights to share.

I hope our listeners can take these insights and use them to think – not just about the 4 day work week – but also to question some of the other rules of business that we rarely examine. How can we do things better? What can we change?

I hope you enjoy the gems that Nikki shares in our chat.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Nikki shares Beaumont People’s origin story, including how the GFC was the stimulus that led to Beaumont’s strength in serving the charity sector
• What their purpose around meaningful work means to Beaumont People
• We talk about the ripple effect that having meaningful work has beyond the individual
• Nikki shares her pride in the people in the Beaumont People team, in implementing the Four Day Work Week; in launching gender neutral parental leave; and their work in the charity sector (having saved almost AU$35 million for the charity sector to date)
• What inspired Beaumont People to launch the Four Day Work Week and some of the best advice they were given to make it work by Andrew Barnes from the 4 Day Week organisation
• How they announced it to their people at their annual conference and engaged them in thinking about how it would work
• How Beaumont People’s peoples’ ideas were central to how the initiative was implemented
• How they approached the ‘Productivity’ question, including understanding that productivity varies so much across teams and functions
• How introducing the Four Day Work Week has clarified how Beaumont People measure productivity and success
• The role of trust in the success of this initiative
• Nikki shares her greatest learnings from the last 3 years of running the Four Day Work Week

Connect with Nikki

Nikki's Linkedin Profile

Beaumont People on Linkedin

Beaumont People website

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Our guest on this episode of the FOR LOVE & MONEY Podcast is Kelly Beater. Kelly is Head of felix mobile, a brand that describes themselves as “passionate about enabling a seamless telco experience for our customers, while driving a positive impact for our planet through our partners like One Tree Planted.”

felix’s mission is to inspire a better mobile industry; one that’s great for people and cares for our planet.

felix mobile is part of TPG Telecom, one of Australia’s biggest telecommunication companies. One of the interesting things about this brand is that they exist as a siloed business unit within the larger TPG Telecom organisations. This represents a really interesting model on how large organisations might start navigating their way to balancing profit with purpose – by starting with a small business unit, to build confidence in a profit through purpose model.

In this episode, Kelly shares the journey so far with felix, highlighting the power of a BHAG – a big hairy audacious goal – which for them was to plant one million trees. A goal they have just achieved!

So much gold in this episode. Here are some of the highlights, but make sure you listen all the way to where Kelly talks about her love of what she does and her pride in what she and the felix team are doing (around the 41 minute mark).

• Kelly shares how the brief to create a “digital-only” brand led to the development and launch of a purpose-led digital-only brand and business unit within TPG Telecom
• Why the felix team chose climate action as their greater cause; the environmental impact of mobile phone usage
• Kelly shares felix’s three powerful values and how these shape the behaviour and decisions of the felix team
• On achieving their BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) to plant one million trees on behalf of their customers
• Kelly shares the benefits of tree planting including environmental and also the restoration of habitat of threatened species like koalas
• She talks about some of the projects that felix have supported both in Australia and overseas through their partner organisation One Tree Planted
• The role of their customers in choosing their projects
• Kelly shares a fascinating insight on what attracts their customers about felix’s value proposition and what drives their ongoing customer satisfaction
• The role of purpose in attracting the brand’s stakeholders
• Beyond the one million trees, Kelly shares some of felix’s other successes, from awards, to customer growth, customer feedback, customer referral and customer retention
• The inextricable link between purpose and profit in felix’s success metrics
• Kelly talks about the value of credible partnerships and she shares some of the partnerships that felix have, that help build trust
• Kelly talks about how much she loves what she does and how proud she is of what she’s doing through felix (I just love this section of this interview)!
• How felix mobile operates within TPG Telecom and how the felix business is influencing the wider business
• The next big goal!! And more big news which Kelly couldn’t share during our interview, but we will link to here when “it” is announced

Connect with felix mobile and Kelly

felix mobile website

Kelly’s Linkedin

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Today's guest on the FLAM podcast is Graeme Cowan, whose dedication and commitment to creating mentally healthy workplaces has seen him named one of LinkedIn’s top voices for 2022 in the Mental Health & Resilience space.

Graeme helps leaders and teams to be more caring and resilient - and enjoy growing together.

He was founding Board Director of R U OK? and is the author of four books, including the internationally acclaimed BACK FROM THE BRINK, which has a testimonial from the former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and which has become a best seller in China.

He is the Co-Founder of WeCARE365, which creates simple scalable eLearning to prevent mental health issues.

Graeme is also host of The Caring CEO podcast, where he interviews CEO’s who champion a culture of care AND high performance.

In his earlier career he worked in senior leadership positions with Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and the management consulting company, Kearney.

In 2000 he went through a 5 year episode of depression that his psychiatrist described as the worst he had ever treated. He emerged from this crisis with a different view about how we can increase our resilience, mood, and performance.

Today, his purpose – helping leaders and teams to be more caring and resilient and enjoy growing together – is the guiding force that drives everything Graeme does in this space.

Key highlights of this interview:

• Graeme’s personal journey that led him to have such clarity of purpose. His own painful experience with serious depression, but also the pivotal experience of work he did many years ago as a consultant with Ramsey Healthcare, in shaping his view on the value of “people caring for people”.
• His insights on what poor mental health is costing our workplaces in absenteeism, presenteeism and even on workers compensation premium costs.
• Some of the insights he’s gained through his podcast, The Caring CEO, and the characteristics these leaders share.
• An overview of the programs he and his business partner Brendan Carter have developed through their business WeCARE365, empowering managers to create mentally healthy workplaces.
• How to measure the impact of a mentally healthy workplace – including an interesting development in a tech startup as something to watch out for

For anyone who believes that people are an organisation’s greatest asset, this interview will get you thinking about how you can create organisational and team environments where people feel safe and are able to bring their best to their work.

Connect with Graeme

Linkedin

Email

Websites:

http://www.graemecowan.com.au/ (Personal)

https://wecare365.com.au (WeCARE365)

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Ravi Prasad is a former ad man turned social entrepreneur.

A strategist, who in a career spanning over 20 years, worked for agencies including, EURO RSCG, Leo Burnett, John Singleton Advertising, Ogilvy & Mather, Sapient Nitro and Clemenger BBDO.

Over the years his work has won, or been a finalist, in awards, from W3 in New York to the IIB Awards in London, and from ADMA to AIMIA in Australia.

In 2013 Ravi shifted the focus of his life and work to pursue his interest in social justice and civil society, and founded Parliament on King.

Parliament on King addresses the barriers to social, cultural and economic participation faced by asylum seekers and refugees.

It’s also a social enterprise catering business, that offers training, work experience and paid employment to asylum seekers and refugees – all funded by the proceeds of its commercial catering operations.

The project has been recognized with awards including a Refuge Council Humanitarian Award and the Good Food Guides ‘Food for Good Award’. Ravi is also the recipient of a UTS Human Rights Awards and the 2022 NSW Human Rights Medal.

Ravi shares such valuable insights in this interview. There’s a theme that threads its way throughout our chat - the importance of belief, clarity of belief, self-belief and shared belief. This, combined with the other recurring themes of the power of ‘action’ to build belief; and the fallacy of limited resources, makes for an interview that I really hope will inspire people to act without any further delay.

Some of the highlights of our conversation

• A great philosophical discussion about the role of love in business
• Ravi’s view on the role of the social enterprise sector and the future of business
• The life defining moment that forced Ravi to examine his beliefs and what happened as a result
• The idea of limited resources being a barrier to starting to live your beliefs.
• Parliament On King’s start-up story – you’re going to want to listen to this!
• The importance of action – “doing things” – to create proof and belief to take the next step
• The power of doing something small
• What can one single person do? The power of one
• The secret to people being trustworthy is to trust them – Ravi’s story about his experiment on trust
• Social businesses are built on belief. Social business leaders can make their own rules.
• Parliament On King’s ripple-effect of impact –on asylum seekers and refugees, the homeless and other vulnerable groups
• Shared narrative, transformative leadership, action and stories
• Transparency of impact that builds trust

Connect with Ravi

Email: myintuition@yahoo.com

Phone: +61 414 235 325

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raviprasad/

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Carolyn Tate is a writer, educator and speaker and the author of six books including Brave Women Write and her best-selling book The Purpose Project. She is a pioneer of purpose in Australia and her book has inspired countless individuals to pursue their purpose and make an impact. Brave Women Write is her most recent book. It’s a powerful call-to-action for women to harness the power of their words, to get writing and create personal and planetary change. As a river swimmer with a deep connection to nature, Carolyn’s purpose is to write and share the stories that move us to remake the world.

Carolyn and I were speaking about this topic of women who were bravely showing up to share their ideas of how to make things better, through writing and publishing books. Our discussion sparked this idea of using the podcast to inspire more women to write.

There is no doubt we are experiencing a movement where many women are bravely showing up as protagonists of change in their industries. While this isn’t limited to women, my experience and that of most of my co-conspirators, is that more women are driving purpose-led change than men. Perhaps it comes from the need to rebalance growth and winning with nurturing and sharing.

So today’s episode is dedicated to the many women who are showing up bravely, as well as those who want to do more to show up bravely. Brave Women Write is a celebration as well as an invitation. Hope you enjoy this episode.

Some of the highlights

• Alice In Wonderland – an invitation to channel your inner “Alice” and go down that rabbit hole
• The importance of curiosity in our lives and through our writing
• The vital role of antagonists
• How to overcome imposter syndrome
• Being in the arena: Teddy Roosevelt and Brene Brown
• The voices we can share and the role of our ancestors
• Writing to connect to (and release) our deeper grief
• How sharing our stories will remake our world
• “Story Boxing”
• Ideas on how to start writing and storytelling
• An invitation to adventure
• Why do we need to be protagonists?

Connect with Carolyn

Carolyn's website

Get the book BRAVE WOMEN WRITE

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Listeners of this podcast might be familiar with the term B Corp, but like many – perhaps don’t have a clear understanding of what B Corp stands for and what is involved in becoming a B Corp.

B Corps are businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency and as a result have received certification.

The B Corp certification is the most holistic and rigorous independent certification for businesses today.

Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, envision a better economic system where businesses can benefit people, communities, and the planet. They choose long-term investments over quick wins, and measure their success based on the positive impact they create.

My business, The Cause Effect is proud to be a certified B Corp. We achieved certification in October 2021. You can see our B Corp profile here and read a short blog about it here.

On the For Love & Money podcast, our mission is to explore the intersection of love and money (or purpose and profit) in business, to inspire a movement for positive change – business as a force for good; brands driving profit through purpose.

The B Corp community and movement aligns to this 100%. Their mission: Make Business a force for good. We won't stop until all business is a force for good.

So it is with great pleasure that I introduce today’s guest Mindy Leow.

Mindy is Director of Impact and Growth at B Lab Australia & NZ, the certification arm of B Corp. At the time of this interview she is also acting CEO.

Mindy is a champion of business as a force for good. Instrumental in building the B Corp movement in Australia and New Zealand, She has worked with more than 200 companies to achieve certification. She has also worked with hundreds of other businesses to measure and improve their social and environmental impact through the free online B Impact Assessment tool.

In this episode, Mindy shares her journey to becoming a B Corp champion and gives us some great insights into what B Corp certification is all about, what value the process of becoming a B Corp offers to business leaders; and the strong benefits that being a B Corp delivers.

If you haven’t already - my hope is that this episode will motivate you to check out the B Corp Assessment and start doing the assessment, regardless of whether or not you are committed or you have commitment from within the business to undertake the B Corp certification process. Hands down you will learn so much from simply doing the assessment.

Some of the highlights of this interview:

• Mindy’s background and how she came to be part of the B Lab Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand team
• Mindy shares the concept that B Lab use to describe shareholder primacy – as a “source code error”. Great analogy!
• The three levels that B Corp certified businesses need to meet: Performance, Accountability and Transparency. Mindy talks about these in some detail.
• Mindy shares the five pillars of the B Corp assessment and shares some examples within the pillars
• We discuss the value of undertaking the free B Corp Assessment
• She also shares the benefits of being a B Corp

Connect with Mindy and the B Lab community:

Mindy Low on Linkedin

B Corp Website

The B Impact Assessment

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Imagine if impacting people's lives was deemed more valuable than money.

That's what my guest on this episode is working towards.

Kimberley Abbott, CEO and founder of Vested, a company with a mission to 'redefine millionaire to be a person who impacts millions of lives' through leveraging data-driven impact assessment to help people invest their money where it makes the best impact on society.

Vested helps people invest their money where it matters. To create impact where it is most needed.

Kim is an Aussie who has relocated to London. I first learned about her when I was listening to Mick Spiers Leadership Project Podcast and I was so inspired by her story and was determined to get her on this podcast to share some of that story.

Kim shares a bit of her journey from studying Engineering to starting a social enterprise in India to working for the UN, assessing and monitoring peacekeeping missions; to then starting the company.

We get into some of the ‘how’ Vested operates and how it differs from businesses reporting on company’s ESG (Environmental Social Governance) activity. But the key theme in this interview is the purpose behind the business and how that has driven her to think ambitiously and create something out of nothing.

I feel so inspired after our interview, I have no doubt it will inspire you and I hope, galvanise you to do something differently.

Some of the highlights:

• Kim’s journey from university to starting Vested and the influences that led her to where she is today
• She shares how her family’s philosophy towards failure was influential in her journey
• Vested’s mission and how it has driven their approach
• How Vested approaches and defines how impactful a business is being and how this differs from the traditional ESG (Environmental Social Governance) reporting approach
• How Kim built the product herself in the first 2 years and while it was not perfect and how now been developed by someone with more skills, it was effective in getting started
• Kim shares the four questions they ask at Vested to determine the value of impact of a business
• Kim's invitation to speak to world leaders at the Paris Peace Forum in 2022 – a recognition of the value of her efforts
• The collaborative mindset of impact led organisations

Connect with Kimberley

On Linkedin

Vested Website

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Saving the world, one wash at a time. Sounds pretty good, right?

That’s the question posed and answered by the personal care brand, Baresop, which is responsible for producing modern-day zero-waste personal care products. Manufacturing everything from hand wash soaps to body wash products, Baresop is pushing to create change through every wash.

Baresop’s founder, Prisca Ongonga-Daehn is my guest on today’s episode of the podcast and I can’t wait for you to hear Prisca’s story and the absolute gems of insights she shares about starting this social purpose-led brand, Baresop.

Prisca is a Kenyan-bon Australian, a global citizen, an entrepreneur and a changemaker.

Prisca was told “it’s not possible” many times in the early development of Baresop, but she refused to give up. She had a vision for a product range that would reduce waste, be good for the planet, and be “waterless”.

I love people who prove the naysayers wrong. Don’t you?

Some of the themes we cover in this interview include:

• Prisca shares her story of what inspired her to start Baresop and her daughter’s influence in the creation of her business
• Solving a customer problem – how this drove the ideation process of the business to help customers take small steps to creating change
• We talk about Baresop’s 2035 goals – how they are both audacious and achievable and are built on credible data (Prisca LOVES data. Fellow data lovers will enjoy how data is a recurring theme in this interview)
• She shares and explains Baresop’s 3 key pillars: Innovation, Impact and Change
• The multiple benefits of Baresop that have been developed based on customer insight and feedback
• Prisca talks about their product scents, what they have in common with gin and the benefits to the skin, as well as the wonderful storytelling properties of scents
• We talk about storytelling and it’s power in inspiring people to create positive change
• Ontop of water conservation as one of the key benefits Baresop offers, Prisca shares the partnership they are developing with Charity Water to provide clean water to communities.
• How Baresop started; her bootstrapping story and the funding support she got to start the business, including the investment she got from Start Mate
• We talk about our children and what they deserve from us and Prisca shares her belief that we all have the power to create change

Connect with Prisca

On Linkedin

Baresop website

Baresop on Instagram

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Today’s guest is committed to empowering changemakers and shifting the technology landscape, ensuring a more diverse and inclusive space for all.

Luli Adeyemo is the Founder & Director of Sydney-based integrated marketing agency Best Case Scenario and has spent the last 30 years curating content for thought leadership conversations and campaigns in the technology sector.

In 2020, Luli was appointed the Director of not-for-profit foundation TechDiversity - an industry alliance committed to amplifying diversity awareness and achieving a culture of inclusion through conversation, collaboration, and action.

Luli’s personal purpose that has guided her career, is to break down barriers - including the language barriers synonymous with the tech world - to make it accessible to everyone. Her energy is absolutely infectious and I hope you love listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it.

Luli’s impressive credentials also include:

Elected Council Member – Australian Information Industry

Active Member – WEConnect International

Activator - SheEO (now Coralus)

Themes we discuss in the interview include:

• The importance of loving yourself and self-care
• Luli’s career path, her experiences and realisations that inspired her to lead change, break down barriers and fight for equity and access within the tech industry
• Her move to Australia with Gartner and how the lack of support she experienced led her to start her agency, Best Case Scenario (BCS)
• Best Case Scenario’s journey from its origins to becoming a marketing agency and events company, to recognising their underlying purpose to “empower changemakers”
• The impact that clarifying and articulating their purpose has had on Best Case Scenario, including recognising when they should walk away from a client opportunity
• The dramatic cost of the pandemic to BCS and the wider events sector and how their purpose guided the team’s response to it, bucking the industry trend and taking them back to their roots; in the process, enabling them to rediscover their sizzle
• Luli discusses TechDiversity Awards and their mission to make diversity & inclusion the #1 business priority in Australia.
• She shares her pride in the creation of the TechDiversity Academy and we discuss the integration of Luli’s personal purpose, the purpose of Best Case Scenario and the purpose of TechDiversity
• The technology industry having an identity crisis and the perceptions that need to change so we can diversify the technology workforce
• The TechDiversity Awards Program and why they created the Tech for Good category
• The importance of equity and understanding that it’s not about equality for everyone, but instead understanding people’s differences, to provide the same opportunity and access to all
• TechDiversity’s vision for the industry, our wider workforce and society and what they’re doing to achieve it

Connect with Luli

bestcasescenario.com.au

linkedin.com/in/luliadeyemo

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Few people would see a global pandemic as an opportunity to open a co-work and event space, but this is exactly what my guest today did in 2020.

Abbey Pantano is Founder of Seed Impact Business Community.

As a retail marketing specialist of 12 years, and eco side hustle owner for two, it was a stream of devastating world events and climate anxiety that led to a new dream...What if we brought together a community of mission-driven entrepreneurs, dedicated to using their businesses as a force for good?The arrival of COVID created the platform Abbey needed to take the leap. Using a redundancy package, learnings from 12 years of big business marketing and a defunct purpose-built start up – Seed Spaces was born.

Today the co-work and event space, based on the outskirts of Sydney’s CBD, has blossomed into an Australia-wide digital membership with 70+ social impact businesses in the mix (and growing!).

Since our interview, Abbey has moved her focus fully into the Seed Impact Business Community, embracing her passion for and expertise in community and collaboration; with a goal to seed ideas and help those who want to make business for good, good for business.

The power of community and collaboration runs deeply through this interview. Not surprising for such a purpose-led individual as Abbey – purpose inspires people to think ambitiously; ambition inspires collaboration.

Here are some of the themes we discuss in this interview:

• Abbey’s entrepreneurial journey, from working in marketing and partnerships in a large organisation to her start-up tackling plastic pollution
• Abbey’s realisation of the value of partnerships to grow and empower purpose-driven businesses
• The origins of Seed Spaces from the initial spark generated by the Covid pandemic to now
• The value of B Corp Certifications as a public framework for businesses to grow and improve, aspiring businesses to build like-minded communities. Link to the B Corp Assessment we discuss here
• A discussion about Seed Impact and focusing on the idea of making one’s vision deeper instead of bigger, helping each other achieve success
• Abbey’s take on the importance of finding common ground, and the benefits of coming together over a common goal to support one another’s vision for the future
• Abbey’s view of how the power of business should be used to reroute energy into the hands of those powerful enough to make wide-reaching, positive change
• We discuss the Sustainable Development Goals and the importance of mapping your impact to the Global Goals framework. Abbey mentions Elaine Hendrick’s Sustainable Development Goals Tool which you can link to here, as well as Kirrily Graham’s Dovetail Social Enterprise which matches charity partners to businesses wanting to make an impact.
• Abbey shares her view on the Voice to Parliament and the experiences she's had that have helped to shape it.

Connect With Abbey

linkedin.com/in/abbeypantano

https://seedspaces.com/

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Today's guest Melanie Greblo’s driving purpose is to catalyse and lead positive impact. This has led her to become a founder and CEO of an innovative and highly impactful start-up, Scriibed and a not-for-profit organisation, Banksia Academy.

Scriibed combines the best in AI with a highly trained and skilled workforce delivering transcription-based services. Scriibed for HR offers automated meeting admin with a human touch.

They automatically capture, summarise and action important workplace meetings. Their highly trained and skilled human workforce ensures customer success whilst providing flexible and safe work opportunities to women survivors of domestic and family violence.

Scriibed and Banksia Academy share a Theory of Change to achieve long term financial independence for women victim survivors of domestic and family violence through full social and economic participation.Melanie is an ideas synthesist and strategist with a proven record of achievement in business, social ventures, community engagement, and culture transformation with a deep commitment to diversity, inclusion, innovation and systemic social change.

Her impressive career trajectory includes

• 7 years with the team at Impact Asia Pacific, where she curated the annual Impact Investment Summit and the region’s first Gender Lens Investment Summit.
• 10 years with The Coterie for Renewal, a global human development and learning community, which she founded in 2011

A number of prior roles leading social and not-for-profit organisations

The business model behind Scribed and The Banksia Academy is one that I think listeners of this podcast will really appreciate because of the "Win-Win" outcomes it creates for multiple stakeholders. Solving customer problems AND simultaneously serving societal needs by supporting vulnerable people, as well as supporting potential victims through workplaces. My hope is that this episode inspires listeners to continue to think differently and intelligently about what business can look like.

Themes we discuss include:

• The tragic event early in her life that led to Melanie’s impact-led career path and how it shaped her thinking
• Mel shares her career path through to the trigger that led her to starting Scriibed and the Banksia Academy, including the shocking statistic on the percentage of single mothers who are victims of domestic and family violence and the number of barriers that women survivors face
• She explains how Scriibed works and the multi-layered value it offers organisations
• The Theory of Change behind Scriibed and the Banksia Academy in breaking the cycle of women returning to violent relationships and leading to prevention of domestic violence
• Melanie talks about the “need-want” overlap that attracts clients to the Scriibed solution
• She outlines the two types of clients that Scriibed serves and the growing relevance of what they offer, given business needs around the ‘S’ of ESG and social procurement targets
• She shares the shared value opportunity that Scriibed offers – supporting women in their workplace more broadly
• We discuss the need for business solutions to be designed in a human centred way
• How we are rewriting how and why we do business

Connect with Melanie

Melanie's email

Scriibed website

Linkedin

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Today’s guest is a leader of the global Purpose movement.

He’s also a best-selling Author. Visionary Founder. Inspiring Keynote Speaker.

Afdhel Aziz is on a mission to solve one of the biggest problems facing individuals and companies in the 21st century: how to find purpose and meaning in their work and unlock the enormous power of business to do good in the world.

He is the Founder and Chief Purpose Officer at Conspiracy of Love, a global purpose consultancy that works with Fortune 500 companies to help them grow their businesses by doing more good in the world. Conspiracy of Love is a proud Minority-Owned Business and Certified B Corp.

He is also the Co-Founder of Good is the New Cool, a creative company and content incubator focused on creating positive stories that fill the Hope Gap. Good is the New Cool produces books, podcasts, TV shows and a global conference series called GoodCon that has taken place in Los Angeles, London, Sydney and New York.

Afdhel is the co-author of the best-selling books 'Good is the New Cool: Market Like You A Give a Damn', and the follow-up ‘The Principles of Purpose, as well as writing 'The Power Of Purpose' column in Forbes.

He is also an internationally renowned keynote speaker who has been featured at the Cannes Lions, YPO, SXSW, Forbes CMO Summit, Advertising Week, Conscious Capitalism, and the Fast Company Innovation Festival. He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife and son.

I’m so excited to share this episode which explores some of the big questions around Purpose that listeners may have. I’ve been eager for this opportunity to get Afdhel to share his insights and experiences on Purpose globally and he doesn’t disappoint. I also seized the opportunity to exchange insights (where we discovered a lot of consistency) and to discuss some of the more critical challenges surrounding the purpose movement, particularly in Australia. The depth and breadth of Afdhel’s knowledge on this subject makes listening to every minute of this podcast worthy of your time.

Some of the themes we discussed included:

• The secret to becoming a loved business/employer/brand
• Afdhel highlights some of the work that Conspiracy of Love is doing with brands around the world
• We discuss the growth of the Purpose movement globally and what has caused it; Afdhel shares some insights he’s uncovered through research he’s undertaken for his third book on Purpose (this one covers personal purpose)
• We discuss Australia’s role in the Purpose movement and explore what is inhibiting big business in Australia from grasping the opportunity that purpose presents
• Afdhel shares his view on the 4 C’s holding Australian business back
• We discuss these 4C’s and other contributors, including 'fear'; and the role of boards. Link to an article Afdhel wrote on Five Mistakes Boards Make When Thinking About Purpose, for Forbes Magazine
• Afdhel shares some Australian stats from a recent Porter Novelli study on the relationship between Purpose and Reputation in the minds of Australians
• We exchange our (pretty consistent) thoughts on the different stages of Purpose
• We have a great discussion on the power of purpose and the growth opportunity that so many traditionally-minded businesses are missing out on
• We discuss the need for Purpose to start from the inside-out and why this is so important and Afdhel highlights Conspiracy of Love’s GPS to Purpose Methodology (Gifts, Passions, Service)
• Afdhel shares some pearls of wisdom – advice for people within organisations who see the opportunity that purpose presents but are not sure about what action to take

Connect with Afdhel

Linkedin

Conspiracy Of Love website

Good Is The New Cool website

Good Is The New Cool on Instagram

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I was introduced to Emma Freivogel by a mutual friend and started following her Linkedin content. I was immediately drawn to her because of her unapologetic passion and conviction in revolutionising recruitment and her commitment to creating serious change. Emma is founder of Radical Recruit, a London-based not for profit recruitment consultancy that exists to excite, agitate and shake things up in the recruitment industry!

If you love this episode, you're going to want to follow Emma on Linkedin where she is active in exciting, agitating and shaking things up big-time! Her energy and authenticity is infectious.

Radical Recruit represents the UKs most diverse ‘hidden’ talent, helps employers do recruitment better and creates real and lasting social change.

Here are Emma’s own words on why she started Radical Recruit...

‘I began Radical because I believe it is time to boldly and unapologetically challenge the status quo. It is time to redress the imbalance of opportunity afforded to those labelled; ‘care leaver’, ‘disabled’, ‘gang member’, ‘black’, ‘uneducated’, ‘inexperienced’, ‘homeless’, ‘criminal’, or generally, just ‘not ‘good enough’. It is time to call out businesses who talk a big game when it comes to their commitment to equality but whose policies fail to translate into practice. I am RADICAL."

Emma has brought together a community of likeminded people from disparate backgrounds, to champion the business and ethical case for change to the way businesses source, recruit, and develop hidden talent. Founded in October 2019, Radical has placed hundreds of Radicals into jobs that they love. During this time, they’ve also worked with hundreds of brands: helping them reimagine their traditional candidate attraction and engagement methods, run fairer more equitable recruitment processes, recruit Radical people, and support them to flourish in their chosen careers.

Here are some of the themes our interview covers:

• Emma shares her journey and the powerful origin story behind Radical Recruit
• She explains the benefits of a diverse workforce and some of the challenges in big business’ approach to diversity
• Emma’s view on the three key events that have changed attitudes to diversity in UK businesses
• She shares Radical Recruit’s role in the “Everybody In” campaign, funded by the GLA (Greater London Authority) and addressing homelessness during the pandemic
• Emma shares the broad value that her organisation offers across recruitment, social value, diversity, social responsibility and ESG
• The impact of the pandemic on ordinary people’s desire to help others who are in need of help
• The cost to taxpayers of homeless people and the benefits of providing them with support
• On setting up Radicals for success and the ultimate value to Radicals of the work they do
• Radical Recruit’s move into advisory and consultancy, assessing the efficacy of an organisation’s attraction, engagement, recruitment, onboarding development processes; with a focus on capacity building
• Anti-bias and leadership the Radical way
• Her ultimate vision for Radical Recruit

Connect with Emma

Linkedin

Radical Recruit website

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My guest on this episode is Cassandra Treadwell, Co-founder and CEO, So They Can www.sotheycan.org and Co-founder, CEO, Essence of Humanity www.theessenceofhumanity.com

So They Can is a not for profit organisation committed to empowering children living in poverty through education.

Cassandra’s career background is medico legal, gaining her masters degree in medical law and ethics from King’s College, London University. While she has enjoyed living overseas, she chose to come back to Wanaka, New Zealand, to raise her 4 children in the same nurturing community she grew up in. She also loves living in New Zealand for the running, tramping, skiing and general outdoor lifestyle it enables.

Having spent a year in Argentina on a student exchange when she was 16, Cass spent time at an orphanage and was confronted for the first time with poverty in the developing world. The injustice affected her greatly, and sculpted her future career choices and charity involvement. As a new mother this empathy took her back to the communities of East Africa that she had become acquainted with while travelling, and a drive to improve the lives of some of the world’s most impoverished children whose families suffered deprivation and displacement due to political violence.

Working in Africa now Cass gains so much from the people she works with, as she describes in her Tedx talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3qCejfLqk8&t=102s. The community has taught her to be grateful for what she has got rather than focus on what she has not got, the children have helped her to live in the present and enjoy the simple pleasures of life, and the communities of Kenya and Tanzania have taught her the value of Ubuntu (I am because of you) and the importance of global balance.

Cass was honoured to be nominated for the 2015 New Zealander of the Year and to be one of the final 10 people that were considered for this prestigious award. In 2018 she was a finalist in the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards.

This is a conversation that I will carry with me for a long time. It’s not often I find myself brought to tears (of empathy, inspiration and hope) in an interview. Cass is more than an inspiration, I think she’s a role model for what an individual can do when they allow themselves to feel empathy for our fellow human beings.

Cass speaks with such humility but there are some big truth bombs in this interview. Here are some of the things we explore in our conversation

• Cass introduces us to the African philosophy of “Ubuntu” (a Swahili word) – I am because of you; how our personal wellbeing is deeply connected to the wellbeing of others
• Cass shares the outcomes of the work of So They Can, supporting 33,000 children across 47 schools plus alongside some of their other programs, including microfinance for women, impacting 45,000 people overall
• Cass shares one story after another story, bringing to life lessons in Ubuntu, through the classroom of Africa
• She highlights the abundance of emotional wealth in these communities despite the lack of material wealth and what this teaches her
• She shares the compelling story of how So They Can started – after seeing a movie – Hotel Rwanda
• She takes us on a journey to the IDP (Internal Displaced Placement) camp she first visited, housing Kenyan refugees and how she responded to their request to her to set up a school
• She shares her back story and what took her to Africa in the first place, looking for a project to support
• Cass shares the unique model behind So They Can, pairing an ex-pat with a local, taking the time to understand what is needed from both outsiders and the people on the ground to bring mutual understanding to the process
• Cass talks powerfully about her mission to change the definition of charity from the idea of the great white saviour to the truth that it is a reciprocal exchange and partnership of emotional and material wealth”
• Cass shares and invites listeners to get involved in So They Can’s latest campaign “One in a million” – asking ppl to give just $1 a month.
• She highlights what success of this campaign will enable – moving from 47 schools – 33,000 children to 500 schools empowering 400,000 children
• She shares that Neil Finn from Crowded House, who is one of So They Can’s ambassadors – has written a song to launch one in a million

Connect with Cassandra and So They Can here:

email: cassandra@sotheycan.org

Website: http://www.sotheycan.org/

Join the 1 in a million campaign here https://1-in-a-million.raisely.com/

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Simon Griffiths is CEO and co-founder of Who Gives A Crap, the iconic Aussie B Corp that sells good looking, forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues direct-to-consumer.

Who Gives A Crap donates 50 per cent of their profits to help build toilets for those in need. As much as Simon loves toilet paper, he helped start the business for its impact, with the company on a mission to improve access to hygiene, clean water and basic sanitation in developing countries. Since founding the company back in 2013, Who Gives A Crap has donated more than $10 million.

If there was ever a brand that is living proof that authentic human qualities can inspire L-O-V-E, Who Gives A Crap is that brand. If it's possible to achieve what this business has done with toilet paper - from both perspectives of impact and commercial success - can you imagine the untapped possibilities for other purpose-led businesses and brands?

There is so much depth to this brand and we cover a lot of ground in this wide-ranging interview. There's great value in this episode for anyone wanting to navigate their business and brand successfully on a purposeful path, as Simon generously shares the insights that Who Gives A Crap has gained through their business.

Here are some of the themes we get into in our conversation:

• Simon shares the devastating statistics of poor sanitation and the a-ha moment that propelled the formation of Who Gives A Crap
• He explains the wider benefits of investment that reach beyond the direct value of sanitation
• We discuss Who Gives A Crap’s distinctive and iconic brand personality and the thinking behind it
• Simon tells us about about the Christmas holiday edition of Who Gives A Crap
• He talks about the brand’s huge mission – to ensure everyone has access to clean water and a toilet within our lifetime. He explains where they are now and what they are doing to realise their mission.
• He introduces us to the wider product range including Good Time personal care products
• We talk about the people at Who Gives A Crap–
  • The challenges of balancing caring about impact and working within the pressures of a startup
  • The organisation’s five values and what they mean to their people
  • The implications that being purposeful has on managing your people and their expectations
  • The role of storytelling within the organisation
• Simon shares how they work with their impact partners including the ‘investment portfolio’ style of approach they take with them
• International expansion and the impact that has had on their marketing strategy and team management
• Retail strategy including their national presence in Aldi in Australia
• The inextricable relationship between balancing profit and purpose and the innovation it inspires; and why they chose to donate 50 per cent of their profits
• On inspiring other people to create social purpose-led business models like theirs
• His advice to existing businesses on the shift of consumer sentiment and what it means for business in the near future

Contacts:

Who Gives A Crap website https://au.whogivesacrap.org/

Good Time website https://au.whogivesacrap.org/pages/goodtime

Simon Griffiths Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/simongriffiths-founder/

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My guest today is a champion for the UN Sustainable Development Goals aka The Global Goals or the world’s ‘to-do list’. If you aren’t aware of these goals, this episode will be a great introduction for you.

Mick Hase is the founder of SEVENTEENx , a movement designed to engage the business community with the Sustainable Development Goals.

As an impact driven entrepreneur, Mick and his brand exist to connect companies together to use business to build solutions to the world's biggest challenges. SEVENTEENx uses "TEDx like" speaking events to showcase how leaders and founders are using their business as a force for good in the world and aligning with the Global Goals.

SEVENTEENx Tours Australia each year with its events and is building a huge community of values aligned brands and people. Mick is also a dad of 2 boys, husband to a great wife Renee, and keen ocean lover and surfer. Mick is also public speaker and workshop facilitator. He is an energetic and engaging speaker with a real passion for connecting people to their impact, engaging humans through purpose and how to lead people with aligned values.

Here are some of the key themes from our interview

• Mick shares his back story and the life events that led him to start thinking about reciprocity, doing good and how to use business to create purposeful outcomes

• For listeners who may not be familiar with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (aka the Global Goals), Mick explains what they are and how businesses are aligning to them to focus and scale their impact.

• We talk about Pledge 1% and B1G1 and how both these movements offer businesses of all sizes a great starting point for creating impact

• Mick shares the mission behind SEVENTEENx and what audiences can expect from these events. He talks about the community that is building around SEVENTEENx and some of his plans for engaging this community into the future

• We talk about the relationship between profit and purpose

• Mick shares some of SEVENTEENx’s plans for 2023, including a pilot SEVENTEENx youth forum

Connect with Mick here https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhase/

Learn more about SEVENTEENx https://www.seventeensdg.com

Check out the upcoming tours here https://www.seventeensdg.com/tour22

Learn about the Global Goals here https://www.globalgoals.org

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My guest today is Yas, Founder and Chief Evangelist of the award-winning circular economy enterprise, Circonomy.

An entrepreneur of impact and a circular economy pioneer in Australia, Yas recently closed a $4M equity capital raise to expand nationally, with Officeworks as a key investor and shareholder.

Together, through expansion of re-use, repair, resource recovery and recommerce initiatives, Yas is thrilled to work with partners and investors to bring the next phase of growth, seeing her Circonomy vision come to life.

There are so many highlights in this interview that I think you’re going to love. Here’s just a taster of some of them:

• The role of love in business opened up a whole stream of amazing themes and ideas, including
  • Her belief that love is the next disruptor in business. Yas talks about love as a value and explains why it should be brought into the workplace
  • She shares a beautiful family story about love languages and how it inspired her to take love languages to the boardroom and what happened as a result (ref: Gary Chapman’s Five Love Languages)
  • She also issues a challenge to listeners to understand your love languages and those you work with so you can build deeper professional relationships
  • From me-too to “be-too”; on loving yourself and the parts of yourself that are “too-much” – our strengths, superpowers, imperfections, faults and flaws; and finding yourself in the process
  • On building a movement around #Ilovemyself and the value of who you are vs what you do
  • Yas quotes author Dave Ramsey “We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t like”
• Yas shares the origin story of Circonomy
  • How and why she started the World’s Biggest Garage Sale
  • Recognising the circular economy opportunity (a $4.5 trillion industry)
  • On partnering with Officeworks
  • On finding the energy of an idea in your “hut” (heart and gut)
  • On running the pilot event with Officeworks in March 2020
• On being BRAVE (being raw authentic vulnerable everyday)
  • Understanding that when we have pain, instead of running away from it, working through it is how we grow - “when we work through the pain that is when we have the most gain”
  • On being true to yourself and defining your own narrative and showing up as the whole human that you are – not wasting human potential
  • When you align values, you create value – the foundation of great organisations

Contact details:

Yas pages

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yasgrigaliunas

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmingrigaliunas/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/yasgrigaliunas

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/yasgrigaliunas/

Circonomy pages:

Circonomy website: https://circonomy.com.au

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/circonomy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/circonomyaustralia

Twitter: https://twitter.com/circonomyau

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/circonomyaus/

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My guest for today’s episode of the FLAM Podcast has had many careers; radio broadcaster, creative director, donut maker and lecturer.

Nik Robinson is passionate about using his creative skills to solve problems and make a positive difference, so in 2018, he set up his company, Good Citizens with his young kids to take on the world’s plastic issue.

It would take 752 days and thousands of failed attempts to finally launch Good Citizens Eyewear in April 2020. Good Citizens has one mission - to untrash the planet™ by turning trash into good.

Good Citizens turns single-use plastic bottles into sunglasses frames. The frames are 100% recycled and made in Australia. Within just a few months of launching, Good Citizens was awarded two prestigious 2020 Good Design Awards and The Design Files Sustainable Idea of 2020 plus Selfridges in London gave the brand an entire window.

Nik has become a leader in working with recycled materials; designing and manufacturing in-demand, on-trend consumer products made from waste materials. He has spoken at the United Nations and he lectures at numerous Australian universities to inspire the next generation to think cleverly about using recycled materials.

This episode is such a human feel-good one, I can’t wait for you to listen to it.

Here are just some of the themes we touch on:

• How love of family and love of and care for the planet has driven the emotional energy that has inspired a business fighting against plastic waste
• We talk about the role of failure in building a purpose-led business; and how our failures become our stories
• Nik shares his belief in the need for businesses to show vulnerability. This opens a conversation around Greenwashing: businesses not being transparent (and vulnerable) and over-marketing their sustainability credentials
• What “radical transparency” – one of Good Citizen’s first values – looks like for them
• The origin story of the business (so much to love about this story), which included a

business plan with 4 principles that the family developed around the kitchen table

• The post-it note approach Nik used to working through starting a new business in a category where they had no experience and how much each phase cost
• How a bottle, a prototype and (another) post-it note formed the basis of Nik’s pitch to Selfridges in the UK which resulted in Good Citizens being given an amazing window display which you can see here
• We speak about Greenwashing and the impact it has on trust
• How Nik’s two young sons and his wife have inspired his tenacity to keep going in the face of multiple “failures”
• Repair – Nik shares the hilarious story of one Good Citizen who needed a new arm for a broken pair of sunnies (broken due to alcohol related beach ball antics) – and how Good Citizen’s approach to repair amplified the love that customer has for the brand
• On turning down investment opportunities and what ROI for Nik’s family looks like for them
• Good Citizen’s 8 billion people ambition
• On creating the world’s most beautiful eyewear (beauty = well made, great looking, that will last from generation to generation; and sustainable)
• The influence that Good Citizens are having on other businesses, inspiring solutions to the environmental crisis

If you’re enjoying the podcast please leave us a rating on your listening platform. It really helps us to get the podcast found by new listeners.

Contact

goodcitizens.com.au

goodcitizens_official

Code: FRIEND20 for $20 off

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Welcome to Episode 25 of the FLAM podcast.

For regular listeners of this podcast, you may remember an earlier episode (Episode 14) where I read a chapter from my book “FOR LOVE & MONEY How to profit with purpose and grow a business with love”

We had some great feedback on that episode so we thought we would do it again!

I’ve selected a chapter that covers a subject I speak a lot about. It is also the starting point for any work we do with clients when helping them uncover the higher purpose of their business.

We don’t start with WHY. Much as I love and respect the work of Simon Sinek and much as I value his approach to purpose using the golden circle… today, understanding your unique organisational identity is essential to finding your way to a meaningful why; a social purpose. This is why we start with WHO.

Acknowledgement to Seth Godin whose phrase “People Like Us” I use to describe this part of the process. It is such a perfect way to frame the part of our WHO that really matters when it comes to building a purpose-led business and brand.

Some of the themes we cover in this episode:

• Who are we but the stories we tell ourselves?
• “People like us” believe things like this
• Why it’s important to get clear on your “people like us”
• Defining your “people like us” – I share examples from some purpose-led businesses

I hope you enjoy the reading of this chapter. If you do and you’d like to buy the FOR LOVE & MONEY book, it’s available at all the major online book stores and some retail book stores in Australia.

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The Purpose Conference was first staged in Sydney, Australia in 2015. Today, Purpose is a stand-alone company and community. After a 4-year hiatus, 2022 marks the fourth Purpose event, coming at a time when the movement for social purpose-led business is growing with intensity. It’s a movement driven by employees, customers, consumers, investors; people realising that we need to accelerate the pace of change and business is the means in which to do this most directly.

In this episode, our guest is Sally Hill, founder of Purpose and a long-time advocate of responsible and sustainable business. She is a a leader, thinker and doer in the world of purpose-driven business.

Sally founded Wildwon, one of Australia's first B Corps and established the Purpose Conference in 2015. Sally curates the Purpose program and is the connector of Purpose’s partners, community and team.

Immediately prior to rebooting Purpose in 2022, Sally worked with Climate 200, bringing business on board to support the historic 2022 ‘climate election’ result.

You can get a taste of our interview here:

• Sally shares her journey from GetUp campaign co-ordinator, through various CSR and sustainability roles, to WWF, to launching her own experiential agency, Wildwon and launching Purpose Conference. Her journey continues taking her to a number of roles including NSW Circular and Climate 200, before returning to Purpose to where she is today.
• She shares some of her learnings from these various roles and how they have contributed to her thinking and approach today
• Sally explains that while government is driving change, the pace is slow. This influences her belief that while business is the cause of many of society’s problems, harnessing business and capitalism to solve the issues is the best opportunity we have to do it at an accelerated pace and at scale
• She shares some stats from recent BUPA research about Gen Z workers attitudes to businesses demonstrating strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments
• We talk about the lack of employee engagement in workplaces in Australia and New Zealand and the impact this is having on businesses, workplaces and the economy
• Sally highlights some of the speakers that will be at Purpose and the innovations they are creating in service of solving big societal issues
• She shares her hopes and aspirations for what the Purpose Conference can achieve
• We talk about the link between the business world and government policy and the innovation opportunities this opens up

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Only 2% of VC funding goes to women-owned businesses in Australia.

Women over 50 feature in less than 4% of media globally.

I’ll just let that sit with you for a moment before you dive into my interview with Jules Brook – founder of She’s The Boss and Handle Your Own PR.

Those two statistics, alongside others that should make you feel distinctly confused/uncomfortable/angry (pick your choice) is what inspired Jules to launch She’s The Boss at the start of the pandemic in 2020. Since then, it has grown into a thriving community. There are online zoom lunches and Learning Table events with female founders, real life networking events, two podcasts, She’s The Boss Chats and She’s The Boss Leaders. She’s The Boss also has a YouTube channel and all the media features interviews with wildly successful women in business from Australia and around the world.

Jules is also the founder of Handle Your Own PR, a DIY PR service for business owners. Using her online PR Accelerator program and PR SaaS platform, Jules’ students have been on TV, radio, magazines and newspapers nationally. Many have gone on to huge success in their business.

Jules is passionate about making female founders and women doing extraordinary things in business more visible. You’ll feel that passion right through this interview. IMHO Jules is one of those women doing extraordinary things, even if she doesn’t realise it herself!

To get a shot of Jules’ passion and energy that’s driving her purpose and her commitment to it, tune into this episode. I know you’ll enjoy it; not just for the love of Jules, but also for some of the rich insights that come out of our conversation.

Some of the highlights:

• Jules’ take on the importance of love in business: Not just loving what you do but loving the people you work with – your customers and teams
• The origin journey of She’s The Boss: from Ticker TV guest to show host; to what happened as a result of Covid, as Melbourne went through one of the world’s harshest lockdowns; She’s The Boss became a beacon of solidarity and support for female business founders in Jules’ community
• Jules shares her Big Hairy Audacious Goal, to start a TV network for women in business and what this looks like; and what it will take.
• Her absolute clarity on who her target audience are and why (a stunning example of what clear targeting looks like)
• Jules shares her view about the isolation and loneliness of women who have succeeded and got to the top of the corporate ladder; and the need to provide them with the support of other women
• She references a Forbes article: The Power of the Pack which talks about the need for women to support women in business and how important it is: men who succeed are supported by men; women generally only succeed if they are supported by other women
• We talk about the need for feminisation of business to balance the dominant masculine traits
• Jules shares her mission – get ready for the sheer clarity of this one!
• I ask Jules her thoughts on the key characteristics of female purposeful leaders
• We have a great discussion on the money side of FOR LOVE & MONEY – Jules shares how she’s trying to monetise her venture, which opens up insights into the funding gap for female owned businesses and finally the statistics which galvanised Jules herself into action
• Finally, Jules shares some fabulous advice for women in business

Connect with Jules

Shesthebossgroup.com

https://www.linkedin.com/in/julesbrooke/

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Our guest on this episode of the FOR LOVE & MONEY PODCAST works at the very heart of social impact and business. Tom Dawkins (he/him) is the Co-Founder and CEO of the social impact crowdfunding platform and innovation agency Start Some Good. Start Some Good began in 2010, and aims to help emerging entrepreneurs to design, launch, and grow their prospective social impact projects.

A leading advocate for social enterprise, Tom was previously the founder of youth non-profit Vibewire, the first Digital Communications Director for Ashoka in Washington DC, and co-founder of the Australian Changemakers Festival. Tom is also a founding Director of The Social Enterprise Council of NSW and the ACT, as well as currently operating as Non-Executive Director of the Centre for Social Impact since 2019.

On top of this, Tom has also received awards and fellowships from the World Summit Youth Awards, The International Youth Foundation, Nexus Summit, and the Social Enterprise Awards, while also being a global speaker on social innovation and entrepreneurship, teaching workshops, and speaking at events around the globe, from The Social Enterprise World Forum to The World Summit on the Information Society.

Start Some Good is a B Corp Certified Enterprise and, in addition to helping in the development of social impact projects, also runs the Good Hustle social enterprise design course, StartSomeGood.com crowdfunding platform, and impact accelerators and entrepreneur education programs for partners including Optus, ING, the United Nations Development Program and the City of Sydney.

Here are just some of the highlights from our conversation with Tom as he passionately shares his journey of accelerating innovation and helping social impact projects prosper:

• Tom shares his origins as a serial starter-upper and social activist to social entrepreneur
• Tom’s experiences overcoming challenges and learning from observing while on his journey to fund innovation projects and making a social changemaker world
• Tom’s discussion on calculating social impact and the need for greater financial commitment in overcoming societal challenges through business
• Tom discusses the “Will it work?” lens versus the “Could it work?” lens that is impacting the deal flow of prospective social projects
• How Kickstarter and its role in helping creative entrepreneurs inspired the vision behind Start Some Good and its approach to angel financing
• Start Some Good’s evolution from a crowdfunding platform to an interconnected ecosystem using core principles of entrepreneurship to help entrepreneurs turn an idea into a business plan
• Capacity-building programs delivered through partnerships, such as the Good Hustle Social Enterprise Design Course, that focus on specific beneficiary communities
• Tom discussing Lend For Good, a crowdlending platform for growth-ready social enterprises directly designed in addressing “the missing middle”
• Tom’s advice on the core building blocks necessary before initiating your crowdfunding campaign
• Tom on what it takes to become “investable” and “launch ready” as a social impact entrepreneur
• How Tom’s personal mission to build a better democracy and create change together has inspired and shaped his crowdfunding journey
• Tom shares some examples of the social enterprises the SSG ecosystem has supported and helped to start on their road to scaleable impact

Connect with Tom

Linkedin linkedin.com/in/tomdawkins

Website https://www.startsomegood.com/

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Dr Kyle Turner is our guest on this episode of the FOR LOVE & MONEY PODCAST. Kyle, a Wiradjuri man (he/him) from central New South Wales, is the CEO and Founder of Pearlii, a for-profit social enterprise using artificial intelligence to bring free dental check-ups and free oral health education to the world.

Dr Turner holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Oxford and he has published widely on the burden of chronic diseases, with a heavy focus on prevention, together with a passion for improving health outcomes for First Nation Peoples.

Pearlii is an investor-backed, social enterprise which started in 2019. It’s such an interesting business model, designed to both prevent and treat oral health; an area of need that has such wide-ranging health impacts. I particularly love the way they’re leveraging technology to drive accessibility.

In our interview, Kyle shares his journey with Pearlii and his vision for the future. Some of the highlights of our conversation include:

• Kyle’s journey from epidemiologist to social enterprise techpreneur
• How growing up with bad teeth made him painfully aware of the impact that can have on someone’s confidence
• We talk about the problem of poor oral hygiene and the impact that it has on general physical health, as well as mental health
• How he found investors who were attracted to Pearlii’s mission and learned to perfect his “pitch” in the process
• Kyle shares the 2 parts to the business model: prevention and treatment and how Pearlii targets both of these (Pearlii’s is a really interesting model tackling a problem that has wide-ranging impacts)
• The business that inspires him the most
• His vision for the future and how it includes non-Dental practitioners helping with oral health
• Kyle shares some savvy advice for other social entrepreneurs starting their journey

Connect with Kyle

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-turner1111/

Website https://www.pearlii.com

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Mike Smith is an entrepreneur, adventurer and not-for-profit founder. Over the past fifteen years he’s founded three startups in the surfing, wine and sustainability arenas and built two schools in Myanmar.

He’s travelled to some of the most remote corners of the planet, including North Korea, Tajikistan and Nagorno-Karabakh to name just a few.

Mike Smith's most recent venture - Zero Co - aims to solve the global plastic problem through large scale ocean clean-ups and a closed-loop solution for personal-care and home-cleaning products.

Mike is infectiously passionate about having a positive impact on the planet and inspiring others to dare greatly. You can’t fail to feel this passion as he shares Zero Co’s story. Enjoy!

Here are some of the interview highlights:

• Zero Co’s origins started with a trip Mike and his girlfriend (now wife) took travelling to some of the most far-flung places in the world
• Mike shares “the mission-driven brief” of the business they set themselves, highlighting that he was agnostic about the industry they went into.
• He talks about what he calls “mission-driven 2.0 businesses”, where the mission and the product are the same thing, not an afterthought
• He explains how Zero Co works – basically disrupting the household and personal care products category – and inviting the consumer to change their behaviour to become part of the solution
• While talking about the complexities of this business, Mike acknowledges that he frequently thinks about how crazy this idea is, but they are driven by their big mission: to scale the business model profitably and become such a pain in the ass for the big guys, that they have to copy them!
• Mike shares the experience of their latest equity crowdfunding campaign which has set the Australian record
• We talk about their brand and its lighthearted tone that came from the core values Zero Co was established on
• Their values are truly inspiring and you’ll really want to hear the stories that Mike shares that inspire those values (gave me goosebumps)!

Connect with Mike

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-smith-62aa383a/

Zero Co website https://www.zeroco.com.au

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On the 9th of February 2009, our guest on this episode lost most of what he owned in the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria, Australia. Grateful to be alive and overwhelmed by the support he received, David Laity decided to begin a wine business that gave back. And so began Goodwill Wine, Australia's only certified social enterprise wine company.

Since its inception, Goodwill Wine has donated close to half a million dollars to Australian charities by empowering its customers to choose which charity they would like to receive half of the profits from their case of wine.

In 2019 Goodwill Wine took on its first round of angel investment, allowing it to undergo a rebrand, extend its range of wine offerings and embark upon a substantial growth phase. Since then, the business has seen a 500 per cent increase in the amount it has been able to donate to charity.

In an intensely competitive market, David has managed to cut through all the noise simply by embedding purpose into the very heart of his business's DNA.

If you haven’t heard of Goodwill Wine yet, you’ll want to listen to this episode. There is everything to love about them. Their wines are fabulous. And they donate 50 per cent of their profits to charity. But at its essence, the story of Goodwill Wine is a story of David’s recovery from the trauma of the bushfires and his resulting PTSD.

Here are just some of the highlights of this beautiful and personal interview with David:

• He shares his journey from filmmaker to wine merchant and how an idea about advertising on pool balls turned into Goodwill Wine
• The origin story of Goodwill Wine demonstrates the impact human kindness can have on people and what it can inspire them to create
• David shares his motivation in building Goodwill Wine was to reward the supporters of great causes, with quality wine they could enjoy
• If you assume these wines aren’t high quality because they’re not a “known label”, you’ll want to listen to how Goodwill Wine sources the wines
• He talks about the extraordinary amount of love that customers have for the business: the love of the wine itself, the love of the charity they support and the love of an ethical business
• Handwritten notes from David to his customers are a feature of Goodwill Wine’s customer experience and David shares how he has clocked over 50,000 personalised notes!
• He also shares the incredible ‘why’ behind the handwritten notes. They were never a marketing strategy, but a way for him to connect with people as he recovered from PTSD
• Learn about some of the tangible impacts Goodwill Wine customers have been able to create through over 300 charity partners
• Sharing his deep appreciation for the people around him, David talks about what he’s most proud of and his pride in leaving a legacy for his daughter

Connect with David and Goodwill Wine

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-laity-b652aa41/

Website https://goodwillwine.com.au

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Today’s guest is Paul Dunn, a 4-time TEDx speaker, master storyteller and one of the most well-read people I know!

He is a Senior Fellow in one of the World’s Leading Think Tanks and consults to and mentors leading-edge businesses around the world.

He was honoured as a Social Innovation Fellow in his new home of Singapore; something he shares with film-star and philanthropist Jet Li and Walmart Chairman, Rob Walton.

He was one of the first 10 people in Hewlett Packard in Australia. He then created one of Australia’s first computer companies and then The Results Corporation where he helped develop and grow 23,000 small and medium scale business enterprises.

His programs are used by an estimated 226,000 companies around the world and he continues to push the boundaries. He featured in Forbes Magazine alongside Sir Richard Branson in a global piece on ‘disrupters’ in business.

He is the co-founder of B1G1: Business for Good, the history-making Global Giving Initiative that’s already enabled businesses to create over 281 Million giving impacts globally.

• Paul shares an incredible story about something that happened involving him after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It precipitated his meeting with Masami Sato that led to them co-founding B1G1, but it profoundly shifted his thinking on what he believed was the secret to success in business.
• He then tells the story of Masami Sato, who he was mentoring, sharing the idea that directly led to B1G1 starting, which has now led to a global movement that has created over 281 million impacts (as at May 2022).
• We talk about the idea of “possibilities” and Paul shares an insight from the book, Teeming, by Dr Woolley-Barker. One of the major learning points is that we need to understand that nature does not solve problems. Nature always looks for potential. An idea that perhaps humans can learn from.
• He shares his thinking on the two types of companies that exist: standard companies and standout companies, through the lens of legacy
• Another book he references is Cult Status by Tim Duggan and the idea that of seven things leaders can work on to gain cult status, number 1 is to define the impact you want to have. And define it in terms of the number of lives that you will touch.
• Paul shares a rousing quote from Steve Jobs about how powerful the storyteller is. It’s a quote that makes you really think about the potency of storytelling for generations to come.
• For those who don’t know B1G1, Paul explains how it works and the profound impact it creates for everyone involved.

Get in touch with Paul...

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulb1g1/

https://b1g1.com

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Anna Sheppard, Founder and CEO of Bambuddha Group strongly believes the power of Kindness is world changing. With a deep commitment for creating equality based on her lived experience, Anna began Bambuddha Group to empower corporate leaders and their teams how to ‘work kinder’. The team at Bambuddha developed an evidence-informed kindness curriculum which minimises risk and improves outcomes across all organisational areas. Bambuddha Group is a multi-award winning social enterprise that provides leadership coaching and corporate kindness programs.

Anna has added value to thousands of companies and inspirational leaders by showing them how to ‘work kinder’ and is also the founder of several other major initiatives, including The Corporate Kindness Awards, Working Kind Collective (the world’s first kind business centre), the Impact Studios and The Corporate Kindness Project, which is an Australian-based research study focusing on the business benefits of working kind. The first white paper was released in 2019 and is now an upbeat, honest and feel-good podcast show called ‘Project Good Boss.’

Anna Sheppard and Bambuddha Group have won multiple awards for work in this space, including being recognised as one of the ‘Top 10 Leadership Development Training and Coaching Companies 2021 in APAC’, ‘Top 50 leading light for APAC’, ‘Top 50 most impactful LinkedIn Influencers’, a 2021 NSW Business Awards finalist and currently, a finalist for 2022 Telstra Best of Business Awards.

Anna believes in a future where every leader and organisation is committed to creating a sustainable world of equality and opportunity for everyone.

In this interview Anna shares how she is using Bambuddha to contribute to that future by building a movement of like minded people and leaders who prioritise kindness.

She shares with us her incredibly colourful background and how it inspired her passion for diversity and inclusion and her commitment to building a movement of kind leaders. The sense of belonging Anna talks about early in the interview weaves its way through the rest of the interview as a constant theme. The interview also includes a great discussion on the need for kind leadership today, more than ever.

(Excuse the couple of barks towards the end of the interview – introducing Monty our beautiful mini-Groodle. Oh the joys of working from home!)

Here are some of the highlights of this interview:

• Anna talks about her early years, including finding her “gang of others” and how it was able to give her a sense of belonging.
• She highlights how her travels around the world opened her eyes to the massive disparity of opportunity that some people get in life vs others – which she found difficult to understand and which spurred her to create Bambuddha.
• Anna shares with listeners how Bambuddha is empowering leaders with knowledge through a 12-month academy with masterclasses and support. She also shares some of the other ways that Bambuddha Group is delivering on their mission, including:
  • The Bambuddha pay-it-forward model which funds a Gamechanger Program – a scholarship program for diverse and under-represented business owners and leaders.
  • The world’s first kind business centre in Stanmore; a space where people can come together to collaborate
  • The 5 key pillars of a wholesome Kindness Curriculum that they have built
  • The Corporate Kindness Index that is in development to track how leaders are improving in each of those areas
  • The Corporate Kindness Annual Conference and Awards –showcasing leaders who are leading the way in kindness
• I ask Anna to share a leader who inspires her and why; and she highlights three very different people: Nelson Mandela, his prison guard Christo Brand and Pamela Bishop, the COO of Blooms The Chemist (and the recipient of the Corporate Kindness Awards – the Gamechanger Award, the highest honour of the annual awards).
• Why ‘kindness’ is so important and what it means to be a kind leader.
• We talk about the importance of empathy and how a leader might be able to operate with kindness even if there is a lack of capacity for empathy.
• Why the answer to more meaningful work doesn’t necessarily mean going to work for a non-profit organisation.
• The importance of support from others and building a community of like-minded people to support you on your leadership journey.
• She zeroes in on the results of kind leadership: brand trust, happy workforces, staff retention, community engagement, investment, well leaders and reconciliation.

Connect with Anna

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annasheppard2021/

https://www.bambuddhagroup.com

https://www.facebook.com/bambuddhagroup

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My guest on this podcast says that the best advice she has ever been given was “when you are dancing on thin ice, you may as well tap dance” and that’s how she lives her life.

Nicky Sparshott is the CEO of Unilever Australia & New Zealand and former Global CEO of luxury retailer, T2 Tea. She has over 25 years of experience in developing & building brands, growing businesses and transforming infrastructure and culture. She has worked across a broad range of organisations including Unilever, The Coca-Cola Company, P&G and George Patterson Y&R.

Recognised for her depth and breadth of expertise across FMCG, Retail, Luxury and Ecommerce, Nicky also brings broader based category experience spanning food, beverages, health care and personal care.

Nicky holds a Masters in International Business, which has been supported by significant global management experience across Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, USA and the highly diverse markets of Asia. She recently completed an Executive MBA in Change, through INSEAD, graduating with Distinction and is also an HBDI certified practitioner.

Nicky is a Non-Executive Director on the boards of World Wildlife Fund Australia, Global Sisters and the Australian Food & Grocery Council and sits on the Australasian Advisory Board of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and UTS Vice Chancellors Industry Advisory Board. She is a National Member of the Champions of Change Coalition; a Founding Member of the B-Team Australasia and Climate Leaders Coalition and is a member of Chief Executive Women. She is a passionate advocate for businesses driving sustainable agendas that positively impact both people and the planet and in doing so be a true force for good.

Avid followers of purpose-led businesses will recognise Unilever as one of the global leaders of the corporate purpose movement, so much so that they’ve copped criticism from some investors for too much focus on “soft” issues like sustainability and social responsibility. So I was really excited to hear Nicky’s perspective on all things purpose and profit and what leadership looks like through the perspective of purpose in business. Nicky’s own leadership shines through powerfully in this interview. Not perhaps in the way you might expect of a traditional leader of a big corporation; rather a leader for our times. Australia, and indeed the world, would do well to have more leaders with Nicky’s outlook and beliefs.

If you are looking for inspiration on courageous, strong and vulnerable leadership, you need to tune into this episode.

Here are some of the highlights of our interview:

• Nicky shares some of her views from the thesis she recently wrote as part of her Masters of Change, on Love and Fear; emotions that can unleash superpowers, which are so relevant to business during changing times.
• Despite not growing up with the ambition to be a CEO of a company like Unilever, Nicky highlights the two key characteristics that she believes has brought her to where she is today: an entrepreneurial spirit which she had from a young age and the activist within, coming from her sense of injustice and a desire to do something about it.
• Nicky shares with us her views on leadership, including what she believes her number one job is and how leadership needs to shift from the traditional hierarchical structure to creation of a steer co of equals, agnostic of function, age and hierarchy.
• The Great Resignation is reframed positively by Nicky as The Great Realisation and what this means to leaders who want to recruit and retain great talent.
• Nicky shares her views on the opportunity behind purposeful business. She challenges listeners to stop looking at the opportunity cost of “doing purpose”. Instead look at the opportunity cost of NOT doing it.
• Nicky highlights Unilever’s background and purpose; what it means for the business; and how Unilever’s purpose shows up in practical ways.
• She shares an overview of Unilever’s current Compass Strategy and highlights the integrated nature of the strategy, being good for business, as well as good for society and the planet.
• Unleashing people’s superpowers is a recurring theme through this podcast and I suspect something Nicky feels passionately about. She talks about this in the context of goal setting.
• Nicky’s beliefs on what the new corporate currency is: Care, Compassion and Courage.
• She speaks about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Not just as another box to be ticked, but in human terms and with a real understanding about what people really desire: an environment where they can belong and show up in their most authentic way.
• We discuss the balance between profit and purpose and what Unilever’s approach to this is.
• Nicky highlights her views on the role of play, purpose and potential to raise performance and to create sticky teams.

And we covered all of this (and more) in under 1 hour!

If you enjoy this episode, please rate it in your favourite podcast listening app.

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James started The Good Beer Co – Australia’s first social enterprise of its kind – to brew beer for good causes and inspire change by demonstrating what purpose-led businesses can achieve. In his 20+ year career, he’s been a change-maker, pioneering corporate social responsibility at a major banking group, helping build partnerships to lift one million UK homes out of energy poverty, helping grow a social enterprise that floated on the London Stock Exchange, negotiating ground-breaking, multi-million dollar partnerships to cut carbon emissions, creating a national Healthy Air Campaign as the CEO of a national environmental charity, and forming an alliance between a new green energy company and leading environmental organisations to generate over $3 million in funding.

He’s also been named on Linkedin’s inaugural list of Top Green Voices in Australia and New Zealand, a curation of 15 must-follow thought leaders sharing their perspectives and passion for sustainability, climate change and protecting the environment.

In this episode, James shares his background leading to where his focus now lies, through the lens of partnerships.

I think you’ll get so much value from listening to how James approaches product development and campaigns. I truly believe that any organisation leading with a higher purpose is compelled to think innovatively and to seek out strategic partnerships. It’s consistent with the ambitious nature of purposeful organisations to find collaborators that help them to build awareness and scale their impact. This interview is a masterclass in purposeful partnerships.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Listen out for James’ response to my question – what is the role of love in inspiring purpose-led business? It’s a powerful response.
• James shares his career progression and some of his achievements, from where he started in politics and media, through government, to corporate, to his activity today through The Good Beer Co
• He shares the start-up story Great Barrier Beer in partnership with Australian Marine Conservation Society; along with partnering with Dan Murphys and BWS to trial the first ever biodegradable 6-pack packaging
• We talk about the power of purpose to inspire richer, more meaningful conversations that build relationships that lead to purposeful partnerships
• James tells us about The Good Beer Co’s upcoming campaign in the UK for Thank Brew, a limited edition Pale Ale created by breweries across the UK in partnership with Big Drop Brewing Co, celebrating Thank You Day, for the Queen’s Jubilee Weekend, with all profits going to support good causes
• He also whets our appetite by sharing a little about a new local initiative in Australia in partnership with Sobah. due to launch later this year. A purpose-led business, Sobah exists to raise positive awareness and promote First Nations' culture, arts, language, and history.

Connect with James

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesgrugeon/

Twitter: JamesGrugeon

Website: https://www.thegoodbeerco.co.uk

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We decided to do something a little different for this podcast episode. Instead of interviewing a guest, I read a chapter from my book FOR LOVE & MONEY. How to profit with purpose and grow a business with love.

The chapter I selected is: The Purpose of Business Part II

What is the purpose of business? Surely by now, we can get beyond the idea that the purpose of business is to make money. The evidence is clear that trickle-down economics has not delivered what it promised.

This chapter shares a picture of what business can be, when we unlock its full potential. When business serves a meaningful higher purpose, that is when it will capture the hearts and minds of people. That is when it will realise its true and full potential.

I share a story, a personal experience with a client, that demonstrates the potential that people can bring to a business when they’re emotionally invested in the outcomes that they’re trying to achieve.

The other themes highlighted in this short episode include:

• Human endeavour and identity – the role our identity, our narrative plays in the choices we make and how we show up
• Emotions drive superpower – how when we care enough about something, that’s when we can realise our own full potential
• Changing the system – I share my thoughts on what we can change
• What are the needs we are solving as businesses? How vital are they?

I hope you enjoy this episode. If you do, you can get the book here.

For every book sold we protect one square metre of rainforest through our partnership with B1G1 Business for Good and our impact partner, Rainforest Rescue.

If you’re enjoying this podcast, please take a moment to rate it on your favourite listening app.

CORRECTION:

The MS Act came into effect on 1st Jan 2019 rather than 2020.

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My guest on this episode is Carsten Primdal, a Sustainability, ESG and Modern Slavery Expert and co-founder of Scertify, an organisation merging tech and sustainability to drive impact, enabled by blockchain, AI and Machine Learning.

Carsten’s sustainability experience has been forged around the world, in Australia, Europe, China and Asia. He is the Author of two published books, “A Roadmap to Modern Slavery Compliance and a Sustainable Supply Chain” and “Red Flag – Your Guide to Risk Management when Buying in China”, in which he shares his experience in sustainability risk mitigation.

Our interview covers his career and what led him to co-founding Scertify with two US-based business partners and launching the Competent Boards ESG Training Program.

Through this interview some of the topics we discuss are:

• What ESG actually means
• The relationship between ESG and Purpose
• What the ESG Competent Boards Designation Program is
• Who would get value from this program
• Why the program is so important; particularly now
• What participants can get out of the program

I think this is such good timing for a discussion about the role of Boards in ESG and Purpose. From my observation, many Boards appear to be on the back foot when it comes to these subjects. The simple fact is, Boards should be driving the Purpose and ESG agenda, rather than pondering how much of a priority it is given in the business’ strategy.

The Competent Boards Program is such a valuable offering to business leaders today. Carsten has kindly offered a discount to listeners of this podcast. If you would like to take advantage of this discount, use the code FLAM when submitting your application online. You can learn more about the program here https://scertify.co/cbeducation/esg-designation-program/

CONNECT WITH CARSTEN

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/carsten-primdal/

Scertify website https://scertify.co

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I’m delighted to welcome two guests for this episode of the For Love & Money Podcast: Jade Collins and Alanna Bastin-Byrne from Femeconomy.

Femeconomy educates consumers, budget owners and business owners on how purchasing decisions can create gender equality.

Femeconomy certified businesses have at least 30% of women on the Board of Directors or are 50% female owned. So far over 850 brands have met Femeconomy’s criteria.

More on that in the episode. For now, let me introduce my guests:

Jade Collins has 20 years’ global experience in corporate executive Human Resources and management consulting roles in the Mining, Energy and Aerospace industries, leading large scale, complex multi-million-dollar change management programs. Jade finds the combination of her HR, Psychology and MBA qualifications and her leadership experience is invaluable for creating networks and engaging others to increase gender equality in leadership across industries. Jade was a member of the Queensland Government's Strategic Advisory Group for the Toward Gender Parity: Women on Boards Initiative and the 2019 CQU Alumni of the Year for Social Impact for her work with Femeconomy.

Alanna Bastin-Byrne has over 20 years’ experience in Marketing, Communications and Community Development leadership in the UK and Australia. The diversity of Alanna’s leadership experience has been instrumental in building Femeconomy’s engaged community to advance gender equality. In 2018 Alanna was announced as one of 80 Women2Watch in Business Disruption in US, Canada, Australia and Europe. In 2020 Alanna was a Telstra Business Woman of the Year finalist and Griffith University’s Entrepreneur in Residence.

We chat about the female economy. What it means for businesses and for society more widely. Despite the progress that we’ve made over the years, some of the stats that Jade and Alanna share are mind-blowing and really tell a very powerful story of unrealised opportunity.

Here are some of the areas of discussion we get into:

• Why Femeconomy was started – the purpose inspiring the business
• Why we need more balance in leadership representation: the value of lived experience; and why female representation is not a zero sum game
• The economic value exercised by women’s spending power
• The reality of female representation of CEOs in ASX companies and on ASX boards
• The stats that tell a surprising story about Australia’s position when it comes to gender equality within businesses.
• NOTE: One of the stats provided was out of date - at about the 22.45 minute mark of the interview, the stat references under 5 per cent of female CEOs are represented at ASX 200 organisations. Update to this with a couple of stats:
  • Zero new female CEOs appointed to ASX 200 companies in 2021 https://www.afr.com/work-and-careers/management/asx-200-companies-failed-to-appoint-a-single-female-ceo-last-year-20210907-p58piz
  • Just six per cent of ASX300 companies employ female CEOs https://www.businessnewsaustralia.com/articles/-wake-up-call---just-six-per-cent-of-asx300-companies-employ-female-ceos.html
• How Femeconomy are building a movement to educate, advocate for and support women-owned businesses
• The progress that has been made and the role of culture in society in empowering or limiting the rate of progress
• Why female-led businesses are more profitable than their male-led counterparts

If your business is female-owned, led, has at least 30% of women on the Board of Directors or are 50% female owned, then you’ll want to check out Femeconomy.

Equally, whether you’re male or female, if you want to support businesses that are Femeconomy accredited (as a customer or an employee), then head over to their website and find the businesses that are leading the way.

Connect with Femeconomy

Alanna Bastin-Byrne

Jade Collins

Femeconomy website https://femeconomy.com

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Pamela Bishop is my guest on Episode 11. Pam is Chief Marketing Officer of Blooms The Chemist. I’ve had the absolute pleasure of working with Pamela and the exceptional team who engaged in our Path To Purpose Program to discover, define and embed meaningful purpose into Blooms The Chemist.

While Blooms The Chemist is in the early stages of their purpose journey, I wanted to invite Pamela on the show to share the experience they have had in navigating their path to purpose so far. How it started, some of the surprises it has created and how it has changed the way she and the wider Blooms team think of their role as a business.

There are so many reasons leaders give for putting off starting the process of discovery and purpose strategy. My sincere wish is that this episode gives you the motivation to get started, in whatever way best works for your organisation. To not delay one day longer.. If you’re a leader or influencer in a large or medium sized organisation trying to figure out how to get started and engage your wider team, his interview I believe is a masterclass in purpose leadership.

Here is some of what we get into in this interview where Pam generously lifts the lid on the process and Blooms The Chemist purpose-driven plans:

• Pamela’s story of what drove her to lead the purpose development and strategy work for Blooms The Chemist
• Blooms The Chemist’s Purpose and a bit of an insight into their purpose journey
• Pamela’s belief of what purpose means to an organisation who are already showing a strong commitment to CSR and Community; and how it emerged as the missing piece for their brand
• Some of the ways this purpose will impact the organisation’s approach to their own employees, around health and wellbeing
• Blooms The Chemist leadership team’s support and role in inviting even more ambition from the working group
• The clarity that a clear purpose statement provides a business in where and how they invest their time and what initiatives they support
• Pam shares some of the initiatives that have been driven by the company’s purpose that are in the pipeline
• The challenges of bringing all stakeholders together behind the new purpose and the implications to the wider business
• Pamela shares how they are navigating some of those key challenges, including how the inclusion of one simple word in their purpose statement was part of taking an inclusive approach to bringing all stakeholders on the journey
• A reflection on the past 12-18 months for Blooms The Chemist’s work and plans in CSR, supply chain and modern slavery, purpose, alignment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Connect with Pam https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelasiobhainbishop/ https://www.bloomsthechemist.com.au

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My guest on this episode of the FOR LOVE AND MONEY PODCAST is JAMES BARTLE, the founding CEO of Outland Denim, a fashion company on the vanguard of the socially conscious manufacturing movement. James is passionate about denim and the craft of jean manufacturing, but also the unique ability of the garment industry to drive change.

Outland Denim employs young women seamstresses who’ve been impacted by human rights abuses and gives them a hope and a future through sustainable employment and career progression in their Cambodia-based production facilities.

This interview is packed with insights and inspiration. But honestly, the central theme to this interview is the power of love to create change. I dare you to listen to it and not be inspired to act.

I really hope you enjoy listening to this episode. Here are just some of the topics we covered.

• James’ journey from freestyle motocross rider to CEO of Outland Denim
• The power of love in business and how purpose gives you a superpower
• How, by approaching the human sex trafficking industry as an economic problem, Outland Denim is empowering a cycle of freedom
• The four pillar approach Outland Denim are taking to create social change in the lives of their employees
• The power of consumerism and the opportunity for business
• The investment challenges that social impact-led businesses are facing in Australia and the role of risk in holding back progress
• The connection between tackling slavery and climate change
• The Meghan Markle effect on Outland Denim and how celebrities are using their influence to drive change

Contact James

https://www.instagram.com/bartle.james/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-bartle-17b6b6103/

https://www.outlanddenim.com.au

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Our guest for Episode 9 is Carolyn Tate, a Purpose and Storytelling Expert. She’s author of multiple books, an inspirational speaker and a highly respected leader of the purpose movement in Australia.

In 2010, Carolyn came to the crashing realisation that her career was at a dead-end. After 20 years in banking and 10 years in her own marketing consultancy, her work was no longer meaningful. So, she closed the business and took a writing sabbatical in Aix-en-Provence, France with her son Billy.

It was the beginning of her search for a new livelihood and it led her to discovering her twin passions for writing and teaching. Ten years on, she’s published five books, including 'The Purpose Project', and taught more than 10,000 people on the power of purpose and story.

Her own purpose is to help you bring your purpose to life, so together we can build a better world. When she’s not working, she's a dedicated community-builder and committed Birrarung (Yarra) river-swimmer.

'The Purpose Project' is a trusted guide to thousands of leaders and her focus is on working with school and corporate leadership teams.

I really enjoyed exploring “the practice of purpose” in this interview. We didn’t even have time to get into the topic of women in leadership, so we will be doing a second interview on that topic down the track. In the meantime, here are some of the themes we did explore:

• Carolyn’s own path to purpose. Her journey from her epiphany in her corporate marketing career, to where she plays today
• Carolyn’s work in the educational sector, working with principals on their purpose as a leader
• The three levels of purpose and the opportunities for organisations and individuals when they can align the three
• Carolyn talks about the opportunity to BYO your personal purpose to work. She shares a wonderful example and references a blog she wrote on it which you can read here https://carolyntate.co/when-two-worlds-collide/
• Storytelling and its connection to purpose. Stories incite action and create movements for change. We talk about the TED Talk “How to start a movement” – a brilliant 3 minute talk you don’t want to miss https://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement/up-next
• How purpose connects to community. Carolyn shares her wonderful story about discovering river swimming in the age of Covid and finding her community.

Find out more about Carolyn Tate at carolyntate.co and sign up to her weekly Purpose in Action stories. You can also find her books here https://carolyntate.co/books/

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My guest on this episode of FOR LOVE & MONEY is a man who describes himself as ”a four-time loser before I realised I was in the wrong game”.

He is Dave Dahl. Creator of Dave’s Killer Bread, the USA’s number 1 organic bread. If you haven’t heard of Dave’s Killer Bread, I can’t wait to share the story behind it. If you have, then you know you’ll want to listen to this episode.

Dave’s story IS the story of Dave’s Killer Bread. It is a story of a family bakery that became the business behind the USA’s number 1 organic bread. It is a story of transformation and inspiration. Dave’s Killer Bread has a purpose behind every loaf; a purpose about second chances. It may not be as well-known a brand in Australia as other purpose-led brands like Patagonia or Zambrero. Yet every time I share a bit of this story, people connect with it and want to learn more. Its power I believe is that it is a very HUMAN story. Quite the antithesis of what we have come to expect of business.

Our interview covers Dave’s backstory and how it connects with the business that was sold in 2015 to Flower Foods for US$@275 million. Here are some of the things that Dave shares in this interview:

• Dave’s early life leading to four stints in prison
• How a prison workshop initiative helped Dave to connect to his purpose and feel like he belonged for the first time
• How Dave used a second chance to build the USA’s number 1 organic bread
• The power of story in bringing a purpose to life
• How Dave’s Killer Bread became a supporter of the Second Chance Initiative
• Dave’s work with his charity Constructing Hope

You can learn more about Dave Dahl here at his official website https://davedahl360.com

If you would like to learn more about or donate to Constructing Hope, you can do so here https://www.constructinghope.org

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Like many people who value purposeful organisations, I love Patagonia. They are an unconventional business that is difficult to categorise in traditional business terms. Their purpose is a hugely ambitious one - they’re in business to save our home planet.

In this episode I speak to Dane O’Shanassy, Country Director for Patagonia.

Dane shares stories about this extraordinary company from its origins to where it is today. Along the way he shares the philosophies that has guided the business over the last few decades. What I loved about our chat was Dane’s view that Patagonia’s approach isn’t complex. It’s really simple. In fact it boils down to doing the right thing.

As Dane says in the interview, he is fortunate to work for people who simply want the people who work for Patagonia to figure out how they can use business as a tool for environmental protection.

I hope you enjoy this episode and the insights that come from it. There are some great learnings here. We did have some connection issues during this recording, which we’ve done our best to edit out. I hope it doesn’t affect your listening experience too much.

Here are some of the stories and themes we cover in our interview:

• Patagonia’s origins and the climbing experience that inspired Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard to start the business back in the 1950s
• Patagonia’s journey towards 100% organic cotton including the employee experience in this changeover
• How Yvon practices his own version of an MBA - Management By Absence - giving people opportunity
• Putting people first is the most important thing we can do as business leaders and colleagues
• Dane shares Patagonia’s purpose and values and explains how they go deep into the culture and beliefs of the organisation
• How transparency and being accountable for mistakes as well as successes has built trust in its brand
• The story behind Patagonia’s traceable down certification (it’s a great lesson on how the way leaders respond to a crisis can be a way to build brand equity)
• What attracts potential employees to Patagonia. And the diversity of employees it attracts
• How Patagonia’s focus on quality supports their purpose by making things that last
• Patagonia’s commitment to pledging a 1% “Earth Tax” and how it has built partnerships and collaborations in service of its mission to save our home planet
• Some examples of Patagonia’s activism, including how a film made by Patagonia led to the biggest environmental petition to the Tasmanian State Parliament; and how a campaign for protection of The Great Australian Bight against oil drilling led to a Norwegian oil company to rescind their drilling permit
• How marketing for Patagonia is an opportunity to tell stories about things they care about

About Dane O’Shanassy

Since August 2013, Dane has been leading Patagonia in Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia, supporting growth in sales and brand awareness, alongside steering our regional environmental impact. He finds joy and satisfaction through building strong teams and creating business strategy that can be disruptive and transformational. A Master’s in Business Administration at Melbourne’s Deakin University underscores more than 20 years working with some iconic Australian brands including Rip Curl, Bellroy and Colorado.

Now in his role at Patagonia, Dane has the opportunity to demonstrate that business success and positive environmental impact don’t have to be at odds, in fact, they can be harmonious and profitable. Dane finds his passion in the surf, the mountains, and through spending time with his family at home on Victoria’s Surf Coast.

About Patagonia

We’re in business to save our home planet.

Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. A certified B Corporation, the company is recognised internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism – and its contributions of more than US$145 million in grants and in-kind donations to date.

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Our guest on Episode 6 of the For Love & Money podcast is Shared Value Project CEO, Sarah Downie.

Sarah is an accomplished executive and strategist, with a particular talent for transforming, leading and activating purpose-led organisations.

As CEO for the Shared Value Project Australia and New Zealand (SVP), she builds on 20 years’ experience in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors to champion a better future for business and society collectively, through shared value. Driven by the belief that corporate assets, resources and innovation can unlock unrivalled social progress – whilst increasing business prosperity and sustainability – Sarah is committed to advancing a new kind of capitalism; fit for the times.

A member of the Shared Value Global Steering Committee, she directs the SVP team to deliver the evidence, tools, education and inspiration required make this urgent shift. Established in 2014, SVP has grown into a thriving and influential network of members including AIA Australia, IAG, NAB, PwC Australia, Nestlé Oceania and Optus.

This episode is a must listen especially for people working in the corporate sector. Here are just some of the topics we get into:

• Sarah’s journey from brand marketing to the non-profit sector to Shared Value and her awakening about the power of business to create scaleable change
• Shared Value’s story – how it started and the meaning behind the name
• Co-founders Michael E. Porter and Mark R Kramer’s vision of Shared Value. We touch on their 2011 HBR article and it’s absolute relevance today 10 years on
• Sarah shares some examples of Shared Value companies to demonstrate how Shared Value creates value for society and drives business success and profitability
• She also shares an example of an initiative coming from a Shared Value approach - HSBC Hong Kong’s “No Fixed Address” product
• We talk about how the pandemic has changed things fundamentally; how Shared Value organisations are approaching business differently with a whole new mindset on “value”
• The opportunity and the need for businesses to become collaborators in change
• “The Purpose Playbook” – Sarah shares Share Valued Project’s new initiative which gets into the ‘how’ of an organisation’s purpose across their strategy and full value chain
• The power of one individual acting and how it can make extraordinary change

Connect with Sarah:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/downiesarah/

Connect with Shared Value Project: https://sharedvalue.org.au

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My guest on this episode of For Love & Money is Paul Tierney, General Manager of Business Development at TPG Telecom (previously Vodafone Australia). Paul has spent 15 years in the telecommunications industry in a range of roles from Finance to Strategy to Sales and Marketing. In his current role he is responsible for the Lebara and Felix consumer brands. Paul also recently led a piece of work which led to TPG Telecom committing to power their operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2025. The felix brand is the newest brand in the TPG Telecom family having launched in November 2020 and has a strong focus on sustainability and on driving positive impact.

One of the things I want to achieve with this podcast is to share a diverse range of stories from businesses and brands at different stages of their purpose journey; as well as from different perspectives - small, medium and corporate.

This episode is a good one for getting an insight into how a new business unit and/or brand can start their purpose journey within a corporate organisation. Clearly there are challenges, but also potential opportunities. A great message comes out of this episode for me - it's all about just getting started and recognising that perfection is the enemy of progress.

Here are some of the areas my interview with Paul covered:

• The secret that our mobile phones are hiding
• How TPG Telecom’s new brand felix started their journey that led them to becoming a brand driven by a higher purpose
• How the personal beliefs of the start-up team influenced the decision to become a purpose-led brand
• Navigating the challenges and opportunities of being part of a big corporate business
• How felix is contributing to the momentum within the movement to broaden commitments from the telco industry
• Balancing the need to be financially-stable and driving impact
• How Felix uses partnerships to ensure that the supply chain of tree planting is authentic and effective
• felix’s 2-year social impact goal and Paul’s 5-year ambition for the business

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My guest on this episode is Simon Sheikh, founder of Australia’s first fossil fuel free super fund, Future Super.

Before starting Future Super, Simon led GetUp for six years. Getup is a member based independent movement to build a progressive Australia and bring participation back into our democracy.

In 2014, Simon co-founded Future Super with his business partner Adam Verwey. The company has a rapidly growing member base and is successfully disrupting the Australian superannuation industry, by proving there is demand for high-impact, sustainable investments.

This interview delivers some great insights for those interested in how to navigate their path to purpose. Future Super’s clarity of purpose is second-to-none. They consider themselves more a movement for change than a business. The discussion was wide-ranging but reveals Future Super’s depth of purpose. Here are some of the topics we covered.

• Simon’s view on the role of love and empathy in business
• Why Simon and his business partner Adam Verwey started Future Super
• Future Super’s theory of change. (It’s simple, but super powerful)
• The financial argument for ethical superannuation investments
• The shared narrative of the type of people who are Future Super members
• Where the large players of the superannuation industry are investing (I suspect you’re going to be shocked at one of these)
• The move to transparency and what this will mean to the superannuation industry
• Future Super’s investment performance and why ethical investments have lower volatility than non-ethical investments
• How the “employee value proposition” has changed and how purpose and identity are central to competition for people
• The #notbusinessasusual campaign
• Future Super’s unique “for-purpose” ownership model
• The similarities and differences between building a not-for-profit organisation and a purpose-led for-profit business

Contact Simon https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonsheikh/

Future Super Website https://www.futuresuper.com.au

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My guest on Episode 3 of the For Love & Money Podcast is Nina Mapson Bone.

Nina is the Managing Director of Beaumont People, a specialised recruitment business that truly believes in “placing people first”. She is also President of the RCSA, the Recruitment Consulting and Staffing Association of Australia and New Zealand and she is Chair of the Development Committee for the NORTH Foundation, a charity which supports innovation in health research and patient care.

Nina helps business leaders with their people problems and delights in bringing talented people together to drive value, build vision and realise opportunities.

With extensive leadership experience, she has built and restructured high-performing teams with a focus on talent attraction and retention.

As a non-executive director and managing director, Nina understands the challenges and complexities of driving growth and ensuring a customer-first approach in large, diverse businesses that have multiple service lines.

If you have a business problem, complex tactical challenges with your employees or organisational structure, you can be guaranteed that Nina has helped others navigate through similar issues.

Nina has an MA (Hons), is a Fellow for the RCSA (Recruitment Consulting and Staffing Association) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Nina and I had a great discussion on Beaumont People’s purpose and how it has guided their actions before and during the pandemic and positioned them strongly for success. Some of the things we covered in this conversation include:

• Nina’s personal purpose and how it inspires her in her work
• Beaumont People’s purpose and how it inspired their investment in an Australian-first research initiative and the world’s first meaningful work profiling tool
• How the GFC inspired an initiative to support Beaumont People’s people; that has gone onto become a big part of Beaumont People’s strategic success and enhanced their reputation and culture
• The architecture of Beaumont People’s brand purpose positioning and how their ‘how’ contributes to their ‘why’ and shapes their decision lens
• What the Australian research on meaningful work reveals about organisations in Australia and the expectations of Australian employees
• How everyone’s path to meaningful work is unique and how understanding what it means to individuals and organisations can be game changing
• The trap of assumptions around meaningful work
• The psychological and sociological aspects of meaningful work
• How Beaumont People’s purpose around meaningful work guided their actions during the initial stages of the pandemic and accelerated some of their longer term plans and positioned them for success
• How purpose has reinvigorated the Beaumont People team
• The balance between purpose and profit at Beaumont People

So many insights in this episode about “meaningful work” that I hope will challenge some assumptions and get people thinking more deeply about their work and the kind of meaningful work that can be offered through organisations.

Contact Nina

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninamapsonbone/

Beaumont People Website

https://www.beaumontpeople.com.au

Explore the Meaningful Work Research and Profiling Tool

https://go.meaningfulwork.com.au/home?r_done=1

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For our very first podcast interview I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to interview Geoff “Manch” Manchester, co-founder of Intrepid Group and Director of the company’s not-for-profit The Intrepid Foundation.

Globally recognised as a pioneer in responsible travel, Intrepid Group are the world’s largest provider of adventure travel experiences. Geoff and his best mate Darrell Wade founded Intrepid Travel in 1989 with a vision of creating small group adventures that travelled the local way, benefiting both travellers and the places that they visit.

More than a quarter of a century later, Intrepid Travel has grown to become Intrepid Group, a portfolio of specialist tour operators and 23 destination management companies taking over 400,000 travellers to more than 120 countries on all seven continents, and employing more than 2000 staff in 29 offices around the world.

As a former leader of Intrepid trips in Asia, Manch has firsthand experience of the issues effecting developing nations. His experience in marketing for Intrepid Travel has given him insight into the value placed on such issues by both clients and travel agents. Manch has ensured Intrepid delivers on its sustainable and responsible ethos as the company has grown rapidly over the past 27 years, from championing practical, on the ground decisions involving low impact travel, to setting and implementing company-wide responsible travel strategies.

In 2000, Intrepid Travel established the tourism industry’s first dedicated responsible business department, then in 2002 launched The Intrepid Foundation to enable travellers to give back to the communities they visit. Since its creation the not-for-profit has raised over $10 million for more than 70 conservation and community projects around the globe, supporting initiatives in environmental conservation, wildlife protection, human rights, health care, child welfare and gender equality.

Manch is especially proud of the connection that The Intrepid Foundation creates between their own local leaders and the projects that they support; they learn about the projects and community issues, and in turn are able to educate their travellers and inspire them to make a donation. Manch is an Ambassador for Conscious Capitalism Australia and is a regular speaker on sustainable business issues in Australia and around the world.

This interview offers some great insights to people in business who are curious about what a truly purposeful organisation looks like and the relationship between purpose and profit.

Please forgive my enthusiastic use of the words “I love...” throughout this interview. Appropriate, given the podcast theme, but I realise I may need to measure my genuine love for the actions of these businesses who are leading the way, so I don’t end up inspiring the eye-roll effect!! Bear with me as I develop my podcast interviewing skills please.

We cover a lot of ground in this interview and there are some great topics we get into. Some of these are highlighted below.

• Core Purpose vs Higher Purpose of Intrepid Travel
• The origins of Intrepid Travel and their “Responsible Travel” approach
• Intrepid’s approach to animal welfare in tourism and how they’ve become “the elephant experts”
• How women’s-only tours in Iran, Morocco and Turkey help to change the way people see the world
• The impact of the pandemic on Intrepid Travel’s business and Geoff’s view of the impact of the pandemic on the travel industry long-term
• Intrepid’s leadership, advocacy and support for climate action within the travel industry
• Regenerative tourism, the evolution of sustainable tourism
• How Intrepid’s purpose and approach to business attracts likeminded people to their team who are invested in the organisation’s success
• The direct correlation between Intrepid’s purposeful activities and their growth and profit

Here are the links I promised in the interview:

• A link to Intrepid’s Annual Report – enjoy! https://www.intrepidtravel.com/au/intrepid-annual-report-2020
• World Travel & Tourism Council and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Sustainable Leadership Case Study on Intrepid Travel https://wttc.org/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/2021/WTTC%20Case%20Study%20-%20Intrepid.pdf?ver=2021-05-05-102941-497

I really hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed having a yarn with Geoff.

For more information on Intrepid Group visit www.intrepidgroup.travel; for more information on The Intrepid Foundation visit www.theintrepidfoundation.org. For more on Geoff, you can find him on Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoff-manchester-b953702/

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THE FOR LOVE & MONEY PODCAST   Hosted by Chief Purpose Activist, Carolyn Butler-Madden, The For Love & Money Podcast is a show where business and social purpose meet to inspire a movement for positive change – business as a force for good; brands driving profit through purpose.