Edge with Dr. Stephen Brown: Recent Episodes
Dr Stephen Brown
Edge with Dr Stephen Brown focuses on the story, the personal narrative of Australian's who have pushed at the edge. They have been pioneers who are doing amazing things that are a little bit different to the everyday. Sometimes their stories are told and well celebrated and sometimes these stories are reasonably well hidden.
Kieran McCarthy is a Brisbane lawyer who has been recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a leading practitioner both in Queensland and nationally. Kieran’s abiding out-of-hours interest is military history, and since 2009 he has led seven pilgrimages, with his wife, former journalist and PR Executive Kristin Devitt, to the Australian battlefields of the First World War in France and Belgium, and other tours to the Second World War sites at Dunkirk, Monte Cassino, Anzio, Normandy and Arnhem. He has been a regular speaker on the after-dinner circuit for some years, and co-authored a publication commissioned by the Supreme Court of Queensland Library to mark the centenary of the First World War, “In Freedom’s Cause”. Kieran’s current project is researching for publication the lives of the men of Brisbane’s inner-west, commemorated on the Ithaca War Memorial in Paddington.
Rick retired as Chief of the Australian Army in 2022, capping a distinguished military career in diverse leadership appointments.
He is an authentic and visionary leader with unique experience and insight from leading complex organisations through transformational change, and from building partnerships and strengthening relationships throughout Australia and the Indo-Pacific.
He is passionate about investing in people, leadership, and organisational culture. He remains committed to advancing Australia’s national interest and competitive edge through The Burr Initiative.
This episode of Edge features the multi-talented Paul Mecurio, AM, best known for his starring role in the iconic Australian movie, Strictly Ballroom and as a judge on the celebrated Australian television program, Dancing with the Stars. In 2022, Paul was elected to the Victorian State Parliament as the member for Hastings. Mercurio is the son of legendary Australian Gus Mercurio, and provides an authentic, insightful, candid and reflective commentary on his life and the much-celebrated achievements in his diverse career.
Country Victorian born and bred, Michael Winkler's novel Grimmish was shortlisted for the 2022 Miles Franklin Literary Award, the first and only time that a self-published novel has achieved this honour. Grimmish was subsequently published by Puncher & Wattmann in Australia, Peninsula Press in the United Kingdom and Coach House Books in North America. Winkler won the Calibre Essay Prize in 2016. He has self-published three books and released others through commercial publishers. His non-fiction books have been on topics as disparate as sport, outback history and film. He regularly reviews books and judges writing awards. Website: michaelwinkler.com.au
Former Sergeant, Paul Cale has been described as one of Australia’s toughest soldiers. His Special Forces Commando regiment saw more violence and casualties than any other Australian military outfit, with Paul now developing combat strategies for special forces units around the world. Sergeant Cale made headlines in 2013 when it was revealed he had stormed an enemy compound and strangled a Taliban leader during a combat tour of Afghanistan in 2007.
In this episode Paul discusses his time in the Australian army and his work around the world in leadership, combat training and self-defence.
Mention the wine Prosecco and typically, it will relate to the family name of Dal Zotto. Otto Dal Zotto is the king of Prosecco in Australia, and along with his wife and sons has pioneered and powered the brand from the family vineyard in the King Valley, Northeast Victoria. In this episode of EDGE, Otto provides fascinating insights into his formative years, the events that shaped his decision to become a wine maker, perspectives on leadership and his involvement in political advocacy around the restricted use of the Prosecco name.
While simultaneously pursuing a career in education as a school leader, Kirby also had a long and distinguished career spanning 16 years as an elite athlete with the Queensland Fire and Brisbane Heat cricket teams. As a school leader, Kirby has led in large and complex secondary school environments. Her educational leadership has been recognised internationally with the design and development of a unique framework for learning, enabled by her expertise in understanding people and culture through the promotion of agency. Through her engagement with corporate organisations, elite sporting teams and individuals, Kirby also delivers masterclasses in high performance culture, personal and team leadership. Recently, she has made the transition to broadcasting with ABC Radio, Channel 7 and Fox Cricket. Her unique and diverse experiences as an elite athlete, board member, sports commentator and two-time WBBL Premiership Captain of the Brisbane Heat, is evident in her success in leading individuals and teams, within and beyond education, to enact strategies that are focussed on identity, values and progress.
After growing up in Hervey Bay, Qld Wayne Zschech first moved to Ukraine in April, 1993, just a week before his 18th birthday. His plan was to give God a year of his life before returning home to become a fighter pilot with the Royal Australian Air Force. God, however, had a better idea! Wayne has lived in Ukraine for 28 years, working as a Pastor, social entrepreneur and building sustainable enterprises. Dr Stephen Brown spoke to Wayne on his most recent visit back to Australia about his life and his first hand experiences of living and working in a war zone.
Join us to hear Wayne share his story.
In this episode Stephen talks to rising star, 22 year old Queensland Reds and Australian Wallaby rugby player Harry Wilson, exploring the nature of leadership and the influence of family in his career to date along with his aspirations for the future.
Darshak Mehta is one of the most well-known and well-liked Indians in Australia. His name
pops up when you mention cricket or charity down under and has a long association with
Australian cricket. He has been an SCG member for almost 30 years.
He served as Chairman of The LBW (Learning for a Better World) Trust which he co-
founded in 2006 with journalists Peter Roebuck and Mike Coward and solicitor Peter Strain.
He is currently its President.
He is also a Patron of the education charity, Pratham Australia. Pratham (in India) is the
largest children’s education charity, helping millions of Indian children realise their potential.
He has also been on the Advisory Panel of the Sydney Big Bash League (T20) team Sydney
Thunder since 2013.
From a very young age, Darshak has been actively involved in public life. He was the
President of the Bombay Industries Association at 27 (youngest ever). He was also the
youngest member of the Managing Committee of the venerable Indian Merchants Chamber,
when 26. So, heading an NGO 25 years later, albeit in another country, did not faze him in
the slightest.
The LBW Trust is a charity which tertiary-educates over 1500 students in eight developing
countries including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, Uganda, Afghanistan and
Jamaica.
By any stretch and by his own admissions, Kieran Plasto has lived and continues to live an extraordinary life. From a self-proclaimed very ordinary childhood, a series of decisions and opportunities has led him down a path to Psychologist, Appointed Detective in the Qld Police Service, Police Negotiator and Counter Terrorist Qualified Negotiator. Since leaving the police in 2007 he studied Negotiation at Harvard, worked in Human Resources and Safety Leadership roles for global Mining Houses and now works in the people and performance space specialising in workplace conflict and dispute resolution, mediation, investigations and conflict coaching. Along the way he has learnt some lessons about people and leadership which he continues to share through storytelling and coaching. This is his story.
Listed in the Who’s Who of Women in Australia in 2007, awarded the Prime Minister’s Centennial Medal in 2000 and an OAM for service to the community in 2016, Bev Brock has devoted her life to others. She is a former teacher and life counsellor, and an author and public speaker. She was born and raised in Western Australia. Her life changed pace in the almost three decades she spent with motor racing legend Peter Brock. She raised their young family while being an integral part of Peter’s racing career, helping to steer him through life in the spotlight. She is patron of the Lighthouse Foundation, co-founder of the Peter Brock Foundation, and sits on the board of the Skyline Education Foundation.
Bev has been teaching life skills for the past 20 years and speaks to many varied groups, helping people in crisis to change their lives, encouraging them to take charge of their own destinies and to live their dreams. In imparting her knowledge and experience in the pursuit of fulfilment, Bev relates to her own journey through past relationships, her life education, her experience in caring for elderly and terminally ill family and friends and her highly visible life.
Bev is the author of Peter Brock – Living with a Legend, published in 2004 which went straight to the best seller list and the main author and editor of Brock at Bathurst. Her own story, Life to the Limit was published in 2014.
Energetic and dynamic community leader Jane Mouritz is one of Australia’s leaders in regional and rural community development. Jane has devoted a lifetime of support to others and serving communities from Hyden to Albany in Western Australia and beyond. She has championed the causes of farm succession planning, governance of community organisations, suicide prevention, development of the next generation of leaders, Palliative Care, Voluntary Assisted Dying, and supporting and sustaining rural communities. Jane’s roots and her values reflect her passion for rural communities, agriculture and family.
She has served in local government, and also as an appointed member to a number of State and national advisory committees, including the Regional Communities Program, Stronger Families and Communities Initiative, the National Advisory Committee for Ageing, Internet Advisory Panel and the WA Telecentres Advisory Board. A graduate of Australian Rural Leadership Program, Jane was also a director of Leadership Western Australia and a member of the Ministerial Council for Suicide Prevention WA. Jane initiated the Middle Beach Group and served as its inaugural chair for 11 years and has recently retired as chair of the Albany Community Hospice. She is currently lecturing in business at Southern Regional TAFE.
Andrew Fuller has been described as an ”interesting mixture of Billy Connolly, Tim Winton and Frasier Crane” and as someone who “puts the heart back into psychology”. As a clinical psychologist, Andrew works with many schools and communities in Australia and internationally, specialising in the wellbeing of young people and their families. He is a Fellow of the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Learning and Educational Development at the University of Melbourne. Andrew has been a principal consultant to the national drug prevention strategy REDI, the ABC on children’s television shows, is an Ambassador for Mind Matters and is a member of the National Coalition Against Bullying. He is a wonderful storyteller and a delight to have as a guest for this episode of EDGE.
Bob Hastings developed a deep sense of community from a very young age, with a desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Influenced by his Uncle, a then serving Victorian police officer, Bob became a cadet policeman that signalled the start of a distinguished career in the police and corrective services sectors. His legacy and contribution to the development and implementation of public policy in areas such as drug impaired driving were world first.
Bob’s calm, resolute and resilient character are the core of his approach to leadership. Such personal capabilities have held him in good stead throughout some challenging times in his career. Bob was the Commissioner for Corrective Services in Victoria at the time of the murder of the infamous gangland figure, Carl Williams in Barwon Prison. In this episode of EDGE, Bob explores his view of leadership and the importance of core values and personal accountability as two fundamentals of what good leaders do. He continues to contribute to the community, exemplified by his current position as a member of the Parole Board of Qld.
Meeting our guest Ian Box and his wife Trudy on a holiday in Sicily led to a friendship and admiration for his successful career, adventurous spirit and positive outlook on life. Ian’s mantra is ‘if you see a problem tackle it head on, don’t wait for it to go away’, and that has certainly worked for him. Stephen and Ian discuss his early life starting his own insurance business in Adelaide, moving to Sydney, discovering the joy of yachting, taking on the role of Commodore of the Middle Harbour Yacht Club and competing in two Sydney to Hobart Yacht races in his own boat ‘Toy Box 2,’ along with his other passion motor cycling and traveling the world.
In this episode of EDGE Dr Stephen Brown talks to celebrated lawyer and community figure, Peter Boyce. In 2015, Peter was the subject of anAustralian Story program called "The Man Behind the Morcombes" which documented his experience of dealing with the Morcombe Coronial Inquest and his vital role in ending the Morcombe family's decade-long search for Daniel and his killer. Peter was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in January, 2013 for his extensive history of community service and leadership in areas of horse racing, rugby league and the Catholic church. His expertise and work as a lawyer in promoting justice, freedom and the rights of the individual have also been acknowledged, being awarded the Civil Justice Award and the Queensland Law Society’s President’s Medal.
Amy Hetherington is a comedian, business owner and facilitator from Darwin, Northern Territory. She believes in combining fun, connection and creativity in her workshops and facilitation to ensure people engage in more productive ways. Amy is entertaining, highly energetic, heavily involved in her local community and a delight to feature on this episode of EDGE.
Karni Liddell is one of Australia’s most successful, well respected and highly awarded Paralympic swimmers of our time. A former World Record holder, Karni represented Australia at the Atlanta Paralympic Games in 1996 and captained the Number 1 team at the Sydney 2000 Games, returning from both Games with medals. Karni was appointed Ambassador for the Australian Paralympic team and commentator for the Athens Games.
Karni has been showcased in Inside Sport, modelled for Black and White, New Idea and several other magazines. She has presented on 4BC radio; worked as a commentator at the Athens Paralympic Games, at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games and at the World Swimming Championships; and presented for Channel 7 and Network Nine. Karni is a presenter on Channel 7’s Great Day Out and is also one of few TED speakers to receive a standing ovation.
Karni has raised over $1million throughout her career for the various disability charities she supports. Karni is currently the Engagement Manager for Disability Connect QLD where her role is to increase employment of people with a disability across the public sector and the community. She was the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) QLD Ambassador, a member of the Qld Premier’s Domestic and Family Violence Implementation Council, and the Patron of the International Day of People with a Disability, an Ambassador for Kids Help Line, Muscular Dystrophy QLD and Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association.
Karni was awarded the Pride of Australia medal, she won the Qld Teacher and Trainer of the year (2015) and was awarded the Alumni of the Year award for the faculty of health at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Karni holds a Clinical Masters in Social Work (QUT) and a double Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Bond University.
Can you imagine part owning the world’s best race horse, Winx? This episode of Edge, features, Peter Tighe who provides an insight into that experience - the pressure, expectation and joy. Peter shares some of his life journey and formative experiences from the Brisbane Markets, to Chief Executive, business acumen and racing.
2021 Senior Australian of the Year, Dr Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr Baumann AM is an Aboriginal elder from Nauiyu and a renowned artist, activist, writer and public speaker. In 1975, Miriam-Rose became the Territory’s first fully qualified Aboriginal teacher. As an art consultant for the Department of Education, she visited schools through the Top End, advocating for the inclusion of visual art as part of every child’s education. Miriam-Rose later became the principal of the Catholic school in her home community before being appointed to the Federal Government’s advisory body the National Indigenous Council. In 2013,she established the Miriam Rose Foundation, to bridge the divide between Aboriginal culture and mainstream society – driving reconciliation at a grassroots level.
Through her professional and creative life, Miriam-Rose has remained dedicated to maintaining the cultural independence of her people and being a spokesperson for the Aboriginal world view. In recognition of her leadership, she was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia medal and an Honorary PhD in Education from Charles Darwin University.
Robert Fitzgerald AM is the NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner. He previously served as a Commissioner with the Productivity Commission and was a Commissioner of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Robert has also worked as the NSW Community and Disability Services Commissioner and Deputy Ombudsman, as well as a practicing solicitor.
He has served on numerous non-governmental boards, serving as President of the Australian Council of Social Service, Deputy Chair of the Benevolent Society and NSW State President of St Vincent de Paul Society. He’s currently a Board Member at Social Ventures Australia and Caritas Australia. Robert was also the inaugural Chair of the Advisory Board for the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission.
Robert has conducted more than 18 government-commissioned national inquiries into economic and social policy, including the review of the National Disability Agreement and the inquiry into the Care of Older Australians. He holds degrees in commerce and law from the University of NSW and an honorary doctorate from the Australian Catholic University. He is currently an Adjunct Professor with the University of Western Australia and was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994.
In this episode of EDGE we meet Hannah Ashford, an experienced ecosystem builder, lawyer and community professional who grew up in coastal, country and city Queensland with an international mindset and a passion for space. In her current role as Director of Community and Fellowship at The Karman Project, Hannah works with a team to build trusted relationships among a highly diverse cohort of global space leaders. Hannah spent five years working in Berlin within the European start-up and innovation ecosystems, most notably overseeing the Product and Innovation Department at Factory Berlin, Germany’s leading innovation community. Hannah is a lover of cultural activities, inspiring leaders and cooking with friends. She gravitates towards people oriented environments and works each day to apply her passion for positive impact.
From Priest to CEO and author, Patrick McClure, AO has lived a very interesting life. Throughout his childhood Patrick was strongly influenced by his Catholic education and the faith of his family. At 18 he entered the Franciscans, a religious order within the Catholic Church. His experiences working with the homeless and the influence of a pioneer in microfinance changed his life and sowed the seeds of a social conscience. After resigning the ministry, he worked in the Third Sector. A social entrepreneur, he founded Second Harvest Australia, a social business providing low cost food for people on limited income. He was CEO of the Society of St Vincent de Paul and of Mission Australia. He was Chairperson of the Australian Government’s Reference Group on Welfare reform, Member of the Prime Minister’s Community Business Partnership, Chairperson of the OECD-LEED Forum on Social Innovation based in Paris, and Commissioner of the Australian Fair Pay Commission in 2003 and was awarded an Australian Centennial Medal in 2001. He was an AFR-BOSS True Leader and recipient of the Equity Trustee’s EQT CEO Awards for Lifetime Achievement and CEO of Aged and Community Service Australia.
The daughter of Spanish immigrants who has completed her PhD in molecular neuroscience, Dr Rachel de las Heras has worked in leadership positions across various scientific disciplines including biochemistry, organic chemistry and engineering. She is the Ultrasound Product Development Manager at The University of Queensland’s Queensland Brain Institute, and is responsible for developing a non-invasive ultrasound technology to treat Alzheimer’s disease and restore memory. In this episode Rachel talks about her journey and what drives her passion for science and her work in seeking a cure for this insidious disease.
Paul McLean, MBE grew up in Ipswich and is a former Australian rugby union player who played for Queensland and Australia in the 1970s and 1980s. He is a former President of the Australian Rugby Union, and an inductee into the Australian Rugby Union Hall of Fame. Paul is currently Chief Executive Officer for Savills (Australia & New Zealand), responsible for overseeing Australasian operations of the multinational real estate services provider. He is also a Director at Youngcare, a charitable organisation that works to create choice in care and housing options for young Australians with high care needs.
Brianna Casey is the CEO of Foodbank Australia, the country’s largest hunger relief organisation and got her first CEO role at just 23. Storytelling and advocacy made it happen. She is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP), an unashamed advocate and has received a Pro Bono Australia Impact 25 Award in recognition of her impact in the social sector. In this episode Brianna shares part of her life story and what gives her purpose with fellow ARLP graduate, Dr Stephen Brown.
In this episode Roger Rasheed, former Australian tennis player, coach, Australian Rules Footballer and tennis commentator with the Seven Network talks about his life growing up in Adelaide the son of Lebanese immigrants, his life values, what gives him purpose and the Roger Rasheed Sports Foundation which he founded to enable children, regardless of circumstance, to have a better, happier, and healthier life through access to sport.
'Once you become fearless, life becomes limitless’ is the mantra of Lisa Messenger the vibrant, game-changing founder and CEO of Collective Hub. Lisa talks about how her passion is to challenge individuals and corporations to change the way they think, take them out of their comfort zone and prove there is more than one way to do anything. She encourages entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and innovation and lives life to the absolute max.