Give It A Nudge

Why are silver medalists less happy than bronze medalists? And what does that reveal about the self-doubt holding you back? Dr. Shadé Zahrai is a former lawyer and banker who spent five years doing PhD research into one question: if almost everyone experiences self-doubt, why do some people get held back by it while others succeed anyway? Her answer: self-doubt isn't one big blob, so there's no si...

Peter Hillary, mountaineer, polar explorer and son of Sir Edmund Hillary, shares stories from Everest, K2, the North Pole and the South Pole on Give It a Nudge with Steve Grace. What's it really like on the world's most dangerous mountains? Peter describes K2 as being inside a commercial freezer at minus 30, with a jumbo jet engine blasting wind at you on a 60-degree slope… then someone turns out...

In this episode of Give It a Nudge, Steve Grace sits down with world-renowned live speed painter Matteo Charles for one of the most unique episodes yet. While chatting through his journey, Matteo paints a live portrait of Steve right in the studio. From an old-school signwriter and Sydney club DJ to collapsing with severe ulcerative colitis, Matteo opens up about spending five years in and out of...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, host Steve Grace sits down with human behaviour scientist, performance expert, and author Dr. Jemma King to explore what it truly takes to thrive under extreme pressure and adapt in a rapidly changing world. Dr. King breaks down her remarkable journey of leaning into discomfort and backing herself, taking her from managing a mafia-frequented nightclub in 1990s M...

We’re keeping the momentum going for our new launch with another epic episode! Steve is joined by the delightfully outspoken Lauren Dunn for an in-depth, wild ride through reality TV, viral fame, and life post-MAFS. Trace Lauren’s story from the moment producers spent years sliding into her DMs, to sitting in front of an Endemol Shine panel, and using the show as a radical "line in the sand" to fi...

Another incredible episode to kick off our new season launch! In this episode, Steve sits down with author, social entrepreneur, and global environmental leader Natalie Kyriacou OAM. Natalie reflects on her journey from begging for unpaid volunteer roles and cleaning animal enclosures at the RSPCA to founding organisations and advising on global policy. Following the international release of her b...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve sits down with David Pysden, Co-Founder of Chiron Global Tech, the company behind a revolutionary full-body protective armor system called the Chiron X1. David shares the seven-year journey of bringing the X1 to life, including five grueling years of research, development, and testing with Tier 1 Special Forces, military units, and law enforcement. Inspire...

We’ve got a fantastic episode of Give It A Nudge today as Steve sits down with Brittany, the founder of Nevam. Brittany has had an incredible trajectory over the last two years, moving from a comfortable corporate consulting career to launching a highly scalable customer experience platform. Brittany shares her journey of leaving Deloitte while on maternity leave to pursue a vision she had been tr...

We’ve got a great episode of Give It A Nudge today as Steve sits down with Nima Kermani, the founder of Kermani Capital. Nima’s business has seen exponential growth over the last year, but the road to building a $7 million property portfolio wasn't exactly a straight line. Nima shares the story of how getting fired from his last job was the final push he needed to go all-in on his own business. We...

Steve sits down with Rowan McNamee, co-founder of Mary Technology, the legal AI startup that just closed a $7M funding round led by OIF Ventures to completely disrupt how litigation teams handle evidence. Rowan’s journey started where all great business ideas do: pitching his mate on the way home from a bucks party. As a former family lawyer, Rowan intimately understood the absolute misery of taki...

In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Albert Patajo, VP Strategy & Operations at Nexl, to unpack one of the rarest outcomes in Australian tech right now: a local startup hitting Series B, and what it actually takes to get there. Albert shares his non-founder path into the operator seat, from Deloitte to early-stage startups to capital raise advisory, before joining Nexl with one urgent m...

In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Kevin Lu, founder of Atrium, to unpack the "reverse journey" of leaving a prestigious career in Venture Capital to enter the trenches as a founder. Kevin reveals why he walked away from investing in some of Australia's most successful tech companies to solve a problem that haunted him for years, which was the absolute chaos of managing prof...

In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Arjun — founder of inaam — to unpack how a tragic loss of his father's life savings fueled a mission to disrupt the Australian financial system, and why he believes the local VC ecosystem is fundamentally broken due to a crippling lack of risk tolerance. Arjun breaks down the dangerous myth that "impact investing" means sacrificing returns...

In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Mick Liubinskas — founder of Climate Salad — to unpack how a simple newsletter turned into an industry body representing over 800 companies, and why Australia is world-class at inventing technology but historically terrible at commercialising it. Mick breaks down the massive difference between scaling software and industrial hardware, why the real fundin...

In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Tiana Manticos — founder of TX Method — to unpack how her career across airports, QSR franchises, luxury yachts, and global retail brands turned into a repeatable scaling framework now used by founders looking to grow with intention, not chaos. Tiana breaks down the four-part TX Method framework (Truth, Translation, Transmission, Tempo), why founders sho...

In this episode, Steve Grace sits down with Paz Pisarski, co-founder of Community Collective, to unpack how a small 17-person meetup in Melbourne grew into a global community spanning 18 countries — without paid marketing, without hype, and without trying to be everything to everyone. Paz breaks down the Niche Cubed framework (profession + location + domain), how Who Not How changed how she makes...

Host: Steve Grace Guest: Christie Jenkins — 3-sport pro athlete (ex-AUS #1), Managing Director at Techstars Sydney, investor (Athletic Ventures; ex-Blackbird), keynote speaker & performance coach. Christie unpacks how an elite-athlete mindset translates to venture and leadership: covering her leap to the U.S., buying European football clubs, and returning to run Techstars Sydney. What we cover...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve interviews Caitlin Judd, who takes us through her fascinating journey, starting with her roots in Melbourne, where she studied business and media at Monash University. She shares her transformative experience living in Miami, working across marketing, acting, and even selling high-end art, before returning to Melbourne to pursue a corporate marketing caree...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve chats with Tom Waterhouse, a well-known name in Australian bookmaking and online betting. Tom opens up about his fascinating journey, from growing up in a family of bookmakers to launching his own online betting business, TomWaterhouse.com, in 2009.  He shares how he went from being an on-course bookie to building a business that grew from 100 to a quarter...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve welcomes Rafael Niesten, founder of Proptech Labs, a company revolutionising property management by handling essential back-end services like maintenance, inspections, and invoicing for residential properties. Rafael, a serial entrepreneur, shares his colorful journey, from running a mobile phone business and starting a youth radio station in Perth to tack...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve sits down with Ben Ford, a fintech expert who’s been shaping Australia’s fintech landscape for over a decade. Ben shares his journey from corporate roles to becoming a key player in fintech, proptech, and logistics, recounting his early days with industry pioneers like Afterpay and Acorns. Beyond business, Ben opens up about his latest project—the Vanessa...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve sits down with Scott Berriman, founder of TenantX, a unique commercial property consultancy that’s all about representing tenants. Scott, who’s flying solo as a founder, dives into his transition from a long career in corporate real estate to building his own brand and business. Scott shares his journey from the early days working in retail leasing, throug...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve welcomes back Jessica Baird Walsh, who has made big changes since her last appearance. Formerly the founder of Remote Social, Jessica now plays a key role in KPMG Futures, where she drives innovation, venture partnerships, and strategic collaborations with startups.  Jessica shares insights on her new role, how KPMG is staying ahead in tech, and what it's...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve Grace sits down with Damon Rahmate and Andrew Davey, the innovative minds behind Genevo Marine, as they prepare to launch Australia’s first luxury electric recreational boat. Steve, Damon, and Andrew dive into the creation of Genevo Marine, exploring how their backgrounds in boat building, electrical engineering, and renewable energy led them to develop a...

In this episode of Give It A Nudge, Steve Grace sits down with Timo Kugler, co-founder of Foodini, a cutting-edge platform designed to help people with dietary needs navigate the food world more easily. From gluten-free to vegan and everything in between, Foodini is simplifying dining for 33% of the global population with dietary restrictions. Timo shares the journey of launching Foodini, the grow...