Knives Down

The World Butchers' Challenge is coming to Australia, and the countdown is officially underway. In this episode of Knives Down, host Alana Empson is joined by Australian Meat Industry Council CEO Tim Ryan and Australian Butcher Team Captain Luke Leyson to discuss what it means to host the world's biggest butchery event, the opportunity it presents for the industry, and the work that lies a...

In this episode of  Knives Down , Alana Empson sits down with Gordon Newlands to explore a career built on discipline, standards, and lifelong learning. From representing Scotland as a champion sprinter to shaping the future of the meat industry through his role at Quality Meat Scotland, Gordon shares the lessons that have guided him across more than 40 years in the trade. This conversation covers...

Simon Taylor shares his journey from aspiring butcher to global leader in the trade. He reflects on mentorship, competition at the World Butchers Challenge, his cancer battle, and how these moments reshaped his views on leadership, community, and legacy.

You know her as the host, but today the spotlight is on her. In this episode, Alana Empson steps out from behind the mic to share her own story, from her early days in the cutting room to becoming a leading voice in modern butchery. She talks about the craft that shaped her, the years of practice behind true skill, and why creativity matters just as much as technique. Alana opens up about the shif...

What does it take to think like a world champion butcher? In this episode, performance coach Martin Jäntschke pulls back the curtain on the mental game behind the Butcher Wolf Pack’s global success. From the locker room to the cutting table, Martin breaks down how systems thinking, engineering precision and elite teamwork turn good butchers into world-class competitors. We get into what really hap...

Knives Down is here. Episode 1 takes us back to where it all began, with World Butchers’ Challenge founder Rod Slater. From the first spark of an idea to letting go of the reins, Rod shares the story of building something bigger than a competition and what it means to step aside but never really leave the room.