Seize the Yay

Many people hear the word influencer and make instant assumptions about overnight success, accidental fame and a consequently relaxed or even lazy work ethic (and very occasionally those might be justified). But while Elle Ray’s meteoric rise was indeed unplanned in the sense that she once thought herself destined to be a geneticist, it certainly wasn’t accidental with every bit of her success bui...

Part 2 of our Vogue Codes wrap episode featuring the next three extraordinary guests: Maeva Heim - Founder of Bread Beauty Supply Ewan Macmillan - Deputy Director General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service Nat Kyriacou OAM - Award-winning environmentalist, author, charity director An absolutely JAM-PACKED two-parter that I hope stays with you for a long time to come...

Part 1 of our Vogue Codes wrap episode featuring the first three of our six extraordinary guests: Katherine Bennell-Pegg - Australian of the Year 2026 and Astronaut at the Australian Space Agency Dr Amandeep Hansra - Chief Clinical Adviser at the Australian Digital Health Agency and Founder of Australian Medical Angels Laura Henshaw - Co-Founder of KIC, KIC Studio and KIC Pod Get ready to lose you...

Six INCREDIBLE mini episodes are coming your way following our awe-inspiring weekend with Vogue Codes!!! Due to our dear clandestine friends at ASIS returning to the show (I KNOW) and a few other factors, we are pushing back the release for a week but here is a taster to get you excited... I haven't felt this motivated and excited for a long time, these speakers will change your life in such diffe...

One of life’s greatest story arcs is when you grow up fangirling someone famous then actually get to tell them later in life when you become mates - bonus points if they're as lovely as you'd hoped and Dan MacPherson is exactly that. If you’re part of the demographic of people who listen to this show, chances are you’ve also seen, heard and watched Dan's evolution through television, film, theatre...

My guest today is someone who completely changed the way we think about fine jewellery Noura Sakkijha is the incredible co-founder and CEO of Mejuri - the cult global brand that turned fine jewellery from something saved for special occasions into something for women to buy for themselves, every single day.  A third-generation jeweller with a background in engineering, Noura built Mejuri from a di...

We are back after an episode off, thank you so much for your patience while we worked some magic in the back end. Somehow, we are already seizing the MAY and are just days away from Mother’s Day, so I lined up the perfect guest for a yap about one of the most defining facets of being a mum.  I could genuinely talk for an entire series (nay an entire podcast) about the mental load of parenting and...

Especially as a former ballerina myself, I am thrilled to share with you the delightful Benedicte Bemet who also started ballet at 3 years old but then went on to become not just a professional ballerina but a celebrated Principal Artist with The Australian Ballet. You may not know what that rank means if you live outside the world of ballet, but you’ll surely recognise the term prima ballerina be...

If you follow me on socials, you’ll know I wear SO much Nakedvice - I love it when style is effortless, comfortable and versatile and I wear my Nakedvice pieces over and over. For a brand still dominating after over ten years dropping an immaculate collection every month with two physical stores and possibly more to come, you’d be forgiven for expecting the founders behind it all to have started w...

There are a few people I’ve had on the dream guest list since we started back in 2018 and today’s is one of those extraordinary people who I can’t believe said yes. We’ve had a few reschedules around an understandably jam packed schedule, but the universe always works things out in perfect timing and I couldn’t have given you a more perfect guest for our International Women’s Day episode if I trie...

Every now and then, we are lucky to record with a guest at a pivotal moment in their life where a chapter is unravelling in real time. Today, we are lucky to have TWO of those guests just weeks after the explosive launch of their investigative podcast while the project is not only in full swing but unravelling new leads in a way that might actually change history.  Andy Byrne and Mark Llewellyn ar...

Today we have a double dose of Sarah in your ears and another wonderful guest who I’ve been long time following, first time calling. With over a million followers, many of you are likely the same, having been touched in some way by her passion for great food and family friendly cooking.  I’m thrilled to welcome Sarah Pound (otherwise known as Wholesome by Sarah) - best selling author of two cookbo...

You know I believe all our guests are impressive and inspiring in their own special way, but some are truly extraordinary humans. As you’ll soon hear, Shiza Shahid fits that definition in every possible way.  Born in Islamabad Pakistan, her passion for philanthropy and activism was evident even from her teens when at just 14 she started working in women’s prisons and volunteering at a relief camp...

Happy New year lovely yayborhood and welcome to our first episode for 2026. I hope you all had a wonderful festive season and holiday period. If you’ve been on the internet at all in the past few years, our first guest will need no introduction but just in case I’m thrilled to have Lia Georgantis with us this week, the dynamic CEO and creative force behind Girls with Gems. This cult-favourite Aust...

We talk regularly on Seize the Yay about the unlikely but incredible places you can end up and how many of the best experiences in life are unplanned. You already know how blown away I was to be approached by one of our intelligence services a few months ago and given access to a real life spy for one of our most fascinating episodes to date, which was not only unplanned but never even considered...

We talk regularly on Seize the Yay about the unlikely but incredible places you can end up and how many of the best experiences in life are unplanned. You already know how blown away I was to be approached by one of our intelligence services a few months ago and given access to a real life spy for one of our most fascinating episodes to date, which was not only unplanned but never even considered...

What happens when your entire identity is built on being the best in the world? For Jana Pittman, one of Australia's most famous athletes, the singular goal of Olympic gold was repeatedly torn away by devastating injuries and gut-wrenching losses. You might think her biggest pivot was swapping the running track for the bobsled, becoming one of the very few athletes in history to compete in both th...

Today’s guest is another voice you are likely to have had in your ears many times with an incredible career spanning over a decade conquering basically every media format there is. From his earliest days, Mitch Churi could be found on the stage, on the airwaves or on a screen near you mastering everything from theatre, dramatic acting and stand up comedy to presenting, podcasting and radio. From c...

I spoke in last week’s introduction about the parasocial relationships we often have with the people we follow and today’s guest is another amazing human I’d been Internet besties with for a while before we met. When we did finally cross paths through a Business Chicks event - the foundation of so many great relationships - it was like the podcast universe of Sarahs folding in on itself and felt l...

In this day and age, we all enjoy a few parasocial relationships with people we follow but haven’t actually met and in fact most of our guests on the show feel that way before we record. But this week’s guest goes even further beyond that and into the realm of an honorary family member who’s with us in our lounge room, kitchen and sometimes even bedroom every single day… In the ultimate case of #I...

There would be very few Australians who haven’t encountered The Daily Aus at one point or another, consuming the latest headlines from around the world in unmistakably bright colours and a no-nonsense vernacular. Since 2017, TDA has been disrupting the media landscape by repackaging leading news stories in a digestible, engaging way for younger, traditionally news-avoidant audiences.  What you may...

Sometimes our guests are incredibly talented experts in a specific field, while other times they are extreme polymaths with ventures spanning industries and themes. Sometimes our guests are renowned public figures with extensively covered careers and other times their achievements are quieter although never less impressive.  And then, you have Merrick Watts who is all of things at once with his in...

I’ve had a string of special recordings lately with guests I’ve been lucky to know through multiple chapters of their pathYAYS and today’s is absolutely one of those. But this is even more momentous not only because Seize the Yay was our guest’s first ever podcast back in 2019, but because her return comes literally days after some HUGE announcements and this chat was the first time she could spea...

I’m not sure I even have words to describe our episode this week and you’ll understand why within the first few minutes - even the journey to our first question is a wild ride. It’s iconic, chaotic, eye-opening, thought-provoking, totally unfiltered and above all, one of the most enjoyable yaps I’ve had in a long time. I am thrilled to have had the delightful duo, Bec Judd and Jessie Roberts, in t...

You have all definitely heard of the incredible Steph Claire Smith or Steph Miller and, if you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’ll have heard her on this show not once... nor twice... but THREE times with this episode. I’ve always said having a podcast is such a beautiful way to capture who a person is at a point in time and then, if we do remain in each other’s lives, to look back o...