On Meaningful Work

Suji Sanjeevan is a fragrance innovator, entrepreneur and co founder of Light and Glo and BrandScent, where science, psychology and storytelling collide to create brands people genuinely remember. With a clinical background and an instinct for consumer behaviour, she has built businesses that challenge the traditional idea of fragrance, transforming scent from a product into a strategic brand tool...

Cam grew up in a family boarding kennel, but only late in his career did he connect that upbringing to a vocation. After years in sales and a decade in banking, Cam felt misaligned with corporate hierarchy and box-ticking. Near 40, he listed what he truly liked and dogs kept winning. He enrolled in a training accreditation, joined a mentor circle, worked in a high-volume shelter, and launched Act...

Bryony Cole, the world's foremost authority on sextech, explores how technology influences our most intimate moments.  Known for her top-rated podcast Future of Sex, she advises governments, tech giants, and entertainment leaders on emerging sextech trends.  Cole also founded Sextech School, a pioneering pre-accelerator program, now in its 15th cohort, guiding hundreds of entrepreneurs and innovat...

Ruhee is the founder of Allied Collective, Australia’s leading facilitation and wellbeing practice, specialising in leadership development, psychosocial hazard prevention, and workplace culture transformation. With 13+ years of experience supporting over 45 organisations, she has helped businesses improve employee retention, leadership capability, and wellbeing outcomes through targeted, evidence-...

Collective Closets is not just part of the Australian fashion landscape—it is actively reshaping it. Founded in Melbourne with a deep commitment to slow fashion, the label bridges continents and cultures through thoughtfully crafted clothing that carries meaning in every thread. Established in 2016 by sisters Fatuma and Laurinda Ndenzako, Collective Closets has grown from an intimate family story...

Dr. Jason Fox is a wizard-philosopher and bestselling author masquerading as a leadership futurist. He works with questing teams seeking new and meaningful progress—beyond the default.   I had such a great time hosting Dr. Jason Fox aka ‘the wizard philosopher’ on the  podcast. In this conversation, he shares how his unconventional path, from studying motivation and behaviour change to exploring e...

This episode is a bit different. Rather than the usual interview format, we’re trying something new. These "ONE IDEA" episodes feature recordings of essays I’ve written and published on Disruptive Business Network . Covering topics from authenticity to game theory to how technology is shaping our lives, these essays all center on one fundamental theme: our search for meaning, especially in the wor...

David Swan is one of Australia's leading technology reporters and editors. He is the Technology Editor for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and was previously Technology Editor for The Australian newspaper. In 2024 he was awarded Australia's best technology journalist at The Lizzies, Australia's national IT Journalism awards. Previous roles include chief technology reporter at independent IT new...

  In my latest episode of the Finding Meaning in Work podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Garry Williams, a cornerstone of Melbourne’s tech community. Garry's story is one of resilience, connection, and a deep commitment to building meaningful spaces for people to gather. Some key themes of the conversation: Community & Connection: Garry has been pivotal in creating spaces that bring...

In this podcast episode, Landon Brown discusses his career journey from starting in executive search as a teenager to working for tech giants like Google and Airbnb, and eventually founding his own HR consultancy, Partner in Kind. The conversation explores key themes such as finding meaning in work, the challenges of pursuing passion versus purpose, and the importance of social impact. Landon emph...

In this episode of "Finding Meaning in Work," I spoke with Michael Cullen, who shared his journey from nursing to leading Future Energy Skills, an organisation that provides licensing assessments and training for the energy sector, particularly electricians. He discussed how his nursing background shaped his empathetic leadership style, emphasising the importance of treating each person as an indi...

In this episode of 'Finding Meaning in Work', we sit down with Daniel Ajak, a defence lawyer and co-founder of the African Australian Legal Network. Born in a refugee camp in Kenya, his family having escaped from Sudan, he is now a lawyer working in Melbourne. His practise is devoted to helping African and other marginalised communities in Melbourne. Daniel shares his incredible journey from adver...

Welcome to another episode of the 'On Meaningful Work' podcast. In this episode I speak with Tom Campbell, AFL football star and the co-founder of Footy for Climate.    About Tom Tom Campbell is an AFL player with St Kilda Football Club, and has played 12 seasons with the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and St Kilda Football Clubs. Over the past decade, Tom has been an ambassador for a number of...

Hello all and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast   We have a very special episode with the founder of the ethical fashion label etiko : Nick Savaidis   We have a wide ranging conversation touching on Nick's childhood in Melbourne in 50's, the Greek immigrant experience, the fledgling garment industry that sprang up in the suburbs, setting up social enterprises in remote c...

Anna is a social strategist, storyteller and adventurer, starting her career in Social Work before moving into human rights law. Anna's nomadic lifestyle over the decade has allowed her to travel to nearly every nook and cranny in Australia, listening deeply to the stories of communities and working in partnership to translate these to government & business in creative ways. Anna’s lived experienc...

Dr. Leyla Acaroglu is an internationally-known sustainability provocateur, sociologist, and award-winning designer, focused on systems thinking, sustainability sciences and creative change-making. She was named Champion of the Earth by the United Nations, Change-Maker by Linkedin and is a mainstage TED speaker who leads presentations with leaders around the world on activating positive change for...

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast We have an incredible guest this week in Simon Griffiths, the CEO and Cofounder of Who Gives a Crap . Who Gives A Crap is an Aussie B Corp that sells good looking, forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues direct-to-consumer. Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those in...

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast. In this episode I speak with Tony Corrales. Tony has an incredible story - he is originally from England and originally a punk musician , yes he headlined a punk rock band that toured the world. Since then and since moving to Australia Tony has spent the last 10 years working between online and offline marketing for n...

Hello All and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast.   This one is a little bit different. Firstly its a live recording. Secondly the format is a little different. Rather than my usual formula of tracing a person's journey and trying to distil how they came to find meaning and purpose in the work they do, this interview traces a literal journey.  Dr. Chevez wanted to think a...

Hello all and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast. In this episode I am thrilled to be speaking with Matthew Boyd. Matt is the cofounder of Vollie and now the founder of Natureboss . In this episode we dig into Matt's various adventures from growing up in England, immigrating to Australia and establishing himself in Advertising here in Melbourne. A volunteer stint at the R...

Hello Everyone and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful work podcast. In this episode I speak with Dr. Armida Fernandez. Dr. Fernandez started her career working with Mumbai’s urban poor in one of the biggest public hospitals there. Within that labyrinthine system Dr. Fernandez was able to implement real change in how medicine and care were to be administered with a real focus on women...

Hello all and welcome come to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast.    This is a special episode as I get to chat with my friend for about 25 years Dr. Hayden Richards. We chat about Hayden’s childhood on the Gold Coast in Australia, dealing with being a deep introvert as a young person, the decision to become a doctor, the meaning of success and his road to entrepreneurship. I had a...

Welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast. In this episode we chat with social entrepreneur and founder of I=change Jeremy Meltzer.    I=change is a retail tech platform that makes it easier for businesses to donate to charity.  i=Change has partnered with global brands, who give back from every sale and uniquely empower their customers to choose where it goes. The company has p...

Hello all and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast.  In this episode, I chat with Trent and Joseph, the co-founder of the VR/Mixed reality company Phoria . We chat about how Trent and Joseph along with their other cofounders grew their high school friendship into a successful partnership. We talk about how being exposed to the natural world set the foundation for the busine...

Hello all and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast. We are back after a bit of a hiatus (thank you lockdown 6.0). Hope you all are keeping well and safe In this episode, I chat with Gordon Young, professional ethicist and principal at Ethilogical Consulting. He also serves as a specialist educator of ethics at Victoria Police. We chat about Gordon's upbringing in Melbourne...