Better Circles

For this episode of Better Circles, Luke and Fi head south to Oakleigh to visit The Corner Store Network . We talk to founders and siblings Alice and Jake Mahar about why coffee is seriously undervalued, how they turn setbacks into opportunities to create jobs, and how their ‘hippy’ parents have shaped the way they run this amazing social enterprise.    

Welcome back, for Season 2 of Better Circles - now also in video format, so if that's your thing, head over to youtube.com/@BetterCircles In our first episode of 2026 (though we recorded it in late 2025), Luke and Fi chat about some big changes happening at Into, as well as Fi's new column in Renew magazine, Luke's experiments transforming marathon trash into plogging bags, and we get into what's...

Kunal’s the Compost (and Kombucha) King of a permaculture farm in India; co-founder and director of All Living Things Environmental Film Festival (ALT-EFF), the largest decentralised film festival in the world; and a service designer tackling waste systems in Melbourne… and that’s not everything! Much like a screening of ALT-EFF, this chat left Fi and Luke inspired, energised and ready to take act...

Katie Falkiner has a note above her desk: "You'll never start a revolution by being dreary." She's woven this approach into her multidisciplinary career that spans writing, systems and city design, and imagining the future of active transport. We had so much fun chatting to Katie about why cycling is both freedom and fun, how sewing is a kind of alchemy, and finding out who she'd name a sandwich a...

No guest this episode, just Fi and Luke hanging out in the comfy chairs and having a chat.  We talk about the power of short feedback loops in making positive change – building your own sense of hope, positivity and ability to have an impact. And how we're each trying create those positive experiences through teaching workshops, making pickles from veggie scraps and turning pants into bags . We al...

We chat to multidisciplinary artist and workshop facilitator, Nicky Tsekouras about their art practice, including the gorgeous collage on the wall of IntoCoffee that features in the background of our podcast photos and video clips.  We go down a few rabbit holes and tangents talking about the most surprising materials Nicky has found to use in their collages, street posters and street art, and how...

This week, we sit down with Frankie Cox. While some chefs are playing Checkers, Frankie's playing Chess. Frankie is a visionary food specialist and founder of Green On. She thinks global and acts local with her unique approach to food, health and community sustainability. Frankie and Luke compare notes about running sustainable cafes that use food, conversation and community to have a positive imp...

Luke and Fi chat about food, fashion, and clean energy. In this episode, find out out why Fi loves food co-ops and thinks convenience isn't always great, celebrate clothes that last and learn who Luke would name a sandwich after. To find out more about some of the things we talk about in this episode, check out: The Brunswick Food Co-op The Open Food Network (for more food co-ops and local produce...

Gemma Baxter is an urban innovation climate specialist. Her multidisciplinary approach to work and impact is one of many reasons she’s now leading the Innovation Program at MAVlab, managing all 79 councils within Victoria. In our first episode of Better Circles, we get out our deck of conversation starter cards to talk about the joy of seeing the impact of your work, the power of community and sto...

Welcome to Better Circles, a podcast where we bring great people together, to share ideas that are good for the planet. The scary part of change is the unknown. As the world recognises we need urgent climate action, we explore conversations with industry professionals to paint the picture of a truly sustainable world. Every episode we'l sit down with our deck of conversation starter cards and talk...