Building Doors with Lauren Karan

Don’t believe what people tell you when they’re trying to tell you who you are. Put your hand up and go for it and believe in yourself. Don’t listen to other people. It can be the worst thing you do. Amanda Rose. Launching a business is no easy task and in this episode we speak to Amanda Rose who is one of the experts in this area and the original #bosslady herself. Founder of six businesses, Aust...

Having recently received the prestigious title of 'Entrepreneur Woman of the Year' and being nominated as a finalist for the ‘Queenslander of the Year’ award, Founding Director of TSR Property Solutions, Tamika Smith, continues to defy norms in a traditionally male-dominated industry, shattering glass ceilings to prove that gender is not a limitation when it comes to driving social change.  For ye...

From firefighter through to founding and running a business as a mortgage broker- Nikki has always been about challenging the status quo.  Refusing to stay in her lane or in careers that don’t fulfil her, Nikki has built a career on disrupting markets and following her true passion. Don’t tell Nikki it can’t be done without expecting her to show you how it can be.  Nikki is not your average broker...

Imagine if your most challenging journey became a mission that would change the world... Penelope Twemlow made a huge life shift building a career after the Navy. While, publicly, Penelope did all she could to keep it together. Privately, she was fighting a battle that no one knew anything about.  In a candid conversation with our host Lauren, Penelope shares her remarkable journey from joining th...

Margie Warrell is the founder of Brave, a coaching and consulting firm dedicated to helping people live with courage. She is a renowned international speaker, author, leadership coach, and an active philanthropist. Margie has written several books, including Find Your Brave, and Stop Playing Safe. In this episode, Margie discusses how she was able to build doors in her own life and shares how she...

Byron Dempsey is the founder of the Driven Young Podcast, a platform that helps educate and inspire the younger generation around entrepreneurship and practical life skills. Byron’s vision is to establish programs and communities worldwide, fostering environments where young people can engage and support one another. In this episode Byron: Shares his journey and how he came to start his podcast. ...

Ian Davies is the founder of Shoreline Business Group. Shoreline creates tailored, effective, and proven management solutions to help business owners unlock wealth in their businesses. A financial expert with extensive experience in management accounting, treasury, compliance, and business development. He has held senior finance roles for 25 years at James Hardie Industries and previously at Boral...

Lisa Bourke is the founder of Content Hive, a top Aussie content marketing agency. With a muti-million dollar brand experience, she's the digital mastermind behind award-winning campaigns that rocked the nation. In this episode, Lisa shares her experience of building a successful business overcoming personal obstacles, dealing with grief and leading remote teams to achieve success. You can connect...

Trevor Hall is an experienced executive in the infrastructure and construction industry, with over three decades of experience under his hard hat. He has led a wide range of projects in Australia, including roads, bridges, water facilities, rail, hospitals, correction facilities, tunnels, and energy projects. Trevor's passion for developing amazing teams led him to start his own business, HC Energ...

Jezey and Matt are the co-founders of the Wolf Pack Health and Wellness. They are dedicated to helping people reconnect with the earth, each other and themselves.  The wellness ranch spread over 21 acres just west of Brisbane offers country escapes, NDIS respite stays, wellness events and private counselling and development. The ranch is a hub for peace, relaxation, enlightened moments, and optimi...

Loren Hickey is the Pre-Contracts Manager for John Holland’s Infrastructure and Major Project Divisions. With degrees in Civil Engineering, Marketing and Public Relations, Loren has close to 15 years of experience in the construction industry and has recently commenced her Master of Construction Law at the University of Melbourne.  She is the Deputy Chair of the Infrastructure Association of Queen...

 Greg Layton discusses the importance of pursuing personal development and the power of building a deeper understanding of one’s psyche for a world-class performance.  Greg Layton is the founder of Chief Maker, host of the Inner Chief Podcast and an Executive Coach specialising in helping CEOs and Executive Teams lead turnarounds and transformation.  Greg recommends knowing and embracing your shad...

Elizabeth McIntyre is the current Group CEO for Think Brick Australia, the Concrete Masonry Association of Australia, and the Australian Roofing Tile Association. Elizabeth believes being a great leader requires having self belief in your ability to overcome challenges, taking risks and holding yourself accountable.  She recalls how pursuing her interest and curiosity guided her career decisions. ...

Sacha Cornford is a Director and COO with over 20 years’ experience in the construction industry. She was an electrician before leaving full time work to focus on her family. When she returned to the workforce it was outside the construction industry, but chance brought her into sales and traffic management.  Sacha explains the importance of self-awareness and engaging in businesses that suit your...

Alison Mirams is an inspiring leader with a focus on diversity, inclusivity, and wellbeing at the workplace. Having worked in the construction industry for 25 years, Alison is on a mission to address the systemic issues in the industry to help attract and retain women.  In this episode, Alison shares her experience advocating for a 5 day work week and the positive impact she has seen from this ini...

Cathy Sanders is a passionate advocate for career pathways with over fifteen years of experience in training and education. Recognised as a Fellow by the Australian Institute of Training and Development for her contribution and knowledge of the industry, Cathy is also a member of the Queensland Education and Mentoring Committee with the National Association of Women and Construction, and on the bo...

Sonia McDonald is the founder of Leadership HQ and an award-winning author. Her books include titles like Leadership Attitude, Just Rocket, and First comes Courage. Sonia is also a regular contributor in the Australian HRD Magazine, Smart, Healthy Women, and Women's Business Media.  Named as one of the ‘Top 250 Influential Women In The World’, as well as ‘Top 100 Australian Entrepreneurs’ by Richt...

In this episode of Building Doors, we are joined by Tanya Meessmann , the founder of Girl Shaped Flames and CEO of Uniq You. After a career travelling the globe and mentoring young professional women along the way, she returned to her home state with a commitment to developing the most confident, courageous and self-assured generations of girls Australia has ever seen. Through her original social...

In this episode of BUILDING DOORS, we are joined by Sean Donald. Sean has more than 25 years’ experience in civil construction. Sean joined Georgiou in July 2017 as Construction Manager, before being appointed Operations Manager in October 2020 and General Manager Qld in August 2022.    Sean believes culture and relationships are the key to longevity in the construction industry, not only for the...

In this episode of BUILDING DOORS, we are joined by Jennifer Gillet. Jennifer is the current State General Manager with Essence Project Management and has 20 years’ experience in property & construction. Her experience has crossed industry, states and countries delivering major projects for a diverse range of organisations. Jennifer has been able to adapt and work in multiple industries workin...

In this episode of Building Doors, we are joined by James Whittaker, host of the Win the Day with James Whittaker podcast, three-time bestselling author, and award-winning entrepreneur. James has helped thousands of people in over 20 countries to Win the Day® every day, and he has personally coached Olympic gold medallists, billion-dollar CEOs, and Special Forces operators. His superpower is helpi...

Hi! I’m Lauren Karan, and I am a Founder and Director of the recruitment and coaching business Karan and Co, Mum of two young kids and a massive animal lover with a property of goats, chickens, and dogs to keep me on my toes.   I realised that with over 15 years experience in recruitment and coaching across so many different clients that there were some amazing career shakers that I learnt from al...