Get Off The Bench Podcast

Charlene Pell is the author of the award-winning memoir “In This Altered Body” and is also the founder and executive director of Facing Forward, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals with congenital or acquired facial or physical differences contend with staring, improve control of social interactions, and communicate confidently.  Thirty years ago, Charlene survived a cat...

Tom Finn is Founder & CEO of The Shift Effect Initiative. Global Keynote Speaker. Author, strategist for leaders. The Shift Effect Initiative seeks to spread the notion of small shifts throughout our society, where complexity can often stifle action.  Tom’s discovery of the power of small shifts comes out of 30+ years of coaching business and government leaders. Two patterns stood ou...

Matthew Cicanese (He/Him) is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, corporate trainer, and consultant recognized for advancing Neurodiversity Inclusion and Accessible Technology across higher education, government, and industry. As a National Geographic Explorer and Canon photography educator, he combines global fieldwork with practical, evidence‑based approaches that help teams communicate more clearly, d...

Sahrit is a dance instructor, creative entrepreneur, and mom of three who helps women expand their lives through play, movement, and self-trust. With a background in Dance Theatre Education and workshops taught across Greece, Africa, and Hawaii, she blends art, adventure, and empowerment — from mermaid certification to gorilla trekking — to show women that confidence is built by living fully, not...

Chris Avery is a Faith-First Performance Coach who walks men from the valley to the mountain—out of fear and into mission. He built the Run with Christ Blueprint , a Scripture-anchored system that cuts through the noise with group coaching, a real brotherhood, and practical tools to win the spiritual warfare of everyday life because anything meaningful, purpose-driven, and worthy of your dream lif...

Todd Bertsch is a keynote speaker, mental fitness coach, and creator of the SPARK Framework, a neuroscience- and behavioral psychology-based roadmap that helps leaders and organizations navigate change with clarity and confidence. He is the founder and CEO of Evolve Marketing, where, for more than 16 years, he has led teams through growth, uncertainty, and cultural transformation.  Todd also...

Leah Garcia is an award-winning media personality, former professional athlete, and the Founder and CEO of NULASTIN®, a science-backed beauty brand she launched in 2016. An EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ alumna, Leah built NULASTIN® after uncovering the untapped science of elastin and its critical role in healthy hair and skin. Partnering with leading biotech researchers, she pioneered first-to...

Jill Chalsty has devoted her life to the transformative power of education. As the founder of Overcoming Obstacles, the nonprofit she launched in 1992, Jill pioneered life skills instruction that has now reached more than 180 million students in over 200 countries.  When grief shattered her world, Jill boarded the Queen Anne in 2025 on its maiden world voyage to find healing and purpose. Pack...

Dalene Allen is the Founder & CEO of Networking Naturally, where she helps professionals and entrepreneurs build stronger connections, communicate with confidence, and grow their businesses through authentic relationship-building.  With more than 30 years of experience in leadership, sales, coaching, and business development — including her award-winning career with Mary Kay Canada — Dale...

Known as "The People's Bishop", our pastor is a shepherd that loves those he leads. Bishop Kevin Foreman is a renaissance man who has devoted his life to changing lives. Born in Denver, Colorado, and reared in Orange Mound, an area of Memphis, Tennessee, riddled with the plight that often accompanies the inner-city. From humble beginnings, through God's amazing grace, he has defied statistics and...

James Oliver is the founder and CEO of Atlas Bar, one of America’s fastest-growing protein bar companies, focused on clean, convenient, high-protein nutrition. What makes James’ journey remarkable is how he built the business from absolutely nothing. To fund his first production run, James drove over 3,000 Uber rides while still in college, refusing outside investment, and sticking to his vision o...

Drew Norton, known as The Everyday Sales Leader, is a dynamic self-development coach, sales consultant, and co-host of The Everyday Leader Podcast. Drew's deep commitment to helping others succeed is rooted in a highly personal belief: that life is too short to settle for anything less than your full potential. This became acutely clear after an accident with his baby, which fueled his passion to...

Ryan Christensen is The Belief Engineer. A self-proclaimed oddball, having led a very unconventional life, with a path that seems to have been perfectly crafted to bring him to this phase and place in his life. Ryan’s journey began when he chose to join the United States Marine Corps rather than go the traditional college route. That set him on a 23 year long career in Intelligence - as a Russian...

Matt Parker is Co-founder of The Exodus Road. While Matt and his wife Laura provided care to young girls at an orphanage in Thailand, they came face-to-face with the issue of sex trafficking. As a result, Matt began undercover work in support of law enforcement. Matt served as CEO at The Exodus Road for nearly 10 years, and he has been doing humanitarian work for over 15 years. He is currently als...

It’s been 4 months since I posted the last episode in May, and after a lot of reflection, we’re back! In this episode I share some reflections on recognising when you’re tired and when things are even a tiny bit out of alignment. Sometimes we don’t have the answers and we have to be OK with just sitting in the the unknown, waiting with trust that what’s meant to be will be, and may already be. I w...

Long known as one of the world’s finest Jazz Pianists, Rick DellaRatta also began to receive major recognition as a composer when his symphonic piece “Permutata” was recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra at the Beatles famed Abbey Rd., Studios in 1999, and as a unique and important vocalist in 2004 when he was included in a definitive listing of the greatest jazz singers of all time in Scott Y...

Aisha Alim is an empowerment coach, mindset strategist, teacher and NLP, Time Line Therapy & Hypnosis Practitioner. She is also a DISC Advanced consultant and holds degrees in teaching and coaching – (B.Ed. – Primary [Hons.], Dip. L.C. [Hons.]). Aisha has written and delivered multiple programs in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. She is a published author on the subject of empow...

I returned from a trip to Nepal less that a week ago, and I have to say it opened a can of worms. While I loved Nepal overall, I have come away with a lot of questions about traditions, religion and humanity, and how they intertwine. Sometimes not in a good way. I really believe Nepal is a great place, but it was also an intense catalyst for pain, growth and intense curiosity and interest in why w...

Stuart Wade is The Mind Coach. With over 30 years of elite competitive experience in martial arts, with 4 World Championships under his belt; a degree in Applied Sport and Exercise Science and over 10 years of experience helping elite business owners to excel to new heights… he understands the psychology of high performance.  Stuart is a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Licensed N...

This week I spent 2 days at a Changemaker workshop facilitated by the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation. It was challenging but in the most wonderful way. I had a lovely realisation when my ‘list of things I need as a changemaker’ made it clear that it’s all about the journey. I also found out a life changing secret about the humble sticky note!

This episode includes a conversation between Sophie and Mike as they review my book ‘Get Off The Bench’ and pull out the key insights. Frankly, I’d forgotten how much juicy stuff was in this book since writing it in 2019. But there’s a kicker… you’ll have to listen to find out! Full of wonderful little gems and one great big surprise at the end!

Jeff Morgan's journey from the streets of Redfern to becoming a highly sought-after speaker is one of transformation, resilience, and hope. Growing up in one of Sydney's most notorious suburbs, Jeff's early years were marred by hardship, crime, and stints in maximum-security prisons. His criminal activities escalated from petty theft to more serious offences, including car theft and bank robberies...

Founder and CEO of Pulsatile Innovations, Elleesha King, has been an ambulance paramedic and registered nurse for over ten years. While often working alone in remote and rural areas, Elleesha found herself having to juggle multiple tasks during cardiac arrest emergencies, especially when trying to accurately check for a pulse. She began to wonder if this was a common problem and why there wasn't a...

In this episode I discuss the concept of happiness, emphasising internal contentment and making life adjustments, preferring continuous change to New Year's resolutions. Reflecting on 2024, there were many successes like our Cambodia retreat, but there were also challenges such as losing our beautiful donkey Jade, and my father-in-law.  For 2025, we aim to simplify life by decluttering, autom...

Kyle Smith is a Clarity Consultant and developer of Neuro Linguistic Somatic Experience (NLSE). He assists in guiding wellness seekers to a better life experience through a combination of proven holistic techniques called storywork and breathwork, combined to create NLSE. Why? He knows the flavour of being stuck and rode waves of undiagnosed depression. Ridden with anxiety. Stressed. Burnt out. Pu...