Martian Logic Podcast

Culture is Not Just Perks: Designing Strategy with Chloe Norris In this episode of the Martian Logic Podcast, we sit down with Chloe Norris, Head of People and Culture at Reo Group, to explore a fundamental truth: culture is not a nice-to-have or a collection of office perks. It is a core business strategy that drives retention, trust, and long-term performance. We break down the myth of "org...

Why Most Small Businesses Get HR Wrong with Therese Ravell In this episode of the Martian Logic Podcast, we sit down with Therese Ravell, Founder and Principal Consultant of ImpactHR. With over 25 years of global leadership experience—from managing culture clashes in Japan and scaling startups in Germany to advising venture-backed firms in the U.S.—Therese has become a vital partner for small-to-m...

Most people think entrepreneurship is for 20-something tech founders working out of a garage. Sharon Melamed started her business at 45 - burnt out, running in sneakers to make daycare pickup, and quietly sitting on an idea that every expert told her wouldn't work. Fourteen years later, Matchboard is one of Australia's most trusted B2B matchmaking platforms, and Sharon is still going, with her kid...

In this powerful episode, we sit down with Dr. Ben Searle , organisational psychologist and founder of Mind on the Job , to dig into the science and psychology behind burnout. Dr. Searle blends cutting-edge research with real-world tools to help leaders protect mental health, build resilience, and create sustainable high performance. Detection : How to spot burnout signs before they derail your te...

What does it actually take to run an independent school? Most people think of the principal - but behind every great school is a business manager holding the whole operation together. In this episode, we sit down with Kathy Dickson, CEO of the Association of School Business Administrators (ASBA) and a 27-year veteran of school business management at some of Australia's most respected independe...

Strategy. Culture. Purpose. Impact. What if your next offsite could change the world and your team? In this powerful episode of the Martian Logic Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Matthew Henricks - Organisational Psychologist, leadership expert, and founder of two life-changing social impact programs: Helping Hands and Water Works. Inside this conversation: Why 60% of M&A deals fail—and how HR ca...

What does it actually take to get the best out of people? According to Lauren Ryder, most leaders are set up to fail before they even begin - promoted without preparation, defaulting to micromanagement, and wondering why their teams aren't performing. Lauren is a leadership and organisational culture consultant who approaches people performance through the lens of neuroscience. In this episode, sh...

Can you stop underperformance before it even happens? In this episode of the Martian Logic Podcast, we sit down with Nicole Quince - HR leader and performance management expert - to explore how clear frameworks, smart hiring, and strong policies can prevent performance issues and build thriving teams. Inside this conversation: Why clear expectations reduce underperformance How to make performance...

Is AI coming for HR jobs? According to Mariam Hares, it depends entirely on the kind of HR professional you are - and whether you've been doing the job properly all along. Mariam is the Chief People & Culture Officer at Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation, where her job is to build the teams that raise the money that changes the future for sick kids. Before that, she's led peopl...

Most businesses are relying on backward-looking position descriptions and toss-a-coin hiring processes, resulting in bad hires despite great resumes. They are looking backward at what candidates have done, instead of forward at what they will achieve. Tom Hitchcock is a TEDx speaker, creative problem solver, serial entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed "mistakeologist". With over 15 years of...

Most businesses have no idea what return they're getting on their biggest expense - their people. They're hiring reactively, managing poorly, and avoiding the conversations that actually matter. Natasha Hawker is the Founder and Managing Director of Employee Matters, with over 30 years of HR experience across Australia, the UK and India. She's a regular Sunrise guest, has appeared on the BBC, and...

In this episode of the Martian Logic Podcast, we sit down with Trudy McDonald - multi-award-winning keynote speaker, leadership consultant, and founder of Talent Code HR - to tackle the trust and accountability crisis that is currently challenging team performance. From startup founder to CEO to consultant across three countries, Trudy shares battle-tested strategies for building cultures where pe...

In this episode of the Martian Logic Podcast, Anwar sits down with Bernt Schindler - talent and workforce strategist, recruitment expert, and founder of Uncommon Talent - to explore the evolving landscape of recruitment, the role of AI, and the complex art of leading leaders. From his 25 years of experience across agency, in-house, and consulting roles, Bernt shares his "wide-angle lens"...

In this episode of the Martian Logic Podcast, we sit down with Associate Professor Kathryn Collins from the University of New South Wales. As a leading researcher in organizational behavior, Kathryn helps us unpack the complex dynamics of high-performing teams, the evolution of Industry 5.0, and what it actually takes to foster genuine collaboration in a digital era. Kathryn challenges the traditi...