THE COURAGE TO LEAD INTERVIEW SERIES

From Bridge Housing to Homes New South Wales: Embracing New Challenges Transitioning from the CEO of Bridge Housing to the helm of Homes New South Wales was a significant move for Rebecca. She shared with me the mixed emotions that accompanied this change. While she cherished her time at Bridge Housing, the opportunity to establish a new division in government dedicated to housing was too compelli...

I want to share the insights and lessons from my conversation with Abby Jane, a young advocate for the LGBTIQA+ community whose story is a testament to the power of leadership, empathy, and resilience. A Leader in the Making: Abby Jane's Early Steps Abby Jane's journey into leadership began at the tender age of eight when she volunteered and fundraised for cancer research. Her initiative to donate...

I'm excited to share with you the insights and experiences of an extraordinary guest, Corinne West, the head of diversity and inclusion at King and Wood Mallesons. It is a story that I believe will resonate with many of you. The Genesis of Leadership: A Dance Teacher's Journey Corinne's story begins with a touching recollection of her first experience of leadership. As a primary school student, sh...

Leading Through Adversity: Insights from Mark Stone, CEO of Parks Victoria Mark, the CEO of Parks Victoria, is not only recognised for his leadership but also for his significant role during the harrowing bushfire period in Victoria in 2009. Navigating Crisis with Compassion and Collaboration The 2009 bushfires in Victoria were a time of immense tragedy, and leading an organisation through such a...

The Roots of Leadership: From Head Boy to Minister Our conversation began with a look back at Felix's first brush with leadership as the head boy of his primary school in Broome, Kimberley. He candidly shared that he felt ill-prepared at the time and didn't represent his peers as well as he would have liked. This early experience taught him valuable lessons about preparation, focusing on people, a...

Cheryl's remarkable contributions to emergency services in New South Wales have earned her nominations as the Surf Lifesaver of the Year for both New South Wales and Australia. Collaborative Leadership: A Key to Success During our talk, Cheryl emphasised the importance of a collaborative approach to leadership. Recognising the diverse skill sets and experiences that each team member brings to the...

A Wild Symphony: Shaun Warden's Journey from Music to Wildlife Advocacy Today, I'm thrilled to share the insights and experiences of Shaun Warden, the remarkable founder of the Growing Food for Wildlife Project, a wildlife rehabilitator, citizen scientist, educator, aspiring vet, violinist, and conductor. A Symphony of Skills: Shaun Warden's Multifaceted Life Shaun's journey is a testament to the...

In a recent episode of our podcast, I had the pleasure of welcoming Lauren Cassimatis, the principal lawyer and director of Gallant Law, the founder of Connecting Lawyer Mums, and an ambassador for She Inspires Me Australia. Lauren's journey is a testament to her innate leadership skills, her passion for problem-solving, and her commitment to community wellbeing. Advocating for Rehabilitation and...

From Cricket Captain to Cage Fighter: A Journey of Leadership and Self-Discovery with Adam Hollioake Introduction A former cricketer and captain of the Surrey cricket team, Adam's journey of leadership and self-discovery is nothing short of inspiring. The Unexpected Leader Adam's first experience of leadership came unexpectedly when he was asked to captain the Surrey cricket team at the tender age...

I recently had the pleasure of welcoming Stephanie Copus Campbell, Australia’s Ambassador for Gender Equality, to my podcast. The Role of Gender Equality in Society As Australia’s lead advocate on gender equality, Stephanie works under the portfolio of Minister Penny Wong, Australia’s Foreign Minister. She emphasises that when every person has equal opportunities to reach their full potential, soc...

Hello there, I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of our Courage to Lead podcast series, where we had the privilege of hosting the brilliant Professor Cordelia Fine. A philosopher of science, psychologist, and writer, Cordelia's work on gender differences is both enlightening and thought-provoking. Here are some key takeaways from our conversation: 1. The First Experience of Leadershi...

Hello there, I'm thrilled to share with you some exciting insights from our latest podcast episode of the Courage to Lead series. This time, we had an enlightening discussion on resilience with four distinguished leaders: Carlene York, Amy Brown, Mick Willing, and Peter Scott. The Resilience Factor: Our panelists shared their personal experiences, emphasising the importance of resilience in overco...

I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of our "Courage to Lead" series, where we had the pleasure of hosting Michelle Bundy, the inspiring leader behind the "She Inspires Me" movement and the "Tell Your Story" initiative. 1. The Power of Persistence: Michelle shared her first leadership experience, where she led a major wellbeing reform in the state government. Despite facing opposition...

Discover the Power of Resilience and Well-being in Leadership I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of the Courage to Lead Interview Series, where I had the pleasure of hosting Fleur Heazlewood, an award-winning author and founder of the Blueberry Institute. Fleur's journey is a testament to resilience and well-being in leadership. She shared her experiences as a young female leader in...

In the latest episode of the Courage to Lead series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amy Brown, a highly regarded leader with a diverse career spanning various fields, including homelessness. I've known Amy for a while and have always admired her leadership abilities. * Introduction of Amy Brown as a highly regarded leader * Amy's background and experiences as a leader * Amy's career journey an...

In this podcast episode of the "Courage to Lead" interview series, I interview one of my favourite guests so far, a truly beautiful human being, Emelda Davis, a councillor on the City of Sydney Council who is deputy to Clover Moore Lord Mayor of Sydney in a myriad of important areas. We laugh and we cry and we are exposed to some of the best leadership wisdom on the program so far. We discuss Emel...

There is so much to say about Scott Chapman. To get the full bio go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-chapman-48804921/ To give you a hint. Scott is the CEO of the Royal Flying Doctors in Victoria and has held that position for 14 years. 3 weeks before this interview he was awarded the 2023 Melbourne Achiever Award Committee for Melbourne which is no small feat. One of the best adaptive leaders...

This is one of my first interviews on The Courage to Lead Interview Series, and I must confess one of my favourites. I just learnt this week that the interview ended at 48 minutes with another 20 minutes to go. I have reedited the Interview so everyone gets to hear one of the best leaders I have ever met, tell his complete story. Please excuse the audio, I have remastered it as best I can but this...

Melo Colarco is the Author of "Beating Burnout Finding Balance" A Mental health support coach, mindfulness and meditation expert across mental health facilities, the highest echelons of business, sporting and entertainment excellence arenas. There are so many gems in this interview but here are a couple of stand outs Humans need to be growing, learning, developing and challenging ourselves we if w...

John Trevillian AM DIRECTOR Planning and Events for NSW GOVERNMENT (1999-2015) Some of the large jobs he coordinated at a Government level: The Sydney Harbour Bridge turf the deck The Olympics The Oprah Winfrey show at the Opera House. Indigenous Walk Across the Sydney Harbour Bridge Centenary Celebrations Trust and confidence in people’s abilities are crucial. 110% support not a competitive envir...

Welcome back from to Part 2 of the Andrew Colvin Interview. In Part 2 we hear Andrew talk about - [ ] His Commissionership - [ ] His ongoing role in the Champions of Change organisation - [ ] His role in leading the National Bushfire Recovery Agency - the first of it kinds at national level in response to the 2019 Black Summer Fires As Commissioner he identified the AFP had a negative culture that...

This is the first podcast in the Mentor Stories of the Courage to Lead Interview Series, where we interview the mentors of our previous guests. In this case we are introducing Andrew Colvin AO APM former AFP Commissioner, mentor to Mick Willing, the 3rd guest of this podcast. Andrew says he was not a natural leader but that he could help mould people around him. He is still learning every day, we...

Welcome to the next guest of the Courage to Lead Interview Series, Former NSW POLICE FORCE, Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing, now the Managing Director, National Security and Safety, Accenture. This interview has been remastered as it was the 3rd interview I did when I first started the podcast series in late 2022. The quality of that 3rd interview was atrocious and I didn't know how to fix it. I'...

Sharee is a registered Psychologist and Executive Coach. Integrating mindfulness into her coaching practice enables her clients to benefit from a growth mindset and improve their performance and their well-being. A good early lesson in Teamwork came from her parents. With the right support and the right encouragement and an overwhelming sense of belief in our ability to succeed from the people aro...

Robert Andersson - AUTHOR of: "Who makes a leader not What" "This is the future of leadership, where actions speak louder than outputs and supporting our people (and looking after ourselves) is fundamental to success." Kristy Keltie, Manager of Organisational Change Management in the Public Sector As an entrepreneur, Robert has been the founder of more than a dozen successful businesses across Aus...