TWO AM I

Episode 8: Tansel Ali Tansel Ali used to have a terrible memory. He’d forget people’s names, conversations he’d just had, numbers, and even had difficulties remembering what he just read. It was when he started learning ‘memory techniques’ that he realised his memory wasn’t bad, it was just untrained. Tansel was in his early 20s when he discovered memory training, at the same time he learned he ne...

Episode 7: Penelope Jordan A bike rave, Korean BBQ, bouldering and pole dancing are just a handful of new things the First Timers Club has tried, since kicking off in January 2024. And Penelope Jordan couldn’t be more thrilled that her idea for a club for curious grown-ups looking to connect with others, has taken off. The genesis for FTC came after she returned from a stint overseas and following...

Episode 6: Ben Northey Music was in Benjamin Northey’s blood from a young age, and he credits his teachers at Ballarat Clarendon College for encouraging his path into music where he studied flute, clarinet and saxophone. But it was the belief and mentorship of John Hopkins who encouraged Ben, at age 29, to be the first candidate for his new Master of Music in Conducting degree at the  Victorian Co...

Episode 5: Megan Waters “Life is short. Live it fully and healthily.” It’s an important mantra for Megan Waters, borne from a very hard life lesson. Losing her Dad and best friend not only broke her for a time, but it also gave her the strength to refocus her life, redefine what health and wellness means to her, and find a new path forward. Megan is now the presenter of NITV’s Yokayi Footy, a Nike...

Episode 4: James Van Cuylenburg   Ask Dr James Van Cuylenburg if he’d rather be a rock star or clinical psychologist and he simply can’t choose between his two loves. James spends his days helping others navigate life, and by night moonlighting on the stage as the great Billy Joel, among other music legends, performing across Victoria. While James primarily works with adults, couples and families...

Episode 3: Callum Linnane Callum Linnane’s love affair with dance began at the age of seven at his primary school in Ballarat. And his determination, perfectionist tendencies and unbreakable work ethic underpinned his rise through the ranks of  The Australian Ballet  to be named Principal Artist in 2022 – a role he relished from a young age. Despite this incredible achievement, Callum is a humble...

Episode 2: Ed Barlow It was never on Ed Barlow’s radar to become a psychologist. But his time as an AFL player dealing with injuries, feedback, non-selection and more, led him down the path to better understand himself, and in turn sparked a love in helping others do the same. From professional athletes and sporting organisations to juveniles in detention Ed is passionate to see everyone mentally...

Episode 1: Holly Ransom “Honey, if you walk past it, you tell the world it’s okay.” It was these words from her grandmother as a five-year-old that set Holly Ransom on her path. That quote is etched in her mind and something she checks in with regularly, as a yard stick for where she and we as a society are now and where we’re headed. From that moment on, she embraced leadership, as the youngest p...

Episode 9: Jack Riewoldt & Shane McCurry They first met at a café in Richmond in Melbourne, and Jack and Shane admit, it was connection at first sight. The pair realised straight away that they shared a passion for leadership, growth and a fascination for people and their stories. What began as a professional relationship at the Richmond Football Club, turned into a friendship and partnership...

Episode 8: Dom Price Atlassian work futurist, keynote speaker, travel fanatic, and a loving husband and father, are just some of the ways to describe Dom Price. Others include unique, focused, open, raw and enabler. Dom’s superpower is his ability to inspire people to transform their working lives, and with it, their futures. He’s also about disrupting his own; he doesn’t have a daily routine, he...

Episode 7: Emily Mannix   Emily Mannix is a kid from country Victoria who loves her family and having a laugh as much as she loves sport. She was initially taken by individual sports like cross-country, swimming and surf lifesaving, but it was netball and being part of a team that stole her heart from age six. As a Melbourne Vixen and Australian Diamonds player, she has experienced winning champio...

Episode 6: Greg Ryan Greg Ryan carried an unimaginable secret for 54 years. It was one he was embarrassed to share. One that didn’t allow him to plan ahead. One that resulted in a life of shame, social stigma and intense mental health difficulties. And one that would eventually lead him into a dark place, and then out again, and inevitably to where he was meant to be. Greg was born without an anal...

Episode 5: Ruby Riethmuller Born and raised in country New South Wales, Ruby Riethmuller loved growing up in Wagga Wagga, but after being diagnosed with anxiety as a teenager, she became acutely aware that the right mental health services to help young women like her, were not available. But it was a gap year in America, a life changing trip to India and some honest words from a very good friend t...

Episode 4: Andrew Abdo   It wasn’t on Andrew Abdo’s radar to become the CEO of the National Rugby League (NRL). But standing at a bus stop, in the rain became a seminal moment that set him on the path to now. Andrew grew up in a small coastal town in apartheid South Africa, and at a young age he lost his brother Antony in a motorbike accident, an incredibly difficult time that he says helped shape...

Episode 3: Georgia Murch Georgia Murch is a kick arse workplace culture creator, best-selling author, inspiring speaker and facilitator, an avid yogi and self-assessed excellent reverse parker. Her greatest passion is being able to support leaders create workplaces where people love to be. And the secret to her success? The more she makes peace with who she is, the easier it is for her to help oth...

Episode 2: Jack Levitt   Jack Levitt is a storyteller who looks at life through a lens. As a videographer, he has spent years capturing moments on and off the sporting field for the likes of Cricket Australia, Fox Sport and the Essendon footy club. And as a keen photographer, Jack loves to snap real life moments that tell real stories. He is a deep thinker, a Dad, and a doer, and it’s that last de...

Episode 1: Benson Saulo   There are many ways to describe Benson Saulo. A descendant of the Wemba Wemba and Gunditjmara Aboriginal nations of Western Victoria, and New Ireland Province in Papua New Guinea. The first Indigenous person to be appointed an Australian Consul-General in Australia’s history. A former Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner based in Houston. He’s represented Australia on...

Episode 9: Jack Riewoldt & Shane McCurry   They first met at a café in Richmond in Melbourne, and Jack and Shane admit, it was connection at first sight. The pair realised straight away that they shared a passion for leadership, growth and a fascination for people and their stories. What began as a professional relationship at the Richmond Football Club, turned into a friendship and partnershi...

Episode 8: Angie Greene   Angie Greene comes from Australian sporting royalty. But growing up, her extensive association with the world of men's sport and seeing how her brother Brent – who came out to her when she was 13 years old – was treated in sport, school and life, set her on a path and passion for inclusion. Angie is now an anti-discrimination activist and CEO of Stand Up Events, a not-for...

Episode 7: Sarah Maree Cameron   You may have heard her on radio or seen her popping up on your TV during the Richmond Football Club’s home games. Perhaps you caught her show ‘One Womb Please!’ at the Melbourne Comedy Festival, or maybe you know her name for her work as an Ambassador with the Cervical Cancer Foundation or Endometriosis Australia. But there is much you probably don’t know about thi...

Episode 6: Nazeem Hussain   The son of Sri Lankan migrants, Nazeem Hussain honed his comedic chops in the suburbs of Melbourne in the 1990s, though as you’ll hear, he started giving it a crack when he was very young, right on his front doorsteps as people passed by. After his father left the family, it was his fearless mother who taught him how to use humour to get bullies off his back. And a star...

Episode 5: Christine Finnegan Christine Finnegan has had a love of sport since she was a child. Tennis was her game of choice, where on the court she describes as her happy place. She travelled around the country and played the game she loved, but it was the realisation when she was 15 years old that she wanted to run the tournament rather than play in it. And so, she did. Christine has spent the...

Episode 4: Gerard Whateley Gerard Whateley comes alive when the mic is on but whether he is calling a horserace, covering an Olympics or calling a footy game, he is powered by preparation and just a few nerves, as he says “the nerves show you that it means something to you.” Gerard’s love for sports broadcasting and writing goes back to when he was 13 years old and met his idol and inspiration, ho...

Episode 3: Mykel Dixon   Be ridiculous, be frivolous, be dangerous, be outrageous, be fabulous! Mykel Dixon is here to ‘save the world from boring work, bland events and beige bosses’ (more on his website). But behind that tagline is a genuine want and need for Mykel to liberate the potential in people everywhere – to help them embrace experience, tap into their inner creativity, be confident to e...

Episode 2: Peter Chambers   Peter Chambers was looking towards retirement after decades in the banking industry. But those plans and life as Pete knew it, changed forever when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2018. For many, the MND journey is without a doubt a rollercoaster, as it is for Peter, but not ever wanting his diagnosis to define him, Pete has used it as the catalyst...