Flying Solo

Jasmin Hyde is the founder of strategic communications agency Hyde & Seek. She sits down with Flying Solo to explore the ins and outs of PR for small businesses. Jasmin brings a wealth of insight on building visibility and telling powerful brand stories. Discover why PR isn’t just for big brands, how to get your story noticed without a huge budget, tips for pitching tobmedia, and how to communicat...

In today's episode,we're tackling a crucial yet often overlooked facet of entrepreneurship: your health. As a business owner, you enjoy unparalleled freedom, but it also means you're the sole safety net—no HR to check in and no one to notice when you’re burning out. Our guest is Daniel Kirkbride, founder of Cyora specializes in helping founders and CEOs uncover hidden health issues that could be h...

Today we’re diving into a critical topic that many business owners overlook—your exit plan. After pouring years of passion and energy into your business, have you thought about how you’ll eventually move on? Simon Bedard is a seasoned expert with over 20 years of experience guiding owners through the exit process and author of "Exit Like an Expert." Bedard reveals why the biggest challenge in sell...

Maria Kathopoulis has firsthand experience with the frustrations of marketing spend that fails to deliver results. After investing $250,000 in agencies across two businesses without seeing the returns, she took a bold new approach—launching UNTMD, a consultancy that flips the traditional agency model on its head and prioritises tangible revenue and real outcomes over vanity metrics. Maria shares h...

Karen Dennett is a business and enterprise teacher, mentor, and founder of Hello Monday. She sits down for a chat with Flying Solo to explore why traditional networking doesn’t work for everyone and how a new approach is needed. Karen shares her journey from corporate teaching to building communities rooted in friendship, support, and vulnerability. In this chat we unpack the “ick factor" of perfo...

Graeme Cowan is a resilience expert, workplace mental health advocate, and founding director of R U OK. Graeme shares his personal journey through one of the most severe cases of depression his psychiatrists had ever seen, revealing the early warning signs he missed, the pressures that contributed to his burnout, and the steps he took to rebuild his life. Now, as the author of "Great Leaders Care,...

Robyn Greaves is a career transition specialist and author of Your Third Chapter. In this episode of Flying Solo, she dives into what it means to reimagine your career and find new purpose—especially if you're in your 50s, 60s, or beyond. Rather than viewing this stage as time to wind down, Robyn shares why more people are choosing to start something fresh, whether that's launching a solo business...

Dominic Thurbon is a behavioral change expert, international speaker, and serial entrepreneur In this episode of Flying Solo Dominic tackles one of the most pressing challenges facing businesses in our era of misinformation and disinformation: honesty and truth. Drawing on experiences from his own entrepreneurial journey, his time as a climate change partner at EY, and insights from his upcoming b...

This week, we take a deep dive into the world of small business legal essentials with special guest Tracey Mylecharane, founder of TM Legal Atelier and a passionate advocate for empowering small businesses. Tracey shares her journey from courtroom litigation to supporting creatives, consultants, and coaches in laying strong legal foundations, helping them dodge costly mistakes and avoid business p...

Welcome to Flying Solo, the podcast dedicated to soloists and small business owners forging their own unique paths. In this episode, host Cec Busby sits down with Mel Browen to dive deep into the subject of financial literacy, especially for women who often feel uncomfortable taking control of their finances. Mel Browne, is a renowned financial educator and bestselling author who’s just released h...

On this episode of Flying Solo, host Cec Busby sits down with business mentor and founder of scaledup.io, Shani Taylor. Together, they cut through the noise and hype surrounding business mentoring, addressing the real challenges that solo and small business owners face when trying to scale. Shani Thares her no-nonsense insights on everything from moving beyond the solopreneur phase, to managing ra...

Don't know your IQ from your EQ? Never fear, kick back, and check out our summer season highlight as we dive into a conversation with Amy Jacobson on emotional intelligence and why it's so crucial for business success. Amy Jacobson is a human behaviour and emotional intelligence specialist, bestselling author, and keynote speaker. She has made it her mission to help leaders and organisations embed...

Looking for a great listen this summer? Check out our highlights from the past year and learn a new skill today! This week's episode of Flying Solo focuses on the often overlooked yet crucial aspect of being a solo entrepreneur—our personal wellbeing and resilience. Melli O'Brien, renowned coach, mindfulness educator, and author of Deep Resilience has aided over a million individuals worldwide in...

Today we are joined by Simi Rayat, a global productivity expert, business psychologist and founder of Wellbeing Face. In our conversation, we delve into productivity and emotional wellbeing. Simi shares her journey from a budding interest in psychology to becoming an advocate for enhancing productivity through a scientifically backed approach. Together, we explore key concepts from her latest book...

Looking for inspiration to kick-start the new year? Check out our summer session highlights for the best advice we've heard from experts this year... In this episode, we're joined by David Fastuca, co-author of the B2B Sales Playbook. David, who has successfully built a $150 million sales pipeline and scaled a SaaS business in a competitive market, shares his expertise on developing a simple, repe...

Summer's here, and we're taking a break, so we've put together a season of summer highlights for your listening pleasure. Kick back and enjoy! Money! How to manage it, how to make the most of it, and how to attract more of it, are questions we’d all like answered and this week’s guest, Clare Wood, has some practical solutions.  Clare is a sought-after money mentor, author, speaker and CPA-qualifie...

As you kick back over summer, check out our season highlights for great advice on hot topics for small business owners. If the mention of AI makes your eyes glaze over, you’re not alone—but what if AI could actually make your business smoother, more efficient, and free up valuable time? To help unravel the mystery (and bust a few myths), Cec is joined by Tracy Sheen, award-winning business tech ex...

People and culture specialist Claire Gray, author of the new book Thriving Teams: When Teams Unite, Align and Achieve, dives into what truly makes a business excel—whether you’re leading a handful of people, working with an evolving group of freelancers, or just starting to build your own crew. Claire shares insights from her extensive experience in leadership development, team dynamics, and her o...

Melinda McCormack unpacks the growing sense of isolation many of us feel—at work, in our communities, and even at home—thanks to our fast-paced, tech-heavy lives. In this episode, we explore the art and science of empathy, drawing from Melinda McCormack’s decades of experience helping leaders and teams navigate challenging emotional terrain. With insights from her new book, “Pulse: Empathy Is Your...

From his humble beginnings in a working-class family to conquering the high-stakes trading floors of London, Andrew Baxter shares how those early struggles shaped his money mindset—and why he believes financial freedom is possible for anyone who’s willing to learn the process. Andrew breaks down the myths and realities of investing, the emotional roadblocks that often hold us back, and practical s...

Jordana Borensztajn is a comedian, keynote speaker, communication expert, and now, author of The Little Book of Influence. From being escorted off Facebook’s Silicon Valley campus  when she was dressed as a giant, like button to being booed on a cruise ship and even suffering an egg-related injury, Jordana has experienced her fair share of epic fails. But instead of shying away from these cringe-w...

Dr. Paul Taylor is a former Royal Navy air crew officer turned neuroscientist, psychologist, and exercise physiologist, to break down the concept of ‘Death by Comfort’, Dr. Taylor’s new book, The Hardiness Effect, explores how embracing a little stress and discomfort can make us stronger, sharper, and healthier. Dr Taylor dives into the science behind resilience, the dangers of modern convenience,...

Donna McGeorge is a productivity expert and bestselling author. In her latest book, Red Brick Thinking’ Donna shares why our instinct to always add more—tasks, meetings, apps—might be holding us back, and how strategic subtraction can help us achieve more with less stress. In this chat, we dive into practical ways to break up with the busy, how to set healthy boundaries (without guilt!), and why y...

Peter Baines is one of Australia’s most impactful solopreneurs. After serving as a forensic investigator and responding to major disasters like the Bali bombings and Boxing Day tsunami, Peter found his purpose in building children's charity Hands Across the Water.  In this episode of Flying Solo, he shares advice on finding a journey worthy of your heart and soul, as well as practical guidance for...

Cooper Chapman is a former top-100 professional surfer who has transformed his passion for riding waves into a mission for improving mental health and wellbeing. Cooper is the founder of The Good Human Factory, an organisation dedicated to equipping everyday Aussies with practical mental health tools. Drawing from his elite sports background and personal journey, Cooper shares how small, consisten...