The Growth Concept With Keoni Upton

I'm Keoni Upton, host of The Growth Concept Podcast and founder of GC Media, a Perth media company that creates story-led content for founder-led brands. Lately I've been getting a lot of questions about what it was like going from full-time employment to working for myself, so I recorded this episode to answer them properly. In this solo episode, I share the six things I wish I'd known before I q...

Duncan Forbes is back for round two, and this one is nothing like our first chat about becoming a good man and holding your standards. This time we go straight into peptides. Duncan is a trainer of thirteen years who tore his ACL playing soccer, and instead of just following the standard rehab path he spent two months researching how to come back faster and stronger. He is now running the Wolverin...

This one hit different. Martial specialises in the subconscious mind, in getting your conscious and subconscious in sync so you actually take action instead of finding six reasons to make a coffee first. But the real story in this episode is what happened in 2007, when he lost roughly $350 million in 27 days. He walked into his house that night planning to end his life. Seeing his wife and baby da...

This episode on The Growth Concept, Brittney Hall runs The Revenue Agency out of Texas with her husband, working with founders in the coaching and personal development world. Her mission is dead simple: help the good guys win. It's an industry full of smoke and mirrors, where anyone can call themselves a coach and a lot of people end up burned, so she's built her whole name on integrity. The way s...

It's been almost six months since my last solo episode. Far too long, if you ask me. In this one I'm telling the full story of how I quit my three-year electrical apprenticeship at 19 to go all in on my business, plus the five lessons I've actually learned scaling it so far. I get into the real stuff: the people who told me I was stupid for walking away from a secure paycheck, the burnout that put...

Episode 5 of 5 on On the Streets of Perth . The open mic podcast where I chat with someone out in the wild and we just talk. No studio, no script. We shot this one down in Freo. Bailey and I go way back. High school, skateboarding at fifteen, a few Muay Thai spars over the years. A few weeks ago he got home from Thailand, and the way he ended up there is next level. Fresh off a breakup, sitting in...

Episode 4 of On the Streets of Perth . My open mic series where I sit down with guests out in the wild and just talk. No studio, no script. Just a real conversation. This one's different though. Sam G is back for round three, but Sam and I go way, way back. Macca's days, both of us at 15. So before we touched any of the business stuff we got into how we actually met, the dumb things we got up to a...

Episode 3 of On the Streets of Perth a open mic series where I sit down with guests out in the wild for unfiltered, real conversation. No studio, no script. This week I caught up with Levi out in Freo. What most people don't know is the story behind it at 11 he was diagnosed with leukemia, spent years in daily chemo, and walked into high school as "the cancer kid." Instead of breaking him, it buil...

Episode 2 of On the Streets of Perth a open mic podcast series where I sit down with guests out in the wild to capture unfiltered, real stories and experiences. No studio, no script, just honest conversation. This week I caught up with Christian Rusli on the streets of Fremantle a self-taught photographer and videographer who's carving out a name in the automotive and sports space here in Perth. W...

In this episode I sit down with Chad Aziz a 20-year-old engineering student about to attempt something most people wouldn't even let themselves think about. On Wednesday, Chad is lacing up and running 4,000 kilometres from Perth to Sydney, aiming to become the youngest person ever to run across Australia an official Guinness World Record attempt while raising $100,000 for Zero2Hero, a Perth-based...

This one was recorded live at Curtin University, and it did not disappoint. Declan Edwards flew in from the other side of Australia — partly to visit family and to run a guest lecture at Curtin on the skills and science of happiness. We'd connected on LinkedIn about 18 months prior and had been meaning to sit down ever since. This was that moment. Declan is one of Australia's leading voices in Pos...

We recorded this one at the South Perth Foreshore on a perfect Perth afternoon — no conference room, no desk, just a real conversation about something most of us are genuinely bad at: having difficult conversations with the people we love most. Yvette works in the space of communication and relationships, coaching individuals and couples to break the patterns that keep them stuck. She's a Master N...

In this episode, I sit down with Josh Horneman for a powerful conversation around AI, business, creativity, privacy, and what it means to stay human in a world that’s changing fast. Josh is a business coach, AI consultant, and founder based in Perth, and throughout this conversation he shares a balanced perspective on both the opportunity and the danger of AI. We unpack where this technology is he...

Episode 5 of Podcasts on the Streets of Perth is the final episode of the Scarborough series, and in this episode I sat down with Sam G for a conversation full of laughs, energy, and real lessons around fitness, discipline, confidence, and personal growth. We spoke about his journey through fitness, how he built confidence through training, and what he now teaches through his online coaching. Sam...

Episode 4 of Podcasts on the Streets of Perth was recorded at Scarborough Beach, and in this episode I sat down with Bianca O'Donnell for a unreal conversation about life, resilience, and human connection. We spoke about Bianca’s travel book, where she asks strangers for life advice, and how that project started as a way to step outside her comfort zone and turned into something much more meaningf...

Episode 3 of the on the Streets podcast series of Perth was filmed at Scarborough Beach, and in this episode I sat down with Jill Thomas for one of the realest conversations I’ve had gave me shivers this conversations. We spoke about mental health, the struggles Jill has been through, and why this topic means so much to her on such a personal level. From difficult life transitions to family trauma...

In Episode 2 of The Growth Concept , I sat down with Samson Swift at Scarborough Beach in Perth for a powerful conversation around mental health, discipline, burnout, and fitness . We spoke about how we first met through our electrical apprenticeship, how Samson’s journey shifted toward helping others, and the personal experiences that made mental health such an important mission for him. Samson o...

Recorded at Scarborough Beach in Perth during one of our open mic events that we run every few months, this conversation with Shannon Parker was full of heart, honesty, and a few powerful reminders we all need. Shannon and I dive into what it really means to live authentically, back yourself, and keep moving forward even when fear, judgment, or other people’s opinions try to hold you back. We talk...

What happens when you put the “CEO talk” aside and speak to the person behind the title? In this episode, I’m joined by Jevon Le Roux , Co-Founder & CEO of Keeyu an AI-driven platform helping retailers prevent problems before customers ever complain. But before we get into business, we lead with real stories. Jevon shares his own behind-the-scenes moments that most people would never expect. F...

In this episode of The Growth Concept, I sit down with Richard Detering for one of our most real conversations yet. We start in an unconventional way: no business talk, no social media tactics — just personal stories and the side of Richie most people never get to see. From there, get into personal branding — not the fake polished version, but what actually builds trust, connection, and growth onl...

In this episode of The Growth Concept, I sat down with Shil Shanghavi — a public speaking and storytelling specialist, and former Head of Speaker Coaching for TEDxPerth. We got into what really creates presence when you speak: authenticity, building trust before you even say a word, and how to start reading body language so you can tailor the way you communicate — whether you’re in a casual conver...

In this episode of The Growth Concept , I sat down with Niro Thambipillay , the founder of Investment Rise , to have a real conversation about property investing — without the fluff. Niro’s been in the property game for over two decades, and what I love about his approach is how data-driven and simple he keeps it. We talked about the biggest traps beginners fall into, why owner-occupier demand mat...

In this episode of The Growth Concept , wellbeing coach Jules Sullivan shares a deeply honest conversation about navigating burnout, mental health challenges, ADHD, and major life events that reshaped her perspective on success, energy, and self-worth. Jules reflects on how burnout forced her to reassess her career and values, how an ADHD diagnosis helped her better understand her energy levels, a...

In this episode of The Growth Concept , Coach Nas shares his journey as both a personal trainer and a musician, exploring how transformation starts from within. With over 14 years of experience in personal training, Nas reflects on how physical training became a gateway to deeper self-belief, discipline, and purpose. He opens up about navigating mental health challenges, how music became an outlet...

In this episode of The Growth Concept , Sam G shares his journey from being an insecure teenager to becoming a fitness coach dedicated to helping others build confidence through training, nutrition, and mindset. Sam opens up about the pressures he faced in high school, his struggles with body image, and the negative influences that once held him back. He reflects on a pivotal turning point that fo...