“If something good happens in your life, just hold onto it, enjoy the moment, ‘cause that’s the confidence booster moment.”

Starting university brings deadlines, disappointing marks, competing priorities and inevitable setbacks. But according to Scientia Professor Andrew Martin (UNSW), the students who thrive aren’t those who avoid challenges, they’re the ones who develop academic buoyancy: the ability to bounce back from everyday adversity.

In this episode, Josh sits down with one of Australia’s leading educational psychologists to unpack the research behind student motivation, wellbeing and resilience. Together they explore Andrew’s evidence-based 6 Cs of Academic Buoyancy, why managing stress is more important than simply working harder, and how student leaders can support others without trying to become counsellors.

3 Reasons to Listen (3 Topics We’ve Never Discussed on This Podcast Before):

1. The surprising research behind “academic buoyancy”

Why handling everyday setbacks, poor marks, looming deadlines and study stress, actually strengthens your ability to deal with bigger life challenges.

2. Why studying harder isn’t always studying smarter

Discover the science behind spaced practice, why locking yourself in the library all day can backfire, and how exercise, friendships and recovery actually improve academic performance.

3. The hidden curriculum of university

Professor Martin explains the unwritten lessons students only discover by getting involved, contributing to campus life and building relationships beyond the classroom.

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To read the article:

https://theconversation.com/back-at-uni-how-to-help-your-wellbeing-while-you-study-276854

Stay in touch with Professor Andrew Martin

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professor-andrew-martin

To speak with Josh

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshfarr/

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If this podcast brings up anything concerning for you, Lifeline is a free, confidential 24/7 crisis support service in Australia. You can call the Lifeline Crisis Support Line at 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14, or use their Online Chat anytime if you feel overwhelmed, need someone to listen, or have thoughts of suicide. If life is in danger, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, ⁠Josh Farr⁠ sits down with ⁠Alana Kilmartin⁠, Founder of Unserious Careers and author of the book by the same name, to explore why young people need a completely different way of thinking about careers. After visiting more than 300 schools across Australia and New Zealand, Alana shares what students, parents, educators and universities are getting right, what they are getting wrong, and why careers should feel more like an adventure than a test with one correct answer.

“Your career is an adventure, it’s not an exam.”

From the pressure to make “perfect” decisions in high school through to the importance of transferable experiences, social contagion, community and hope, Alana challenges the idea that careers should follow one neat, linear pathway.

She also shares what she learned touring regional, rural and low-SES communities, and why young people need honest career guidance that builds them up rather than convincing them the future is already closed off.

3 Reasons to Listen / 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

1. Why students should focus on building transferable experiences, not just transferable skills, and how travel, volunteering, leadership and community involvement can make them more employable

2. What Alana learned after visiting 300+ schools about regional opportunity, low-SES disadvantage, parental engagement and the very different levels of hope young people carry into their futures

3. How social contagion shapes student participation, and why making opportunities feel normal, social and genuinely exciting may be the key to getting more young people involved

Stay in touch with Alana and let her know what you thought of the podcast. Connect here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alana-kilmartin/

To speak with Josh about supporting your leaders, connect with him here https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdfarr/ or visit https://www.campusconsultancy.org/ to find out how he can help you.

Did you love this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and hit SUBSCRIBE before you go anywhere!

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, Josh Farr sits down with Natalia Hogan, youth advocate, speaker and founder of The Bridge Project, to hear one of the most powerful and courageous stories ever shared on the podcast. After experiencing foster care, homelessness, couch surfing and living in a youth refuge as a teenager, Natalia has transformed her lived experience into a movement that is changing the lives of young people across Australia.

“In that youth refuge I just remember sitting there and thinking, ‘Where do I belong in the world? Does anyone actually care about me? And am I worthless?’”

From running 172km from Sydney to Newcastle to raise more than $57,000 for youth homelessness, to speaking in schools and founding The Bridge Project, Natalia shares why vulnerability creates belonging, why community heals trauma, and why doing uncomfortable things can completely change your life.

3 Reasons to Listen / 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

1. What homelessness really looks like in Australia: the hidden reality of couch surfing, youth refuges and why so many young people fall through the gaps despite enormous potential.

2. How vulnerability became Natalia’s greatest strength: why saying yes to telling her story transformed shame into purpose, belonging and impact.

3. Why “if it makes you nervous, it’s probably worth it” is the mindset behind running 172 kilometres, fundraising for homelessness, and building a life centred around courage, service and community.

Connect with Natalia Hogan on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalia-hogan-80b863226/

Learn more about The Bridge Project:

https://thebridgeproject.com.au/

Follow Natalia’s journey on Instagram:

@natalia.s.hogan

Connect with Josh Farr:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdfarr/

Or visit:

https://www.campusconsultancy.org/

Did you love this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and hit SUBSCRIBE before you go anywhere!

If this episiode brings up anything for you, for  free confidential 24/7 help you can access wanttotalkaboutit.com or call 1800 656 4673.

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, ⁠Josh Farr⁠ sits down with ⁠Tanvir Kaur Sohi⁠, Bachelor of Psychological Science student at Deakin University, podcast host, VC Scholar and emerging student leader, to explore how one decision to say “yes” completely changed the trajectory of her final year at university.

“I was on the verge of giving up. I attended all (your) sessions. It was a game changing part of my life.”

After feeling burnt out, disconnected and unsure of what came next, Tanvir shares how a 10-week leadership program helped her rediscover purpose, embrace networking, build meaningful relationships and develop the confidence to chase opportunities she never thought possible.

3 Reasons to Listen / 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

1. How a 10-week leadership program helped Tanvir go from feeling burnt out and ready to give up to becoming a thriving student leader with renewed purpose

2. Why networking isn’t about asking for opportunities, but building genuine relationships that naturally lead to friendships, careers and lifelong connections

3. How saying “yes” to uncomfortable challenges—from running her first marathon to fundraising for homelessness—completely reshaped Tanvir’s confidence and identity

Stay in touch with Tanvir and let her know what you thought of the podcast. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

To speak with Josh about supporting your leaders, connect with him here https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdfarr/ or visit https://www.campusconsultancy.org/ to find out how he can help you.

Did you love this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and hit SUBSCRIBE before you go anywhere!

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, the tables are turned as ⁠Josh Farr⁠ is interviewed by a group of university students about his entrepreneurial journey, the philosophy behind Campus Consultancy, and why the best businesses are built by serving people first.

Rather than chasing transactions, Josh shares why he has always focused on helping students, staff, clients and his team, trusting that strong relationships and long-term opportunities naturally follow.

“You either get a customer to make a sale, or you make a sale to get a customer. One’s transactional. One’s relational. Relationships are the whole game of business (and life)!”

From leaving engineering and travelling through 39 countries to building Campus Consultancy without investors, debt or a co-founder, Josh explains why entrepreneurship is less about having the perfect idea and more about solving real problems, creating genuine value and giving generously without expecting anything in return.

3 Reasons to Listen / 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

1. Why the best businesses are built through relationships, not transactions, and how a simple shift in mindset can completely change the way you approach sales
2. How Josh built Campus Consultancy without funding, investors or a traditional business plan by validating ideas directly with hundreds of student leaders
3. Why generosity, free content and a genuine desire to help others have become the biggest drivers of long-term business growth and opportunity

Stay in touch with Josh and let him know what you thought of the podcast. Connect here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdfarr/

To speak with Josh about supporting your leaders, visit https://www.campusconsultancy.org/ to find out how he can help you.

Did you love this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and hit SUBSCRIBE before you go anywhere!

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, ⁠Josh Farr⁠ sits down with ⁠Smita Maruti⁠, Coordinator, Industry Engagement, Careers and Employability at the University of Melbourne, to unpack what more than one million student job search views reveal about career ambitions, employer expectations and the transition from university into the workforce.

“University is just half of the equation. Students need to meet the university halfway.”

From why employers increasingly prioritise resilience over perfect grades to how students can build the confidence, adaptability and interview skills that actually land graduate roles, Smita shares practical advice every student should hear before they graduate.

3 Reasons to Listen / 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

1. What over 1 million student job search views reveal about the industries attracting the most student interest, and where employer demand is growing fastest

2. Why employers increasingly value resilience, adaptability and communication over academic perfection, and how students can deliberately build those skills before they graduate

3. How universities could redesign careers support by embedding employability into curriculum, extending career services beyond graduation and helping employers better understand the transferable skills students develop across every degree

Stay in touch with Smita and let her know what you thought of the podcast. Connect here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smita-maruti/

To speak with Josh about supporting your leaders, connect with him here https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdfarr/ or visit https://www.campusconsultancy.org/ to find out how he can help you.

Did you love this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and hit SUBSCRIBE before you go anywhere!

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, ⁠Josh Farr⁠ sits down with ⁠Lushomo (Lushy) Chinganya⁠, President of the University of Melbourne Student Union, Hansen Scholar and Biomedicine student, to explore what it means to represent 78,000+ students while studying, volunteering and leading across campus.

“Be bold in the way that you want to approach things!”

From becoming the second Black woman ever elected UMSU President through to championing student voice, cultural celebration, cost-of-living support and student-led advocacy, Lushomo shares how representation, listening and community-building can help students feel seen, supported and powerful.

3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

1. What it means to be the second Black woman elected UMSU President, and why representation changes what students believe is possible

2. How cost-of-living pressure is reshaping student engagement, with students missing campus life because they are working more hours just to get through uni

3. Why cultural celebration, collectives and student-led spaces like Africa Day can build belonging, pride and real advocacy across a massive university community

Stay in touch with Lushy and let her know what you thought of the podcast. Connect here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lushomo-chinganya-06709a2b5/

To speak with Josh about supporting your leaders, connect with him here https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshdfarr/ or visit https://www.campusconsultancy.org/ to find out how he can help you.

Did you love this episode?

Please consider leaving a 5-star review and hit SUBSCRIBE before you go anywhere!

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, Josh Farr sits down with Will Towart, Ball and External Events Representative at Mannix College Student Society, to unpack the strategy, leadership and creativity behind the biggest and most successful Mannix Ball in recorded history.

“We hit refresh, and we do $27,000 of sales in 12 seconds.”

From booking a major DJ act and building viral hype campaigns through to leading a volunteer team and generating record-breaking ticket sales, Will shares what it actually takes to create an event students cannot stop talking about.

3 Reasons to Listen / 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

• How Will and his team generated $27,000 in ticket sales within 12 seconds and sold more tickets in 3 minutes than the previous year sold in total ($80,000+!!!)
• Why teasing, mystery and “there’s no way” moments became the key marketing strategy behind making the event feel unmissable
• How stepping back from micromanaging and empowering volunteers helped transform “my event” into a shared mission for the whole committee

Did you love this episode? Please consider leaving a 5-star review and hit SUBSCRIBE before you go anywhere!

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, Josh Farr sits down with Casey Geaghan, Strategic Lead of Student Access and Retention at Federation University Australia. With more than a decade working across student engagement, partnerships and retention strategy, Casey shares how universities are increasingly shifting to data-informed decision making, and why the future of student success depends on understanding what actually keeps students enrolled, progressing and connected.

3 Reasons to Listen / 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

• How universities are using retention, progression and engagement data to identify which students are most at risk of disengaging before they drop out
• Why student engagement teams must evolve beyond running events and start proving measurable impact through strategy, systems and success monitoring
• What universities are learning from the intersection of access, equity, wellbeing and retention data, and how that could reshape student support over the next decade

To learn more about our work, visit www.campusconsultancy.org

On today’s episode of Better Student Leaders, Josh Farr sits down with Zeecee Moskow, Student Success Manager at RMIT Online, to explore how universities must evolve to support a new generation of students balancing work, family, financial pressure and study.

“Belonging doesn’t necessarily mean being in person next to someone anymore.”

3 Reasons to Listen + 3 Topics we have NEVER discussed on this podcast before, including:

1. Why universities are still “lifting and shifting” old learning models online instead of intentionally designing experiences for modern students balancing work, caregiving and study
2. The hidden equity challenge facing online students, including why many pay student fees but still feel invisible to clubs, careers services and campus culture
3. Why the future of university may be a fully flexible hybrid model where students move between online, asynchronous and on-campus learning depending on what’s happening in their lives

Be sure to connect and follow Zeecee on LinkedIn, here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zeecee/