Business Made Personal

"You're probably more capable than you think you are and you will probably go further than you think you can."

It doesn't matter if you don't get it right the first time. You learn a lot more by not succeeding immediately says Sarah Lyons. In the early part of her career, Sarah would question if she was good enough. In commenting on her turning point, she refers to one of her Mentors whose belief in her and her desire not to let him down surpassed where she thought she could go.

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

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"There are so many pathways insurance can take you to."

With a family history of hard work in labour related industries as concreters and bricklayers, Kirk Populin’s family wanted him to develop a career that was significantly different from theirs. His journey has taken him from financial planning to life insurance, insurance education, underwriting, and finally insurance broking. The one common thread - is Kirk’s ability to develop relationships and establish supportive networks. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

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Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I think as women we need to be more confident and believe in ourselves a bit more and push ourselves a bit more."

Moving from Mt Gambier to Adelaide to Melbourne meant that Jasmin had to reinvent not just her business and personal network but most importantly herself. That journey has not always been an easy one. A love of what she does due to her relationship with clients and helping them with their problems and providing great advice is what motivates Jasmin and has helped her overcome those challenges.

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

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Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I truly believe this deep down that the insurance industry is the best industry to be in."

As a young Managing Director, Tryan Christos has not been ‘gifted’ his position in the family business. The pressure of having the whole family put a lot of trust in him and being able to prove to people who he is and show them they can trust him is, according to Tryan, hands down the hardest thing he has ever done. 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I think that’s the beauty of this industry that we’re in. It can actually take you anywhere and everywhere - which is why I love it so much."

Cameron made a crucial mistake in life which he is not going to repeat again - not speaking up about mental health and his deep dark spiral which was on the verge of taking over his life. In this podcast, he also discusses various factors that helped him to move forward and how his focus on looking at the positives saved his life. 

“There’s always something wrong in our lives and we can choose to focus on that or we can choose to (focus on) what we are grateful for. Even in the darkest times there are aspects to be grateful for.” - Cameron McKerchar 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"You’ve got to like what you do. You can’t just go to work for the money."

A self-confessed control freak, Jodi has developed a strategy to help her deal with things that are not in her control. Her coping strategy? “I just try and sit back, reflect, and think ‘How can I do something differently next time?  I think you’ve just got to pick yourself up and keep learning and try again.” Judging by her success, that strategy works!

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I didn't really like school. I didn't finish school either. In class ….I wasn't focused and I was very much a distraction to other people."

Family support and guidance has been an integral part of Marc developing his career. He credits the benefits, rewards, and  networks he has managed to foster to the day-to-day engagement with and support of the insurance community of which Marc says, “Is such a marvellous industry, it's so rewarding that it's really hard to articulate to anyone outside it.” 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"There’s so much opportunity for people to own their own business, get equity in a business… and you don't see that in a lot of other industries."

Jackson accredits a lot of his success to his parents and his having developed a vital and robust network of people he can call on for assistance and advice. Developing that network was a learning experience. In his words, “I invested a lot in my relationships with other people even to the point where there were maybe some people that I shouldn't have. And that was a hard lesson to learn.” 

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"Success always has a large number of owners. Failure doesn't have any."

No surprise that with an actuarial background, Blair Nicholls is keen on using big data to make life easier for clients and the general insurance industry. Being structured around delivery and expectations and changing the operational dynamics is at the very top of his To Do list.

When asked about times of stress, Blair cites moving to the UK for his work with 3 children under 4 years of age as high on the list of challenging times. His advice to others: be braver, take risks, avoid politics, and speak up. He believes that if you do something you love, you will do it really really well. Take more risks than you think are sensible but manage them.

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]

"I don’t think there’s a role I’ve moved into that I’ve been ready for."

There are a lot of fantastic people in our industry whom you can learn a lot from on a variety of topics including dealing with customers, product technicalities, or just smart business advice according to Jason Clarke.

When asked the question, Jason Clarke is quick to respond “The people side is what I love. Helping people to get better, being able to get out and meet clients is the most enjoyable part of our industry.”

Business Made Personal is hosted by Mark Silveira, exploring the real journeys of leaders in insurance, business, and beyond.

Never miss an episode: Follow & Subscribe on https://bit.ly/bmp-Website
Join the conversation: Connect with us on https://bit.ly/bmp-LinkedIn
For enquiries, collaborations, or to suggest a guest: [email protected]