Cynthia Dearin’s resume is lengthy enough to require its own filing cabinet. With nearly 20 years experience in international business, she’s also been a diplomat for the Australian government, a consultant in Iraq, and a teacher.

Now, Cynthia is managing director of Dearin & Associates, an international business consultancy that looks to help businesses access new and exciting opportunities in emerging markets — all while utilizing the power of cultural understanding and empathy.

On the show, Cynthia shares some of her stories from Iraq, how her fluency in Arabic gained her a host of opportunities across the world, and why understanding another culture — rather than criticising it — is so important.

In this episode, we also chat about:

• How Cynthia (unexpectedly) ended up in the Middle East

• Common misconceptions about Middle Eastern culture

• How Cynthia became fluent in Arabic

• The dynamic of being a white woman in the Middle East

• How a tragedy in Iraq forced her to reconsider her priorities

• Why there are more things that unite people than divide them

• What you can do to become better at understanding other cultures

• Why learning a language can change your life

Links:

Dearin & Associates

Twitter

LinkedIn

If you take away words, how effective would your communication be? In today’s episode of the Communicator podcast, Equestrian coach Trish Braithwaite argues there is a myriad of effective communication methods without words. Trish is currently an Equestrian Australia-qualified D Level (Australian National medium/advanced) dressage judge and regularly trains to upgrade.  As a full-time freelance coach, Trish travels daily around the greater Brisbane area coaching at private and club facilities.

Trish shares with us what effective communication looks like through the lenses of nonverbal and body language communication. Trish also talks about how to establish yourself as a leader in the eyes of a horse and how adaptation, patience, and persistence are all keys to communication on the saddle (and off it).

Topics also covered in this episode:

• Why ‘give and take’ is so important

• Why communication is never a one-way street

• How to gain trust with anyone

• Why dedicating yourself to one thing helps you learn more about yourself

• Why equestrians ‘ride with their skeletons’

• The key to working better in a team

• How to establish yourself as the adult in any situation

• Why repetitive tasks are the essence of mastery

• Why adaptation is the key to success in just about anything

Links:

Website
Facebook
Articles

When you were growing up, did you ever feel silenced as a kid? Have you ever wondered if we could be teaching and communicating with children more effectively? Then you’ll be fascinated by this week’s episode of Communicator. On the show, I’m speaking with Tracy Harrison about our misconceptions surrounding children and how to actively listen more.

As the founder of Ignite Parenting, Tracy brings a specialty in early childhood education into practice—planning programs and workshops within engaging environments. Tracy and I discuss the idea of children as capable and competent, and what we can do to encourage our kids to feel a greater sense of well-being. Tracy also touches upon non-verbal communication and all the ways it can go ignored.

You’ll find plenty more to intrigue you in this podcast, including:

• What it means to give children a sense of free expression

• How we can engage and educate our children through play

• The phases of non-verbal communication in early childhood

• Why we should be listening to and acknowledging our kids

• How to handle information overload with parenting styles

• Why self-worth and well-being are crucial to us in adulthood

• How our emotions are affected by generational baggage

Links:

Ignite Parenting

Have you ever thought about how your body communicates with you and the world? In today’s episode of Communicator, I talk with Chiropractor, doula, and childbirth educator Therese Perdedjian. Therese travelled to Christchurch after the earthquake in 2011, the Dominican Republic after the Haitian earthquake, and has started 2 organization's: MissyonTrips which sends teams of health professionals to Armenia to serve the kids in orphanages, as well as Blessed Bundles, which empowers girls in orphanages around the world through educating about childbirth

Therese Perdedjian and I discuss the different ways your body is constantly communicating. From the physical, to how your body stores up energy over time, to the sacred geometry that makes up your body and all living things, Therese is the expert in the physical nature of communication. She also dives into how the subconscious mind influences your body communication, why pain reduction is only the beginning of the healing process, and how to be more in touch with your physical self.  

Therese also covers:

• Why your body stores physical memories
• Why patients are an essential part of the healing process
• Why pain reduction is only the beginning of becoming a healthier person
• Why feedback generates trust
• The difference between interpretation and translation
• Why language is so linear
• What is ‘sacred geometry’ and how it can transform your world
• The secret to understanding your body’s communication better

Links:

Website
Facebook
Linkedin

Do you ever feel nervous and awkward in front of the camera? Do you find yourself wondering how actors and actresses communicate so easily and effortlessly? Then you’ll want to stay tuned for this week’s episode of Communicator. On today’s show, I chat with Natasha Zuvela about video marketing and the art of being your best self in-person and on-camera.

Since her first gig at MTV Australia and Europe, where she hosted the #1 rated MTV show for 3 years straight—reaching over 60 million viewers—Natasha’s been helping clients transform their businesses, and their feelings of self-worth, through her company, Video Mastery. Natasha and I cover everything from persona to charisma and the magic that happens when the camera starts rolling.

We touched on many other topics as well, including:

• What it takes to stand out from the competition on-camera

• How to channel your most charismatic persona

• How your self-confidence and self-worth can skyrocket overnight

• Natasha’s strategy for growth and achieving success

• Why you should be looking at yourself on camera

• The secret to moving past your deepest and darkest fears

Links:

Video Mastery
Natasha Zuvela’s Twitter

Are you intrigued by other people’s quirks and personalities? Do you ever ask yourself how you could be communicating more effectively, person to person? Then sit tight, because this week’s episode of Communicator is right up your alley. I chat with Mary Trantino about recognizing and communicating with other personalities—through the metaphor of birds!

A former accountant and independent consultant in the industry of children’s entertainment and educational products, Mary Trantino now heads the Photography Business Academy. Mary and I discuss the fundamental keys of communication in 2018, and the unique idea that we’re all just birds of a different feather at heart. Mary explores the five decision-making personalities that we all encounter and engage, day-to-day.

You won’t want to miss this insightful podcast, which also covers:

• What it means to build a relationship with a peer or client
• How you can maximize your sales, simply by communicating
• Why it’s crucial to listen closely to your clients, from the start
• The “Eagle” as a decision maker
• The “Dove” as a decision maker
• The “Peacock” as a decision maker
• The “Robin” and “Owl” as decision making personalities
• How you can be authentic and effective as a communicator

Links:

Website
Mary Trantino - Linkedin
Mary Trantino - Facebook

It’s so easy for us to get completely caught up in our own little business worlds that we forget that, to our customers, what we think we’re communicating can often be a foreign language. That’s why I was so glad to have the chance to talk to Jill Brennan in this latest episode of the Communicator podcast.

As a professional marketing consultant and founder of Harbren Marketing, Jill works with ambitious small businesses that want to build their own marketing engine that makes their marketing repeatable and scalable. Jill’s a master at helping businesses communicate with their customers from a perspective of empathy and perspective.

During our conversation, she brings some fantastic insights into how we can all communicate more effectively, both with our clients and as people. Not only does it make perfect sense, but best of all, it’s stuff that’s useful and actionable right now in your business or personal life.

But the goodies don’t stop there. We also get into:

• Why empathy can be more important than words
• Why a good vocabulary also has its place
• Understanding your own perspective and that of others
• Having a bigger vision for your clients than even they have
• How branding and collateral fits in to all this
• Tell the story of your business – it can be a key competitive advantage
• The value of communicating your mistakes and struggles
• Message attachment and objectivity
• The super secret of marketing communicators – Control-F

Links:

Jill Brennan – Linkedin
Harbren Marketing
Lulu Lemon
Photofeeler

Thinking is encouraged throughout our lives. Whether that be at school or work, thinking about what we do and how we do it plays a part. On this weeks episode of Communicator Ronsley Vaz joins Jason and turns the table on him. Jason is a celebrated portrait photographer and podcast host.

Jason shares an in-depth chat about his artistic process and how thinking is one of the things that holds us back from achieving our potential. Not only that, but for the first time in the history of the communicator podcast, you’ll get to see the inner workings of the podcast host and how he sees communication. We talk about how our societal tendency to think about everything often holds us back from making the art we want to make, because creativity and thinking are like oil and water.

Just ask Jason Malouin, the communicator host, and portrait photographer.

We also get into the following:

• Why creativity isn’t everything.
• How to create your artistic process
• Why restrictions are right for your life and art
• Why people feel like they need permission to show themselves
• Why people are essential to all artist’s work
• Why doubt has no place in your creative process
• Why we go with our thoughts over our instincts
• How to altogether avoid creating from scratch

Links:

Jason Malouin - Website
Jason Malouin - Twitter
Jason Malouin - Facebook

Achieving absolute clarity in your communication can sometimes seem like a herculean task. Lucky for us there is a highly acclaimed coach that spends his life teaching people how. Educator and mentor, Geoff Hetherington has spent years teaching people from all different walks of life how to be more explicit in their communication. He’s helped people in business, accountants, speakers, writers, chemists, data scientists, etc. see what they weren’t seeing.

Geoff remains the youngest person ever elected to the YMCA Board of Directors (at age 17), served for five years as Chairman of the Sutherland Shire Skillshare Project, and is currently the Chairman of the Central Coast Business Enterprise Centre. In this episode, Geoff and I discuss how to achieve clarity through communication, and how it can be both challenging and incredibly rewarding to get your message across with as few and fine tuned words as possible.

We also get into the following:

• What the first rule of communication is in any setting.
• What Alexander The Great can teach you about clarity in communication
• The difference between conscious competence and unconscious competence
• What it's like to run five businesses in Indonesia
• Why the human connection is the key to any discussion
• Why You should never trust a coach who doesn’t have a coach
• How Geoff’s detangling can help you
• The virtues of telling people you’re going to sell them up front

Links:

Geoff Hetherington - Website
Geoff Hetherington - Twitter
Geoff Hetherington - Facebook

Dympna Kennedy shares why listening is the best thing to do. The mother, author, entrepreneur and child psychology expert has a simple and reassuring approach to parenting: parents need to listen to their children, rather than simply telling them what and what not to do at every moment. On a recent episode of Communicator, Dympna and I met to chat about how traditional, authoritative parenting styles are leading to generations of adults that are stressed, have trouble connecting and continue to perpetuate an unhealthy parenting style.

Dympna is the founder of Creating Balance, an organisation that for more than 18 years has been at the forefront of promoting mindful, emotionally intelligent parenting. In addition to being a certified Circle of Security Parent Educator, founder of the SSSIB Parenting Program, and having a host of other qualifications, she is an incredibly gifted and devoted early childhood expert. In this episode, Dympna and I delve into some of the profound insights that are changing the way parents treat their children.

We also get into the following:

• Why 1 in 4 babies has notable mental health issues before their first birthday

• How to be both a friend and protector for your children

• Why every parent already knows how to make their children calm and happy

• A newer, more intelligent definition of “respect”

• How the way an adult treats children is indicative of their own childhood

• The four key personality traits of a good parent

• How to curb attention-seeking behaviour in children

• Why too many adults are “fairweather parents”

Links:

Dympna Kennedy - LinkedIn
Creating Balance