Curveball

Were we tempting fate hosting a show called Curveball? 

Because it feels a little like the universe wants us to have more first-hand experience of adversity. 

As 2022 began, host Kellie Riordan was champing at the bit to bring you some amazing new guests with stories of resilience.  

Then the Australian floods in February ruined the Curveball studio (and most of Kellie’s house!). 

So Kellie and her family had to pack up their lives and move out. We’d just got a temporary “studio” set up at Kellie’s new place when she was thrown a few more curveballs. Including one that landed her in hospital.... 

Curveball’s the show that leans into life’s messiest moments and so we’re leaning hard! Make sure you’re following Curveball in your podcast app, so you don’t miss those outstanding stories, and heaps more to come! 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messiest moments. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gaven Morris has put his doubts aside and stepped into a leadership role at the ABC, but his trials are far from over.  

While he’s trying to un-learn everything he was taught as a journalist in order to become a more open-minded, proactive leader, life starts to unravel around him.  

Family illnesses and a workplace tragedy that kills several of his colleagues shatter the foundations of Gaven’s work life.  

And looming large at all times is the rapidly changing media landscape. How do you define the ABC when the B isn’t in the name anymore? What does news look like in a post-broadcast world? And how do you lead for that type of radical disruption? 

In part 2, Gaven Morris has to find his centre again, all while trying to convince bastions of traditional media that the future isn’t as dark as it may seem.  

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their trickiest challenges and give you the tips they’ve learned the hard way. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to discover more about leadership, productivity, and overcoming challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter. 

You can also suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Justin Rouillon.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

 We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gaven Morris is the man behind most of the news you consume on a daily basis. As the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Director of News, Gaven’s led many of the country’s top reporters and best-loved programs.  

But now he’s stepping away from this leadership role, and reflecting on his time in one of the most rapidly changing industries.  

Journalism isn’t the most logical path to leadership. When he was deciding whether or not to take a leadership role at the ABC, Gaven realised he was in a pretty tough spot: he’d become an expert in everything but how a great leader should operate. 

In part 1 of this candid interview, Gaven gives you a rare glimpse into the defining moments in his career: traumatic experiences, reporting from far-flung places, and the delayed effects of this on his mental health.   

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

 Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

 This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Justin Rouillon.  

 The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

 We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The crowd is spilling out of a Bob Geldof event, but one wily ex-reporter has tapped into her performing arts know-how to get backstage. Armed with nothing but a business card and a tiny handwritten message, she’s trying to get her name to rockstar Bono and his new venture, PRODUCT (RED).  

It might sound ludicrous. And it kind of was. Greta Thomas was a marketing professional in Sydney, Australia. She had no connection to U2’s frontman Bono and she didn’t know anyone working on his PRODUCT (RED) campaign. But when Greta’s determined to make something happen, she doesn’t take the first no. “You don’t even take the tenth no. If you’re really passionate about something, there’s more than one way to get from A to B.” 

And the winding path is her speciality. A trained ballet dancer, Greta Thomas didn’t finish high school or take on under-graduate studies at university. And yet her career has taken her from dance, to journalism and PR, to marketing roles at eBay and the Sydney Opera House, and now to a role advising and mentoring innovation companies with her company Full Potential Labs.  

Greta and her business partner Claire Hatton host the podcast Don’t Stop Us Now. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders unpack their darkest moments and share tips on how to deal with challenging times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  And please do suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Justin Rouillon. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the ‘why’ is missing, often so is our motivation. 

Something I’ve noticed about people who bounce back from adversity, is they tend to have a strong sense of purpose – and if they don’t have one when that curveball hits, it sure prompts them to find it! 

Take Who Give a Crap founder Simon Griffiths – when his body gave out and exhaustion hit, his passion to make others’ lives better literally helped him get out of bed. 

Or Meggie Palmer – she lived through an unfair situation in her own work life, and it’s given her the motivation to help others fight for equal pay. And it’s driven her towards success in her own life. 

And Liz Broderick, whose purpose for justice was seeded when she was very young, developed her why by listening to thousands of women. That strong sense of fairness has sustained her throughout her whole career. 

When things are challenging, it’s useful to go right back to exactly why you’re doing a project or trying a new approach. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Education can change your life in a generation.” 

When RMIT University announced its newest Chancellor would be Richmond Football Club President Peggy O’Neal, those words from her mother might just have been on Peggy’s mind. 

From the tiny coal-mining town she grew up in, Peggy became the first member of her family to graduate university. Then the first woman hired by an establishment law firm. And then the first female president of the Richmond Tigers AFL club. 

Now Peggy will take her formidable leadership skills into higher education. 

(If you’ve never heard Peggy’s full interview on Curveball – what are you waiting for? Just scroll back in your feed and press play.) 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

You can also sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter which packs a leadership punch each week! 

Know a great leader who should be on Curveball? Drop us a line www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was edited by Liam Riordan. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

 We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The more you fail, the easier it gets. People get scared of failing. I know this is something that anyone entrepreneurial will say, but every time you lose all your money, it becomes easier. Because you know you can pick yourself up.” 

Declan Lee never chooses the easy path. These days he’s one of four owners of the famous Messina gelato chain, but he's had to pick himself up a few times already. 

As a music promoter, Declan once felt the full thrust of losing all his money when he booked what seemed to be a no brainer – electronic act Underworld – only to find a near-empty room when he arrived for the show. 

He lost money on a TV show that was ahead of its time – a pre-cursor to Ninja Warrior that saw athletes compete in gruelling physical challenges. 

And he’s also dabbled in physiotherapy, DJing, and restaurants. So what did it take to build an ice-cream empire and what lessons has he taken with him after so many flops? 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Liam Riordan and Rachel Fountain, with sound design by Justin Roullion.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kate Vale was appointed Google Australia’s first employee, she didn’t have an office or a mobile phone. She found herself answering her home landline to do business! 

From humble beginnings she used her HR background to quickly build a team, and grew Google Australia to record revenues and eventually to IPO. 

Ever the digital pioneer since her days managing a dot com company before the crash, Kate Vale then headed up Spotify in Australia. 

Eventually she moved to California, the epicentre of start-up and digital culture. She’s now running a venture capital fund called Aliavia that’s focussed on supporting female founders who are often overlooked for investment. 

She takes you inside the famous Google hiring process and gives her take on what it takes to thrive while leading digital companies. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember when Michael Fox first joined us on Curveball? He’d clawed his way back from a bruising collapse of his first start-up Shoes of Prey to build a new company.  

Fable Foods creates a meat-alternative from shiitake mushrooms and Michael and his co-founders had convinced celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal to be part of their journey.  

But Covid had hit and Michael wasn’t sure his newly-established food manufacturing plant would survive the pandemic.   

Michael Fox is the ultimate optimist and since he last joined us on season 1 of Curveball, he’s secured more investment, scaled up his company, and now expanded into several fast food chains.   

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.   

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced Liam Riordan. Curveball’s executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olivia Humphrey has taken her company Kanopy from her spare bedroom in Perth to San Francisco... and turned down some pretty enticing investment offers along the way.  

She stuck to her guns, keeping her values front of mind at all times, and it paid off. I mean – it really paid off! Kanopy has sold for an eye-watering price. 

In part two of this revealing interview, Olivia Humphrey walks us through the sale of Kanopy to a private equity firm. It’s the little-told part of many business stories. It also lands Olivia back in Australia where she’s already working on a range of exciting investments and philanthropic projects.  

And if you haven’t heard part one, go and download it right now! Olivia Humphrey tells Curveball how she came up with the idea to streamline the way universities could secure rights for films and documentaries for students. Her journey building Kanopy from scratch is incredible and it’s one of Australia’s greatest start-up success stories. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders tell us how they thrive in challenging times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter. 

And hey, do suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Grace Pashley and Liam Riordan, with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.