DNA Of Purpose

Welcome to Episode 7 of the Decoding Purpose podcast. Over the last few weeks we have explored many facets of what it is to live a life of purpose. We have had conversations that define purpose, look at the science behind purpose, the role of storytelling, purpose in leadership, collaborative purpose, and of course in our last episode we looked at The Purpose Effect, a conversation with a core focus on the intersection between business and purpose.
In today’s podcast I interview Carolyn Tate, a marketer by trade, turned author, with a passion for purpose-digging, writing, speaking, teaching and community. With 20 years in large organisations such as Westpac, Merrill Lynch and running her own business, her insight into our personal sense of purpose and the way this interacts with organisational purpose is unique and incredibly insightful. Her company, Carolyn Tate & Co. is an education and publishing company dedicated to unearthing a higher purpose in people and organisations.
What I loved about interviewing Carolyn is while she is certainly an expert of purpose in business, her approach to purpose looks at the unfolding or rediscovery of purpose. She explores the idea that we are all born with purpose as an innate part of who we are, and that it is conditioning, belief systems and cultural paradigms that lead us to burying our purpose away into the unconscious parts of who we are. With that in mind, how do we go about remembering who we are...and rediscovering the unique purpose we were born with.
In today's conversation Carolyn and I discuss:

• The cultural paradigms and beliefs that can cause us to bury or forget our purpose
• The role leaders can play in unearthing personal purpose in order to activate organisational purpose
• What a business can learn about purpose from the cycles of nature
• The differences between purpose and passion
• The role of purpose in influencing decision making
• How to differentiate between purpose and distractions
• And finally we end with a beautiful meditation to assist you in unearthing your golden buddha. Just a warning if you are driving your car, maybe save the last few minutes for a quieter time!

Welcome to another episode of Decoding Purpose with the incredible Carolyn Tate.
https://carolyntate.co/

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The Friday morning I spoke with Dan Pontefract wasn’t just the morning I recorded episode number 6 of Decoding Purpose. It was the morning I spent laughing and exploring big ideas with a new friend. One of my favourite things about this podcast is that it’s bringing together so many like minded, on purpose people. My world is so getting so much bigger, and the best part? I get to share that with my Decoding Purpose audience.
Dan Pontefract is a renowned voice in organisational culture and leadership - in a past life he got the staff engagement levels to almost 90% at TELUS, one of Canada’s biggest telecommunications companies! He’s now authored several books, spoken at a number of TED events and regularly writes for the likes of Forbes, Harvard Business Review and The Huffington Post. Having now founded his own firm, The Pontefract Group, Dan and I enjoyed a conversation about all the incredible things he’s learnt in his career, and lifetime, about finding our sweet spots as humans.
“you know you’re in the sweet spot, when you wake up and whether it’s a Monday or a Saturday, so whether it’s work or life, you’re not dreading anything. You want to get up on a Saturday and go, you want to get up on a Monday, and go, because whether it’s work or life, it’s like you’ve found it! You’re not dreading a thing. SO that’s the personal question you’ve got to ask is, am I dreading anything or am I actually looking forward to whatever the day has instore for me whether it’s a weekend, weekday or I’m on holiday.”
As someone who’s seen the reality of life in huge organisations, and the importance of having your people engaged and committed to both their own sense of purpose, and the organisation’s sense of purpose, Dan is the perfect blend of down to earth, insightful, analytical yet unashamedly human. Sounds like the perfect person to interview on Decoding Purpose right? We touched on how to find your sweet spot, what it feels like to be operating in your purpose, how to inspire those around you and organisationally the importance of allowing individuals to take the space to chase their own personal purpose.
We discussed the process of The Purpose Effect, the activation of personal purpose and how to align that purpose to an organisational mission. We looked at challenges faced by modern leaders in implementing purpose-driven business strategies and debunked some of the common myths about purpose.
It truly is a delight to share this conversation with you.

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There is an age-old saying that 'Two heads are better than one' and that is why in episode 5 of The Decoding Purpose Podcast I wanted to unlock everything there is to know about collaboration. The art of creating shared purpose.
Today's guest is a self-proclaimed marketing geek with a passion for playing cupid in the world of brand partnerships. Her name is Jess Ruhfus and she is the founder of Collabosaurus, a brand-to-brand matchmaker for marketing partnerships.
Jess founded Collabosaurus in 2014, and since then the business has grown core revenue at an average of 157% year on year. That said, a very down to earth Jess would tell you herself that while she is extremely proud of her entrepreneurial success....her adventure has only just begun. Jess is undoubtedly the Aphrodite of brand partnerships and I have watched in awe from the sidelines as this 'match making' goddess continues to rise.
Collabosaurus was built with the intention to source and create growth opportunities in any industry via collaboration, and the same principles are so easily applied to the pursuit of shared purpose. That is why I am so excited about today's episode of decoding purpose.
Jess and I unpacked a plethora of tools and tips to assist any leader looking to collaborate. We covered off:

• What to look out for in the right purpose partner.
• How to attract and or reach out to that person or brand.
• How do we find the collaboration sweet spot via an alignment in values, aesthetics and outcomes.
• The importance of embracing a Karma Culture in shared purpose and why an abundant mindset is at the heart of successful purpose partnerships.

While Jess is a specialist in brand partnerships, this podcast has something for everyone.
For those of you seeking to better understand purpose this podcast will unlock what it takes to get clear on your purpose, in order to go on a shared adventure of purpose with another. For corporate leaders looking to enhance collaboration within an organisation Jess’s partnership process is sure to provide a pathway to break down silos and get your teams working together on shared projects.
To the entrepreneurs of those of you who dream of becoming one...this podcast is FOR YOU! There is so much to learn about purpose by simply hearing Jess's incredible startup journey. While there have been epics wins along the way (Jess in the winner of the ANTHILL 30Under30 AWARD 2017 amongst other awards), the growth of Collabosaurus has also required a special kind of grit that only comes from a sheer faith in purpose...and a deep inner knowing that the universe will lead the way.
So, kick back, find a friend, grab a coffee or beverage of your choice, and get ready to dive into your collaborative joy. The joy found in gathering together to share in purpose.

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There’s nothing more exciting than finding somebody that not only matches, but maybe even levels up my enthusiasm when discussing the topic of purpose. With such a big topic it’s not often that you come across an “expert” in the matter, and when you do, it doesn’t necessarily mean that our ideas are going to align. But thankfully, in the case of Zach Mercurio, I found a kindred spirit!
Zach Mercurio, is one of the leading experts in the role of purpose and meaning in organisation’s, work and life. Through speaking, consulting, and research, Zach has helped diverse organizations and individuals around the world understand how purpose and meaning unleashes human potential to create thriving organizations and lives.
The author of “The Invisible Leader: Transform Your Life, Work, and Organization withthe Power of Authentic Purpose”, founder and author of PurposeSpeaks.com, thepopular blog on purposeful leadership, Zach serves as a researcher and Adjunct Faculty at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado where he teaches courses on purposeful leadership and organizational development as he completes his PhD in Organizational Learning, Performance, & Change.
The short story is, that he really knows his stuff when it comes to creating and strengthening the links between encouraging individuals to refine their authentic purpose, and the purpose of the organisations they are working for.
In today’s podcast, we touched on things like how our individual sense of self is critical to the broader strategic goals of our organisations, the role of understanding and exploring our own contribution and significance in everything we do, and how important taking the time to inspect and craft our own narratives around these things can help make our collective impact greater.
“When people realise that they can do it now, where they are, that they don’t have to make a drastic career shift…but that right now there is inherent meaning and purpose in their everyday and that this whole purpose thing isn’t as daunting as it sounds...it can be decoded and brought into our micro-practices.”
https://www.zachmercurio.com/https://www.purposespeaks.com

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If you’ve tuned into the first few eps of my podcast, you’ll have heard by now that Decoding Purpose is all about exploring every avenue I can find about this idea of purpose. Already, in our few short weeks we’ve delved into organisational purpose, and taken a trip down science lane to explore what our bodies and science can teach us about this concept of purpose, and in this conversation with international journalist Amy Molloy, we delve into what I see as a huge part of the heart and soul of this conversation - our personal purpose, and how our stories continually transform the way we approach our reason for existence.
Amy’s sell-out book, The World is a Nice Place: How to Overcome Adversity Joyfully was the product of ten years' worth of research, interviewing empowered survivors about their coping mechanisms for overcoming the worst experiences of your life whilst still hoping for the best. To date, she has written 14 books under her own name as a ghost-writer for high-profile entrepreneurs, entertainers and wellness influencers. The woman is an absolute powerhouse, but also one of the most down to earth and heartfelt people I’ve ever crossed paths with.
As a master story-teller, and someone who her husband has nicknamed ‘the storytelling whisperer’ because of her innate ability to draw the important stories out of the people around her, Amy has a beautiful way of acknowledging the way that our stories and the way we tell them has changed, but their influence has not. As a tool for influencing our purpose, Amy and I spoke about how stories of hardship, of motherhood, of grief and hope and joy, all contribute to us feeling day to day, the ability to change our worlds for the better.
I know I’m not allowed to pick favourites, and every podcast I record is special, but there was something really close to my heart about this conversation with Amy. So special one part of me wanted to keep it to myself, but the other part of me knows needs to get it out into the world! I’m excited to share this one with you - be sure to check it out, and get your hands on Amy’s books, she truly is a purpose-filled world changer!
https://www.amymolloy.com.au/

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The word purpose has worked its way into part of our everyday vocabulary. Not just in business, but also in our personal lives, the concept of delving into the very existence of ourselves and our organisations has become something that we as humans crave. But where do we begin with such a big, lofty concept? What are some of the steps we can take to explore our purpose, and apply it to our lives?
Today’s guest, Tané Hunter, is a self confessed science geek, a cancer researcher, bio-informatics, and science communicator. He’s a co-founder of Future Crunch, as well as a data analytics startup, Lighthouse. He holds a Masters in Bioinformatics from the University of Melbourne, and has worked for the Melbourne Royal Children’s Hospital diagnosing rare genetic diseases. In short, this guy knows a lot about the way our bodies work.
But what do our bodies have to say about the idea of purpose? In today’s conversation Tane and I take a look at what this intersection is of biology and existence, and what the impact of being on purpose can have on our bodies.
We talked about epigenetics, positive psychology, evolution, neuroscience, storytelling, DNA and almost everything in between, so prepare to learn a whole lot about your body that you never knew before.
“If people walk away from this with anything, I want them to walk away realising they can control the information that comes to them, and understand the profound effects it has on your purpose, your health and on your direction and your life…if you feed yourself junk food, negative news and fear-mongering…then you’re going to be unhealthy and not able to fulfil your purpose. Take ownership, take control.”
Knowing Tane and the Future Crunch crew, I knew that today’s chat was destined to be great, but I can hand on heart say this was an enlightening and exciting conversation. Bringing together two worlds, the world of science and the world of purpose took us down some rabbit holes that taught me more than I was expecting about the gravity of this thing we’re chasing, this examination of our existence.

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It feels like there’s no better place to start for exploring the concept of purpose, than with a discussion with Karen James. This absolute powerhouse of an author, facilitator, consultant and keynote speaker has thrown all that she’s got at elevating our conversations of purpose as a society, and enabling everyone to tap into the power of examining existence.
An engineer by background, a passionate social advocate by choice, a champion for women’s rights and a proud single mother, it’s no surprise that my conversation with Karen was not only filled with soulful insight, but with stories, practical advice and tools for what it means to identify and implement purpose in our lives.
We dove in on some of the biggest questions possible surrounding the idea of purpose, like is discovering purpose a choice or chance? When truly switched on, how can purpose help guide some of our day-to-day actions, not just our overarching strategies? What role does storytelling play in the role of purpose?
“It [discovering your purpose] can take months, but once you’ve nailed it, it can last you decades”
It can be hard to talk about purpose without it becoming a conversation of lofty concepts and ambiguous references, which made my conversation with Karen all the more impressive. I walked away with some really clear inspiration on how to begin working through these questions for myself and my business. How to create a purpose blueprint, and the important of knowing what we stand for and value and how these things can become a compass, and not just a collection of nice words.
“If you have a strategy, or a purpose, that you can’t execute, you just have a slogan” - Karen James

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