In 2022, theatre director Courtney Stewart disrupted a 97-year history when she became the first person of colour to be appointed Artistic Director and CEO of Brisbane’s La Boite Theatre: Australia’s oldest continuously running professional theatre company.   

The appointment marked a homecoming for the former dancer and actor, who grew up and trained in Brisbane before the bright lights of Sydney lured her south.  

In this episode of Dream Boldly, host Adam Brunes explores the delicate balance of honouring history and enacting change, finding yourself away from home, and making room for those who have historically been sidelined.  

Follow Courtney’s transition from aspiring children’s entertainer to acclaimed mainstage theatre director, learn her unique perspective about failing publicly and embracing vulnerability, and be inspired by her mission to change the world, one story at a time.  

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Recorded by The Podcast Boss on Turrbal and Jagera country in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Visionary architect Liam Proberts grew up in inner-Brisbane. In 1990, in the early years of his career, it was here he established his award-winning architectural studio, bureau^proberts.

For more than 30 years, Liam and his team have been at the forefront of innovative solutions for cultural, housing and development projects in Australia, Asia and the Middle East, including the design for the Australia Pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai.

But it is Liam’s hometown of Brisbane that has his heart, with up to 90% of his projects still delivered in south-east Queensland. 

In this episode of Dream Boldly, host Adam Brunes explores what inspires Liam and his team as they seek to express the character of Brisbane through good design. Discover Liam’s concept of ‘Brisbanism’ and the vision he carries to create places and spaces that keep people connected to where they live. 

Stay tuned for his prediction on the next boom suburb. And get the low down on which suburbs to watch as Brisbane embraces the immense opportunities for future city shaping, through the once-in-a-generation opportunity for the region as we prepare for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.

• Want to support Dream Boldly? Hit ‘follow’, leave a 5-star rating and/or share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

Recorded by The Podcast Boss on Turrbal and Jagera country in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Luke Fraser has travelled the world but proudly still lives in the same Brisbane postcode where he grew up.

CEO of Howard Smith Wharves, Queensland President of The Property Council of Australia and a passionate advocate for his hometown, Luke is proud of the identity Brisbane embraces as its own; and identity shaped by the people, climate and lifestyle.

While Howard Smith Wharves is now one of Brisbane’s must-visit destinations, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Luke and his team. When the site officially opened to the public in late 2018, no one could predict the global disruption and decimation that would follow a little over 12 months later. 

In this episode of Dream Boldly, host Adam Brunes chats to Luke about risk, reward and renewal as they explore the journey of turning a derelict wharf into an iconic Brisbane destination where Luke and his team work to balance commercial targets with a genuine commitment to sustainability.

Hear Luke’s views on a Brisbane that has matured into a metropolitan city, ready to own and tell its own story about who it is to the rest of the world. 

• Want to support Dream Boldly? Hit ‘follow’, leave a 5-star rating and/or share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

Recorded by The Podcast Boss on Turrbal and Jagera country in Meanjin/Brisbane.

What is Brisbane’s great untold story? Simon Hewett, Queensland Youth Orchestras’ Director of Music, reveals all.

If his professional title didn’t give it away, this episode of Dream Boldly unpacks the city’s relationship with music.

Simon reveals to host Adam Brunes Queensland’s best-kept secret — Brisbane’s reputation as a global leader in orchestral training and music education.

After spending 20 years with some of Europe’s leading opera and ballet companies, Simon returned home to help build Greater Brisbane's potential as a dominant force in the Pacific region. Learn more about Simon’s unique experience and plans for the future of music, plus his call for the city to step into the spotlight.

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• Want to support Dream Boldly? Hit ‘follow’, leave a 5-star rating and/or share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

Recorded by The Podcast Boss on Turrbal and Jagera country in Meanjin/Brisbane.

You’ll never guess where one of Brisbane’s most prominent media executives learnt her most valuable business lessons.

From a Kmart stockroom to newsrooms and boardrooms, Channel Nine Queensland Managing Director Kylie Blucher understands the value of pursuing every opportunity to the best of her ability. 

In this episode of Dream Boldly, host Adam Brunes learns how Kylie has navigated a precarious industry for more than 25 years and how she is leveraging her ability to evolve and adapt to position Brisbane for future success. 

A media maven, Kylie is also a champion of the arts, recognising its power to connect people, bestow a sense of purpose and place and tell critical stories about who we are and where we belong. 

Learn more about her vision for the future of Greater Brisbane and how it is being influenced by artists, athletes and astute business operators alike. 

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What great opportunities have arisen, simply because someone dared to ask the question?

The Creative Brisbane Collab. was formed for this reason — to question, empower imaginations and unify the city’s corporate and creative sectors in a single, powerful voice.

Its vision, like this podcast, is to Dream Boldly and position Brisbane as the place to be.

In this episode, host Adam Brunes turns the tables and puts four members of the Collab in the passenger seat, including the Committee for Brisbane CEO Barton Green, Fashion Council Queensland’s Liz Golding, co-owner of The Tivoli and The Princess Theatre Steve Sleswick and Chris Watson, Risk Consulting Partner at Grant Thornton.

Together, our panel unpacks what’s missing from the city’s creative sector, how corporations can attract and retain world-class talent in the city and what needs to change for arts and culture to be seen as commercially viable.

• Want to support Dream Boldly? Hit ‘follow’, leave a 5-star rating and/or share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

After 18 years away from her hometown of Brisbane, Kate Gould returned in 2021 to take the helm as CEO and Artistic Director at the iconic Brisbane Powerhouse.

A renowned powerhouse herself, Kate has enjoyed a 30-year career as one of Australia’s leading cultural entrepreneurs and strategic advisors. 

Kicking off her career in Brisbane, Kate went on to hold the role of CEO and Associate Artistic Director of Adelaide Festival for almost 10 years, was co-founder and Executive Director of MONA’s annual winter arts festival Dark MOFO in Hobart, as well as championing the Crows AFL Women’s Team while Director of the Adelaide Football Club. 

Kate returned to Brisbane with a vision to see new audiences connecting to the arts and recently led the charge on what has become Australia’s latest cultural tourism phenomenon, Night Feast.

In this episode of Dream Boldly, host Adam Brunes learns what has motivated Kate to continue to pursue creative innovation and her vision to create an egalitarian space that welcomes all to engage at Brisbane Powerhouse. 

Discover how the risks she has taken in her career have fed the courage needed to rally others around her bold ideas and her pursuit of growth in the cultural capital of Greater Brisbane as we look to the Olympics and beyond.

• Want to support Dream Boldly? Hit ‘follow’, leave a 5-star rating and/or share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

Recorded by The Podcast Boss on Turrbal and Jagera country in Meanjin/Brisbane.

Is this the most exciting time in Brisbane’s history? What is the city’s greatest asset?

If you know prominent business identity Steve Wilson, then you likely know the answers to these questions. And if you don’t, we recommend you press play.

In the first episode of Dream Boldly, host Adam Brunes finds out why Steve — a man who has lived and worked in some of the world’s great global cities — chooses to call Brisbane home and invest his energy, time and talents into its future.

From reinvigorating South Bank after Expo 88 to restoring The Princess Theatre to its former glory, Steve has proven himself a bold visionary with deep respect for the city’s history. Learn more about his big-picture thinking and how it could help shape the future of Greater Brisbane.

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• Want to support Dream Boldly? Hit ‘follow’, leave a 5-star rating and/or share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

Recorded by The Podcast Boss on Turrbal and Jagera country in Meanjin/Brisbane.