Lead Well Live Well

What does it take to keep growing as a leader when your business, team and responsibilities are changing around you?

In this episode of Lead Well Live Well, Mark Bilton sits down with Dane Hudson, an international leader with more than 20 years of experience as a corporate CEO and the author of Discipline Beats Vision.

Drawing on a career that has taken him across industries, countries and organisations of very different sizes, Dane shares the leadership lessons that have stayed with him throughout it all. They explore why trust comes before accountability, how leaders shape culture through their behaviour, why different people need different styles of leadership, and what it means to treat leadership as a craft.

Dane also discusses the challenges facing today’s founders and CEOs, from scaling their own leadership as quickly as the business to hiring great people, testing before scaling and having trusted people who can challenge them honestly.

It is a practical conversation about discipline, self-awareness, culture, resilience and why vision alone is never enough.

If you are leading a business, building a team or stepping into greater responsibility, this episode will give you plenty to think about.

What happens when leaders keep giving people the answers instead of helping them think for themselves?

In a world of AI, uncertainty and constant change, leaders need people who can think clearly, adapt quickly and make good decisions under pressure.

In this episode, Mark Bilton speaks with Kristen Hansen, International Speaker and Leadership Neuroscience Expert, about what neuroscience can teach us about leadership, performance and the way people respond under pressure.

Kristen explains why traditional command-and-control leadership is becoming less effective, how emotional states influence decision-making and team performance, and why asking better questions can help develop more capable, independent thinkers. 

They also explore emotional and social intelligence, how leaders can regulate their own state, the importance of white space and brain breaks, and why giving people greater ownership can help move teams from compliance to commitment. 

Kristen founded EnHansen Performance after seeing that the so-called “soft skills” of leadership were often undervalued. Her work uses practical neuroscience to help leaders better understand themselves, develop others and improve performance. 

A practical conversation for leaders who want to think better, lead better and help their people perform at their best.

Learn more about Kristen:
kristenhansen.com.au
enhansenperformance.com.au

If this conversation challenged the way you think about leadership, keep going.
Discover more practical insights, programmes and resources to help you lead with greater clarity, build stronger teams and improve performance at Lead Well Live Well:
https://www.leadwelllivewell.com.au/

In this episode of Lead Well Live Well, Mark Bilton sits down with Matt Formston AM, High Performance Athlete, Trust and Leadership Expert, whose remarkable journey spans the corporate boardroom, elite sport and some of the world’s most challenging environments.

Diagnosed as legally blind at just five years old, Matt built a successful senior executive career at Optus while simultaneously becoming a multiple World Champion, Guinness World Record holder and elite big-wave para surfer. The leadership principles he now shares were not learned in a classroom. They were forged through years of navigating adversity, building trust, maintaining high standards and performing under pressure.

Together, Mark and Matt explore what high performance really looks like, why accountability begins with personal standards, how leaders can create psychologically safe teams without lowering expectations, and why trust remains one of the most powerful drivers of leadership success.

Whether you are leading a business, managing a team or striving for personal growth, this conversation offers practical insights you can apply immediately.

In this episode:

Learn more about Matt Formston at mattformston.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow Lead Well Live Well for more conversations with experienced leaders sharing practical insights on leadership, strategy and building organisations that thrive.

Growing revenue does not always mean building a stronger business.

Many founders reach a point where the business becomes more complex, cash feels tighter, and the decisions that once came naturally become increasingly difficult. The skills that helped build the business are not always the same skills needed to scale it.

In this episode, Mark Bilton is joined by Neil Livingstone, an experienced CFO, commercial advisor, and Co-Founder of Founder Freedom. CPA qualified through PwC, Neil has spent decades helping founders strengthen cash flow, improve working capital, build financial operating systems, and transition from founder to CEO.

Together, they explore why financial leadership is about far more than understanding the numbers. It is about creating clarity, building disciplined operating rhythms, making better decisions, embracing AI with purpose, and developing businesses that generate sustainable, long-term wealth.

If you are a founder, CEO, business owner, or executive leader looking to build a stronger, more resilient organisation, this conversation offers practical insights you can begin applying immediately.

About Neil Livingstone

Neil Livingstone is a CFO Advisor, commercial advisor, and Co-Founder of Founder Freedom. He specialises in cash velocity, forecasting discipline, working capital, and financial operating systems that help ambitious businesses scale with confidence. His experience spans capital raising, strategic growth, and guiding founders through successful business exits.

About Lead Well Live Well

Lead Well Live Well equips founders, CEOs, executives, and leadership teams to lead with greater clarity, strategy, and purpose through practical leadership conversations, strategic advisory, and executive development.

In this episode of Lead Well Live Well, Mark Bilton speaks with Aidan Nuttall, Strategy Facilitator and Strategy Execution Specialist, about what strategy looks like in a world shaped by AI, uncertainty, and rapid change.

They explore why traditional strategic planning is no longer enough, and why leaders need to move from static plans to strategic action, shorter learning cycles, experimentation, and stronger team alignment.

Aidan shares practical insight on how organisations can use collaboration, technology, and agile thinking to turn strategy into action and build momentum in fast-changing environments.

This conversation is for CEOs, founders, executives, business owners, and leadership teams who want to lead with clarity, adapt faster, and make better strategic decisions in an AI-driven world.

Guest: Aidan Nuttall, Strategy Facilitator and Strategy Execution Specialist
Website: waterfield.com.au
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aidannuttall

What if the real barrier to growth is not your strategy, but your identity?

In this episode of Lead Well Live Well, Mark Bilton speaks with Sophie Musumeci, Founder and CEO of Real Entrepreneur Women, about leadership, identity, entrepreneurship, and what truly helps people move from feeling stuck to creating meaningful change.

Sophie shares insights from thousands of conversations with women who want more freedom, purpose, and flexibility in their work and life. Together, Mark and Sophie explore why people often know what they want but struggle to take action, how identity shapes business growth, and why hustle culture is not the only path to building a successful business.

They also discuss the transition from corporate life to entrepreneurship, building a business around your life, balancing compassion with accountability, and leading through change with clarity.

This episode is for leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and professionals who want to grow without losing themselves in the process.

Listen in for a practical and honest conversation on leadership development, business growth, identity, coaching, entrepreneurship, and sustainable success.

Guest: Sophie Musumeci, Founder and CEO of Real Entrepreneur Women
Website: https://rewomen.com.au
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-musumeci

What does it really take to build a high-performance culture that lasts?

In this episode of Lead Well Live Well, I sit down with Henry Yuill, Owner of The Shed Fitness Centre, to explore the leadership principles behind sustainable growth, strong teams, and real impact.

We talk about courage, culture and compassion, and why most leadership challenges are not about people, but about clarity.

Henry shares the journey of building his business from the ground up, the mistakes along the way, and how clear standards, consistency, and shared values shape a team that works together rather than against each other. We also explore what it means to scale a business without losing its identity, and why culture must be built deliberately, not left to chance. 

Beyond business, Henry opens up about his personal experience of managing type 1 diabetes, and how that challenge has strengthened his discipline, resilience, and perspective as a leader.

This is a practical and honest conversation for leaders who want to create alignment, build strong culture, and lead with both conviction and care.

- Why internal competition weakens teams and how to build true alignment

- How to build a high-performance culture through clarity and standards

- The role of consistency in leadership and long-term performance

- How to scale a business while preserving its culture and values

- What resilience looks like in real life, not theory

- Why compassion and accountability must work together

Henry Yuill is the Owner of The Shed Fitness Centre in the Southern Highlands. He is passionate about coaching, leadership, and helping people improve their health and performance over the long term. His personal journey managing type 1 diabetes has shaped his approach to discipline, resilience, and leadership.

Lead Well Live Well works with leaders and founder-led businesses to create clarity, alignment, and sustainable growth through:

Stragile® Strategic Mapping

Lead Well Leadership Program 

My Board Creation Program

Leading with purpose sounds inspiring, but in real life it can feel complex, emotional, and at times overwhelming. Many leaders, especially in not-for-profit and volunteer-based organisations, carry the weight of responsibility while trying to keep people aligned, motivated, and connected to the mission.

In this episode of Lead Well Live Well, Mark Bilton speaks with Glen Hill, Director of National Engagement at Baptist World Aid Australia. Glen brings broad international not-for-profit experience and deep insight into leading purpose-driven, volunteer-reliant organisations.

Together, they explore what purpose-led leadership looks like in practice. This is a grounded conversation about navigating complexity, building trust, and leading people well when authority alone is not enough.

• What purpose-led leadership really means beyond good intentions

• The unique challenges of leading volunteers and mission-driven teams

• How trust, communication, and clarity shape culture and impact

• Why leaders in complex organisations must lead themselves first

• Practical reflections for leaders across not-for-profit, business, and professional environments

Whether you lead a not-for-profit, a business, or a team within a larger organisation, this episode offers thoughtful insights to help you lead with greater clarity, steadiness, and purpose.

Many leaders feel overwhelmed by people issues, poor communication, and emotional reactions that derail good intentions. Others work hard, yet still struggle to create trust, clarity, and consistency in how they lead.

In this episode, Mark Bilton sits down with Grant Herbert, Founder and Global Managing Partner of People Builders, to unpack what Connected, Considered Leadership looks like in practice. Grant is a multi-award-winning leadership trainer and coach, and an expert in Emotional Intelligence, Social Intelligence, and applied neuroscience.

You will hear practical insights on:

Why emotional intelligence matters when pressure is high

The difference between emotional and social intelligence

How self-awareness shapes behaviour, decisions, and trust

How to navigate emotions without suppressing them

Why human-centred leadership matters more in the age of AI

Guest: Grant Herbert (People Builders)

Website: https://www.peoplebuilders.com.au/

In this special episode, Mark Bilton is joined by Joshua Sparks for a grounded and deeply human conversation about healthspan, purpose, and what it means to stay well over the long term.

Joshua Sparks is a podcaster, strategic advisor, and former leader at Sass & Bide and Thom Browne in New York. This is his second time joining Mark, but this conversation is different. It is a true collaboration, recorded for both Lead Well Live Well and Sparks Journal.

Together, Mark and Josh explore why so many leaders and creatives feel depleted despite external success, and why the conversation must move beyond productivity, performance, and longevity alone.

This episode covers:

What healthspan really means and why it matters more than lifespan

Why being human is not a weakness in leadership, but a strength

How purpose, identity, and wellbeing are closely connected

The role of habits and consistency in sustaining energy and clarity

What it takes to live and lead well over the long term

This is an honest, reflective discussion between two good friends who have spent decades working with leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs. If you are seeking a healthier, more sustainable way to live and lead, this episode is for you.

🔗 Joshua Sparks

Website: https://togetherthestudio.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sparksjournal