Life Lessons

Alicia McKay is all about helping people make better decisions, challenging unhelpful norms, and turning good intentions into meaningful action.

With a client list in the 100s, Alicia takes a plain speaking, no nonsense approach to strategy and transformation.

With no time for corporate mumbo jumbo and a unique origin story, Alicia applies common sense to things we often over complicate.

Join me as I find out what makes Alicia tick, the power of action and how we can 'do strategy better' in our own organisations.

Reach out to Alicia here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aliciamckaynz/

https://www.aliciamckay.co.nz/

Mohit Rau is a man on a mission.

A mission to read 100 books and learn from every single one. And then to apply those learnings to change his and others' lives.

With a passion for educating others, especially migrants moving into Australia, Mohit's purpose is to add value to people's lives by paying it forward and writing about his lessons learned so that others can benefit.

For someone who is trying to develop a purposeful reading habit, Mohit's story, his approach to reading and his retention of what he has learned is inspiring.

Join me as I learn what it takes to read 100 books.

Reach out to Mohit here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mohitrau/

Connor Fields is a 3 times Olympic BMX finalist and Olympic Champion. Beating odds of 1 in 22 million to get there.

With boundless energy as a child he found BMX racing as an outlet and soon found success. At age 15 he set the goal of becoming Olympic Champion and on his 2nd attempt he was successful.

Connor's 3rd attempt, and a chance to double up, saw a high speed crash and brain injury with potentially life changing implications.

Thankfully Connor has recovered and while he remains close to the sport he loves ,he is finding success in coaching, speaking and now as a TV host.

This conversation was a treat for me as a superfan of the sport. We talked goal setting, focus, resilience and whether BMX time trials should make a come back.

Jo Wright has decades of experience leading and coaching teams, She is a professionally accredited coach, public speaker, author and is on a mission to inspire people to think differently about their organisational culture.

Jo's new book - NO MORE SH*T MANAGERS - Seven steps to a coaching culture, is a runaway success, resonating deeply with leaders, managers and team members world wide.

Join me as I learn about some of Jo's pivotal career moments, trends she is seeing in the workplace today and what it takes to get a life's worth of experience into a brilliant book.

You can connect with Jo here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jowrightcoach/

TJ Hendy is an elite professional Ironman, having competed at the highest level including the Nutri Grain series.

Achieving excellence in any sport is hard. It's even harder when your father is widely considered as the Greatest Of All Time in the same sport.

TJ however has harnessed his environment, taking himself from a talented surfer in love with the ocean to a legitimate contender as a professional Ironman.

TJ has a wisdom and understanding of himself well in advance of many young athletes. One that helps keep him grounded and manage the distractions we all face.

Join me as I learn more about this sport and what it takes to excel.

TJ Hendy:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tj-hendy-34a3b6191/

https://www.instagram.com/tjhendy/?hl=en

Shane Cuthbert is running for the Cairns local council in March 2024. With a law degree and extensive volunteering you might consider him to be a typical council candidate.

That isn't the case. Shane has previously been incarcerated. He has spent time dealing with trauma. He even found himself the 'star of the show' as the problem child all the TV channels wanted to feature.

Shane is one of the most honest people I have ever met. We spoke about early troubles, how he turned his life around and how he focusses now on being of service to his community.

The Cairns council race will be close and Shane is well positioned as someone that cares about where they live and their community.

Reach out to Shane here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanecuthbert/

https://www.shanecuthbert.com/

Vlad Guz is a Marketing, Product and Project specialist. The kind of high quality individual we have all met in our careers.

Except that Vlad is from the Ukraine, where his distinctly European lifestyle was turned on its head as the Russian forces rolled in.

Vlad experienced a clash of worlds where project deadlines and corporate clients existed alongside missile strikes and foreign occupation, and he succeeded and continued to deliver.

Vlad has now left the Ukraine and relocated to Australia where he is focussed on building his dreams with his partner. The shocking part of this chapter in his story is just how hard it has been to secure work even with all of Vlad's experience, qualifications and extra skills from his charity work and TEDx talks.

Join me as I get a better understanding of the reality of war and the bravery needed to build a new life.

Connect with Vlad here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/guz-vl/

Warning: This podcast is the hardest one I have recorded to date with some very real descriptions of war. Some listener discretion is advised.

Athena Manley has built a career on great leadership followed by strategy and strategy execution. Her career spans multiple functions and sectors, which has provided a breadth of understanding most leaders can only dream of.

With early experience in Financial Services and lived experience in hardship, Athena also has a strong purpose related to empowering people to take control of their finances and mental health.

Join me as I discuss with Athena her leadership learnings and style, what makes good strategy, alternative approaches to building your C suite and how you end up on Necker Island with Sir Richard Branson.

Make contact with Athena here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/athena-manley/