Max's Island

Alan Ferris’s career journey is a masterclass in the art of reinvention and the relentless pursuit of purposeful leadership. Alan started his career in the state public service at just 17 years old, ultimately climbing the ranks to act as a Director General.

But it is what he did next—and how he chose to rebuild his professional identity across the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors—that truly defines his story.

Alan shares with us 3 key things:-

1. The Courage to Walk Away: At 48 years old, Alan walked away from a secure government contract—despite having a family, a mortgage, and an apprehensive spouse—because he refused to accept a life of working at only 50% capacity.

2. The True Essence of Leadership: Drawing from his early days playing competitive soccer with grown men at age 17, Alan unpacks his deeply held philosophy on leadership. He explains why true leadership isn't just about setting a vision, but about empowering your team, trusting them implicitly, and picking them up when they make mistakes.

3. Navigating Growth vs. Identity: Finally, we discuss his current role as the CEO of the City of Bunbury. Alan shares the intense complexities of driving major economic development while fighting to maintain the beloved coastal identity and country-town feel that the local community cherishes.

Mike House, a former survival instructor turned leadership consultant, shares his dramatic experience during the onset of the COVID-19 lockdowns, where an 18-month pipeline of “live” consulting work vanished in just three days. Instead of giving in to panic, Mike leaned heavily on his background in survival training to adapt and stack the deck in his favor.

Recognizing that he couldn't control the immediate business environment, Mike pivoted to offering pro-bono support conversations for leaders struggling under the immense duress of the pandemic. This selfless act not only provided immediate value to his community but eventually blossomed into deep, long-term commercial relationships years later.

Mike also details how the financial support of JobKeeper provided him the breathing room to write a book on navigating uncertainty. He used the global crisis as a real-time laboratory to road-test his leadership principles by interviewing executives dealing with the same pressures. Ultimately, the episode explores how core leadership principles—such as clarity, communication, and defining a shared purpose—remain constant and durable, even when tactical approaches rapidly change.

Contact Mike here:- https://www.mikehouse.com.au/

Get Mike’s Books and resources here:- https://www.mikehouse.com.au/shop

Follow Mike here:- https://www.linkedin.com/in/themikehouse/

Nadia Lopez completely shatters the idea of a picture-perfect personal growth journey.

At 31, recovering from a tough breakup and admitting to being a highly anxious "people pleaser," she threw herself into a daunting 14-day solo trip to Japan. Her biggest mental breakthrough didn't happen during a serene, cinematic moment; it happened when she got lost near a bamboo forest, sat down in the heat, and cried her eyes out.

Why? Because she realized, for the very first time, that no one was there to tell her off or make her feel guilty for her day not going as planned. She was entirely in charge of her own life.

Nadia's story reminds us of a fundamental truth: We don't grow in comfort; we grow by pushing through discomfort.

Whether it was navigating Tokyo without knowing the language, moving into a sketchy, rundown apartment just to prove she could live independently, or hitting the gym to lift twice her body weight to defy outdated beauty standards, Nadia actively leaned into the uncomfortable.

Her key message is incredibly liberating: - Change your mindset and follow the chaos. So, are you waiting for the perfect plan to make a change, or are you willing to follow the chaos?

Claire McGlew’s story is a profound journey of adaptation and defying the odds. She initially studied to be an opera singer in Western Australia before transitioning into music education with a strong desire to help kids who, like her, didn't fit the traditional educational mould. However, despite excelling in her university practicums, Claire faced severe discrimination; schools bluntly refused to hire her simply because she is blind and uses a guide dog.

Instead of letting this defeat her, Claire adapted. After noticing the profound psychological benefits her private music students were experiencing, she packed up her life and moved from Perth to Melbourne to pursue a master's degree in music therapy—a move she made even while recovering from a traumatic health battle and severe PTSD. Claire quickly realized that the very sensitivities the classical music world viewed as a disadvantage were actually her greatest strengths in a therapeutic space.

Today, Claire is back in Perth, undertaking a Master of Philosophy to pioneer groundbreaking research on how music therapy can support the mental health and stability of FIFO (fly-in fly-out) families facing separation and reintegration. This is a powerful story of turning closed doors into an opportunity to change the world for the better.

You can connect with Claire on :-

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/glissando_musictherapy/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=glissando

LinkedIn :- https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-mcglew-b859b0157/

Ali Horriyat describes Compassiviste through the lens of an octopus. While the "main brain" has a vision, each "tentacle" (program/initiative) has its own "mini-brain" that acts independently yet in perfect cohesion with the whole. This decentralized approach allows for specialized impact—be it in art, film, or direct aid—without losing sight of the central mission of compassion.

From Individual to Collective: Ali argues that global conflict and inequality are symptoms of "individual thinking." He advocates for a shift toward a "collective mindset," citing that only 0.01% of the population holds significant global wealth, leaving half the world hungry.

Philosophical Roots: The organisation is grounded in the "oneness of the universe."

The Problem with Modern Philanthropy: Ali critiques "top-down" philanthropy, where donors dictate terms without understanding the grassroots needs. Compassiviste focuses on "Smart Money"—funding that includes the involvement and influence of the donor beyond just a check.

In 2016, businessman-turned-charity founder Ali Horriyat gave away his entire personal fortune of almost $100m. This was not just a meaningless distribution of cash to satisfy an ego charged desire for personal fulfilment, but it came from a real belief in a better way to shift the social impact dial.

He went to the extremes of experiencing homelessness, connecting with people who’s human values mattered more than their wealth and spent many hours, weeks, months and years capturing a manifesto of beliefs that were used to set the basis for his future life.

He is one of the great moral and social thinkers of our time.

In this episode we re-visit his story from 2 years ago and use it as an example of the antithesis what’s happening in the world today.

I hope to take the time to reflect on what Ali did and relate this to the current actions of others.

Feels is a duo featuring Rosie Taylor and Elise Reitze-Swensen. Together, they have over 10 years of experience writing, producing, and recording music, and then playing this music all over the world as professional musos.

Recently, Rosie visited the island to share their story of where they saw a gap in the local electronic music space for female artists. The opportunities were not always there, and that was to perform or to make their mark in the local scene playing live and even aspiring to go international.

So to correct this gap, they created Womp. (Women of Music Production).

Now a registered not-for-profit and charity, the feature of their work is their annual Womp workshops. This is where nine artists, predominantly from WA, but some from the East Coast, come together and collectively work and collaborate to create music. They learn from local mentors and, ultimately, are given the space to take that leap of faith with their music. These are truly life-changing workshops.

https://womenofmusicproduction.com/

https://www.instagram.com/wompp__/

Flash Poetry visited the Island in late 2025 and shared the journey from having a career in copywriting, to being fully immersed in making music, sharing messages and having real impact from a creative form.
Flash Poetry blends spoken word, freestyle rap & alt-rock instrumentation to concoct lyrical epics that explore our modern myths & middle-class demons.

The recent release of a debut album … “Reality. Now” is now a platform for live performance and collaborations with a community wanting to be inspired to make change.

Also in this episode is a special treat for all visitors to Max’s Island … not one but two fully improvised and unscripted freestyle rap creations that showcase the talent that is Flash Poetry

Check out Flash Poetry at :-

https://open.spotify.com/album/335LJKgEVST6E0PM0yVzW0?si=OXQsEF7UQ_2exE1-CKg0BQ

https://www.instagram.com/_flashpoetry_/

Welcome to Max’s Island, 2026. This year I have a quest. Just like all my guests on Max’s Island, I aim to be more relaxed and open with my lead-ins to each episode. I want to feel like I’m talking directly to you and not at you. So, I’m going to be far more less rehearsed and just go off the cuff. This may mean I might ramble a bit, might even sound like I’m sort of looking for words, but the approach is hopefully going to make your listening experience so much more enjoyable.

This episode to start the year is going to be a snapshot of three episodes that were in 2025. They were all music-related.

1. It starts with Michael and how he confronted his life and those demons that he was facing and determined that he had to change.

2. Then we listen to Gaj, who started playing hip-hop when he was 16 in Sri Lanka.

3. Finally we hear from Justin who was influenced by his older brother getting into music and at 16 got his first guitar.

Alex Green grew up with a nurturing, working class environment that positively influenced his approach to helping others. Guided by his grandmother and a significant example of caring for those less ‘well – off” saw him become connected to the charity … for purpose … sector, where he has spent his professional career.

After a confronting experience, on the charitable front line in Manchester, he released he was best suited behind a desk doing things in the fundraising and organisational management space.

From here, he realised that his personal values we the driving reasons for him to engage passion and forge a career making an impact.

Following a career working for these organisations, and most recently as a CEO, Alex has now set up his own consultancy, designed to assist for purpose organisations prepare for mergers and collaborations with like-minded organisations to become more sustainable and to be able to continue to make a difference. Being prepared and taking ‘ego’ out of the conversation is his focus.

Alex has taken his extensive experience and made a brave decision to go it alone and support organisations survive in this tough financial environment facing charities and for purpose organisations who may be ‘frogs in boiling water”.

His focus is something that many organisations must reconcile … so that they don’t let their clients down.

Alex is a leader and the sort of values driven professional who is needed in the sector … right now.