Raised in a small town in the south of France, Stephane Laurent Villedieu grew up with deep trust in people and a strong pull towards the wider world. That openness took him into conflict resolution work in the Middle East, through an MBA, into senior business roles across Asia, and into venture building in crypto and frontier technology.

Sam and Stephane talk about sweetness and naivety, the Himalayas, betrayal in business, the Satoshi myth, and why AI may sharpen our relationship with consciousness, identity, and choice.

Content note: this conversation includes discussion of severe depression, suicidal thoughts, betrayal, legal conflict, and mental health challenges. In Australia, Lifeline is 13 11 14. In an emergency call 000.

This episode explores:

• a small-town upbringing, Tintin, and the instinct to explore.
 • conflict resolution work, an MBA, and business leadership across Asia.
 • severe depression, breath, and rebuilding a life.
 • brotherhood, success, betrayal, and painful learning.
• plant medicine, self-honesty, and deeper learning through pain.
 • the Satoshi mystery, myth, and collective stories.
 • AI, agency, and choosing our destiny.

Guest bio:

Stephane Laurent Villedieu is a serial entrepreneur and investor working across business, blockchain, and emerging technology. Based at Network School near Singapore, he is Co-Founder of Viber and has previously co-founded MANTRA DAO and Rio DeFi while building ventures and holding senior roles across China, Hong Kong, and Europe.

His path spans law and political science, UNESCO conflict resolution work, an MBA, and leadership roles across digital marketing, business development, and venture building.

Guest links:

• Stephane Laurent Villedieu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephane-laurent-villedieu-1b6ab769/
• Stephane Laurent Villedieu on X: https://x.com/Stephane_LV
• Satoshi project - the Byzantine General: https://thebyzantinegeneral.org
• Network School: https://ns.com

Conversation references:

• Barbara Schacht Randall on Natural Genius: Kanyini, Belonging, and the Wisdom of Uncle Bob Randall https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww08BIyQEGg&utm_source=chatgpt.com
 • Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction
 01:13 Small-town France
 04:14 The Himalayas
 10:45 Trust and business
 24:50 Betrayal and pain
 32:29 Satoshi and myth
 01:01:55 AI and destiny

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast about thoughtful people, meaningful lives, and the ideas that help us live and work with more clarity. Sam Bell speaks with people who carry practical intelligence, care deeply, and make things happen in ways others can learn from.

It is part of the Natural Genius platform designed to help people hear what matters, think clearly, and move good work forward with more signal and less noise.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Network School, 24 March, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 24 March - 9 April, 2026.

In this conversation, Jack Growden shares why digital inequality and other community challenges are being overthought and under-solved, and simple actions that work: get the laptop into a child’s hands, build the classroom, add the toilet, and keep going.

From donating one laptop in Papua New Guinea at 20 to leading LiteHaus International across 13 countries, Jack talks with Sam about resilience, practical philanthropy, community-led work, founder dependence, and why the basics still matter if we want real opportunity to reach more people.

This episode explores:

• how LiteHaus International started with one donated laptop in Papua New Guinea.
• digital inequality in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific.
• what communities in PNG and Cambodia taught Jack about doing the work that matters.
• laptops, classrooms, toilets, water tanks, and electrification as practical foundations.
• staying on the tools while building something that lasts beyond the founder.
• resilience, kindness, and Jack’s call for more net producers than net consumers.

Guest bio:

Jack Growden is the founder and CEO of LiteHaus International, a Townsville-based social entrepreneur tackling digital inequality across the Asia-Pacific. He started by donating his own laptop to a school in Papua New Guinea at 20 and turned that instinct into a fast-moving organisation grounded in practical action.

Today LiteHaus International works across 13 countries, has supported 630 schools, and has put more than 30,000 laptops and desktops back into use. Jack has been recognised on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, was a Young Australian of the Year finalist, and continues to build practical, community-led solutions through LiteHaus and wider social impact work.

Guest links:

• Jack Growden: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jack-growden-355542161/
• LiteHaus: https://litehausinternational.org/
• “The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better” by Kate Pickett & Richard Wilkinson: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-spirit-level-9780241954294

Conversation references: 

• Geraldine Cox: https://www.sunrisecambodia.org.au/
• Pete Williams' Natural Genius episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NX2G0g4asXc

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome and the last fortnight
03:05 LiteHaus, donated devices, and action over words
05:47 Why Jack loves the work
09:36 Opportunity, PNG, and simple, fixable solutions
14:28 How Jack prioritises and why the basics come first
17:03 Resilience, founder dependence, and building to last
27:28 Who inspires Jack
42:20 Kindness, contribution, and a better society

Explore further:

Support LiteHaus International: https://litehausinternational.org/
Learn more about Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast for thoughtful people building useful lives, organisations, communities, and ideas. Sam Bell speaks with people who carry practical intelligence, care deeply, and make things happen in ways others can learn from.

It is part of the Natural Genius platform designed to help people hear what matters, think clearly, and move good work forward with more signal and less noise.

Credits:
Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Townsville, 1 April, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 1 - 8 April, 2026.

Say yes, solve the real problem, and ship the work. In this conversation, Chris Hocking shares how a childhood around backyard films, touring, live production, and generous mentors led to nearly two decades building LateNite across film, post-production, and software.

Sam and Chris talk about impossible briefs, collaborative crews, underwater bars, burning beds, Final Cut Pro tools, CommandPost, Blackmagic RAW, and the kind of practical creative problem-solving that gets useful work over the line. A fun, generous conversation about staying useful, keeping things moving, and building with people who have your back.

This episode explores:

• nearly 20 years of LateNite and why Chris still says yes
• family, grandparents, and early access to film, live production, and backstage work
• Tweenies, animatronics, and growing up fast in touring
• why collaboration and mentorship matter so much in film and TV
• impossible projects, small budgets, and making the brief work anyway
• CommandPost, BRAW Toolbox, and solving workflow problems for real editors
• how software became both a business line and a creative pressure point
• AI, product thinking, and why Chris cares more about shipping than perfection

Guest bio:

Chris Hocking is the co-founder of LateNite, a Melbourne production studio he has helped build since 2007. His path has spanned animatronics on the BBC Tweenies, lighting design for live productions, post-production supervision, filmmaking, workflow design, and software development.

Alongside production work, Chris created CommandPost, BRAW Toolbox, and other tools used by editors and filmmakers, and runs FCP Cafe. His credits include The Wizards of Aus, The Legend of Burnout Barry, Lambs of God, and music videos for artists including Peking Duk, Cosmo’s Midnight, Rufus du Sol, Casey Donovan, and Guy Pearce.

Guest links:

• Chris Hocking - https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisatlatenite/
• LateNite - https://latenitefilms.com
• LateNite Apps - http://fcp.cafe/latenite/
• Childhood Films - https://www.youtube.com/hockingstudios

Chapters:

• 00:00 Chris introduction
• 01:29 Nineteen years of LateNite and saying yes
• 07:14 Backyard films, family influence, and early making
• 12:11 Tweenies, animatronics, and growing up in touring
• 18:18 Collaboration, impossible projects, and making things happen
• 30:09 From tinkering to CommandPost
• 37:02 BRAW Toolbox, software pressure, and AI
• 49:35 Mentors, communities, and a rolodex of geniuses

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast by Samantha Bell exploring how thoughtful people build, lead, create, heal, and live in ways that are true to who they are.

Across conversations with guests from many walks of life, Natural Genius looks for the live signal beneath the noise, and offers insight, encouragement, and practical wisdom for hearing what matters.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Melbourne, 17 March, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 17 March - 3 April, 2026.

Practical intelligence and intuitive intelligence belong together. In this conversation, Serana Hunt-Hughes, also known as Whitefeather, shares the thread running through a life that has included camels, horses, photography, emergency towing, community building, regeneration, and healing work.

Sam and Serana explore listening to land, ancestral alignment, relanguaging, peace with Earth, and what it means to restore forms of intelligence many people were taught to dismiss. This is a generous conversation about courage, perception, and building a more relational way of being.

This episode explores:

• growing up where practical intelligence was everything
• spirituality, land, and being guided in the outback
• learning to listen to the wind
• Eagleheart, apprenticeship, and the name Whitefeather
• ancestral alignment and healing across past, present, and future
• practical, rational, relational, and intuitive intelligence
• relanguaging and peace with Earth
• community-led cultural work

Guest bio:

Serana Hunt-Hughes, also known as Whitefeather, is a medicine woman, healing practitioner, visual artist, photographer, and regenerative land practitioner based near Violet Town, Victoria. Her path has included work as a cameleer, horse trainer, tow truck driver, first responder, artist, and founder of Whitefeather Healing Centre.

Through healing work, photography, community cultural projects, and land-based restoration, Serana supports people to reconnect with inner strength, ancestral support, and a more relational way of living. Her work is grounded, intuitive, and deeply shaped by place.

Guest links:

• Serana Hunt-Hughes (Whitefeather): https://www.linkedin.com/in/serana-whitefeather/
• Serana's services writing: https://seranawhitefeather.substack.com/about
• Ancestral Alignment: https://seranawhitefeather.substack.com/p/services

Conversation mentions: 

• Eagleheart: https://www.eagleheart.com.au/
• Rose B Simpson: https://www.rosebsimpson.com/works
• Dookie Earthed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=3E_WWLmS_Pc
• Shepparton Art Museum (SAM): https://sheppartonartmuseum.com.au/collection/about-the-collection/
• Tiokasin Ghosthorse's work: https://firstvoicesindigenousradio.org/programs
• Soluntra King: https://www.youtube.com/@soluntra

Chapters:

00:00 Serana introduction
03:33 Practical intelligence and spiritual longing
07:22 Horses, land, and listening to the wind
11:46 Eagleheart, Whitefeather, and early sensing
17:31 Cancer, ancestral healing, and intuitive intelligence
29:58 Relanguaging, peace with Earth, and regeneration
41:26 Dookie Earthed, art, and community

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast by Samantha Bell exploring how thoughtful people build, lead, create, heal, and live in ways that are true to who they are.

Across conversations with guests from many walks of life, Natural Genius looks for the live signal beneath the noise.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town, 26 March, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town office, 26 March - 2 April, 2026.

Michel Kelleher has built a life and business around peace, values, and practical care. In this conversation, she shares how she left a high-stress chapter, built a business in Bali, and learned to navigate grief, menopause, remote work, and change with more clarity and self-trust.

We talk about building family through business, creating simple systems that empower people, communicating across cultures, and making a life that feels aligned with what matters. It is a grounded conversation about maturity, compassion, structure, and surrender.

This episode explores:

• leaving a high-stress life and starting again in Bali
• running a business remotely across Australia and Indonesia
• using peace as a guide after grief and survival mode
• communicating respectfully across cultures and languages
• building a values-led team across different faiths and backgrounds
• creating a workplace that feels like family
• using simple systems to keep progress happening
• creating the life you want, and learning to surrender along the way

Guest bio:

Michel Kelleher is an Australian business owner who built a business in Bali after leaving a high-stress job and looking for a more peaceful way to live and work. She now runs that business remotely, employs 15 people, and has spent years building simple systems, strong relationships, and a values-led culture across Australia and Indonesia.

She is also a mother, grandmother, traveller, and thoughtful leader. In this conversation, Michel brings a grounded perspective on communication, resilience, family, and creating a life that feels aligned.

Guest links:

Michel Kelleher: https://www.facebook.com/michel.kelleher1

Chapters:

01:08 Emotional wisdom and the search for peace
02:20 Leaving a high-stress life and building a business in Bali
04:29 Grief, remote work, and finding the silver lining
09:02 Cross-cultural communication and using the right words
11:48 Building a values-led business and family through work
20:20 Simple systems, remote management, and empowering others
40:16 Grandchildren, joy, manifesting, and surrender

Explore further:

Discover your Natural Genius one-on-one with Sam: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell, exploring the people, choices, and ways of working that make life and business more clear, useful, and alive.

It is also a Lab for founders, operators, and thoughtful humans who want to hear the signal, make strong next moves, and build what matters with more clarity.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Kiama, 5 March, 2026.

Produced at the Violet Town offices, 5 March - 1 April, 2026.

Corinne Proske is CEO of Trust for Nature and brings a rare combination of environmental science, commerce, social impact finance, and executive leadership to her work. In this conversation with Sam, she reflects on returning to her first love, nature, after years shaping financial inclusion initiatives, and on what it takes to build organisations that last.

They explore private land conservation, the people drawn to caring for country, and why purpose-led work still needs commercial discipline. Corinne shares thoughtful perspectives on leadership, AI and workflows, giving people room to grow, family and flexible work, learning from failure, reading timing well, and protecting what matters for future generations.

This episode explores:

• returning to nature after years in financial inclusion and social impact work
• what private land conservation looks like through Trust for Nature
• why impact organisations still need commercial clarity and business discipline
• how to use AI and systems thoughtfully without overcomplicating the work
• trusting your gut, creating space to think, and resisting groupthink
• hiring capable people, letting them grow, and leading with more range
• family, flexibility, office culture, and supporting younger people at work
• Budj Bim, First Nations knowledge, and caring for land and water for the long term

Guest bio:

Corinne Proske is the CEO of Trust for Nature, one of Australia’s oldest conservation organisations, working to permanently protect landscapes on private land. Corinne is passionate about ensuring non-financial value is understood and included in business and has a deep and long-standing commitment to protecting nature. Prior to that, she spent 13 years with NAB in business banking and social responsibility, where she was responsible for NAB’s $130 million financial inclusion programs focused on helping low-income Australians access financial services, in addition to helping the bank become carbon neutral.

Guest links:

• Corinne Proske: https://www.linkedin.com/in/corinne-proske-7093122/
• Trust for Nature: https://www.linkedin.com/company/trust-for-nature/about/
• Australian Land Conservation Alliance: https://www.linkedin.com/company/australian-land-conservation-alliance/

Chapters:

00:00 Intro and Corinne’s return to nature
02:44 Trust for Nature and caring for land forever
05:37 Financial inclusion, Good Money, and designing programs that last
09:19 Building a business for forever, revenue for impact, and AI
14:24 Leadership, space to think, avoiding groupthink, and letting people grow
25:58 Country, First Nations knowledge, and Budj Bim
31:17 Family, flexible work, offices, and the next generation
42:03 Timing, failure, and protecting land and water for the future

Explore further:

Explore partnership or collaboration with Natural Genius: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius:

Natural Genius is a podcast hosted by Samantha Bell. Through thoughtful conversations with founders, leaders, creatives, and changemakers, it explores how people build meaningful work, live with greater signal, and create things that last.

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Melbourne, 11 March, 2026
Produced at the Violet Town office, 11 - 31 March, 2026

How do you access the intelligence already present within a group?

In this episode of the Natural Genius podcast, Sam Bell speaks with Christian Duell, educator, facilitator, and founder of White Light Education, about creativity, co-design, and guiding people and organisations through complexity.

Christian’s work explores how individuals and groups think, create, and contribute together. His approach centres on the idea that creativity is available to everyone, and that with the right conditions, groups can access a deeper shared intelligence.

This conversation moves through Christian’s career transition from architecture into facilitation, education, and systems work. He reflects on following curiosity, stepping into new directions, and building a body of work that continues to evolve.

Together, they explore how to create environments where people can participate fully, contribute meaningfully, and work through complex challenges with clarity.

This episode explores:

• Creativity as something accessible and expressed in different ways
• Collective wisdom and how groups can think and create together
• Co-design and facilitation as ways of working with complexity
• Career transitions and evolving professional identity over time
• The role of curiosity, play, and experimentation in meaningful work
• Designing systems, cultures, and experiences that support contribution

Guest links:

• Christian Duell https://www.linkedin.com/in/duellchristian/
• Clean Break, Christian’s latest EP https://misterrascal.bandcamp.com/album/clean-break
• Bionic Chef, Eduardo Garcia’s Do Lectures talk: https://thedolectures.com/speakers/eduardo-garcia/
• Hamish Curry’s Natural Genius: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BSx26FTvIBn0ASLTNrquQ
• Nick Jaffe’s Natural Genius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbJ2kXPGZrE&t=9s 

Chapters:

02:18 Christian’s early career in architecture and the shift toward facilitation
06:42 Career transitions and following curiosity into new directions
11:05 Creativity and how it shows up in different forms
15:27 Collective wisdom and working with groups
20:14 Co-design in practice and navigating complexity
25:36 Culture, leadership, and enabling contribution
30:22 Play, curiosity, and learning through experience
34:48 Designing systems and environments for better outcomes
39:12 Reflections on meaningful work and evolving a body of work
42:05 Closing thoughts

Explore further:

Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius

The Natural Genius podcast explores how people discover and express their natural strengths, instincts, and contribution.

Through conversations with leaders, thinkers, builders, and practitioners across many fields, the podcast explores the signals that guide meaningful work and the choices that shape a life.

More at https://naturalgenius.com.au

Credits:

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and the Gold Coast, 29 January, 2026
Produced at the Violet Town, Peregian Beach and Benalla offices, 29 January - 27 March, 2026

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Karlie Cummins about saying yes before you have every answer, building trust through action, and growing a business that feels both effective and fun.

Karlie is the founder of Bali Buddies and Indo Buddies, two influential travel media platforms helping tourism and lifestyle brands reach Australian travellers through trusted storytelling, digital media, brand trips, PR, and strategic partnerships across Bali and Indonesia. Her background in education still shapes the way she leads, teaches, mentors, and builds.

Together, Sam and Karlie explore the accidental beginnings of Bali Buddies, the courage it took to move a family to Bali without a backup plan, the role of trust and generosity in business growth, and why fun is not a distraction from serious work but part of what makes it sustainable. The conversation also moves through online schooling, raising very different daughters, adapting through Covid, and using new technology with curiosity rather than fear.

This is a practical and energising conversation about backing yourself, learning in motion, and building a business and life that keep expanding.

This episode explores

• Saying yes before knowing exactly how
• Turning a passion project into a trusted media business
• Building trust with clients, communities, and tourism partners
• Moving a family to Bali and going all in on a new life
• Adapting business models through uncertainty and recovery
• Teaching, mentoring, and consulting as a through-line in Karlie’s work
• Using AI and new technology to work smarter
• Fun as a strategic choice in brand, team, and client experience
• Designing work that supports family life, adventure, and growth

Guest links

• Karlie Cummins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karliecummins/
• Bali Buddies: https://balibuddies.com/
• Indo Buddies: https://indobuddies.com/

Chapters

01:34 From classroom teacher to accidental Bali business founder
05:07 The first paid client, clear communication, and backing yourself
08:18 Moving to Bali and nine years of expat life
10:48 Saying yes, figuring it out, and growing through action
13:11 Selling everything, moving a family, and going all in
15:29 Online schooling, family choices, and raising an academic and a hustler
17:03 The 12-year-old candle business and WhatsApp entrepreneurship
20:29 Family influence, multitasking, and being most like her dad
22:35 Building community and becoming known in Bali
24:28 Pandemic in Bali, helping hotels, and the long lead-up to growth
28:22 Learning new tech, using AI well, and staying curious
30:09 How Karlie likes to be seen: genuine, honest, and fun
31:00 Building a brand through parties, delight, and industry connection
34:11 Family, adventure, and moments that make the whole thing worth it

Explore further

Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes.

About Natural Genius

The Natural Genius podcast explores how people discover and express their natural strengths, instincts, and contributions.

Through conversations with leaders, thinkers, builders, and practitioners across many fields, the podcast explores the signals that guide meaningful work and the choices that shape a life.

More at https://naturalgenius.com.au

Credits

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Bali, 27 January, 2026
Produced at the Violet Town, Peregian Beach and Sunshine Motorway offices, 27 January - 25 March, 2026

What if the future of mental health isn’t about managing symptoms, and is about unlocking human potential?

In this episode of the Natural Genius podcast, Sam Bell speaks with Cameron Stewart, entrepreneur and Managing Director of Mirabilis Health, about his journey from building and exiting startups and digital product studios into the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted mental health care in Northern Ireland.

In this conversation, Cameron shares how a period of “doing nothing” and going deeply into meditation reset old patterns of thought and opened a new direction. He reflects on stepping into the highly regulated world of trauma therapy and research, and on what it takes to build a centre focused on safety, healing, and transformation.

This is an expansive conversation about growth, courage, stillness, family, human potential, and the future of mental health.

This episode explores:

• Choosing life experiences over convention and creating meaningful memories
• From startups and brand strategy into mental health innovation
• “Doing nothing” as a deliberate reset and strategic pause
• Deep meditation and the effect of stillness on old thinking patterns
• Trauma, PTSD, and the limitations of traditional approaches
• Psychedelic-assisted therapies and why they are gaining attention in research settings
• Building Mirabilis Health and the future of accessible mental health care
• Human potential, healing, and creating the right conditions for transformation
• Fatherhood, identity, and changing definitions of freedom and fun

Important note

This conversation includes discussion of psychedelic-assisted therapies, ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, and related mental health treatments. Laws, regulations, and clinical frameworks vary significantly across jurisdictions, including Ireland, Australia, and internationally. This episode is provided for general educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, mental health advice, or legal advice, and it is not a recommendation to use any substance or treatment outside approved clinical, research, or other lawful settings. Anyone considering treatment should seek advice from appropriately qualified health professionals and comply with the laws and regulations in their location.

Guest links

• Cameron Stewart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/camastewart/
• Mirabilis Health: https://www.mirabilishealth.co.uk/

Chapters

02:22 The Highway One trip and choosing experience over convention
06:23 From clothing brand to startups, strategy, and exiting Dawson Andrews
09:28 “Do nothing”: the note that changed Cameron’s next chapter
10:15 Deep meditation, stillness, and resetting old thought patterns
15:24 Entering mental health and building Mirabilis Health
19:19 Trauma, PTSD, and the limits of conventional treatment models
23:24 Psychedelic-assisted therapies and early research insights
29:28 The bigger vision: expanding access and unlocking human potential
39:27 Fatherhood, freedom, and redefining fun

About Natural Genius

The Natural Genius podcast explores how people discover and express their natural strengths, instincts, and contributions.

Through conversations with leaders, thinkers, builders, and practitioners across many fields, the podcast explores the signals that guide meaningful work and the choices that shape a life.

More at https://naturalgenius.com.au

Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au

Subscribe to hear future episodes.

Credits

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town and Holywood, Northern Ireland, 11 March, 2026
Produced at the Violet Town office 11 - 24 March, 2026

What if you don’t solve problems, you earn better ones?

Michael Skinner shares how learning to earn bigger problems, and practicing surrender, can reshape how you work, decide, and grow in a fast-moving world.

In this episode of the Natural Genius podcast, Sam Bell speaks with Michael Skinner about growth, decision-making, and navigating an increasingly complex world. Michael shares a simple idea that reframes how we think about progress. You don’t eliminate problems. You earn bigger ones. Over time, those problems become more meaningful, more interesting, and more aligned with the life you are building.

This conversation explores Michael’s path from running businesses to working across AI, systems thinking, and global communities. Along the way, he shares how he approaches uncertainty, how he decides what to focus on, and why surrender is a skill worth developing.

This is a conversation about thinking clearly, following curiosity, and building a life that evolves with you.

This episode explores:

• Earning bigger problems and changing your relationship to them
• Systems thinking and identifying real constraints in business
• Digital nomading and building a life across different environments
• Learning and applying AI in a practical way
• Surrender as a skill in uncertain and fast-moving contexts
• Curiosity, intuition, and choosing what to work on next
• Community, connection, and creating meaningful environments

Guest links:

• Michael Skinner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/equanimas and https://www.equanimas.com/
• Recommended book: The Surrender Experiment by Michael A Singer

Chapters:

02:10 Michael’s early work and path into business
06:45 Earning bigger problems and what it means in practice
11:20 Systems thinking and finding the real bottleneck
16:05 Moving into AI and learning new domains quickly
21:40 Digital nomading and living across environments
27:15 Slowing down, novelty, and appreciating place
32:10 Surrender as a skill in uncertainty
37:25 Decision-making, curiosity, and following signals
42:50 Community, connection, and building meaningful spaces
48:30 Reflections on growth, work, and what matters next
52:10 Closing reflections

Explore further:

Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes

About Natural Genius

The Natural Genius podcast explores how people discover and express their natural strengths, instincts, and contributions.

Through conversations with leaders, thinkers, builders, and practitioners across many fields, the podcast explores the signals that guide meaningful work and the choices that shape a life.

More at https://naturalgenius.com.au

Credits

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Violet Town, Peregian Beach and Network School, 7 & 14 February, 2026

Produced at the Violet Town and Peregian Beach offices, 7 February – 21 March, 2026