Natural Genius: Deep Conversations. Meaningful Lives.

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

In this episode of the Natural Genius podcast, Sam Bell speaks with Toni Finnimore, founder of The Social Society, about volunteering, community connection, and designing experiences that bring people together in meaningful ways.

Toni has spent more than two decades working in community development, advocacy, and social services across the UK. Through her work she repeatedly saw a pattern: local charities doing essential work while often lacking access to the skills, time, and support they needed.

The Social Society emerged as a response.

Through creative volunteering experiences, community gatherings, and festival-style team days, Toni and her team bring individuals, charities, and businesses together to collaborate, contribute, and reconnect.

In this conversation Toni shares the story behind building The Social Society, the importance of human connection in an increasingly disconnected world, and why volunteering experiences work best when they are designed around people rather than platforms.

The conversation also explores experience design, the joy of volunteering, and the quiet power of small moments that help people relax, reconnect, and contribute.

This episode explores:

• How Toni’s career in community services led to founding The Social Society
• Why local charities often need skills and people as much as funding
• Designing volunteering experiences that feel like shared adventures
• Why bringing people together in real life matters more than ever
• Festival-style volunteering events and “team days with purpose”
• The idea of volunteer hackathons that tackle real charity challenges
• Silent Book Club and creating space for quieter forms of connection
• Boundaries, wellbeing, and sustaining energy as a founder
• Toni’s vision for scaling hyper-local volunteering communities globally

Chapters:

01:18 Toni Finnimore and The Social Society
03:00 From community services to building a volunteer movement
05:28 Festival-style volunteering events and team days with purpose
06:33 Volunteering at the DO Lectures and experience design
09:06 Designing spaces that help people relax and connect
11:02 The power of simple community experiences
11:48 Silent Book Club and creating inclusive social spaces
14:25 Boundaries, wellbeing, and founder energy
17:01 Toni’s vision for global community volunteering
18:01 Inspiration from regenerative organisations
21:05 Advocacy and standing up for others
23:46 Life in Brighton and community culture
24:46 Visiting Australia and running volunteer hackathons to help charities solve real challenges

Guest Links:

Toni Finnimore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toni-finnimore/
The Social Society: https://www.thesocialsociety.org.uk/
Silent Book Club (Hove): https://www.instagram.com/silentbookclub_hove?igsh=aW9tYzZvNDN3b2Jm&utm_source=qr 

About Natural Genius

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

Through conversations with leaders, builders, creatives, and community organisers, 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 Brighton, UK, 4 March, 2026
Produced at the Violet Town and Peregian Beach offices, 4 - 19 March, 2026

In this episode of the Natural Genius podcast, Sam Bell speaks with Sally Calder, CEO and Co-Founder of RespectX, about leadership, courage, and creating workplaces where people can genuinely thrive.

Sally has spent decades working across government, human services, consulting, and organisational culture. After many years as a partner at KPMG leading culture, diversity and inclusion work, she made a bold decision to leave and build a new technology platform aimed at addressing one of the most persistent challenges in workplaces: making it safe for people to speak up.

RespectX was born from that conviction.

In this conversation Sally reflects on the golden thread across her career, the importance of trusting instinct, and why leaders must learn to make complex challenges simple and compelling.

She also shares the design principles behind RespectX and the real-world impact the platform is already having in organisations across Australia.

This episode explores:

• Leadership courage, culture change, 
• How individuals and organisations create safe and respectful environments where people can do their best work
• Why trusting your instinct can shape a career
• The “golden thread” that only becomes visible when you look back
• Leaving a successful partnership to start a new venture
• Why respectful workplaces matter for performance and wellbeing
• The story behind founding RespectX
• Five design principles for safer workplace reporting
• Making the complex simple and the simple compelling
• The role of courage in culture change
• Why the next generation may finally shift workplace culture for the better

Chapters

01:04 Sally’s career journey and the “golden thread”
05:18 Trusting instinct and saying yes to opportunities
09:02 Creating workplaces that enrich people
12:24 The story behind founding RespectX
18:16 Designing a safer reporting platform
23:27 Early adopters and building the RespectX movement
27:23 Measuring trust and workplace safety
31:10 Real examples of culture change in organisations
36:12 Channeling rage into constructive change
40:29 Leadership lessons: making the complex simple
44:10 The responsibility of leaders to set clear standards
47:00 RespectX as a movement for cultural change
49:23 Closing reflections

Guest links

Sally Calder: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sallycalder
RespectX: https://www.respectx.com.au/
Shey Newitt (RespectX Co-Founder): https://www.linkedin.com/in/shey-newitt-phd-70200b33/

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 Melbourne, 4 March, 2026.
Produced at the Violet Town and Peregian Beach offices, 4 – 16 March, 2026.

In this episode of the Natural Genius podcast, Sam Bell speaks with Barbara Schacht Randall, the custodian and steward of the Kanyini wisdom teachings shared by Yankunytjatjara elder Uncle Bob Randall.

Barbara’s life bridges cultures, continents, and traditions. Raised in the United States within a unique community founded by her grandparents, she grew up immersed in a culture of care, inclusion, and connection with nature. Years later, her path brought her to Australia where she met and married Uncle Bob Randall, a traditional custodian of Uluru and a deeply respected Indigenous cultural educator and song man.

Before his passing, Uncle Bob entrusted Barbara with the responsibility of sharing the ancient teachings of Kanyini with the world. Kanyini expresses a philosophy of unconditional love, responsibility, and deep connection to all creation. It speaks to belonging, to caring for people and country, and to remembering the responsibilities we hold to each other and to future generations.

Barbara shares stories and reflections that offer a gentle invitation to reconsider how we live, relate, and care for the world around us.

In this conversation, Barbara reflects on her upbringing, her life with Uncle Bob in Mutitjulu beside Uluru, and what it means to carry forward wisdom traditions in a modern world.

This episode explores:

• The philosophy of Kanyini and what it teaches about belonging and responsibility
• Growing up in a multigenerational community rooted in care and inclusion
• Living beside Uluru and welcoming people from around the world to learn from Uncle Bob
• Carrying forward ancient wisdom teachings across cultures
• Why connection to land, people, and spirit remains essential for humanity’s future

Guest links:

Barbara Schacht Randall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbara-randall/
Kanyini: https://kanyini.org/ https://www.instagram.com/kanyini.teachings/ & https://www.instagram.com/bob_randall_kanyini
Uncle Bob Randall’s autobiography https://kanyini.org/book/ 

Referenced in this conversation

Canva https://www.canva.com
St. Teresa of Avila, “Interior Castle”: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/interior-castle-9780385036436
Waterford Country School: https://www.waterfordcountryschool.org/celebrating/ 

Chapters:

03:12 Barbara’s upbringing at Waterford Country School and a childhood immersed in community
07:48 Growing up in a culture of care, inclusion, nature, and shared responsibility
12:36 The unexpected path that brought Barbara to Australia
16:44 Meeting Uncle Bob Randall and the beginning of a shared life journey
20:58 Living in Mutitjulu beside Uluru and welcoming visitors from around the world
26:17 Understanding Kanyini: belonging, responsibility, and unconditional love
31:40 The spiritual philosophy behind the world’s oldest continuing culture
37:22 Uncle Bob’s work sharing wisdom teachings internationally
42:18 Being entrusted with carrying the teachings after Uncle Bob’s passing
47:05 Ancient wisdom and the modern world: what humanity is remembering 
52:34 Why connection to land, community, and spirit matters for our collective future
58:41 Barbara’s reflections on responsibility, love, and continuing the work
01:03:20 Closing reflections

Explore further:
Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam:

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Tim Buzza about workforce planning technology, leading large contact centre operations, building technology startups, and designing a life that allows both meaningful work and freedom.

Tim has spent decades working in customer operations and workforce planning environments where thousands of daily interactions depend on well-designed systems and thoughtful leadership. Alongside his operational leadership experience, he has also built and supported technology ventures focused on improving how organisations plan, manage, and support their workforce.

In this conversation, Tim shares practical insights from operating in complex service environments while also experimenting with entrepreneurship, remote work, and international travel.

Together, they explore the intersection between operational leadership, workforce technology, startup experimentation, and life design.

This episode explores:

• The realities of leading large contact centre and customer operations environments
• Workforce planning technology and the systems behind large service organisations
• Building and experimenting with technology startups
• Operational leadership and decision-making at scale
• Designing work that supports both performance and personal freedom
• Digital nomadding and creating flexibility in how and where work happens
• Entrepreneurial thinking inside and outside corporate environments

Guest links

Tim Buzza: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timbuzza/

Chapters

00:00 Tim’s background in contact centre operations
03:41 The hidden complexity behind large contact centres
07:56 Workforce planning technology and forecasting systems
12:44 The operational realities of managing large service teams
17:32 Entrepreneurship and building technology startups
23:18 Lessons from building products for workforce management
29:11 Technology, automation, and the future of contact centres
34:22 Leadership decisions that shape operational culture
40:14 Designing a life that allows travel and digital nomad work
46:05 Working internationally and experimenting with lifestyle design
51:38 Reflections on leadership, work, and future possibilities
56:40 Closing thoughts and thanks

Explore further

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

Credits

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Peregian Beach and Abruzzo, Italy, 25 February, 2026
Produced at the Violet Town and Peregian Beach offices, 25 February - 13 March, 2026
Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Dr. Annie Faulkner about why many organisational change programs struggle to deliver their promised outcomes, and what leaders can do instead.

Annie has spent over two decades working in organisational transformation across Europe, Australia, and South Africa. After leading large-scale change programs for global organisations, she began questioning why many traditional approaches repeatedly fail. This curiosity led her into complexity thinking and ultimately to completing a doctorate exploring how organisations attempt change and what is really happening beneath the surface.

Now working as an executive coach and leadership advisor in Berlin, Annie supports senior leaders transitioning into board and executive roles. Her work focuses on helping leaders navigate complexity, power dynamics, and uncertainty while staying grounded in their humanity.

This conversation explores the realities of organisational change, the courage required to stay in difficult conversations, and how leaders can remain balanced while carrying significant responsibility.

This episode explores:
• Why many traditional change programs struggle to achieve lasting impact
• Complexity thinking and questioning the assumptions behind transformation programs
• The transition from expert to executive when stepping into board-level leadership
• Staying in difficult conversations rather than resolving conflict too quickly
• Power, politics, and whose voices are missing in leadership decisions
• Grounded leadership: taking the work seriously without taking yourself too seriously
• The role of coaching in helping leaders navigate uncertainty and complexity
• Work, life, and balance: recognising that leadership choices shape the whole system

Guest Links
• Dr Annie Faulkner https://www.linkedin.com/in/anniefaulkner/
• The Transitionists https://www.the-transitionists.de

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Annie’s journey from Australia to Berlin
05:18 Why many organisational change programs fail
09:01 Complexity thinking and questioning traditional change models
10:03 Coaching leaders transitioning to board-level roles
11:06 Staying in difficult conversations instead of resolving conflict too quickly
16:00 Experimenting with relational conversations with AI
21:41 Bringing overlooked voices and perspectives into leadership decisions
29:42 What grounded leadership really looks like
33:14 Why “work–life balance” doesn’t exist
34:12 Training the body and mind as a leadership practice

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

Credits
Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in North Melbourne and Berlin, 11 February, 2026
Produced at the Violet Town, Benalla and Peregian Beach offices, 11 February - 10 March, 2026
Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au