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This week on scalr sagecast, I sat down with Sam Young, founder of SIID Labs.

Sam is a counsellor and psychotherapist with frontline experience in mental health and addiction - and he’s using both professional and lived experience to build something different.

SIID is a personalised, AI-powered micro-guidance companion designed to support people in the moments that matter most - those brief spikes of anxiety, overwhelm, rumination or task paralysis that can derail focus and momentum.

Many people either can’t access mental health systems, don’t engage with them, or don’t get support when they actually need it. SIID is designed to bridge that gap.

In this episode, we explore:

•  What “micro moments” are and why they’re so important 
•  Why traditional support models often fail in real-time situations 
•  How AI and wearable tech can enable proactive, pre-emptive support 
•  The role of personalisation in improving outcomes 
•  And how Sam’s lived experience has shaped the product and its intent 

A raw and honest conversation about mental health, technology, and building more human solutions.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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Joining this week's scalr sagecast is Vanessa Raath - global sourcing expert, AI commentator and one of the most engaging speakers in the talent industry.

V’s career journey spans South Africa, London and Thailand, with a decade in tech consulting before building her current business and becoming a recognised voice on sourcing, AI and innovation.

In this episode, Matt and V explore:

• V’s unconventional path into tech and sourcing.
• Where TA and AI are truly converging.
• Why sourcing capability is back in demand.
• What stage we’re really at in the AI journey.

It’s a high-energy, wide-ranging conversation packed with insight on the future of talent acquisition.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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Craig Harman has spent years leading within agency recruitment - and along the way, he noticed a persistent, expensive problem: organisations underutilising the strongest networks they already have.

In this episode, Craig shares why he built mployd, a platform focused on helping businesses create structured, effective referral programs that actually work.

We explore:

• Why referral hiring is one of the most cost-effective channels available
• How poor or informal referral approaches end up wasting money
• What a strong referral culture looks like in practice
• And simple ways leaders can get started without adding complexity

A practical conversation for anyone responsible for hiring, cost control, or building stronger internal networks.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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Gemma Toogood’s career started in a place you’d never expect - as a broker for paparazzi photos - before a series of twists led her into entrepreneurship, then into tech, and now into building Neoma, a platform helping people and organisations navigate alternative pathways into the industry.

In this episode, we unpack:

• Why Australia is on track to be 600,000 tech workers short by 2030
• Which roles are most exposed to AI disruption
• The huge upside of developing AI literacy at every level
• Why reskilling costs less than half of making someone redundant
• And what business leaders need to know about when (and how) to begin the skills transition

It’s honest, sharp, and refreshingly human - an entertaining look at one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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New episode of scalr sagecast with career coach, Aditya Rajagopalan.

Aditya’s career started the way many of ours did: fairly traditional, ticking the expected boxes, following the well-lit corporate path.
But somewhere along the way, he realised that doing what you’re good at and doing what you’re built for aren’t always the same thing.

So he tried things on.
Different roles. Different environments. Different challenges.
And in that process of exploration he found his real calling: coaching - helping people think clearer, lead better, and move forward with confidence.

In this episode, we dig into:

• How a conventional corporate career can become a launch pad for reinvention
• Why exposure to different roles can be the fastest route to clarity
• The moments that pushed Aditya toward coaching as a true vocation
• And why good mentors have become critical in today’s market - where uncertainty, layoffs and shifting expectations have left a lot of people feeling stuck

It’s a grounded, honest conversation about choice, identity and growth - and why we all benefit from having someone in our corner who’s willing to challenge, support and push us.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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This episode with Terry Condon gets to the heart of financial wellness: helping people feel good about money again - not in a prescribed way, but in a way that matches who they are, where they’re at, and what they value.

We explore:

• What wealth, “rich” and success mean at different stages of life
• How to optimise your money for your next chapter, not a lifetime
• Why freedom comes from systems and clarity, not discipline
• And how financial confidence starts with identity, not numbers

It’s fascinating, honest, and surprisingly human.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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“This is the next big industrial revolution, and leaders will have never experienced this before…”

Annie Johnson has seen the evolution of People & Culture from every angle - in-house, consulting, product, leadership - and she’s now building humaneer, a next-gen AI platform reshaping how HR teams work.

In this episode, we dive into:

• Why 73% of HR’s time is still spent on admin
• The reality that 70% of tasks will be automated in the next 5 years
• How Annie's approach to “practising for the big game” transformed her mindset and performance
• What the future of work really looks like when leaders embrace AI, community, and strategic impact
• And how Mak by humaneer is freeing up HR pros to lead - not just manage

We also chat about how Annie’s rich background (from GE Capital to Virgin Australia to founding The Honest Human) shaped her views on culture, tech, and change.

If you're in HR, TA or leadership - and wondering which bucket you're in when it comes to tech adoption - this one's for you.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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This week I’m joined by Jo Vohland, the brains and heart behind ATC Events & Media - the team that’s been curating conversations, conferences and communities for TA pros long before it was trendy.

We get into:

• How the role and toolkit of TA leaders is shifting.
• What AI might mean for the function - both now and over the next few years.
• Why in-person events still matter (and probably more than ever).
• And how ATC continues to evolve with the industry - not just talk at it.

Jo’s been in this space for over a decade, and her insights are bang on - not just for TA leaders, but for anyone thinking about where the people part of business is heading.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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From pioneering one of the world’s first crowdfunding platforms to supporting the next wave of Aussie startups, Alan Crabbe has always had one foot in community and the other in innovation.

In this episode, we explore Alan’s journey – from building Pozible and Birchal into household names in the startup scene, to his latest venture, Frontcover, which aims to redefine how we support early-stage founders.

We chat through:

•  Why Australia’s startup ecosystem needs more community, not less.
•  What types of AI startups are actually getting traction (and funding).
•  Why in-person events are more vital than ever in a post-pandemic world.
•  What it really takes to build (and maintain) a thriving founder community.

Alan brings a calm, considered perspective on what’s working, what’s broken, and what we can all do better to support the innovation economy.

If you're a founder, investor, community builder, or just startup-curious - this one's for you.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion. 

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After starting his career as a neonatal intensive care nurse, Ben Lai made a bold move - swapping the ward for the world of sales.

It wasn’t a straight line. He spent years honing his skills in corporate environments and client-facing roles before finally discovering his calling: helping introverted business owners sell with confidence.

Now, as the founder of Sales Ethos, Ben combines empathy, ethics, and strategy to train leaders who often feel out of place in the sales world.

In this episode of scalr sagecast, we chat about:

• The mindset shift that helped Ben find his calling.
• Why introverts can be exceptional salespeople - once they flip the script.
• The biggest mistakes Ben sees new founders make when trying to “sell”.
• How business owners can overcome fear, imposter syndrome and mindset blocks.

Whether you hate selling, avoid the word “sales” entirely, or just want to make your business more sustainable, this episode will give you a fresh lens and a few practical takeaways to boot.

The scalr sagecast is proudly brought to you by scalr, a recruitment and talent advisory business headquartered in Melbourne, Australia.

Want to identify potential gaps in your current TA process? Take the free TA Readiness Scorecard or reach out to the team for a free 30-minute discussion.