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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.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

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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.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

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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.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

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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.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

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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.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

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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.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

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Welcome back to scalr sagecast.

This week, I’m joined by Martyn Hill - award-winning recruiter, startup founder and community leader with deep roots in WA’s mining and blue-collar space.

Martyn’s had a huge year. He’s won multiple industry awards (including RCSA Recruitment Professional of the Year 2024), launched Refereez - a smart, human-led reference checking platform - and somehow still finds time to coach jobseekers, support fellow recruiters, and champion the community through Rubberband and the RCSA.

In this episode, we unpack:

• The lessons Martyn’s learned from over a decade of high-volume mining recruitment
• Why he built Refereez - and what he thinks is broken with traditional reference checking
• The power of community and vulnerability in an industry that often pretends to have it all together
• And how to balance ambition with impact in both agency and startup life

Martyn brings heart, humility, and serious hustle to everything he does - and this one’s packed with takeaways whether you’re in recruitment, running a business, or trying to do work that actually means something.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

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Joining me on scalr sagecast this week is Peter Treloar, founder of TALY Australia, a platform rethinking how we use personality profiling in the workplace.

Peter’s career started in market research and insights, including building and successfully exiting Telmy. Along the way, he realised a problem that’s plagued HR for years: organisations invest in personality assessments, but the results often sit unused in systems and filing cabinets. More of a tick-box exercise than information that can really help support/drive an individual's career. 

With TALY, he’s set out to change that - turning static profiling into real-time, AI-powered insights that help leaders make better people decisions when it matters most. From coaching managers before a tough feedback session to spotting potential friction points in a team, TALY is all about making behavioural data practical, contextual, and impactful.

In this episode, we cover:

• Peter’s shift from market researcher to tech founder.
• Why traditional profiling misses the mark, and how TALY fixes it.
• The challenges of building as a non-technical founder.
• And why understanding people dynamics is more important than ever in distributed, hybrid workplaces.

I always enjoy catching up with Peter as he brings curiosity, pragmatism, and a real focus on solving problems that matter - it's inspiring! If you’re in HR, leadership, or just want to get more out of the people data you already have, this one’s worth a listen.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

After a short break, I'm delighted that scalr sagecast is back - and we’re starting off strong.

This week, I’m joined by Scott Allan, founder of TalentTech, who has spent a significant part of the last decade helping companies derive value from their HR and TA tech stacks.

From agency roots to global projects with SmartRecruiters, Avature and Gloat, Scott’s career blends creative recruitment know-how with deep implementation experience. It means he doesn’t just understand the tools - he understands the people using them.

And with 45% of digital transformation projects failing to deliver, largely due to poor adoption, vague strategy or a tool that simply doesn’t fit, Scott’s perspective is timely.

In this episode, we get into:

- How early agency lessons helped him spot the cracks tech should be filling.

- The most common mistakes employers make when rolling out new systems - and how to avoid them.

- The non-negotiable advice he gives every business going through real change (spoiler: it’s rarely about the tool).

- And how he’s run global transformation projects from a laptop on Peregian Beach! 

Scott brings a no-nonsense, outcomes-first lens to tech selection and adoption - cutting through the noise and focusing on what actually works.

If you’re in TA, people ops or just wrestling with a tech stack that’s lost its shine, this one’s well worth your time.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan Mail

This week on scalr sagecast, I’m joined by the brilliant and always energetic Mark Puncher, CEO of Employer Branding Australia and one of the most passionate advocates for building workplaces where people actually want to be.

In this episode, we dig into all things EVP - what it is, what it isn’t, and why so many companies still get it wrong. We unpack the tension between aspiration and reality, the blurred lines between EVP and commercial branding, and the common traps businesses fall into when crafting their story.

Mark also explains one of my favourite metaphors of the episode: the magnetic mirror—and why it’s the key to creating job ads that cut through and actually connect.

We cover:

• The difference between authentic and aspirational EVP.
• Pitfalls in brand and content that dilute your message.
• How small businesses can create an outsized impact with the right approach.
• Why your EVP should reflect the truth - and attract the right people because of it.

Mark is unashamedly people-first, grounded in family values, and genuinely humble about the impact EBA has made over the past 7 years. It’s a conversation full of insight, honesty and heart.

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

If you're a founder or operator thinking about your next hire, building out a TA function, or just not sure where your hiring process is letting you down - reach out to Matt directly at [email protected] or find him on LinkedIn.