Seize the Yay

Today’s guest has one of those careers that makes you wonder how on earth all of these chapters belong to the same person.

Kathryn Eisman went from studying communications in Sydney to packing her bags for New York, where she became the youngest on-air reporter in NBC history, working on the TODAY Show before going on to build an incredible career across US television, including E! News and an Emmy-nominated team.

But, as you know, we love a good pivot around here - and Kathryn’s next chapter took her from interviewing some of the biggest names in the world to building something of her own.

From her dining room table, she founded High Heel Jungle, which has grown from a bold idea into a global fashion label completely revolutionising a category worn by the likes of Doja Cat, Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Sabrina Carpenter and many more.

She’s also an author, producer, Mum and someone who has spent her career fascinated by the tiny choices that reveal who we really are.

We talk about backing yourself when your career makes absolutely no sense on paper, being underestimated, knowing when it’s time for a new chapter, building a cult brand and what nearly two decades across media and business have taught her about success.

Kathryn Eisman, welcome to Seize the Yay.

Shop HIGH HEEL JUNGLE here.

You’ve heard me say many times that I personally found my yay in walking away from the law. I worked so hard to get there (and actually loved my time there), only to realise that my joy lay somewhere completely different.

But I love that this week we get the other side of that story - someone who stayed in the law, loved it, and found enormous purpose in building an incredible career at the Australian Government Solicitor (although, spoiler alert, she too made a huge pivot but it came a little later than most...)

Chances are, you already know Karina Berger’s voice. If you listened to Hedley Thomas’ Bronwyn podcast, you’ll have heard Karina first volunteering to lend her legal expertise to that investigation. She was, at the time, still very much a lawyer - working in coronial law and bringing a completely different lens to the case.

Fast forward to The Poisoned Wife, which you heard all about from Hedley in our last episode, and somehow Karina is no longer referred to as a volunteer helper but has left law altogether to work full-time as a producer and co-host alongside Hedley investigating the extraordinary death of Rosslyn McQueen...

And it all started with a cold call.

I find that trajectory so fascinating - because we talk so much on this show about carefully planning our next chapter, when sometimes you couldn’t possibly plan for the places your skills, curiosity and one unexpected opportunity might take you.

So today, we’re going behind the voice you already know to find out who Karina is, why she loved the law enough to stay, what made her eventually leave it, and how on earth she ended up here.

Karina Berger, welcome to Seize the Yay.

Our guest today needs no introduction not only because he is returning to the yayborhood for the third time, but also because his voice is a fixture in households around the globe having amassed 170 million downloads, 8 Walkley Awards and history-changing outcomes with his incredible work in criminal investigative journalism. 

Having first joined us during his investigation into the unsolved murder case of Bronwyn Winfield then very kindly flying to Melbourne for our live show raising funds to combat domestic violence, Hedley Thomas is back just days after the release of his newest investigative podcast, The Poisoned Wife. 

It’s no secret I am one Hedley’s millions of devout fangirls and a die hard true crime junkie, so every opportunity to speak with him is a pinch me moment.  But the unsolved case of Rosslyn McQueen takes your breath away whether you're a Hedley fangirl or not, landing on his desk in a mysterious taped up suitcase revealing a chilling murder unsolved for 40 years…

Unlike The Teacher’s Pet, Rosslyn’s body was found and her death confirmed to be caused by strychnine poisoning. Her husband not only explained her sudden death as having been caused by cancer which she did not have, he quickly moved in with the underage babysitter -  a scenario that sounds devastatingly familiar. While he has always denied wrongdoing, he was charged with the murder but just days before the trial was to commence, the prosecution called a halt and the case was never revisited. Until now… 

Of course this content is a little heavier than usual so please take care whie listening. But I know many of you consume Hedley’s work as voraciously as I do, and are likely right up to date with episode 3 which has come out since our recording. So I'm sure you will be as fascinated as I am to hear about what it took to bring this investigation back to life, how the show is put together and what lies ahead. Without further ado, Hedley Thomas...

LISTEN TO THE POISONED WIFE HERE.

One of the greatest privileges of hosting Seize the Yay for almost eight years is that so many of our guests aren't just someone I meet and interview once. I'm so lucky to have watched many of their stories unfold in real time and today's guest is one of those people - I'd go so far as to say she's been one of the most impactful people on my own pathyay.

I've known Bree Johnson for years had a front-row seat to so many of the chapters that have shaped her incredible life and career. From the early days of Willow & Blake, to the phenomenal rise of Frank Body into one of Australia's most iconic consumer brands, through the highs and inevitable challenges of entrepreneurship, and now motherhood, every conversation we've had has taught me something.

That's why I was so excited when she released her new book, From The Ground Up, alongside Co-Founder and another dear friend, Jess Hatzis . On the surface, it's a book about building brands, but after reading it I realised it's really a book about building a life. It's about making decisions with intention, backing yourself before anyone else does, and understanding that the choices you make every day quietly shape who you become.

Today, we'll absolutely trace Bree's journey, but I also wanted to use this conversation as a chance to tap into over 40 years of combined brand-building experience between Bree and her co-founder Jess. Think of this as a free strategy session for anyone building a business, a personal brand, or simply trying to create something people genuinely care about!!!

We talk about branding, ambition, success, motherhood, and why bigger isn't always better. I learnt so much from this conversation, and I know you will too.

Please enjoy this chat with the brilliant Bree Johnson.

Get the book HERE.

Imagine taking plastic waste in a region with some of the highest plastic pollution, turning it into life changing schools, building them in just six weeks... and making them earthquake resilient at the same time.

When I first heard about Classroom of Hope’s world first Block Schools, I was lost for words and desperate to work together in some way. 

I am so thrilled to share this episode with CEO Tanya Armstrong to announce that I am joining the team as an ambassador and heading to Lombok in a few short weeks to start Block School #51.

We, of course, cover this extraordinary innovation but also Tanya's own origin story which is an awe-inspiring pathyay in itself. 

After losing her husband, raising three children on her own and completely reassessing what mattered, she did something most of us only ever dream about - she blew up her life, moved to Bali with no plan, cold-called a charity she'd found on Google... and somehow ended up becoming its CEO.

It's such a beautiful reminder that purpose isn't always something you plan.

Many of you know that, as someone who was born into an orphanage and adopted, education and opportunity have always felt deeply personal to me. And becoming Teddy's mum has only strengthened that belief that every child deserves the chance to shape their own future.

I cannot wait for you to hear this conversation and I hope it sparks some yayborhood passion to rally around an incredible cause over the coming months together. Introducing Tanya Armstrong…

BUILD A SCHOOL WITH US HERE

Many people hear the word influencer and make instant assumptions about overnight success, accidental fame and a consequently relaxed or even lazy work ethic (and very occasionally those might be justified). But while Elle Ray’s meteoric rise was indeed unplanned in the sense that she once thought herself destined to be a geneticist, it certainly wasn’t accidental with every bit of her success built on strategy, intention and hustle . 

With an adoring community of more than 750,000 followers (i.e. the population of the Gold Coast), I’m sure many of you already know Elle very well... but, as always, I made it my mission to learn about the side of her we’ve heard less about. While her pathYAY so far is shorter than most given she is much younger than her success might indicate, Elle belongs to the generation whose final years of school were spent in lockdown so tracing through the chapters that led her from science to stream Queen were particularly fascinating. 

From incredible opportunities with the AFL and Channel 9 to interviewing some of the world’s biggest names like Margot Robbie, Elle is clever, endlessly hard working, and endearingly warm. Smashing through a career path that didn’t exist not long ago, this chat busts some myths about the modern day creator, explains why so many hundreds of thousands of people adore her and marvels at the sorcery of Off Campus bridging generational gaps. I loved every minute and hope you do too

Part 2 of our Vogue Codes wrap episode featuring the next three extraordinary guests:

Maeva Heim - Founder of Bread Beauty Supply

Ewan Macmillan - Deputy Director General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service

Nat Kyriacou OAM - Award-winning environmentalist, author, charity director

An absolutely JAM-PACKED two-parter that I hope stays with you for a long time to come...

Part 1 of our Vogue Codes wrap episode featuring the first three of our six extraordinary guests:

Katherine Bennell-Pegg - Australian of the Year 2026 and Astronaut at the Australian Space Agency

Dr Amandeep Hansra - Chief Clinical Adviser at the Australian Digital Health Agency and Founder of Australian Medical Angels

Laura Henshaw - Co-Founder of KIC, KIC Studio and KIC Pod

Get ready to lose your absolute mind...

Six INCREDIBLE mini episodes are coming your way following our awe-inspiring weekend with Vogue Codes!!! Due to our dear clandestine friends at ASIS returning to the show (I KNOW) and a few other factors, we are pushing back the release for a week but here is a taster to get you excited...

I haven't felt this motivated and excited for a long time, these speakers will change your life in such different ways! Stay tuned...

One of life’s greatest story arcs is when you grow up fangirling someone famous then actually get to tell them later in life when you become mates - bonus points if they're as lovely as you'd hoped and Dan MacPherson is exactly that. If you’re part of the demographic of people who listen to this show, chances are you’ve also seen, heard and watched Dan's evolution through television, film, theatre presenting and everything in between. 

Transitioning seamlessly from the end of high school into a coveted role on Neighbours, you could say Dan has been an Australian icon for nearly three decades now. You may not now, however, that it all came about by accident when he was scouted literally on the side of the road at a triathlon but his enthusiasm for seizing such unexpected opportunities has helped him build a career that's not only remarkably successful, but incredibly varied continually reinventing himself while staying true to the craft.

I am so grateful he gave us some of his very precious time back in Melbourne especially on the day his latest project premieres on Stan, so you can all see (if you haven’t already) the culmination of everything he’s done so far into a role you’ve never seen him in before. 

As someone who had never learnt to fight, you might think it unlikely Dan would take the lead in the new Stan Original film, Beast, as former MMA champion Patton James alongside Russell Crowe and fighting an opponent who is LEGITIMATELY an actual MMA champion... But you don’t know Dan - he made it his goal to be so convincing that people would think he was a fighter taught to act and not an actor taught to fight and he did exactly that.

I loved every minute of this episode - he is SO easy to chat to but also shares such deep, valuable reflections along the way and I’ll let you hear the rest directly from him.

Ladies and Gentleman, this is Dan MacPherson for Seize The Yay.

Watch BEAST on Stan.

Follow Dan here.