SHFT POD

Dan and Erin sit down with Jae Fraser, a teacher, business owner and philanthropist who went from running one of Australia’s biggest childcare companies to buying a rundown Gold Coast centre with no plan and no money.

We hear how he woke up one morning, realised his work no longer matched his values, and said yes to a centre he knew nothing about. What followed included painting walls, building Ikea furniture and working seven days a week. This effort grew into 17 campuses, serving over 8,000 children and employing 650 staff, and is now known as Little Scholars.

Along the way we discuss why childcare costs what it does, why looking after your team flows all the way down to the kids, and why he learned leadership by noticing what not to do.

We also dig into the ideas that make Little Scholars different. There’s the 2036 time capsule project, the Grand Friends program that pairs kids with aged care residents, and the date night program that parents say saved their marriages.

We finish with the foundation he started after a very pointed conversation in a minister’s office, which now funds scholarships for the next generation of early childhood teachers. It’s a big, heartfelt conversation about purpose and what you can build when belief comes before the business plan.

Get in touch with Little Scholars here

Learn more about The Fraser Foundation here

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

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Dan and Erin sit down with David and Luke Ridden, the father and son duo behind Granddad Jack’s, one of Australia’s most awarded craft distilleries. They opened on the Gold Coast in 2018 with no distilling experience, inspired by the story of David’s grandfather, a New Zealand born farmer and barber who loved a daily whiskey. It’s an episode full of tears, laughter and some seriously wild stories.

We also get into what it takes to build a brand people actually care about. Why they never put the bottles on the table, why they’ve said no to some seriously big contracts, and why they’ll never discount. Grab a drink and enjoy!

Keep up to date with Granddad Jack's on Instagram: @granddadjacks

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dan and Erin sit down with Nick Proctor, who went from freight runner to running a $15M-a-year international freight business. It started with a simple idea: ship cars from Australia to New Zealand for less. A $2k website and one viral post turned that side hustle into the main event. They discuss how COVID wiped out most of his revenue overnight, why he hired a head of AI, and some wild freight facts, like what "general average" means and why you should always insure your cargo.

In the second half, Nick shares how he started his barbecue brand, FYR Republic, from scratch. He tested demand on Facebook Marketplace, sold out his first container in 30 days, and learned the hard way that a bad agency can eat your profit. They also get into the real numbers behind online sales and why knowing your numbers matters. 

Connect with Nick on Instagram: @nick_proctor89

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dan and Erin sit down with natural health practitioner Holly Mayo to unpack why so many high performers walk around bloated, exhausted and foggy, accepting it as the cost of the job. Holly explains why the stomach is our "second brain," how chronic workplace stress quietly wrecks the gut microbiome, and why hustle culture self-talk ("I have to," "I'm so busy") keeps your nervous system stuck in fight or flight.

They then get practical: addressing the caffeine dependency so many leaders rely on to push through the day, how to taper off without brutal withdrawals, and how to build a circadian-friendly routine around a demanding schedule. Holly touches on how much of our decision making runs on subconscious patterns formed young, and how small shifts, like changing one phrase in your self-talk, can start undoing the damage of a genuinely busy career.

Connect with Holly: @hollymayo.naturopathy

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dan and Erin sit down with Daniel Watkins - a three-time world wakeboarding champion, Ski and Wake Hall of Famer, and the entrepreneur behind some of the Gold Coast's biggest waterparks. Daniel takes us right back to the beginning: from being a kid dragging a ski handle around Victoria, to chasing his dream all the way to SeaWorld California, and eventually clinching that first world title after nearly walking away from the sport entirely.

The conversation shifts to business and how the same mindset that made him a champion athlete carried straight into entrepreneurship. We discuss the wake park that got wiped out by flooding three days before it even opened (and nine more times after that), and the deeper reason he keeps rebuilding: the community and the kids whose lives the parks have changed.

Connect with Daniel on Instagram @_danielwatkins_

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Submit a Question ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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This week, it's just Dan and Erin for an episode all about routines: the ones that actually work, the ones they're still figuring out, and what happens when life throws them off track. They get into the nitty-gritty of their weekly meal prep systems, the boundaries they've set around travel and work (including why saying no might earn you more respect, not less), and the small daily habits that shape everything else.

It's a candid, practical chat for anyone who feels like they're constantly playing catch-up or is looking to build routines that actually stick.

If you've got a topic you'd love Dan and Erin to cover, send it through on socials or leave a comment below!

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dan and Erin sit down with Charmaine Schembri, one of Australia's most recognised beauty business coaches. Charmaine started hustling at 13 years old by talking her way into a street promo team gig before she was legally allowed to work, and has spent 22 years since then building brands across Australia, New Zealand and the US. We cover her wild origin story (Barbies, garage sales, marbles as currency), her corporate detour through fitness marketing, and why she believes hair and beauty professionals need to learn the business side of their craft, not just the treatments, so their brands can actually flourish.

The conversation gets real practical, real fast, busting the myth that everything has to be digital, and unpacking why "everybody" can never be your target market. We also go deeper into leadership, self-development, and mentorship. If you're a business owner drowning in social media with nothing to show for it, this episode is for you.

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dan and Erin sit down with serial entrepreneur Mick Spencer, the founder behind OTG Sports, Gravity Drinks Co and Australia's homegrown agave brand SOLLOS. Mick gets real about the health scares that shaped his mindset early on, and how nearly running out of time taught him that every single day counts. From there he takes us back to the very start: registering his first business for $142 and personally delivering a $40k order 30 minutes before a major event kicked off.

The chat then moves into the business lessons Mick's picked up scaling and exiting more than 20 companies, including the moment he realised he's a visionary, not a CEO, and why knowing the difference matters if you want to build something that actually runs without you. He also shares a simple framework he uses to decide which opportunities are worth chasing (hint: it's not just about the money) and gets honest about redefining "busy" as he balances being a Dad with a stack of businesses. 

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dan and Erin sit down with Alison Geale, a friend and long-time mentor to Erin, who made one of the biggest career pivots you'll hear on this show — swapping two decades in commercial media leadership for the CEO chair at Bravehearts. They discuss how Alison built her career, starting as a 15-year-old work experience kid at a local radio station and rising to general manager, the "almost perfect" culture she built along the way, and the hard conversations early in her career that shaped how she leads today.

Alison then unpacks what she's learnt moving from a profit-driven world to a purpose-driven one, why not-for-profits are often more innovative than big business, the difference between being responsible for people versus accountable to them, and how she protects her team (and herself) from burnout when the work carries real emotional weight. Dan and Erin also get her to open up on self-development, energy management, and the moment that's made her proudest in the role. 

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Submit a Question ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Dan and Erin love AI, they use it every single day, but this week they're pulling back the curtain on where it actually lets people down. From bland LinkedIn posts, to performance reviews that clearly weren't written by a human, they dig into the difference between using AI as a tool and outsourcing your thinking, your voice, and your leadership to it entirely. Dan shares how he's trained his own AI agents on his writing style, while Erin unpacks the confidentiality risks businesses face when staff use personal accounts for corporate work.

They also discuss recruitment, coaching, and collaboration: Is it still okay to lean on AI to write your resume, coach you through self-development, or capture your meeting notes? Spoiler: yes, but only if you know what you're doing first. The big takeaway is simple but easy to forget: use AI to strip out the low-value stuff sucking up your brain capacity, but don't lose you in the process. Because the second everything starts sounding the same, everyone can tell.

SHFT POD is sponsored by Flockd and Smelly Balls.

T&Cs: 20% off applies to new Flockd customers only for your first hot desk booking. Must be redeemed by 30 December 2026. Quote the code SHFT when booking. Not valid with any other offer.

Connect With Us

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@SHFT.Pod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠shftpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

Submit a Question ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠

Submit a Guest ⁠⁠⁠⁠here