Many leaders and creatives feel run down, disconnected, or unsure how to sustain their energy and purpose over the long term. Others may appear highly successful from a distance, yet find themselves quietly asking, Is this really all there is?

In this special Podcasters CoLab, I sit down with Mark Bilton - internationally renowned CEO, Independent Chair, and Strategist, the host of 'Lead Well, Live Well’ podcast, and the author of multiple books on leadership, faith and purpose driven entrepreneurship - to explore healthspan, being human, and finding purpose in a demanding world. 

This episode is a true collaboration, recorded for both Sparks Journal and Lead Well Live Well podcasts.

Together, we unpack what it really means to live well over the long term. Not just how long you live, but how well you live. We talk about healthspan, not as a trend or biohacking obsession, but as a practical way to stay energised, clear-headed, and present for the people and work that matter most.

In this episode, you will hear:

• What healthspan really means and why it matters more than lifespan

• Why leaders must care for their physical, emotional, and relational health

• How purpose, identity, and wellbeing are deeply connected

• The role of habits, consistency, and self-leadership over time

• Why being human is not a weakness in leadership, but a strength

This is a grounded, honest conversation between two good friends who have spent decades working with leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs. 

It is practical, reflective, and deeply relevant if you want to lead well without losing yourself along the way.

Paizley Laura is the founder of the rapidly growing lifestyle brand Peach Honey, a champion of self care rituals and ‘getting gooey’, and one of the most compelling voices in the new wave of social first founder-led brands.

Paizley joins the The Sparks Journal for a raw, expansive and deeply honest conversation about self-trust, autonomy, ambition, and what it really takes to create and build a purpose driven brand on your own terms.

From growing up in Albuquerque and navigating family trauma, to arriving in Los Angeles with almost nothing to hustle her way to a global audience in the millions, Paizley’s story is not one of overnight success, but of choosing to believe in herself again and again.

In this conversation, we explore the why, what and how of building something truly meaningful, without abandoning yourself in the process.Paizley does not offer a polished myth of entrepreneurship. She shares the messy middle, the moments of doubt and the quiet decisions that ultimately change the direction of a life.

This episode is for founders, creatives and anyone navigating ambition without wanting to harden or shrink themselves. It is a grounded exploration of agency, alignment and the courage it takes to choose yourself.

Samantha Wills - creative entrepreneur, bestselling author of Of Gold and Dust, designer behind her iconic jewellery brand, and creator of the Marigold children’s series - joins The Sparks Journal for a powerful conversation about creativity, intuition, imposter syndrome and building a life that feels true.

From selling handmade jewellery behind the bike sheds in Port Macquarie to becoming one of Australia’s most recognisable creative founders, Samantha’s story is defined by creative exploration, the power of intuition, grit and resilience, and above all, the courage to follow your own path.

In this conversation, we explore the creative intuition that shaped her career, the emotional truth-telling that defined her brand, and the remarkable courage it took to close the business that made her famous at its commercial peak.

Samantha discusses:

• the childhood “green lights” that revealed her creative identity
• building the Samantha Wills world before social media
• why creativity is a form of intelligence - especially for children
• designing for your actual customer rather than your aspirational one
• the power of storytelling, enchantment and “surprise and delight”
• the iconic wooden jewellery boxes - and why taking irrational risks matters
• imposter syndrome: why she never “beat” it, but learned to live beside it
• fear, procrastination and her inch-by-inch method for building momentum
• sensitivity as a creative superpower — and the toll of the hustle years
• the scaffolding of female friendships and why they are an unfair advantage
• choosing the right business partner through values, not spreadsheets
• the crossroads moment at the Omega Institute that changed everything
• closing her global brand at its peak to honour her health and her legacy
• writing The Marigold Effect and creating for “the little girl she once was”
• creativity as intuition, spirituality and a way of seeing the world

This episode is for creatives, founders and anyone learning to trust themselves more deeply - a practical and deeply resonant exploration of intuition, courage and the beautiful, risky work of building a life that feels true.

Laura Day — bestselling author, world-renowned intuitive and creator of The Prism — joins The Sparks Journal for an intimate exploration of intuition, healing and human possibility.

In this conversation, Laura shares how intuition works not as mysticism but as data, how trauma shapes the ego, and why healing must begin with action in the present moment — not analysis of the past.

We explore:
• her childhood discovery of intuitive knowing
• how intuition is trained, not gifted
• the seven ego centres in The Prism
• why the future is easier to read than the past
• how trauma distorts our inner and outer world
• the science of synchronicity and emotional contagion
• why skeptics often become the strongest intuitives
• ADHD, sensitivity and the hidden strengths in neurodiversity
• why healing yourself improves the collective

This is a powerful, grounded and practical conversation for anyone wanting to transform their patterns, strengthen their intuition, and create a life aligned with their true purpose.

Chef, author, My Kitchen Rules alum and Good Farm Shop co-founder Scott Gooding is one of those rare people who has done the deep inner work to turn a difficult start into a life of meaning, discipline and love.

Scott spent his childhood living in English pubs - surrounded by drunk adults, chaos and the ever-present possibility of violence. It forged a tough exterior, a readiness to fight and a constant sense of vigilance. That same energy might have consumed him. Instead, over decades, he learned to reframe and redirect it:

• Aggression into ambition

• Anxiety into anticipation

• Fear into fuel

In this wide-ranging and emotionally honest conversation, we explore:

• Growing up in pubs: learning to read danger, hold his ground and the cost of living on high alert

• Sliding-door moments: key points where he consciously chose not to escalate, and in doing so, chose a different man to become

• Reinvention in Australia: booking a ticket, leaving the old persona behind and building a new life from scratch

• Seven years of chronic back pain: losing the athletic identity he’d built, moving through depression, and finding empathy and perspective on the other side

• My Kitchen Rules and stage fright: why he almost scared himself out of it, what it took to get through filming while “white-knuckling” anxiety, and how the show became a springboard rather than a vanity play

• Saying yes for a year: the deliberate decision to say yes to every opportunity for 12 months to dismantle long-held self-limiting beliefs

• Good Farm Shop with Matilda: creating a business rooted in “healthy comfort food” that reflects his values around nourishment, care and community

• Fatherhood and masculinity: how all of this inner work shows up in the way he parents - as a present, emotionally available, deeply engaged dad

Scott doesn’t present as a guru. He’s disarmingly humble, quick to laugh at himself, and the first to say he’s not “the best” at anything. But in that humility lies his real genius: an unwavering commitment to show up, to work, to keep going, and to use every challenge as a chance to grow.

For founders, creatives and leaders, this episode is a blueprint for:

• Integrating your past rather than running from it

• Building true resilience instead of just performance armour

• Honouring your opportunities - and the people you love - by continually walking towards what scares you

If you’re navigating your own reinvention, trying to turn a rough beginning into a life of depth and contribution, Scott’s story will stay with you long after the credits roll.

Subscribe to The Sparks Journal for more conversations at the intersection of creativity, courage and commercial reality.
Listen on Spotify & Apple Podcasts, or watch the full series here on YouTube.

The Met Gala, from the man who curates it.
Andrew Bolton—Curator in Charge of The Met’s Costume Institute and Anna Wintour’s long-time collaborator—explains how the red carpet functions as a moving gallery and an extension of the exhibition itself. We explore Savage Beauty, Camp, and Heavenly Bodies; the interplay of meaning and marketing; how younger designers build community before scale; and why the best exhibitions ask questions rather than answer them.
Andrew also previews his next frontier: decoding the “anonymous” designer through the creative decisions embedded in a garment.

Listen on: Spotify • Apple Podcasts
Follow: @TheSparksJournal
Subscribe for weekly conversations at the edge of fashion, culture, and commerce.

Matt Kaness has quietly helped shape the modern playbook for purpose-driven retail — where creativity and commercial discipline amplify each other.

At URBN (Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters), he helped triple revenue and grow e-commerce from ~10% to ~40% of the business.
As CEO of ModCloth, he defined the mission “ModCloth is pioneering inclusive fashion,” a clarity that galvanised its community and ultimately led to Walmart’s acquisition.
Later, at GoodwillFinds, he reimagined “donation” as a customer-centric circular marketplace, driving ~2 billion organic visits with no ad spend.

In this episode of The Sparks Journal, Matt reveals how to scale purpose and profit in parallel — aligning founder DNA, brand “why,” and performance culture to build brands that endure.

Key takeaways:
• Distil founder “magic” into strategic advantage
• Turn brand purpose into a moat and growth engine
• Apply the “brand bank account” test to every decision
• Build omnichannel CX that immerses the customer

Follow and subscribe for more stories on building brands with heart and rigour — at the intersection of creative vision, cultural impact, and commercial outperformance.

From $40,000 and a garage to a global fragrance phenomenon — Raquel Bouris, founder of Who Is Elijah, has built one of Australia’s fastest-growing beauty brands by doing things differently.

In this candid, empowering, and hilarious conversation, Raquel opens up about the creative chaos, the brand strategy, and the personal evolution behind her rise. We dive deep into how she hacked the attention economy with radical authenticity, “no-rules” storytelling, and a founder-led brand that’s as emotionally resonant as it is commercially powerful.

In This Episode

• From garage start-up to $20M cult brand

• Turning personal brand × business brand into a growth flywheel

• Authentic UGC, unpaid celebrity fans, and organic virality

• Why “community > vanity” is the ultimate growth strategy

• The art and commerce crossover that built longevity

Raquel’s story is a blueprint for the modern founder: fearless, transparent, emotionally intelligent — and entirely her own.

If this episode moves you, follow and rate the show. It’s the simplest way to support these long-form, on-location conversations with world-class creators and founders.

#WhoIsElijah #RaquelBouris #TheSparksJournal #BrandBuilding #FounderStory #Entrepreneurship #AttentionEconomy #WomenInBusiness

Building one global cult brand is rare.
Doing it twice - Mambo and Deus Ex Machina - is almost unheard of.

In this inspiring conversation, Dare Jennings reveals the playbook behind both:
lead with art and humour that challenge the mainstream, fuse the unrestrained creativity of subcultures - “surf, motorcycles, music… it’s all the same juice” - and build worlds where rebellion feels playful, not intimidating.

From Mambo’s cheeky satire to Deus’s Temples of Enthusiasm, Dare shows how to balance art and commerce, turn brand into tribe, and build a legacy brand with soul - rebellious, inclusive, and built to last.

Jon Rose has lived a life that reads like myth: a pro surfing prodigy at 17, then the founder of Waves For Water, a guerrilla-style humanitarian organisation that’s delivered clean water to millions in disaster and conflict zones.

To the world, he was fearless — the man who ran toward hurricanes, earthquakes, and war.But beneath that outward courage was a lifelong drive born not from purpose alone, but from unhealed childhood trauma — a voice Jon came to call “the Drill Sergeant.”

In this raw and deeply human conversation, Jon opens up about:

• Mistaking post-traumatic drive for purpose — and how it finally caught up with him.

• The cost of living in permanent overdrive, even in service to others.

• How psychedelic-assisted therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS) helped him meet, integrate, and transform the part of himself that once ran the show.

• Why healing the helper may be the most radical act of courage there is.

This is a story of high performance, trauma, and transcendence — a roadmap for turning outward purpose into inner peace.

Because, as Jon puts it: “The real win isn’t the halo — it’s wholeness.”