Straight Talk with Mark Bouris

Jack Bloomfield is one of the most interesting young entrepreneurs Australia has produced. 

At 16, he was mowing lawns for seed money and making $3,000 a day selling products online. By 17, he'd raised $1 million. By 19, he'd moved to New York alone, knocking on doors to meet e-commerce executives. By 24, he'd built and sold a multi-million-dollar tech business before moving to Hong Kong to take on Australia's building materials industry with his new company Bloom Build.

We talk about raising capital, facing rejection, building businesses from nothing, and why he believes leaving Australia might be the most patriotic thing a young entrepreneur can do..

Learn more about Bloom Build here: buybloombuild.com

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan

Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan

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Paul Gallen has had 19 professional fights, captained the NSW Blues in State of Origin and played 32 Tests for Australia. Now, at 45, he’s stepping back into the ring against a man 15 years younger, 30 kilos heavier and 8 inches taller. This is a raw conversation about where that toughness actually comes from: growing up in Western Sydney, being kicked out of home at 13, and building a life on a refusal to quit. No PR spin, no highlight reel. Just Paul Gallen, talking straight.

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan

Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan

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Mark Nawaqanitawase stood on Bronte Road as a fan in 2019, looking up at the Roosters on the Leagues Club balcony. 7 years later he was up there with the premiership. Mark sits down with Mark Bouris to talk about the grand final, his journey to league, his childhood growing up in Burwood, where he gets his skills from, why he’s heading to Japan, and the choice ahead of him for next year’s Rugby World Cup: Australia, Fiji or Italy?

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan

Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan

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Before the luxury cars, multimillion-dollar properties and headline-making giveaways, Adrian Portelli was broke and determined to succeed.

Growing up in Melbourne's western suburbs, Adrian refused to take a conventional job, spent years building businesses and sacrificed almost everything in pursuit of success. Now one of Australia's most recognisable entrepreneurs, Adrian sits down with Mark Bouris to tell the story behind his rise. He breaks down the LMCT Plus business model, explains how he turned giveaways into a powerful marketing strategy, and opens up about his disputes with regulators, his move to Dubai and his next major business ventures.

Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan

Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan

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Four months ago, Leah Stewart went for a swim at Coogee Beach and woke up from an 11-day coma missing an arm. She was attacked by a great white shark in the middle of the day, close to shore, doing everything right.

This is the full, unfiltered account — what it felt like to be dragged underwater, how she fought back, the near-death experience that almost took her, and the one thing that pulled her back. If you've ever wondered what it actually takes to survive the unsurvivable, this is it.

Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan Join my exclusive Mentored community: https://mentored.com.au Subscribe to the Mentored newsletter here: https://the-mentored-platform-pty-ltd.myklpages.com/l/WWJGc5

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In this episode of Straight Talk, I sit down with economist Chris Joye for round five, a frank conversation about government spending, immigration, productivity and Australia’s economic future.

Chris argues that Australia’s challenges run deeper than events in the Middle East. He examineswhat he describes as $660 billion in additional government debt since 2022, the pressure population growth is placing on housing and infrastructure, and an expanding public service alongside declining private sector productivity.

He also questions the Reserve Bank’s “narrow path” strategy, whether political influence has shaped its approach to inflation, and the cost to Australian households. I then ask Chris what needs to change: how to rein in spending, lift productivity and get Australia’s economy back on track.

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan

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Australian house prices are down 7% from their national peak — and according to SQM Research’s Louis Christopher, there’s an 80% probability they’ll fall another 5–10% over the next six months. In this Straight Talk roundtable, Mark Bouris sits down with Louis and auctioneer Tom Panos to unpack what’s happening in Australia’s property market, why buyers are losing confidence and where prices could go next. From sharp falls on the Gold Coast to first home buyers walking away, rising government spending and the risk of recession, they examine what’s gone wrong and what needs to change.

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan
Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adam Gilchrist built one of the greatest cricket careers Australia has ever seen — and almost nobody knows how close he came to losing it. In this episode of Straight Talk, Mark Bouris sits down with Gilly to unpack the mindset behind elite performance: what it's like to get booed onto the field at 22, how a single email from a mate mid-Test-match changed the way he thinks forever, and why the 2005 Ashes nearly broke him. Plus, the real story behind his tequila business,  El*Arquero  and what every Australian entrepreneur can learn from it.

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan
Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan 

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Australian rugby has a massive opportunity ahead of it. A home World Cup in 2027, a new Wallabies coach and a chance to rebuild one of the great sporting teams in the country.

Les Kiss is the new head coach of the Wallabies, a former Queensland State of Origin player and one of the few coaches to have worked at the highest level across both rugby league and rugby union.

In this episode of Straight Talk, I sit down with Les to unpack his journey from growing up in Bundaberg to coaching the Springboks, Ireland, the Queensland Reds and now the Wallabies.

We get into the real problems facing Australian rugby, why so much of our best talent is being lost overseas, what South Africa has done differently to build extraordinary depth, the lessons Les learned working inside the Springboks system and what Australia needs to do to become a genuine force again.

Les also opens up about his coaching philosophy, why he refuses to obsess over outcomes, the importance of his “What’s Important Now” mindset and what it will take to build a Wallabies side capable of doing something special on home soil in 2027.

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan
Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan 

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Alex Volkanovski walked into Mark's studio years ago with no idea what his brand was. Now he's a former UFC featherweight world champion, part-owner of a fight gear company, building a media presence through Cooking with Volk, and defending his belt at 38 — by choice, not necessity. This is a conversation about identity, purpose, and what happens when elite athletes build something that lasts beyond the sport. Volk is as calculated in business as he is in the octagon, and this conversation proves it. For more content like this:

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Executive Producer: Samuel Morgan
Head of Production: Jonah Mclachlan 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.