Stuff That Matters Now

From workaholic, to mother, and then GM of The Mind Lab & Tech Futures Lab, Fee Webby has evolved into a wonderfully reflective and balanced manager in a vibrant education-based organisation. Fee is a real force of nature, helping people learn new skills in our rapidly evolving digital world. This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

Our very first scholarship recipient at Collective Intelligence was this fella - James McCarthy of Cradle. We've had the good fortune to watch him grow into an incredibly thoughtful, respected, serial tech entrepreneur, with two successful companies under his belt. He's fun, insightful, and a pain in the…at times, and we love him just the same! The world needs more entrepreneurs like James, who see a problem and then go about solving it for the benefit of others. This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate. PS: James had an addendum he wanted to add to this description of ours: If you make it to the end of this podcast you'll find a question that I wasn't expecting, and a subsequent answer that doesn't really reflect how I currently perceive the world. I was asked what I had seen in my travels that I admired (or some BS like that - thanks Harv!) and after attempts to deflect failed, made some stumbling comment about Switzerland. Whilst it is true that I really do admire the way Swiss agriculture is essentially a large collection of gardens that provide more or less equal parts beauty and food. I'm not suggesting that this is the right approach for New Zealand or the world. On reflection, I think our whole species has a huge challenge in front of it and no one country (that I have seen) has a silver bullet which balances our desire for growth, living standards and wealth with our ability to support these things indefinitely, be it through technology or otherwise. There is a lot that we can each learn from each other, and what I have noticed is that wealth combined with a certain degree of egalitarianism tends to lend itself to local environments (countries, cities, landscapes) that fill their inhabitants with pride (this is my experience and opinion - don't go quoting me here). Rubbish, junk, abandoned shit lying all over the place is definitely not something you find in the types of countries I have described above. I'd like to see the world apply the same degree of care to the things that we can't see, either with our eyes or over the course of a year, a decade, or a lifetime. How we do this I'm unsure, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to clear up a mumbling, rambling thought off the cuff. ~James McCarthy, 30 October 2020

This episode was always going to be a challenge for me! I had to be on my toes when interviewing biotech entrepreneur and scientist-on-a-mission, Veronica, about her work developing a sustainable alternative to plastic that's derived from outback Australian bees. 'Speak to me like a Labrador' was my message to her. The world has real hope when people like Veronica step up to the plate. This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

Anō te pai, te āhua reka o te noho tahi ki tēnei tuawahine me tana mōhio ki te ahurea Māori, me te whakarongo anō ki a ia, mōnā i whakamahi i te mōhio hei oranga mō tana whānau whānui. Ko Riana Manuel te kanohi o tō tātou āpōpōtanga i Aotearoa-New Zealand, mā te whakakotahi i ngā tikanga me ngā hua hauora o nāianei. Ka mutu, kāore he painga i a ia mō te whakakatakata! What a blast it was to sit down with this wahine, who carries so much knowledge of Māori culture, and hear how she applies it to deliver health care for her extensive whānau. Riana Manuel is the face of our future in Aotearoa-New Zealand, blending tikanga with modern health outcomes. Oh, and she has a wicked sense of humour! This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

I love interviews like this where I just ask questions and learn so much about subjects that are fascinating. Not many people have impacted on my world as much as Jules Matthews. I was very dismissive of her work some eight years ago when she introduced me to regenerative agriculture, to the point of being rude (who me?!). But I finally got it, and this podcast reveals just how bloody smart she is. Enjoy and learn. *Jules is my regenerative agriculture coach. You can read more about the journey I have undertaken on our property with her support, and more of her wise words, in my August 2020 blog. This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

Sue Johnston was one of the first facilitators to join the Collective Intelligence team nearly 10 years ago, and she's been a huge influence on our community ever since. Her love of human development has seen her training with renowned expert in this field, Bréne Brown, and developing her own Life Star wellbeing tool, aimed at helping people get better balance in their lives. Oh, and as our teams will testify, she's a magnificent facilitator too! This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

From opera diva in Europe, to founding 'Project Prima Volta' (which introduces 30 local teenagers to performance opera each year), to producing an annual opera in the Bay - this all takes energy, vision and lots of passion. Something that Hawke's Bay-raised soprano and Collective Intelligence member alumna, Anna Pierard, has in bucketloads! This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

"A self-proclaimed, recovering narcissist" might seem a bit harsh, but that's how Hugh Signal describes himself. When Hugh started his scholarship journey with us, I remember his life was about making money and not much else. Seldom have I witnessed someone evolve from this point so quickly, to become an empathetic and highly-effective leader. I was delighted to sit down with Hugh and explore where his niche export company, Alpine Deer, is at right now. This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

I take great joy in watching from the sidelines as our past Koru Scholars, like Sian Paterson (who was one of our first), go on to grow and evolve themselves, their causes and ideas. Sian cut short an OE to return to Aotearoa with a burning idea and found an outstanding educational space in Greytown - Blue School. What a journey! You'll be inspired... This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.

From a tough, black-shirt-wearing kid growing up in Masterton, to an accomplished CEO of a successful tech company operating on the world stage, the life of Dave Blackwell is a fascinating journey. His courage in sharing a little-known part of his life as an addict, and his exploration of it in this episode is truly admirable. I feel very privileged to have been a part of this conversation. Dave notes that the 12 Step Working Guide he refers to is worth a look, but cautions anyone attempting to find their own way through it without professional help. If listening to his story sparks a personal awakening and/or queries on how to get started for your own situation, Dave is happy to chat. Just send us an email and we'll pass it on to him. This podcast brought to your ears with the support of Te Awanga Estate.