The Dialogue

Most of my interviews center around remarkable men and women that have lived a relatively full life (they make better interview guests) but every now and again I am convinced to interview someone younger. In this case Jane Lu did not disappoint. She is an incredible young woman. Launching a fashion label behind her strict parents backs while they thought she was at her corporate job, Jane has built and incredible business and community.

Her success lies in the ability to read female fashion trends and much like Zara she delivers fast fashion that is sexy and on trend. But this is not Jane's most impressive skill. What Jane does very well is offer a real look into how young women think, dress and feel. Her social media posts are real, transparent and fun. She is nothing other than herself and everyone loves her.

Jane Lu founded Showpo back in 2010 from her parents' garage. Jane previously worked in accounting and corporate finance, but after returning from a year abroad, was inspired to ditch the "cubicle life", so she quit her job to start her own business.

With so much enthusiasm for entrepreneurship, she set off to start her first business, which failed spectacularly. However, Jane was undeterred and got right back on the horse, starting the online fashion brand, Showpo the following month.

What started off with a laptop and two shelves of clothing is now an online global fashion empire, shipping to 80 countries. Through being disruptive in the retail space and capitalising on the use of social media, Showpo now boasts a cult social following of over 2.8 million.

Jane is a keynote speaker, is heavily involved in Australia's startup scene and has been nominated for numerous awards, taking the title of Cosmopolitan's Entrepreneur of the Year in 2015 and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2016.

Angela Ferguson the MD of Future Space an award winning commercial interior design firm working with clients like Google and realestate.com. Angela shares her journey from living in a family with substance abuse to rising into a resilient award winning businesswoman, mother and wife. Hers is a dynamic story shared with authenticity.

Narelle Anderson is the founder and managing director of Envirobank, Australia's largest network of reverse vending machines and automated recycling depots. In 2000 she was the first aboriginal woman (she is the great niece of the late Senator Neville Bonner) to solely own a waste management company, buying and expanding CBD Enviro Services, then selling through a trade sale to a public company. In 2008 she founded Envirobank Recycling and introduced Australia to the concept of Reverse Vending Technology. Initially starting the business to reward and incentivize consumers for recycling, this technology is now going to underpin the Container Deposit Schemes being rolled out across Australia. In December this year NSW becomes the first state (after longstanding SA and NT) to legislate a Container Deposit Schemes. Like her great uncle she is passionate about indigenous welfare and has achieved many firsts as an indigenous woman and entrepreneur. In Narelle's words 'my culture makes me a custodian of the land so cleaning up the country seems a natural fit. Narelle is a self starter, she has developed a business few women would consider and she has been very successful both financially and from a business perspective. Interviewing her was a intense because as with all successful individuals their journey is never easy and is often peppered with challenge and loss. Narelle gives us a beautiful account of her life to date and I can only expect that she will continue to make us very proud.

Stephen Todd is fun, intelligent, accomplished and humble. Born in Yallourn, raised in Melbourne he moved to Paris age 30 to simply try somewhere new. That time turned about to be 20 years and took him from hand beading bras into the company of fashion gurus like Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood. In Paris he established himself as a writer and editor. He was the Paris fashion correspondent for The Australian for 14 years, as well as writing on architecture and design for a selection of papers including The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde and mags of merit most notably American Vogue. Stephen set up a Paris-based boutique branding and communications agency called concept+image in 2005, working in the luxury sector for clients including Moët & Chandon, Woolmark, Kopenhagen Fur, Swarovski and in 2008 he accepted an offer to become Director of Branding & Communications (Global) of Swarovski.

In 2010 Stephen decided it was time to head back to home to Sydney but on arrival he decided that if he was going to live in Australia he wanted to really live in Australia and so moved out to a small house on a large wheat and livestock property 5 hours inland, nearest town Forbes. Never far from the action however he is still travelling and is now Design Editor of the AFR Magazine and a weekly contributor to the Life&Leisure section. He is also at the helm of the features of Habitus quarterly, a section he has branded In Habitus Veritas. I expect he will never stop even when sequestered on a property 5 hours outside of the city.

What does one say about Clive Burcham? Clive is a business maverick, social entrepreneur and a great single dad of two small children plus he can cook a very good lamb. This is a man on a mission, having grown up in the country, he lost his dad at the age of 8. and soon after he suffered abuse at the hands of a trusted member of the community.

He has since gone on to become a well known businessman and has made media waves, some good, some not so good. Clive is a success story but it has come with its challenges.

Clive founded the successful branding agency The Conscience Organisation 14 years ago with Coca-Cola as its foundation client. He has worked with some of the most impressive brands in the country. But what really makes him tick is his passion for social change and he works closely with several organisations including OzHarvest, The Global Poverty Project and KidsXpress Limited to help achieve this. To me Clive epitomises a successful entrepreneur he is dynamic and fallible which makes him very relatable.

Chido Govera offers one of the most inspiring and emotional interviews I have ever done.

Chido Govera is a pioneer of hope. She grew up as an orphan in a small village in Zimbabwe. Following the death of her mother, she turned into a parent at the age of 7, mothering her brother and caring for her nearly-blind grandmother. At the age of 8, she had already experienced the worst possible sexual and physical abuse, inflicted by a close uncle. She promised herself then that when she was older, she would save and protect other orphans from experiencing what she, and so many others, had suffered. Turning down a marriage proposal at the age of 11, Chido chose to take fate into her own hands -- learning to farm mushrooms from local waste. She changed her journey to one of education and cultivation, she founded the Future of Hope Foundation and has now taught over 1,000 orphans and young women to take responsibility for their lives and see the opportunities around them. An incredible woman who offered a raw and honest story of her life journey. She is an inspiration.

Ash Mackinnon is an incredible man, one that refuses to give up. After watching his wife fight cancer he authored the book Dying to get to Oklahoma, The story of an Australian family's cancer journey that includes amazing cameos by Oprah, Elvis, Patrick Swayze, Spongebob and more. It is also a tale of amazing travels in search of the treatment that had eluded them in Australia. Some tragedy, a few laughs but also the determined fight to change cancer treatment options in Australia.

Ash was nominated for Australian of the Year and has tirelessly campaigned to get the the first CyberKnife into Australia. The CyberKnife can offer life saving cancer technology to sufferers of certain cancers and Ash is committed to seeing one in every state. He is tireless, he is truly amazing.

Recognised as 'CEO of the Year' by the CEO World Awards and winner of a Gold Stevie award for Female Executive of the Year Sharon Rowland does not do things in halves. In fact if anything she knows how to get to the top of every business she has worked in. Sharon is a force in international business having led the well known finance house Thomson's which bought out Reuters in 2008. She has rubbed shoulders with some of the most dynamic forces in the finance world. Financially successful she banked over US$1.5M one year, Sharon shares that being a woman and making large sums of money is ok, woman should strive for success. Now CEO for ReachLocal a global social media business Sharon spends her time as a super savvy digital marketing specialist and works with a global team to help small businesses punch above their weight.

Success is sexy and never more so than when coupled with global brands, a dynamic woman and the successful reaching out to make people seek their potential. Great interview by a truly successful woman in the global arena.

What happens when you follow a man to America for love? You get inspired by Kate Spade and decide to launch your own handbag brand. Sam Wagner did just that. Launching Sambag on a shoestring budget she built her fashion and accessories brand into an iconic Australian brand that has cemented our love of the ballet flat and the fabric handbag. Sam is driven to succeed with a strong work ethic and an understanding that in order to survive in the fashion market you also need to be adaptable. Here passion for beautiful things extend to her homes that she lovingly renovates as well as her businesses. As a single mum she is doing what every woman wants to do and that is find a balance between family, work and play. Listen to my interview with this gorgeous woman to find out how she makes it work.

What happen when you are the first person in your family to go to university? You become a criminal lawyer who fights sex offenders and then you change 360 degrees and launch one of the most successful adult education schools in Australia. Tricia has a steel backbone combined with a deep desire to do good. Interviewing her was memorable and her energy and compassion has marked her interview in my mind as exceptional.