The Growth & Banter Podcast

What separates the founders who scale from the ones who stall? Often, it comes down to the people they hire and the relationships they build.

In this episode of Growth & Banter, we sit down with Steve Grace, founder of The Nudge Group, entrepreneur and podcast host, to unpack what it takes to build great teams, strong networks and businesses that can scale.

With more than 20 years across recruitment, media and entrepreneurship, Steve shares what traditional hiring gets wrong, how he spots A-players, the biggest mistakes founders make when building teams, and why employer brand matters when competing for great talent.

We also explore how sales has evolved from transactions into long-term relationship building, why networking is becoming one of the most valuable business assets, and the growing importance of genuine human connection.

Plus, Steve gives us a sneak peek inside The Pillars, his exclusive members club, including the concept, the space, the events and why Australia is finally embracing private business club culture.

Inside this episode: • Spotting A-players and building high-performing teams • The evolution of sales and business networking • Why relationships are a growth advantage • Inside The Pillars • Founder brand, AI and the future of work

Whether you're a founder, business owner or leader, this episode is packed with practical insights on hiring, networking and building a business that lasts.

🎧 Listen now to hear what really drives growth: better people, stronger relationships and smarter decisions.

In this episode of Growth & Banter, we sit down with Gabriella Pomare, Partner at The Norton Law Group, family lawyer, speaker, and author of The Collaborative Co-Parent, to explore the realities of modern separation and why family law is about far more than legal outcomes.

After more than a decade practising exclusively in family law, Gabriella has become a leading voice in helping individuals, families and business owners navigate one of life's most challenging transitions with greater clarity, communication and confidence.

We discuss the emotional responsibility that comes with family law, the role of personal brand in professional services, and how business owners can protect both their personal and commercial interests during separation. Gabriella also shares the principles behind The Collaborative Co-Parent, why effective communication is often the difference between prolonged conflict and a healthier path forward, and how separation doesn't have to mean the end of a family.

The conversation explores leadership, conflict resolution, co-parenting, and the mindset required to guide people through highly emotional situations while building trust and lasting outcomes.

Inside this episode:

• Gabriella's journey into family law and leadership • Building authority in a profession built on trust • Personal branding in professional services • The impact of separation on business owners • Protecting businesses through planning and communication • The Four Pillars of Communication during conflict • Lessons from The Collaborative Co-Parent • Leading with empathy in high-pressure situations

Whether you're a business owner, leader, professional, or someone navigating change in your personal life, this episode offers practical insights into communication, resilience, and making better decisions when the stakes are high.

🎧 Listen now to discover why the most powerful tool in conflict isn't the law, it's communication.

In this episode of Growth & Banter, we sit down with Natalie Anne, founder of Natalie Anne Haircare, to explore the journey from working behind the salon chair to building one of Australia's most recognised haircare brands. What began as a passion for helping women feel confident has evolved into a global brand, trusted by both professional stylists and everyday consumers. Natalie shares the lessons, challenges, and pivotal moments that shaped her career, along with the realities of scaling a business in one of the world's most competitive industries. We discuss the gap she saw in the market, the importance of education and trust, how she built a loyal community around the brand, and why personal credibility has become more important than ever in today's digital landscape. The conversation also explores entrepreneurship, leadership, company culture, and the mindset required to navigate the highs and lows of building a business. Inside this episode:

• The journey from hairdresser to founder • Building Natalie Anne Haircare from the ground up • Creating products that solve real customer problems • The role of personal brand in business growth • Building trust in a crowded and competitive market • Lessons from scaling a beauty brand • Balancing business, family, and ambition • The future of the hair and beauty industry Whether you're a founder, creative, business owner, or simply curious about what it takes to turn expertise into a thriving brand, this episode offers an honest look behind the scenes of building a modern business. 🎧 Listen now and hear how Natalie turned creativity, credibility and community into a global haircare brand.

🎙️ From $60k Savings to $250M Property Empire | Scott O'Neill on Wealth, Rentvesting & Commercial Property

In this episode of the Growth & Banter Podcast, Scott O'Neill joins Blake Micola to unpack the mindset, strategy, and decisions that helped him build a $250M net worth before turning 40.

Scott shares his journey from working construction sites as a civil engineer to founding Rethink Property Group, now one of Australia's leading commercial property advisory firms.

The conversation dives deep into:

• Why the traditional Australian property strategy is becoming outdated

• The truth about rentvesting vs owner-occupying

• How commercial property creates cash flow and financial freedom

• Why most Australians stay trapped in the "dream home" mindset

• Building wealth without sacrificing lifestyle

• The risks of relying purely on residential growth

• How business owners should think about investing outside their company

• The future of property amid AI, inflation, interest rates, and political change

This episode is packed with practical insights for entrepreneurs, investors, and anyone looking to build long-term wealth differently.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to think beyond the traditional path to financial freedom.

In this episode of Growth & Banter, Blake Micola sits down with sales powerhouse Adam McCaughey to unpack one of the most unconventional journeys in business.

From getting expelled at 15… to working in world-class kitchens like Rockpool… to living on a superyacht… and eventually closing $20M+ in sales. Adam's story is anything but typical.

But this episode isn't just about the journey, it's a deep dive into what actually drives growth in today's market.

They break down:

• Why conviction beats skill in sales

• The biggest mistake founders make when trying to scale

• How to identify the real bottleneck in your business

• The shift from product-led to founder-led growth

• Why are most people consuming information… but failing at execution

• How AI is reshaping teams, roles, and the future of business

Plus, they unpack the concept of the "growth engine" and why building systems before scaling could be the difference between stagnation and exponential growth.

If you're a founder, marketer, or operator trying to scale smarter (not just harder), this episode will challenge how you think about sales, leadership, and building a business in 2026.

Tune in to rethink everything you thought you knew about growth.

In this episode, we are joined by Ben Seymour, a former professional rugby union player turned entrepreneur, to unpack the journey from elite sport to building Rise, a fast-growing performance supplement brand. This episode covers the mindset required to transition from professional athlete to business owner, the realities of launching a product-based brand, and why discipline, recovery, systems, and community matter if you want to perform at a high level.

Ben shares lessons from his rugby career, what sport taught him about pressure and resilience, and how those principles now shape the way he approaches business, health, and life. The conversation also dives into endurance, hydration, creatine, sleep, recovery, personal branding, and what it really takes to build a brand that people trust and come back to.

It is a sharp, honest conversation about performance, entrepreneurship, and creating something meaningful from the ground up.

Follow the podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs to hear this conversation.

In this episode, I had a chance to sit down with Jeremy Cabral, co-founder of Finder.com, to unpack what it really takes to scale from scrappy experiments to a global machine.

Jeremy shares the inside story of Finder's journey, from generating a few thousand dollars in revenue to building and supporting a 600-person team operating across multiple countries. He breaks down how Finder built a scalable content and acquisition engine, why most companies misunderstand how Google actually works, and how intent, user engagement, and disciplined execution matter far more than shortcuts or hacks. This is a candid look at growth as a system, not a trick.

Our conversation goes deep into leadership at scale: hiring and retaining top operators, building a culture that actually sticks, and why systems consistently outperform "great talent" once a business grows past the early stages. Jeremy explains how Finder protected its internal playbooks, built execution pods, and maintained loyalty in a highly competitive market.

We explore what it takes to move from $10m to $100m, including isolating the right growth levers, installing repeatable engines, and knowing when founders must step back or re-enter the weeds. Jeremy shares his current work helping brands scale past eight figures, drawing on pattern recognition from hundreds of companies.

This episode closes with a practical take on AI and technology. Less hype, more infrastructure. Jeremy explains how to break work into steps, remove grunt work through automation, and use AI as an amplifier rather than a replacement.

If you're building a business and want clarity on growth, systems, leadership, and the future of scale, this episode delivers real insight without the noise

Brother–sister founders. A category most people never question. And an industry dominated by global giants who can outspend you in their sleep.

Annabelle and Tom from Femme Organic, the Melbourne duo who turned a lockdown frustration into a 100% organic, plastic-free period care brand and pushed it onto shelves in 400+ stores.

They unpack the stuff founders actually deal with:

• Building a "David vs Goliath" brand when the aisle is owned by conglomerates
• Why getting into retail isn't the hard part… staying there is
• How B2B (their workplace bathroom boxes) became the smartest shortcut to B2C
• Cash flow reality, long lead times, and why subscriptions change the game
• Packaging mistakes, rookie errors, and the kind of chaos that either breaks you or upgrades you
• And the strategy behind content that cuts through, education, disruption, and calling out what others won't

No hype. No highlight reel. Just the messy middle, said out loud.

If you're building something real, this one's worth your time.

Miss Universe Australia 2022 turned entrepreneur. In this episode, we sit down with Monique Riley, founder of Mrs Matcha, to explore how she transformed a chance opportunity into a global platform and built a business that's redefining how Australians enjoy matcha.

Monique takes us behind the scenes of her ten-month journey to winning Miss Universe Australia, her unexpected leap into entrepreneurship, and what it really takes to turn a personal brand into a thriving business.

She opens up about the discipline, rejection, and self-belief that shaped her path, the challenges of launching Mrs Matcha, from supply shortages to price shocks, and the lessons learned building an authentic brand now stocked in over 50 cafés across Sydney and expanding internationally.

Get her raw insights on the reality behind the glamour, and hear her vision for growing Mrs Matcha globally while staying true to health, quality, and integrity.

🎧 Tune in and share your biggest takeaway from this episode.

In this episode, we are joined by professional surfer and world record holder Blakey Johnston to unpack how the ocean became his anchor for mental health resilience.

In this raw and empowering conversation, Blakey shares the mental frameworks that helped him conquer both the sea and himself. You'll learn how discipline, community, and presence build mental health resilience that outlasts any challenge, on land or in water.

Expect stories that hit deep: the 40-hour world record surf at Cronulla, 4,097 waves at the wave pool, and how each became a metaphor for life's waves of emotion. Blakey breaks down how routine, breathwork, and curiosity fuel elite performance and mental well-being.

This episode isn't about surfing—it's about surviving. It's a reminder that the most important record you'll ever break is the one inside your head.

Tune in now!