The Inner Chief

"Imagine if you could. You need to imagine a future. You need to imagine growth. You need to imagine what success looks like."

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paula Martin, Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, on learning from everyone, adapting to shorter strategy cycles, and genuinely receiving feedback.

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/383 👂

ARE YOU GIVING THE RIGHT FEEDBACK? LEARN HOW TO EMBED EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK IN YOUR CULTURE: chiefmaker.com/feedback

Paula is the Executive Director, Regional NSW and Visitor Economy at Business NSW, where her focus is to champion growth through collaboration with government, industry and business.

She leads Business NSW's regional office network, shaping policy that reduces red tape and creates employment opportunities.

Paula also founded the award-winning Australian Business Consulting & Solutions, delivering innovation, commercialisation and programs for SMEs.

Under her leadership, Paula achieved many firsts including the set-up of an operation in Shanghai to help Australian SMEs find genuine, authentic buyers in China, as well as the design of leading HR Management System, HR Advance.

In this Business Growth Masterclass, we talk about:

✅ Why "stable ground" matters to achieving operational excellence and sustainable business scaling.

✅ The one thing a mentor said to her that changed how she embraced continuous learning.

✅ How shorter strategy cycles are key to navigating an era of uncertainty and volatility, and

✅ Being truly present and vulnerable when absorbing feedback so as to unlock better decision-making.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can connect with Paula via LinkedIn.

• Minisode: The AAR Method of Strategic Planning

• Angela Tsoukatos, CEO and 20 years executive team member, on How to manage key priorities to ensure focus on core business

• David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader, on Being adaptable around your mission

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📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" It's never about Paul Nicolaou; it's about other people, because you want to appreciate and show your passion towards them and helping them achieve an end result."

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Paul Nicolaou, the Executive Director of Business Sydney on the 3Ps of building an insanely valuable network, daring to be different, and making people happy.

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/382 👂

JOIN THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. Break the isolation and stretch your thinking with a network of like minded C-Suite executives and business owners: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs

Paul is a highly experienced executive leader and board member, having been Executive Director for Business Sydney since September 2021.

Prior to this, he was Director for the Business Leaders Council, Membership and Events for the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) for seven years.

He is a Board Member of the Estia Foundation, and Ambassador for both Vinnies CEO Sleepout and Start Up Australia.

Paul has held several senior roles in his distinguished career, such as at UNSW and UNSW Foundation, the CEO of the Australian Hotels Association of NSW, the NSW President of the Marketing Institute of Australia, and he served as Executive Chairman of the fundraising and business engagement arm of the Liberal Party in NSW.

In this Networking Masterclass, we talk about:

✅ How he has built incredibly reliable and insanely valuable networks using his "3 Ps" model.

✅ Leading with energy and daring to be different.

✅ Why his daily KPI is making people happy, and

✅ Cutting through red tape to run a business without being superhuman.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can connect with Paul via LinkedIn.

• Minisode: How to Think Like a CEO: Leveraging your network

• Ted Prodromou, America's #1 LinkedIn Coach, on Perception, connecting properly with purpose, and standing out online

• Steve Sims, the Concierge to Billionaires, on How to gamify life and work, going for stupid and building priceless relationships

📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" Let's create an army of light and just get out there and be a positive force in the world."

Chief, welcome to 2026. In today's Minisode I am going to share with you my tips for being the leader that the world needs right now.

If you've felt the weight of the negative news cycle, the anxiety of the unknown and the relentless pace of change, you're not alone.

Therefore, it's time to be a positive leader who brings light, energy, and direction when others feel overwhelmed.

Yes, you can't pretend the world's perfect and you can't ignore hard realities. But you can choose to impart a contagious culture of positivity and light.

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BREAK THE ISOLATION. Discover the benefits of C-Suite networking for shared learnings, innovation, and business growth: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs

In this episode, I'll break down for you:

✅ Why this matters in the world right now ✅ The 3 actionable principles you need to get moving quickly, and ✅ Protecting your energy fiercely.

Here's to hitting 2026 out of the park, Chiefs!

Stay epic,

Greg

📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"It all starts with a good night's sleep. There is very clear research that cognitive performance declines when we're sleep-deprived."

This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode.

This Mini Chief episode features Justin McNamara, Psychometrics Guru.

His full episode is titled Improving recruitment selection, performance prediction and acing psychometric tests.

You can find the full audio and show notes here:

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/380 👂

NEED TO GET YOUR HIRING RIGHT? Discover 30 unique and powerful interview questions used by CEOs to help make sure you hire the right person for the right role: chiefmaker.com/interview

Justin is an Occupational Psychologist who loves working at the intersection of people and data, in order to support companies to solve tricky problems.

During his career, he has been privileged to learn from great minds at the University of Queensland, and both Kent and Cambridge Universities in the UK, while happily immersing himself in the latest research.

His passion for psychometrics, machine learning and data have resulted in deep expertise in the creation of custom assessment solutions for a variety of businesses in most industries to improve the performance of their people and selection processes.

In his own words, he loves bringing the nerdier things to life for clients in a pragmatic and business-focused way.

In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about:

✅ What Psychometrics are - and aren't - and which ones are useful in the recruitment process.

✅ Knowing the markers for success for predicting both performance and leadership.

✅ The future of Psychometrics and big data, and

✅ The key factors in ensuring you can ace a psychometric test.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can reach Justin via LinkedIn.

• People Excellence website

• Practice psychometric tests:

• https://www.shldirect.com/en/practice-tests

• https://www.savilleassessment.com/practice-tests

• https://www.trytalentq.com

• Talent Intelligence – by Nik Kinley

• Mind Over Mood – by Dennis Greenberger

• Chief Maker Minisode: 7 unique interview questions used by CEOs

• Nancy Slessenger, Founder and CEO of Vinehouse Hiring, on Scientific recruitment, the do's and don'ts of interviewing, and staff retention

• Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer of G8 Education, on Hiring for attitude and the critical power of human capital

📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" A setback is that reinforcement that this is your opportunity to be the best of yourself. That's really exciting. It's the next step, the next day, the next week, the next season."

This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode.

This Mini Chief episode features Rupert Guinness, author and ultra-endurance cyclist.

His full episode is titled Choosing growth and opportunity and discovering untapped physical and mental capacity through extreme adversity.

You can find the full audio and show notes here:

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/378 👂

ARE YOUR PEOPLE RESISTING CHANGE? Learn to lead the right way right now with the Chief Maker Guide to Situational Leadership: chiefmaker.com/fixresetgrow

Rupert is a Sydney-based sports writer, author, public speaker and media consultant, as well as an accomplished ultra-endurance cyclist, adding extraordinary personal experience to his storytelling.

Rupert spent nine years living in Belgium and France covering the Tour de France from up close in inside the tent. Since then, he has written for major publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and The Daily Telegraph.

Across his career, Rupert has reported on an exceptional array of sports, covering many of the world's biggest events, including the Rugby World Cup, four Olympic Games and an extraordinary 31 Tours.

Beyond journalism, Rupert has held senior media and communications roles with the Australian Rowing Team, the NSW Waratahs and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. He has also written 15 books, including Power of the Pedal, Overlander, and The Tour.

In the full Masterclass, we talk about:

✅ The harsh reality of life inside the Tour de France and the unseen battles at the back.

✅ His personal accounts of mental toughness, setbacks and breakthroughs in finishing ultra endurance races.

✅ How he used resilience and composure to reframe weaknesses into growth areas, and

✅ Why seizing opportunity, embracing uncertainty and pursuing adventure matters more in midlife.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can connect with Rupert via LinkedIn or Instagram.

• The Tour - by Rupert Guinness

• Power of the Pedal - by Rupert Guinness

• Overlander - by Rupert Guinness

• The Fight - by Norman Mailer

• David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader and author, on High-stakes risk and crisis management, and being adaptable around your mission

• Rory Hunter, Founder of MODEL, on Seeking solitude and healing on the ocean, and the adventure of a lifetime after buying an island in his twenties

• Ian Snape, CEO of Frontline Mind, on Resilience by design, leading Antarctic expeditions and relaxing in high-stakes environments

📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Resumés don't actually have that much useful information; your experience as a candidate can vary wildly based on the environment that you're in and your motivations to perform."

In this Best of Series episode, we replay a chat we had in 2019 with Psychometrics Guru, Justin McNamara, on improving recruitment selection, performance prediction and acing psychometric tests.

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/380 👂

NEED TO GET YOUR HIRING RIGHT? Discover 30 unique and powerful interview questions used by CEOs to help make sure you hire the right person for the right role: chiefmaker.com/interview

Justin is an Occupational Psychologist who loves working at the intersection of people and data, in order to support companies to solve tricky problems.

During his career, he has been privileged to learn from great minds at the University of Queensland, and both Kent and Cambridge Universities in the UK, while happily immersing himself in the latest research.

His passion for psychometrics, machine learning and data have resulted in deep expertise in the creation of custom assessment solutions for a variety of businesses in most industries to improve the performance of their people and selection processes.

In his own words, he loves bringing the nerdier things to life for clients in a pragmatic and business-focused way.

In this Best of Series Masterclass we talk about:

✅ What Psychometrics are - and aren't - and which ones are useful in the recruitment process.

✅ Knowing the markers for success for predicting both performance and leadership.

✅ The future of Psychometrics and big data, and

✅ The key factors in ensuring you can ace a psychometric test.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can reach Justin via LinkedIn.

• People Excellence website

• Practice psychometric tests:

• https://www.shldirect.com/en/practice-tests

• https://www.savilleassessment.com/practice-tests

• https://www.trytalentq.com

• Talent Intelligence – by Nik Kinley

• Mind Over Mood – by Dennis Greenberger

• Chief Maker Minisode: 7 unique interview questions used by CEOs

• Nancy Slessenger, Founder and CEO of Vinehouse Hiring, on Scientific recruitment, the do's and don'ts of interviewing, and staff retention

• Linda Carroll, Chief People Officer of G8 Education, on Hiring for attitude and the critical power of human capital

📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

" The key here is not perfection, it's all about just doing the very best we can in the current state of our life."

Chief, in our last episode of 2025, I'm going to share with you the exact end of year review process I've refined over more than two decades that gives me clarity, alignment, and meaningful progress.

You can complete this on your own or with your partner, but in the Council of Chiefs we take it further by building a full Executive Playbook that guides both your career and life.

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/379 👂

JOIN THE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS. Break the isolation and stretch your thinking with a network of like minded C-Suite executives and business owners: chiefmaker.com/councilofchiefs

In this episode, I'll break down for you:

✅ Why this process matters and why the goal is alignment, not perfection ✅ The 2 mindsets you need in order to set yourself up for success, and ✅ The exact 5-step process I follow in my End of Year Review.

Here's to hitting 2026 out of the park, Chiefs!

I wish you and your families a tremendous festive season and a safe and fulfilling new year.

Stay epic,

Greg

📝 Get my free Finish Strong monthly newsletter and podcast drops

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"It's now obvious to me that it's harder to maintain that sense of community unless you've got things like parkrun that are driving that connection."

This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous CEO guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode.

This Mini Chief episode features Tim Oberg, former CEO of parkrun Australia.

His full episode is titled Escaping the rat race, building a vibrant community and managing anxiety.

You can find the full audio and show notes here:

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/377 👂

WANT TO ACCELERATE YOUR NEXT PROMOTION? COMPLETE YOUR FREE CAREER SCORECARD: www.chiefmaker.com/score-card

Tim has a background in teaching and travel, having set up his own tour business in London in the early 2000s. He stumbled upon the parkrun concept in the UK in 2010 and pitched to the owner to be the one to take it to Australia, thereafter leading the regional business for nearly 12 years.

Tim is now the Founder of Next Stars Sports Academy and the Healthy Kids Project, as he uses his vast experience in health and wellbeing to tackle some of the biggest challenges amongst the younger generations.

He is also a Board member at Little Athletics Queensland and lives in Airlie Beach with his wife and 4 kids (congrats to them as they recently welcomed a little baby girl!).

In the full Best of Series Masterclass we talk about:

✅ His epic back story that got him to where he is today - you'll really love this as it's one of the most in-depth, interesting and crazy ones we've ever had on the Inner Chief podcast!

✅ The courage he showed in repeatedly escaping the rat race to start his own businesses.

✅ Growing the parkrun Australia community from nothing to the biggest of its kind in the country, and

✅ How he has survived and thrived despite living with and managing anxiety.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can reach Tim via LinkedIn.

• Headspace app

• Beating Anxiety - SBS Insight TV show that Tim appeared on

• parkrun, anxiety and me - article posted by Tim after his recovery

• Dare - by Barry McDonagh

• Juliette Wright OAM, Founder of GIVIT, on Revolutionising misguided charitable giving, having a million conversations, and leaning into anxiety

• Daniel Penny, MD of Mustard Creative, on Going beyond the brief and understanding your influence

• Mike Smith, Founder and CEO of Zero Co, on Building a tribe of loyal customers, and creating a better world through business

📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"As human beings we have a lot more physically and mentally than we give ourselves credit for. When we think we're done, I don't think we're near."

In this episode of The Inner Chief podcast, I speak to Rupert Guinness, legendary sports writer and ultra-endurance cyclist, on choosing growth and opportunity at every turn, and discovering untapped physical and mental capacity through extreme adversity.

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/378 👂

ARE YOUR PEOPLE RESISTING CHANGE? Learn to lead the right way right now with the Chief Maker Guide to Situational Leadership: chiefmaker.com/fixresetgrow

Rupert is a Sydney-based sports writer, author, public speaker and media consultant, as well as an accomplished ultra-endurance cyclist, adding extraordinary personal experience to his storytelling.

Rupert spent nine years living in Belgium and France covering the Tour de France from up close in inside the tent. Since then, he has written for major publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian and The Daily Telegraph.

Across his career, Rupert has reported on an exceptional array of sports, covering many of the world's biggest events, including the Rugby World Cup, four Olympic Games and an extraordinary 31 Tours.

Beyond journalism, Rupert has held senior media and communications roles with the Australian Rowing Team, the NSW Waratahs and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. He has also written 15 books, including Power of the Pedal, Overlander, and The Tour.

In this Masterclass, we talk about:

✅ The harsh reality of life inside the Tour de France and the unseen battles at the back.

✅ His personal accounts of mental toughness, setbacks and breakthroughs in finishing ultra endurance races.

✅ How he used resilience and composure to reframe weaknesses into growth areas, and

✅ Why seizing opportunity, embracing uncertainty and pursuing adventure matters more in midlife.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can connect with Rupert via LinkedIn or Instagram.

Books and resources

• The Tour - by Rupert Guinness

• Power of the Pedal - by Rupert Guinness

• Overlander - by Rupert Guinness

• The Fight - by Norman Mailer

• David Knoff, Antarctic Expedition Leader and author, on High-stakes risk and crisis management, and being adaptable around your mission

• Rory Hunter, Founder of MODEL, on Seeking solitude and healing on the ocean, and the adventure of a lifetime after buying an island in his twenties

• Ian Snape, CEO of Frontline Mind, on Resilience by design, leading Antarctic expeditions and relaxing in high-stakes environments

📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker

"Start telling your story really early. By the time the actual capital raise comes around, you can create something that's oversubscribed."

This is a special episode only available to our podcast subscribers, which we call The Mini Chief. These are short, sharp highlights from our fabulous guests, where you get a 5 to 10 minute snapshot from their full episode.

This Mini Chief episode features James Schofield, Founder of Insight Investor Relations.

His full episode is titled Pitching your business, raising capital and winning investor trust.

You can find the full audio and show notes here:

🎧👉 chiefmaker.com/376 👂

INFLUENCE DIFFICULT STAKEHOLDERS USING THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: chiefmaker.com/stakeholders

James speaks the language of investors - over a 25-year career in capital markets, he's advised from both sides of the table: first as a top-rated equity analyst with Merrill Lynch, UBS, and Deutsche Bank, and now as the founder of Insight Investor Relations.

Since launching IIR in 2018, James has worked with NZX-listed CEOs and CFOs across companies valued between $300 million and $3 billion.

His team is trusted to design and execute investor relations strategies at pivotal points in a company's growth story, with their clients' aggregate market value more than doubling to $10.8 billion over the past 12 months.

James and his team have also helped founders raise between $2-$15 million in growth capital through leveraging investor-side language and insights.

In the full Masterclass, we talk about:

✅ The right time to pitch and raise capital, and when not to.

✅ How to position your business to attract investors through clarity, credibility and consistent messaging.

✅ Why founders should treat investors like customers by understanding their needs and motivations, and

✅ The five Ps of pitching for investor success: purpose, product, proof, playbook, and promise.

Stay epic,

Greg

You can connect with James via LinkedIn.

Books and resources

• Essentialism - by Greg McEwen

• Ben Lipschitz, Co-Founder and CEO of FoodByUs, on Being data-driven, starting and exiting a business, and successfully securing funding

• Ant Moorhouse, Co-Founder and CEO of EarthTech, on Purpose-driven leadership, and changing the planet by harnessing technology and capitalism

• Jack Delosa, Founder and Chairman of The Entourage, on Frameworks for success, building customer connection, and raising capital from an investor's viewpoint

📝 Get my Finish Strong monthly newsletter with insanely valuable career tips

👍 Follow Chief Maker on LinkedIn or Instagram

📈 Join the waitlist for the Chief Maker MiniMBA

🎓 Take one of the Chief Maker Academy courses

🍏 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Apple Podcasts

🎵 Subscribe for free to The Inner Chief podcast on Spotify

🎬 Subscribe for free to the Chief Maker YouTube channel

🤝 Connect with the Chief Maker