The Momentum Life Project

It's back! Season 5 of the Momentum Life Project is here!

…and yes, it's a little later than originally planned - but does that really matter?

Do you beat yourself up (metaphorically of course!) when you don't achieve things in the timeframe that you would have liked to? Now, this is not excusing poor time management or missing the deadlines for a large client project / report for your boss etc. but, why do some of us have the filter that 'we've missed the boat' on something therefore it's not worth doing at all? (and I'm totally talking about myself here)

There are only so many hours in the day and choosing how we spend them is really the key to how much we achieve in life, we are always going to have competing priorities so knowing where to place our energy and not allowing ourselves to get totally overwhelmed and disheartened because not everything can be done at once is something a lot of us struggle with.

This episode tackles:

• An apology, and some reasoning as to why the season has been a little delayed!
• Why we should be a little easier on ourselves when we don't get everything done
• What's coming up for 2020 and how you can play along at home
• 3 key 'rules' of goal setting (and why I don't follow the SMART principle)

This season is going to be much more focused on the pondering of questions such as this, some thought / opinion pieces as well as interviews with people who are really generating great momentum in their lives.

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum

Regular listeners may remember Will Mateu from back at the beginning of Season 4 talking about his bid to become the next Australian Ninja Warrior. Since he appeared on the show, things haven't gone quite to plan, so he's back talking about setbacks, resilience and how to find the strength to keep going when everything seems against you.

Having already had to withdraw from the show a previous year because of an injury he had come back fitter, stronger and more mentally ready than ever. That was, until he managed the same injury, training on the same obstacle!

We chat to Will half way through his phase 1 recovery time, post-operation and hobbling around on crutches. Is it time to give up the Ninja Warrior dream? What does he say when people tell him move on and do something else? And how has he approached his recovery this time compared to last?

This is the last in the current season of the Momentum Life Project. We'll be taking a short break over the Christmas/New Year holidays and back early 2020 for season 5 which is in full planning mode at the moment and is shaping up to be better than ever!

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum

Is work ethic dead? How do we 'find' our passion? Is discipline the key to everything in life? Does eating fake meat really allow you to recover quicker?

In this episode I chat to David Knight, Risk and Compliance Management Consultant by day and BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) devotee by night. We delve into a number of areas of personal performance and what we think are the key components to success in life.

From the benefits of goal setting and lists, from nutrition to exercise and mental aptitude, we cover a whole heap of topics.

For David he believes that many of the excuses we make such as 'I'm too tired' are our coping mechanisms for not meeting our own expectations.

Where do your priorities lie in life? It's okay if you value something more highly than someone else, or conversely not as highly as someone else, but own it and admit that's what your doing. Want to watch Netflix vs going to the gym - it's a choice you make.

From David's perspective if you put restrictions on yourself, it becomes a challenge. It is this incredibly focused mindset that he uses in all areas from food to training to business.

Would love to know your thoughts on this episode, do you agree with everything we said, do you have different views of how to achieve peak performance?

….and remember, global change starts with individual momentum

Prepare to have your mind blown. This weeks' guest Dr Sumant 'Monty' Badami is an Anthropologist and Ethnographer who runs an organisation called Habitus. He is also an Honorary Associate at Macquarie University, a celebrant, Jazz singer, martial arts instructor, an officer in the Australian Army Reserves and much, much more!

He's on a mission to make anthropology a household name.

Some of the things we'll delve into in this episode include: what is anthropology, what is ethnography and why are they different to psychology. How anthropology is leading the way in predictive technology and AI applications. What it means to be human and what has made humans not only survive but also thrive.

We'll also delve into whether, as a species we're becoming too specialised and how anthropology is being embraced more and more in organisations not only from an internal culture development viewpoint but also in UX, UI, marketing, sales, product development - any area where we need to understand more about human complexity.

This is a truly incredible chat with a fascinating human!

You can get in touch with Monty through his Habitus website, on instagram, Linked in or by emailing [email protected]

….and remember, global change starts with individual momentum

As Regional Marketing Manager - Asia Pacific Hotelbeds, Chris moved to Singapore last year from London.

In this episode we chat not only about how to manage remote teams and cultivate organisational culture when you have a staff compromising multiple cultures, but also the challenges of living and working in foreign countries.

Setting up bank accounts, figuring out public transport and working out what to eat are just some of the challenges Chris has found when moving to new countries and especially now moving to Asia with a young family. Although he says it is never easy to do, with two young boys there is now an added layer of complexity to when he experienced living and working in a number of different countries in his 20's.

We talk through the pros and cons of having a remote team and the value of appreciating each person for who they are as an individual. The key pieces of tech that can help with communication, and why he always makes his team turn on the video when they are having conversations!

His top travel tip - never stop being a tourist!

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum

Emma Jensen is a senior marketing and business leader who is currently head of Virgin Mobile in Australia which is owned by Optus.

In this episode we delve into a heap of areas around managing through times of change, the traits of a really effective leader, and why she can't stand unreliable people!

Emma has some fascinating insights into how she leads teams through times of uncertainty, often doing the opposite to what you would intuitively think is right such as by; doing less, focusing on the narrow vs broad perspective and actively leaning out not in. She also provides some nuggets of gold around building a great team and instilling a great culture through sustainability of people, with the number one takeaway being to have clarity of purpose and ensuring that everyone knows what, and why they are doing what they are being paid to do.

She talks about always wanting to grow both professionally and personally and how a major red flag for her when recruiting new team members is if someone can't answer questions around what's next in their development.

An enlightening episode with a truly remarkable leader.

PS - we mention the Momentum Architects Habit Trackers in this episode - if you'd like one, you can download it HERE.

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum

Having left a long career in heavy hitting corporates like Kellogg, Nestle and Sara Lee, Chelsea had her 'eat, pray, love' moment before Elizabeth Gilbert had written the book and ran off to a Peruvian mediation retreat to 'find herself'.

Now Chelsea runs Females in Food, an international business coaching and membership group for female 'foodpreneurs'. In this episode we talk about aligning head and heart in business and what personality traits it takes to really 'make it' in business (and in life).

She talks about how business maturity is really nothing about age or stage of the business but how it is everything to do with the mindset of the entrepreneur or business owner.

With a zero tolerance policy for her online community being anything but supportive of one another we talk about how tough running a business can be and how she feels there is an increasing trend towards people lashing out at others online because they do have that barrier or anonymity and it's simply not okay and is really impacting small business owners.

She talks about her morning routine, goal setting habits (and how to manage this as a future-thinker) and what's next for Females in Food and Chelsea Ford, this is a truly great chat with a truly inspiring woman.

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum

This trilingual Cuban New Yorker who originally wanted to be a psychologist, has worked in the financial services industry for many years, starting out on the trading floor. But don't be fooled, he is definitely not your typical 'corporate suit' and has also been an actor, and made it on to Australian Ninja Warrior.

In this episode we delve into why Will believes that growing up in the melting pot of New York city culture gave him a unique perspective on his own self-awareness and of how to appreciate that not everyone views things the same way.

Now knowing his CliftonStrengths profile has created a language around that understanding, which he uses to his full advantage to be able to excel in every role that he takes.

We discuss why not believing in yourself and having limiting doubts in your own ability is the number one factor why someone 'doesn't make it' or achieve their true potential and how imposter syndrome really does lead to self-sabotage.

Will believes strongly in the mindset that breaking down large goals into smaller milestones means that even if you don't get to the ultimate end, you've been on a journey, and you've grown as a person throughout the process and how he's used this process to recover from injuries and to approach the training for Australian Ninja Warrior.

A fascinating chat, with a fascinating person who has successfully blended many, seemingly disparate areas into a unique career and approach to life.

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum

PS - Will mentioned many different CliftonStrengths terms throughout the episode - if you'd like to know more about CliftonStrengths and what some of these words really mean - shoot me an email! [email protected]

He's the National Business Development Manager at The Entourage, a childhood cancer survivor, marathon runner and he has 280 items on his bucket list. In this episode, I chat with Grant Purcell, a true example of a 'momentum maker' and someone who is living his version of his best life every single day.

Hear from Grant about:

• Why culture is not all love and pixie dust, it really is all about performance.
• How The Entourage was voted as being one of Australia's best places to work and what that looks like on a daily basis.
• How we can continually perform at a high level by clearing out the clutter and the distraction and how he personally breaks his life up into 8 key areas, has a 'go to' person, book or method for each area and clears all other 'noise' away to give him the discipline to follow through.
• Why values are so important that they talk about them at The Entourage every single day and by living and breathing them you can totally change the conversation.
• And he talks about his views on what makes a truly high performing person and why Jim Rohn was so right with his quote of 'everybody can, but not everybody will'.

This is a great episode touching on so many aspects of performance, productivity and culture in only 30 minutes! If anyone know about living your best life and how to embody peak performance it's this guy…who is not only a senior leader at an organisation that is quite literally awarded for their approaches in this area, but who has talked to thousand of business owners and entrepreneurs to gather an unmatched insight into what works and what doesn't.

The Entourage is the leading educational organisation in the country for business owners and entrepreneurs, find out more about The Entourage at: www.the-entourage.com.au and you can connect with Grant on Linked In or follow him on Instagram @grant_pucell.

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum

PS - I promised to put the book title I referred to in the show notes - so here it is! Essentialism by Greg McKeown (and I did say Jim McKeown on the podcast - so I'm very sorry about that Greg!)

In this episode Kerry D chats to Ricky Chanana, Managing Director of AUNZ Unruly, the global ad-tech agency which brings unique EQ testing to targeted ad campaigns and was bought by News Corp for 215 million pounds!

Ricky talks about how the biggest success in his organisation is tracking projects not humans. He is on a mission to disrupt traditional HR practices and empower his people through a culture that is curated and cultivated by each and every member of the team.

From flexible core hours to flash Fridays and building a whole collective of Pandas (which by the way includes the option to go and work from any Unruly office in the world for up to 4 weeks without taking any annual leave) - he's seeing greater productivity, a happier and healthier workforce and positive bottom line results!

Ricky also has an incredible approach to 'relaxing' - by not relaxing! For him, he's tried slowing down, he's tried switching off but actually what gives him the most clarity, laser-focus and 'reset' is by training 5-6 times per week.

This is a great high-energy episode which culminates in Ricky's 'triple A' secret sauce recipe to high performance.

To find out more about Unruly - visit: https://unruly.co/ or you can follow Ricky on Linked In.

….because remember, global change starts with individual momentum