The Purpose Edge

Luke is the founder of Fair Threads, a start-up enterprise addressing a specific set of needs in the correctional system. He got the idea from when he was inside himself.

Not only that, his rock-bottom experiences led to a lot of reflection and he’s gain a strong sense of meaning and purpose in his life as a result.

It’s a story worth hearing.

Here are links to things that Luke mentions in the show: Vacro, Social Traders, SENVIC, The Smith Family and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave on After Skool .

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

Karen Jacobsen knew what she wanted to do with her life from a very early age, however she couldn’t have predicted the challenges ahead nor becoming the voice of (Australian) Siri and being at the cutting edge of AI issues for performers.

As a musician and performer she has an immense body of work that’s admired across the industry including her idol, the (late) Olivia Newton-John. Oh, and she appeared on Harry Connick Junior’s tv show!

Her passion for her craft and supporting others has evolved and intensified over time. Karen jokingly refers to herself as the only woman that men take directions from, and this is an enlightening conversation about life and lessons learned.

You can find out more via her speaker website and performer website.

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

With most large companies proudly displaying their ‘purpose’ for all to see, how many are taking it seriously and who are the people doing the work to ensure they are heading in the right direction?

Ramana James is one such person! His roles at Vodafone Australia, Stockland, IAG and Dexus have all included the process of connecting their strategies to their purpose and very few people could claim such a breadth and depth of experience.

Having grown up with ‘hippie’ parents in Northern NSW and starting out in environmental consulting, he soon realised that being able to move corporate machinery in the right direction in ways that also improves their risk profile and earnings outlook would be his calling.

You may want to follow Ramana on LinkedIn or find out  more about Dexus and its purpose.

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

Apart from being the artist in residence at a not-for-profit funeral home, Malika’s had highs and lows in her life, and has amazingly come through in one piece.

From being the victim of child sexual abuse (that she is willing to discus and keen to highlight) to meeting Stevie Wonder (3 times), Prince (once), video store hold ups and car accidents, she uses her voice and words to make a positive difference in many people’s lives.

Take care if these themes are troubling for you, but otherwise you will find this an interesting and illuminating discussion!

Some links for Malika and her upcoming events:

https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/church-of-the-clitori/

https://melbournefringe.com.au/event/titanimum/

https://nationalcentre.org.au/

https://www.malikaelizabeth.com/

https://www.nolaughingmatter.org.au/

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

A special update and announcement of a new "baby" from Phil, along with a brief summary of the 21 episodes to date!

You can email Phil via [email protected] and find out more about his speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

If you’ve ever played the pokies, bet at a casino or bought a lottery ticket, you’ve participated in a regulated gaming industry. It’s an industry that attracts attention and has been in the news a lot lately, often for the wrong reasons.

Peter ter Weeme was headhunted from a leading Canadian gaming company to join one of Australia’s biggest players, and leads on issues like harm minimisation, diversity and inclusion.

So, how does he approach his work? How does he square away these industry challenges? How has his background informed purpose in his life?

Find out in this illuminating discussion!

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

Tracey McMillan is a fantastic example of someone who – through their personal and work life – has literally amplified their impact in the world more than 1,000x over.

Her law firm won the small-medium business category in the 2021 Shared Value Awards for their NoLawyers.com.au platform.

Find out how this platform has disrupted the legal industry, how it addresses a major societal problem and what drives her to achieve great things with purpose.

If you want to check out the case study that I created in partnership with Tracey and the Shared Value Project, you can find it here (4-page pdf).

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

Danielle Dobson was a young professional on the move, working overseas for major companies, and this all changed when she had kids. Her marriage broke down and she learned how to decode and then re-code her life to find balance and success.

From humble beginnings in the Yarra Valley to the UK, Italy, Silicon Valley and Beijing before coming back to live in NSW, it’s been quite an adventure!

We cover effective networks, ex-pat living (not as flash as it sounds), putting her career on hold for motherhood, putting her husband on hold / disconnecting to take back control of her life and overcoming self-doubt.

You can find out more about Danielle via her website and book, Breaking the Gender Code.

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

A windstorm interrupted Angela Wilson’s life in 2016 and she not only had to navigate the insurance claim, ombudsman and rebuilding process, she had to deal with work motivation challenges too.

With a high level of curiosity, she excelled and learned from it, so much so that her business today revolves around helping others with career and life interruptions.

A key question she asks is: If all your worries were gone, what would you do?

You can find out more about Angela from her website and book titled #CareerCrisis.

PS. So what would you do?

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.

In a 10-year stint as GM Prison Industries Victoria, Tony Layh made real change in the lives of prisoners by improving training and working with companies to create employment opportunities once they were released.

What’s more impressive is that his enterprise was self-funding and not reliant on government grants. It also helps companies recruit well-trained people for roles that they often struggle to fill.

But wait, there’s more: it allows for an honest conversation to take place between the ex-offender, work mates and their employer, reducing the stigma and stress of trying to cover up the past.

Tony embodies a quality we all admire - just getting on and doing things that make sense. In this podcast, we get to find out more about him, his journey and what lies ahead.

You might want to check out his recognition on the Shared Value Project’s awards page too.

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s keynote speaking, facilitating and hosting work at philpreston.com.au 

Theme music is the track “Rhododendron" by Phil Preston and John Nichols performing as South of the Big Smoke (back in the day).

Hosted on Spotify / Anchor.fm and distributed via Podpage. See anchor.fm/privacy for privacy information.