The Purpose Edge

Dr Neryl East has had her fair share of pivotal moments and glorious achievements. When her husband was recovering from a horrific, life threatening accident, it occurred to them both that we tend to wait for disruptions rather than getting on the front foot and disrupt ourselves.

There’s so many great experiences you’ll hear about in this discussion, from being present when ICAC raided the local government where she was working to Olympic moments (probably not what you’re thinking), helping Mike recover from his accident and helping leaders with critical communications challenges.

You’ll find Neryl’s website here or connect via LinkedIn. The two books she refers to are Disrupt Your Life and Named and Shamed.

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.

Ross Clennett went through a cycle of seemingly having it all ... before losing it all, and having to deal with the grief and loss of his sister along the way.

How did he rebound? What role has meaning and purpose played for him? How and why does he make a difference today?

There's a lot to learn and a lot to like in this episode.

You’ll find Ross’s website and blog here, or connect via LinkedIn or Twitter.

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.

Conjure up the names of stars that you’ve seen on television and there’s a fair chance Maz has them on her speed dial. As a producer on award winning and high rating shows, she knows what pressure, accountability and responsibility are all about.

It turns out the purpose of the show matters!

In this conversation, we find out about some of the names in her rolodex (if there is still such a thing) and what makes or breaks big projects and productions. Today, she helps CEOs to successfully ‘produce’ their own ‘shows’.

To stand out as a contestant, CEO or in any facet of life, she lives by the mantra that it’s not her job to be interested, it’s your job to be interesting!

You can find out more or reach out to Maz via her speaker or business website.

* Maz Speaks is also known as Marion Farrelly!

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s 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.

Through her work and lived experiences, Bel has developed invaluable insights into grief, stress, vicarious trauma and mental health. She is driven by her belief in ‘keeping things real’ and passionate about fostering self-care for individuals, teams and organisations.

In this conversation, we find out about the positive and negative experiences that shaped her, how she helps create ‘space’ for others and about the effective techniques she uses. By the way, you won’t think about bridges, trains and houses the same way again!

Today, she is a leading art therapist, counsellor and lecturer. You can find out more about Bel in this 10 min video and her work at IGNITE Wellbeing Co. 

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s 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.

Caroline Robinson lives more than 400km from Perth in WA and is instrumental in improving the economies and lives of rural, regional and remote Australians, as well as helping city folk like me understand their challenges.

Plus we talk about how she met her husband (perfectly cliched!), founding the Australian & Ukraine Rural Community Alliance, why volunteers really matter and the work she does in advancing regional prosperity via her own business and through the SEGRA Foundation (2023 summit link). 

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s 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.

Graeme Cowan hit rock bottom in his life and took many years to get through depression and come out the other side, but when he did, he became a founding director of the enormously successful mental health charity, R U OK?

He talks about unhealthy work-life relationships, the process of recovery, invaluable advice that helped him pull through, how R U OK? came about and how it has evolved since then. Plus, he talks about his current work with WeCARE365 and how organisations get massive returns-on-investment in mental health and wellbeing.

Graeme is also the host of The Caring CEO podcast.

You can email this show via [email protected] and find out more about Phil’s 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.

What does a successful journey from a business career to the social sector look like? Kylie Flament made that shift, moving from the health sector to becoming the General Manager of the highly celebrated social enterprise, Green Connect, and is now CEO of the Social Enterprise Council of NSW & ACT (SECNA).

She talks about how an unwavering commitment to her values helped her in navigating key decision points, and how making money is far easier than helping to drive real change in people’s lives. There’s some great examples of what that looks like in practice in this episode.

If you are enthused about social enterprise, Kylie invites you to attend this free festival-style event in Sydney later this month.

You can email the show via [email protected] and find out more about purpose-based approaches to personal, professional and business success 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.

As a first generation Sri Lankan-Australian, Giles Gunesekera faced personal headwinds growing up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. However, his resilience and willingness to serve others shone through, including being formally recognised with an OAM award.

This is an interesting account of a dual career in the for- and not-for-profit sectors, and how they finally converged in the founding of his current business and its world leading impact funds. Oh, and a fun fact he introduces us to is that there are more men named John running large companies than women :(

Here are the links to the Global Impact Initiative and Amnesty International.

The three quotes from our discussion:

“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall” - Nelson Mandela

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou

“Anyone that thinks they are too small to make a difference hasn't spent the night with a mosquito.” - Africa Proverb

You can email the show via [email protected] and find out more about purpose-based approaches to personal, professional and business success 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.

As a Gen Y / Millennial, Michael Lupi didn’t know the exact career path he’d take but he focused on his strengths and the jobs he felt he needed to do in order to get the job he wanted and maximise the difference he makes in the world. Is he there yet? You’ll have to listen to find out!

In this illuminating conversation, we also cover parental influence, working at the intersection of business and community, the power of communications and how his father’s legacy before passing included teaching others how to handle grief.

Plus, we learn about “bolognese risotto” and why Michael nominated his Nonna for Australian of the Year when he was 10 years old!

You can email the show via [email protected] and find out more about purpose-based approaches to personal, professional and business success 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.

How and why did Holly Masters end up leading the McGrath Foundation? And why has it succeeded where others may have stalled? In this episode we gain some wonderful insights into the ingredients that individuals and organisations need in order to make a difference at scale. Plus, Holly talks about the methods she’s employed to navigate her way through various challenges in life.

You can email the show via [email protected] and find out more about purpose-based approaches to personal, professional and business success 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.