“The best opportunities in life usually come from backing people, building trust, and playing the long game.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Justin Scanlan, CEO of APM Group’s Allied Health Portfolio, to unpack the journey from growing up in rural North Dublin to leading one of Australia’s largest allied health networks.

We talk about:🇮🇪 Growing up in Skerries and moving to Australia for what was meant to be a two-year stint🏉 How rugby, team culture, and sport shaped his leadership philosophy🏌️ Why golf became his outlet for mindfulness, flow state, and mental reset👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Becoming a father at 21 and how responsibility gave him purpose and direction💼 Building a consulting career through PwC and Deloitte during WA’s mining boom📈 Scaling high-performing teams while balancing culture, quality, and growth❤️ Leading 1,200 allied health professionals focused on improving outcomes for vulnerable families🌏 Why Australia rewards people who invest deeply in relationships and community🎶 Music, Irish identity, and the importance of staying connected to your roots

This one is reflective, grounded, and packed with lessons on leadership, purpose, culture, and building a meaningful life far from home.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

“Building a business is hard… but building a culture people actually want to be part of is even harder.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Mairead Breen, co-founder and Executive General Manager of FSC Civils, to unpack the journey from rural Ireland to helping build one of WA’s leading civil construction businesses.

We talk about:
🇮🇪 Growing up in a tiny Irish village before taking the leap to Australia

🛣️ Moving all over Australia before eventually making Perth home

🏗️ Building FSC Civils from scratch alongside her husband Sean

📉 The sleepless nights, pressure, and uncertainty of starting a business

🚆 Scaling rapidly through major infrastructure projects like Metronet

👷 Why culture, mentoring, and psychosocial safety matter in construction

🏆 Creating FSC’s award-winning “Safe Assign” safety system

👩‍🔧 Launching initiatives to help more women enter the civil construction industry

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Raising independent kids while balancing leadership, business, and family life

This one is honest, funny, and packed with lessons on resilience, leadership, and creating a business culture that people genuinely want to be part of.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

“If you choose a path… go all in. That’s where the growth happens.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Sam Carter, former Wallabies lock, to unpack the reality behind a professional rugby career and the lessons that come from the highs, the setbacks, and everything in between.

We talk about:

🏉 Going from an “average” school player to earning a contract with the Brumbies

📈 Thriving in the right environment and how culture shaped his career

🇦🇺 The nerves and pressure behind his Wallabies debut

🌍 Moving overseas to Ulster, dealing with injury, isolation, and COVID while starting a family

🤝 Why committing fully to a decision matters more than getting it perfect

📉 The reality of tough environments and losing enjoyment in the game

🌅 Rediscovering his love for rugby at the Western Force

💼 Transitioning out of professional sport and starting again in a new career

This one is honest, grounded, and full of perspective. It’s about backing yourself, committing to the path you choose, and understanding that growth comes from leaning in when things get tough.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

“Change happens at the speed of trust.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Louise Zawada, executive coach and transformation strategist, to unpack what it really takes to lead through change while balancing career, family, and everything in between.

We talk about:

👩‍👧‍👧 Life as a mum of two and navigating 25 years as a FIFO wife

🎓 Completing a Master’s degree while working full-time and raising a family

💼 Nearly 20 years working across mining, government, aged care, and agribusiness

🧠 Coaching senior leaders through complex change and high-pressure environments

🚀 The decision to leave a stable career and build her own consultancy

🤝 Why trust is the foundation of every successful transformation

❤️ Giving back through the Hero Hunter Foundation supporting families facing childhood cancer

⚖️ Balancing ambition, family, and showing her daughters what’s possible

This one is grounded, real, and full of perspective. It’s about leadership in the real world, building trust, and creating a career that aligns with the life you actually want.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

“At some point, you realise Plan A isn’t going to happen… and that’s where everything changes.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Zaymn, Group General Manager of Finance and Sales at John Hughes Group, to unpack the journey from chasing a professional cricket career to leading one of WA’s largest automotive businesses.

We talk about:

🏏 Growing up chasing the dream of playing cricket for Australia and the moment he realised it wasn’t going to happen

👨‍🍳 Starting from the bottom as a pot washer and building discipline through a chef apprenticeship

🚪 Getting rejected from his first role in automotive before finding an unexpected opportunity at John Hughes

📈 Rising quickly through the ranks to become one of the youngest business managers in the state

🧠 Overcoming early setbacks, learning challenges, and building confidence in a high-pressure environment

🚗 What it actually takes to run a business selling thousands of cars a month

✈️ Finding new challenges outside of work, including becoming a pilot

This one is about resilience, backing yourself after setbacks, and understanding that the path you didn’t plan can end up being the one that defines you.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

“Leadership isn’t about you. It’s about the environment you create for others to thrive.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Trent Cotchin, former Richmond captain and three-time premiership winner, to unpack the real story behind leadership, pressure, and what it takes to build a winning culture.

We talk about:

🏉 Being drafted young, dealing with injuries, and carrying early expectations

📉 Hitting rock bottom in 2016 and the lessons that came from it

🏆 The shift that led Richmond from 13th to a premiership the following year

🤝 Why vulnerability and storytelling became a competitive advantage

🧠 Separating identity from performance and removing the pressure of the role

📈 The challenge of sustaining success and evolving beyond what once worked

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Life after football, family, and building a new path beyond the game

This one is honest, reflective, and packed with lessons on leadership, resilience, and performing under pressure. It’s about doing it for the people who believe in you and building something bigger than yourself.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

“It’s not just what you eat. It’s how you store it, cook it, and prepare it.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Dr Amelia Harray - a dietician, nutritionist, and clinical researcher from the UWA Medical School, to unpack the hidden impact plastics and food marketing have on our health.

We talk about:

🥗 Why protein-fortified products and supplements are often more marketing than science

📊 The importance of evidence-based nutrition instead of chasing trends

🧪 How chemicals from plastic packaging can leach into the food we eat

🍽️ Why diet is one of the biggest sources of human exposure to plastic chemicals

🔬 The challenges of running a world-first low-plastic diet research study

🍳 Simple changes like switching cookware, avoiding heating food in plastic, and using glass storage

🧠 Why the future of nutrition isn’t just about what you eat but how you prepare and store it

This one is eye-opening, practical, and grounded in real science. It’s about cutting through the noise, understanding what’s actually happening in our food system, and learning the small changes that can make a real difference to your health.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

“We’re not just building houses… we’re building people’s dreams.”

In this episode of What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with Andy Kearns, director and owner of Perway Construction, to unpack the journey from leaving Ireland during the recession to building a successful residential construction company in Perth.

We talk about:

🇮🇪 Leaving Ireland in 2011 during the recession and landing in Perth with a one way ticket

🛠️ Starting with maintenance work before growing Perway Construction into a residential building business

🏗️ Why he believes building homes is really about building memories for families

📈 How business coaching changed the way he runs projects, profit, and client experience

🚫 Becoming alcohol free and the personal growth that followed

❤️ Launching Build It Forward, a charity initiative renovating homes for families in need

🤝 Men’s work, family healing, and reconnecting family

🧠 Supporting mental health in the construction industry and learning how to truly listen

This one is about far more than construction. It’s about personal transformation, giving back, and using success to lift the people around you.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

In the first episode of the newly rebranded What’s the Craic Podcast, I sit down with fellow Irishman man George Harrington, an engineer and project delivery specialist who moved from Ireland to Perth and built a career across some of the toughest and most interesting projects around the world.

We talk about:

🇮🇪 Growing up in Cork with a strong work ethic installed from his father

🎓 Studying engineering and building a career that took him from Ireland to Australia

🏗️ Working on major infrastructure projects including Australia’s largest private hospital redevelopment and remote mining projects in the Great Sandy Desert

🌍 Jumping head first into engineering work in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the world's largest lithium mine

☘️ Becoming chairman of Perth’s St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Parade

🎉 The vision to make Perth’s celebration the greatest St. Patrick’s Day event in the Southern Hemisphere

This one is a brilliant mix of professional expertise, adventure, community, and the Irish spirit that connects people across the world.

🎧 Now live on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you listen.

After years as The Elite Executive, the podcast is getting a new name.

In this episode, we explain the thinking behind the rebrand to What’s The Craic, where the name comes from, and why it better reflects the conversations we’ve always wanted to have.

“What’s the craic?” is a simple Irish question. It means what’s going on, how’s life, what’s new.

And that’s exactly how every conversation on this podcast will start.

Same honest conversations.

Same interesting people.

Just a name that feels more like us.

Welcome to What’s The Craic.