THE COURAGE TO LEAD INTERVIEW SERIES

18. Jan Willett

This next interview is simply amazing in its simplicity.
We are about to listen to how Jan Willett was the Director of Events for New South Wales from 2004 to 2021.
In that role Jan was responsible for ensuring events such as Mardi Gras, City to Surf, Sydney Marathon, New Years Eve, Australia Day, The Invictus Games were organised and ran to such as successful level that the community did not know that Jan Willet and her team even existed.
I give a long introduction in the interview with Jan as I respect her professionalism and skills to a high degree as she is so modest and humble about the impact she has on others.
I won’t say much here except for some wonderful leadership gems.
When working with a group of people, find something that you respect.
With respect comes listening.
If you are chairing meetings with different groups of people have a definite objective, make sure the meeting is action orientated.
Human being crave certainty.
Create a safe place for people to be listened to and respected.
This interview is true leadership in action. Her final leadership gem says it all.
A good leader should be humble.
If you are humble you will listen.
Listening is the key to good leadership, not talking.

17. PAUL WATKINS

Our next guest on The Courage to Lead Interview Series is Paul Watson and Author of Lost and Found - why we need adventure.
He describes himself as the original nerd.
His story is beyond interesting.
Paul owned several large pharmacies in rural Victoria and they were very successful. He had the fast cars, the wealth, the house but he did not have a sustainable lifestyle.
Paul survived on minimal sleep, striving for more success in wealth and a thriving business model.
He lived off fast food and had an account at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet. He was conservatively 20 kg overweight.
Paul made a decision to change this, which ended with him selling his businesses and eventually being a competitor in little known event called
The 6633 Arctic Ultra - a 583 kilometre unsupported solo race deep in the Arctic Circle.
This is his story.
We explore how Paul became this person. He attributes his journey to creating the discipline in himself to make high quality decisions.
His main message is he wants people to have a better story for themselves.
I really enjoyed this interview and there were a lot of laughs throughout, I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did.
I will leave you with a recap of some of the best messages from Paul.
Remember we are all dealing with human beings, who have feelings, hopes, dreams and emotions. We are a system.
If you develop better human beings, starting with ourselves, we will by design have a better world.

16. Matt Elliott

Matt is the co-founder and creator of wellbeing program The Change Room and author of the book with the same name : The Change Room.  
He is best known for his NRL coaching career, but it is his most recent endeavours that are having on impact outside the elite sporting arena and helping everyday people.
Combining both his qualifications (a Bachelor of Applied Science (Exercise and Sports Science), performance coaching experience and extensive research into wellbeing, Matt has created an excellent program which is changing hundreds of peoples’ lives for the better. 
His passion drives him to elevate the wellbeing of others so that they can lead their best lives.
Coming from a Solution Based Family, and with training as a School Teacher, Youth Worker and Sports Science background strap yourself in for an interview that covers so much.
A truly enlightening discussion about what works in leading people to see them truly grow.
There were so many quotable quotes throughout the interview but this one says it all
"You have to love something to truly perform at your best."

15. CARLENE YORK

On 30th October 2019, Carlene was appointed NSW State Emergency Services (SES) Commissioner. Carlene leads the combat agency with legislated responsibility for storms, floods and tsunamis.
Literally 3 months later in March 2020, the world, New South Wales and the rest of Australia went into Lockdowns because of Covid 19. That meant that none of the 10,500 volunteers in the SES all over New South Wales could not meet or train together, it all had to be done over Zoom or similar.
Then New South Wales has had and continues to have the biggest flood events ever state-wide.
How do you prepare for that and deal with that, all the while leading a volunteer organisation of 10,500 talented and diversified people?
This interview tells that story.

14. EMMA DOYLE AND NATALIE ASHDOWN

Emma Doyle and Natalie Ashdown
What Makes a Great Coach?
Emma is a coach, mentor and keynote speaker who is sought after around the world.
She can help turn your motivation into action.
She is a former Division 1 US College Tennis Player and has represented Australia as a World Team Coach on 20 occasions.
Emma is deeply qualified to know What Makes a Great Coach because she asks the question of all her guests on The Coaching Podcast as the host of that show. She has interviewed over 500 expert sport and business coaches with over 30,000 downloads to date.
Emma is a TEDx speaker(Unleashing Female Potential) and her clients say she is the real life female version of Coach Ted Lasso.
Natalie is one of Australia’s most senior and experienced coaches and a recognised speaker and author.
She is one of the small group of coaches in the world to hold the International Coach Federation Master Certified Coach credential.
Natalie is the CEO of Open Door Coaching and her clients include among many, The Australian Defence Force.
Together Emma and Natalie authored and wrote What Makes a Great Coach with the goal of using lessons in Sport to translate to business and life in general including being a parent and a grandparent.
Calling upon Emma’s vast amount of data from her life’s experiences and over 500 interviews on The Coaching Podcast asking great coaches and elite athletes, what makes a great coach in 3 words or less. When these athletes include some of the most renowned number 1 current and former world champions the results become very interesting.
What is refreshing about their book What Makes a Great Coach, there are 10 Chapters, but they are not called Chapters they are called Practices. Both Emma and Natalie are all about action. The Practices can be read in any order, whatever you have going on in your life at that moment. That makes the book a life time resource.
These Practices are
Decision Making
Belief
Purpose
Passion
Energy
Empathy
Listening
Curiosity
Communication
Resilience
You will be blown away about how dynamic Emma and Natalie are together and I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did they are warm hearted, energetic leaders who seek to provide the environment for people to do their absolute best making them an ideal guest on The Courage to Lead Interview Series.

13. AIDAN GRIMES

Todays guest, Aidan Grimes, is someone very special. Someone I know personally and who has touched thousands of lives for the better.
Aidan Grimes is an accomplished coach who, through his unique understanding of history, has helped many people change their perception of the past, equip them to live in the present and empowered them to design the future they wish to have.
In 2022 Aidan led his 125th Kokoda Track expedition, in Papua New Guinea(99 kilometres of the most challenging terrain you will ever see) and has inspired all participants as they encounter the mental & physical challenges on the track. He remains the only Kokoda operator to have a 100% completion rate.
He has worked with many large corporations including Microsoft, Ericsson, Intel, Apple, and the NSW Police to name a few. He has worked with many sports organisations. In 2012 he was awarded the RSL "Anzac of the Year" award and in 2019 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal by the PNG Governor General in recognition for his contribution to the Kokoda Track and PNG.
This interview goes deeper into who Aidan Grimes is and how this story happened.
Aidan comes from Ireland and came to Australia at a relatively young age connecting with Australian wartime history, instilling him with a passion to tell the story of our Australian Soldiers, our diggers. At that time Aidan had a limited education from Ireland.
Aidan’s interest in Australian Wartime history zeros in on the particular the story of the 400 reservist diggers who defended the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea against the might of the then undefeated 2000 hardened soldier, strong Japanese Army, preventing the Japanese continuing into Australia.
What is enlightening about this story is Aidan opens up about him living with Asperger’s and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). People with Aspergers do not recognise facial expression and deal with logic not emotion. They are often seen as outcasts, and ostracized by society because they are different. They normally have an area of expertise that they specialise in. In Aidan’s case his area of expertise has been the History of World War II and Human Performance.
This makes total sense that he has now completed 125 Kokoda Tracks , mixing that adventure experience, with a photographic memory of every battle site and a personal stories of the Australian Soldiers who defended the freedoms we enjoy today, on the Kokoda Track in WWII.
Aidan used his opportunities in Australia to complete university degrees in Sports Science focusing on High Performance and now intends to further this education in Counselling others who need support, doing a PHD using history and high performance to get more people active in todays world.
The interview ends with a great tip for all of us if we want to succeed.
Create and build our own Self Belief. Take the time getting to know you. Make your mark, and throw your stones as hard as you can, explore life, try as many things as you can whilst maintaining and improving your fitness and health. Never let others take away your self belief.

12. MARK BERRIDGE

TODAYS INTERVIEW IS WITH MARK BERRIDGE- AUTHOR OF A FRACTION STRONGER
THE INSPIRING STORY OF ONE MANS SURVIVAL AFTER A LIFE CHANGING ACCIDENT, AND FINDING POSSIBILITY IN LIFES DARKEST MOMENTS
IN A SPLIT SECOND, MARK BERRIDGE'S LIFE CAME CRASHING DOWN.
HIS BICYCLE UNDERSTEERED THROUGH A CORNER, CATAPULTING HIM HEADFIRST INTO A STORMWATER DRAIN.
A LARGE PIECE OF DISLODGE VERTEBRA COMPRESSED HIS SPINAL CORD, CAUSING DEVASTATING NERVE DAMAGE.
ITS NOT ABOUT THE FALL -ITS ABOUT HOW YOU CHOOSE TO GET UP.
MARK FOUND THE POWER WITHIN TO BECOME A FRACTION STRONGER EVERYDAY.
YOU WILL FIND MARK BERRIDGE IS JUST A NICE GUY, THROWN INTO AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.
THIS INTERVIEW EXPLORES WHO IS MARK BERRIDGE AND HOW DID HE BECOME A FRACTION STRONGER EVERYDAY
AT THE TIME OF HIS ACCIDENT MARK WAS AN INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATOR FOR RIO TINTO IN THE IRON ORE ARM OF THE BUSINESS.
A MAJOR NEGOTIATION SKILL IS REDUCING THE GAP. MARK REDUCED THE GAPS IN HIS OWN HEAD, WHERE EVER HE COULD TO MAXIMISE HIS REHABILITATION.
THERE IS A GREAT INSIGHT INTO LEADERSHIP IN THIS INTERVIEW.
A FORMER BOSS OF MARK GAVE A REDUNDANT SENIOR PERSONAL ASSISTANT A BEAUTIFUL HEARTFELT FAREWELL. WHEN MARK COMPLIMENTED HIS BOSS ON THE DIGNITY OF THE FAREWELL HIS BOSS SHARED WITH MARK, THAT FAREWELLS ARE NOT ONLY FOR THE PERSON GOING, BUT EVERYONE WHO IS STILL WORKING FOR THE COMPANY, IT’S ABOUT CULTURE.
THERE ARE REFERENCES TO SUPPORT AND WHERE THAT COMES FROM.
IN ONE OF MARK’S DARKEST MOMENTS UNABLE TO MOVE AND IN EXCRUCIATING PAIN, AN ACQUAINTANCE CAME INTO HIS ROOM AND TOLD MARK ABOUT A STORY OF RECOVERY. THAT SUPPORT CAME AT A CRUCIAL MOMENT AND GAVE MARK THE WILL NOT GIVE UP.
THERE ARE REFERENCES TO ANOTHER LAYER OF SUPPORT FROM A PHYSIOTHERAPIST WHO FRAMED THE WAY FORWARD IN SUCH A MANNER THAT MARK CHOSE TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.
THERE ARE REFERENCES TO THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY AND HOW THE SUPPORT OF FAMILY CAN HELP GET THROUGH THE TOUGHEST OF TIMES.
MARKS STORY AND INTERVIEW SHOWS ALL OF US THAT WE CAN BECOME A FRACTION STRONGER EVERYDAY. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS INTERVIEW AS MUCH AS I DID.
SHOW NOTES FOR THE INTERVIEW
6:34 THE ACCIDENT
14:14 MARK’S FORMER CAREER AS AN INTERNATIONAL SENIOR NEGOTIATOR FOR RIO TINTO
16:29 A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SENIOR NEGOTIATOR
29:44 A WONDERFUL LEADERSHIP STORY
36:16 HOW BAD IT CAN GET IN HOSPITAL DESPITE EVERYONE DOING THEIR BEST, THEN SUPPORT FROM SOMEONE WHO SHOWED THEIR KINDNESS
39:25 HOSPITAL CAN BE A LOST AND FOUND DEPARTMENT
42:00 BRIAN’S STORY
44:30 BRIAN’S GIFT - THE INSCRIPTION
49:30 AN UNLUCKY MOMENT LET MARK DO SOME AMAZING THINGS. HE IS NOW THE AMBASSADOR FOR DISABILITY AT GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY.
55:00 PHYSIO LEANNE - RECALIBRATED THE WAY I THINK
58:00 LETTING GO OF CERTAINTY - EVERY RECOVERY IS UNIQUE
1:01:00 EMBERS IN MY LIFE MADE ME WHOLE - MY FAMILY
1:06:00 READERS OF THE BOOK HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REFLECT THEY ARE STRONGER THAN THEY THINK THEY ARE - THEY ARE NOT ALONE - MARK LEARNED TO LOSE FORWARD. EVERY STEP WAS A STEP TOWARDS RECOVERY.
CHECK OUT MARKBERRIDGE.COM.AU/SHOP TO ORDER A COPY OF A FRACTION STRONGER

11. Rebecca Pinkstone

Before the interview starts I wanted to give a teaser about what you are in for. I loved doing this interview.
Today's guest is Rebecca Pinkstone - CEO of Bridge Housing - a Community Housing Provider in New South Wales, Australia that provides housing for people who are homeless or can no longer afford to live in the home they have. Too much of their income goes to housing and not enough to live.
A special recognition to our soundtrack on our intro and outro sections of the podcast.
The song is called Legacy by Savfk under Creative Commons Licence Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Check him out on Youtube or Facebook he has some great music.
Legacy is a good song title for a Leadership Podcast.
Leaders traditionally seek to leave a legacy where their workplaces are more improved as they are leaving then when they entered, in the case of this Podcast series, empowering their people to create supportive and inclusive workplaces.
Show notes for this interview:
3:03
Sharing the load as a CEO - looking after sick kids is a way of life.
13:45
Learning from mentors and other leaders to help fill the areas where your own leadership skills need support.
Have many mentors and coaches not just one.
Have exposure to a diverse level of skills.
23:25
The transition from a high achieving executive management position to the coalface, where you can affect real change. and be willing to take a big paycut to make a real difference.
Becoming the CEO of Bridge Housing.

49:00
Best Workplace Awards recipient for 5 years running.
Check Out: VOICEPROJECT.COM AND SQUADIFY.COM
52:00
An agreement for equal partners in the home.
A CEO with 3 children cannot do it all.
See how the traditional male and female roles of a home can be shared and negotiated with some creative planning outcomes.
57:54
A great summary of what is possible to end Homelessness and how Bridge Housing supports that goal in reality.
1:09:00
A closing bit of advice for leaders who want to travel a similar path and create organisations where employees are empowered and supported, helping drive organisational performance.

10. David Knoff

This week we have David Knoff, Author of the fantastic book 537 days of Winter.
David had embarked on the adventure of a lifetime as station leader of Davis Research Station in Antarctica when the Covid 19 pandemic hit. After their ride home was canceled indefinitely, what was supposed to be a routine mission became a high pressure cauldron of uncertainty and anxiety that pushed David’s team to their mental limits.
David’s story has a lot of similarities to those of all great leaders when they are faced with an extreme challenge. David had spent years in training, preparation, exposing himself to incredible challenges by the time the 537 days challenge presented itself.
David was a Lieutenant in the Australian Army for 2 years and then a diplomat with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the Australian Government. Most people when offered opportunities in DFAT, seek out the London, New York or Paris posting but not David. He went to Pakistan when the Iraq war was on, and worked for three years with all the partners in NATO who were there.
David has some great anecdotes throughout the interview, one of the best is it’s ok to fail, as long as you are trying and improving, take the feedback, use your own systems and continually improve. You are still in the fight until someone says you are not or you are dead.
You will be enlightened with how David forms his team around him for the 537 days challenge and how they work together. Its ok to ask for help if you don’t know, a leader cannot know everything but the cohesiveness of the team around them can fill that gap.
David’s final message to other leaders, take your ego out of it, take the feedback when you need to, and be like the man in the arena, never sit on the sidelines be part of the team that has a go, win or lose.
If you would like a signed copy of David's Book 537 Days of Winter you can order this direct at DAVIDKNOFF.COM and it can also be found on Amazon. The book is published by Affirm Press

9. Alex Greenwich MP (GO TO EPISODE 29 FOR COMPLETE REMASTERED INTERVIEW)

Alex Greenwich MP, Independent Member for Sydney, is a wonderful human being. After 12 years in the New South Wales State Parliament as an Independent Member he has achieved some amazing outcomes.
Alex has some incredible credentials. -
the Co Chair behind the Marriage Equality Act which eventuated in the act being passed into Legislation.
- A driving force behind the legalising of Abortion in NSW 3 years ago
- A driving force behind Reproductive Health Care Reform
- A driving force behind having Euthanasia legalised.
Alex was a regular presenter to the North Sydney/Chatswood Police Leadership Programs over several years. He was the only politician to be granted this opportunity because of what he brings to the table.
I have never met anyone who has Alex’s ability to work with anyone, to get an outcome, even people who are initially openly hostile and nasty towards him. It is a skill and a leadership attribute that we rarely see in todays world, and a skill that allows for better outcomes for our world.
This interview delves into how Alex was formed into the leader he is today.
His parents encouraged discussions about anything at any time, sex workers, drug addicts, homelessness, nothing was off the table. His Grandmother, Jacqui, lived in America and was a loud and proud advocate against President George Bush’s Abortion Policies. Alex’s grandmother was his first exposure to My Body My Choice, I should control my own body, and set up his passion for what eventuated in legalising Abortion in NSW three years ago.
Alex worked with his parents in their HR Recruiting Firm, Winning Attitudes, learning over 12 years, every day what motivated people around their lives in regards to dignity, purpose and salary.
It was during his time with Winning Attitudes that Alex began his work as a Marriage Equality advocate at a time when no government would discuss the topic,
Alex helped changed the landscape across high profile Australian Corporates that it was time to discuss Marriage Equality.
Alex talks us through his wonderful relationship with his husband Victor, and you will be left with a smile on your face with the relationship they share, having fun in life’s most simplest moments.
Alex then takes us to how he became a member of parliament. At at time when Clover Moore was the Mayor of Sydney and also the Member for Bligh/Sydney, the then Liberal Government changed the laws and said a member of parliament could not hold both positions.
When this happened Alex contacted Clover asking what he could do as he felt his democratic vote had just been taken away by a political process.
Clover asked Alex to work for her people, and then Clover’s people became Alex’s people. The bi election was brought on by the Liberal Party within 3 weeks of Clover Moore stepping down because of the new legislation. However Clover Moore backed Alex Greenwich to be her replacement and that endorsement rewrote history. In Alex’s words, “Now there are two of us.”
Alex see’s his role as ensuring no one gets left behind, even those most challenged and disadvantaged in our community. On his office wall he has the picture of a homeless man, sitting with his dog on a Sydney street. Alex know the story of that man, “It’s who I work for”
Alex was a lived experience candidate on the show Filthy Rich and Homeless, living on the streets of Sydney without support for 10 days. Alex describes this time as a lightbulb moment, anybody can become homeless, all it takes is some of life’s misfortunes to occur and homelessness is a reality.
Alex views his role in parliament as a privilege but he is aware that politicians are human beings. They are flawed, they make mistakes and we change our minds. Forgiveness is important. Alex makes his business not to leave anyone behind. A final piece of advice from Alex for empowering future leaders - “Don’t be afraid.”