Don't Stop Us Now! Podcast

Our guest this week is the most pioneering woman we’ve ever had on the show. Canadian Jill Heinerth is arguably the world’s greatest cave diver and underwater explorer. She’s also a writer, photographer and filmmaker. Jill literally goes places no human has ever gone before. She’s swum past the graves of more than 100 of her friends, as well as having some pretty close calls herself. Jill is the first Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, she’s also a recipient of Canada’s prestigious Polar Medal, and a Fellow of the International Scuba Divers Hall of Fame. To put it simply, Jill’s life story is extraordinary. In this episode you’ll hear: Why Jill chooses to chase fear not run from itHow Jill has learnt to develop and combine different skills in order to make her cave diving and exploring career sustainable What happened after she dived in the crevices of an iceberg in AntarcticaHow Jill thinks about putting a team for a new expedition together,

Our guest this week is known globally for kickstarting a menopause revolution. UK-based Dr Louise Newson is a physician, menopause specialist, businesswoman, educator and author. Not only that, she’s the founder of the award-winning Balance menopause app which has had more than one million downloads, and she hosts a weekly podcast as well! As you’ll hear, Dr Newson is also making big inroads into educating the medical profession about menopause and perimenopause, with more than 30,000 clinicians globally downloading her online program. And believe us it’s needed! In this fascinating episode that every woman should listen to you’ll hear: How Louise missed identifying her own menopause symptoms for monthsWhat keeps her keep going despite attacks and criticism from some in the medical worldHow even today, many Doctors are never taught anything about women’s hormone health, and How hard this passionate campaigner has found running her medical clinics business.We were so impressed speaking

Ever wondered what it’s like to ride in a rocket, and we do mean literally? Today you get to hear first hand about space travel with our guest, the 44th female astronaut in history and the first Iranian and Muslim woman in space. Astronaut and Entrepreneur, Anousheh Ansari is also only the 4th self-funded person to travel to space and the International Space Station. We had the best time in this conversation with Anousheh, hearing her incredible stories about the experience of rocketing into orbit. And Anousheh is so much more than an astronaut. She’s also an extremely successful entrepreneur and co-founded a successful technology company which saw her listed on Fortune Magazine’s 40 under 40. Shortly after she sold that business in 2000 for around $USD 750 million. A qualified electrical engineer, Ahousheh has been recognised for her innovation and entrepreneurialism with numerous awards including the George Mason University Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, and a Space Pioneer award from

Here we are halfway through the year and if you’re anything like the amazing people we work with in our programs and coaching, many of you are feeling like it's been a real slog. Combine that with what’s going on in the world, and with the fact that hybrid working can make you feel more isolated and alone, we thought it timely to invite back on the show a very popular guest who happens to be a Stanford-trained psychologist, burnout expert, award winning author, and an amazing executive leadership coach, Dr Jacinta Jiménez.We last featured Dr Jacinta on the show shortly after her award winning book, The Burnout Fix was published. Because we’re now seeing more, not less, burnout these days we’re so happy we were able to secure a window in Jacinta’s diary to hear the latest on wellbeing and taking care of ourselves and our teams at work.You’ll hear:How Dr Jacinta herself has had to come back from multiple operations including neurosurgery just last December which led to her having an unplanned stint in ICUH

Holy Dooley - we are now 6 years old!!! To celebrate this epic milestone for the show, we are taking the equivalent of a First Class Round the World ticket to hear from the most amazing, impactful and wise guests - all in this one episode! From the UK’s House of Lords, to the woman who has been declared as being responsible for creating the most exciting constitutional democracy in the world. From a global design icon and author to an internationally recognised and lauded Social Entrepreneur from Ethiopia. We hear from our very oldest (and wisest) guest at 92 and also our very youngest guest (mid 20’s) both on starting a business. And what different experiences they had some 70 years apart! There’s so much in here it’s hard to summarise so just a few of the things you will hear include: Advice from a non techy tech veteran on how all of us can, and need to, become meaningfully involved in tech How the world’s first non binary Government Minister and the world’s most recognised le

Our episode this week looks at an under-appreciated concept for reflecting on, and gaining new insights for your next career step or business idea.We go on a journey with Claire to learn about a ‘World Listening Tour’ that Greta did some years back. She had decided to leave her intense role at (RED) and wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next, nor even which country she should live in!This dilemma about what next prompted Greta to put together her very own listening tour to learn what had been happening in the world outside the bubble of her all-absorbing (RED) role, as well as discover what other interesting things were happening in the space she was interested in.  At the same time, she figured, she’d also get a ‘feel’ for whether she’d want to live in particular cities or not. In this unique episode we share:What a Listening Tour isWhat Greta wanted from her ‘World Listening Tour’ How she secured her meetings, sometimes with amazing people  What you need to consider to have your own

Our episode this week features a woman who has one of the most unique backgrounds and skill sets we’ve come across. Elizabeth Eastland is a full time artist these days, however her career prior to the last few years centred around leadership roles in global corporates and academia focussed on technology,  innovation and entrepreneurship. Liz is a Canadian Australian now based in Sydney, however her career has taken her from North America to Australia and Paris and back to Sydney. She’s been a CEO of a telco startup, held a global role at telco giant Alcatel, and she’s headed up innovation and entrepreneurship programs for two universities, the University of Wollongong and the University of NSW.  What’s so fascinating about Liz is that right from the start she embraced and studied two disciplines: art (initially creative writing) and science, and she’s continued this duality right throughout her executive career. It’s not surprising to learn her father was a rocket scientist and her mother

Every now and then we meet with a guest who blows us away by the scale and worthiness of their vision. And there’s no doubting this week’s guest is one of those. Lee Yearsley is an AI veteran and entrepreneur with a unique track record that speaks to her skill of anticipating the future. Raised in Zimbabwe and South Africa, Lee sold her last AI company 10 years ago to IBM. It was the first company in the world to deploy AI in businesses such as banks, insurance companies and health care. And now Lee’s at it again channelling her philosophy of building a global AI company that the world will need, not today, but in 5 years time. Her vision is big; she wants to reach more than 100 million customers worldwide. Lee’s business is called Akin and her determination to use technology for good has seen her incorporate as a public benefit corporation (that’s an American legal entity that embeds a business model that benefits both shareholders and society). Akin is bringing a new and more advanced ty

Ever had a boss who made life difficult? We have good news as this week’s show is one of our regular ‘How To’ episodes where we focus on a common career challenge; and our episode this week is all about How to Manage Up. Many of us have been there, that experience of frustration with a manager who just doesn't seem to get it for whatever reason. Maybe they're a little too hands-off and leave you floundering for direction, or maybe they're the complete opposite, a controlling micromanager who wants to be across every tiny detail.We certainly know what that feels like, and if you’re in that position right now, we feel for you. More importantly, this episode is especially for you! In this episode you’ll hear how to:Influence your manager: We'll share strategies on how to effectively communicate your ideas and get buy-in for your projectsGet the credit you deserve:  No more feeling like your contributions are going unnoticed! You’ll learn actionable tips to ensure your hard work gets the

If you’ve got a dream but don’t think you’re qualified to get there, think again. Our amazing guest today, venture capitalist Marisa Warren, is best described as a driven woman in a hurry. She’s never let a lack of experience stop her from chasing her goals. Marisa is co-founder and Managing Partner of a unique venture capital firm called Aliavia. Aliavia is a California based firm focused on early stage investments backing female founders in both the U.S. and Australia. Marisa has grown up in tech, spending the first 18 years of her career in enterprise software sales. She was in such a hurry to start working she ignored her parents’ urging to go to university and struck out to make her own path, starting in Sydney. In this episode you’ll hear how:How Marisa survives challenging times including being made redundant from big corporates on 3 separate occasions  What happened in a New York elevator when she met the Australian voice behind Siri Marisa’s advice to female founders to

We are back!! Yes, we know, we’ve had a long and awesome holiday :-)!  We hope your year has got off to a great start too. We have a blockbuster episode to leap into 2024 and it’s all about someone who stewards equally blockbusting brands. Ellie Norman runs marketing, communications and fan engagement at one of the world’s biggest sporting brands, the famed football club, Manchester United. Our minds were officially blown when Ellie told us she has to market to 1.1 billion fans around the world. That’s an incredible audience for any marketer. It’s not just the iconic Man United sporting brand that Ellie has experience with; she’s also been Global Director for Marketing and Communications at Formula One where she helped popularise the franchise. In fact, Ellie’s career has featured a lot of male-dominated industries and sectors as she also spent six years in marketing roles with Honda Motors in Europe. Her take on how to thrive and succeed in these environments is uplifting.  

And just like that… 2023 is coming to a close! We hope everyone’s enjoying the Holiday season.In our final episode for the year, we reflect on the best and most loved books, experiences, and habits and hacks we’re taking away from this year. We made a deliberate choice to focus on all things positive and constructive to help counter all the negative news in the world. We send our love and thoughts to anyone who’s doing it tough right now . . . it can be a difficult time for many people. In this episode you’ll hear about: Our top fiction books as well as our favourite two non fiction books and whyOur favourite podcast memories and experiences from the year Cultural moments that really resonated with each of us; and The top habits and hacks we’ve learnt (often from our guests) that have worked brilliantly for us. So as the final days for 2023 come to a close. We wish all of you a chance to rest and recuperate and all the very best for a happy, healthy and purposeful 2024. We’re taking t

Our guest this week is someone who’s never been one to sit around and rest on her laurels. What’s more, Sarah Davis is not what you’d describe as your everyday lawyer.Sarah’s high profile career in the UK has seen her garner much recognition for her legal career including being shortlisted for the Black British Business Awards and the UK’s Hot 100 Lawyers to name a few. London-based Sarah, has a broad non executive board career these days and also advises other organisations as a General Counsel. During her executive career she spent more than 15 years as General Counsel at The Guardian Media Group. That meant she was there in the thick of it when The Guardian was publishing the first Wikileaks stories, the Edward Snowdon stories, and of course so much more, which we’ll hear about. We think you can tell from Sarah’s Board career which includes Unicef UK and the Women’s Prize Trust (which awards the highly regarded Women's Prize for Fiction)  that Sarah has a huge heart and clearly a love of the

If you’re anything like us and fed up with all the bleak news, then this week’s episode may be just what you need; a guaranteed dose of positivity, progress and inspiration!We're joined by the humble and impressive Dr Lineo Thahane. Lineo is a paediatrician and is Executive Director of a major medical clinic in the Kingdom of Lesotho called the Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Lesotho. Lesotho, a tiny country in southern Africa, is ranked number two in terms of the countries with the highest proportion of its adult population living with HIV in the world. Nearly one in 4 adults is HIV positive and many children are too.Lineo was born and raised in the US but her parents were both from Lesotho and so Lineo spent summer holidays back in Lesotho with her extended family. There, she was able to experience what it was like to live in her parents’ country of birth and, as she grew older, she felt a deep sense of unfairness at the differences in the standard of living in the US versus that of Le

We’re super excited this week to share a conversation with the globally known best selling author, TED speaker, social psychologist, and incredible roller skater, Amy Cuddy. Amy’s TED talk on body language, the benefits of power poses and holding an expansive body posture is the second most viewed TED talk of all time. In this special episode where Greta met with Amy in Sydney, they focus on the work and writing that has kept Amy busy since she shot to fame with her TED talk and her follow-on best selling book on body language and power called: ‘Presence: Bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges’.  Amy’s new work is all about bullying, particularly bullying in the workplace. This is something Amy unfortunately has had some pretty extreme first hand experience with. Amy’s new book on dealing with bullying will be released next year (Bullies, Bystanders, and Bravehearts) and in this episode we’re super fortunate to get a sneak preview of some of her well-researched advice o

Burning Out? Top Tips from Claire’s Health ‘Intervention’Feeling burnt out? Wondering how you’ll get to the end of the year? Well that’s exactly how Claire was feeling a few weeks ago. . . until she decided an intervention was needed. A gruelling work schedule for ten months plus a second bout of Covid earlier this year left Claire wondering if she’d ever feel 100% again. So, realising she had a short window of time, she did what any self-respecting woman lucky enough to be in a position to do: she booked herself into a health retreat! The good news is that you don’t have to go anywhere to learn what Claire learnt during her retreat because we’re sharing all the goodies here. In this episode you’ll hear:What made Claire choose the retreat she didThe massive insight she had about her behaviours in the past two years How she survived without her mobile or wifi Fun facts about the gut, and Her key takeaway habits and rituals - that you can easily do too. Plus you’ll hear w

If you’re thinking the title of this week’s episode sounds distinctly like it’s describing modern day espionage and intelligence agencies you would be right! We are super excited to share this exclusive conversation with Cyber Security leader, Abigail Bradshaw. Abi is Head of the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) which is part of the national Foreign Intelligence agency known as the Australian Signals Directorate. Abi describes her job as “revealing other peoples’ secrets whilst protecting our own”. The agency she heads, the ACSC, is tasked with protecting Australia’s communications and technology networks, and all Australians, from malicious cyber activity. That includes threats from both sovereign nations and cyber criminals.Suffice to say, Abi is a very busy person! Abi has had a fascinating career and is passionate about serving her country. She’s also really passionate about seeing more women in leadership roles and is proud of the number of women who are working with her at the agen

We’ve all been there, sitting in that meeting trying to get our point across and becoming infuriated because someone we work with repeatedly ignores what we say in meetings. Being heard at work isn’t as simple as just speaking up. Research shows that particularly if you’re a woman or a minority it’s harder to have your ideas, your comments and contributions acknowledged and accepted.But there are things we can do to help overcome the challenges we sometimes face and in this episode Claire and Greta take you through numerous ways you can improve your influence at work and ensure your messages and communications are landing as well as they can. They look at tactics and tools you can use before, during and after important meetings, plus share stories from some of the most senior guests we’ve had on the show including a member of the House of Lords in the UK and the President of a large global health business.In this episode you’ll learn:When, and with whom, Claire typically finds it difficult to be hea

Our guest on the show this week is Anna Rafferty who runs a global team of more than a thousand people at Lego, the company with play at the heart of its DNA. Based in London, Anna and her large team oversee Lego’s consumer relationships including digital and social engagement, apps, websites, memberships, magazines, community management, digital safety, and events. Phew!  Anna’s had a remarkable career journey starting out of university with early dotcom ‘rocket ship’ Last Minute.com, where she worked for one of our former guests, Martha Lane Fox.Her career has also seen her work with Penguin Books, the BBC and blockbuster author JK Rowling’s company, Pottermore. To this day she retains her links to the publishing world as Chair of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Suffice to say, Anna is one busy woman! In this episode you’ll hear how:She had a career epiphany at 23 years of ageWhat working for author JK Rowling was likeHow one question helped her deal with overwhelm; and  The 3 b

If you’re inspired by people who have a worthy and clear purpose or mission then you’re going to love our episode this week. Our guest is Lina Xu, co-founder of a Medtech startup called Telecare which offers under-served people living in regional and rural areas virtual access to specialists and other healthcare professionals.When Chinese born and raised Lina moved to Australia seven years ago and became a mum shortly after, she felt very isolated, out of touch with her new country and alone. Whilst still breastfeeding her second son four years ago, Lina realised she needed to make a change and do something more in her new country and so this quietly spoken and determined woman, along with her husband, co-founded Telecare. Two doctors joined them as co-founders and all were inspired by the potential of Telecare to fill a vital healthcare gap by enabling regionally based patients to have affordable access to city based specialists and allied healthcare professionals. As luck would have it,