Stand Out Life

Ep 117 Thomas Mayor - Heart of our nation by Ali Hill

That old maxim about being the change you want to see in the world may belong to a bygone era, but for Byron Bay based business Afends, the consciousness around their brand stands smack bang in the middle of this truth. With co-Founders Declan Wise and Jonathan Salfield at the helm, the fashion brand Afends continues to evolve, riding the wave of social innovation and social entrepreneurship. In this conversation we dive into the evolution of the brand, how the co-founders Declan and Jonathan navigate business together, and where they see the evolution next for the way consumers interact and care about the brands they are associated with. They are also at the forefront of the Hemp Revolution and we dive into an exciting new project the brand is about to launch into. Down-to-earth. Insatiably passionate, and real to their Byron roots, enjoy this conversation with Declan Wise and Jonathan Salfied.

Leadership is constantly shifting and changing. Over the past 18 months that’s never been more true. Across the episode we dive into the role of leadership, and the value of feminine qualities and elevating women in leadership positions. Women Rising Founder and CEO, Megan Dalla-Camina is a best selling author, women’s mentor, founder and speaker, and one of the world’s leading experts on women’s leadership, wellbeing and empowerment. She is a global advocate for women - you’ll hear her passion - and dedicated to helping women step into their power. She's appeared on NBC, CNN, CBS News, and in hundreds of media outlets including Forbes, Fortune, Fast Company, Thrive Global, Well + Good and as a columnist for Psychology Today; and she is the best selling author of three books, including her latest best-seller Simple, Soulful, Sacred: A Woman’s Guide to Clarity, Comfort and Coming Home to Herself. After leaving her 18 year corporate career almost a decade ago in response to both women and organisations se

Today’s episode is one from the archives - but archives you won’t have heard before. I recorded this conversation with David in Sept of 2020 where he was reflecting on what it was like 12 months after he achieved something extraordinary - swam the English Channel. David Frizzell is a team, leadership, communication and change consultant. He is the host of The Team Guru Podcast - which I’ve had the delight of being twice now. So it was nice to turn the table and interview Dave for a change. The work he has done developing leaders and advising on change across large programs - from state government to multinationals - together with the ideas he steals from his podcast guests, has turned David into an opinionated bore. In September 2019 David swam the English Channel and shared with us why this became a goal for him, the preparation and what he learnt from this experience. You’ll be inspired to explore possibilities once you’ve listened to this conversation with David Frizzell. The Team Guru Podcast: ht

Mary Dwyer is someone that you are drawn towards. Her grace, character, and presence are palpable - and you will feel this through today’s conversation. In her ‘day job’ she specialises working with political, business and spiritual leaders across the globe. With a career that has seen her work with leaders from the World Bank, European Union, OECD, United Nations, the military, top level politicians, diplomats, CEO’s, boards, executive teams, whole system organizational development teams and carefully selected, high potential, emerging leaders, Mary has an uncanny ability to produce work that is dynamic, inclusive, inspiring and has an extraordinary impact. She has also walked the path of losing her husband to cancer when he was only 50. In her book - The Final Act of Grace - she talks about this experience and how it brought her and can bring others into the light of eternal grace. The Final Act of Grace is a profound and inspirational story about one man’s death, that left everyone present in a stat

What does a political economist and cancer scientist have in common? Turns out a lot more than you’d think. Founders of ‘Future Crunch’ Gus Hervey and Tane Hunter share their deeply inquisitive nature about the future of work in this episode. Future Crunch are a group of scientists, artists, researchers and entrepreneurs that believe science and technology are creating a world that is more peaceful, connected and abundant. Gus and Tane are on a mission to foster intelligent, optimistic thinking about the future. We unpack the role of adaptability and the opportunity to find optimism even when things look a long way from that. Enjoy this in-depth conversation with Gus and Tane.

There is little doubt that the world is in desperate need of care; however, despite the overwhelming global problems that face us, we can find ourselves caring too much, while at the same time caring too little. Excited to share with you this episode with someone who’s on a mission to have all of us embark on the radical art of taking time; time to care. Brooke McAlary is someone who’s not new to transformational change. Six years ago Brooke was completely overwhelmed, with the things that looked like ‘success’. She began to declutter and embark on life connected to slowing down. Best selling author of ‘Slow’ and host of the Writing a book and host on award-winning Slow Home Podcast (downloaded more than 2 million times) she encourages thousands of people every day to live a simpler, slower life. IN this episode we dive into Brooke’s latest book - ‘Care: The radical art of taking time’. Brooke unpacks areas in our life that help us to take care - we dive into only three of these in our chat today (we may

A multi-million dollar business, an international brand, the journey through liquidation and beyond. That’s the story of Shoes of Prey. Jodie Fox grew up in Lismore, a country town in New South Wales, the daughter of a Sicilian mother and Australian father. Starting out in law she took a step into advertising (and a huge pay cut) before she found her feet at Shoes of Prey. A business that went from an idea tossed around at the beach by three friends to scrappy start-up to venture-backed global business with more than 200 staff, over $US 27 million in funding and legions of followers around the world. A business she devoted a decade of her life to; ended up closing the door in August 2018, it wasn’t until months later, in February 2019, that the company officially went into liquidation. Jodie has written about her experience - the highs and the bloody tough lows in her book Reboot: Probably More Than You Ever Wanted to Know about Starting a Global Business. Jodie shares what life is like navigating the

Overnight success sometimes takes 12 years - it certainly did for today’s guest Samantha Wills. I’m Ali Hill and welcome to Stand Out Life podcast - a podcast dedicated to living boldly amongst the busyness. Samantha Wills started her self-titled jewellery company on the kitchen table of her share house in the eastern suburbs of Sydney when she was just 21 years old. Her rise to the global stage was meteoric and came with dedication, focus and a few scars along the way. Since making the courageous decision to close her business Samantha has captured her story - all of it in her memoir ‘Of Gold and Dust’. It is so much more than a business memoir and Samantha shares her insights in today’s episode around the decision to go into business, the essence of the community behind the brand, the power of creativity and why all of us need to be listening to our health even amongst the busyness. Samantha tells the intimate details of her life and business, sharing her truths with a rare rawness and vulnerability. S

Ronni Kahn is a social entrepreneur and founder of food rescue charity OzHarvest. OzHarvest has become a well known brand and name across Australia - mainly because of the passion, the advocacy and activitism of Ronni. Ronni’s book ‘A Repurposed Life’ unpacks her extraordinary journey, from South Africa to Israel to founding a successful event business. Although she is best known as the food warrior with her mission to fight food waste and feed hungry people. 
We talk about what drives her, the hurdles she faces and how she overcomes them, and you’ll want to listen right to the end to find out the meaning of a single teaspoon. Put whatever you are doing aside, and give all your attention to this powerhouse of a woman, the amazing Ronni Kahn.

Every habit that we have has been shaken up across 2020, which opens up new possibilities and new perspectives. Today’s guest is the master of perspective and growth. In this episode I sit down with returning guest, Mark Matthews to do a dive into the changes this year has bought and ways to finding possibility amongst the new and unknown. Mark shared his story from Big Wave surfing back in Episode 38 - it’s extraordinary ride (pun intended) and if you want to find out more about his professional history tune back into that episode. In this conversation we chat about putting yourself in the path of pain and anxiety, the pull of growth - even when it’s hard, and how to rise to high performance when everything around you changes. Mark shares a practice that helped him in his professional life that was such a critical part of him being connected to his path that he created an app about it. As we move towards the reflective time to wrap up the year that has been, and start to look ahead for the next year -

There is power in telling and sharing stories. Far too many stories in this country, in Australia, aren’t given the voice or the platform to be shared. My guest on this episode is both a story-teller and a community-creator. Marlee Silva is a proud Gamilaroi and Dunghutti woman living in Sydney. She is the co-founder of Tiddas 4 Tiddas, a social media initiative, which is dedicated to celebrating Indigenous women and girls through storytelling. Marlee also writes, produces and hosts her own podcast titled 'Always was, always will be our stories', where she interviews inspiring Indigenous role models who are working to change the world, one day at a time. Marlee has also an author, with her first book just realised; ‘My Tidda, My Sister’. This book is both stunningly written and beautifully designed, weaving optimism and heart into tough and important conversations. We talk about growing up as the only identified Aboriginal person in her school, the role of story-telling and community connecting, and how

If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you have never done before”. My guest in this episode lives and embodies this. Australian Samantha Gash started running as a break from studying law. Little did she know those small steps would turn into a journey that has seen her run over 20,000km across every continent on Earth, and raise approximately $1.3million for charity while advocating for women’s empowerment, social change and access to education. The list of what Samantha has achieved is long. In this conversation we dive into her experience of a 77 day run from west to east of India covering 3253 kms. She has run across the Simpson Desert. Earlier in 2020 Samantha wanted to do something to support the Bushfire appeals here in Australia, and pulled together a virtual Relief Run. The response was phenomenal with people all around the world contributing to raise of $1mil. Samantha has also appeared on Australian Survivor and in the The World's Toughest Race which is currently a

Can you imagine riding for 24 hours? Now imagine that you are doing this through nature trails, and hairy turns, at speed, pushing your body to the limit? Today’s guest is an ultra mountain bike champion (something I didn’t know even existed before this chat). Jess Douglas is a life long cyclist and a mountain bike champion - 3 x world solo 24 hour & 3 x Australian solo 24 hour champion amongst many other crazy long endurance races and adventures. Jess has overcome adversity from being a cancer survivor, and has learnt how to turn adversity into resilience and growth. I know for me that’s something I’m deeply interested in at the moment. Jess talks about her 1% rule - something she practices daily, and something we an all use no matter what we are aiming to grow at. With her bike as the vehicle to deliver a journey of self-reflection and personal growth, soak up the insights and stories from the remarkable Jess Douglas.

Can you teach kindness? My guest for this episode not only believes that you can, she has built a curriculum around it and is taking this work to our education system with the aim of teaching and instilling kindness across our communities. Today I connect with a returning guest, the incredible Kath Koschel. Kath’s story is remarkable - so big in fact that we’ve already dedicated episode 83 to unpacking it. If you haven’t had the chance to tune into that episode yet, make sure you do either before you listen to this one, or afterwards. It will make this episode even more remarkable. Kath is on a mission to share and spread the message of the power of kindness through her charity The Kindness Factory. When everything around us feels hard and uncertain, kindness reconnects us to our humanity. Sharing this message with school students far and wide Kath realised the need to show people the small and large ways that we can learn kindness. We unpack this amazing work, as well as what does kindness mean when

When you use the word brilliant to describe someone, I’m wondering what comes to mind? Is it elusive, talent, just plain luck? In this episode we unpack what does it mean to be brilliant. Janine Garner grew up in Yorkshire in the north of England into a traditional farming family. Even from an early age she questioned the world she was in, and sought to explore new horizons. Janine has certainly trod her own path, with a career that has taken her around the world in marketing and strategy, to now in her own practice consulting with leading brands. The thread through all her work is her ability to connect and collaborate with people - it’s her special sauce. Janine is a best-selling author and her latest book, Be Brilliant is a call to arms. Using what she has learnt from interviewing the best of the best in her own podcast series, Unleashing Brilliance, she maps a path for any of us - through her 4 Laws of Brilliance, in our chosen field to be brilliant. In fact the people around you demand it from you.

Imagine moving your business and your three boys from the Gold Coast to New York city ready to have a year of travel and adventures, a year you’ve been dreaming of for a long time, only to have a global pandemic turn up with other plans. From the heart of New York, with her three boys, today’s guest, Sel Watts shares what she is learning amongst the challenges that 2020 is bringing. Sel is an entrepreneur, founding a successful HR strategy business WattsNext Group . Her vlog series, An Unconventional Life, sums up Sel’s philosophy that life is too short to do things you regret. It such a delight to be able to connect with Sel via Zoom. Throughout this conversation you’ll get a glimpse into what it has been like living through the numbers of COVD-19 that hit New York earlier this year, being witness to the black lives matter protests and riots in the city, and how important it is to keep learning and growing even when uncertainty (and far too much home-schooling) arrives at your doorstep. I know you’ll

Welcome to Episode 100 of Stand Out Life podcast series. It’s an incredible feat to reach 100 episodes with incredible guests, and I wanted to celebrate this episode with someone closer to home, someone very special. In fact he’s the most special person in my life I sat down with my business partner, my life partner, my husband, Darren Hill. We talk all things from where his work ethic comes from to abattoir worker, to now a trusted advisor and sought after strategies for Fortune 500 and ASX Top 20 companies. In 2018 he was recognised as Educator of the Year. We’ve been in business together for over 13 years, the last 10 years in our current business Pragmatic Thinking, Behaviour and Motivation Strategy company, driving leadership programs and cultural change initiatives across big corporates. We unpack business in the age of COVID-19, how we’ve needed to pivot and the principles that decisions have been made amongst uncertain times. This is a beautiful conversation, it’s a long conversation, but the

In episode 87 of this podcast series I spoke with the proud Wiradjuri & Wailwan woman Teela Reid who referred to 2020 being the year of reckoning for Australia and it’s connection to our First Nation people. And a reckoning we are facing. WIth the Black Lives Matter movement here in Australia picking up voice I was of course eager to sit down with Teela again, to continue to unpack, to sit in the discomfort, and learn. For her and for so many here in Australia, for generations this isn’t a new movement, this is an intergenerational battle, a daily fight. In this conversation we face the reality that health statistics for indigenous people in this country are worse than for the white community, and we dismiss this truth. We talk about what is tokenistic vs real action in acknowledging Aboriginal culture. Teela is generous in the face of my ignorance, and focused on the changes she has committed to seeing happen here in this country. I want to say a huge thank you for the ongoing generosity and figh

Amongst the massive shifts in our world there is a conversation that I have been wanting to have. A conversation diving into what it means to experience, recognise and respond to grief and loss. Something many of us are experiencing. All too often we associate grief and loss with finality. The end of something. And yet what so many are experiencing now and have been experiencing over the last few months is both the reality and the anticipation of grief and loss. So in order to walk through this conversation with me, I invited psychologist Dr Mel Taitmu. Mel is the lead clinician and educator at MAIA, a private psychology practice based in Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast. The MAIA method supports clients and communities to recalibrate their bodies, reintegrate their minds and reignite their hearts. So I had to talk to her. Mel completed her PhD in indigenous psychology from a Maori perspective and shares cultural insights into how her Maori ancestry faces grief and loss. Mel shows up in her life as a