Interview Archives - Page 13 of 14

Marie Johnson – Breaking Digital Boundaries and Challenging Stereotypes

February 12, 2019
by admin

On the show this week is Marie Johnson, an Australian entrepreneur with a passion for digital and AI.

Marie’s cutting edge work today is all the more incredible when you hear her story….

She was married as a teenager, then soon found herself pregnant and living in a caravan! Despite not having the chance to take her studies further immediately after school, Marie went on to juggle motherhood and study, and earnt several degrees.

One thing led to another and Marie took on CIO and other senior technology roles, particularly in Government, and in 2006 she was named “Innovative CIO of the Year – for Australia” (according to CIO magazine).

Marie now leads the Centre for Digital Business – a company she co-founded with her husband (yes the same one she married all those years ago). She’s a passionate believer in finding ways to use digital technology including AI to make life more equal and fair for everyone.

In this episode you’ll hear:

Why you should have a long and a short game plan
What it’s like as an older woman in technology
How she copes with adversity
How she co-designed the world’s first digital human, Nadia, with the disabled community and
How her husband’s four heart operations and her grandsons are shaping the digital ventures Marie is working on now

Enjoy this episode with the forward thinking Marie Johnson.

We were amazed by this video Marie shared with us (below) showing the incredibly human conversational skills of her current project: creating a Digital Human Cardiac Coach. We think she and the team at FaceMe are doing a truly incredible job. Prepare to be blown away by AI in action:

Debbie Wosskow, OBE – What It Takes To Be…

January 29, 2019January 29, 2019
by admin

On the show this week is Debbie Wosskow, a dynamic serial entrepreneur who sold her third business, LoveHomeSwap, for US$53m. Debbie recently co-founded The AllBright, Britain’s first members-only club specifically for business women. The AllBright named after Madeleine Albright, also offers a an online academy and a community that aims to create opportunities for women to thrive and flourish. We love the idea and mission behind AllBright and think you will too.

In addition to successfully selling two businesses, Debbie’s also recently been awarded The Evening Standard ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ 2018. She’s a member of the Mayor of London’s Business Advisory Board and has also been awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE).

We so enjoyed meeting with Debbie at the AllBright in London and talking about:

Why Debbie’s mission is to create a monster, global sisterhood of kick-ass women
The recent pitch that Debbie and her coFounder used to raise 9 million pounds
Why it’s crucial to have a ‘Rhino Hide’ when you’re a successful professional woman
The three “G’s” she looks for when deciding whether to invest in a business, and
How she uses her intuition and what she still gets wrong after 20 years

We hope you enjoy this episode with the trailblazing Debbie Wosskow.

Links of interest:

The AllBright Website

The AllBright Academy

AllBright on Twitter

Debbie on LinkedIn

Debbie on Twitter

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:24 — 28.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Nathalie Nahai – Web Psychology and How to Juggle…

December 4, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

This week’s guest is the one and only Nathalie Nahai, The Web Psychologist.

She’s an author and in-demand globetrotting speaker on how to apply behavioural science to all things digital to make them more effective and ethical.

Nathalie’s been a musician and recording artist, she has a psychology degree and used to be a web designer. Right now, she’s studying art in Barcelona as well as doing her day job!

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Nathalie juggles life and the unique way she prioritises what to say “Yes” to
You’ll learn how she went about reinventing her career
She shares fascinating research on how the colour of clothing we wear can affect how intelligently we’ll come across
The killer one liner Nathalie uses when she feels she’s been harassed

A quick note that there’s occasional colourful language in this episode so if you’re sensitive to this or have little ears around you may wish to monitor accordingly.

Enjoy this episode!

Links of interest:

Nathalie on Insta (Her Art)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:16 — 29.7MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Kriti Sharma – Robots, AI and the Future

November 20, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

We’re excited to bring you this week’s guest, Kriti Sharma; a leading global expert in AI and its impact on society and the future.

Kriti grew up in Rajasthan in India. She didn’t have access to a computer at home so she built one herself. She followed that with her first robot when she was 15.

Today Kriti applies her AI and tech expertise to solve global issues from productivity to education to domestic violence. And she’s part-time VP of AI and Ethics at Sage.

She’s recently been named a UN Young Leader; she features in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for advancements in AI; and was included in the Recode 100 list of key influencers in technology last year alongside Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Kriti’s upbringing in India has shaped what she’s doing today
How a ‘cat with a jetpack’ has helped her tackle gender bias
Her thoughts on the power of AI, both for good and bad and…
Her experience of being invited to meet the Obamas and why it was “life changing”,

Enjoy this episode with the talented and delightful Kriti Sharma.

P.S. Interested to learn more about Artificial Intelligence? Stay tuned for our first ever ‘What is?’ episode early next year dedicated to AI.

Images: Courtesy Kriti Sharma & Sage

Links of interest:

Kriti on Twitter

Kriti’s TED Talk

MIT Media Lab

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:48 — 39.3MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Dr Fiona Wood – The Inspiring Optimist

November 6, 2018
by admin

Our guest today is Dr Fiona Wood, a world-leading burns specialist and innovative surgeon and researcher. She’s a former Australian of the Year for her pioneering burns research and treatments.

Incredibly, she was also voted Australia’s most-trusted-person for six successive years.

Fiona and her groundbreaking ‘Spray-on-skin’ burns treatment came into the public eye in 2002 when 28 victims of the Bali bombings were flown to Perth in Western Australia to receive life-saving burns treatment under her supervision. (Spray on skin greatly reduces permanent scarring.)

Fiona has successfully commercialised “Spray on skin” treatment worldwide and all royalties from this business are used to fund further research into burns treatment through her Foundation.

In this episode hear Fiona talk about:

Her absolute passion for what she does and the responsibility she feels every day in the operating theatre
How she copes and consciously fosters resilience having seen so much suffering first-hand
How she approached commercialising ‘spray-on skin’ without having any commercial experience;
And her memories of the remarkable experience of being Australian of the Year

If you’re anything like us after listening to this conversation you’ll feel like you want to take Fiona out for a coffee, give her a hug and high five her all at the same time!

Enjoy!

Links of interest:

Dr Fiona Wood Foundation Website

Avita Medical

Fiona’s TED Talk

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:32 — 27.2MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Navyn Salem – Because She Can’t Wait . .…

October 23, 2018
by admin

Navyn Salem was told over and over that with no previous relevant experience she’d never succeed. Her vision was to build a factory to manufacture a food supplement called “Plumpy Nut” that could save the lives of children with malnutrition in the developing world.

Fortunately for the world, she chose to ignore all the pessimistic advice and forged ahead to set up her not for profit, Edesia Nutrition.

In the past 11 years and a state-of-the-art factory later, Navyn and her team at Edesia have helped 7 million malnourished children in 51 countries. It hasn’t been easy but Navyn is not someone who likes to give up easily.

In this episode, hear Navyn speak inspiringly and openly about:

How she was never afraid to ask for help
The importance of being curious and getting outside of one’s bubble to learn new perspectives
Her belief that being a female CEO should never be something unusual and how she’s encouraging her four daughters to be fearless in their pursuit of leadership
The life changing stories of the impact of the nutritional supplement, ‘Plumpy Nut’, and how it inspires her every day.

We just loved our conversation with Navyn. She’s one of those people who is clearly amazing but also incredibly down to earth and authentic.

Enjoy this episode with the inspiring and motivating Navyn Salem.

Links of interest:

Edesia Nutrition website

Video that will make you cry

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:26 — 32.6MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Cindy Gallop – Blowing Shit Up!

September 25, 2018
by admin

This week’s guest describes herself as someone who likes to blow shit up. They are her words not ours. Cindy Gallop is a globe-trotting consultant, speaker and entrepreneur who was a former North American head of the famed advertising agency, Bartle Bogle & Hegarty (BBH).

As you’ll hear in this conversation, Cindy is a strong, edgy character with clear views about many topics including diversity and sex, to name just two. She’s not one of those people who just say things, she’s out there trying to change the world! And it hasn’t been easy.

Around 13 years ago, she decided it was time to leave advertising and do her own thing…

Her mission for the past nine years is to make it easier for everybody in the world to talk about normal sex vs pornography through her start up MakeLoveNotPorn. You’ll hear about how her now infamous TED talk led her to embark on this journey which would prove to be filled with unexpected challenges.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Cindy’s life and career have always been a complete accident.
How asking about where her career was going led to her dream job starting and running the BBH US business
How her own experience of dating men in their 20’s led to MakeLoveNotPorn
Her powerful thoughts on why you should shamelessly self promote
Why she’d tell her younger self to “don’t give a damn about what other people think” and;
How she’s been turned into a chatbot that you can’t afford to ignore.

You really don’t want to miss this episode with the very unique Cindy Gallop!

Links of interest:

Check out the Cindy Gallop ChatBot on Facebook Messenger to get Cindy’s advice to negotiate your salary. You’ll need to use a US postcode (such as as 90210) as the bot was built using US salary data. The advice is still useful wherever you live in the world.

Ask Cindy Gallop ChatBot

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:25 — 32.6MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Aya Aso – The Savvy, Luxury Entrepreneur

September 11, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

Our guest this week is Japanese luxury hotel and hospitality entrepreneur, Aya Aso.

Until last year, Aya ran the hotel chain she founded a decade ago, the Agora Hotel Group, a multi award-winning chain of resort and luxury hotels in Japan.

Aya spent most of her childhood living in Brazil and in her 20’s studied to become a concert pianist in Los Angeles. However, that idea was put on the back burner when a part time job at the Sheraton led to the discovery that she loved the hospitality industry.

This set Aya on her career journey and led her back to Japan where she ultimately started her business.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear:

How growing up in Brazil has impacted her as a business woman
How one of the most influential entrepreneurs in Japan took her under his wing and helped her learn the most important thing about running a company
What it was like to be a woman starting a business in Japan
How she lost most of her business after an earthquake devastated the travel industry in 2011 and
What it felt like to build the company back up to 1,000 staff only to reach a point where she felt she had no other option but to walk away

We can’t wait to see her next business, the SAVVY Collective, a Luxury Hotel Concept Consulting business, go from strength to strength.

Click below to listen to this episode with Aya Aso.

Links of interest:

SAVVY Collective

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:43 — 27.4MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Margarita Herdocia – The Compassionate Capitalist

August 27, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

We have a truly international businesswoman and global citizen on the show today.

Margarita Herdocia, is Nicaraguan by birth, was educated in New York, and lives in Costa Rica. She owns and runs Renaissance Holdings which operates multiple businesses based in Central America, the Caribbean, Russia and Europe.

Incredibly, she’s using her businesses to further the cause of democracy in her dictator-run country of birth where she finds herself having to make decisions in the current civil unrest that have life or death implications for her staff.

Margarita began – with no experience – by taking over a failing, family owned fast food and casual dining business and totally blitzed it. She’s expanded her portfolio over the years to also include real estate development, some retail, and financial asset management interests as well.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How a comment in her living room saw her go overnight from no experience in business, to turning around a failing business in Nicaragua
Her philosophy as a leader, and how her purpose is to create what she calls ‘happy jobs’
How she takes advantage of the times when men in meetings won’t look at her – she’s often the only woman in the room
Her advice for women who want to negotiate a pay rise

Enjoy this episode!

Links of interest:

Margarita’s profile

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:27 — 28.9MB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Interview

Rebekah Campbell – Serial Entrepreneur

August 14, 2018December 5, 2018
by admin

We’re excited to feature our latest guest, serial entrepreneur Rebekah Campbell.

Rebekah has just founded and launched her third business, Zambesi, an online marketplace for career-related workshops.

Prior to Zambesi, she was co founder of a well-known cafe ordering app in Australia called Hey You!

Raised in New Zealand but now based in Australia, Rebekah started her career and first significant business in the music industry following a university summer holiday project she did that took off.

We love this interview because it is so jam-packed with honest stories, useful tips and advice.

In this episode you’ll hear Rebekah share her thoughts about:
How she figures out what business to start next and, related to that . . .
How she found her new purpose – one that would really last
Her fascinating experience working out how to ‘own the room’
The surprise in store when she shared how inadequate she felt compared with some of her peers.

Enjoy this episode with the entrepreneurial and insightful Rebekah Campbell