education Archives - Don't Stop Us Now

How Others Are Using AI – Claire and Greta

April 24, 2025April 24, 2025
by Claire

Our episode this week tackles that quiet question many of us ponder: are others using AI more effectively than we are?

We explore some fascinating new research just published by Harvard Business Review that reveals the top 100 AI use cases based on actual user reports. It shows some dramatic changes in how people are using AI compared with just one year ago. We know it will give you new insights on how you could be using AI right now too.

What’s particularly interesting is that the top five use cases have been completely reshuffled. Entirely new entrants making their debut straight into the top five spots. From deeply personal uses to professional applications, we were surprised by the findings.

The research has a unique approach which we explore in this episode as well as:

Explore the top 5 use case types and share prompts and experiences
Share personal examples of how others are using AI to save hours organising their lives
Discuss why certain uses have skyrocketed in popularity, and
Examine a thought-provoking observation about why AI is unfolding completely differently to any other tech.

If you’ve been fretting that your workplace is falling behind in the AI race we share exactly why this might be. And if you have been wondering how your use of AI compares to other peoples’, then this episode may answer that question too.

If you’re looking for inspiration on how to use AI then stay tuned for a wealth of practical ideas. Enjoy this episode.

Useful Links

Full list of HBR’s Top 100 AI use cases below:

Harvard Business Review article on Top 100 AI use cases

Andrej Karpathy’s blog post on consumers as AI power users

Subscribe to Don’t Stop Us Now – AI Edition wherever you get your podcasts to stay in the loop on what you need to know to remain relevant in this fast-changing world.

Image: Created by ChatGPT

Interview

Creative Journeyer – Elizabeth Eastland

May 2, 2024May 2, 2024
by Claire

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 an artist and designer. Plus Liz herself has at least 3 degrees.

In this intriguing conversation you’ll hear:

Liz’s reaction when she was transferred to Australia at age 28
How Liz’s multi disciplinary background has given her unique perspectives on what it takes to be truly innovative
How a planned nine month, mid career break turned into a four year voyage sailing around the Mediterranean
How Liz was effectively responsible for the innovation strategy of a whole nation in one of her roles; and
Liz’s surprising, yet super refreshing, definition of success for herself.

Enjoy this fascinating conversation with the creative and uber-disciplined Elizabeth Eastland.

Useful Links:

Elizabeth Eastland website (including details of her May 2024 art exhibition)

Interview

Feminist Trailblazer – Wendy McCarthy

May 10, 2022May 10, 2022
by Claire

Our guest this week is a truly pioneering woman in so many fields. For instance, if you live in Australia today, then many of the rights you may take for granted came about thanks, at least in part, to the determined and courageous stand of feminist pioneer, businesswoman and writer, Wendy McCarthy.

From campaigning tirelessly for women’s rights, to smashing the glass ceiling time after time, Wendy, now in her 80s, has done it all including just publishing a book: ‘Don’t Be Too Polite Girls’. Unsurprisingly, she’s been described as a national treasure.

Starting out as a teacher, Wendy has evolved over the decades to be an executive, a founder and company director. Across all these endeavours, she has worked for change in education, family planning, human rights, public health, conservation and the Arts to list a few.

In this episode you’ll hear the formidable Wendy share:

How one profound lesson as a young girl has shaped her life
How she’s learnt to take risks and not be intimidated
How trying to retire at 60 was a huge mistake, and
How Wendy thinks about claiming her space when she walks into a room.

Enjoy the stories and wisdom from true pioneer and trailblazer, Wendy McCarthy.

Links

Wendy’s new book: ’Don’t Be Too Polite Girls’

Wendy on LinkedIn

Wendy on Twitter

Photographs from Don’t be Too Polite, Girls by Wendy McCarthy’s (A&U)”

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Future Proofing Your Skills

March 23, 2021March 23, 2021
by Claire

This week’s mini episode focuses on staying current with your skills in the fast changing world of work. Something that’s relevant for all of us given the pace of technology change!

In this episode, we hear from drone and tech expert, Dr Catherine Ball, whom we featured on the show about a year and a half ago. She’s a real dynamo and a passionate believer in accessible lifelong learning.

Cath is a strong believer in how important it is for corporates and individuals to think about re-training in order to keep up with where technology is taking us all. Plus she shares some great resources as well and you can see links to those below.

Our take is this: don’t get overwhelmed with the full spectrum of change that’s happening in technology, take it one SMALL chunk at a time. Think about what one new skill or piece of knowledge would be most useful for you right now in your current role to help you to continue to grow and progress? Then find a short course or expert you can learn from – it might be as simple as a free 2 hour course.

Cath also shares great advice on how networking and linking in with industry associations to help you learn and make your next career step.

So what are you waiting for? Enjoy this mini episode.

Useful Links

Dr Cath Ball’s website

Dr Cath Ball Linkedin

Kaggle (free cyber security and coding courses online)

Harvard University’s Introduction to Computer Science, EdX

Learn to Code by Dash, General Assembly

Email Marketing Crash Course, Hubspot

How to Start a StartUp with Sam Altman at Stanford University

Product Design by Google, Udacity

Competitive Strategy, Coursera – uses game theory

Interview

Hayley Markham – The Unflappable Entrepreneur

July 14, 2020July 14, 2020
by Claire

Our guest this week is one of the co-founders of an international venture all about teaching the younger generation to code.

Hayley Markham is co-founder and COO of Code Camp, which to date has reached 90,000 children with their holiday and after school camps, and online programs, in Australia and also the UK.

Hayley co-founded Code Camp seven years ago and as you’ll hear this hard working pragmatist and efficiency queen got started in the business when her third child was just two weeks old! Little did she know what she was getting herself into then but there’s no doubting Hayley is an unflappable master at juggling life and building a startup.

Code Camp was named one of Smart Company’s top three, fastest growing businesses in Australia in 2018 with 510% revenue growth. It was also nominated as a Deloitte ‘Fast 50 Rising Star’ in 2019 and Hayley herself is a recent winner of Australian Mumpreneur of the Year.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Hayley found her forte and niche in people leadership and operations after years of trial and error in different jobs not knowing what she wanted to do,
The career advice she has for others who aren’t sure what their dream role looks like,
How Code Camp overcame the challenges involved with scaling the business,
And the one thing Hayley credits with helping her juggle running a business and having a busy family life.

So if you’re looking for inspiration on how to tackle the challenges and juggles in your life, then you’ll love this episode with the unflappable and humble Hayley Markham.

Useful Links

CodeCamp website

Hayley on LinkedIn

Interview

Brukty Tigabu – Changing African Kids Lives With TV

July 16, 2019
by admin

Our guest this week is one of the most determined and resilient people we’ve ever met. For the past 14 years she’s been on a mission to improve education for millions of children in Ethiopia encountering challenges on almost every front. We’re talking about the amazing Brukty Tigabu.

At the age of 10, Brukty took on the role of head of her household after her mother became very ill. She found a way to make ends meet by selling vegetables from their garden in the market. She credits this time in her life with giving her the basic business and survival skills that helped her get where she is today.

And where you find this former school teacher today, is running the social enterprise she co-founded called Whiz Kids Workshop. It creates educational media programs – including 3 internationally awarded television series for children in Ethiopia. For the past 14 years Whiz Kids Workshop has inspired a generation of young children in Ethiopia with their most famous and loved program, the puppet based educational TV show called Tsehai Loves Learning. They’ve also published over 100 books in 7 languages, produced radio programs, DVDs and teacher training – all to improve literacy, health education, gender equality and early childhood education.

Brukty has won many accolades for her work including the World Economic Forum’s “Outstanding Social Entrepreneur of the year 2018”, Fast Company’s ‘Most Creative People in Business’ 2012 and the Rolex Young Laureate Award in 2008.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How Brukty found her life’s purpose to enrich the lives of children and teens in Ethiopia and beyond
What it’s like being a woman running a business in Ethiopia (seriously hard)
How she pushes through fear
Why she found herself not being able to get out of bed and how she got herself going again.

Please enjoy this episode with the incredible Brukty Tigabu.