entrepreneur Archives - Don't Stop Us Now

Women, AI Needs YOU! – Dr Nici Sweaney

May 20, 2025May 21, 2025
by Claire

In this week’s episode, we speak with Dr Nici Sweaney, founder of AI Her Way, who brings a powerful perspective on why women urgently need to engage with artificial intelligence – not just for their own personal productivity, but for the future quality of AI itself.

Nici’s journey into AI consulting and training began with a moment of clarity while rocking her toddler to sleep. As an academic, data scientist, and mother of four, she realised women, especially those juggling multiple responsibilities, stand to benefit enormously from AI assistance. More importantly, she recognised a concerning gender gap in AI adoption that could have far-reaching consequences.

In our fascinating conversation, Nici shares:

Why the current gender imbalance in who is using AI presents both a personal productivity loss AND a broader societal challenge
How AI tools are actively learning from us and re-presenting our world back to us – making women’s voices critical in these formative stages of the tech
Practical strategies for moving beyond ‘tinkering’ with AI to integrating it throughout your work and personal life
A revealing look inside Nici’s own business, where AI ‘staff members work alongside humans in every function, and
Nici’s vision for how AI could transform our future – from solving global challenges to enabling more entrepreneurial thinking.

We were particularly struck by Nici’s perspective that women have a “moral obligation” to engage with AI. As she explains, these systems are currently being shaped predominantly by male users, and without diverse input they risk perpetuating bias for generations to come.

So whether you’re AI-curious but hesitant, already experimenting with these tools, or looking to take your AI skills to the next level, this episode offers valuable insights on claiming your place in the AI revolution – not just for your benefit, but for all the women who follow.

Enjoy this episode with this forward thinking champion of women, Dr Nici Sweaney.

Useful Links

AI Her Way website
Nici on LinkedIn
Nici on Instagram

Special Offer for Listeners
Dr Nici has generously offered our listeners free 14 day trial access to her AI for Impact Hub, which includes comprehensive education on the five levels of AI integration, from basic prompting to agentic AI.

Access it here: https://aiherway.short.gy/DontStop

Interview

Building an Autonomous Business – Alexa Stathakis

December 1, 2024December 1, 2024
by Claire

Welcome to our very first episode of Don’t Stop Us Now AI Edition!

Have you heard about the possibility of building a one person billion dollar company? Many experts believe it’s only a matter of time for a founder to harness AI and automation to be able to scale their business to unicorn status.

Our guest today is well on her way to building an automated company. 29 year old Alexa Stathakis is co-founder of iced tea drinks business, Tea Industries, and we’re blown away by her focus and savviness at using AI to deliver massive impact.

As you’ll hear in this fascinating episode, after trying numerous other ways to scale her sales calls, Alexa decided to invest in building an AI sales consultant. And in just a month she and her software engineer had nailed the training with incredible results.

And what’s more, you’ll also get to listen in to one of these AI sales calls.

This technology is here today and while Alexa may be a savvy early adopter, we agree with her view that it’s going to be used in many more businesses very soon.

Enjoy this episode with the entrepreneurial and focused Alexa Stathakis.

Useful Links:

Alexa on LinkedIn

Tea Industries website

Interview

Astronaut, Entrepreneur and Future-Maker – Anousheh Ansari

August 8, 2024
by Claire

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 the National Space Society

These days, Anousheh is focused on solving humanity’s biggest problems, something she does as CEO of the X Prize Foundation as you’ll hear in our episode. It’s some of the most hopeful content we’ve heard in years!

In this absorbing episode you’ll also learn:

How growing up in Iran during the Revolution has impacted Anousheh’s approach to life
Why space was something that fascinated her since she was a little girl
What Anousheh believes it takes to build a successful business
How she and her family have made a massive difference to the space industry
The highs and lows of 9 months of astronaut training in Russia, and
How, with numerous X Prizes addressing Earth’s biggest issues, she’s hopeful about our future.

So buckle up and do not miss this inspiring conversation with the entrepreneurial and abundant thinker & doer, Anousheh Ansari…

Useful Links

X Prize Foundation website

Inspiring Others with Her ‘Why’ – Lina Xu

July 26, 2023July 26, 2023
by Claire

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, Telecare was founded just 6 months before Covid happened, so their foresight and careful stakeholder management has really paid off. So much so that Lina was awarded a Cartier Women’s Initiative Fellowship this year as one of Oceania’s leading female entrepreneurs.

In this episode you’ll hear how:

A family tragedy helped Lina develop the resilience and adaptability that’s so valuable as a female founder
How having a clear and impact-focused Mission has made it much easier for Telecare, and Lina personally, to garner supporters
How she and her co-founders are making headway with innovative technology in what is a very conservative and risk averse healthcare sector; and
Why relationships are so important to her.

What struck us about this inspiring conversation with Lina is how clear she is about her ‘Why’ and how that’s morphed into becoming something much bigger and even more meaningful with her business.

We think you’ll love this episode with the humble and mission-driven Lina Xu.

Useful Links

Telecare Website

Lina Xu on LinkedIn

Cartier Women’s Initiative

Top Tips

5 years in – Here’s what we’ve Learnt

June 6, 2023June 6, 2023
by Claire

Blow out the candles and sing a merry tune for Don’t Stop Us Now! is 5 years old!

A lot has happened in the past 5 years and we’re so grateful to have had some incredible conversations with incredibly inspiring women.

So in this special birthday episode, we take a step back and reflect on the key insights and lessons our guests have shared over more than 165 episodes. What we find is that there are common themes that keep cropping up again and again.

Whether it’s a female leader and innovator in London, Bangkok, Silicon Valley or Costa Rica or Sydney, it turns out there are universal challenges our amazing guests have faced. We’ve also faced them and we’re pretty sure these are challenges that you’ve likely had, or may be facing too, they’re that universal.

It’s not that our stellar guests are in a different league to the rest of us, it’s simply that they’ve found a way to work through these challenges en route to their success.

And you can too.

In this episode you’ll hear:

The 5 key challenges that crop up again and again
The lessons to navigate these challenges more successfully
Thoughts, confessions and struggles from leaders including internationally renowned author and speaker, Rachel Botsman; former entrepreneur and current member of the House of Lords and board director of Chanel, Martha Lane Fox and Forbes Philanthropy Hero, Audette Exel; and…
How we all have fear and if we’re not feeling a bit of it right now, then we’re playing too safe.

In short, this episode is jam-packed with 5 years worth of wisdom.

So grab a slice of (birthday) cake and enjoy our special 5th birthday episode.

Episodes we feature:

Rachel Botsman – https://dontstopusnow.co/ever-wanted-to-do-a-ted-talk/

Audette Exel – https://dontstopusnow.co/audette-exel-make-your-own-rules/

Courtney Hohne – https://dontstopusnow.co/courtney-hohne-the-truth-about-innovation/

Lindley Edwards – https://dontstopusnow.co/lindley-edwards-wisdom-to-live-work-by/

Caroline Issa – https://dontstopusnow.co/caroline-issa-feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway/

Holly Ransom – https://dontstopusnow.co/holly-ransom-curious-on-purpose/

Martha Lane Fox – https://dontstopusnow.co/martha-lane-fox-a-powerful-voice-where-few-women-are-heard/

Que Dallara – https://dontstopusnow.co/que-dallara-unlocks-what-it-takes-to-be-successful/

Tina Sharkey – https://dontstopusnow.co/tina-sharkey-web-pioneer-industry-disruptor-tech-legend/

Ann Sherry – https://dontstopusnow.co/ann-sherry-the-positive-change-agent/

Julia Paige – https://dontstopusnow.co/julia-paige-the-stories-we-tell-ourselves/

Interview

Nothing by Halves! – Kerry James

April 5, 2023April 5, 2023
by Claire

Our fabulous guest this week is Kerry James, CEO and co-founder of not one, not two, but three different businesses! Not so remarkable you may be thinking if these businesses came one after the other, but no, Kerry is doing this all simultaneously.

After spending many years successfully running and co-owning a high end real estate business in Singapore, Kerry is now building two other businesses in completely different industries.

The first new venture is in the flower delivery and subscription business, and the second business is filling a niche she spotted more recently in online and corporate gifting.

Now while Kerry knew everything about real estate in Singapore after building that business for more than twenty years, she and her friend, turned co-founder, Sandi Sadek, knew nothing about the flower industry, delivery logistics or e-commerce prior to launching their online flower business, Flower Addict. What’s more they both still retain their big full time work roles.

Despite these novices starting from scratch, Flower Addict has been a roaring success, being voted number one florist service in Singapore for five years, and they’ve only been going for five years!

In this episode you’ll learn how:

Kerry manages her time juggling three businesses and a big family
The huge learning curve she had with the ins and outs of a fast moving ecommerce business
How asking for help and being prepared to invest in getting the help she needs makes all the difference
How she shifts her attention from one business to another in the most positive way; and
Exactly why Kerry even wants to run three businesses all at once.

Enjoy this episode with the positive and unstoppable Kerry James.

Useful Links

Flower Addict website

Flower Addict on Instagram

GiftBoxLove website

GiftBoxLove on Instagram

Citiprop website

Interview

From Side Hustle to Multi Million Dollar Business –…

September 19, 2022September 20, 2022
by Claire

Our guest on the show today is a successful entrepreneur who has leveraged the power of social media to grow her one-time side hustle into a multi million dollar business.

Chi Mai, was born and raised in Hanoi in Vietnam. She came to Australia to study and it was in Melbourne some years later that her career took an unexpected turn.

Instead of the corporate career she’d always imagined, she ended up with no experience and barely in her 20’s, starting a jewelry business.

In just two short years since its founding in 2018, Chi’s business, called S-kin Studio Jewelry, was taking off.

In this episode you’ll learn:

The marketing strategy that changed everything and created an explosion in the growth of Chi’s business
How and when Chi decided to let go of her day job and devote herself full time to S-kin Studio
What she’s learnt as an introvert so she can successfully lead and delegate to her team of 9 staff;
How having a baby has changed her work habits; and
What success looks like for Chi.

Without further ado, enjoy this fascinating episode with the entrepreneurial and passionate Chi Mai.

P.S. You’ll only hear Greta this week as poor Claire lost her voice with a flu virus.

Useful Links

Chi on LinkedIn

S-kin studio website

S-kin studio on Instagram

S-kin studio on Facebook

S-kin studio on Pinterest

S-kin studio on Tiktok

Interview

Bringing Nature Indoors – Belinda Everingham

June 7, 2022June 7, 2022
by Claire

This week we have a treat in store for you: an Australian entrepreneur who’s literally bringing nature indoors with her creation of a whole new segment using Australian native botanicals for products such as hand wash, cleaning products, and dog shampoo.

Founder of Bondi Wash, Belinda Everingham, launched her business in 2013. Today, the premium Bondi Wash range is sold and known around the world for its quality, chemical-free formulations and beautiful scents.

Curiously, what Belinda’s doing now with her business is light years away from how her career started as a management consultant.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How serendipity helped Belinda scale her overseas presence not long after launching
What happened when Belinda had to go into battle with a US giant trying to stop her using her brand name
The one thing she believes is critical for success in business
And why, when starting Bondi Wash, Belinda threw her rigorous and structured management consultant training out the window.

We think you’ll love this episode with the super thoughtful and inspiring Belinda Everingham.

Useful Links

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

Succeeding with Co-Founders – Future Proof Me

March 15, 2022March 16, 2022
by Claire

This week’s mini episode explores what it takes to build a successful partnership with a co-founder.

One thing we’ve noticed with numerous early stage startups is the challenge in those very early days of finding a co-founder, or co-founders, whom you can really work with for the long term, even when the pressure’s on.

So often you hear of acrimonious founder breakups and it got us asking ourselves, how do you create a good working relationship over time if you have co-founders?

One person who’s brilliantly navigated the co-founder challenge is serial Scottish entrepreneur Lesley Eccles, who with her 4 other co-founders built a blockbuster business called FanDuel. We spoke to Lesley on the podcast a year ago and she has some amazing stories and experiences if you haven’t heard that episode.

In this mini episode you’ll hear how Lesley and her co-founders made a success of working and pivoting together for more than ten years to create a business that has ultimately been valued over $11 billion.

We also share some of our observations from the four years of producing this podcast and from years of observing and advising numerous startups first hand.

As the saying goes: “it takes two to tango” and it typically takes two or more to build an epic business. So enjoy this mini episode on Succeeding with Co Founders.

Links

Link to Lesley Eccles original episode

Link to Adina Jacobs orig episode