strategy Archives - Don't Stop Us Now

Strategy, AI & Human Judgement – Ross Dawson

September 23, 2025September 25, 2025
by Claire

This week we explore how AI is transforming the way we approach and develop strategy – not just in boardrooms, but in so many of the myriad of decisions businesses and leaders need to make almost daily.

Our guest is Ross Dawson, a globally recognised futurist, keynote speaker, and strategy advisor. Ross is the bestselling author of ‘Thriving on Overload’ and founder of the Humans + AI community. Ross’s clients around the globe have included Google, Microsoft, American Express and Procter & Gamble.

Ross’s work today is focused on what AI can do to augment and support humans in a positive, value-adding way. He neatly combines both the big-picture vision of a futurist and the practical insights of someone experimenting with these tools daily.

What struck us most about this conversation was Ross’s articulation of how AI can be used across four distinct domains of strategy and how he’s observed few organisations have sharp clarity on each of these distinct and important elements. He also shares how AI is prompting forward thinking leaders to think about their strategy development and decision processes in different ways now AI can be injected into the process.

In our conversation, you’ll also hear Ross share:

The technique Ross learned from Nvidia’s CEO for optimising AI outputs using multiple models
Practical examples of AI being used in boardrooms including a unique conversation ‘monitor’
The 2 most important human skills Ross believes we all need in an AI-augmented world, and . . .
How threatened entry-level jobs can be completely reimagined to create value for both the individual and the business.

This is a thought-provoking exploration of how humans and AI can work together to create better strategies and better outcomes, so enjoy this episode with the forward-thinking Ross Dawson.

Useful Links

Ross Dawson’s website

Humans + AI Community

Ross’s book – Thriving on Overload

Interview

AI Visionary – Lee Yearsley

April 11, 2024April 12, 2024
by Claire

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 type of AI to market, called Adaptive Reasoning.

It already has customers ranging from NASA to healthcare companies with disabled clients.

Now despite the fact Lee has a track record of founding and exiting several businesses, she shares with us just how difficult it is to raise funding as a female founder.

In this episode you’ll hear:

How Lee was positively dissuaded, if not barred, from studying computer science at Uni because she was a woman
How she says she ignores the accepted wisdom of how to build a successful startup and that others should ignore it too
How pervasive AI systems already are and how much they’re influencing the decisions we make in a negative way; and
The creative and unique way Lee goes about envisioning, building and growing her business.

We were lucky to spend time with Lee after she spoke at the Impact Investment Summit in Sydney recently.

Enjoy this episode with the visionary and genuinely pioneering Lee Yearsley.

Useful Links

Akin AI

Lee on LinkedIn

Credit top left photo – Dion Georgopoulos

Interview

A Rare CFO – Madeline Ling

November 8, 2022November 8, 2022
by Claire

Our episode this week features the first Chief Financial Officer we’ve had on the show, however Madeline Ling is not your ‘ordinary’ CFO.

We don’t think we’ve met a CFO who values diversity and building relationships the way Madeline does, not to mention the articulate and creative way she speaks about the stories the numbers can tell her.

Madeline has held multiple CFO roles throughout her 20-plus year career to date which has seen her work far and wide, including in the U.S., China, Mexico, Europe, and Thailand. A tech-company veteran, these days she is CFO of US-based Boomi, a fast-growing global SaaS company, focussed on easy software integration, now owned by two blue chip private equity firms.

Before taking on CFO roles, Madeline spent twelve years consulting including the Boston Consulting Group where she was a Principal. She also has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

In this episode you’ll hear:

What Madeline learnt as an impressionable teenager when she moved to the US not speaking a word of English
How she thinks about leveraging her differences to add value
Madeline’s recipe for building awesome working relationships; and
The two questions she asks herself before changing roles or company.

In short, this was a fabulous conversation and you’ll really be inspired by the thoughtful and articulate Madeline Ling.

Useful Link

Boomi website

Below you can see how the cake turned out that Madeline talked about in the interview (top right) – looks delicious!

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

Greta Thomas – Creating Her Own Path

February 16, 2021February 16, 2021
by Claire

Hello and welcome to another special episode of the show.

For those of you listening in the past few weeks, you’ll know that we have finally relented to the many requests over time to share our own stories.

Claire’s been overwhelmed with the responses to her episode that we aired two weeks ago and this week it’s Greta’s turn to be interviewed by Claire!

Claire loved chatting with Greta about her innovative and fascinating career journey to date.

Tune in now to hear:

How Greta spent the very first part of her working career as a professional ballet dancer
How she hasn’t finished high school and doesn’t have an undergrad degree but managed to get an MBA and work at prestigious management consultancy, McKinsey & Company
How, against all odds, she managed to secure her dream job working for an overseas organisation founded by Bono
And, what she learnt from her time on the executive teams at eBay and Sydney Opera House.

Without further ado, enjoy this episode with our inventive and strategic co-host, Greta Thomas.

Useful Links

Greta on LinkedIn

Greta on Twitter

Don’t Stop Us Now! Website

Full Potential Labs Website

The Lazarus Effect Documentary co-produced by Greta

RED.org

Interview

Michelle Guthrie – Playing the Long Game

December 15, 2020
by Claire

Brought to you by Microsoft’s The New Next

We can’t think of a better note to finish 2020 on than this week’s episode with an incredible woman and international leader, Michelle Guthrie.

Michelle may be best known for her time as Managing Director at the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation which is Australia’s equivalent to the UK’s BBC). She was dismissed halfway through her contract amidst great public controversy.

Prior to her role with the ABC, Michelle spent much of her career based in Asia where she was CEO of Star TV with more than 4,000 staff; and she also spent 5 years at Google Asia Pacific as a Managing Director there.

Nowadays, Michelle sits on a number of company boards and advises tech companies on scaling globally.

We had a really fascinating and uplifting conversation with Michelle and you’ll hear how:

Michelle transitioned her career from lawyer to global media and technology executive
Joining Google after running Star TV was a bit of a culture shock
She bounced back from her very public end at the ABC and how she thinks of this time;
And, hear her views on women being held to different standards in business.

We really loved this open conversation with Michelle and think you will too. Don’t miss this one!

Holiday Wishes from Us

This is our last episode for 2020 as we take a break and recharge our batteries. The podcast will be back again on 20th January featuring a great conversation with the amazing social entrepreneur Ronni Kahn.

Wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful, happy and healthy festive season (if you’re celebrating) and great transition to the New Year.

If you enjoy our podcast and would like to make our year a little brighter then please rate and review our show on your podcasting platform of choice. We’ve heard Santa really rates people who do this too! 😉

Useful Links

Michelle on LinkedIn

Board’s Michelle Sits On:

Starhub

Catapult

Hoppr

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – When Money’s Stopping You Changing…

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020
by Claire

Brought to you by Microsoft’s The New Next

In this week’s Future Proof Me mini episode we explore one aspect of a topic we’ve been asked a lot about this year. That topic is career transition and today we dive a little deeper on one thing that can be a major consideration for some, and that’s their financial security.

Particularly in this time of COVID, it’s understandable if you’re giving extra thought to your finances. Of course it’s not everything, but it’s a really interesting topic because sometimes it can be hard to think purely rationally about money and one’s medium term financial security.

It’s why this mini episode revisits the refreshing and calm, practical thinking of one of our former guests, Katie Vanneck-Smith. Katie chose to leave her high paying job as President of Dow Jones in New York to co-found a media startup called Tortoise in the UK.

You’ll hear about the thought process she went through to work out whether she could afford to make this change and still support her family. And how she’s scaled back the parties she’s famous for!

Plus, at the end you’ll also hear Claire and Greta briefly each share their stories about how they considered one of their own career transitions.

Enjoy this mini episode.

Useful Links

Katie Vanneck-Smith full episode – Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History

Katie on Linkedin

Katie on Twitter

Tortoise Website

Tortoise on Twitter

Future Proof Me Mini Episode

Future Proof Me – Secrets to Giving Great Presentations

November 10, 2020
by Claire

Brought to you by Microsoft’s The New Next

For this week’s Future Proof Me mini episode, we couldn’t resist going back to one of our earliest episodes with the amazing speaker, author and Fellow at Oxford University, Rachel Botsman.

Rachel’s schedule has changed pretty drastically since COVID broke out as normally she’d be flying round the world given keynotes on the most prestigious of stages. Now she’s getting used to giving her keynotes virtually.

Whether the format is virtual or in person, the very generous and fulsome advice Rachel shares here is invaluable to help you think about, and prepare, a great presentation or speech.

Even if you don’t want to give a TED talk as Rachel has, we all know that how we present our ideas and information really does matter.

Enjoy this episode where Rachel shares her trade secrets…

Useful Links

Rachel’s original episode – TED Talks, Writing Books and BHAG Goals

How To Episode

How to Make Time Your Friend

March 25, 2019
by admin

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”

William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania

We know you’re probably a very busy person but you won’t want to miss this episode all about maximising your time.

It’s precisely because we all are so busy that pausing to think about how we’re using our time can be so worthwhile. William Penn may have lived in the late 1600’s and early 1700’s but he was spot on with his quote above about how we humans can use our time.

In this latest episode in our ‘How To’ series, we share a whole host of useful tools and approaches used by a variety of amazing leaders that will help you ensure you maximise your own precious time and reduce any frustration you feel about time racing by too fast or tasks taking you too long to achieve.

In this episode you’ll hear:

4 different ways to think about your time over the longer term and how being clear about your longer term priorities really makes a difference with your day to day work
4 approaches to tackle your day to day priorities and ‘To Do’ lists
Plus, one unique way one of our podcast guests has figured out to maximise her energy and productivity every week enabling her to get so much more done

Do yourself a favour and invest 30 minutes listening to this episode . . . it may well change your relationship with time.

Plus, we’d love to hear what works for you. Share your own time-saving or time-valuing tips and hacks with us at hello@dontstopusnow.co

The Covey Time Prioritisation Matrix mentioned in the episode:

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:17 — 28.8MB) | Embed

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