interview
Ambition. Ask Yourself The BIG Questions to Drive Success!
Every week I speak with entrepreneurs, tech founders, actors, musicians, comedians and the most wonderful leaders across a range of industries and am constantly inspired by their ability to pursue their dreams with unwavering tenacity!
In this week’s episode of the Hot & Delicious Rocks The Planet! weekly entrepreneurship podcast, I answer those very same questions that I ask of these awe-inspiring individuals and invite you all to ponder them for your own life also, in the hope that you will take stock and feel inspired to chase your own pursuits.
In this ever-evolving technological age, many of you are working longer hours, the cost of living is more expensive and we’re all bombarded by the social construct of wanting bigger, faster, longer and better.
Better?
The human need to strive to be better isn’t a bad thing. Without it the very nature of science, technology, innovation and creativity would be nowhere near as exciting as it is today. The massive strides forward in nearly every discipline surely has come from the human desire to be better.
But who’s version of ‘Better’ are you striving for?
Really stop and think about that. As wondrous as the forward motion in innovation and technology are, there is of course always a downside. What with the fast-paced world that is 2018, is it any wonder that most of us don’t stop and consider what OUR version of ‘better’ is?
Not your parents’ version.
Not reality television’s version.
Not the Instagram version of yourself.
Not Hollywood’s version.
YOUR version. Your ‘why’. Your values. Your dreams. Yours.
Let’s get into the show!
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST via iTunes – #174 – Burleigh Heads Escape + Hot and Delicious Rocks The Planet! Solocast.
Android Users: Download Castbox Podcast App via Google Play, then Click here to Subscribe to Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet! Podcast.
Show notes:
Books Mentioned:
1. ‘Losing my Virginity’ by Richard Branson
2. ‘Scar Tissue’ by Anthony Kiedis
3. ‘The Dirt’ by Mötley Crüe
4. ‘The Heroin Diaries’ by Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe
5. ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho
Burleigh Heads escape + Hot & Delicious Rocks The Planet! solocast where we answer ALL the big questions:
1. If you could jump on a plane anywhere tomorrow where would you go & why?
2. What’s your primary motivator? What drives your hunger for success?
3. What are your favourite books or biographies/autobiographies? What did they teach you?
4. Can you describe in detail a key moment of joy or realisation, 2 pinch me moments that you’ve had, you’ve been in a daze and thought to yourself “I can’t believe that this is happening right now?”
5. What does success look like to you?
6. My personal values are the same are my business ones. What values do you hold yourself to?
7. What are 2 pieces of advice you’d give to someone who has a dream, but is afraid to take that first step?
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST via iTunes – #174 – Burleigh Heads Escape + Hot and Delicious Rocks The Planet! Solocast.
Android Users: Download Castbox Podcast App via Google Play, then Click here to Subscribe to Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet! Podcast.
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The Road Stories Podcast with Steele Saunders and Monty Franklin. Steele Saunders & Monty Franklin join Murray Valeriano on The Road Stories Podcast to discuss the Oscars, performing at Sports Clubs and the fact Koala Bears are not bears.
Talkin’ Sketch Comedy & Podcasting with Public Figure, Sam Blacker | Hot & Delicious Rocks The Planet Episode #131
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #131 Sam Blacker (radio host, sketch comedy artist & podcaster).
Meet Sam Blacker!
One of the key things I talk about regularly on Hot Delicious: Rocks The Planet! is surrounding yourself with people who like yourself are pursuing their dreams as hard as you and for me Sam Blacker, Public Figure, radio host, sketch comedy artist & podcaster 😃📻✨ is one of those!
This entirely inappropriate podcast definitely deserves its ‘Explicit’ rating and this week’s vast ranging chats include how we met in the queue to a Wil Anderson TOFOP Superpod live podcast at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the Shut Up I’m Talking! podcast, the Shame Feeder podcast, building a career in radio and as a sketch comedy artists and so much more.
If you love comedy/sketch comedy and ever wanted to create a career, lifestyle and income stream for yourself in the creative industries, then this is the podcast for you! Or if you just want to p*ss yourself laughing… 😃😂🤣
SO good! Let’s get into it!
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Small Business Podcast: Bondi Tony’s Burger Joint founder, Tony Gosden.
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #130 Bondi Tony’s Burger Joint founder (Tony Gosden).
I moved to Bondi Beach late last year after falling in love with the Sydney Eastern Suburbs beach lifestyle and I made a decision to stay.
One of the attractions of Bondi Beach for me is not only that I now live 5 minutes walk from Bondi Beach, with spectacular coastal walks and lunchtime swims part of my regular routine, but I have become friends with and have access to a wealth of like-minded, ambitious, progressive and creative individuals that work and reside in this beautiful suburb of Sydney.
So many in this local global beachside community possess a mentality that encompasses an understanding that 9-5 is a primitive way to exist and there is another way to achieve success, whilst living life to the fullest! (as we speak I am sitting here at the home office in my board shorts having started my working week at midday on a Monday).
One of those inspiring peeps in my life is the human embodiment of the word ‘community’ and the creator/owner of Bondi Tony’s Burger Joint, Tony Gosden. Hailing from a music industry background as a promoter and band manager, Tony created Bondi Tony’s Burger Joint as a salute to the rock’n’roll lifestyle, with a diverse mix of platinum records, graffiti/local art, march and books hanging on the walls of this Glenayr Avenue restaurant, Young Henrys beer on tap, a mouth-watering menu of burgers named after indie Australian bands and awesome tunes cranked all day while you eat, drink and be merry.
In today’s show, we chat about founding your own business and the values that you bring to your business as an individual, Tony’s background in the music industry and the stories behind the array of band-inspired burgers including the Classic Cog, Trippin’ Seahorse (my fave), Lost Valentino, Just a Jezabel and Johnny Collide, why Tony moved to Bondi 20 years ago and never left, his sense of community and partnering with local Sydney businesses like Young Henrys and Field To Fork to ensure we can all thrive and grow together and much, much more.
And if this alone isn’t enough to entice you to get inside the mind of this successful Aussie businessman and to download this chat, then try this on for size… Bondi Tony’s Burger Joint is the most ordered food in Australia on app/website Deliveroo! Get it in your mouth and get it in your ears!
Let’s get into it!
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‘Problematic’. Tom Ballard Tackling Political Correctness and the big issues at Sydney Comedy Festival 2017!
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #129 Tom Ballard (comedian, podcaster & writer).
Happiness!
Anyone who listens to Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet! on Bondi Beach Radio and the iTunes podcast every week, will know that I am a massive fan and believer in chasing your dreams in the pursuit of happiness.
This week I am excited to have award-winning Australian comedian, podcaster & writer, Tom Ballard on Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet! to promote his 2017 stand-up show Tom Ballard – ‘Problematic’, LIVE at Giant Dwarf this Thursday 4th – Sunday 7th May as part of Sydney Comedy Festival.
Over the past 2 years since our last recording together, Tom’s stand-up comedy career has been on a sharp rise to the top, enjoying nominations for Best Show at both Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016, his American television debut on Comedy Central’s Roast Battle at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival, his political podcast Like I’m A Six-Year-Old has just hit 100 episodes and continues to grow from strength to strength and at the end of 2016 he appeared in SBS’s ground-breaking series First Contact, a journey of discovery into Aboriginal Australia.
One of the joys that I have discovered that comes as a result of surrounding yourself with like-minded people also pursuing their own ambition and success, is that invariably you get to watch your friends rise to the challenge, share their journeys and celebrate your collective wins along the way.
Tom Ballard was certainly already well on his way to this success we first met 6 years ago, whilst launching triple j unearthed as a radio station back in 2011, but to then watch him have the courage to leave his role has co-host of the Tom & Alex morning show on triple j, take a leap of faith to achieve his dream of being a successful stand-up comedian and see where he’s at now just makes me so happy!
“Being your own master of your life and your passions, it’s a very powerful and important thing to do and if you have a chance to take it then grab it with both hands.” – Tom Ballard.
Never a truer word spoken, my man. Let’s get into the show!
http://www.sydneycomedyfest.com.au/single-event?show_id=1707
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Billy Fox. Indie soul, R&B & hip hop artist/producer. If it feels good, then do it! | Episode #126
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #126 Billy Fox returns (indie soul, R&B & hip hop artist & producer).
Billy Fox returns!
Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet! repeat offender and Sydney indie soul, R&B & hip hop artist & producer, Billy Fox, joined me live in the studio last week to launch his brand new single ‘Shapes’.
We first met when I was music supervisor for Ballistyx Snowboard Show on Channel GO! back in 2010. Flash forward 7 years and Billy Fox- ‘Shapes’ is getting serious spins around the globe, plus he has just announced a series of exclusive Australian east coast tour dates including Oxford Art Factory – Gallery Bar (Sydney), Rare Finds - Black Bear Lodge (Brisbane), Moonshine Bar at Manly Food & Wine Festival and Penny Black (Melbourne).
I draw inspiration from my one-on-ones with Billy Fox every… single… time! (both on and off mic). Today we delve deeper into the meaning behind ‘Shapes’, a track created to reawaken the lost art of conversation, it highlights a culture that we’ve created for ourselves, where we force our individual opinions down each others’ throats and attack the person rather than entering into measured debates… there is a serious need for all of us to adopt an approach where we take a moment for introspection and to search within, before knee-jerk reaction opinions and seeking to change others’ to ours without consideration for where they’re coming from.
Aside from the D&Ms, we get serious about our music experiences with Billy Fox and I spitballing the iconic music of Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, being given Rage Against The Machine’s self-titled album for the very first time, the experience of producing tunes for Australian filmmaker and musician Macario De Souza AKA Kid Mac, making a positive impact on the lives of others and SO much more!
We all grow from adversity and something that I champion in my own life is the way Billy Fox lives his. In music, like life, “there is so much to get distracted by… especially when you’re creating, especially with music”, so music like every other facet of our lives at this time “it’s all about streamlining, simplifying”… and Billy Fox indeed is living up to this through his personal Mission Statement and stepping back from the stresses of over-stimulation and white noise, by keeping things simple… “If it feels good, then do it”.
Let’s get into it!
BILLY FOX ‘SHAPES’ TOUR DATES:
SYDNEY – SAT 13 MAY | OAF GALLERY, SYDNEY NSW w/ San Mei
BRISBANE FRI 26 MAY | RARE FINDS @ BLACK BEAR LODGE, BRISBANE QLD
MANLY SUN 28 MAY | MANLY FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL, MANLY NSW
MELBOURNE SAT JUN 3 | PENNY BLACK, MELBOURNE VIC
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Women In Business: Katherine Newton (RUOK? CEO) | Episode #125
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #125 Katherine Newton (RUOK? Campaign Director).
Welcome to our exclusive Hot & Delicious: Rocks The Planet show with RUOK? Campaign Director Katherine Newton.
Men account for 75% of all suicides in Australia and RUOK is a suicide prevention charity in Australia created to drive meaningful conversations with mates and loved ones to save lives.
On our 2nd consecutive university lecture at Macleay College in Sydney, we chat extensively with Katherine Newton about this Australian suicide prevention charity including:
- The evolution from RUOK? Day from a campaign into a 365 day-a-year suicide prevention charity.
- The approach and 4 Simple Steps you should take that could save someone’s life.
- RUOK’s ongoing partnerships and their staff buy-in with the likes of Hungry Jacks, Virgin Mobile, the Australian Government Department of Heath, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Country Rugby League.
- Key steps everyday Australians can take to generate conversation and help raise awareness in their own physical and digital communities.
- Techniques & Meditation Apps that you can use to manage your own mental health.
- What to do if somebody says they’re not okay?
- The psychology behind Choosing A Call to Action – make it simple and get people participating.
- RUOK education and mental health projects with:
- Australian children in primary schools and high schools.
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sufferers – Ambulance, Paramedics, Police.
- RUOK? Day 2017 – Thursday 14th September.
For me, as an individual who has experienced the death of one of my best mate’s brother by suicide and my own family member who has experienced their own mental health issues, this show cuts deep and it’s was just wonderful to spend time one-on-one with a senior representative of an organisation like RUOK, who are making a daily positive impact on the lives of thousands of Australians.
Fascinating and insightful chats. Let’s get into it!
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #125 Katherine Newton (RUOK? CEO).
*Editors note: At the time of this interview in 2017, Katherine Newton was Campaign Director at RUOK?.
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Special thank yous for everyone who had a part in making this a reality:
- Katherine Newton and the team at RUOK?
- Macleay College:
- Ian Thomson (Head of Faculty).
- Jeremy Taylor Riley (Social Media Strategy Lecturer).
- The students.
- Alex Newall.
- The Production Team.
- Benjamin Sopronick.
- Mitchell Dodds.
- Cisco Corea
- Grant Flannery (Strategy Director – co:collective).
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #125 Katherine Newton (RUOK? CEO).
Women In Business: Lauren Vickers on Brands, Social Media Influencers & ROI | Episode #124
DOWNLOAD the PODCAST – #124 Lauren Vickers (Businesswomen, Model & SocialMedia Influencer).
- Lauren’s evolution from career model to Social Media Influencer with a highly engaged audience of 1.2 million Facebook fans, 169K Instagram followers and 33K+ Twitter followers.
- Driving ecommerce for brands:
- Via video/still content and what platforms to use.
- By partnering with the right social media influencer.
- TheRight.Fit influencer app and how brands are using this Australian platform to drive successful social media influencer relationships and campaigns.
- What brands should look for when seeking a social media influencer for their brand. Genuine social media influencers Vs wannabe Instagram models (both male and female).
- ROI and Measures of Success – in the mind of the influencer and how they differ from how brand marketers view ROI?
- Best Practice for Brands with examples from Tuscan Tan, Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
- Top Tips for Social Media Influencers looking to generate mutually beneficial ongoing relationships with brands.
- The Secrets of Engaging Customers Online – for both brands and social media influencers.
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Special thank yous for everyone who had a part in making this a reality:
- Lauren Vickers.
- Macleay College:
- Ian Thomson (Head of Faculty).
- Jeremy Taylor Riley (Social Media Strategy Lecturer).
- Alex Newall.
- The Production Team.
- Benjamin Sopronick.
- Mitchell Dodds.
- Cisco Corea
- theright.fit:
- Cat Douglas (Marketing and Social Media Manager).
- Taryn Williams (Founder & CEO – theright.fit).
- Grant Flannery (Strategy Director – co:collective).
