Experts Unleashed with Dominic Price – Details, episodes & analysis

Dr. Kirstin Ferguson is a globally recognized leadership expert, ranked by Thinkers50 as one of the top 50 management thinkers in the world. With a career that began as an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, Kirstin has gone on to become a CEO, board director, and acting chair and deputy chair of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Kirstin brings decades of leadership experience across a variety of sectors—public, private, military, and media—combined with deep academic expertise, including a PhD in leadership and culture. Kirstin is the author of three acclaimed books, including Blindspotting (2025), Head & Heart (2023), and Women Kind (2018), which have influenced leaders around the world.

During this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Kirstin about the idea of Blindspotting – the topic of Kirstin’s latest book – and how being honest, curious, and flexible can change the way we lead, work, and live. Kirstin shares how taking a “seeker” vs a “knower” perspective can enable you to find new answers to old problems, as well as create more teachable moments for the people around you. Kirstin’s straightforward approach to upgrading the way we show up as leaders is so simple, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it all along!

In this episode:

My User Manual Play: https://www.atlassian.com/team-playbook/plays/my-user-manual

More about Dr. Kirstin Ferguson: https://www.kirstinferguson.com/

Lifeline: https://www.lifelinesupport.org/

A computer nerd, designer, and DJ, Cameron “Cam” Adams is the co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Canva, the game-changing online graphic design platform that’s transformed how people create and share visuals. In 2012, Cam co-founded Canva alongside Mel Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, and depending on which paper you read, the company has a current valuation of about US $50bn. As CPO, Cam steers Canva’s product vision, ensuring its tools stay fresh, innovative, and user-friendly. When he’s not changing the world of design, Cam is mixing on his turntables as a DJ, exploring his creative side through music. Cam is also dedicated to making a positive impact on the world through his work with sustainability and social initiatives, including his involvement with Wedgetail, an organization focused on conserving and restoring biodiversity through sustainable investment.

During this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Cam about why colliding interests can bring out innovation, how to best scale an organization (gracefully), and the responsibility leaders have to leave a positive impact on the world. They discuss how to avoid “innovation theater” by allowing people to explore their interests at work, the personal growth journey of a co-founder, and how AI can help democratize the world. The stories and practice advice Cam shares of his lived experience taking a company from zero to 5,000 people over 12 years will inspire you!

We have a special episode this week with not one, but TWO guests! 

Dr. Bob Sutton is an organizational psychologist at Stanford University and best-selling author of eight books. He studies leadership, innovation, organizational change, and workplace dynamics. Bob’s main focus over the past decade has been scaling and leading at scale - how to grow organizations, spread good things (and remove bad things) in teams and organizations, and enhance performance, innovation, and well-being given the distinct challenges in big organizations.

Dr. Huggy Rao is the Atholl McBean professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University and a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science, the Sociological Research Association, and the Academy of Management. He has written for Harvard Business Review, Business Week, and the Wall Street Journal. He is the co-author of the bestselling book “Scaling Up Excellence” and author of “Market Rebels.”

In episode five of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Bob and Huggy (the Odd Couple) about addition bias, broken silos and connections, and jargon monoxide. They discuss tips for avoiding these pitfalls, including the creation of Ridicu-lists, the Subtraction Game, and many more. Along the way, Bob and Huggy share some hilarious stories and the genuine insights they learned over the decades studying how organizations and leaders work.

Dr. Andy Walshe is a globally recognized leader and expert in the field of elite human performance. For over 20 years the Australian native has been focused on the goal of “de-mystifying talent” by researching and training individuals and teams across a vast network of world-class programs in sport, culture, military and business settings. Andy is currently the Director of High Performance for Red Bull, where he works with hundreds of international athletes and cultural opinion leaders; and supervises a team of industry-leading scientists, engineers, physicians, and technologists to develop and implement elite performance models. In episode four of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Andy about elite human performance and how we can reawaken our ability to learn and grow. They discuss the human-machine paradox we find ourselves in today, and how creativity will be the ultimate skill we must all master if we hope to survive. Along the way, Andy shares some of his famous stories of how he created challenging environments to help people learn…wait until you hear about the bear!

Dr. Jemma King is a stress, sleep and recovery expert with a PhD in Human Behavior. She is a Fellow at the UQ School of Psychology and conducts research on the impact of psychophysiological factors on cognitive and behavioral performance, specifically in the areas of stress, sleep, recovery protocols, biometrics, and emotional intelligence. She works as a specialist external advisor to McKinsey & Co and has consulted with the Australian Defense Force, the Centre for Australian Army Leadership, the Australian Institute of Sport, and the Australian Olympic Swim Team. In episode three of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Jemma about the power our thoughts and habits have over our physical and mental health. They discuss the superpower of sleep consistency and dive into why we need to do our best to keep cortisol levels down. Jemma opens her bag of tricks and shares how you can create a healthier life through a few simple hacks.

When the world's elite sports teams, performers, or execs need to optimize their performance, they turn to Ben Crowe. He's worked with No.1 tennis champion Ash Barty, Olympic Gold medalists, champion surfers, record-breaking race car drivers, and organizations like Nike. Ben uses a combination of research, psychology, anthropology, curiosity, and his own lived experience as a dad, husband, and son, to help people fulfill their potential. In episode one of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Ben about his history, story, childhood, and how that has shaped his values in how he operates today. They discuss elite performance and the relationship between sports teams and business teams, and they dig into the nuances of Ben's "Human being vs. human doing" framework, and the ways we can tap into our mindset to find incremental improvements in how we see and relate to the world. They also discuss the "My User Manual" Play from Atlassian's Team Playbook. It's an exercise designed to help leaders share with their teams, and teammates to share with other teammates HOW they work. Think of it like this: when you buy a TV, it comes with a User Manual. But when you hire a human, there's no such helpful guidance. Ben takes us through his User Manual and how he finds balance and facilitates effective communication in his life.

Professor Genevieve Bell is technology’s first fortuneteller. After 18 years as Intel's resident anthropologist, Genevie joined the Australian National University, where she started ANU’s School of Cybernetics. Today, Genevieve is the 13th Vice-Chancellor and President of the Australian National University. In episode two of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Genevieve about the past, present, and future of AI. They discuss how even though AI is not just one thing, thanks to user experience in tools like ChatGPT, AI is more accessible than ever before. Listen as they dive into the past of AI, where the term originated (fascinating story!), and how movies and science fiction have shaped our perception of technology.

A tech leader and DEI advocate, Melanie Silva drives growth and transformation at Google Australia and New Zealand. As Managing Director and Vice President, she leads Google’s operations in the region, with a focus on helping businesses navigate and thrive in the technical world. With over 11 years at Google, Melanie has held senior roles across the Asia-Pacific region, including overseeing Go-to-Market Strategy and Operations. Prior to Google, she worked at Fairfax Digital, Citibank, AMP, and ING Direct. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, Melanie chairs Google’s Diversity Council for Australia and New Zealand, helping to foster a more inclusive tech industry.

During this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Mel about how to not confuse your inner critic for your instincts, the impact of taking back your calendar, and why being busy isn’t the same as being productive. Mel shares her hack of introducing a “Thinking Day” every six weeks to help her tackle important issues and “reclaim the membrane” as she puts it, as well as introduces Dom to how she likes to network with her Aussie Legends Curiosity Tour. Mel’s practical tips will leave you Googling for more!

A prominent thought leader, author, and influencer in the fields of digital transformation and tech, Tom Goodwin helps organizations reshape how they work. The founder of AWHIN, Inc. (All We Have Is Now), Tom consults with the Fortune 500 to help them unleash the power of new technology, focusing on making more customer-centric products and services. In addition to his consulting, Tom is the author of the book Digital Darwinism, a featured writer for publications like The New York Times and The Economist, and is host of the original Euronews TV series “The Edge.” Oh, and did we mention that Tom has over 700,000 followers on LinkedIn and has been named the #1 Voice in Marketing? Needless to say, Tom’s influence spans the world.

During this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Tom about how tech is not changing the world as much as we think, the lifecycle of technology disruption, and why we need to rethink our approach to AI. They discuss the lack of disruption stories today (think of Netflix and Blockbuster), the power of carving out time to become more innovative, and ways to become more comfortable with AI. Tom’s down-to-earth approach to tech disruption and how we can apply it is refreshing in a tech-obsessed world.

*** The first episode of Experts Unleashed featured the legendary coach, Ben Crowe, and was originally released as a cut-down version to reduce the overall length. Well, we’ve changed our minds and are re-releasing the episode UNCUT! Watch the full Ben Crowe episode (bloopers…retakes…everything!) in this special edition of Experts Unleashed. ***

When the world's elite sports teams, performers, or execs need to optimize their performance, they turn to Ben Crowe. He's worked with No.1 tennis champion Ash Barty, Olympic Gold medalists, champion surfers, record-breaking race car drivers, and organizations like Nike. Ben uses a combination of research, psychology, anthropology, curiosity, and his own lived experience as a dad, husband, and son, to help people fulfill their potential.

In this episode of "Experts Unleashed," Atlassian's Dom Price chats with Ben about his history, story, childhood, and how that has shaped his values in how he operates today. They discuss elite performance and the relationship between sports teams and business teams, and they dig into the nuances of Ben's "Human being vs. human doing" framework, and the ways we can tap into our mindset to find incremental improvements in how we see and relate to the world.