Sparks Journal – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Sparks Journal

Josh Sparks

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/10d. Total Eps: 15

The Sparks Journal is a podcast at the intersection of purpose, creativity, and cultural impact. Hosted by Josh Sparks, it features deep conversations with visionary leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, and thinkers who are reshaping how we live, work, and create. Each episode blends soulful storytelling with practical insights to help you align vision with purpose and turn inspiration into lasting impact. Subscribe to The Sparks Journal and join us each week, for new episodes exploring the ideas and stories that spark transformation.

Read moreCollapse

Site

RSS

Apple

Data updated on 14/07/2026

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Links found in episode descriptions and other podcasts that share them.

See all

No links shared by this podcast

RSS feed quality and score

Technical evaluation of the podcast's RSS feed quality and structure.

See all

RSS feed quality

To improve

Score global : 58%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

See all

Stephen Schiff | The Storytelling Skill That Moves Customers, Capital & Culture

Season 1 · Episode 13

Tuesday, January 27, 2026 • Duration 01:14:08

Stephen Schiff — Pulitzer finalist, former Vanity Fair and New Yorker writer, and Golden Globe–winning, Emmy-nominated screenwriter — joins The Sparks Journal to explore why storytelling is the connective tissue between belief and value.

In this conversation, we move beyond “marketing” to examine storytelling as a core leadership skill — one that shapes trust with investors, loyalty with customers, alignment within teams, and the emotional gravity of a brand.

And we connect it to what’s happening right now in brand: major companies are literally recruiting media heavyweight talent at board level — a signal that storytelling is no longer “marketing”… it’s strategy.

This episode is for founders and brand builders who sense that what they’re really building isn’t just a product — but a tribe of belief.

Read moreCollapse

Joshua Sparks & Mark Bilton CoLab | Healthspan, Being Human, and Purpose

Season 1 · Episode 13

Thursday, January 1, 2026 • Duration 01:54:52

Many leaders and creatives feel run down, disconnected, or unsure how to sustain their energy and purpose over the long term. Others may appear highly successful from a distance, yet find themselves quietly asking, Is this really all there is?

In this special Podcasters CoLab, I sit down with Mark Bilton - internationally renowned CEO, Independent Chair, and Strategist, the host of 'Lead Well, Live Well’ podcast, and the author of multiple books on leadership, faith and purpose driven entrepreneurship - to explore healthspan, being human, and finding purpose in a demanding world.

This episode is a true collaboration, recorded for both Sparks Journal and Lead Well Live Well podcasts.

Together, we unpack what it really means to live well over the long term. Not just how long you live, but how well you live. We talk about healthspan, not as a trend or biohacking obsession, but as a practical way to stay energised, clear-headed, and present for the people and work that matter most.

In this episode, you will hear:

• What healthspan really means and why it matters more than lifespan

• Why leaders must care for their physical, emotional, and relational health

• How purpose, identity, and wellbeing are deeply connected

• The role of habits, consistency, and self-leadership over time

• Why being human is not a weakness in leadership, but a strength

This is a grounded, honest conversation between two good friends who have spent decades working with leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs.

It is practical, reflective, and deeply relevant if you want to lead well without losing yourself along the way.

Read moreCollapse

Paizley Laura | Getting Gooey: Building a Wellness Brand From the Inside Out

Season 1 · Episode 12

Sunday, December 21, 2025 • Duration 01:13:18

Paizley Laura is the founder of the rapidly growing lifestyle brand Peach Honey, a champion of self care rituals and ‘getting gooey’, and one of the most compelling voices in the new wave of social first founder-led brands.

Paizley joins the The Sparks Journal for a raw, expansive and deeply honest conversation about self-trust, autonomy, ambition, and what it really takes to create and build a purpose driven brand on your own terms.

From growing up in Albuquerque and navigating family trauma, to arriving in Los Angeles with almost nothing to hustle her way to a global audience in the millions, Paizley’s story is not one of overnight success, but of choosing to believe in herself again and again.

In this conversation, we explore the why, what and how of building something truly meaningful, without abandoning yourself in the process.Paizley does not offer a polished myth of entrepreneurship. She shares the messy middle, the moments of doubt and the quiet decisions that ultimately change the direction of a life.

This episode is for founders, creatives and anyone navigating ambition without wanting to harden or shrink themselves. It is a grounded exploration of agency, alignment and the courage it takes to choose yourself.

Read moreCollapse

Samantha Wills | Brand Magic: Storytelling, Intuition & Creative Commercialism

Season 1 · Episode 11

Sunday, December 7, 2025 • Duration 01:11:23

Samantha Wills - creative entrepreneur, bestselling author of Of Gold and Dust, designer behind her iconic jewellery brand, and creator of the Marigold children’s series - joins The Sparks Journal for a powerful conversation about creativity, intuition, imposter syndrome and building a life that feels true.

From selling handmade jewellery behind the bike sheds in Port Macquarie to becoming one of Australia’s most recognisable creative founders, Samantha’s story is defined by creative exploration, the power of intuition, grit and resilience, and above all, the courage to follow your own path.

In this conversation, we explore the creative intuition that shaped her career, the emotional truth-telling that defined her brand, and the remarkable courage it took to close the business that made her famous at its commercial peak.

Samantha discusses:

• the childhood “green lights” that revealed her creative identity
• building the Samantha Wills world before social media
• why creativity is a form of intelligence - especially for children
• designing for your actual customer rather than your aspirational one
• the power of storytelling, enchantment and “surprise and delight”
• the iconic wooden jewellery boxes - and why taking irrational risks matters
• imposter syndrome: why she never “beat” it, but learned to live beside it
• fear, procrastination and her inch-by-inch method for building momentum
• sensitivity as a creative superpower — and the toll of the hustle years
• the scaffolding of female friendships and why they are an unfair advantage
• choosing the right business partner through values, not spreadsheets
• the crossroads moment at the Omega Institute that changed everything
• closing her global brand at its peak to honour her health and her legacy
• writing The Marigold Effect and creating for “the little girl she once was”
• creativity as intuition, spirituality and a way of seeing the world

Laura Day | The Science of Intuition: Healing Ego & Rewriting Your Future

Season 1 · Episode 10

Tuesday, November 25, 2025 • Duration 01:16:04

Laura Day — bestselling author, world-renowned intuitive and creator of The Prism — joins The Sparks Journal for an intimate exploration of intuition, healing and human possibility.

In this conversation, Laura shares how intuition works not as mysticism but as data, how trauma shapes the ego, and why healing must begin with action in the present moment — not analysis of the past.

We explore:
• her childhood discovery of intuitive knowing
• how intuition is trained, not gifted
• the seven ego centres in The Prism
• why the future is easier to read than the past
• how trauma distorts our inner and outer world
• the science of synchronicity and emotional contagion
• why skeptics often become the strongest intuitives
• ADHD, sensitivity and the hidden strengths in neurodiversity
• why healing yourself improves the collective

This is a powerful, grounded and practical conversation for anyone wanting to transform their patterns, strengthen their intuition, and create a life aligned with their true purpose.

Read moreCollapse

Scott Gooding | The Alchemy of Reinvention: Grit, Growth & Turning Fear Into Fuel

Season 1 · Episode 9

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 • Duration 01:29:58

Chef, author, My Kitchen Rules alum and Good Farm Shop co-founder Scott Gooding is one of those rare people who has done the deep inner work to turn a difficult start into a life of meaning, discipline and love.

Scott spent his childhood living in English pubs - surrounded by drunk adults, chaos and the ever-present possibility of violence. It forged a tough exterior, a readiness to fight and a constant sense of vigilance. That same energy might have consumed him. Instead, over decades, he learned to reframe and redirect it:

Aggression into ambition
Anxiety into anticipation
Fear into fuel

In this wide-ranging and emotionally honest conversation, we explore:

Growing up in pubs: learning to read danger, hold his ground and the cost of living on high alert
Sliding-door moments: key points where he consciously chose not to escalate, and in doing so, chose a different man to become
Reinvention in Australia: booking a ticket, leaving the old persona behind and building a new life from scratch
Seven years of chronic back pain: losing the athletic identity he’d built, moving through depression, and finding empathy and perspective on the other side
My Kitchen Rules and stage fright: why he almost scared himself out of it, what it took to get through filming while “white-knuckling” anxiety, and how the show became a springboard rather than a vanity play
Saying yes for a year: the deliberate decision to say yes to every opportunity for 12 months to dismantle long-held self-limiting beliefs
Good Farm Shop with Matilda: creating a business rooted in “healthy comfort food” that reflects his values around nourishment, care and community
Fatherhood and masculinity: how all of this inner work shows up in the way he parents - as a present, emotionally available, deeply engaged dad

Andrew Bolton | Art x Commerce: The Met Gala, Meaning, and the Power of Dress

Season 1 · Episode 8

Sunday, November 9, 2025 • Duration 50:56

The Met Gala, from the man who curates it.
Andrew Bolton—Curator in Charge of The Met’s Costume Institute and Anna Wintour’s long-time collaborator—explains how the red carpet functions as a moving gallery and an extension of the exhibition itself. We explore Savage Beauty, Camp, and Heavenly Bodies; the interplay of meaning and marketing; how younger designers build community before scale; and why the best exhibitions ask questions rather than answer them.
Andrew also previews his next frontier: decoding the “anonymous” designer through the creative decisions embedded in a garment.

Listen on: Spotify • Apple Podcasts
Follow: @TheSparksJournal
Subscribe for weekly conversations at the edge of fashion, culture, and commerce.

Read moreCollapse

Matt Kaness | American Retail’s Best-Kept Secret: Building Purpose into Profit

Season 1 · Episode 7

Sunday, November 2, 2025 • Duration 01:59:13

Matt Kaness has quietly helped shape the modern playbook for purpose-driven retail — where creativity and commercial discipline amplify each other.

At URBN (Anthropologie, Free People, Urban Outfitters), he helped triple revenue and grow e-commerce from ~10% to ~40% of the business.
As CEO of ModCloth, he defined the mission “ModCloth is pioneering inclusive fashion,” a clarity that galvanised its community and ultimately led to Walmart’s acquisition.
Later, at GoodwillFinds, he reimagined “donation” as a customer-centric circular marketplace, driving ~2 billion organic visits with no ad spend.

In this episode of The Sparks Journal, Matt reveals how to scale purpose and profit in parallel — aligning founder DNA, brand “why,” and performance culture to build brands that endure.

Key takeaways:
• Distil founder “magic” into strategic advantage
• Turn brand purpose into a moat and growth engine
• Apply the “brand bank account” test to every decision
• Build omnichannel CX that immerses the customer

Follow and subscribe for more stories on building brands with heart and rigour — at the intersection of creative vision, cultural impact, and commercial outperformance.

Read moreCollapse

Raquel Bouris | No Rules : Who is Elijah, From Garage Start-up to Global Cult Brand

Season 1 · Episode 6

Sunday, October 26, 2025 • Duration 56:06

From $40,000 and a garage to a global fragrance phenomenon — Raquel Bouris, founder of Who Is Elijah, has built one of Australia’s fastest-growing beauty brands by doing things differently.

In this candid, empowering, and hilarious conversation, Raquel opens up about the creative chaos, the brand strategy, and the personal evolution behind her rise. We dive deep into how she hacked the attention economy with radical authenticity, “no-rules” storytelling, and a founder-led brand that’s as emotionally resonant as it is commercially powerful.

In This Episode

From garage start-up to $20M cult brand
Turning personal brand × business brand into a growth flywheel
Authentic UGC, unpaid celebrity fans, and organic virality
Why “community > vanity” is the ultimate growth strategy
The art and commerce crossover that built longevity

Raquel’s story is a blueprint for the modern founder: fearless, transparent, emotionally intelligent — and entirely her own.

If this episode moves you, follow and rate the show. It’s the simplest way to support these long-form, on-location conversations with world-class creators and founders.

#WhoIsElijah #RaquelBouris #TheSparksJournal #BrandBuilding #FounderStory #Entrepreneurship #AttentionEconomy #WomenInBusiness

Read moreCollapse

Dare Jennings | Two Cult Brands, One Playbook - “All the Same Juice” & the Temples of Enthusiasm

Season 1 · Episode 5

Monday, October 20, 2025 • Duration 01:09:29

Building one global cult brand is rare.
Doing it twice - Mambo and Deus Ex Machina - is almost unheard of.

In this inspiring conversation, Dare Jennings reveals the playbook behind both:
lead with art and humour that challenge the mainstream, fuse the unrestrained creativity of subcultures - “surf, motorcycles, music… it’s all the same juice” - and build worlds where rebellion feels playful, not intimidating.

From Mambo’s cheeky satire to Deus’s Temples of Enthusiasm, Dare shows how to balance art and commerce, turn brand into tribe, and build a legacy brand with soul - rebellious, inclusive, and built to last.

Read moreCollapse

Sparks Journal – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Sparks Journal – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify