In this episode of AI for Good, Nicola Steel speaks with Dr Joan Palmiter Bajorek, Innovation Evangelist, Founder of Clarity AI, and author of Your AI Roadmap. Joan brings her deep expertise in conversational AI, career development, and personalised data-driven tech to this human-focused conversation.

Joan shares how her love for languages and linguistics sparked her passion for conversational AI and led her to roles in academia, tech, and entrepreneurship. Together, Nicola and Joan explore the power of AI to enhance - not replace - human connection, particularly in the job search and mental health spaces.

Joan and Nicola discuss:

🧠 How conversational AI is evolving and why simplicity in design matters

💼 Career advice for breaking into AI, from networking to personal branding

📚 Joan’s book Your AI Roadmap and her mission to make AI careers accessible

🌱 The importance of career resilience and mental health tools like Wobot and Career Flow

🌐 Clarity AI’s real-world impact through custom data and AI solutions, including preventative healthcare innovations using smart IoT devices

This episode blends practical career advice, thought leadership, and real-world examples of how AI can improve lives - while keeping the human at the centre. A must-listen for job seekers, tech professionals, and anyone passionate about ethical AI and career empowerment.

Here are the resources discussed in the episode:

Free Personalized Roadmap Quiz: YourAIRoadmap.com/me

Your AI Roadmap Book: YourAIRoadmap.com

Joan's Podcast: YourAIRoadmap.com/podcast

Welcome to the first podcast episode of Season 7 which is all about AI for Good! In this season, we’re exploring how AI is shaping industries, driving innovation, and making a positive impact on the world.

To kick things off, Nicola Steel speaks with Stijn Hendrikse, a seasoned SaaS entrepreneur, investor, and author, about the transformative power of AI in the software industry and how startups can leverage AI for growth.

Stijn shares insights from his extensive career, from his early days as a developer to leading global marketing for Microsoft’s SMB segment, writing T2D3, and coaching go-to-market leaders. He also reveals details about his upcoming book, Level Up, which focuses on how AI can enhance strategic decision-making in SaaS companies.

Nicola and Stijn explore how AI is revolutionising marketing and go-to-market strategies, emphasising the importance of understanding the fundamentals - positioning, personas, and messaging - before using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude AI. Stijn highlights how AI can free up time for high-value work but stresses the importance of accountability, validation, and thoughtful leadership when managing AI-generated content.

They also discuss the future of AI in SaaS, including its potential to lower barriers to entry, empower entrepreneurs and younger generations, and drive innovation in software development. Stijn encourages SaaS leaders to embrace AI, not fear it, and to see it as a tool that enhances efficiency, leadership, and strategic growth.

This episode sets the stage for an exciting season of AI for Good, packed with practical insights for SaaS founders, AI innovators and tech professionals looking to scale in the age of AI.

Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions, sits down with Andrew Pedley, co-founder of Carbonaught, a pioneering company dedicated to delivering scalable carbon removal solutions and enhancing food security worldwide. Andrew brings a wealth of experience from his extensive corporate career in financial markets within investment banks and heavy industry to his innovative approach in the environmental tech space.

Andrew shares the compelling journey that led him to start Carbonaught, driven by a mix of necessity and frustration with the status quo. He reflects on the critical moments and thought processes that fueled the inception of the company, including his desire to create a meaningful and impactful business. We dive into the challenges Carbonaught faced in its early days, from complex logistics to market validation loops, and how they navigated these hurdles with a small but dedicated team.

We also explore Andrew’s approach to building a team, where he prioritises kinship and intellectual horsepower aligned with the company's mission. Andrew offers insights into the strategies that secured funding for Carbonaught, including the pivotal moments when the company gained international recognition, solidifying their path to success.

Throughout the conversation, Andrew provides candid advice for startup founders, emphasising the importance of building something solid, staying true to your vision, and creating your own validation layers. He also shares his skeptical view on mentorship, advocating instead for the value of having "co-pilots" who have navigated similar challenges.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in entrepreneurship, carbon removal technologies, and the journey of transforming a bold idea into a successful, impactful company. Whether you're in the early stages of your startup or just curious about the future of carbon removal, Andrew's story will inspire and inform.

In this episode, Nicola Steel, Founding Director of JJP Talent Solutions, talks with Kent Bolton, the Chief Technology Officer at Foodini, who brings two decades of experience from both corporate and startup environments. Kent shares his fascinating career journey, highlighting his initial role as an analyst programmer, moving through various positions in tech sales, and even running his own company. His path led him back to the tech space as a business sales project manager before taking on the CTO role at Foodini.

Kent delves into the differences between working in large corporations and startups. He explains how startups offer a more direct and immediate approach, with transparent differences of opinion and the ability to get products to market quickly. In contrast, larger corporations are characterised by more predictable processes and extended timelines.

Throughout the conversation, Kent emphasises his passion for technology and creativity, discussing how his diverse roles have shaped his approach to tech leadership. He shares insights on the importance of strategy, understanding processes and fostering high-quality outcomes.

Kent also touches on the challenges he's faced, particularly in understanding and communicating with people from diverse backgrounds. He discusses his continuous effort to improve leadership skills and the importance of recognising personal strengths and weaknesses.

To stay up-to-date with technological advancements, Kent dedicates time daily to reading about relevant topics and running multiple servers and tools. He highlights the importance of transparency and empowering team members to make decisions in their areas of expertise.

Kent introduces Foodini's mission, which began with an ex-lawyer's passion to solve food allergy issues. He describes how Foodini aims to make finding safe food for people with allergies and lifestyle diets simple and accurate, using AI tools to gather menu data.

Finally, Kent offers advice for those considering transitioning from corporate environments to startups. He underscores the need for adaptability, communication, and involvement in the startup setting, and emphasises the importance of finding roles that align with one's skills and passions.

Tune in for an engaging discussion filled with valuable lessons and insights from Kent Bolton's extensive experience in the tech industry.

In this episode, Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions talks to Jonathan Milgate, Chief Technology Officer at Camplify. 

Jonathan is a seasoned tech leader with an impressive career spanning 20 years in various roles and industries. With a background in Software & Systems Development, Jonathan has worked with startups, multinationals and government. His passion for agile software delivery from a technical and cultural perspective has shaped his leadership style and approach to fostering a culture of innovation.

Jonathan shares insights from his pivotal moment of choosing leadership as a career, not just a promotion, and discusses how he fosters a culture of continuous improvement and psychological safety within his teams. He highlights the importance of retrospectives, individual learning and the autonomy to solve problems.

We delve into Jonathan's daily routines and habits that contribute to his success, such as his love for walking his dog, listening to podcasts and networking with other tech leaders. He also provides invaluable advice to aspiring tech leaders, emphasising the need for continual learning and a broad knowledge of technology.

Finally, Jonathan reflects on the best advice he has received: to take one step at a time and understand that "good enough" is often good enough. Tune in for an inspiring conversation filled with practical tips and wisdom for anyone looking to advance their career in tech leadership.

In this episode, Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions, talks to Alex Ferguson, a visionary tech leader and entrepreneur with extensive experience in AI, startups and leadership. Alex has an impressive track record in driving innovation and building successful tech teams. 

Alex describes his diverse background, including an engineering degree in Aerospace, a degree in Chinese from the University of Queensland, and a Master’s degree from Taiwan. He provides unique insights from over a decade of experience in engineering, design and helping businesses embrace digital and AI-driven transformations.

Alex and Nicola discuss the challenges faced by startups, from navigating rules and regulations to seeking innovative opportunities in today's tech landscape. Alex shares fascinating stories of helping customers bring transformative ideas to life within organisations, focusing on technology and problem-solving.

Alex talks about how to avoid common pitfalls in startups, such as not solving the right problem, managing cash flow and building the right team.  He discusses strategies for attracting top talent and the importance of self-reflection in leadership.  Alex emphasises the value of surrounding yourself with smarter individuals, avoiding micromanagement and allowing team members to excel in their areas of expertise.

Alex also focuses on AI automation, ethical considerations in AI design and training, and the most exciting emerging tech trends. From AI agents to augmented reality, Nicola and Alex explore how these advancements will shape the future.

In this episode, Nicola Steel speaks to Dawid Naude who is Co-Founder of Pathfindr.ai, an AI innovation studio.

Dawid shares his journey from a tech-curious kid to a leader in AI and innovation. He began his career with a 5-year stint as an Associate Director at NAB Financial Markets.

Dawid's career took a pivotal turn when he joined Accenture, where he quickly transitioned to senior roles in AI, Salesforce, Cloud, Digital and the Metaverse.

Inspired by colleagues who successfully launched and sold their businesses, Dawid saw an opportunity to start something focused on AI. This led to the creation of Pathfindr with a mission to help businesses embrace AI and amplify its impact.

Dawid discusses the challenges of growing his team, particularly hiring senior staff with high salaries, and the importance of generating quality leads. His strategy focused on creating demand before worrying about supply, significantly enhancing Pathfindr's lead generation approach.

For aspiring founders, Dawid advises making your business about you, positioning yourself as an industry influencer and developing a robust lead generation strategy. Reflecting on his journey, he emphasises embracing risk early and understanding that discomfort often signals growth.

Dawid describes entrepreneurship as an intense learning experience, teaching him more in 16 weeks than the past 10 years. Despite longer hours, he feels more energised than ever and encourages others to give entrepreneurship a try and learn from those who routinely start businesses.

Justin Hennessy has over 20 years experience in the software industry growing several startups to successful acquisition including RedEye, Outfit.io and Neto eCommerce. He has extensive technical expertise coupled with a passion for leadership and empowering people to reach their potential.

Beginning his adventure in software development back in 1997 in Adelaide, Justin quickly expanded his expertise into networking, routing, switching and data centres. Not just a technical wizard, he also excels in project management, coaching and leadership, skills honed over decades in the industry.

From a young age, he was drawn to technology. At just 8 or 9 years old, Justin was already programming, painstakingly handwriting code from magazines into his first computer. By high school, he was running his own IT support business, showcasing an entrepreneurial spirit that would serve him well in his career.

Discover how he landed his first leadership role, stepping up during a critical moment when the founder of his company had to leave. This pivotal experience taught him the importance of courage and seizing opportunities, a key piece of advice for aspiring leaders.

Learn about his approach to enabling team members to reach their highest potential by granting them autonomy and pushing decision-making power to the execution level. Justin shares what he looks for in team members, emphasising the need for leaders who understand the business context before implementing changes.

Justin also dives into the chaotic yet exhilarating world of startups, explaining the balance between chaos and scaling, and the rewarding challenge of getting the business formula right.

For those looking to grow startups, Justin shares the importance of transparency, clear communication, and having a people-centric leader with a clear vision. His recommended reads, including Stephen Covey’s "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" and Andrew Chen’s "The Cold Start Problem," have significantly influenced his personal and professional development.

Dive into the vibrant world of startups with Antler Partners Mike Abbott and James McClure as they talk to Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions, in this illuminating episode. With a wealth of experience spanning from founding companies to working with tech giants like Google and Uber, Mike and James share their perspectives on what draws them to startups, the highs and lows of their careers, and invaluable insights on Antler's approach and their recent Queensland launch.

Discover what makes startups attractive to both founders and investors, as Mike and James delve into the importance of problem-solving, assembling motivated teams and seizing opportunities. Gain valuable advice for aspiring founders, including the significance of surrounding oneself with the right people and embracing risk-taking.

Explore overlooked skills for startup success and reflections on their own journeys, as Mike and James candidly discuss the learning curves, regrets and the rewarding camaraderie of the startup ecosystem. Tune in for a rich discussion filled with practical wisdom and inspiration for anyone embarking on their entrepreneurial path.

Jonathan Gamez has over 20 years' experience in the IT and OT domains.  He began his career as a software engineer and progressed through various leadership roles, including CTO at Interlate. 

Jony explains how he first became interested in technology when he broke the family's new PC, a problem he needed to solve before his father discovered what he had done!

It took Jony over 6 months to secure his first paid role in tech.  Prior to this, he did two unpaid internships at Mincom which set him up in his career.  His advice to graduates and emerging professionals is to make sure you take any opportunity that come your way, even if it is not the ideal one because it will take you in the right direction.

He explains how the ability to really understand people and emotional intelligence are both critical to be successful in tech leadership.  Jony advises developing your soft skills, for example by studying Behavourial Studies, as well as the importance of introspection and self reflection to progress in your career.

Jony discusses his predictions for digital transformation in mining and resources including:

• greater adoption of autonomous vehicles and robots  
• the ability to remove people from the hazard and therefore do all the hazardous work remotely
• the AI revolution and importance of critical thinking skills.

Embark on a captivating journey with Andrew Beitz, a tech guru who has boldly navigated the ever-evolving landscape of the technology industry for three decades, and now sits with us to peel back the layers of leadership, innovation, and strategy. Andrew imparts his wisdom on how to strike that elusive balance between advancing a career and nurturing a life, all while sharing his rise from a curious software engineer to a visionary executive. This episode isn't just a trek through Andrew's career—it's a roadmap for embracing the discomfort that comes with growth and the thrill of leading teams to uncharted success.

As we peel back the veneer of corporate transformation, Andrew offers an insider's look at the trials and triumphs faced when reengineering a company's soul. Through the lens of his experience with Vasco Data Security and other global ventures, he reveals the foundational pillars of fostering an effective team culture: shared vision, celebrating quick victories, and the magic of mentoring. Andrew's anecdote about applying his tech leadership finesse to Major League Baseball strategy is a testament to the versatile nature of true leadership. For anyone at the helm of a tech team or simply aspiring to lead, this discussion is a treasure trove of strategies, anecdotes, and insights that transcends industries.

Anthoney Rimmer is the Co-Founder of Edsure, a growing edtech startup which specialises in student information and management systems.  Prior to Edsure, Anthoney lead a large R&D team at Technology One where he worked for over 17 years.

In this episode, Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions, discovers more about Anthoney's personal story and career highlights including growing up in Toowoomba, moving to Brisbane at 18 and travelling the world.  

Anthoney discusses the challenge of being a technologist dealing with non-technical people.  Overcoming this challenge and learning to communicate what was going on with non-technical people is one of the reasons for his success as a technical leader as he progressed his career to Director level at TechOne.

Edsure specialises in student information and management systems with the mission to make universities in Australia more successful and students to get on the right study pathways.  

Edsure's core values are:

• Be respectful
• Be creative
• Have fun

Anthoney discusses how founding a tech startup compares to working for a large corporate organisation.  His advice to potential startup founders is ensure that you really know what you are getting involved with.

In this episode, Nicola Steel speaks with Mark D. Nicholls, CEO of Information Professionals Group and a seasoned expert in digital transformation and cybersecurity with over 30 years of experience. Mark has been instrumental in helping organisations grow through technology, and he shares his journey and insights on navigating today’s complex tech landscape.

Nicola and Mark discuss how businesses can align digital transformation with their overarching strategy to address real challenges, rather than adopting technology for its own sake. They explore the integration of cybersecurity as a critical business risk, the opportunities and risks of AI in enhancing efficiency, and the importance of strong data management to ensure privacy and mitigate misuse.

Mark also delves into emerging technologies such as quantum computing and containerisation, highlighting their potential impact on encryption, data security, and organisational change. He stresses the vital role of leadership in making strategic decisions, balancing priorities, and navigating the inevitable pivots and challenges on the path to success.

This engaging conversation offers valuable insights and forward-thinking perspectives for business leaders, technology enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the future of innovation and growth through technology.

Michael Collet has over 30 years technical leadership expertise including over 8 years at Super Retail Group as Head of IT Infrastructure & Operations and then Head of IT Procurement & Asset Management.

Michael talks about his career starting in the 1980s in South Africa and how he secured his first leadership role.  He migrated to Australia in 2004 and struggled to find a role initially because he was considered to be overqualified. He eventually secured a role at Super Retail Group through his connections.  After 8 years at Super Retail Group, he started a successful career in property development.

Michael is highly engaging, positive and optimistic in this podcast episode with Nicola Steel from JJP Talent Solutions.

Andy How has extensive technical leadership experience in SaaS startups and scaleups as well as corporate environments. In this episode, Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions and Andy How talk about the start of his career in the late 1990s as the world moved from analog to digital. 

Andy provides advice to people starting out in their tech careers. He talks about the important lessons he has learnt along the way.  Andy also explains what he thinks makes a great leader which includes:

👀 Vision 

❤️ Compassion 

👄 Communication

He provides some critical advice on work/life balance together with his book recommendations: 

📖 Atomic Habits by James Clear 

📖 Mindset by Carol Dweck 

📖 Dare to Lead by Brene Brown 

Scott Lawry is a Senior Leader with extensive expertise in Digital Transformation and Programme Management.  He has worked in a variety of sectors including over 10 years at Rio Tinto.

In this episode, Scott talks to Nicola Steel, Founding Director of JJP Talent Solutions. He explains how he secured his first role in IT back in 1999 - the year the world faced the Millennium Bug!  He provides advice to graduates and emerging professionals who are looking for their first tech role and also for those aspiring to be tech leaders.

The biggest challenge for Scott over the last 25 years has been the pure velocity of change in technology.  It is next to impossible to remain qualified across everything!  Instead, he believes that it is important for leaders to have enough knowledge of the technical changes and impacts to provide the business with informed advice.

We also discuss how flexible working has been an incredible opportunity for everyone. It is a great way to retain valuable employees.  He believes that making it work for both employers and employees is crucial although he does believe that employees can become disconnected from the business. 

Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions, speaks to Luke Vear, the CTO of YQueue, a startup which is tackling the challenges faced by the Food and Beverage industry.

Luke begins by explaining how he was drawn to tech and how he secured his first role in software development.  His advice to aspiring leaders is to make sure taking on a leadership role is something that you 100% want to do and to grab every opportunity that presents itself.  

Luke explains that his biggest challenge is the non-engineering elements of being a CTO including managing  relationships between individual team members.  Retaining people in a small team and ensuring that you've got buy-in from everyone within the company, not just direct team members and colleagues, are the things that really keep him up at night.

What he loves about working in a startup environment:

• Freedom to experiment  
• Can get feedback quickly so can iterate very quickly 
• Intimate knowledge of how the business working  

 What frustrates him about startups:

• The rush to get something out of the door so solutions can sometimes be band-aided together 

 His top productivity hack is to avoid tacking shortcuts!

Highlights from The Spotlight Series - Don't Just Survive, Thrive podcast in 2023. Guests include:

• Dinesh Palipana
• Tony Schirmer
• Henry Boulton
• Christin Marshall
• Ben Shapira
• Kody Cook
• Charlie Wood
• Yas Grigaliunas
• Rithik Illankovan

Nicola Steel speaks to Rithik Illankovan, a highly experienced Delivery Lead/ Project Manager. Rithik is also the Founder of a startup called Gezzin. Gezzin's mission is to promote peace in the world by connecting and uniting families.

Rithik tells his personal and professional story migrating from India to Australia as a young student in the early 2000s. He describes his achievements and challenges over the last 20 years.  

Rithik's idea for the Gezzin app started when he was living alone and missing his family back home. This made him consider how he could bring families together on a daily basis sharing their moments. It was this thought that led to him creating a free app with a family tree where users can upload photos, videos, host parties and be involved in group chats.

The word Gezzin means Cousin in African and Family in Dutch which Rithik believes is a perfect word to describe how his app is uniting families with their extended families from around the world.

Download the free Gezzin app from the AppStore and PlayStore.

Yas Grigaliunas is an Impact Entrepreneur and the Founder of Circonomy.  She has many accolades including Global 100 Inspirational Leader of 2022 alongside the likes of Jacinda Ardern, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Sheryl Sandberg, Sara Blakeley and Oprah.

Yas tells her story from pizza delivery driver to her first startup followed by the World's Biggest Garage Sale and now the CEO of Circonomy.  She talks about being an impact entrepreneur and how Circonomy is creating a world without waste and that includes human potential. She is passionate about the global Sustainable Development Goals and building a business that is bigger than just sales and metrics.

Yas always brings her authentic self and is proud that she shows up every day as herself regardless of what is going on in her life.  She believes that one of her greatest strengths is being coachable and being able to have real conversations. The secret to her success is being comfortable in the uncomfortable.

Yas is very values driven and her core values are:

• Love 
• Optimism 
• Empathy 
• Growth 
• Integrity 
• Resilience 
• Transparency

To help Yas on her mission, go to Circonomy- renewed furniture, tech, apparel, toys at affordable prices

Charlie Wood is the CEO of Wiise, the fastest-growing cloud ERP platform. He has over 25 years of tech experience.  Charlie is a successful Sydney-based entrepreneur and business leader, who formerly headed up Dropbox ANZ, held leadership roles at Microsoft and Salesforce, and has built and mentored several startups.

In this episode, Nicola and Charlie discuss his main career highlights and challenges.  They discuss what qualities he looks for in new team members when building high performing teams.  They talk about what factors drive successful business transformations and the traps that cause businesses to fail.

Charlie describes his plans for Wiise over the next 12 months as well as what he looks for when assessing aspiring entrepreneurs.  

They finish the podcast discussing Charlie's main business lessons he has learnt over the course of his career and what habits really drive his success.

Kody Cook is the Head of Software at Gilmour Space Technologies.  Kody has extensive experience of space and aerospace technologies working at the Australian Space Agency, Fleet Space Technologies and Boeing.  His experience encompasses mechatronics, software and systems engineering.  Gilmour and Kody's team are working towards launching Australia's first sovereign made orbital launch vehicle.

Kody demonstrated his engineering credentials from an early age when he started building computers out of junk shop parts from his pocket money around Grade 2. He then progressed to setting his parents' house on fire and electrocuting himself! It is Kody's innate sense of wanting to understand how things work and to solve problems that attracted him to space technology.

In this episode, Kody and Nicola talk about the importance of aerospace technology in Australia.  They discuss how many people don't see or understand the benefits of space technology as well as the lack of government support in the development of future space technologies.

Ben Shapira has extensive experience in the digital advertising and marketing industry. More recently, he has become a tech founder, solving problems in the financial services industry with his innovative tech solutions.  His newest venture is dineiro - a mobile app focusing on the interactions between consumers, mortgage brokers and financial advisors.

Ben and Nicola discuss a variety of topics including:

💲 the future of tech in financial services

💲 the democratisation of financial data 

💲 the importance of financial literacy, particularly for young people

💲 how young people get can get on the housing ladder

In this episode of Insights from Ladies Leading Tech, Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions and Nicola Steel Career Coaching, speaks with Shamila Gopalan, a passionate advocate for empowering women and a dynamic leader with over 25 years experience across three continents. Shamila is the founder of HerWit, a platform dedicated to helping female entrepreneurs scale their businesses, and the Chief Commercial Officer at SisterWorks, a not-for-profit organisation that supports migrant and refugee women in achieving economic independence.

Shamila shares her inspiring journey of creating HerWit to address the challenges female entrepreneurs face, emphasising the importance of focusing on revenue growth and customer understanding before seeking investment. She also discusses her impactful role at SisterWorks, where she helps women overcome barriers to employment and entrepreneurship, fostering economic empowerment through tailored support and skills training.

Nicola and Shamila explore the critical role of mentorship, sponsorship, and inclusive leadership in supporting women entrepreneurs. Shamila highlights the funding gap faced by female founders and shares strategies for balancing a passion for social impact with the commercial skills needed for sustainable success.

This empowering episode celebrates resilience, leadership, and the transformative power of women supporting women. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a leader, or passionate about fostering diversity and inclusion, this episode will leave you inspired and ready to take action.

Christin Marshall is the Founder of Sol & Sonder.  Sol means sun and Sonder is the realization that each person has a life as vivid and as complex as their own.  Sol + Sonder is a lifestyle brand which is looking to integrate renewable energy into everyday accessories which use solar energy so that people can have access to the power of the sun at any time.  Her first product is a solar travel wallet which combines solar power banks wrapped in leather with beautiful colours.

Christin talks about her career and personal background.  Her experience of investing and equity crowdfunding.  She explains the challenges of not getting as much capital as her male counterparts.

Christin's words to her 16 year old self - “You should be so incredibly proud of the resilient woman that you’ve become...you should be extremely proud, and you'll come across a few roadblocks, hard things to get across, but you’ll make it out the other side and you’re gonna do well” 

Henry Boulton is the Chief Innovation Officer and CoFounder of FocusBand. He is an innovator, entrepreneur and performance coach. FocusBand has created a wearable brain sensing headset that helps people improve their performance. 

Henry explains that only 2 out of 10 people are actually engaged at work.  Many people are "time travelling" into the future or they are stuck in the past rather than being in the present moment. We need tools to overcome this with neurofeedback to train the brain. Many people are leaving work feeling exhausted or stressed. FocusBand helps people enjoy going to work and being more efficient so that they can get the best out of their day in the shortest amount of time!

Henry explains how he was obsessed with golf growing up.  He studied electronic engineering and wanted to take technology into sports. He initially developed 3D sensors on the body and realised that something was still missing so he started measuring the brain and mental processes with wearable products that could be used in motion on the golf course. Henry also talks about other career highlights such as working with Facebook/ Meta. 

Henry describes how the headsets can help people improve their performance by picking up brain frequencies. He talks about flowstate which is an optimal state where you are free of emotion and judgement and can get things done faster. We also talk about brain analytics and how his workplace engagement platform provides insights and training for people to sustain optimal performance. 

Henry believes that the secrets to his success are having a pioneering spirit and believing that anything is possible. If he was to do anything differently, he would simplify his offering. Building the right team has been very challenging and he would ensure that he had a dedicated sales and marketing team together with a good UI/ UX and Data team.

Tony Schirmer is the CEO of CQSola and Co-founder at Neocreative.  CQSola builds cutting edge technology which reduces losses in Solar Farms by up to 25%.

Tony explains how he studied Mechatronics at university but ended up dropping out to set up his own business. In this episode, he talks about the various highlights and challenges in his career.

Tony talks about both the benefits and problems of solar power. For example, if one solar panel fails then the whole string fails. A simple everyday comparison is when one Christmas light fails then the whole lot fails. Tony explains how the technology at CQSola overcomes this problem. 

Tony discusses the future of solar power in both Australia and on a global scale.  

The episode concludes with the secrets to his success and if Tony would do anything differently.

In the first episode of Season 5 of the "Don't Just Survive, Thrive" podcast, Nicola talks to Dinesh Palipana OAM.  Dinesh is a doctor, lawyer, disability advocate and the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland. He has many accolades including Queensland Australian of the Year. 

Nicola talks to Dinesh about his personal story including his highlights and challenges.  They discuss how tech and his research project, Project BioSpine, is helping people with spinal cord injuries.  They also explore the impact of automation and robotics on medicine and how it can give back the most important element - the doctor/ patient relationship.

They finish by talking about how his disability has set him free and what he would say to his younger self prior to the accident.  To discover more, read Dinesh's book "Stronger" - Stronger - Palipana, Dinesh | 9781760984786 | Amazon.com.au | Books

How can data and geospatial analytics help us understand climate change and climate adaption?  Gopal Erinjippurath is CTO and Head of Product at Sust Global, a Climate Intelligence SaaS company based in San Francisco.

Gopal has an impressive background.  He moved from India to the US to study electrical engineering to then work in a research lab, studying a PhD and working as a research scientist. He believes that this background in academia and research has helped build his foundations and passion for enabling widespread use of the application of fundamental research to commercialise products.

For example, Gopal drove the research, development, and technical delivery of an imaging IP portfolio for Dolby Vision which was licensed to tier-1 media players including Sony and Apple.

Prior to founding Sust Global, he was Senior Director of Analytics Engineering at Planet where he built and scaled 4 diverse Agile engineering teams.  Gopal’s advice for building high performing teams includes:

•             Focus on diversity 

•             Respect each other 

•             Have a unified mission & purpose 

 Gopal finishes our conversation by explaining that he would tell his 15 year old self to stay hungry for more information and knowledge.  Basically, maintain your curiosity!

What would you say is the secret to your success?  Which of the following resonates most with you: 

⭐ Being in the right place at the right time 

⭐ Knowing when to quit and when to quit early 

⭐ Being willing to take risks in decision making 

Rav Raniga, Partner Lead at tech startup ELARA, believes all of the above are the secrets to his success.  

After a brief break from podcast recording, I was thrilled to speak to Rav who has extensive expertise in Mathematics and algorithmic software solutions.  I find it fascinating how he has the ability to deconstruct complex problems and create elegant solutions using customer-centric design.  Rav is also just a fantastic and humble person so it is always a delight to speak to him! 

Rav tells the story of his father’s upbringing in Fiji and how his determination and work ethic led him to a career in pharmacy and then a pivot to law!  The family moved to Australia and Rav says that he had a privileged life which allowed him to follow his interests in arts, sciences, mathematics and the science of decision making. 

We talk about his role at Elara.AI, a well-funded early-stage tech startup which has a totally unique proposition.  It is a programmable AI platform which is bridging the gap between business and technology by improving the developer experience and providing business with the best insights so it can make intelligent decisions. 

Rav and I discuss his predictions about AI, Machine Learning and data optimisation.   Rav talks about the highlights of his career including the opportunity to travel, meet different types of people and making an impact.  We talk about the problems of communicating with both technical people and the business to provide the best solution. 

Rav is helping build a highly talented team at Elara.  The characteristics he looks for in new team members are: 

⭐ Passion for problem solving  

⭐ Customer first 

⭐ Trust 

⭐ Innovative 

I ask Rav what his advice is for attracting and retaining high performance tech teams.  He starts by saying use a really good recruiter who takes the time to understand the business (I didn’t pay him to say this, I promise!).  He also says that paying a competitive salary should be a given as well as the opportunity to work on exciting tasks with clear end goals. 

Jonathan Girroir is Technical Evangelist at Tech Soft 3D, a company which provides 3D software development toolkits that power world class engineering applications.  Jonathan has 25 years experience in the software development industry and has a passion for building the next generation of 3D software. 

Jonathan talks about Tech Soft 3D’s main software – HOOPS – 3D software development toolkits (SDKs) which power world-class engineering applications. HOOPS is an anagram for Hierarchy of Object-Oriented Picture System. We talk about how HOOPS is enabling the AR industry and his advice for handling massive data sets with web and mobile engineering applications.

Nicola Steel and Jonathan discuss Jonathan’s career highlights including being part of a startup after college, being a lecturer at Harvard University, travelling the world and taking a major investment in Tech Soft 3D.  They also talk about his main challenges which include living in a small US city and overcoming the 2008/2009 Global Financial Crisis.

Jonathan believes that the crucial characteristics of high performers are:

⭐A desire and hunger to make a difference

⭐A doer

⭐Ability to learn and be teachable

⭐Shared values

Jonathan’s values are integrity, hard work and kindness. His company values are be agile and responsive, have fun, build positive relationships, pursue excellence!

In this first episode of Season 4, Nicola Steel talks to Colin Goudie and Charles Connell. Colin is a serial co-founder of various tech startups including Userlot - Customer Success Management, Social Pinpoint and Dogeared. Charles is the other Co-Founder of Userlot - Customer Success Management and was also a Co-Founder at Social Pinpoint. 

They begin by talking about their backgrounds and purpose behind Userlot and Social Pinpoint as well as their core values which are be customer driven and get stuff done!

Nicola asks what advice they would give to startups when they are being acquired based on Colin and Charles’ experience of the acquisition of Social Pinpoint by MySite Group. Their advice is to be friends with your competitors - listen to learn why this makes sense. They also believe that the secret to building high performing tech teams is to create a really good network and have your team fully understand what customer success is.

And finally, I asked what advice would they give their 21 year old selves:

⭐ “You got to love what you do and stick with it” – Colin
⭐ “Work hard, take risks, enjoy the ride!” - Charles

That’s a wrap for Season 3 of “The Spotlight Series – Don’t Just Survive, Thrive” podcast for 2021.  Here are podcast mashup highlights from this year talking to startup founders and senior tech leaders.  

⭐Maree Beare, Founder of Wanngi (and more recently Clinials) talking about disrupting health tech and her purpose behind Wanngi (0:33- 2:58)

⭐Tony Ryan, Education Futurist, talking about the future of work and if there is a 50% chance that we live in a computer simulation (3:02-5:12)

⭐Stewart Marshall discussing how SaaS companies can scale and grow (5:15- 7:15)

⭐🦜 Jeff Jaraved and Taryn Syratt, Founders of CAAsie, talking about how they are revolutionising billboard advertising and their purpose behind CAASie (7:18- 10:13)

⭐Rosie Attwell discussing how she went from a degree in Art to a career in AI (10:16- 12:20)

⭐Mike Seidle from Pivot CX providing advice to aspiring entrepreneurs about how to start up, persevere and succeed (12:23- 13:44)

⭐David Davies, Founder of AgUnity, talking how smartphone and blockchain technology helps smallholder farmers lift themselves out of poverty (13:47- 15:26)

⭐Ken Auer, Founder of Role Model Software, talking about the key characteristics of high performers (15:29- 18:36)

⭐Simon Keefe, former Atlassian tech leader, advising how to recruit and retain high performing teams (18:39- 21:18)

⭐Justin Falk, Founder of TalentVine, provides about hiring in a highly competitive market (21:20-24:46)

⭐Adam Amos, Founder of Robotic Systems, telling his story and how his company was ranked in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 (24:49- 26:19)

⭐Madhu Sundararajan & Abhinav Raje talking about their humble beginnings in India to successful IT careers in Australia and tips for migrants (26:22-28:04)

⭐Leanne Kemp ★★★      康灵安, Founder of Everledger, about why she turned down an investment (29:07-30:56)

⭐Vijay Solanki🦄, Founder of Parental EQ, about being an older startup founder and how Parental EQ helps with children’s emotional health (30:59-34:16)

⭐🤖 Yaniv Bernstein Bernstein, former Head of Engineering at Google and Airtasker, talking about the highlights of his career (34:19- 36:58)

⭐Miriam van Heusden, Founder of Maralytics, and how her core values have driven her culture (37:01- 38:56)

⭐Eli Harrell, Founder of Valhalla.team, advising how to grow and nurture high performing remote teams (38:59- 42:01)

⭐Evan Cummack, CEO of Fin.com, providing advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and succeeding in Silicon Valley (42:04-43:55)

⭐Mary Callaghan, Senior Director of Product Management at Hitachi Energy, discussing what the key characteristics of high performing product teams (43:58- 45:13)

Mary Callaghan, Senior Director of Product Management at Hitachi Energy, talks about her career and the secrets to her success.

Mary was born in Dublin and was the youngest of 7 children! She visited Australia for a year of adventure and has been here ever since. One of the key highlights of her career was being awarded Global Product Manager of the year in 2019. 

She believes that the secrets to her success are:

⭐ Having a strong foundation in her childhood and upbringing

⭐ Being true to her core values and treating people equally

⭐ Being respectful

⭐ Learning to keep her ego in check

⭐ Being open to change

 Mary discusses her experience as a woman in technology and how it has changed over time. She talks about the comprehensive programme at Hitachi Energy including the female talent development program where female participants are assigned mentors for professional and personal development. 

Mary’s team’s core values are:

⭐Authenticity

⭐Connection

⭐Kindness

⭐Harmony

⭐Gratitude

Mary finished the podcast with this final advice for listeners:

⭐ “Every day is an opportunity to learn whether its technology, meeting new people, new habits.”

⭐ “This is the gig, it’s not a dry run or practice. This is it.”

⭐ “I believe that we are all responsible for our own happiness so keep it real.”

⭐ “Everybody has challenges but its how you deal with the challenges, that defines you.”

Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions and Nicola Steel Career Coaching, speaks with Denver Naidoo, CTO and Founder of Zeligate, an AI workforce provider with a mission to empower teams through AI. Denver shares his inspiring journey in tech, from the early days of computing to pioneering Zeligate, which offers AI-powered assistants to handle routine tasks like phone calls, video interviews, and customer interactions, freeing employees to focus on more meaningful work.

Nicola and Denver discuss how Zeligate is making AI accessible to small and medium-sized businesses with an affordable pricing model, allowing them to leverage AI-driven tools previously available only to larger enterprises. Denver describes the company’s vision for Zeli, their AI assistant, to boost productivity and efficiency while integrating smoothly into daily business operations.

The conversation also explores the importance of ethical AI practices, the challenges of scaling a tech company, and the exciting future of AI in the workplace. Denver envisions a world where AI assistants like Zeli become invaluable in helping individuals and companies streamline their work, paving the way for AI’s role in education and lifelong learning.

This episode is packed with insights into the future of AI, the scalability of tech solutions, and the transformative power of making advanced AI tools accessible to all businesses.

Would you be bold enough to leave a small suburb north of Wellington, New Zealand, borrow some money from your mum to fly to San Francisco and then contact VPs of leading software companies to introduce yourself over a coffee?! 

This is the bold (and successful) move Evan Cummack made at the end of 2010.  He moved from a small team at NEC creating fingerprint identification technology for the New Zealand police department to then join Twilio as one of their early employees in 2011.  Evan is now the CEO of Fin, a company shaping the future of work which was founded by former Facebook VP Sam Lessin and Venmo Co-Founder Andrew Kortina.  

 In this latest episode of “The Spotlight Series – Don’t Just Survive, Thrive” podcast, Evan and I discuss a variety of topics including:

 ⭐ Transitioning from NEC Corporation to a tech start-up, Twilio, as one of their early employees 

⭐ His recent experience of raising US $20 million capital for Fin in San Francisco

⭐ Evan’s thoughts on the future of work

⭐ His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs 

 We finish by talking about the secrets behind his success.  Evan explains that he was very attracted to the software industry when he was young and the tech industry has had unbelievable growth since then.  He didn’t have to go and teach himself the fundamentals as an adult.  Basically, he believes that it is really hard to have influence inside technology companies if you don’t understand technology at a fundamental level.  

“Saying yes to the weird things” has been one of the highlights of Eli Harrell’s career.  Eli explains that realising that the things we tend to shy away from because they are unknown or scary is really where the growth is. 
 

Eli Harrell is the Co-Founder and Chief of Strategy at Valhalla.team, a company which helps tech companies build high performing teams which create products with purpose. 

In the latest episode of “The Spotlight Series – Don't Just Survive, Thrive”, I talk to Eli about growing up in the US as the eldest of 8 children who were all homeschooled .  Eli’s parents were both entrepreneurs and he worked in his dad’s business whilst growing up.  He is an advocate of self-directive learning and has a diverse range of experience.  His thirst for knowledge and experience led him to moving to the Philippines in 2014. 

Eli is very values focused.  From a personal experience, he is constantly growing and learning with the purpose of helping people.  He is also always open to change.  Business for him is most rewarding  when the problem you are solving really matters to you. 

Eli believes that you should never stop seeking to make your business better by constantly understanding your target market and really understanding their problems.  With regards to creating a great software product, you need constant clarity on your product road map.  In terms of leading remote teams, he says that having a  genuine awareness of how people are doing is even more important as is being creative in doing events to connect with each other.  

Eli’s attributes the following to his success: 

• learn how to build habits 
• learn how to maintain energy 
• learn how to improve yourself 
• Be future- focused  
• Have openness to change 

“Don’t take life too seriously and make sure you have fun” is the advice Miriam van Heusden would tell her 16 year old self in the latest podcast episode of the “The Spotlight Series – Don’t Just Survive, Thrive”.

Miriam is the founder of Maralytics, a software startup which has created a marketing performance program that provides accurate results for sales revenue and customer acquisition. Miriam has many years’ previous experience in the hospitality and travel industries. It was Miriam’s frustration of not being able to find a solution for her restaurant which would allow her to accurately analyse the results of her advertising spend that led her to create Maralytics.

Miriam talks about her main challenges. She worked three jobs for the first few years to fund Maralytics and to keep her dream alive. Another challenge has been finding her ideal customers and providing a solution that they both want and need.

Miriam’s end goal is to sell Maralytics and to be the next tech unicorn! She has lots planned over the next few years including various partnerships, officially launching her software, her book launch as well as travelling and exhibiting on the international stage when Australia’s borders open.

“Time is a valuable commodity and taking too long to make any sort of decision comes at a really significant but invisible cost” are the wise words Yaniv Bernstein would tell himself if he could turn back time. In the latest podcast episode of “The Spotlight Series – Don’t Just Survive, Thrive”, Yaniv advises that you should act early, act quickly, be courageous and don’t look back!

Yaniv Bernstein has extensive experience as a Software Engineering Manager working for Google twice both in Switzerland and then Sydney. Until recently, he was VP Engineering and then Chief Operating Officer at Airtasker.

We talk about his time at Google and how the company has changed over time. Yaniv worked in different parts of the company including Google Search, YouTube and Google Maps. One of the highlights was working on a system for managing copyright in YouTube which detected copyrighted material before it went live on the site. Today, he feels that Google has somewhat lost its way with increasing distance between leadership and the people working on the ground.

We discuss how the transition from working at Google to startups was a bit of shock. Having spent 10 years with Google, he was somewhat institutionalised.  Google has a reputation for having very high hiring standards. In a start-up, it was his job to make the team perform to the high level of Google whilst being involved in the entire interview process, hiring decisions, salary negotiations etc. We talk about his transition to COO at Airtasker where he was tasked with creating a high performance cross functional organisation spanning from engineering to customer support and HR.

Yaniv’s advice to grow teams where individuals can really grow, thrive and deliver massive value is for individuals to really understand THE WHY. When he is growing high performance teams, Yaniv looks for the following:

⭐ Intellectual curiosity – i.e. individuals who really need to understand and get to the bottom of things rather than blindly following instructions

⭐ A great mindset

⭐ Hiring for both technical talent and attitude is equally as important 

He keeps team members engaged and committed by giving them a sense of purpose so they really understand why they’re doing what they’re doing.  It is important to create an environment where there is genuine recognition for the value they provide.

We also talk about his newsletter – People Engineering. His initial purpose for the publication was because very few people really understood what a COO actually was - it was a mysterious role!  It quickly developed to a broader discussion on leadership, organisational design and organisational purpose. 

“You can’t do the hours of a 28-year-old but the wisdom you have as a founder over 50 is the counterbalance” are the sage words from Vijay Solanki.
 

Vijay is the co-founder of ParentalEQ, an app which helps parents manage their children’s emotional & social development.  Vijay has had a diverse career that traverses marketing, digital and innovation, delivering a succession of major marketing and digital transformations at a global scale with BP, Philips and Blackberry as well as being the launch marketing director at Shazam.

With a background in Psychology, Vijay is obsessed by what people do and why they do it.  The traumatic loss of his mother in adulthood made him rethink about what to do with his life and his parenting style.  This became the purpose behind ParentalEQ.  

Vijay was born in Kenya to Indian parents and spent most of his earlier years in Yorkshire.  His upbringing has really molded his core values which are:

⭐Diversity 

⭐Equality

⭐Democracy

Vijay is a recent cohort of the Activate programme with River City Labs.  He explains how RCL is a great place to learn and gets you into shape to present to investors. His advice is to find the investors you think best suit your style and also be very clear of what you want from them and your objectives. One of his main challenges as an early-stage start-up founder has been unlearning and relearning.  It is essential that you are coachable.

Vijay will continue to create a more personalized service with ParentalEQ and grow the customer base in Australia and in the UK. His end goal is to impact one million families. 

 
http://parentaleq.com
Vijay Solanki🦄 | LinkedIn

 “Be stubborn on the vision and flexible on the details…. the “why” is what drives you to keep fighting the good fight” is some key advice from Leanne Kemp.

 
Leanne is the Founder and CEO of Everledger and until recently was Queensland Chief Entrepreneur.  Originally from Brisbane, Leanne describes herself as unemployable and a serial entrepreneur.  She is a self taught engineer who loves to solve problems and scale and grow companies.  She talks about how being an entrepreneur is like throwing yourself out of a plane (which she has done many times along with many other extreme sports!).

Leanne talks about how she wanted to increase truth and transparency of supply chains and how she started with tracking the traceability of diamonds.  She is driven by sustainability, believes that all businesses should have a profit, loss and impact statement and that people and planet should be at the forefront of decision making.

Leanne is a female founder and unconscious bias has actually been one of her superpowers!  She can code like the best of them and spends most of her time on a keyboard rather than with people.  Leanne’s values are really important to her and have driven the culture of Everledger as she has grown the company to over 100 people globally across 6 locations.  These values include:

o   Be the trust. 

o   Be you, be united.

o   Pack light, work right.

o   Bring the future forward

Leanne stresses the importance of having aligned principles when attracting investors.  You can’t simply get rid of an investor!

Leanne also talks about how she plans to innovate and disrupt the insurance industry.  We discuss her time as Queensland Chief Entrepreneur and how innovation and entrepreneurship can really create change.

 
Leanne was talking to me from Seattle and the sound quality is not as good as I would have liked.  Nevertheless, it is an insightful, engaging and fun conversation!

“Learning is the main skill of the future” is my favourite quote from the latest episode of the “Don’t just Survive, Thrive” podcast with Madhu Sundararajan and Abhinav Raje.  In this episode, we talk about their journeys from humble beginnings in India to successful careers in Australia. 

Every couple of years, Madhu asks himself if he is learning and if he is being useful.  His role model is himself in 10 years so he looks forwards, not backwards, and has no regrets. Madhu and Abhi have a podcast called “Inspiring Ideas” which aims to inspire people and provide a better understanding of what is happening in the tech world. 

We talk about the challenges of migrating to Australia from India including starting your career from scratch again and having no existing networks.  Madhu advises new migrants to listen to Australian radio and also invest in your soft skills training not just your technical skills.  Abhi says that the right mindset is imperative to overcome the challenges of moving to a new country.  He advises that you should be highly active on LinkedIn with the right professionals in the country you are moving to. 

We discuss emerging technologies such as AI, Blockchain, Cloud and Data Science and how it is necessary to gain a better understanding and upgrade your skills in these four key areas.  We talk about how emerging tech must always be managed with the risks on humanity and ethics at front of mind. 

Adam Amos is Director of Robotic Systems, an engineering consultancy that specialises in accelerating the journey from initial idea to manufactured device.  Robotic Systems brings together electronics, software and hardware to turn customers’ practical experience into game changing new products.  Robotic Systems have also been ranked in the Deloitte Technology Fast 500.  

Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions, talks to Justin Falk, Founder of TalentVine about how hard graft, hustle, pivots and a sprinkling of luck have led to the success of his start up.

TalentVine is a marketplace which connects employers to specialist recruiters with key data & performance metrics. Justin talks about a series of mistakes he made with regards to what he thought employers actually wanted. One of these mistakes was the thought that employers simply wanted the cheapest recruitment solution - he quickly discovered that this was not the case!

Justin spent the first few years doing the grunt work of talking to lots of employers to discuss the concept and validate the idea.  One of his successes led to an introduction to an early stage investor where he gained his first Seed funding which meant that TalentVine could grow.

Justin comes from an employer branding & recruitment campaign background and is not a technical founder.  Apart from a $400 WordPress site, there was no tech until 2 years later.  He then found a tech co-founder, joined the River City Labs Accelerator programme and hired interns before hiring full time employees.

Nicola and Justin discuss how Talentvine handled Covid when the number of roles on the platform dropped from 80 to 4 in less than 2 months.  He ensured that he was still talking to his clients and adding value rather than attempting to sell anything.  Justin also experienced the pain of having to make some people redundant which he found particularly hard.

They talk about how the market has completely changed and the competition for talent has skyrocketed.  Justin's key advice is to ensure that employers focus not just on hiring but on retaining their existing talent.  He also advises that employers partner with a specialist recruiter when hiring rather than a generalist as well moving fast because most candidates have multiple offers at the moment.

"Don't be afraid to succeed" is the advice that tech leader Simon Keefe would give his 15 year old self.

Nicola Steel talks to Simon, a highly experienced software engineering lead who has worked for Atlassian & various organisations in the UK & Australia.

Simon talks about his life growing up in a poor area of Liverpool where his headmaster told him that he would "amount to nothing"! He was fortunate enough to ignore this "advice" and gained a 1st Class degree which propelled his tech leadership career.

He talks about how working for Atlassian was a massive culture shock because the company actually lived & breathed their values across the organisation with a very open culture & candid feedback.

Simon believes that the most important aspect of high performing teams is TRUST (as opposed to fear) as well as psychological safety & empathy. We talk about diversity & how men are a crucial part of the conversation.

The main challenges Simon has experienced are toxic work environments, imposter syndrome & the discrimination he faced because of his sexuality.

We also talk about his passion for philanthropy.

Simon's Linkedin Profile - Simon Keefe | LinkedIn

Nicola Steel, Founder of JJP Talent Solutions and Nicola Steel Career Coaching, talks to Susan Toft, Founder of The Laundry Lady and winner of Founder of the Year at the Women in Digital Awards 2024. In this episode of Ladies Leading Tech, Susan shares her incredible journey of starting The Laundry Lady after her corporate role was made redundant in 2012. What started as a solo business has now scaled into a thriving operation with over 300 contractors across Australia and New Zealand.

Nicola and Susan discuss the importance of leveraging technology to scale, with Susan recounting how a digital grant in 2016 helped integrate an online booking platform that transformed her business. They also explore the benefits of developing proprietary software like Time Boss, which allowed The Laundry Lady to scale even further, and Susan’s experience of being featured on Shark Tank.

This episode highlights Susan’s resilience and determination, along with her passion for providing business opportunities to women.  She also delves into her exciting future plans for international expansion into Canada, the US, the UK, and Japan.

Don’t miss this inspiring conversation filled with insights into entrepreneurship, technology, and innovation. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, entrepreneur, or just curious about the world of business, this episode is packed with valuable lessons and motivation for anyone looking to scale their own ventures.

Ken Auer is the Founder of Role Model Software in North Carolina in the US.  Since the mid-1980s, Ken’s passion and commitment to software craftsmanship has made him a respected leader in the creation of sustainable software and high performance teams. He was introduced as "the father of software craftsmanship" at the inaugural Software Craftsmanship North America conference in 2009.

As a teenager, Ken’s main passions were baseball & maths which lead him to a degree in Computer Science specialising in software & management. In the 80s, he was introduced to GUI & OO programming including Smalltalk, the father of all OO languages. In 1997, he founded Role Model Software.

Ken started various workshops including the Software as a Studio Discipline which was the first world leading extreme programming studio. We talk about the benefits of situated learning & sustainable software.

There have been various highlights during his career including been introduced as "the father of software craftsmanship" at the inaugural Software Craftsmanship conference, mentoring young people who have gone on to do great things as well as his Lightning framework for designing custom SaaS products.

Ken’s advice – be humble, get rid of your ego, learn from everyone and serve others.

For more information, visit these links -
https://www.cutter.com/journal/software-programming-craft-impact-agile-development-487186
https://LightningCAD.com
 
 

In the latest "The Spotlight Series - Don't Just Survive, Thrive" podcast, Nicola Steel speaks to David Davies. David is the Founder of AgUnity & has a fascinating story! He grew up in Outback Australia & his interest in tech took him to Hong Kong & the UK, time in West Africa & 12 years working in investment banks in Japan & Singapore. During his adventures on a UNESCO project in Africa, he came to understand the challenges of smallholder farmers (as well as being shot at, working on fields with land mines & been circled by hyenas - life is never dull with David!).

David explains how AgUnity happened by accident when he competed in a hackathon to win the prize of Singularity University & was introduced to the Gates Foundation.  AgUnity is a simple concept whereby blockchain allows transactions to be recorded securely & giving the farmers smartphones leads to trust, co-operation & collaboration to create a more level playing field. We discuss the dangers of how blockchain can be abused & lead to human trafficking. 

 AgUnitys’ global technology platform empowers thousands of organizations working toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals to connect with ‘the last mile’ farmers and communities. This customised smartphone & OS solution serves as a technological ecosystem; providing the people living and working with remote food supply chains with practical, accessible tools to connect, establish effective lines of communication and ensure an ethical, accountable means of trade. 
 
 Widely recognized by major NGO's and studied my leading universities, David’s team at AgUnity are currently running projects in Africa, Asia Latin America and the Pacific positively impacting farmer lives with profound and long-lasting effect.  

Learn more via their website (www.agunity.com) and follow their journey across their social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram @agunity, Twitter @AgUnity). 

A warmer world will hurt this group more than any other | Bill Gates (gatesnotes.com)

AgUnity | A Global Technology Platform - YouTube

Mike Seidle is Co-Founder of PivotCX, a company based in Indiana in the US which delivers awesome candidate experiences & saves recruiters time with live, human-to-human communication.

Mike is a serial entrepreneur who has founded 6 businesses. Last year, he had to reinvent his company very quickly when his revenue dropped by 85% & PivotCX was born.

Mike and Nicola talk about the importance of human to human interaction in the recruitment process. How it speeds up the process whilst improving the candidate experience.  They talk about when it is best to use chatbots and when a human is better.  Chatbots are best for yes/ no questions but are terrible at carrying on conversations because they lack empathy, humour etc. His solution was to have live human conversations via text which is both efficient & inexpensive.

When building his teams, Mike looks for exceptional communication skills, a love of learning & shared values.  His advice to entrepreneurs is to ask questions & really listen to the answers & also keep your ego in check!

His final piece of advice comes from Jack Welch - "Know the facts & act on them"!

How can you transition from a career in art to a career in AI?

In the latest podcast episode, Nicola Steel talks to Rosie Attwell.  Until recently, Rosie was Artificial Intelligence Delivery Lead at CUA. Rosie puts the pivot into pivoting! She studied a degree in Fine Art then moved to marketing in digital agencies followed by innovation & AI. 

They talk about how Rosie applied for over 60 roles at the start of her career. Eventually, she applied for a Director role at a Digital Agency. They were intrigued by her so invited her for interview & offered her an entry level role.  This was her foot in the door! Basically, be bold!

Rosie talks about one of her achievements being the Robotics & AI Ethical Practice Policy at CUA. She also discusses the challenges of building trust with & between internal teams across AI, data, etc.

Rosie advises that you nurture your connections to progress in your career. She also believes in the importance of good habits & surrounding yourself with empathetic people.

As a woman in tech, Rosie has been discriminated against and even been told “you don’t belong here”.  This has driven her to succeed & mentor young women in AI.