George Freney is an experienced entrepreneur who is passionate and curious about how rapidly accelerating technology, combined with changing human behaviour, creates challenges and opportunities for people, businesses and governments.  George is fascinated with the idea lifecycle and the best way to generate worthwhile ideas, quickly assess if they are worth testing and validating if they are worth launching.  George has been involved with many technology-centric businesses as an investor, advisor, founder, director and executive.  In 2007 he helped found conTgo a market-leading mobile travel technology platform that was sold in 2013.  In 2012, he co-founded booodl to solve a complex problem for physical retail businesses. George led the company from initial idea through 5 rounds of fundraising, securing strategic customers and partnerships, multiple strategies and product pivots and the decision to stop pursuing the mission.  George is now a founding partner of 11point2, a boutique advisory and technology lab focused on helping people, businesses and government validate worthwhile ideas and co-founder and executive director of Space Machines Company, an Australian Space Transport and Logistics provider and a member of the Flinders University Governing Council Audit & Risk Committee. George has previously held board positions with the South Australian Government Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and was a director of the RAA and member of the Investment Committee.  George holds an Honours Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Adelaide, completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.  In this episode, George and Daniel touch on his journey to where he finds himself today from studying Chemical Engineering to unpacking his experiences through his Entrepreneurial exploits, to what does the start-up mindset look like and its importance in uncovering and validating ideas. Georges core philosophy is "those that are able, are obligated to do" and his belief that "uncovering ideas that are worthwhile is an art". We also spend we spent a lot of time talking about the start-up world and the decision that all entrepreneurs fear: The idea of closing down or not pursuing a business.  George shared with us the thought process he went through and how he came to make the tough decision of liquidating and what was to "fail the right way" and all the lessons he took away from this experience. Books mentioned in this podcast: Can't Hurt Me - Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds - By David Goggins Range - How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World - By David Epstein Extreme Ownership - By: Jocko Willink, Leif Babin Doom - The Politics of Catastrophe  By Niall Ferguson Where to find George Freney. LinkedIn 11point2 Join the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast.  Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us.  Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn. 

Fiona is the People Executive Lead at OZ Minerals after joining the forward-thinking mining company in February 2019, and she believes the focus on corporate culture can no longer be seen as an optional extra.   For the past two decades, Fiona has worked with organisations to help build cultures that create value for all stakeholders. With a Masters in Org Psych, an MBA and 20+yrs multinational corporate HR experience Fiona is passionate about evidence-based practices to help leaders build the cultures they need. Its through her experience, she knows for certain that In toxic cultures engagement drops, turnover increases and market values decrease.  Fiona began her career with Shell in the UK before establishing the HR function for Bausch and Lomb UK’s manufacturing division. After moving to Australia to complete her MBA, Fiona joined Lion Nathan as HR Director Wines and Spirits, followed by a series of roles in corporate strategy and capability. Across all of these roles, Fiona’s passion has been the development of high performing cultures through the application of evidence-based practices.  Most recently, Fiona ran her own leadership development consultancy supporting leaders to drive culture change through a focus on their mindsets and behaviours. Fiona is a Fellow of the Australian HR Institute, an accredited coach with the International Coaching Federation and a member of the Australian Adaptive Leadership Institute’s advisory committee. In this episode,  Fiona and I touch on her journey today from backpacking all over the world to unpacking her experiences through her corporate career. We deep dive into systems, symbols, behaviours and the mindset required for high performing cultures. We also spend we spent a lot of time talking about the innovative ways OZ Minerals manage their workforce, inclusion and diversity, to how they are positioning themselves for the future of work.Books mentioned in this podcast:My Year Of Living Vulnerably By Rick MortonAn Everyone Culture - Becoming a Deliberately Developmental OrganizationWhere to find Fiona Blakely..LinkedInJoin the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn.

Michelle T Holland is an international best-selling author, speaker, consultant, and the Founder and Creative Director of Synergy IQ. With over 20 years of experience and as a leader in creating business excellence through people, Michelle has helped thousands of leaders to build their confidence and skills in change. In addition, she is an experienced culture change expert, a certified Dare to Lead™ facilitator, an accredited Human Synergistics practitioner, and a strategic advisor. The author of 3 books, including the best seller “Culture Inc”, Michelle speaks at conferences, runs workshops, consults and challenges thinking. Michelle dreams of a world where people are accepted and valued for their unique contributions, feel safe to be who they authentically are, and are inspired to fulfil their potential. In this episode, Michelle gives us a sneak peek into her upcoming book Imperfect Leadership, which is an invitation for leaders just to start looking at leadership differently, start looking at this perfect version of leadership that they've created in their head and start unpacking why we're striving for this perfection of leadership.  More about the Imperfect Leadership book: “You will always fail when you are trying to be a perfect leader; you are a human after all.” Said, my mentor. After a particularly challenging week trying to be everything to everyone, I was ready to give up. This was the beginning of my journey to embrace imperfect leadership. Imagine a world where people are able to give their best every day and reach their full potential. A world where we leverage strengths so that our leaders can be inspiring, caring and successful, and workplaces that support our well-being and emotional lives… Contrary to this utopia, we have created a world where our good leaders feel they are failing because they are not great. They look at the textbook leader with shame and longing and work themselves to exhaustion trying to meet this perfect yet unrealistic view of leadership. This talk explores the phenomenon of working extremely hard, compromising our wellbeing, and trying to be the perfect leader. It’s time for a revolution in leadership that appreciates us for our fallible humanness. Key takeaways: Where the pressure for perfect leadership comes from and why it's harmful to business success What is an “imperfect leader”, and why it's the only kind of leader for the future How embracing your own imperfection will create strength and courage you never knew possible Four (4) pillars of an imperfect leadership mindset and skillset so you can be a successful (and healthy) leader now and into the future.Where to find Michelle T. HollandLinkedInWebsiteJoin the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn.

Dr James Muecke AM is an Adelaide-based ophthalmologist with over 35 years of experience, having practised all over the world in countries Kenya, Jerusalem, and London. Through his profound experience, James has taught the diagnosis and management of eye cancer in ten countries in Asia. He founded the not-for-profit organization Sight For All in 2008, turning his boundless energy into a fight against blindness in the Aboriginal and mainstream communities of Australia and some of the poorest countries of the world. Sight For All’s comprehensive and sustainable projects are now impacting the lives of over one million people each year. His commitment to social impact and humanitarian endeavours has earned him several awards, including:Order of Australia in 2012,  Australian Medical Association’s President’s Leadership Award in 2013,  Ernst & Young’s Social Entrepreneur for Australia in 2015. and in 2020, James was awarded Australian of the Year 2020 for his 32 years of humanitarian work. He is using this powerful platform to raise awareness of our poor diet, laden with sugar, which is devastating the health of Australians.  In this episode, Dr James shared the incredible journey that led him to become a world-renowned ophthalmologist and 2020 Australian of the Year. We deep-dived into the amazing impact his not for profit, Sight for all, is having globally, which has the ultimate mission to create a world where everyone can see.  Using his platform as Australian of the year, James is passionate about educating the world on the root cause of diabetes and prevent looming health catastrophes. In addition, he wants to challenge our perception and our relationship with sugar,  as he states that "Sugar is as toxic and addictive as nicotine".  He walked us through the growing cases of type 2 diabetes and ways to avoid this. We also spoke about one of his patients, Neil, who, as a result of his extreme sugar intake, led to Neil waking up one morning completely blind and lead to 9 separate amputation operations. The negative effects that sugar has on our health and the correlation between sugar and blindness is confronting.James also shared his thoughts on what the future looks like for the human race if we keep going down the path of fast food, sugars, alcohol etc.Where to find Dr James MueckeLinkedInSight For AllJoin the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn.

Wendy Perry is the Managing Director of Workforce BluePrint and  Entrepreneur Facilitator for Adelaide – West, Switch Start Scale.  Wendy is an entrepreneur herself, with her business doing work all over the world. Further to this, she is also an author, educator, explorer, innovator, mentor and speaker on Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Wendy is also a renowned expert in Workforce Planning and Development, Vocational Education and Training (VET),  International Capability and Capacity Development.  Wendy is living a life purpose, working to her strengths in Mentoring and facilitation, where she works alongside entrepreneurs, founders, individuals, organisations, start-ups, scaleups, students and unicorn companies.  On top of her own business, Wendy is strongly aligned to other business interests and partnerships, which include Australia Bhutan Ventures, Blue Poppy Ventures and Big Kids Adventures. In this episode, Wendy shares insights into her career journey, to the world she finds herself in now, her description of an entrepreneurial mindset and her approach to scaling the business globally: with tips on,  where to start, what countries to look at and a typical approach to take. We also discussed how to improve productivity and get stuff done, and how she manages her busy schedule. We talked about what is workforce strategy and why is it important, what the future of work looks like and to finish up, Wendy shared with us the meaning of her personal # of #humblehustle. Where to find Wendy PerryLinkedInEmail: wendy@workforceblueprint.com.auJoin the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn.Books  and podcasts mentioned on this episode: The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck  - by Mark MansonBlue Ocean Strategy - How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant - By W. Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne

Katrina Webb is recognised and acknowledged for her success as a Paralympic athlete. She has won Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in athletics at three Paralympic Games.She was the first torchbearer to enter the Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games and in 2006 Katrina was selected on behalf of the International Paralympic Committee to speak at the United Nations in New York.Off the track, Katrina is the Director of Silver 2 Gold High-Performance Solutions which specializes in powering organisations, teams and individuals best.Katrina is a global ambassador for the International Paralympic Committee and due to her own experience in dealing with a disability and a deep love of helping others, Katrina is the Founder and Director of Newday Leadership a platform to inspire leadership for the greater good.Katrina Webb is an international speaker, leadership and personal mastery consultant, a trainer in Wellbeing and Resilience, a physiotherapist and an accredited workplace trainer and assessor.Katrina loves to be challenged. She has walked the Kokoda track and has trekked to Basecamp Everest twice. She is also a mother to not just one but to three beautiful boys.In this episode, Katrina shares her journey and experience of being an athlete and talks to her thoughts on the role that sport plays in setting people up for success not only in the business environment but in life itself. She also shares how challenging it was dealing with her disability and the fear of being different. We talked about her desire to keep putting herself into situations that are tough, uncomfortable, scary, such as speaking at TedX, trekking both the Kokoda track and the Everest Basecamp, not once, but twice, and currently, she is over in Japan and will be hosting the Paralympics on Channel 7! To finish up, we also discussed Katrina's thoughts about what can businesses do to support their people through the pandemic from a well-being perspective and the importance that the organisational culture plays in wellbeing and resilience.Where to find Katrina WebbLinkedInWebsiteNew LeadershipJoin the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn.Books  and podcasts mentioned on this episode: Coaching Habit - By Michael Bungay StanierThe Happiness Trap : Stop Struggling, Start Living - Stop struggling, start living - By Russ Harris, Steven C. Hayes Discover Your True North - By Bill George, David GergenUntamed - By: Glennon Doyle

Daniel Gannon is one of South Australia’s leading and most influential industry executives - an expert and strategic leader in membership-based organisations.  Over the past seven years, Daniel has spearheaded successful historical campaigns to abolish commercial stamp duty, reform land tax and defeat punitive taxes on CBD car parks and banks. Advocacy outcomes like these have increased South Australia’s investment attractiveness - particularly the state’s property and real estate sectors.  In 2020, Daniel was named one of South Australia's 50 Most Influential People and Top 10 Real Estate Heavyweights, while in 2018, he was named one of South Australia’s Top 40 Leaders Under 40 and one of the state’s Top 50 Powerbrokers.  “Often credited as one of the most strategic operators in South Australia,” the 2020 list says of Daniel, “[he is] a forceful yet smooth operator.”  Daniel has worked across Local, State and Federal Government policy spheres throughout his career and has embedded himself in membership-based organisations. He has also driven significant change in the property and investment industry as the South Australian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia – now arguably the state’s most powerful association.  In this episode, Daniel shares his journey from growing up living in a caravan with his family, to how he dreamed of being an architect, to working in the family business in retirement villages, to taking on his former bosses Steven Marshall and Rob Lucas in a  battle to squash land tax changes. Daniel is Fierce in promoting South Australia and trying to attract people and businesses from all over the world to our great state. He shares his thoughts on what the workplace will look like moving forward, and the impact people working from home will have on all industries. Daniel also speaks about the impacts of the pandemic in the market from a landlord to the shop front and provides us with some statistics about how we are faring post-pandemic.  Where to find Daniel GannonLinkedInProperty Council of AustraliaJoin the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn.Books  and podcasts mentioned on this episode: The Happiest Man on Earth - By Eddie JakuThe Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - By John BoyneCoronacast

Nicola Lipscombe is a global professional speaker and facilitator who bridges the gap between western science with eastern philosophy and ancient wisdom. She is known for her ability to blend cutting edge research and storytelling into practical and engaging tips her audiences love. She is the Creator of HeartWise™ Leadership, Powerful Listening, Powerful Speaking and Friday’s Mindful Moments, and works with leaders who genuinely care about their people first. Her work has recently been featured in Inspiring Workplaces (UK), The Happiness Project (India) and on Side Walk Talk (US). With a deep love of learning, she has degrees in Pharmacy, Higher Education, a Masters in Applied Positive Psychology and certifications in Neurolinguistic Programming, Management Practices, Training and Assessment, Coaching, Hear With Heart and The Art of (Feminine) Presence. A former pharmacist and academic her quest is now one of CONNECTION, AWAKENING and BELONGING. More than a speaking professional Nicola is also a poet, a photographer, and a mindfulness practitioner who adores nature, street art and her collection of (op shop) denim jackets! She empowers leaders and human change-makers to authentically and powerfully transform themselves from the inside out and positively change the world of work. An introvert at heart she seeks deeply meaningful conversations and is truly not interested in your new iPhone and matching AirPods. In this episode, we deep dive into Nicola's journey to find, understand and appreciate herself, how she overcame the fear of worrying about what others may think. She also shares her story about her battle against cancer and all the reflections that came from this part of her life, We discuss some tips and tricks on how to be your authentic self, the art of listening and how to become comfortable with silence. Where to find Nicola LipscombeLinkedIn  Join the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn. 

Adam Vonthethoff is the current Chief Operating Officer at Adelaide Oval and works to implement the company strategies, supporting management and staffing teams, external stakeholder engagement, and looking for new business development opportunities and has been working at  Oval for the past 10 or so years. Adam has spent all of his 25-year career in hospitality, having worked in hotels and casinos before moving to the Stadium. His career kicked off when he was 17  years working at the Lakes Resort in various departments, then as Food and Beverage Manager for roughly three years each at some of the big names, being Hotel Adelaide, Stamford Grand, SKYCITY Casino, Outrigger – Fiji and the CROWN Perth. Adam is a born and bred Adelaide man, a father, a huge port Adelaide power fan, lover of golf and is proud of his MBA and AICD qualifications. In this episode, we deep dive into Adam's career journey to his current position as COO, the perks and challenges of his work, how the oval managed the ongoing covid situation, specifically focusing on communication, on the staff and customer experience and all the plans and challenges for the future. Where to find Adam Vonthethoff LinkedIn  Join the conversation on Synergy IQ LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram (@synergyiq) and please support other leaders by liking, subscribing and sharing this podcast. Access SynergyIQ Website to get to know more about us. Say hello to our host Daniel on LinkedIn. Books and Podcast mentioned on this episode: PODCAST - Undisruptable by Ian Whitworth12 Rules for Life - Antidote to Chaos - By Jordan B. Peterson