The Company Road Podcast

Send us a text‘’What matters to me is helping businesses realise their full potential to be a force for good in the world. Because I truly believe that this is the untapped potential of business.’’-    Carolyn Butler-MaddenIn this episode you’ll hear about:-   Carolyn's career journey: Carolyn delves into the roots of her beliefs and lets us into the key experiences that inspired her to champion purpose driven approaches in business. -   The missing role of love in business: An opportunity for untapped potential, to connect things you love and enjoy into your world of work. -   Transitioning from marketing to purpose-driven strategy: Recognising the power that businesses and brands have to solve society's biggest challenges and in turn attract people that want to support them. -   How to start these bigger conversations: Turning passion and strategy into action by taking the first step.-   Connecting to the why: Identifying your unique identity, looking beyond short-term marketing strategies into building a long-term authentic purpose strategy.  Key links;   Carolyn’s book, For Love and Money https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Money-profit-purpose-business-ebook/dp/B09JK9JM52 South by Southwest https://www.sxsw.com/Danielle Owen Whitford https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-owen-whitford/?originalSubdomain=auPioneera https://pioneera.com/Melanie Greblo https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniegreblo/?originalSubdomain=auScriibed https://scriibed.com/Dr. Kyle Turner https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-turner1111/?originalSubdomain=auPearlii https://www.pearlii.com/aboutBea Boccalandro on Job Purposing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqzkhdmkod0Carolyn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolynbm/?originalSubdomain=au) believes in a world where business is a force for good and brands drive profit through purpose. An inspiring speaker, award-winning author, podcast host, and a contributor to media publications including Forbes Australia, CEO Magazine, CEO World Magazine, CMO, Marketing, B&T, Smart Company, Women’s Agenda, Retail World and Inside FMCG; Carolyn’s mission is to make meaningful purpose vital in business. Her second book “For Love & Money” was awarded best Social Responsibility book in the 2022 Australian Business Book of the Year Awards. Her first book, Amazon bestseller, Path-To-Purpose, was Australia’s first on Cause Marketing.Carolyn walks the talk. Through her B Corp Certified Consultancy, “The Cause Effect”, she helps businesses of all types and sizes navigate their path to purpose and unlock the full potential of their people, organisation and brand.Our host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"Follow the process, follow the methods, and then you're not going to fail in your project. You're going to fail throughout your project. Small constant failure is part of what it is.”Fabio OliveiraIn this episode you’ll hear about:Defining innovation in 2024: Breaking down the definition of innovation and its associated expectations and misconceptions and understanding how innovation fits differently into the contexts of large and small organisationsManaging innovation and idea generation: Methods for accelerating employee engagement, investment and idea generation while maintaining order and process in receiving and processing innovation ideasConducting research in innovation: How to gather the necessary information for innovation, keep focus on relevant subject matter and shape project briefs effectively to ensure targeted research effortsPhysical and digital integration: Exploring innovative experimentation blending physical and digital elements and what we can expect from the future of in-store/retail technology Maintaining a wholesight organisation view: The importance of staying connected to your organisation's strategic direction and challenges through innovation and keeping perspective within your role to ensure effective and meaningful work that aligns to business goals and addresses relevant problemsKey linksKmart Australia https://www.kmart.com.au/Amazon Walkout Tech https://aws.amazon.com/just-walk-out/RFID https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid.htmDr Tim Baker framework https://www.mindtools.com/a7em9zg/the-five-conversations-frameworkBasecamp’s Shape Up Methodology https://basecamp.com/shapeupDesignful Company by Marty Neumeier https://www.martyneumeier.com/the-designful-companyAbout our guestFabio Oliveira (https://au.linkedin.com/in/fabiosoliveira) is an innovation leader specialising in establishing innovation practices within large companies. Known for his ability to build multidisciplinary teams from the ground up, he has successfully cemented innovation strategies at prominent Australian brands – notably Kmart and WorkSafe Victoria – delivering significant outcomes.Currently the Head of Innovation and Service Design at Kmart, Fabio is leading several initiatives that are building the future of store operations and customer experience.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“We are all young wounded children in adult bodies, walking around, bumping into each other and then blaming each other when our wounds get touched on or when our traumas get activated.”Lael StoneIn this episode you’ll hear about:Parenting and leader parallels: Drawing parallels between effective leadership and conscious parenting, highlighting the similarities in communication strategies and nurturing supportive environments in how we lead as parents and in businessUnderstanding human behaviour in the workplace: Exploring the deeper motivations behind people's actions and behaviours, emphasising the importance of curiosity and empathy in engaging with co-workersHow your childhood affects your working style: The way in which unresolved childhood traumas, emotional wounds and even just the parenting styles in our childhood homes can influence adult behaviours and interactions in the workplace.Fostering authenticity and vulnerability: Recognizing the value of being authentic and vulnerable in expressing needs and concerns and how to cultivate a work culture that enables such expressionThe role of conscious leadership: How to grow in conscious leadership and see transformation in fostering work environments where individuals feel valued, empowered, and able to thrive personally and professionallyKey linksLael’s TedX Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/lael_stone_how_to_raise_emotionally_intelligent_childrenLael Stone https://laelstone.com.au/Woodline Primary School https://woodlineprimary.com.au/The Resilience Project https://theresilienceproject.com.au/Raising Resilient and Compassion Children https://www.amazon.com.au/Raising-Resilient-Compassionate-Children-Understanding/dp/0645551562/About our guestLael Stone (https://www.linkedin.com/in/laelstone) is an educator, TEDx speaker, author, mother, and parenting counsellor who has worked with families for over 20 years. Her work as a birth educator, postnatal trauma counsellor, and parenting educator has seen her work with thousands of families consulting about newborns all the way to the teen years. She spent over 5 yrs in secondary schools working with teens around sexuality, well-being, and relationships and her great aim is to empower parents to create connections and stronger relationships with their children.She is the co-creator of Woodline Primary School, an innovative new school based on emotional well-being and connection. Lael was the co-host of The Aware Parenting Podcast and a sought-after public speaker who talks candidly about her experiences and her great passion for creating wellness in adults through connection and communication.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, MercedFor weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“Design's not in its infancy anymore but we can still find it hard to communicate our value.”Kris WashusenIn this episode you’ll hear about:Adopting a Lean-UX approach: Why you should value rapid prototyping over extensive upfront discovery and what you can do to implement quick and experimental change cycles.The stickiness of design work: Addressing the challenges in implementing and achieving longevity in design work… and how to avoid design projects going nowhere.Impact of the ‘pandemic tools’: The way tools and technologies developed during the pandemic have continued to accelerate and impact design processes, enabling faster synthesis of data and more efficient collaboration among design teams.Role of stakeholder engagement: How to ensure the successful implementation of design recommendations and strategies through ongoing stakeholder engagement and consultation.Balancing creativity and methodology: Exploring the tension between structured design methodologies like the double diamond approach and the need and value in creative spontaneity and quick decision-making in design processes.Key linksGareth Rydon interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMp6qbgTtu4Dovetail AI https://dovetail.com/launch/magic/Otter AI https://otter.ai/NAB https://www.nab.com.au/FigJam https://www.figma.com/figjam/Swaggle https://swaggle.com.au/About our guestKris Washusen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kris-washusen/) is a Strategic Designer and Design & Product Practitioner based in Melbourne, Australia. Along with his UX, CX, product and strategic design roles, Kris's career in advertising and as an entrepreneur building, running and exiting successful businesses has allowed him to develop a unique problem-solving skill set. From research, strategy and transformational change design for both the private and public sectors through to product strategy and design for tech and startups, Kris has helped some of Australia's most respected organisations navigate some choppy seas.Kris's passion lies in implementing human-centred and Lean-UX principles to navigate ambiguity, explore the behaviours and motivations of the users of products or services and create delightful, intuitive, and accessible experiences that solve complex organisational problems.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“We need to consciously become aware of our patterns and our behaviours before we change them  and understand how they’re serving us in the first place.”Celine WatersIn this episode you’ll hear about:The practice of somatic design: How to create deeper connections between our mind, body and spirit and experience the transformative benefits of somaticsHarnessing inner resilience: What it means to cultivate inner resilience through recognising your own capacity to adapt, bounce back from setbacks and find strength in adversity Understanding the impacts of trauma:  Unpacking the somatic experience of trauma, and how historic trauma can become stored in the body and have deep physical consequencesCreate safe spaces for emotional expression: How to set up safe spaces for vulnerability and expression within the workplace and more broadly to enable personal growth, healing and emotional wellbeingTransformative leadership: How to drive positive organisational change and foster a culture of resilience and collaboration through prioritising emotional wellbeing, growth and collective transformationKey linksImmunity to Change by Robert Kegan https://www.mindtools.com/a4l75hx/immunity-to-changeStrozzi Institute https://strozziinstitute.com/Eduardo Galeano https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/apr/15/eduardo-galeanoSapiens book https://www.amazon.com.au/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0062316095Tall Poppy Syndrome https://harpersbazaar.com.au/tall-poppy-syndrome-wellbeing-mental-health/Amy Cuddy TED talk https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_may_shape_who_you_are?language=enAbout our guestCeline Waters is a human-centred designer and somatic coach committed to individual and collective transformation. She started out in biochemistry and following a post-grad in computer science, moved into business consulting in Australia and Ireland, working across big organisations. Her current focus is in the research of the intersection of design and somatics, bringing body intelligence into her work. She studies body psychotherapy and somatic coaching for social justice.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“Innovation really lives on the edge of ridiculous, and in order for us to come up with innovative solutions to solve the world's biggest problems, we've got to take risks. Play is an incredible way to help us do that.”Dara SimkinIn this episode you’ll hear about:The importance of mixing play and work: Why bringing play into the workplace can be a powerful tool for creativity, connectivity and innovation and radically shift organisational cultureHow to integrate play into the workplace: Key strategies for intentional design for implementing play intentionally and effectively to achieve valued outcomesThe evolution of work culture: Unpacking how priorities within work environments have and continue to shift and what is needed as the focus of work cultures now Questioning conventional business constructs: How to develop a healthy approach to scepticism of traditional business practices and be active in questioning and challenging established norms and assumptions that may be preventing growth Reactive vs. responsive businesses: Recognising how your business or specific team approaches organisational change and adjusting the culture to one of proactively addressing emerging challenges Key linksCulture Hero https://www.culturehero.co/Dr. Stuart Brown https://www.nifplay.org/about-us/about-dr-stuart-brown/Kaospilot https://www.kaospilot.dk/Microsoft Trends Index https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-indexIDEO https://www.ideo.com/John Cleese on open and closed modes https://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/L004957/Amy Edmonson https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6451About our guestDara Simkin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dara-simkin-culture-hero/) is an expert facilitator, learning designer and Australia's leading play at work specialist. As the founder of Culture Hero, a norm-busting consultancy driving cultural change and experiential events, Dara's mission is to bridge the gap between work and play. She's worked with organisations like The LEGO Foundation and McKinsey & Co., as well as world-renowned play researcher Dr Stuart Brown and Silicon Valley's IDEO Play Lab. She is certified in the Danish learning methodology, KAOSPILOT, known for its innovative and dynamic approach to education and training. She is currently involved in a research collaboration with RMIT University, uncovering the benefits of a playful mindset in business as it relates to adaptability, teamwork and belonging. About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a sFor weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"You really want it to get into people's heads what the change is. You want it to be their new reality or the new normal. Storytelling is effective because stories are shared from generation to generation, remembered for a reason… because they stick in your brain."Agnes SoIn this episode you’ll hear about:Improving support levels & customer satisfaction: How to win customer loyalty through understanding frontline perspectives, fostering collaboration & aligning organisational goals with customer needsThe power of storytelling: Exploring storytelling as a powerful leadership tool for driving change and how the way you use stories can change how you inspire, communicate complex ideas, and drive cultural shifts within organisations.Adaptive leadership: Setting up and managing a team where members are enabled to implement effective solutions and drive positive outcomes and you can remain flexible and freeLean approaches in startups: The necessity of lean approaches in startup environments, and strategies to improve resourcefulness, efficiency and flexibility to navigate challenges and foster growthStrategic prioritisation: The key to understanding when and where to focus time, energy and resources and identify quickly initiatives that will deliver the most significant impactKey linksHotDoc https://www.hotdoc.com.au/Tino Sehgal https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/62-tino-sehgal/This Progress at Guggenheim https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/22502GROW Framework https://www.coachingcultureatwork.com/the-grow-model/Good Strategy, Bad Strategy by Richard Camel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uWKEG0s9KcAbout our guestAgnes So (www.linkedin.com/in/agnes-so/) had gained over 10 years of customer service experience prior to joining HotDoc in 2017. Agnes' main expertise include developing Customer Experience (CX) strategies, aimed at reducing churn and maintaining high customer satisfaction levels. Her work also informs and leads Go To Market events, ensuring the successful implementation and adoption of products for customers and employees.By focusing on technology and self-service techniques, Agnes empowers customers to seamlessly utilise and learn new products. Her leadership experience extends to refining customer journeys based on insights, and fostering impactful brand interactions.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co).Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"I think what events should be doing is playing that role of fostering community, fostering connection and really thinking about what they're looking to do, what's their mission." Grant ShowIn this episode you’ll hear about:Crafting compelling presentations: Exploring the art of crafting presentations that captivate your audience and how to use storytelling techniques borrowed from film and TV to spark engagement in the workplaceHosting purpose-driven events: The power and role of events to bring people together, network, turbocharge learning and leverage influenceChallenging the status quo: How to embrace a mindset and active approach to stepping out of your comfort zone, pushing boundaries and challenging the status quo through innovationRadical optimism: The key to staying optimistic in the face of challenges and how leveraging extreme resilience and positivity can transform your workplace adversityCreating community and connection: How to foster genuine community in the digital age, maintaining authentic motivations and enabling value for all parties Key linksCliftonStrengths model https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252137/home.aspxWest Wing Walk and Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wmv07XfeC1EDesign Outlook https://www.designoutlook.com.au/Do24 https://www.designoutlook.com.au/event/do24The Lateral Lens Blog https://charleslambdin.com/thelaterallens/South by South West https://www.sxsw.com/Flight with Denzel Washington https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1907668/Purpose Conference https://www.purposeconference.co/StoryBrand https://storybrand.com/About our guestGrant is a multi-disciplinary design leader, traversing visual communications design, experience and service design, strategy, and development. His style is visionary, inclusive, and brimming with positivity. His passion for action is contagious and he’s famous for getting a lot done.Grant is Founder of Design Outlook, and was formerly Head of Design at Frog, and Director of Experience Design at Deloitte. He's also working towards a Masters in Design from RMIT.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with University of Melbourne in Innovation, and Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text“You’ve got to be quite deliberate. You have to overrule some of your automatic thinking to say, I need to deliberately step back here. I need to refresh this area.”Karl DeitzIn this episode you’ll hear about:Parallels between cooking, music & business: How lessons in one domain of your life or interests can often be applied to another, fostering cross-disciplinary insights in areas of strategy, adaptation and continuous improvementThe importance of mastering the basics: Why investing in fundamental skills, whether in cooking, music, business or otherwise, is often the most important step in setting you up for accelerated growth and creativity Balancing consistency and experimentation: How to find a balance between committing to consistency and practise for continual improvement, and knowing when and where to push into experimentation to explore new possibilitiesEmbracing discomfort and growth: Shifting your mindset to one of growth and a willingness to step into discomfort intentionally and mindfully and reaping the personal development rewards that bringsThe role of humour and engagement in education: Strategies to enhance learning and facilitation experiences by incorporating humour and cultivating lively and interactive environmentsKey LinksNick Berman Company Road Podcast episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJpkJj0sGjwMiles Davis https://www.milesdavis.com/Tall Bob https://tallbob.com/About our guestKarl Deitz (https://www.linkedin.com/in/karldeitz/) is an entrepreneur, advisory Board member and classically trained musician on both piano and trumpet - where the left and right brain work well together.Having started his career as a professional musician with the Royal Australian Navy, Karl has gone on to raise millions for Charities, founded a cooking school for Crossfit athletes and now heads up Customer Success & Strategy for Australia's fastest growing mobile communications company, Tall Bob.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and mentors many business leaders internationally. For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/

Send us a text"The more immovable that your solutions are, the greater the need to invest in that kind of thinking."Andrew KendallIn this episode you’ll hear about:Designing for impact: Strategies to more accurately understand customers needs and motivations in order to design products and services that go beyond immediate user needs to create tangible, transformative impact on people’s lives Long-term design considerations: Ensuring longevity and sustainability in design solutions by designing with future scalability and flexibility in mindEnabling creativity through safe spaces: How to tap into the full creative potential of your team and drive innovation forward by creating safe spaces in the workplace in which individuals feel comfortable and conventional thinking is challengedImpactful design through storytelling: The power of storytelling in influencing stakeholders and driving organisational change, particularly in fostering a human-centred approach to designAugmenting human creativity with AI: The secret to integrating AI as a complementary tool to harness its capabilities to enhance creativity while retaining the unique perspective and empathy inherent in human-centred designKey LinksStanford d.school https://dschool.stanford.edu/Lego Serious Play course https://www.pivotalplay.com.au/Victoria's Department of Transport and Planning https://www.vic.gov.au/department-transport-and-planningConcorde https://www.britannica.com/technology/ConcordeLego Fender Guitar https://www.lego.com/en-au/product/lego-ideas-fender-stratocaster-21329About our guestAndrew Kendall (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-kendall-25a09714/) believes that solving problems creatively drives better outcomes.  At age 15, he'd impressed the people at the Lego toy company so much they hired him. Andrew is now an experienced Strategic Thinker,  Consultant and Facilitator specialising in the areas of Customer Experience and  Service Design using collaborative, imaginative and creative ways to drive Customer centred design outcomes. Andrew is currently a Customer Lead at Victoria’s Department of Transport and Planning.As a graduate of Stanford University’s d.school program, Andrew applies proven techniques and methods to build empathy, create customer insights and ideate these to create concepts and prototypes with stakeholders. Andrew's key strength is knowing how to engage the right strategic partnerships and stimulate conversation at the Senior Leadership level.About our hostOur host, Chris Hudson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-hudson-7464254/), is a Teacher, Experience Designer and Founder of business transformation coaching & consultancy Company Road (www.companyroad.co)Chris considers himself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s most ambitious and successful companies, including Google, Mercedes-Benz, Accenture (Fjord) and Dulux, to name a small few. He continues to teach with Academy Xi in CX, Product Management, Design Thinking and Service Design and For weekly updates and to hear about the latest episodes, please subscribe to The Company Road Podcast at https://companyroad.co/podcast/