The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal

You only need to google Ed Cowan to find out about his accomplishments on the sporting field, transitioning to becoming an investor at TDM Growth Partners which meant working with his older brother, Tom + founding Tripod Coffee and hosting his own podcast! This is a candid, self reflective and inside the mind of the former Australian Cricket player — his journey to that goal, only playing cricket from age 13, that too with his brothers and dad, waking up at 5am to train and juggle study and work. We cover much more: see timestamps below for specifics. Without a doubt, one of the top 5 episodes of the show so far so please do enjoy!***TIMESTAMPS—————03:30 - Quick facts about Ed 07:50 - High Flyer 09:47 - Ed’s sunrise growing up in Sydney 13:35 - Focus on education and learning business in additional to sport from day 1 15:28 - Learning cricket in the backyard with family at only age 13 17:40 - heroes growing up 18:50 - Success in life at age 18 20:15 - dedication to cricket at young age 21:36 - Working to be the best cricketer he could be + studying and working 24:00 - Combination of hard work and talent 24:51 - painful learning 26:15 - Dealing with being dropped from Australian cricket team 28:40 - first 3 months of dealing with public failure 32:30 - favourite 6 or 12 month period 34:10 - seeing superstar athletes and learning their 1% habits 37:00 - the cake recipe 38:30 - Athletes that inspire Ed today 40:00 - Athlete transition out of sport 43:40 - Publishing ‘In the firing line’ Ed’s cricket journal - available on amazon! 46:00 - Founding Tripod coffee 49:00 - satisfaction with a physical product vs a software 50:10 - conviction in the All Birds business 53:35 - final sprint!***Read about our recently launched Curiosity Center business and subscribe to the newsletter for articles directly in your inbox!Always appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This show showcases relatable role models, re-imagining a high flyer to help you achieve your potential and be 1% better everyday!

The brilliant and inspiring Michael Fox  and I chat about his sunrise in broken hill NSW with dad being a mining engineer and mum a part time accountant who went back to uni later on to do a masters and PHD!Hear about the importance of optimising for rate of learning, particularly early in your career: as Michael shares his experiences in law, retail and tech which then led to founding Shoes of Prey, a women's fashion company which Michael ended up closing after 10 years of operation. Which is a big step to make so I asked Michael about how he kept the trust of his employees (some of them work with him now at Fable), the importance of systems and routines particularly in the first 3 months after closing the business.Michael is now the founder and CEO of Fable Food Co, providing delicious food that is plant based and on a mission to reduce industrial animal agriculture, help you live longer and make the world a better place! You’ll hear a number of confronting facts including one where 95% of Aussies don’t get enough fiber in their diet, wow! And as a bonus, I asked Michael about his 41 acre property in the sunshine coast and his personal interest in social communal living, growing fruit and veg and more.Enjoy!***TIMESTAMPS03:31 - Quick facts about Michael 05:20 - High flyer in Michael’s life 06:30 - Sunrise 08:40 - Early childhood influence to figure out new environments 09:15 - early influencers 10:50 - posters on the wall growing up 12:08 - fitting into school being entrepreneurial kid 14:10 - view of success in life at age 16 15:15 - Biggest painful learning 16:00 - Closing shoes of prey after 10 years 17:15 - mental transition & support 19:00 - belief to found 2 businesses 20:20 - focus on rate of learning in career 22:20 - optimising for learning from Mike Cannon Brookes (co-founder Atlasssian) 23:10 - attracting talent and building trust 28:05 - first 3 months after shoes of prey: building systems and routine to reset 32:40 - living and breathing the Fable mission 34:40 - Purpose for 41 acre property on the Sunshine Coast 39:10 - Unknowns about industrial animal agriculture 40:25 - surprising facts about pigs and social acceptance 42:08 - Industrial animal agriculture responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions 44:05 - 95% of Australian’s don’t get enough fibre in their diet 47:20 - Goals for Fable’s success at the end of 2022 49:41 - final sprint***Read about our recently launched Curiosity Center business and subscribe to the newsletter for articles directly in your inbox!Always appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This show showcases relatable role models, re-imagining a high flyer to help you achieve your potential and be 1% better everyday!

Introducing Curiosity Center!Listen in to find out:Show highlights of 2021Why, How and where for Curiosity Center Subscribe to the curiosity center newsletter here to receive every article directly in your inbox: https://vidags10.substack.com/welcomeFollow Curiosity Center on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/curiositycentre/Follow Curiosity Center on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/curiositycentre/Contact Vidit to share your thoughts, questions or advice at vidit@curiositycenter.xyzAs we get into 2022, I’ll leave you with this: Humility is the soil of knowledge. Curiosity is the water that helps it grow. Empathy is the sunlight that shows us which way to bend. I’m excited to go on this journey together to learn, grow, and feed our curiosity. Together we will figure out what we enjoy, and who we can be. Let’s always stay curious, young or old. Fly high,Vidit 

Thanks to Chloe Temple for inviting the host of this show, Vidit Agarwal on the Leadership Confidence series!*****Points covered/ timestamps:02:10 - celebrating 50 episodes of The High Flyers Podcast02:55 - Did Vidit start the podcast with a goal to do 50 episodes?04:10 - Release pattern of episodes: weekly vs fortnightly05:35 - what is the definition of a high flyer and how did Vidit choose the podcast name?08:04 - How relationships have improved thanks to the podcast09:35 - Podcast recognised in the top 20 shows10:35 - Best leadership lessons from show to date17:05 - Most memorable guests26:26 - Advice for creating podcast or content online34:40 - Whats coming in 2022 and the launch of Curiosity Centre38:50 - Domain name choice to stand out40:00 - Dream guests for future episodes Enjoy! Follow Chloe here: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/chloe-templeFollow Vidit here: https://au.linkedin.com/in/viditagFollow POPP here: https://popprovides.com/Follow Curiosity Center here: https://www.instagram.com/curiositycentre/ OR https://au.linkedin.com/company/curiositycentre********Stay tuned for the launch of CURIOSITY CENTER, coming in early 2022! I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.

Take flight into Tom's journey - Sunrise in Melbourne, with Italian influences including how his parents meeting at an Italian restaurant, his dad being a chef, and early memories of working in his family’s restaurant business learning how to take orders, process bills and more.We go into Tom’s time working as a doctor including his- reflections on spending 10 years in the public health system and advice to future medical students- The moment that sealed the realisation that its time to go all in on Oscer, the company he’s founder and CEO at, building the next step in clinical training.- Secrets picked up from treating patients for living a healthy lifeand if you have an idea and not quite sure on how to turn it into a business - we spend 30 mins spent on how Tom started the business, Oscer whilst being a doctor, learning how to build a no code platform, finding engineers, learning about investment and how VC’s work through podcasts and online content and more! TIMESTAMPS02:48 - Quick Facts about Tom 05:45 - Tom’s sunrise in Melbourne (Italian heritage, family restaurant business) 09:33 - Heroes growing up 12:20 - Meaning of success at 16 15:00 - The decision to study medicine 18:00 - Realising it was time to change and go all in on Oscer 21:20 - Reflections on 10 years in medicine and if anything would have been different in hindsight 23:00 - Advice for future medical students 25:00 - most memorable experience as a surgical registrar and personal impact 29:40 - Secrets picked up from treating patients for living a healthy life 33:45 - how Tom started Oscer the business having mainly Medical experience, not commerce 34:20 - Creating the first online prototype with low or no code options 38:55 - ignore the business and focus on the problem and customer 41:20 - How Tom balanced doctor hours + building a business on the side 44:00 - Adding 1 to a measure of time, putting in the time to reach product market fit 45:40 - How to find engineers to build product and when to bring them into business 53:00 - The decision to consider VC funding and learning business metrics coming from a medical background 55:00 - Learning pitch process and VC funding through podcasts and online content (All in Podcast + The Pitch are Tom’s favourites) 57:00 - Investing time horizons and securing capital at early stage 1:01:17 - Biggest difference between surgeon and entrepreneur 1:03:45 - final sprint and parting thoughts Enjoy!------------------------Stay tuned for the launch of CURIOSITY CENTER, coming in early 2022! I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.

Take flight into Andy's journey -- sunrise in Brisbane, Australia with inspector gadget as his childhood hero, and a desire to be a doctor that ultimately turned into a career in the creative industry, focused on brand, marketing, strategy and story telling. Traveled 10 countries in 10 days in pyjamas and recently co-founding Heaps Normal, an independent, alcohol-free beer company supporting everyday legends to dial the good times up to 11 and still perform at their best the next day. TIMESTAMPS—————03:40 - quick facts about Andy (place of birth, first job and what he does now)05:23 - High flyer in Andy’s life06:39 - Andy’s sunrise: influence of family and environment07:55 - Influence of Parents10:20 - Inspector gadget12:48 - Playing water polo in later part of high school and then overseas14:20 - Desire to be a doctor growing up but realising a creative path to advertising17:50 - traveling the world in pyjamas, 10 countries in 10 weeks20:17 - Turning point post the trip23:30  - Winning Triple J competition to meet Foo Fighters in the UK27:40 -  Painful learning: re-assessing the success path29:05 - Moving to China with his wife for 3 years32:08 - Reality of China vs media narrative33:05 - keys in brand building and story telling36:10 - learning's in agency advertising41:05 - change in marketing from craft to reach42:58 - magic moment that led to belief for creating Heaps Normal44:43 - co-founder Pete reaching out and deciding to build this idea into business47:45 - Quiet Beer or Heaps Normal50:00 - first 3 months of Heaps Normal with COVID taking over the world55:35 - Sending samples to people in the startup and VC ecosystem58:20 - Has Heaps Normal met or exceeded expectations59:50 - final sprintEnjoy!------------------------Stay tuned for the launch of CURIOSITY CENTER, coming in early 2022! I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together. 

Take flight into Shane's journey - sunrise in Bundaberg, a smallish town in QLD, Australia having varied interests as Shane describes it following themes rather than a specific path whether that be trying the trades, to then studying business because his girlfriend was doing it, how good! and then spending 7 years as a pastor involved with the church community which started from helping his friend with some marketing work.Since 2017, Shane has been running his own practise developing remarkable leaders and is a book author, podcast host and speaker. We went in depth as I asked Shane about how he started his practise in 2017, how he found his early clients, how to monetise, providing consistent value and much much more!MEMORABLE QUOTES MENTIONED————“good leaders know how to speak and great leaders know when not to”“biggest challenge when starting a business is we don’t know what game we are playing, we don’t know the rules. and because we don’t know the rules, we are open to a lot of well meaning bad advice.”“narrow your topic and widen your sources”“the moment we begin to think we have all the answers, we forget all the questions”TIMESTAMPS—————04:32 - Sunrise, growing up in Bundaberg, QLD, Australia07:35 - Batman as hero08:15 - Shane in high school10:10 - being empowered to follow passion, rather than society11:22 - definition of success at 1813:15 - pit stops in life, different stages14:25 - themes Shane has noticed in people he helps be their best self15:56 - Painful learning18:45 - Involved with the church for 7 years and transition21:33 - realisation that helping people is Shane’s life’s work23:28 - turning idea into reality, first 3-6 months of building his practise24:22 - Advice from a mentor asking “what game are you really playing”26:26 - finding first clients to believe in Shane as a brand28:58 - separating from peers, providing value add that is unique31:42 - how to price your service and paid vs free35:54 - 2 commitments: client is all in and Shane is in your corner37:30 - aspiration, location and currency in articulating value40:15 - finding balance between book author, podcast host, coaching and speaking42:27 - building relationship & trust: firehose vs dripping tap43:58 - one piece of advice you give but find hard to follow yourself44:55 - unknowns of the work Shane does47:28 - sources of information Shane digests49:26 - final sprintEnjoy and love for you to message Vidit directly to share your feedback. ----Stay tuned for the launch of CURIOSITY CENTER, coming in early 2022! I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.

Take flight into Nick's journey -- You know those conversations, we all have them where you have so many questions but the discussion actually covers a lot of ground? That’s how this episode went.Nick Crocker shares his idyllic upbringing in QLD, Australia (which for our global listeners that may not be as aware, QLD is Australia’s bush country, laid back with a big % of nature and bush. Hear about Nick’s adventure living in France at 17 that opened up his eyes to the world, foray into journalism and his passion for writing which led to discovering entrepreneurship and as Nick calls it “it was love at first sight” TIMESTAMPS04:04 - High Flyer in Nick’s life who may not have received the recognition05:40 - Nick’s sunrise07:35 - Benefits now reflecting on Nick’s countryside idyllic upbringing “rich in love”09:00 - Nick in high school including passions, how teachers viewed him10:00 - Hero’s growing up outside family unit12:03  - Definition of success in life at the age of 1613:23 - Nick discovering Entrepreneurship through journalism15:50 - Nick’s writing on various topics (available online!)17:10 - most painful moment (but learning in hindsight)19:35 - most energising and fun moment21:20 - Long distance relationship with his wife for 4 years (Nick in the US and Julia in Adelaide, Australia)23:05 - experiences in the US founding sessions, selling it to Under Amour (and additionally integrating into US culture coming from laid back Australia)25:03 - the motivation to come back to Australia after the US adventure27:25 - Nick’s twitter reach out to Niki (blackbird founder) to meet for a coffee and how Nick views cold messaging now (1) does he still do it and (2) what makes him respond to one30:10 - Importance of meditation in Nick’s daily routine32:30 - Realisation of the weight of words and statements as a VC and board member34:25 - Helping a young founder evolve and grow36:35 - Favorite board member and why38:00 - How does a Venture capital firm make money?41:00 - Superannuation not being a savings account, rather it’s funding infrastructure, healthcare, education, startups and more42:20 - Nick’s systems and habits to decipher what to read & consume online on various topics of interest47:00 - Helping Australian athletes (AFL, Basketball etc) get into investing and mental shift required51:30 - what separates a good VC from the pack53:08 - Concept at PIXAR of comfort to fail whilst figuring it out (first 2 years of many Pixar movies are very average)54:11 - The final sprint rapid fire questionsPEOPLE MENTIONEDMichael Batko CEO @ StartmateBen Hudson Executive coachMatthew Dellavedova, NBA and Australian Basketball Athlete Matt De Boer AFL Athlete + Co-Founder of Athletic Ventures, athlete led investment syndicate in AustraliaJames Clear - Atomic HabitsEnjoy!--------Stay tuned for the launch of CURIOSITY CENTER, coming in early 2022! I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.

A bonus episode, the second in this series! The first we had Matt Dwyer from Tennis Australia take us behind the scenes of the Australian Open tennis grand slam, being the first sporting event held in a covid normal.This conversation with David was focused on the business he has co-founded called Buttons, a disability support agency based in Melbourne, Australia.I ask David about how he started this business, economics behind a disability service, how does the NDIS government scheme operate, David’s learning's to date and what success looks like over the next 2-5 years. TOPICS COVERED:How does one start a business?What are the economics behind a disability service provider?Building a team of support workers?How does NDIS work?how does Buttons work with the scheme? Self managed, plan managed, agency managedWhat are the revenue sources for Buttons?What does a Carer plan look like? Can you take me through how you would create this for a would be patient?Whats surprised David the most in the journey building Buttons for almost 2 years now?What is success when building a disability provider focused business?How do David and his co-founder continue to learn and ask for help?Whats been one painful learning to date?What would David want to have achieved in the next 5 years? Enjoy!--------I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.

Take flight into Chloe's journey - growing up in the UK in a small tight knit family, looking up to her parents with dad being a business owner and mum as marketing director for a large corporate. Chloe talks candidly about dealing with realisation that University was challenging and how ego and arrogance made Chloe choose economics.Through preserving and hard work, things started to look up with Chloe starting her professional career in marketing at Sainsbury’s, one of the large retailers in the UK which after 5 years allowed Chloe to move to Australia to work for Coles, another large retailer in the country.I ask Chloe about 3 important topics and we go deep into each. These being (1) mental health and Chloe’s own struggles with depression, (2) How Chloe created a new role for herself at Reckitt and built a team and (3) perhaps the biggest moment of them all, making the decision to leave a steady job she was good at to try her hand at creating the coaching business called POPP and how she made the transition.An action oriented conversation which summarises Chloe well and a lot of insights for you the listener to apply to your life. TIMESTAMPS—————05:25 - how would teachers describe Chloe in school07:35 - Influences behind be a go getter person09:40 - Hero’s for Chloe growing up10:30 - planning future life at age of 16, and what’s next12:10 - Dealing with realisation that Uni was challenging and how ego and arrogance made Chloe choose economics14:15 - Marketing industry placement at Sainsbury’s (one of the big retailers in the UK) whilst Chloe’s classmates went into more traditional fields of finance, government etc18:35 - big magic moment in Chloe’s life (finding her why)22:40 - experiencing depression for nearly a decade24:35 - speaking up about mental health (at work)28:10 - sharing mental health status with line manager at work (what I experience, how I manage it, what support you can provide)30:45 - moving to Australia from the UK34:00 - How to approach a new challenge in life (or role at work)40:11 - Chloe’s experience creating a new role at Reckitt (global company with brands like Dettol, Strepsils etc) and how to build a team to deliver the vision44:10 - Decision to leave corporate and start her own business and how it came alive52:00 - how to go full time on your own business with no fixed income anymore53:40 - financial plan when starting a business55:30 - Chloe’s role at POPP58:34 - How Chloe looks at separating her coaching venture from others and provide an incremental benefit Enjoy!--------I would really appreciate if you can help by rating this podcast on iTunes, as it helps others find us and convince guests to come on the show.Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter for more!This episode & show is to inspire all us to be high flyers in any aspect of life & flip the notion of a high flyer, learning from value creators to help us all be 1% better everyday, together.