The High Flyers Podcast with Vidit Agarwal

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.

Take flight into Minal's journey -- growing up in India,  learning ambition and owning yourself from her mother and the drive to be better from her father; and then going to Singapore to finish her last years of high school! Post high school, Minal secured a full scholar to Stanford University, which started her journey in the US and Minal’s foray into tech in the early 2000’s working at Expedia and Amazon in the early days, then doing an MBA at Harvard followed by exciting roles at the likes of LinkedIn and Youtube leading product including building YouTube for the next billion users.I also asked Minal about the creator economy, how to build a life post MBA, advice for new graduates, and hear about Take Two, the new venture Minal is building with two co-founders! TIMESTAMPS—————15:10 - Assimilate in a new culture at school: Attending a high school with 300 people per class, all Chinese with Minal being 1 of 7 scholars from India16:40 - Applying to Stanford from Singapore18:45 - Power of own voice, 2003 after dot com bust studying at Stanford24:20 - Opportunity to join Amazon in 200324:55 - Amazon first principles from Day 1 when they started in 2000’s27:15 - Learnings early on (work + India) to utilise in career28:35 - Why MBA and why Harvard30:30 - two benefits from Harvard 34:05 - building a life post Harvard38:05 - What should a graduate look for in first role post study?40:15 - optimising for Learning (whether its joining a startup or a reputable brand name)40:20 - what have you done, not where have you been42:15 - solving a problem that fits with who you are. Example of how Jeff Bezos couldn’t build Google and Larry couldn’t build Amazon44:30 - Learnings from working with Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner at Linkedin48:50 - the creator economy; getting best reach for your content52:40 - Thinking behind LinkedIn groups (Minal was head of product)55:20 - Minal starting TakeTwo and story behind going from corporate to entrepreneur1:01:30 - Finding co-founders, why, howEnjoy!--------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.

Holly's favourite quote is “Never doubt that a group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world, its the only thing that ever has” - Margaret MeedTake flight into Holly's journey - growing up in Perth, Australia and then around the world, her routines, learnings, perspectives and insights on a number of specifics and much much more. I must admit this is the first time in 44 episodes where I was quite nervous!Some of the insights I hope you are able to take away from this conversation include how to make the jump from a corporate job to starting own business and the importance of the first 3 months, how Holly prepares prior to interviewing the likes of Obama and Richard Branson, why nervous are selfish, hours of practise and refining her craft that’s helped Holly become an eloquent speaker and thought leader today, the beliefs of leadership and how they have evolved for Holly which culminated in Holly writing her new book, The Leading Edge - dream big, spark change and become the leader the world needs you to be.TIMESTAMPS--20:15 - starting a new business, first 3 months, 365 days of tackling fear21:00 - explore and learn, transition from corporate to own business22:20 - resetting goal post and lowering bar of success allowed Holly to succeed in new venture22:57 - Faster you can say I don’t know and ask for help - ego barrier24:29 - engagement with Branson, Obama - process25:57 - nerves are selfish, benefits of focusing on the guest and audience rather than yourself29:25 - Obama sense of self, Holly reflections from interviewing him34:29 - collating thoughts, eloquence, vocabulary38:55 - Holly creating a new role (opportunity) with Sam Walsh at Rio Tinto46:23 - leadership and how its evolved for Holly from army generals to everyone able to be one54:30 - habits and routines that’s helped Holly succeed 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.

“The whole program culminated with an award ceremony at Buckingham Palace, and thorough the whole program I guess we were at this big point of Little Dreamers where we had to decide whether to go all in or not. The belief in myself this Queen's Young Leader Program instilled in me and the mentors I met showed me I may as well try. What's the worst that could happen, you are 24 years old -- you jump in, if you fail -- at least you tried." Take flight into Maddy's journey - If you’re looking for a person that defines Perseverance and not giving up, Maddy would absolutely be high on that list. Growing up in Melbourne, Australia in a tight knit family but seeing many challenges with her young brothers health and later her mum fighting cancer, Maddy had to figure out life quickly and also be a carer for her family. This inspired Maddy to start Little Dreamers, Australia’s leading young carer organisation supporting young people who provide unpaid care for their loved ones. I asked Maddy about how she was able to start this social enterprise and business at a very early age post University, her journey from juggling 4 jobs to now employing 48 staff and a board of advisors. Also, hear about what Maddy has done that’s perhaps separated  her from peers at the age of 28 to build this venture despite all her challenges and keep going for 12+ 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.

“That experience in Dubai taught me how to really get things done, how to facilitate business -- fantastic stories of ingenuity in terms of closing deals in two languages, Arabic and English; getting documents signed by sheiks. I once bought a printer and drove it with a laptop and set up an office, to get a document done which was going to take 6 weeks. That kind of hustle, I learnt from being in that market." Take flight into Mike's journey - upbringing in Sydney, Australia with Indian parents, with cultural nuances and a heavy influence of family. Hear about the key moments that led to Mike studying engineering and law and then going on to have a career across Construction, Law, Media, starting TimeOut media, leaving and then returning to scale it, and more recently being appointed the commissioner of the 24 night time economy affectionately known as the night time mayor of Sydney. I asked Mike to tell us about his move from Sydney to Dubai, at a time when Dubai was not the buzzing city it is today, and we also go into the networking or rather value add relationships as both Mike and I agree rather than a transaction. Mike’s mantra in life - "keep moving" 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.

“I've been so privileged to have role modelled to me is that introversion and kindness and sensitivity as great strengths in the world, not weakness. I've had the benefit of growing up in a household, encouraged to be more of who we really are, as opposed to fit in to the mould." Take flight into Rosie's journey - We can all probably relate to experiences growing up, whether directly or indirectly of bullying and acts that are unfair. Rosie and her sister Lucy saw this and decided not to just walk past it but actually tackle it. Hear about Rosie’s upbringing in the suburbs of Melbourne, being influenced by her family and being close with her old sister. We talk about how Rosie choose to not go to uni after high school and instead start this social enterprise called Project Rockit, back in 2006 when a movement led by young people was not often seen. Rosie talks about the expression of this journey often feeling like building a plane while flying it at the same time. Rosie’s mantra in life (inspired by the Dalai Lama) - "It’s not enough to be compassionate, you must act." 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.