

Future Fit Leadership
Sadhana Smiles
Welcome to Future Fit Leadership a podcast for emerging and experienced leaders to learn, grow and become future fit!
There has been a global shift in how we lead people. Traditional models are being challenged, and our workplaces are now dynamic.
In this podcast you will hear and connect with leaders, CEO’s and change makers who will challenge the status quo and share their future ready strategies to unlock your growth.
No matter where you are on your leadership journey this podcast will give you practical ideas and tools to help you think outside the square and become a change maker in your industry.
Future Fit leadership is your place for bite sized learning, for time poor executives.
Contact Sadhana Smiles via email: sadhanasmiles@realchange.com.au
Or connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/
There has been a global shift in how we lead people. Traditional models are being challenged, and our workplaces are now dynamic.
In this podcast you will hear and connect with leaders, CEO’s and change makers who will challenge the status quo and share their future ready strategies to unlock your growth.
No matter where you are on your leadership journey this podcast will give you practical ideas and tools to help you think outside the square and become a change maker in your industry.
Future Fit leadership is your place for bite sized learning, for time poor executives.
Contact Sadhana Smiles via email: sadhanasmiles@realchange.com.au
Or connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 2, 2025 • 47min
Carrying the Fire: Monica Bradley on Life, Loss, and Leading Without Fear
Monica Bradley’s career has been anything but conventional — spanning trade, logistics, government, technology, and impact investing. In this Future Fit Leadership conversation, she shares how curiosity, contribution, and courage shaped her path from regional Queensland to boardrooms across the globe. Monica unpacks her mantra of growth without compromise which is a bold philosophy that challenges leaders to build organisations that drive profit, purpose, and planetary health in equal measure. From redefining value in the economy to reimagining how we lead through uncertainty, Monica brings deep wisdom and an infectious optimism for what’s next. Monica Bradley is a strategist, changemaker, and proud champion of curiosity, creativity, and kindness in leadership.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 26, 2025 • 41min
Beyond Compliance: Leading with Care in the Era of Psychosocial Safety
George Haros and Deivina Peethamparam from Gadens Lawyers join me to explore one of the fastest-evolving frontiers in leadership — psychological and psychosocial safety. They unpack what today’s laws demand from leaders, where most organisations fall short, and why emotional intelligence now matters as much as compliance. From trust and vulnerability to reproductive health and hybrid workplaces, this conversation gets real about what it takes to build teams that hum — safe, connected, and human. 🎧 Listen in for legal insights, lived experience, and practical tools every leader needs to create workplaces where people thrive — not just survive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 20, 2025 • 46min
The Currency of Leadership-Why Energy Matters More Than Time! with Lisa O'Neill
At 26, Lisa O’Neill’s body gave out before her mind did. What followed was a radical reset, a crash course in energy, healing, and self-awareness that would shape everything she teaches today. In this conversation, Lisa shares the story behind Energy: Get It. Guard It. Give It., and what it really means to manage energy, not time. From adrenal fatigue to four children and nine books later, she has built a life around purpose, colour, and courage teaching leaders to stop leaking energy, start leading themselves, and live with intention. Lisa also opens up about her early life in fashion, the psychology of colour, and the powerful shift that happens when women stop minimising themselves and step fully into who they are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 12, 2025 • 50min
Your nervous system sets the tone. How contagious are you as a leader? with Dr Michelle Quaid
Leaders are contagious. That is where Michelle McQuaid begins. In this episode we explore how a leader’s state shapes a team’s energy, focus, courage and care, and why self compassion is not a soft option but a competitive advantage. Michelle is a positive psychology expert, best-selling author and LinkedIn Top 10 mental health voice who blends evidence with lived experience. Her latest book, The Perfectly Imperfect Little Girl, unpacks how good girl conditioning still nudges women’s confidence, decisions and leadership, and offers practical ways to lead with authenticity and resilience. We talk secure attachment to self, real psychosocial safety, burnout signals, and the simple habits that steady your nervous system in seasons of change. If you want your team to think clearly and thrive under pressure, this conversation is for you. Please enjoy my exchange with Michelle McQuaid.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Oct 5, 2025 • 51min
What Decades of Journalism Reveal About Leadership with Journalist Catherine Fox
Catherine Fox AM has spent her career asking tough questions about leadership and even tougher ones about the systems that shape it. An award-winning journalist, author, and former editor at Boss Magazine, Catherine has spent decades reporting on power, progress, and the invisible barriers that hold people back. In this conversation, she shares what she’s learned about leadership from the newsroom to the boardroom from myths that refuse to die, to the moments that redefine what real leadership looks like. We explore the themes from her bestselling books Stop Fixing Women, Seven Myths About Women & Work, and Breaking the Boss Bias and why she believes we’re overdue for a new conversation about power, bias, and what makes a truly self-aware leader. Catherine was bought to you by Saxton Speakers - https://www.saxton.com.au/speakers/catherine-foxSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 28, 2025 • 52min
The Rhythm of High Performance with Josh Pehgan
What does it take to keep your energy high, lead through change, and stay future fit in a world that never stops moving? In this conversation, Josh Phegan shares the lessons he learned from growing up surrounded by books and cassette tapes of Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy, through to becoming one of the most recognised performance coaches in our industry. We talk about confidence as a skill you can build, why feedback works best “in the car on the way back from an appointment,” and how leaders can avoid burnout by managing energy, not time. Josh also unpacks his five–step change management process, his rituals for keeping strategy front and centre, and why excellence isn’t a lofty concept but something you practice in every single moment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 21, 2025 • 53min
Renee Wootton - First Nations Trailblazer, From Red Dirt to Star Dust
From a pineapple farm on Kubi Kubi country to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Renee Wooton’s journey is anything but ordinary. A proud First Nations aerospace engineer, leader in sustainable aviation fuel, and Boss Young Executive, Renee has faced adversity with grit, curiosity, and courage. In this conversation, she shares her story of resilience, breaking barriers in STEM, and how Indigenous wisdom is shaping her leadership philosophy today. We talk about belonging, cultural strength, sustainability, and the future of aviation. Renee’s message is clear: leadership is about staying true to your values, expanding the room for others, and building a future where people, planet, and purpose are in balance.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 14, 2025 • 41min
Steve Griffith- Stillness over Stress - Why Sleep, Meditation and Calm makes you a better Leader
Steve Griffith has spent three decades helping elite athletes and hard-charging executives perform without burning out. In this conversation we unpack why stress is the quiet saboteur of leadership, and why meditation is not a fad but a recovery tool that gives you rest deeper than sleep in just 20 minutes. Steve shares how his six month holistic leadership program builds self leadership, one on one relationships, and accountable teams, and why change only sticks when it is practised, coached, and measured. We talk about the hour of power, staying above the line, integrity with yourself, and what it takes to scale wellbeing across construction sites, local councils, and fast moving real estate teams. We look ahead to a future where self awareness, values, and inner resilience are non negotiable for leaders. Forget the app. Close your eyes. Please enjoy this conversation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sep 7, 2025 • 55min
Scott Millar on - Rethinking 9-5: GenZ, Reverse Mentoring & Leading with Love Languages at Work
From high school entrepreneur to CEO of one of Australia’s fastest-growing companies, Scott Millar has never played by the rules. Nicknamed the “Teenage Entrepreneur” by the media, Scott turned down the traditional career path to build a business that helps organisations connect with Gen Z and future generations. In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, Scott shares how curiosity, courage, and creativity have shaped his journey. We talk about why Gen Z leaders are rewriting the playbook, what it means to thrive in a world of constant change, and why the best leaders of tomorrow will be those who aren’t afraid to rewrite the rules today.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aug 31, 2025 • 60min
4000 Sundays: Burnout, Brain Drain, & Why Leaders Must Walk the Wellbeing Talk
What if you only had 4000 Sundays in your lifetime? And what if the way you work today is quietly stealing them away? In this conversation, Dr Kristy Goodwin takes us inside her own life-altering wake-up call — a moment in a Code Red hospital ward that forced her to confront burnout, mortality, and the “success tax” so many high performers pay. Kristy shares why our bodies keep score, how to stop crawling to Friday and start arriving at Sunday fully alive, and why protecting your focus, energy, and relationships is non-negotiable if you want to lead into the future. This is not just about wellbeing, it’s about the kind of leaders we choose to become — human-first, sustainable, and fiercely intentional. 🎧 Listen now and ask yourself: how many Sundays do you have left, and how do you want to spend them?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.


