Chocolate that loves you back - sounds like the ultimate luxury. From Model to Naturopath & Nutritionist to founder of an AFR Fast 100 company, Emica Penklis’s story is a fascinating one. Emica is a visionary entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Loco Love Pty Ltd, a trailblazing Australian chocolate company renowned for its innovative "high vibe" products. And if you haven’t come across these chocolates I’m here to tell you, you are missing out. They are an experience. Within this conversation Emica shares the challenges she faced in her modelling career, the importance of having to explore the power of healing and how creating products that are good for people is the thread behind her work. We also chat about the role of leadership and key lessons she’s learnt along the way. Clarity on our intentions, gathering people around us to support us and continuing to learn and grow are the things I’ll take from this conversation. Enjoy this insightful conversation with Emica Penklis.

Habits - all of us have them. Some we’re happy to keep, others we’d love to kick. This time of year is the perfect time to get forensic about the habits in your life and how they are serving you. As a trained dietitian, Dr Gina Cleo has helped people improve their health and well-being - however noticed that her clients struggled to maintain their progress over time, much like those elusive goals you might be grappling with at this start of this year. Driven by the desire to find lasting solutions, she pressed pause on her clinic and completed a Ph.D. at Bond University. It was there that she uncover the transformative power of habit change and its potential to impact every facet of life. In this conversation we talk about some of Gina’s personal experience, including an experience that left her questioning everything and required her to rebuild every habit in her life - starting with brushing her teeth. We talk about the importance of self-belief, of realising that steps backwards are part of the process (not proof it’s not working) and how important it is to chase rituals over results. Dr Gina Cleo’s new book ‘The Habit Revolution’ is a game-changer when it comes to practical tools to explore and understand habits. This conversation will leave you feeling empowered not embarrassed about habits, soak up the wisdom and warmth that is Dr Gina Cleo. ______________________________________ The Habit Revolution - https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-habit-revolution-gina-cleo/book/9781922616654.html Dr Gina Cleo - https://www.drginacleo.com Ali Hill - https://www.alisonhill.com.au

What would it take for you to be able to work with (almost) anyone? Michael Bungay Stanier helps people know they’re awesome and they’re doing great. He’s best known for his book The Coaching Habit which is the best selling book on coaching this century and is considered a classic His most recent book is How to Work with (Almost) Anyone and it shows how to build the Best Possible Relationship with the key people at work. He founded Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that has trained hundreds of thousands of managers to be more coach-like in organizations from Microsoft to Gucci. He left Australia about 30 years ago to be a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University ... where his only significant achievement was falling in love with a Canadian ... and which is why he now lives in Toronto, having spent time in London and Boston. Balancing out these moments of success, he was banned from his high school graduation for “the balloon incident” (you’ll hear about that) ... was sued by one of his Law School professors for defamation ... and his first published piece of writing was a Harlequin Romance-esque story involving a misdelivered letter ... and called The Male Delivery. Enjoy this conversation with the thoughtful Michael Bungay Stainer. _____________________________________________ Host / Producer: Ali Hill https://www.alisonhill.com.au/ Guest: Michael Bungay Stainer https://www.mbs.works/ Sound Editor: Jason Strozkiy https://www.strozkiymedia.com/ Talent Producer: Maddy Westbrook https://thenoblegroup.com.au/

Much of what we do is living life by default even when life has dished up hard-ships, maybe even trauma. We’re going through the motions….but what if we were to shake things up and become curious rebels. Yemi Penn is a global thought-leader on igniting our rebellious curiosity at an individual, team and organisational level. British born, Nigerian, living in Australia Yemi is an Engineer by profession, Entrepreneur by passion. Yemi fuses analytical thinking with creativity to produce superior outcomes. Transformation is the theme across Yemi’s focus, whether this is opening a F45 gym in London, a café in Sydney’s South-West Suburbs, authoring a book, managing complex projects such as Crossrail and Sydney Metro or producing an impactful documentary. Within this conversation we dive into how we can tap more into curiousity, the invitation to put ourselves in the way of discomfort, and to unlock a rebellious heart. This conversation is a deep one….it’s a beautiful one. Soak up the wisdom and invitation shared by Yemi Penn. _________________________________ Host: https://www.instagram.com/alihill/ or https://www.alisonhill.com.au/ Guest: https://yemipenn.com/ Sound Producer: Jason Strozkiy - https://www.strozkiymedia.com/ Talent Producer: Maddy Westbrook - https://thenoblegroup.com.au/

All of us can fall into trying to make sense of the unknown, drawn towards an insight, a theory or a story that seems just far-fetched enough to be true. But what makes rational people believe irrational things? As someone who studies behavioural scientists today’s guest is akin to chatting with an intellectual hero. It’s highly possible you haven’t come across Dan Ariely’s work, but his research drives much of what we know about irrational behaviour. Dan Ariely is Professor of Psychology & Behavioral Economics at Duke University, his research is dedicated to answering questions about irrational behaviour, and help people live more sensible – if not rational – lives. He is a founding member of the Center for Advanced Hindsight, co-creator of the film documentary '(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies', and a three-time New York Times bestselling author. This conversation focuses on Dan’s latest book 'Misbelief', which is a personal deep dive into an experience Dan faced through COVID with untruths being shared about him and his research. Believing he could just convince people they weren’t true lead him down the path of identifying what he calls the ‘funnel of misbelief’. This conversation is insightful, fascinating and practical for us all as we navigate the unknown. Take a trip into understanding the funnel of Misbelief with Dan Ariely.

When we look in the mirror there are times we might pause long enough to ask the question - Who am I? Identity, invisibility, magic and love are the themes not only of Trent Dalton’s work, but of his life. This conversation that left me with goosebumps, tears, laughter, joy and a desire to cartwheel into the magic moments life has in store, if we’re prepared to see them. Trent Dalton nearly needs no introduction but here a few things you ought to know about him. Trent grew up in housing commission in Brakenridge, Brisbane. He is a Walkley Award winning journalist, and in 2018 published his debut novel 'Boy Swallows Universe', which broke all the records and is currently being filmed for a Netflix series. With this book, and his other books 'All Our Shimmering Skies' and 'Love Stories' Trent has sold over 1.2 million copies in Australia alone. In this conversation we talk about Trent’s latest book ‘Lola in the mirror’. This book is filled with dark, light, magic, grit and a dash of the meaning of life. We explore who we are, we chat about love, enthusiasm, darkness, light, pulling your head out of your own arse, and so much more. Trent’s latest book is extraordinary, Trent is extraordinary, and this conversation is one you’ll want to revisit. Soak up the magic that is Trent Dalton ______________________________________________________ Host - Ali Hill - https://www.instagram.com/alihill/ Guest - Trent Dalton - https://www.instagram.com/trentdaltonauthor/?hl=en Grab a copy of Trent's book 'Lola In The Mirror' - https://www.booktopia.com.au/lola-in-the-mirror-trent-dalton/book/9781460759837.html Photo Image - David Kelly Editor - Jason Strozkiy - https://www.strozkiymedia.com/ Talent Producer - Maddy Westbrook - https://thenoblegroup.com.au/

This episode comes with a content warning. This conversation with Chanel Contos contains descriptions of sexual violence, assault and we talk about sexual acts. Parts of this conversation may be distressing for some listeners. The statistics Chanel shares are confronting which is why she has made it her mission to drive a conversation and impact policy change in this country about consent education. We can’t talk about consent without talking about what consent is not. I’m really proud of this conversation and believe it’s important to sit in the uncomfortable and the hard. But please be aware that discretion is advised before you choose to listen. And if this episode brings up anything for you please reach out to organisations like LifeLife on 13 11 14 Chanel Contos founded Teach Us Consent, a campaign that mandated consent education in Australia. In order to achieve this, she worked closely with politicians from across the political spectrum, including prime ministers. Chanel was the recipient of the Australian Human Rights Commission Young People’s Medal in 2021, and in 2023 she was named NSW Young Woman of the Year for her persistent efforts towards eradicating rape culture. Chanel has also been presented with the prestigious Diana Award for her humanitarian work, and in 2022 she was listed as one of the BBC’s 100 inspiring and influential women worldwide. Chanel has a Masters in Education, Gender and International Development from University College London and was recently appointed by Julia Gillard to chair the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership’s. She shares her message in her latest book ‘Consent Laid Bare’ - riding the gap between policy makers and the experiences of young people. Calling for greater awareness, education and at its core - empathy - in sharing what is healthy intimacy. Consent is complex - particularly in a society where messages are mixed at best, toxic at worst. Chanel’s book is a battle cry from a generation no longer prepared to stay silent. She is a powerhouse on a mission. This is an important conversation for those who care about youth and the generations to come. Youth Advisory Committee. www.teachusconsent.com Host: Ali Hill www.alison.hill.com.au Guest: Chanel Contos www.instagram.com/chanelc/ Editor: Jason Strozkiy https://www.strozkiymedia.com/ Talent Producer: Maddy Westrbrook https://thenoblegroup.com.au/

Falling into advertising photography was a happy accident according to today’s guest - a career that has incredible high’s but hasn’t always been easy. John Tsiavis has always had creativity in his world and found his flair at the intersection of advertising, photography, and directing. His break came at the age of 20 after producer Jane Scott contacted RMIT looking for someone to shoot stills for the Australian feature film Head On. He went on to work in the entertainment industry creating images for film such as Chopper (for anyone that can recall that image of Eric Bana that is John’s work), Ned Kelly and he also worked on television series including The Secret Life of Us and Summer Heights High. His work is fine art meeting commerciality - and it’s by holding onto a philosophy of shooting for ‘him’ that his style was created. Along the way John has learnt the value of treating people well; connection is a key theme. Within this conversation John talks about some of the images that have stretched him - including a striking portrait of actor Jackie Weaver. You’ll see these over on instagram @alihill or by following the links in the show notes to John’s work. John also shares his latest endeavour directing a series called 'A QUIET ROAR' - showcasing the stories and campaigns of young activists advocating for social, political, and economic change. A project that’s impacting him deeply. This is a personal, real and insight conversation about creativity, art, and the importance of deep connection with John Tsiavis.

What were you doing the first few months of 2020? Today’s guests were launching their business together in outdoor apparel. A business that, by starting in uncertain times has forged its way into new territory. Olympic freestyle aerial skier Kiley McKinnon, alongside Ariana Ferwerda initially set out to create a skiwear brand designed by women, for women. After competing at the 2018 Olympics in men's ski wear, Kiley knew the male-dominated outdoor industry needed to change. She shares the frustrations she found in trying to talk to sponsors about the subtle differences for women’s ski wear. Without any traction. This was a lightning bolt moment for her, Ariana, an avid recreational skier frustrated by the lacklustre outdoor apparel industry, had also struggled to find technical women’s apparel that fit correctly, functioned accurately, and looked good. With that, Halfdays was born. 
In this conversation we talk about the power of connecting with nature, navigating a fast growth business together, and the cross-over between Olympic level skiing and being in business. From a seed of an idea, to navigating the important things in relationship and work, enjoy this conversation with Kiley McKinnon & Arianna Ferwerda.

From a young age, journalism was always on the radar for Tracey Spicer. Exploring the stories of our time and uncovering truths. This drive continues in her latest book - Man Made. Tracey is a multiple Walkley Award winning author, journalist and broadcaster who has anchored national programs for ABC TV and radio, Network Ten and Sky News. Tracey is one of the most sought-after on stage and online keynote speakers and emcees in the region. In 2019 she was named the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year, accepted the Sydney Peace Prize alongside Tarana Burke for the Me Too movement. Struck by 7 words said to her by her son, Tracey has spent the last few years researching AI, in particular exploring how the bias of the past is being built into the future. In this conversation we chat about Tracey’s journalism career and her experience with long covid. When it comes to AI we chat about where bias in AI comes from, how you can’t just 'program bias out of AI’, and practical ways that we can all seek to be mindful of AI, both the benefits and the inherent downsides. This is a thought-provoking, engaging, and fascinating conversation with someone who is an explorer of truth. Soak up the wisdom and insight that is Tracey Spicer. Host & Producer: Ali Hill - https://www.instagram.com/alihill/ Guest: Tracey Spicer - https://traceyspicer.com.au/ Book: Man-Made https://www.booktopia.com.au/man-made-tracey-spicer/book/9781761106378.html Editor: Jason Strozkiy - https://www.strozkiymedia.com/ Talent Producer: Maddy Westbrook - https://thenoblegroup.com.au/