StoryWork

Anouk Darling has had one of those careers that makes normal CVs look a little underpowered. She has worked in luxury at LVMH, helped reinvent Oroton, led the agency Moon, worked in private equity and now runs Scape Australia, a business with around $17 billion in assets under management and more than 20,000 student apartments. But what makes Anouk interesting is not the scale. It is the way she thinks about what business Scape is actually in. This is not, in her telling, simply a property company. It is a business about experience, belonging, safety, community and the small human interactions that determine whether people feel seen. In this episode of StoryWork, we talk about why Anouk still believes leaders need to stay close to the front line, why she has very little patience for invented customer personas, and how watching real customers behave has shaped decisions throughout her career. We also get into Scape’s “hello effect”: a deliberate attempt to create environments where strangers feel able to…

Adam Spencer has spent decades making difficult things feel accessible. Through his sextuple threats of maths, science, technology, AI, public speaking and comedy he has developed a rare ability to move between worlds, explore frontier topics and somehow take people with him. That made him a particularly interesting person to talk to at a moment when artificial intelligence is beginning to change not just what we can do, but what expertise itself looks like. In this episode of StoryWork, Adam talks about the rapid evolution of AI, from reinforcement learning and AlphaGo to conversational large language models, vibe coding, real-time translation and the emerging possibilities of AI-generated film. We explore what happens when capabilities that once took years to acquire become available through natural language, and whether that makes expertise less valuable or simply changes the kind of expertise that matters. Adam also talks about the importance of knowing where your own knowledge ends. It’s a theme that…

Stephen Connor runs Volvo Cars Australia at a particularly interesting moment. The automotive industry is being reshaped by EVs, software and an influx of new brands, while Volvo is trying to evolve beyond the idea that has defined it for generations, safety. Stephen’s own career has involved a fair bit of reinvention too. After senior roles in the UK and Dubai, he arrived in Australia without a job, living with his in-laws and taking whatever work he could find. It was a period where he left behind the status and ego attached to his previous career and gained a much clearer understanding of what he could contribute. Our conversation ranged from that personal reset to the practical work of building a storied brand in a brave new world. We talk about why Volvo’s designers spend time in Swedish forests; the challenges of handing your brand experience over to independent dealers; and Stephen’s unusually disciplined view that selling more is not always the same as succeeding. For Volvo Australia, he believes…

Blaise Witnish started life as a kids' party host and working in bowling alleys. Now she's the CEO of Funlab, where she has spent more than two decades turning the joy of bowling, mini golf and competitive socialising into national (and now international) brands including Strike, Holey Moley and Hijinx Hotel. In the process, she has helped take Australian ideas about fun, irreverence and hospitality to the world. In this episode, we talk about the tiny moments that turn experiences into memories, why the CEO needs to sweat the small stuff, how Holey Moley went from an idea spotted in Manchester to a national brand in 18 months, and the wonderfully strange ways Funlab finds people who genuinely love to make others happy. Ultimately, it’s a conversation about the power of experiences, building culture at scale, and why, in an increasingly digital world, making people feel something in real life might be more valuable than ever. storywork.com.au

What does a former theatre director know about building billion-dollar deep-tech companies? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Phil Morle has spent his career moving between art, technology and venture capital. From experimental theatre and the wild early days of Kazaa to co-founding Pollenizer and helping build Main Sequence into one of Australia’s most important deep-tech investors, Phil has led the way. In this episode, Phil talks about AI as a “steam engine for the mind”, why the best founders tell stories about futures that don’t exist yet, the difference between an exciting idea and one you’d actually bet the house on, and why the story you tell can become either a navigator or a constraint for your ambitions. Ultimately, it’s a conversation about how story fuels our ability to see a different future, persuade other people to believe in it, and then do the bloody hard work of making it real. storywork.com.au

The world needs more exceptional people to choose to go into politics. Allegra Spender is the exception on many levels, and in this episode of StoryWork we talk about her quite radical approach to politics and to being a politician. Allegra was a McKinsey consultant with every possible option in front of her. But instead of seeking business success she chose public service. I sat down and spoke to Allegra in the wake of the federal budget, and just before she and her colleague, Zali Steggall, announced their plans to form a new political party. I wanted to understand her experience with politics, and look at the roles of leadership and advocacy through the lens of story.

Change is a constant. I know that’s a cliché. But I believe we’re also living through an extraordinarily change-y time. And how we deal with change, both how we make change happen and how we deal with the change that will inevitably happen to us, will be a key determinant of our success at pretty much anything, from business to life. I wanted to talk to Michael McQueen, not because he’s an expert at some many things I’m fascinated by (from technology to change), but also because as a prolific author and speaker, Michael McQueen knows people. He is an expert in the field of behavioural patterns and trends and this conversation will give you a clear sense of what you can do to improve both your resilience in the face of change and your leadership skills and ability to drive change. Listen in and learn from one of the smartest and most generous people I know. www.storywork.com.au

When I started thinking about creating StoryWork, the first name I wrote on my list of people I wanted to talk to was Zara Seidler. Both because of what she’s built at The Daily Aus, and because of the intelligence and creativity she’s brought to the task. This episode is a window into the process and vision of a brilliant young co-founder who has figured out how to do what everyone is wrestling with: commanding the attention of Gen Z. Zara and I spoke about the behind the scenes of starting The Daily Aus, from the unplanned chaos of the early strategy to what they’ve built and what comes next. This episode is full of rich insights and I can’t wait for you to hear it. www.storywork.com.au

We're coming out of the gates with one of the most exciting, inspiring people I've ever met. Dom Pym, founder of Up Bank (and so much more), philanthropist, investor and visionary. If you want to hear an inspiring and surprising start-up to success story, it's his. But this isn't just about making money. Listen to Dom for an insight into how his mind works and his bold plan to get more people to invest in risky, worthy endeavours; raising Australia's productivity, championing our innovation economy and creating a world-leading fintech ecosystem. And all because he’s a tech guy who believes passionately in the power of story, experiences and design. www.storywork.com.au Join the conversation on Substack

Welcome to this foundational episode. The backstory, if you like. Or, to be more specific, my story. The word journey is overplayed, but forgive me for using it here. The rest of this podcast is about other people and their stories. We’ll be meeting remarkable Australian founders, entrepreneurs, behavioural economists and business minds. But in this episode you get to meet me. I enlisted my dear friend Amelia Adams to help. In her own right she's a star foreign correspondent turned 60 Minutes journalist best known for her work over many years at Channel 9. Amelia asked me all about my career and where it has led me and why I feel so strongly that now is the moment we need to listen to each others’ stories and consider our own. It was also a sneaky way to take notes from one of the best interviewers in the game. Enjoy. www.storywork.com.au Join the conversation on Substack

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