The Missing Piece

Community Leadership - The Missing Piece Podcast MashUps

In the midst of the current COVID-19 crisis,  it's clear that in order to keep ourselves safe, we need to look after one another. Responsible leadership that focuses on the voices and the needs of the community has never been so vital.  I have had the privilege of speaking with the likely, and not so likely experts about how they lead and encourage their communities through listening, creating a safe environment, acting with integrity and treating everyone with respect. To help us think through some of our current leadership concerns, I thought I’d share some extracts from those conversations with you.  In this mashup of previous Missing Piece episodes, you'll hear from recovering reality TV producer Maz Farrelly,  social entrepreneur Gopinath Parayil, Associate Church Minister Erica Hammons, and finally Matt Dibbayawan, from Uniting’s Medically Supervised Injecting Centre.

Communication and Collectivism - The Missing Piece Podcast Mashups

In the midst of the current COVID-19 crisis, we are experiencing a stark reminder that we are all part of one global community. In this mashup of previous episodes of The Missing Piece, we hear from three key experts: Maz Farrelly, AKA Maz Speaks, Gopinath Parayil, and Mike Anderson.  Maz is a former, and some would say, recovering reality TV producer turned speaker, author, and CEO whisperer. Maz has worked on some of the biggest shows in what we know is a multi-million dollar industry which of course aims to entertain, but also holds many important lessons about community and communication. Gopi is a social entrepreneur, storyteller, responsible tourism advocate, and innovative community facilitator. He has extensive experience working with communities responding to a need, whether it's palliative care or natural disasters. Finally, Mike Anderson, Community Education Project Officer with Surf Life Saving New South Wales. Mike is part of a team that wants everyone in our broader community to feel not only safe on the beach, but that they belong there. From those who live on the coast to those who have never even seen the ocean, Surf Life Saving are attempting to build relationships and communicate effectively to engage all kinds of communities.

Why Do Universities Need To Exist? - Engineer and University Lecturer David Kellermann

David Kellermann is a Senior Lecturer with a specialisation in the mechanics of advanced composite materials and biological tissue; Course convenor and educational technology developer for the large foundational first- and second-year mechanics courses.  Coming from a family of four engineers and one artist, David’s interest in engineering has always been more than just a career. Graduating from UNSW as University Medallist, David went on to complete his PhD in computational mechanics at age 26. David has since been specialised in the continuum and computational mechanics of advanced structural materials such as carbon fibre reinforced plastics and biological tissue. He has worked as research fellow at the University of Nottingham UK, been research associate in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (UNSW) ranked 13th in the world, and is now a lecturer in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at UNSW Sydney. He has worked in applying his models for Boeing Research and Technology, the Composites CRC of Australia, and collegiate researchers around the world. David is a member of the Engineering Faculty (ranked #1 in Australia) and has pioneered the development and implementation of new technologies into his teaching practice at UNSW. He is the course convenor and lecturer for the largest foundational first- and second-year engineering subjects (Engineering Mechanics and the Mechanics of Solids), teaching over 1,000 students each year. He is married to a philosopher and lives, hikes and climbs with his family in the beautiful Blue Mountains.

Reality TV Producer Maz Farrelly and What We Can Learn From Community By Dismantling It?

If you have ever watched reality television, you've likely watched something by Maz Farrelly, AKA Maz Speaks. Her impressive resume includes shows like Big Brother, X Factor, and Farmer Wants a Wife, but the list goes on and on. Maz is a former, and some would say recovering, reality TV producer turned speaker, author and 'CEO whisperer'. When it comes to making a hit reality series, she knows exactly what makes it work - the four C's. Comedy, characters, conflict, and consequence. In this podcast, she explores a fifth C: community. As is imaginable when it comes to an industry that relies so heavily on personalities, community is an extremely important element on set. Maz tells us stories ranging from allowing people to speak up when things are not okay - that doing so is not an indication of a community being weak, but rather being strong and safe, all the way to how contestants behaved on The Celebrity Apprentice or Big Brother. Maz's insights are unique and compelling, allowing us to understand community through an intriguing lens: reality television.

From The Blue Yonder to the Chekutty Dolls - How Gopinath Parayil Focuses on Ethical Sustainability of Communities

Gopinath Parayil (Gopi) is so heavily involved in community work that he is perfect for The Missing Piece podcast. His business, The Blue Yonder, focuses on providing authentic travel experiences that allow travelers to feel intimately connected to the local communities that The Blue Yonder engages and works with. Gopi is all about sustainable and ethical travel, that in turn works to conserve the landscapes, heritage, and communities of the places they travel to. Amazingly, this is only the start of his resume. Gopi was also involved in the Chekutty Dolls initiative. Weavers at Chendamangalam in the Ernakulam district were hit by floods that destroyed their stock, raw materials, and tools. The Chekutty Dolls became a symbol of hope for the weavers as Gopi and fellow entrepreneur Lakshmi Menon began to help the weavers create small dolls out of the soiled garments. Before sales had even begun, they had received bulk orders from around the world. Listen to the podcast to hear all about Gopi's story, and his thoughts on creating and maintaining sustainable communities.