What I learned in business (that didn't kill me!)

Kim McDonnell: The Social Enterprise Entrepreneur

Have you ever wanted to be part of a Social Enterprise? What about building a business that does good for the community - at scale? Kim McDonnell — founder of Thankful, Thankful4Farmers, and Saveful, and winner of the 2025 Women in Digital Champion of Change Award, has done just that (and more)! Kim shares her remarkable journey from growing up in the remote mining town of Mount Isa, in outback QLD to building and selling a successful digital marketing agency, before making the bold decision to walk away from corporate success, sell literally everything she and her family owned and dedicate her life to solving some of the world’s biggest social and environmental challenges. We unpack: * The moment Kim realised commercial success alone wasn’t enough to fulfill her * Why she sold everything to pursue a social enterprise mission * The founding story behind Thankful and the science of gratitude * Moving her family to New York City to pursue global impact * Speaking at the United Nations during General Assembly week * The creation of Thankful4Farmers with celebrity chef Matt Moran * Why food waste is one of the world’s biggest hidden environmental problems * How Saveful is using technology and behavioural psychology to help families save money and reduce waste * The realities of startup life, resilience, capital raising, and purpose-driven leadership * This is a powerful conversation about courage, values, behavioural change, and building businesses that aim to leave the world better than they found it. 🎧 CONNECT WITH THE SHOW Follow What I Learned in Business (That Didn’t Kill Me!) on your favourite podcast platform. Connect with James Stewart on LinkedIn for more insights on leadership, governance, restructuring, entrepreneurship and business transformation. Instagram: @whatilearnedinbusiness [https://www.instagram.com/whatilearnedinbusiness/?utm_source=chatgpt.com] YouTube: What I Learned in Business YouTube Channel Website: James H Stewart [https://www.jameshstewart.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com] ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast is intended for general informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not constitute financial, legal, investment, environmental, or professional advice. Listeners should obtain independent advice relevant to their own circumstances before making any decisions based on the content of this episode. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Tom Krulis: Godfreys. Petstock. Cheap as Chips.

How a Holocaust survival story shaped a family legacy and inspired a serial retail investor to keep striving for success. In this deeply personal discussion, James H Stewart sits down with retailer, investor, former lawyer and long-time friend, Tom Krulis for a conversation that goes far beyond business. Tom opens up about his family’s extraordinary journey, including the posthumous publication of his father Steven’s book, The Boy with the Suitcase, the enduring legacy of growing up as the son of a Holocaust survivor, and how those experiences shaped his values, leadership style, and appetite for risk. James and Tom reflect on their shared experiences travelling through Rwanda, exploring one of the most remarkable national turnarounds of modern times following the Rwandan Genocide, and then rise of antisemitism in Australia what business leaders can learn from resilience, reconciliation, and rebuilding. From there, the conversation shifts to Tom’s remarkable business career—from leaving law at Freehills, to helping drive the success of Godfreys Group through multiple ownership cycles, becoming an early investor in Petstock before its billion-dollar transaction with Woolworths Group, and navigating the recent collapse of value retailer, Cheap as Chips. This is a conversation about: * Legacy, family and values * The lived experience of modern antisemitism in Australia * Building, scaling and exiting retail businesses * Private equity, public markets and investor discipline * Why some businesses survive… and others don’t A raw, honest and deeply human conversation with a man who has seen both extraordinary success… and the reality of loss. ⚠️ DISCLAIMER This podcast is intended for general information, education and discussion purposes only. The views, opinions, experiences and recollections expressed by the host and guest are their own at the time of recording and do not necessarily reflect the views of any current or former employers, investee companies, portfolio companies, shareholders, directors, employees, advisers, governments, regulators, or other stakeholders. This episode may include discussion of historical events, personal experiences, commercial transactions, business successes and failures, industry trends, legal and regulatory matters, and current social issues. Any references to companies, transactions, valuations, ownership structures, restructurings, administrations, market conditions, or investment outcomes are based on publicly available information, personal recollection, or opinion, and should not be relied upon as financial, legal, investment, tax, governance, or other professional advice.Where specific individuals, businesses, transactions or events are discussed—including current or former businesses—listeners should be aware that circumstances may have changed since the time of recording, and not all perspectives or stakeholders may be represented. Listeners should conduct their own independent enquiries and seek appropriate professional advice before making any business, investment, legal, governance or personal decisions arising from matters discussed in this episode. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Sally Bruce: The Social Impact Banker

The Banking Royal Commission was the reset needed for the Australian banking industry and demanded by the community. Sally Bruce's first hand experience at Macquarie Bank, National Australia Bank, AMP bank, gave her a unique insight into some of Australia's largest financial institutions, the important role than they play in the community and what can go wrong when the institution gets in its own way. From rural Queensland, Sally is a straight shooter who calls it as she sees it and gives a unique insight into some of the more turbulent times in Australian banking. Her career pivot to technology scale up, Culture Amp, reframed her thinking around business and opened her eyes into a world of global technology and workplace culture. Sal is also a dedicated believer in the power of social impact, both personally and in business, and has been involved in community organisations for decades, including opening her home to refugees from around the globe. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Sally: * Ran her first P&L at just 21 years of age * Led major corporate workouts and restructurings * Helped transform Australia’s mortgage landscape * Served as CEO during the turmoil of the Banking Royal Commission * Pivoted from traditional banking into global technology leadership * Sat on boards spanning banking, the arts, and women’s leadership * Opened her family home to skilled refugees rebuilding their lives in Australia In this candid and deeply personal conversation, Sally shares: * How growing up in rural Queensland shaped her leadership philosophy * What Macquarie Bank taught her about performance under pressure * How customer-first thinking transformed mortgage banking at National Australia Bank * Her unfiltered reflections on the Australian Banking Royal Commission * What she learned moving from old-economy banking to high-growth tech at Culture Amp * Why she believes social mobility, education and opportunity matter more than ever This is a conversation about ambition, reinvention, resilience, humility — and what truly matters when the titles no longer define you. DISCLAIMER This podcast is intended for general information, education and entertainment purposes only. The views, opinions and recollections expressed by the host and guest are their own, based on personal experience and publicly available information at the time of recording, and do not necessarily reflect the views of any past or present employer, board, shareholder, government agency, regulator, client or affiliated organisation. Nothing discussed in this episode constitutes financial, investment, banking, legal, tax, governance, employment or other professional advice. Listeners should obtain independent professional advice before acting on any information discussed. This episode may include discussion of historical events, organisations, regulatory processes, personal experiences and leadership decisions which are discussed in good faith for educational and commentary purposes. Any references to third parties are made on the basis of publicly available information or personal recollection and should not be taken as findings of fact or criticism of any individual or organisation. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Peter Robinson: Bombs, Bullets & The Batman

A former F18 fighter pilot, a former leader of the Australian aerobatic flying team the Roulettes, a Senior Advisor to the Australian Defence industry and someone who literally jumps off tall building (or cliffs) in a single bound. That's what you get when you chat with Peter Robinson. In this high-impact episode, James Stewart sits down with Peter Robinson, CEO of NWE Strategic to discuss the current and future state of Australia's Defence capability. Peter is a former leader of KPMG's Defence practice and has operated at the sharp end of aviation, leadership and strategic risk — and now advises organisations across defence, logistics, mining and energy. This conversation moves from the cockpit to the boardroom… and from Batwing jumps to billion-dollar defence decisions. IN THIS EPISODE: * Peter’s journey into the RAAF and life as a fighter pilot * Leading the Roulettes and managing risk in high-performance environments * Why he took up Base Jumping in a Bat Suit * Whether Australia is spending enough on defence * Are we getting value for money from defence budgets? * Does Defence have a bureaucracy or systems problem? * Has the dual leadership model inside Defence worked? * Why AUKUS matters — and whether it is worth the cost * How warfare is changing through drones, missiles and low-cost technology * Where Australia may be most exposed if conflict came sooner than expected * What leaders in business can learn from military decision-making under pressure * This is a fascinating discussion about preparedness, leadership, execution risk and what large systems must do when the stakes are high. CONNECT: Website: jameshstewart.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-h-stewart-gaicd-83b46a9/ DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for general informational and entertainment purposes only. Views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or any organisation mentioned. Nothing in this episode constitutes financial, investment, legal, defence, political, strategic or other professional advice. Discussion of defence capability, geopolitics and public policy includes opinion, interpretation and forward-looking commentary which may change over time. Listeners should undertake their own independent research and seek appropriate professional advice before acting on any matters discussed. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Kate Jenkins AO: The Commissioner.

Harvey Weinstein and Brittany Higgins have one thing in common. They were at the heart of a movement to reform workplace safety and workplace culture and right at the centre of that process, was Kate Jenkins AO, one of Australia’s most prominent voices on workplace safety, sexual discrimination and culture. Kate is the former Sex Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission and has led some of the most significant reviews and inquiries in Australia, including the landmark Respect@Work report into workplace sexual harassment, the independent review into culture inside Federal Parliament, and major cultural reviews across sport, government and business. Kate was also the Commissioner of the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and is currently the Chair of the Australian, Sports Commission, Chair of Creative Workplaces Australia and President of the Australian Red Cross among other roles. This conversation goes beyond headlines and policy settings, to explore what really happens inside organisations when systems fail, power is misused, and people do not feel safe to speak up. James and Kate discuss: • Why culture failures are rarely sudden — they often develop gradually over time • The warning signs boards and executives frequently miss • Why complaint systems can fail the people they are designed to protect • The challenge of balancing performance, fairness and accountability • What meaningful reform looks like after crisis or misconduct • Lessons from reviews across Parliament, sport and major institutions • Why workplace culture should be treated as a core governance and business risk Kate also reflects on the human stories behind her work and what leaders can do to create safer, stronger and more respectful workplaces. An essential episode for directors, executives, founders, HR leaders and anyone responsible for leading people. Follow the show for more conversations with leaders who have learned through challenge, crisis and experience. Website: https://jameshstewart.com/ [https://jameshstewart.com/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-h-stewart-gaicd-83b46a9 [https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-h-stewart-gaicd-83b46a9] Important Disclaimer: This podcast is provided strictly for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, regulatory, governance, employment, HR, financial or professional advice of any kind, and must not be relied upon as a substitute for obtaining advice specific to your circumstances. The views, opinions and recollections expressed by guests are their own, based on their personal experiences at the time of recording, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the host or any organisation past or present. References to individuals, institutions, events or reforms are general in nature and may be incomplete or subject to change. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.