Unleashing Brilliance

Intuition as Your Edge: Smarter Leadership with Chandu Bickford

Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] or email: support@janinegarner.com.au [support@janinegarner.com.au]  Spreadsheets tell you what is, but intuition whispers what's next. And that whisper is worth more than any data point you'll ever analyse. Most leaders ignore their built-in strategy engine because we've been taught to trust everything except ourselves. We outsource our knowing to consultants, frameworks and endless analysis when the answer is often sitting right there in that gut feeling we keep dismissing. The real rebel move? Stop outsourcing your knowing and turn that gut flicker, that shower thought, that 3 AM wake-up moment into one precise step you can defend in the boardroom. My guest today is the incredible Chandu Bickford, who helps leaders, individuals and organisations navigate pressure with clarity. We're diving into how to make intuition practical, why it matters now more than ever and how using intuition instead of anxiety leads to better decisions and transformational outcomes. Chandu shares her own journey with intuition that began 30 years ago with a life-altering nudge to go to Africa, completely impractical at the time, but a move that became a transformative adventure in teaching her to trust that quiet inner voice. We explore how the noise of the modern world drowns out intuitive whispers, leaving us reactive instead of intentional and why creating moments of quiet is essential for clarity. Chandu talks about her time living in a remote Tanzanian village, where she learnt invaluable lessons about leadership, resilience and adaptability that she now shares with leaders tired of running on empty and ready to lead from a place of clarity. Chandu encourages a simple practice: pause, breathe deeply and ask yourself "What would I love?" This question, posed in tranquillity, can unlock incredible insights you didn't even know were there. We invite you to explore this intuitive path and let your intuition be the hidden advantage in your leadership toolkit, because life's best decisions are often the ones whispered by that inner compass we've been trained to ignore. LINKS: Connect with Chandu: Website: https://chandubickford.com/ [https://chandubickford.com/]  Instagram: @chandubickford [https://www.instagram.com/chandubickford/] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandu-bickford-9b85a6141/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandu-bickford-9b85a6141/]  Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine [https://theacademy.janinegarner.com.au/Elevate_with_Janine] The Focus Finder Assessment [https://focusfinder.scoreapp.com/] Website [https://janinegarner.com.au/] |  Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] | LinkedIn [https://au.linkedin.com/in/janinegarner] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVggmmCUd6XbKV9Hyo4O2MA] Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind [https://unleashing-brilliance.captivate.fm/elevate-apply]

Being Ghosted? How To Turn Silence into Momentum

Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] or email: support@janinegarner.com.au [support@janinegarner.com.au]  Let’s talk about that all-too-familiar business gut punch: you send a killer proposal, wait for the “yes” and get nothing but radio silence. Ghosting. It’s frustrating, it’s awkward and it can leave you questioning your value. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to slash your prices or chase after people who aren’t ready. You just need a smarter way to turn that silence into your next opportunity. THE GHOST FRAMEWORK: YOUR COMEBACK PLAN In this episode, I share how to respond when you get ghosted without losing your cool or your confidence. Meet the GHOST framework: G: Give the Magic Pill H: Humanise the Follow Up O: Offer a Quick Win S: Set Decision Gates T: Take Back Your Power Silence Isn’t Rejection—It’s Data Ghosting isn’t a verdict on your worth. It’s just information. By showing up with clarity, boundaries and a focus on real outcomes, you can turn that silence into stronger client relationships. Remember, you are not here to chase and convince people to work with you. You are in the business of partnership.  Here’s your challenge for this week: reach out to someone who’s gone quiet with a “Yes, No, or Not Now” message. Celebrate any response because clarity is always a win. And if this episode hits home, share it with someone who needs a boost. You’ve got the skills to turn silence into your next big success.  LINKS: Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine [https://theacademy.janinegarner.com.au/Elevate_with_Janine] The Focus Finder Assessment [https://focusfinder.scoreapp.com/] Website [https://janinegarner.com.au/] |  Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] | LinkedIn [https://au.linkedin.com/in/janinegarner] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVggmmCUd6XbKV9Hyo4O2MA] Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind [https://unleashing-brilliance.captivate.fm/elevate-apply]

How to Tell Brilliant Stories in a World Obsessed with AI with Gabrielle Dolan

Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] or email: support@janinegarner.com.au [support@janinegarner.com.au]  Every conversation these days seems to revolve around Artificial Intelligence: chatbots, deep fakes and whether robots will take over our jobs (or even our souls!). Yet amidst the technical cacophony, there's a crucial narrative that's often missed: the timeless art of storytelling. How do we cut through the chaos to make meaningful connections when the personal is getting overshadowed by the automated? I sit down with Gabrielle Dolan, storytelling expert, bestselling author, and dear friend, to explore her newest book Story Intelligence and discuss mastering the craft of authentic storytelling amidst the buzz of AI. Gabrielle passionately argues that while AI can mimic and generate content, it cannot replace the uniqueness of our lived experiences, personal voices and those charming quirks that define us. We explore how AI should be viewed as a creative ally rather than a replacement, helping us find and refine stories without overshadowing our authentic voice. The aim isn't bland uniformity but leveraging AI to amplify our personal truths, especially for entrepreneurs, CEOs and anyone looking to foster deeper connections. The world is rife with distrust across government, organisations, and media, which means authentic storytelling is more crucial than ever. Gabrielle's work reaffirms that our stories are our most powerful assets for building trust and influence, offering realness in a world of manufactured content. LINKS: Connect with Gabrielle Book: Story Intelligence: The Craft of Authentic Storytelling, Made Smarter with AI [https://www.amazon.com/Story-Intelligence-Authentic-Storytelling-Smarter/dp/1394360878] Website: https://gabrielledolan.com/ [https://gabrielledolan.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielledolan.1/ [https://www.instagram.com/gabrielledolan.1/]  Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine [https://theacademy.janinegarner.com.au/Elevate_with_Janine] The Focus Finder Assessment [https://focusfinder.scoreapp.com/] Website [https://janinegarner.com.au/] |  Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] | LinkedIn [https://au.linkedin.com/in/janinegarner] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVggmmCUd6XbKV9Hyo4O2MA] Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind [https://unleashing-brilliance.captivate.fm/elevate-apply]

Red Brick Thinking: How to make space, find focus & move forward

Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] or email: support@janinegarner.com.au [support@janinegarner.com.au]  Drowning in obligations, tasks and responsibilities that multiply faster than you can clear them? We've been taught to solve problems by adding more - more effort, more resources, more systems. But what if the answer is actually subtraction?  I recently sat down with Donna McGeorge, keynote speaker and bestselling author obsessed with helping people reclaim time and space for what really matters. She's written 15 books (five of them bestsellers), her ideas have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Fast Company, and she's known for cutting through corporate waffle with sharp truths and practical frameworks. We discussed her latest book Red Brick Thinking and what she shared completely shifted how I think about problem-solving. Donna shares her famous Lego bridge exercise that reveals why we're approaching problems all wrong, and introduces the concept of "addition bias", the tendency that's keeping us overwhelmed despite our best efforts. She explains why creating space doesn't mean doing more, and what we need to let go of instead. We explore the three types of red bricks weighing us down in business and life, and how identifying them creates room for what actually matters. Donna walks through the shift from asking "What can we add?" to a question that changes everything about how you prioritise and make decisions. If you're consumed by busyness, this conversation is your permission slip to stop adding and start subtracting. The space you create might just reveal the opportunities you've been missing. LINKS: Connect with Donna: Website: https://donnamcgeorge.com/ [https://donnamcgeorge.com/]  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnamcgeorge/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnamcgeorge/]  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmcgeorge/ [https://www.instagram.com/dmcgeorge/] Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine [https://theacademy.janinegarner.com.au/Elevate_with_Janine] The Focus Finder Assessment [https://focusfinder.scoreapp.com/] Website [https://janinegarner.com.au/] |  Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] | LinkedIn [https://au.linkedin.com/in/janinegarner] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVggmmCUd6XbKV9Hyo4O2MA] Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind [https://unleashing-brilliance.captivate.fm/elevate-apply]

What HYROX Taught Me About Business: The 5-Minute Shift That Changed Everything

Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] or email: support@janinegarner.com.au [support@janinegarner.com.au]  Picture this: 8:00 AM on a Saturday, I'm standing in eye-popping hot pink gear about to tackle the HYROX fitness challenge for the second time with my daughter Taya. But this isn't a fitness story. It's about what happened when we finished five minutes faster than our first attempt, and what that taught me about business. The lesson hit me somewhere between the rowing station and the sled push: we didn't get faster by completely changing our approach. We got faster by refining what already worked. Today we’re exploring why brilliant business owners keep questioning their direction despite smashing results, and why we're obsessed with reinventing the wheel instead of doubling down on what's working. I see this constantly with the women I coach: clients are thrilled, revenue is growing, yet they're still questioning whether they should pivot. Not because something's broken, but because consistency feels too simple. Your business breakthrough isn't hiding in some brand-new strategy you haven't discovered yet. The question is: are you ready to commit to what's already working, or are you going to keep chasing the next shiny object? Your five-minute shift is waiting. LINKS: Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine [https://theacademy.janinegarner.com.au/Elevate_with_Janine] The Focus Finder Assessment [https://focusfinder.scoreapp.com/] Website [https://janinegarner.com.au/] |  Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/janinegarner/] | LinkedIn [https://au.linkedin.com/in/janinegarner] | YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVggmmCUd6XbKV9Hyo4O2MA] Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind [https://unleashing-brilliance.captivate.fm/elevate-apply]