#147 - Do These Things Right Now To Stop Falling Behind In The AI Race (Oliver Merrick)

#151 - Tahlia Kennedy: How To Escape "200 View Jail" & Grow An Audience From Scratch

This week, we sit down with Tahlia Kennedy [https://www.instagram.com/tahlia.kennedy/], Head of Content at Kinso [https://www.instagram.com/kinso.app/], for a masterclass on building an online audience from scratch. Tahlia's path here was far from linear. She rushed into a degree, walked away from it, and started an ice bath business off Facebook Marketplace that cost her thousands. But instead of chasing another product, she made a different bet: go and learn the game of business by working directly under founders. A year on, and she's built the content engine behind Australia's most viral startup. We unpack: * The daily system behind her content: morning ideation, batch filming, and batch editing * The difference between building a personal brand and a business brand * Her content funnel: entertaining skits up top, storytelling in the middle, product demos at the bottom, all feeding one flywheel * Why you don't actually need a niche anymore, and how to grow fast by studying the outliers * Build In Public, the done-for-you founder brand business she's building with her partner Charlie * The one piece of advice she'd give her 18-year-old self For anyone trying to grow an audience, market a business without a marketing budget, or just work out why their videos keep flopping, this one's for you. *** This episode was recorded on 30 June 2026 at The Daily Aus [https://www.instagram.com/thedailyaus/]' awesome studio here in Sydney. Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. We'll see you in the next one, Keep playing the long game.

#150 - Nick Palumbo: The Gelato Messina Story & Why Specialisation Matters

In this week's episode, we are joined by Nick Palumbo (Founder - Gelato Messina) to discuss his journey over more than 20 years of operating Australia's most recognised gelatisserie. In the discussion, we unpack: Why keeping it simple has served Nick and his business partners well? Messinanomics - the secret behind Gelato/ice cream and its rough nexus to the macroeconomy, some of the patterns and trends discussed may surprise you... The one thing that Nick could not live without His advice for other young entrepreneurs and business owners of all kinds A rare insight into the brainchild of Messina's approach to succeeding in a notoriously challenging industry. *** This episode was recorded on 25 June 2026. Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instragram [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn. [https://au.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod] We'll see you in the next one, Keep playing the long game.

#149 - Best of 2026 So Far: Job Interviews, Cybersecurity, Consulting Wealth Management (Part 2)

We're just about halfway through 2026 with 26 episodes in the bag, so we wanted to look back at some of our favourite moments from the show so far this year. In Part 2, we revisit four conversations that stuck with us – from the art of ethical hacking and protecting Australia's largest companies from cyber threats, to lessons from Australia's highest ranked wealth adviser, to how to nail your next job interview or pitch. In this episode: 00:00–09:05 Assadi Youssef (IBM) on the art of ethical hacking and protecting Australia's biggest companies from cyber threats [⁠⁠Episode #139 [https://youtu.be/iFL8zx3qUiA?si=D-sxCiEj_QSLLaif]⁠⁠] 09:05–22:03 Jonathan Pease (Winning The Room) on how to nail your next job interview or pitch [⁠⁠Episode #145 [https://youtu.be/cnWLJQ-dmRM?si=uemEQ2SH50wwWefX]⁠⁠] 22:03–33:36 Dr. Stephanie Allen (Kearney) on going from solving bus timetables to advising global healthcare giants [⁠⁠Episode #137 [https://youtu.be/sX3p6RDhoL0?si=3DXVk3wgX8bZ7olO]⁠⁠] 33:36–52:24 Charlie Viola (Viola Private Wealth) on going from a bank teller to Australia's highest ranked wealth adviser [⁠⁠Episode #141⁠⁠ [https://youtu.be/ZaCgVNMmg2A?si=il__kvelfTB7Zs1b]] *** Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & ⁠LinkedIn⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. Enjoying the show? Share this episode with a friend who's playing the long game in whatever they're doing. We'll see you in the next one.

#148 - Best of 2026 So Far: AI, Careers, Moscow, Satellites & Backing The Right Horse (Part 1)

We're just about halfway through 2026 with 26 episodes in the bag, so we wanted to look back at some of our favourite moments from the show so far this year. In Part 1, we revisit six conversations that stuck with us – from how AI is revolutionising fundamental investing, to why you should view your career as a portfolio and not a ladder, to launching satellites into space after hitting rock bottom. In this episode: 00:00–15:09 Armina Rosenberg (Minotaur Capital) on how AI is rewriting the rules of stock picking [Episode #130 [https://youtu.be/w2kBDKgLlZ8?si=llft0ulI58tORIaY]] 15:09–18:13 Alexander Currie (Baker Botts) on what happens when your boss asks you to move to Moscow "just for 3 months" and it turns into 5-and-a-half years [Episode #134 [https://youtu.be/5YPOwGHQYFc?si=bcCEH6oyV53b2mZe]] 18:13–24:16 Anthony Brown (NobleOak) on why your career is a portfolio, not a ladder [Episode #125 [https://youtu.be/-fSVRk8v308?si=okAHOKuWAO1AeaN8]] 24:16–27:48 Graham Kerr (South32) on cramming in as many experiences as you can before you turn 30 [Episode #132 [https://youtu.be/SQ60gfN6Ksw?si=AAdNw6ySXRPzTh43]] 27:48–38:02 Flavia Tata Nardini (Fleet Space Technologies) on going from rock bottom to launching satellites into space [Episode #128 [https://youtu.be/S8SpPTp13Vg?si=FLGpt2UAWC6AaXWA]] 38:02–48:09 Brian Hartzer (Quantium Health), former Westpac CEO, on the importance of backing the right horse [Episode #144 [https://youtu.be/3n9n2qCZh1E?si=fOQsknKdQF1EHMDz]] Part 2 drops next week. *** Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. Enjoying the show? Share this episode with a friend who's playing the long game in whatever they're doing. We'll see you in the next one.

#147 - Do These Things Right Now To Stop Falling Behind In The AI Race (Oliver Merrick)

In this episode of Sweat Capital, we sit down with Oliver Merrick [https://www.instagram.com/olivermerrick___/], the 22-year old founder of Mez Corp, to unpack what it actually takes to build a business at the coalface of AI. Ollie's path is anything but conventional. The son of winemakers, he made his first $5 at 14 doing Instagram shoutouts from boarding school, cycled through drop shipping, print on demand and theme pages, and eventually quit a startup job he loved to bet on himself. Eight months after starting his current Instagram account, he booked a one-way ticket to France to join a hacker house with a Dutch founder he'd never met, and has since worked out of the UK, Dubai, DC, New York and Sydney. We unpack his framework for making businesses "dangerous with AI", why he believes the Elon Musk first-principles playbook (stop, audit, delete, simplify, then automate) matters more than chasing shiny agents, what it's like inside a global hacker house alongside founders running 400K-follower accounts and 8-figure consumer apps, and why distribution, curiosity and ruthless honesty about what you actually want are the most compounding skills of our generation. A genuinely inspiring conversation for anyone trying to figure out how to build, post and live with intent in the AI era. *** Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/sweatcapitalpodcast/] & LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/sweatcapitalpod/]. This episode was recorded on 13 May 2026. We'll see you in the next one, Keep playing the long game.