We put someone on the moon in 1969. We didn't put wheels on suitcases until 1972. The problem was: Nobody had stopped to notice the problem existed in the first place. 

That gap - between the problems people will tell you about, the ones they'll only admit after a drink, and the ones they don't even know they have - is exactly where Maz Farrelly operates. In this bonus conversation with the executive producer behind Big Brother, The X Factor, and Celebrity Apprentice, we get into the practical mechanics of walking into a meeting and already having the room on your side before you've said a single word. 

If you have a pitch coming up - for an idea, a budget, or yourself - this episode has something useful in it for you. 

Maz and I discuss: 
The "warming up the room" technique Maz uses at the start of every pitch meeting, and why it works 
How she used reverse psychology to make network executives desperate for the idea she told them she wasn't going to pitch 
Why the smartest operators don't sell — they make themselves buyable 
The three layers of problems your clients have, and why cracking the third layer is where the real opportunity lives 
The suitcase story: why solving problems people don't know they have is the most valuable thing you can do in any industry 
Why Maz brought too much cake to a Microsoft meeting, and how it made her go viral inside the building without spending a cent on advertising 
What "sticky information" is, and why it determines whether anything you said in a meeting actually matters 

Key quotes 

"The smart money doesn't sell. The smart money is bought." 

"Hope is not a strategy." 

And if you haven't listened to the main episode with Maz yet, start there. It's all about how to make yourself impossible to ignore. Listen to the main episode here. 

Connect with Maz Farrelly on Instagram, LinkedIn, and her website. 

 

My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here: https://amzn.to/48ID29M 

Connect with me on the socials: Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber) 

Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/amanthai) 

If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and simple to apply tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at https://amantha.substack.com/ 

Visit https://www.amantha.com/podcast for full show notes from all episodes. 

Get in touch at amantha@inventium.com.au 

Credits:  

Host: Amantha Imber 

Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler 

We put someone on the moon in 1969. We&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;put wheels on suitcases until 1972. The problem&nbsp;was:&nbsp;Nobody had stopped&nbsp;to notice&nbsp;the problem existed in the first place.&nbsp;
That gap - between the problems people will tell you about, the ones&nbsp;they'll&nbsp;only admit after a drink, and the ones they&nbsp;don't&nbsp;even know they have - is exactly where Maz Farrelly operates. In this bonus conversation with the executive producer behind Big Brother, The X Factor, and Celebrity Apprentice, we get into the practical mechanics of walking into a meeting and already having the room on your side before&nbsp;you've&nbsp;said a single word.&nbsp;
If you have a pitch coming up - for an idea, a budget, or yourself - this episode has something useful in it for you.&nbsp;
Maz and I discuss:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">The "warming up the room" technique Maz uses at the start of every pitch meeting, and why it works&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">How she used reverse psychology to make network executives desperate for the idea she told them she&nbsp;wasn't&nbsp;going to pitch&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Why the smartest operators&nbsp;don't&nbsp;sell &mdash; they make themselves buyable&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">The three layers of problems your clients have, and why cracking the third layer is where the real opportunity lives&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">The suitcase story: why solving problems people&nbsp;don't&nbsp;know they have is the most valuable thing you can do in any industry&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1">Why Maz brought too much cake to a Microsoft meeting, and how it made her go viral inside the building without spending a cent on advertising&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1">What "sticky information" is, and why it&nbsp;determines&nbsp;whether anything you said in a meeting&nbsp;actually matters&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
Key quotes&nbsp;
"The smart money&nbsp;doesn't sell.&nbsp;The smart&nbsp;money is bought."&nbsp;
"Hope is not a strategy."&nbsp;
And if you haven't listened to the main episode with Maz yet, start there. It's all about how to make yourself impossible to ignore. <a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcasts/what-watching-20%2C000-auditions-teaches-you-about-getting-attention%2C-with-big-brother-and-the-x-factor-creator-maz-farrelly">Listen to the main episode here</a>.&nbsp;
Connect with Maz Farrelly on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mazspeaksglobal/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/maz-speaks?originalSubdomain=au">LinkedIn</a>, and her&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mazspeaksglobal.com/">website.</a>&nbsp;
&nbsp;
My latest book The Energy Game is out on July 7, 2026. You can order a copy here:&nbsp;<a href="https://amzn.to/48ID29M">https://amzn.to/48ID29M</a>&nbsp;
Connect with me on the socials:&nbsp;Linkedin&nbsp;(<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber">https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanthaimber</a>)&nbsp;
Instagram (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amanthai">https://www.instagram.com/amanthai</a>)&nbsp;
If you are looking for more tips to improve the way you work and live, I write a weekly newsletter where I share practical and&nbsp;simple to apply&nbsp;tips to improve your life. You can sign up for that at&nbsp;<a href="https://amantha.substack.com/">https://amantha.substack.com/</a>&nbsp;
Visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.amantha.com/podcast">https://www.amantha.com/podcast</a>&nbsp;for full show notes from all episodes.&nbsp;
Get in touch at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:amantha@inventium.com.au">amantha@inventium.com.au</a>&nbsp;
Credits:&nbsp;&nbsp;
Host: Amantha Imber&nbsp;
Sound Engineer: The Podcast Butler&nbsp;

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets - the daily strategies behind their success through to life hacks and productivity hacks they’d rather keep to themselves. We’re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that’ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who’ve cracked the code.

You know those annoyingly successful people who seem to have it all figured out? Time to steal their playbook. Organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber gets world‑class achievers to spill their secrets&nbsp;- the daily strategies behind their success through to&nbsp;life hacks and productivity hacks they&rsquo;d rather keep to themselves. We&rsquo;re talking practical tips for boosting your output (including clever AI tools and shortcuts that&rsquo;ll make you look like a genius), managing overwhelm without losing your mind, and optimising both work and wellbeing. No motivational fluff. Just battle‑tested tactics from people who&rsquo;ve cracked the code.

Have you ever wondered if the worlds leading entrepreneurs, writers, musicians and business people construct their day differently to you?

How I Work

(BONUS) The psychology of the pitch: what TV producers know that salespeople don't, with Maz Farrelly

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/fa326977-3de5-4283-9b8b-af3500c58607/clips/b4b23ff3-2c8f-49db-a462-b45d018571cf/transcript