We built this thing Ep5: The age of consent: When your social media post causes a national reckoning with Chanel Contos

When Chanel Contos first hit post on an Instagram poll in 2021, she had no idea of the cultural reckoning she was about to unleash. She asked a simple question, “Have you or has anyone close to you ever been sexually assaulted by someone who went to an all-boys school in Sydney?”. But the responses…

We built this thing Ep4: The ethical executive: when your moral compass guides your career decisions with Raji Ambikairajah

Raji Ambikairajah has had a very successful career. She was awarded NSW Woman of the Year for her work with Room to Read, she has a PhD in electrical engineering from UNSW, she’s been the CEO of several start-ups, and she’s been on company boards since she was in her 20s. But if you asked her right…

Daniel Joinbee: Indigenous aerospace trailblazer

From a family story rooted in Yarrabah, to the lawns of the White House in Washington DC, hear the incredible story of Daniel Joinbee, a proud Gunggandji man, Royal Australian Air Force veteran, and founder of Australia’s first and only 100% Aboriginal-owned aerospace consultancy and Indigenous you…

Andrew Upton: From stage to page

What happens when a master of the stage turns to the page?  Acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, artistic director and now novelist Andrew Upton has never been one to stay in his lane. Across theatre, film, television and fiction, his many creative pursuits are united by one calling: storytelling. …

We built this thing Ep3: From incarcerated to CEO: driving change in youth justice from the inside-out with Michael Kwan

During his first night in prison at 16 years old, Michael Kwan knew it was time to take accountability for the choices he’d made. Now, Michael wants to share the opportunities he made for himself - an education, a part-time job, a place to call home - with other at-risk youth and those already insi…

We built this thing Ep2: The competitive edge as a first-time founder in your 40s with Janet Salem

After 17 years at the United Nations, Janet Salem was growing frustrated with the gap between the sustainability data she was gathering, and the information businesses were using to make investment decisions. She saw an opportunity to give business’s crucial insight into their resource consumption …

We built this thing Ep1: When solving the water crisis comes from thin air with Shannon Lemanski

As a veteran, Shannon thought his business idea, a machine that filters water from the air, would be a no-brainer for the military. But when the first round of funding fell through, he had to pivot. His next move led Shannon all the way to Buckingham Palace and is transforming countless lives acros…

Human vs Machine: Joel Pearson on staying optimistic about the intelligence revolution

The development of AI has brought humanity to the cusp of a seismic change the likes of which has never been seen before. Workforces of the future will be dramatically different, as some jobs become obsolete and people scramble to learn new skills and ways of working. But just as this intelligence …

Human vs Machine: Barbara Wilby and Joel Pearson in conversation

The development of AI has brought humanity to the cusp of a seismic change the likes of which has never been seen before. Workforces of the future will be dramatically different, as some jobs become obsolete and people scramble to learn new skills and ways of working. But just as this intelligence …

Women on Top

Statistics can sometimes paint a rosy picture. Women now make up half of federal parliamentarians in Australia, more women graduate from university than men, and over 60% of Australia’s Winter Olympic team in 2026 were women.  But the reality of gender equality and progress is disappointingly stag…