For Love & Money

EPISODE OVERVIEW Dr Julie Paine spent years as an equity research analyst at Morgan Stanley, reading balance sheets and sizing up senior leadership, before retraining as a Chartered Psychologist. Over the course of twenty years of practice she noticed that the roots of most adult anxiety trace back to childhood — and started to wonder what it would take to reach children before those patterns set in. The result is Django the Dachshund, Stories From a Very Small Dog — a children's book series narrated by Julie's own miniature dachshund, built to give children a way to understand and hold their worries rather than be consumed by them. The first title, Joss and the Lucky Boots, follows a young girl facing a huge challenge at school, almost overwhelmed by worry, until Django helps her see it differently. In this conversation, Julie unpacks the psychology behind the books — including attentional plasticity and the idea that children can build real agency over anxiety — and shares what she's learned taking Django directly into schools, plus the story behind the Django Worry Dog, a small companion toy built on the same principle as Guatemalan worry dolls. IN THIS EPISODE The two career pivots that took Julie from equity research to psychology to children's author Why the birth of her second child was the real turning point away from investment banking The moment in session that led Julie to want to reach children before anxiety takes hold What attentional plasticity is, and how it gives children agency over worry Why Django had to be the narrator, not Julie — and what that meant for how the books are written How Julie is taking the books directly into schools as her primary route to market The story behind the Django Worry Dog, and why it's a companion to the books rather than a separate product What's next for the Django series, and Julie's hopes for where the mission can go ABOUT DR JULIE PAINE Dr Julie Paine is a highly experienced Chartered Psychologist and former Equity Research Analyst for US bank, Morgan Stanley. Educated at University College London and City University London. She holds Doctorate, Masters and Undergraduate degrees in Psychology. Following twenty years working in mental health, Julie decided to repurpose her knowledge and extensive experience and package it in a way that might appeal to young children, educators and parents, to help build childhood resilience against anxiety. A condition she identifies as blighting the lives of many adult patients. And so, Django the Dachshund, the loveable lead character and narrator, in a new series of children’s books was born. Based on Julie’s own and much-cherished miniature dachshund dog. The books aim to do so much more than simply tell a story, targeting young readers aged 6 to 9 years. They are not medicalised or lead footed. Instead they deliver adventure and enjoyment first and mental health learning as a natural by-product, through warm, uplifting text and enchanting illustrations. Joss and the Lucky Boots is the first of four books to be published in the series about a young girl who faces a huge sporting challenge at school and is almost consumed with worry and doubt, until Django encourages her to think a little differently and win the day. LINKS & RESOURCES Django the Dachshund — djangothedachshund.com Instagram — @storiesfromdjango Email: [email protected] Buy the book: Amazon Amazon Australia Amazon UK Illustrations by Nicola Metcalfe. For enquiries about bulk order discounts, contact [email protected]   WORK WITH CAROLYN Carolyn Butler-Madden helps purpose-driven leaders turn conviction into both impact and commercial advantage. Keynote speaking — carolynbutlermadden.com Consulting — thecauseeffect.com.au

EPISODE OVERVIEW What does it actually take to turn purpose into a performance lever? Not a values statement. Not a CSR budget. A genuine, measurable driver of revenue, retention and growth. Philippa Durant is Country Manager for Expedia Australia and New Zealand, one of Australia's Top 50 CMOs, and a marketer with over two decades of experience building brands at Coca-Cola, Virgin and Expedia Group. For her Executive MBA capstone at the University of Sydney Business School, she conducted 40 in-depth interviews with CEOs, CMOs and purpose consultants across Australia. What she found reframes the entire conversation. Purpose, it turns out, isn't just something you feel. It's something you measure. And when it's embedded in strategy, people and customer experience simultaneously — not in one or two, but in all three — the performance impact is significant. WHAT WE COVER Why love might just be good for business — and why the numbers matter more than the feeling Philippa's career journey from Coca-Cola and Virgin to Expedia, and what drew her toward purpose-driven leadership The Brands with Heart framework — and the four-segment matrix that shows where your organisation sits on the purpose journey Why a purpose statement means nothing — and what actually brings you to the starting line The three pillars that must be aligned for purpose to drive performance: strategy, people and customer What Intrepid Travel does that most organisations don't — and why they want the whole industry to go on the journey with them The surprising link between solid purpose integration and solid business process How embedding purpose in product cost — not CSR cost — makes it impossible to strip out The $211–243 billion cost of disengagement to the Australian economy — and what that means for the P&L Why younger generations may be better equipped for this work than those of us who came to it later Philippa's dream for the travel industry — and her next phase of research PHILIPPA'S BRANDS WITH HEART FRAMEWORK Based on 40 qualitative interviews with CEOs, CMOs and purpose consultants across Australia, Philippa's capstone research identifies three pillars that must work together for purpose to function as a genuine growth lever: Strategy — purpose must be embedded in the organisation's strategic direction People — purpose must be lived throughout the organisation, not siloed in HR or a single team Customer — purpose must be woven into the customer journey and experience Her four-segment matrix maps where organisations typically sit: Purpose as Positioning — purpose lives in marketing only Performative Purpose — purpose sits outside the organisation as CSR, disconnected from strategy Purpose in Pockets — purpose is driven by one or two exceptional leaders but hasn't been negotiated across the executive Purpose Driving Performance — purpose is integrated across all three pillars and functions as a genuine growth lever RELATED EPISODES Episode 2 Geoff Manchester on Intrepid's Profit with Purpose Journey  Episode 69 An Intrepid Special: Cultural Immersion in Australia's Red Centre Part I and Part 2 Episode 99 Sara King, Intrepid Travel: Creating Positive Change Through the Joy of Travel Episode 42 Kelly Beater, Head of Felix Mobile on the Power of a BHAG GET INVOLVED IN PHILIPPA'S RESEARCH Philippa is now entering a new phase of research, focused specifically on the travel industry. She is looking for: Participants for qualitative interviews (leaders in the travel industry) Respondents for a broader quantitative survey (open to all organisations) Examples and case studies of purpose-driven performance to feature in the research ABOUT PHILIPPA Philippa Durant is an award-winning marketing executive who combines world-class brand expertise with purpose-driven leadership to deliver exceptional business results while creating positive societal impact.  With over two decades of experience leading marketing teams at global powerhouses including Coca-Cola, Virgin and Expedia Group, Philippa has consistently delivered breakthrough campaigns and substantial revenue growth. Recently completing her Executive MBA at Sydney University Business School with capstone research on "How purpose drives organisational performance" Business," Philippa has developed the "Brands with Heart" framework based on in-depth Australian research that demonstrates how purpose-driven organisations not only achieve superior financial performance but also create meaningful value for society. As one of Australia's Top 50 CMOs and past Chair of APAC Diversity & Inclusion Council at Expedia Group, she has proven that when brands authentically embrace purpose—from championing diversity and inclusion to driving community recovery initiatives—they unlock both unprecedented business growth and lasting positive change, making her the ideal leader for organisations seeking to thrive commercially while making a genuine difference in the world.   CONNECT WITH PHILIPPA Philippa on LinkedIn WORK WITH CAROLYN Keynote Speaking: carolynbutlermadden.com Purpose-Led Business Consulting: thecauseeffect.com.au

EPISODE SUMMARY Amanda di Medici is the founder of Yenom, an independent financial wellbeing business helping employers address the hidden cost of financial stress in the workplace. After careers spanning technology, mortgage broking, financial counselling and adult education, Amanda built Yenom to reach a group she calls the "working poor": people who have jobs, but not enough left over to actually get ahead, and who fall outside every government-funded support service because they don't hold a Centrelink card. In this conversation, Amanda shares the personal turning point that led her to build Yenom, why she has deliberately built the business to be commission-free and product-free, and how financial stress is fast becoming recognised as a genuine psychosocial risk inside Australian workplaces. She also explains the story behind the name Yenom, and previews the financial wellbeing app she is launching in August 2026. IN THIS EPISODE Amanda's early lesson in money management, and the friend's offhand comment that changed how she thought about saving Her path from law, finance and adult education into mortgage broking, and what she saw there that she couldn't unsee Why she calls her audience the "working poor," and who falls into that gap between paying the bills and being supported The personal catalyst, turning 50 and losing her sister, that pushed her to build Yenom Why Yenom is built to be 100% independent, with no AFSL, no products sold, and no commissions The story behind the name Yenom, and the brief she gave her branding team: "know thyself" What she's seeing in the mining sector, including apprentices earning six-figure salaries who are bankrupt within five years How financial stress is emerging as a workplace psychosocial risk, and its link to AI-driven job uncertainty The financial wellbeing app launching in August, and how it fits alongside Yenom's corporate and workshop offerings Amanda's dream for Yenom: her app in a hundred thousand pockets, and a foundation that funds financial literacy long after she's gone ABOUT AMANDA DI MEDICI Amanda di Medici has an educational background in Law, Finance and Adult Education, along with over thirty years' experience across tech and community services. While exploring a self-employment opportunity in finance broking, Amanda saw first-hand the need for comprehensive, basic financial education among the many people she met each day, from those seeking zero-deposit home loans, to those caught in "rent to buy" schemes, to those with no realistic path to credit at all. That experience led her into roles with the Brotherhood of St Lawrence and TAFE NSW, where she built the grounding in structure, support and outcomes behind effective financial literacy education. Twenty years on, Amanda founded Yenom, an independent financial wellbeing business that meets people where they are: at work. Yenom combines workplace financial wellbeing programs with a gamified mobile app, and its defining principle is independence. Yenom does not sell or recommend financial products, and does not sell or market using client data. Its sole objective is personal financial understanding and increased wellbeing. Amanda is also a sponsor of the Women in Mining Network and works closely with the mining and heavy industry sectors. CONNECT Amanda di Medici on LinkedIn Yenom Join the Yenom Beta Help Build the Yenom App WORK WITH CAROLYN Carolyn Butler-Madden helps purpose-driven leaders build magnetic brands, galvanise their people, and become trusted changemakers. Keynote speaking — carolynbutlermadden.com Consulting with The Cause Effect — thecauseeffect.com.au

ABOUT THIS EPISODE What does it actually take to run a purpose-driven business? Not talk about it — actually do it? Abdullah Ramay, CEO of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters, has a clear answer: start with great coffee. Purpose is an AND statement, not an OR statement. And if the product isn't excellent first, purpose can't carry it. In this conversation, Abdullah shares his unconventional journey from Pakistan to Canada to Sydney — and how a part-time accounting role at a small Sydney roastery changed everything. He talks about what it means to steward a purpose-led business built by someone else, why the Australian cafe industry is facing a crisis hiding in plain sight, and what he believes is possible when the next generation of leaders stops treating profit and purpose as a trade-off. On the day we recorded, Pablo & Rusty's had just released their 2025 Impact Report — five years of public accountability in action. The ambitions inside it are audacious for a business of their size. This conversation brings those ambitions to life. WHAT WE COVER Why love is necessary but not sufficient — and what else purpose-driven leaders need Abdullah's journey from Pakistan to Canada to Sydney, and the part-time job that changed his plans The GFC, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the seeds of a values-led career Why Pablo & Rusty's describes itself as a coffee company first The 2030 goals: $1 million to 1% for the Planet, a regenerative blend, and Science Based Net Zero How P&R builds shared goals — and why vigorous disagreement is part of the process The coffee value gap: why Australian espresso prices are roughly 40% below the OECD average and what's at stake for cafe culture Why being busy is not the same as being profitable Profit and purpose as AND statements — not OR ABOUT ABDULLAH RAMAY Abdullah Ramay is the CEO of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters, a B Corp certified, Carbon Neutral Organisation and 1% for the Planet member based in Sydney. He is a recognised industry leader and advocate for the specialty coffee industry, particularly around sustainable cafe economics and the coffee value gap. Beyond his executive role, Abdullah serves as a non-executive director of the Westmead Hospital Foundation and as a board member of ARCA (Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association). He advises early-stage startups and mentors emerging leaders across business, technology, and purpose-driven leadership. RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED Connect with Abdullah on Linkedin Pablo & Rusty's website Pablo & Rusty's 2025 Impact Report Abdullah's LinkedIn article — Lessons in Purpose Let My People Go Surfing — Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni 1% for the Planet Episode 66 — Saxon Wright, Founder, Pablo & Rusty's WORK WITH CAROLYN Carolyn Butler-Madden works with leaders and organisations on how purpose becomes a powerful driver of trust, performance, and resilience. She speaks at leadership conferences and company events about how purpose shows up where it matters most — in leadership, culture, and strategy — helping organisations grow with clarity and confidence in a changing world. Keynote speaking: Carolyn Butler-Madden Consulting: The Cause Effect  

EPISODE OVERVIEW What if the biggest obstacle to creating change in your organisation isn't a lack of resources, effort, or intention — but the questions you're asking? That's the central challenge Hildy Gottlieb has spent 30 years answering, and it cuts right to the heart of what purpose-driven leadership actually requires. Hildy Gottlieb is a futurist, social scientist, and the developer of Catalytic Thinking — a question-based framework for systems change published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review and used by nonprofit leaders, social entrepreneurs, and purpose-driven businesses around the world. Over three decades working with community organisations, Hildy and her partner Dimitri Petropolis made a confronting discovery: the tools most organisations rely on to pursue change — strategic planning, resource development, board governance — were never designed to create the world we want. They were designed to maintain the world we have. In this conversation, Hildy unpacks the deceptively simple maths behind why most change efforts stall, walks us through the seven questions of Catalytic Thinking, and makes a compelling case for why the most important thing a purpose-driven leader can do right now — in business, nonprofit, or social enterprise — is dream bigger, not smaller. Listeners can expect actionable ideas for leaders in nonprofit, social enterprise and business who want to move from reactive fixes to ambitious, inclusive change — starting with one simple shift: change the questions, change the world. WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR This episode is for you if you're a CEO, nonprofit leader, social entrepreneur, sustainability or ESG leader, or anyone responsible for organisational strategy and culture who: Wants to move beyond incremental, reactive change toward genuine systems change Is grappling with how to embed purpose more deeply into how your organisation plans and operates Leads teams and wants to unlock more creativity, inclusion, and collective ownership Is navigating a difficult external environment and looking for a framework that builds resilience and hope alongside action Is curious about what inclusive leadership and stakeholder-centred strategy actually looks like in practice ABOUT HILDY GOTTLIEB Hildy Gottlieb is the co-founder of Creating the Future and the developer of Catalytic Thinking — a framework for social change rooted in neuroscience, mathematics, and economics. Her work has been published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, and her SSIR article on Movements vs. Organizations was selected to open their ebook Essentials of Social Innovation: Transforming Leadership — and directly inspired the design of the Community Centric Fundraising movement. Hildy is a TEDx speaker and the author of multiple books used as texts in undergraduate and graduate programs around the world. With her partner Dimitri Petropolis, she co-founded the world's first Diaper Bank, sparking a movement across North America and earning a Points of Light Citation from President Bill Clinton. She helped develop the Masters degree program in Community Leadership at Duquesne University (pron. Dew-cáyne), where she and Dimitri taught as professors, and has lectured at institutions including UC Berkeley and the University of Waikato in New Zealand. Her forthcoming book, How to Create the Future, distils 30 years of research and demonstration projects on what actually creates lasting change. WHAT WE COVER IN THIS EPISODE Why love isn't just welcome in business — it's essential to good decision-making, and why its absence leads to what Hildy calls 'really dumb decisions' How Hildy and Dimitri moved from commercial real estate to founding a social change movement — and what values drove that journey The five-year wake-up call: why doing nonprofit strategic planning 'the right way' produced good reputations but no community change The maths that changes everything: why less bad does not equal good, and what the number line from minus one to plus one reveals about how organisations set their ambitions Why most organisations are aiming at zero — and how Catalytic Thinking reorients purpose-driven leaders toward the positive future they actually want to create The seven questions of Catalytic Thinking, grouped into Radical Inclusion, Radical Possibility, and Radical Strength Why the first question — who will be affected, and what will it take to include them — changes everything downstream in organisational planning Radical Inclusion vs. target marketing: why centering your community (not your organisation) produces fundamentally different strategy Why strategic planning inherited from the military and church charity was never designed to create systems change — and what to use instead The Amy's Organic Foods story: what a small startup learned about collaboration by calling one of the world's largest frozen food companies Why money is not a resource — and the concept of Collective Enoughness that transforms how organisations think about what they already have The AIDS coalition story: how asking 'what does good look like for the whole community?' led to orange T-shirts and a breakthrough in HIV prevention among seniors How purpose-driven leaders can hold onto hope and long-term vision while navigating a world that feels like it's moving backwards Why simultaneously resisting what's wrong and creating what's possible is the only path out of playing defence forever KEY INSIGHTS Less bad is not the same as good — and the maths proves it Hildy uses a simple number line — minus one to plus one, with zero in the middle — to expose a structural flaw in how most organisations pursue change. When success is defined as eliminating a problem, we're aiming at zero: a world without poverty, without homelessness, without illness. But zero isn't good. It's stasis. The question that unlocks genuine systems change isn't 'how do we end this bad thing?' It's 'what does a healthy, equitable, joyful community actually look like — and what will it take to create that?' Purpose-driven leaders who make this shift stop playing defence and start building something worth aiming at. The questions leaders ask determine the results organisations get Every thought is the answer to a question — including the questions we don't know we're asking. Conventional strategic planning asks 'what can we accomplish in the next two years?' or 'what can we get funded?' Those questions produce reactive, incremental plans. Catalytic Thinking asks 'what would our community look like if we were 100% successful?' — and that question produces a fundamentally different strategy. For purpose-driven leaders, the implication is significant: the questions you bring into your planning process are already shaping what's possible before anyone picks up a pen. Radical Inclusion: start by asking who isn't in the room The first question of Catalytic Thinking is: who will be affected by whatever we're considering, and what would it take for them to be part of the decision — or even to lead the direction we take? A 30-person strategic planning group making decisions that affect a million people isn't just inefficient — it's structurally designed to miss the most important knowledge available. Radical Inclusion is the opposite of target marketing: instead of narrowing your focus to who you think matters, you expand it to everyone who will be touched by your work. That shift, Hildy argues, is where love enters leadership. Money is not a resource — and reframing this unlocks abundance Money is a means of exchange for the things organisations actually need: information, expertise, relationships, space, vehicles, cooking facilities. When leaders jump straight to 'we need more funding,' they skip past the question of what they truly need — and miss the abundance that already exists in their community. Hildy calls this Collective Enoughness: together, we already have everything we need. It's only when organisations go it alone, in a scarcity mindset, that they experience lack. For nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs especially, this reframe changes how you approach partnerships, resource-sharing, and community engagement. Hope is a leadership practice, not a feeling In a world that feels like it's moving backwards, Hildy's challenge to purpose-driven leaders is direct: resist and react, yes — but simultaneously plan for the world you want. If all we do is play defence, we'll be playing defence forever. The current moment is part of a longer pendulum swing, and the organisations that will matter in 10 years are the ones building toward what's possible right now — not just protecting against what's wrong. Hope isn't wishful thinking. It's a practice rooted in concrete planning, causality-driven strategy, and the brain science that says creativity requires quieting the reactive, fear-driven part of the brain. RESOURCES MENTIONED Creating the Future (includes free weekly Catalytic Thinking exercises via newsletter) Hildy's forthcoming book: How to Create the Future (out late 2026) Hildy's TEDx Talk  Hildy's article in Stanford Social Innovation Review: 'Creating a Better World Means Asking Better Questions' The Catalytic Thinking fact sheet: The 7 Questions The Creating the Future podcast Community Centric Fundraising movement  CONNECT WITH HILDY Website: creatingthefuture.org Newsletter: creatingthefuture.org — sign up for free weekly Catalytic Thinking exercises Amazon: search 'Hildy Gottlieb' for full book list WORK WITH CAROLYN Carolyn Butler-Madden works with leaders and organisations on how purpose becomes a powerful driver of trust, performance, and resilience. She speaks at leadership conferences and company events about how purpose shows up where it matters most — in leadership, culture, and strategy — helping organisations grow with clarity and confidence in a changing world. Keynote speaking: Carolyn Butler-Madden Consulting: The Cause Effect