Finding Meaning In Work

Ruhee is the founder of Allied Collective, Australia’s leading facilitation and wellbeing practice, specialising in leadership development, psychosocial hazard prevention, and workplace culture transformation. With 13+ years of experience supporting over 45 organisations, she has helped businesses improve employee retention, leadership capability, and wellbeing outcomes through targeted, evidence-based training. Her background in p...

Collective Closets is not just part of the Australian fashion landscape—it is actively reshaping it. Founded in Melbourne with a deep commitment to slow fashion, the label bridges continents and cultures through thoughtfully crafted clothing that carries meaning in every thread.

Established in 2016 by sisters Fatuma and Laurinda Ndenzako, Collective Closets has grown from an intimate family story into a brand that authentically con...

Dr. Jason Fox is a wizard-philosopher and bestselling author masquerading as a leadership futurist. He works with questing teams seeking new and meaningful progress—beyond the default.

I had such a great time hosting Dr. Jason Fox aka ‘the wizard philosopher’ on the  podcast. In this conversation, he shares how his unconventional path, from studying motivation and behaviour change to exploring ecological systems and...

Rather than the usual interview format, we’re trying something new. These "ONE IDEA" episodes feature recordings of essays I’ve written and published on Disruptive Business Network. Covering topics from authenticity to game theory to how technology is shaping our lives, these essays all center on one fundamental theme: our search for meaning, especially in the work we do.

I hope you enjoy it.

David Swan is one of Australia's leading technology reporters and editors. He is the Technology Editor for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, and was previously Technology Editor for The Australian newspaper.

In 2024 he was awarded Australia's best technology journalist at The Lizzies, Australia's national IT Journalism awards. Previous roles include chief technology reporter at independent IT news website iTWire, and at News Corp ...

In my latest episode of the Finding Meaning in Work podcast, I had the pleasure of speaking with Garry Williams, a cornerstone of Melbourne’s tech community. Garry's story is one of resilience, connection, and a deep commitment to building meaningful spaces for people to gather.

Some key themes of the conversation:

1. Community & Connection: Garry has been pivotal in creating spaces that bring pe...

In this podcast episode, Landon Brown discusses his career journey from starting in executive search as a teenager to working for tech giants like Google and Airbnb, and eventually founding his own HR consultancy, Partner in Kind. The conversation explores key themes such as finding meaning in work, the challenges of pursuing passion versus purpose, and the importance of social impact. Landon emphasises the role of privilege, his c...

In this episode of "Finding Meaning in Work," I spoke with Michael Cullen, who shared his journey from nursing to leading Future Energy Skills, an organisation that provides licensing assessments and training for the energy sector, particularly electricians. He discussed how his nursing background shaped his empathetic leadership style, emphasising the importance of treating each person as an individual. Michael highlighted the cul...

In this episode of 'Finding Meaning in Work', we sit down with Daniel Ajak, a defence lawyer and co-founder of the African Australian Legal Network. Born in a refugee camp in Kenya, his family having escaped from Sudan, he is now a lawyer working in Melbourne. His practise is devoted to helping African and other marginalised communities in Melbourne. Daniel shares his incredible journey from adversity to advocacy. Joi...

Welcome to another episode of the 'On Meaningful Work' podcast.

In this episode I speak with Tom Campbell, AFL football star and the co-founder of Footy for Climate. 

About Tom

Tom Campbell is an AFL player with St Kilda Football Club, and has played 12 seasons with the Western Bulldogs, North Melbourne and St Kilda Football Clubs.

Over the past decade, Tom has been an ambassador for a number of charit...

Hello all and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast

We have a very special episode with the founder of the ethical fashion label etiko: Nick Savaidis

We have a wide ranging conversation touching on Nick's childhood in Melbourne in 50's, the Greek immigrant experience, the fledgling garment industry that sprang up in the suburbs, setting up social enterprises in remote communities, the reasons for ethical ...

Anna is a social strategist, storyteller and adventurer, starting her career in Social Work before moving into human rights law. Anna's nomadic lifestyle over the decade has allowed her to travel to nearly every nook and cranny in Australia, listening deeply to the stories of communities and working in partnership to translate these to government & business in creative ways. Anna’s lived experience of managing lifelong chronic heal...

Dr. Leyla Acaroglu is an internationally-known sustainability provocateur, sociologist, and award-winning designer, focused on systems thinking, sustainability sciences and creative change-making. She was named Champion of the Earth by the United Nations, Change-Maker by Linkedin and is a mainstage TED speaker who leads presentations with leaders around the world on activating positive change for a sustainable, circular and reg...

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast

We have an incredible guest this week in Simon Griffiths, the CEO and Cofounder of Who Gives a Crap.

Who Gives A Crap is an Aussie B Corp that sells good looking, forest friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues direct-to-consumer. Who Gives A Crap donates 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those in need. As...

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast. In this episode I speak with Tony Corrales. Tony has an incredible story - he is originally from England and originally a punk musician , yes he headlined a punk rock band that toured the world. Since then and since moving to Australia Tony has spent the last 10 years working between online and offline marketing for not for profit organis...

Hello All and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast.

This one is a little bit different. Firstly its a live recording. Secondly the format is a little different. Rather than my usual formula of tracing a person's journey and trying to distil how they came to find meaning and purpose in the work they do, this interview traces a literal journey.  Dr. Chevez wanted to think about the future of work and the lik...

Hello all and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast. In this episode I am thrilled to be speaking with Matthew Boyd. Matt is the cofounder of Vollie and now the founder of Natureboss. In this episode we dig into Matt's various adventures from growing up in England, immigrating to Australia and establishing himself in Advertising here in Melbourne. A volunteer stint at the Royal Children's Hospital changed Mat...

Hello Everyone and welcome to another episode of the On Meaningful work podcast. In this episode I speak with Dr. Armida Fernandez. Dr. Fernandez started her career working with Mumbai’s urban poor in one of the biggest public hospitals there. Within that labyrinthine system Dr. Fernandez was able to implement real change in how medicine and care were to be administered with a real focus on women and newborn health. When she notice...

Hello all and welcome come to another episode of the On Meaningful Work podcast. 

This is a special episode as I get to chat with my friend for about 25 years Dr. Hayden Richards. We chat about Hayden’s childhood on the Gold Coast in Australia, dealing with being a deep introvert as a young person, the decision to become a doctor, the meaning of success and his road to entrepreneurship. I...