Humans of Purpose

My guest this week is Jon Yeo - a highly respected speaker coach, communication expert, and founder of Brightstar Consulting & Coaching, where he works at the intersection of strategic communication, influence, and leadership development. Jon’s work focuses on helping individuals, leaders, and organisations craft messages that resonate, build trust, and foster deeper engagement in both in-person and virtual settings.

Best known for his expertise in executive communication, public speaking, and influence, Jon combines practical coaching experience with a deep understanding of human connection and audience engagement. As the Licensee and Curator of TEDxMelbourne, one of the largest and longest-running TEDx events globally, he has coached hundreds of speakers and leaders to deliver talks with clarity, impact, and presence. He’s also a past National President of Professional Speakers Australia.

Jon is a strong advocate for human-centred influence - the idea that effective leadership and communication are about connecting head and heart, not just delivering information. He challenges the belief that communication excellence is innate, showing instead how strategic practice, empathy, and thoughtful design can elevate how people lead and influence at every level.

🔗 Explore more from Jon's work here: 

https://www.brightstar.net.au/

Growing Your Business and Impact

Talk to us today about how we can grow your capacity to level up your business and impact with our fully trained and managed outsourced marketing solutions - delivered by our digital heroes armed with good strategy, the latest tech and big smiles. 

Learn more at humansofpurpose.com

Promotional Partnerships

Like what we are serving up on Humans of Purpose? Our promotional campaigns have delivered great marketing and sales outcomes and ROI for our partners to date. 

Whether you're seeking a 1-month, 2-month or season sponsorship, follow the flow below to become a partner before we run out of our remaining promotional slots. 

Click Here to learn more about collaborating on a custom campaign package. Ready to partner? Just complete this short Partner Enquiry Form and we'll be in touch.

Gold Membership

Want a premium listening experience that directly supports us to keep making the podcast? 

Join current members Michael, Pravati, Noel, Kathy, Andrew 1, Andrew 2, Chris, Nikki, Margaret, Ben, Misha, Sarah and Geoff and enjoy our range of member benefits: 

Premium dedicated podcast feed

Removal of all three ads per episode

Early access to all episodes

Full transcripts of all episodes

Brokered intros to all podcast guests

Ask me anything page access

To take up this great offer, just head to our Gold Member page today.

CREDITS

Music intro and outro on this podcast was written and performed by Keyo Rhodes, with Harrison McGregor on drums and percussion. Sound engineering and mastering by Lachlan McGregor.

My guests this week are Damon Gameau, Hannah Diviney, Doug Cronin, and Hani Abdile - together, they explore storytelling as a force for cultural change, unpacking who gets to speak, whose voices are amplified, and how stories shape the futures we imagine.

Damon Gameau is an actor and filmmaker known for his work mobilising audiences around climate, regeneration, and systems change. He reflects on why data alone cannot shift culture - only stories can - and why the narratives we tell about humans, nature, and society determine the outcomes we experience.

Hannah Diviney is a writer and disability advocate who reframes storytelling through lived experience. She challenges the way representation is done, calling for people with disability to be protagonists of their own lives. Her insights highlight how ownership and authorship shape belonging long before policy or language catch up.

Doug Cronin, co-founder of Our Race, brings a lens of ethics and accountability. He examines how stories are designed, who controls them, and who benefits, drawing on First Nations perspectives and lived-experience frameworks. Doug champions collaboration over consultation, and community over content.

Hani Abdile, poet and spoken-word artist, brings the emotional and human centre to the conversation. Her reflections on displacement, survival, and creative expression remind us that storytelling is not just strategy - it is a lifeline.

In this archival episode from October 2021, this panel discussion explores regenerative and ethical storytelling. Five years on, their insights feel both prescient and essential, reminding us that storytelling is a form of cultural power, one that requires accountability, humility, and courage to wield well.

🔗 Explore more from our brilliant guests' work at the links below.

Hannah Diviney:
https://hannahdiviney.com/
https://www.instagram.com/hannahthewildflower/?hl=en

Doug Cronin:
https://www.ourrace.com.au/our-story
https://www.instagram.com/our_race/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/sharingourstories/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/our-race/

Damon Gameau:
https://www.instagram.com/damon.gameau/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/regenerators/?hl=en

Hani Abdile:
https://wordtravels.info/hani-abdile
https://redroompoetry.org/poets/hani-abdile/

Growing Your Business and Impact

Talk to us today about how we can grow your capacity to level up your business and impact with our fully trained and managed outsourced marketing solutions - delivered by our digital heroes armed with good strategy, the latest tech and big smiles. 

Learn more at humansofpurpose.com

Promotional Partnerships

Like what we are serving up on Humans of Purpose? Our promotional campaigns have delivered great marketing and sales outcomes and ROI for our partners to date. 

Whether you're seeking a 1-month, 2-month or season sponsorship, follow the flow below to become a partner before we run out of our remaining promotional slots. 

Click Here to learn more about collaborating on a custom campaign package. Ready to partner? Just complete this short Partner Enquiry Form and we'll be in touch.

Gold Membership

Want a premium listening experience that directly supports us to keep making the podcast? 

Join current members Michael, Pravati, Noel, Kathy, Andrew 1, Andrew 2, Chris, Nikki, Margaret, Ben, Misha, Sarah and Geoff and enjoy our range of member benefits: 

Premium dedicated podcast feed

Removal of all three ads per episode

Early access to all episodes

Full transcripts of all episodes

Brokered intros to all podcast guests

Ask me anything page access

To take up this great offer, just head to our Gold Member page today.

CREDITS

Music intro and outro on this podcast was written and performed by Keyo Rhodes, with Harrison McGregor on drums and percussion. Sound engineering and mastering by Lachlan McGregor.

My guest this week is Dr Darren Morton - a leading health and wellbeing expert, academic, and founder of The Lift Project, where he works at the intersection of evidence-based science, mental health, and human flourishing. Darren’s work focuses on helping individuals, leaders, and organisations build resilience, energy, and sustainable wellbeing in an increasingly demanding world.

Best known for his research and teaching in lifestyle medicine and positive psychology, Darren combines academic rigour with deeply practical insights. Through The Lift Project and his work in higher education, he’s helped thousands of people improve their mental health, performance, and quality of life using simple, science-backed habits.

Darren is also a strong advocate for preventative health, challenging the idea that burnout, chronic stress, and poor wellbeing are inevitable, and instead showing how intentional lifestyle design can shift outcomes at scale.

In this episode of Humans of Purpose, we explore how Darren brings science, compassion, and clarity to one of today’s most pressing challenges: sustainable health and wellbeing. We discuss what the research really says about mental health, the small behaviours that make the biggest difference, and how leaders and organisations can create environments where people genuinely thrive.

Tune in to hear Darren Morton’s insights, and how his work is reshaping the way we think about health, not as a crisis response, but as a proactive, everyday practice.

🔗 Explore more from Darren's work here: 

https://www.drdarrenmorton.com/

Growing Your Business and Impact

Talk to us today about how we can grow your capacity to level up your business and impact with our fully trained and managed outsourced marketing solutions - delivered by our digital heroes armed with good strategy, the latest tech and big smiles. 

Learn more at humansofpurpose.com

Promotional Partnerships

Like what we are serving up on Humans of Purpose? Our promotional campaigns have delivered great marketing and sales outcomes and ROI for our partners to date. 

Whether you're seeking a 1-month, 2-month or season sponsorship, follow the flow below to become a partner before we run out of our remaining promotional slots. 

Click Here to learn more about collaborating on a custom campaign package. Ready to partner? Just complete this short Partner Enquiry Form and we'll be in touch.

Gold Membership

Want a premium listening experience that directly supports us to keep making the podcast? 

Join current members Michael, Pravati, Noel, Kathy, Andrew 1, Andrew 2, Chris, Nikki, Margaret, Ben, Misha, Sarah and Geoff and enjoy our range of member benefits: 

Premium dedicated podcast feed

Removal of all three ads per episode

Early access to all episodes

Full transcripts of all episodes

Brokered intros to all podcast guests

Ask me anything page access

To take up this great offer, just head to our Gold Member page today.

CREDITS

Music intro and outro on this podcast was written and performed by Keyo Rhodes, with Harrison McGregor on drums and percussion. Sound engineering and mastering by Lachlan McGregor.

My guest this week is Kurt Gruber - Co-founder and Managing Director of Worldview Foundation and WV Technologies, where he leads a social enterprise creating meaningful employment opportunities for Indigenous youth while tackling e-waste and environmental sustainability. Kurt’s work transforms discarded technology into valuable resources, providing pathways to skills, jobs, and empowerment for young Australians.

In this conversation, we explore how Kurt combines purpose, innovation, and social impact, why social enterprise can be a powerful force for both people and planet, and how leadership, strategy, and technology come together to create jobs, reduce waste, and build stronger communities.

Recorded live in the midst of the buzz of Convene 2025, please note there’s a little background noise, but the insights are well worth it!

This episode is the last in our Short Takes on Purpose series (in partnership with Social Traders), where we spotlight bold thinkers reshaping business for good. We hope you've enjoyed these short episodes sprinkled throughout our main podcast series. 

🔗 Explore more from Kurt's work here: 

https://www.worldview.org.au/

Growing Your Business and Impact

Talk to us today about how we can grow your capacity to level up your business and impact with our fully trained and managed outsourced marketing solutions - delivered by our digital heroes armed with good strategy, the latest tech and big smiles. 

Learn more at humansofpurpose.com

Promotional Partnerships

Like what we are serving up on Humans of Purpose? Our promotional campaigns have delivered great marketing and sales outcomes and ROI for our partners to date. 

Whether you're seeking a 1-month, 2-month or season sponsorship, follow the flow below to become a partner before we run out of our remaining promotional slots. 

Click Here to learn more about collaborating on a custom campaign package. Ready to partner? Just complete this short Partner Enquiry Form and we'll be in touch.

Gold Membership

Want a premium listening experience that directly supports us to keep making the podcast? 

Join current members Michael, Pravati, Noel, Kathy, Andrew 1, Andrew 2, Chris, Nikki, Margaret, Ben, Misha, Sarah and Geoff and enjoy our range of member benefits: 

Premium dedicated podcast feed

Removal of all three ads per episode

Early access to all episodes

Full transcripts of all episodes

Brokered intros to all podcast guests

Ask me anything page access

To take up this great offer, just head to our Gold Member page today.

CREDITS

Music intro and outro on this podcast was written and performed by Keyo Rhodes, with Harrison McGregor on drums and percussion. Sound engineering and mastering by Lachlan McGregor.

My guest this week is Kylea Tink - CEO of Foodbank Australia, former Independent MP, social impact leader, and one of the country’s most determined advocates for ending food insecurity. Kylea’s work goes far beyond food relief, it shines a light on the structural inequities that push Australians into hunger in the first place.

She’s best known for her leadership across politics, nonprofits and community mobilisation, and now for steering Foodbank’s nationwide mission to ensure every Australian has reliable access to nutritious, culturally appropriate food.

Kylea has also been a powerful voice for systemic reform - championing fairer policies, stronger safety nets, and the partnerships required to shift outcomes at scale.

In this episode of Humans of Purpose, we explore how Kylea brings strategy, compassion and straight-talking leadership to one of Australia’s most urgent social challenges. We discuss the realities of food insecurity today, the bold shifts required to tackle it, and the role business, government and community must play in building a more equitable future.

Tune in to hear Kylea Tink’s story, and how her work is reshaping the way Australia responds to hunger - not as an inevitability, but as a solvable national priority.

🔗 Explore more from Kylea's work here: 

https://www.foodbank.org.au/foodbank-australia-announces-new-ceo-kylea-tink/

Growing Your Business and Impact

Talk to us today about how we can grow your capacity to level up your business and impact with our fully trained and managed outsourced marketing solutions - delivered by our digital heroes armed with good strategy, the latest tech and big smiles. 

Learn more at humansofpurpose.com

Promotional Partnerships

Like what we are serving up on Humans of Purpose? Our promotional campaigns have delivered great marketing and sales outcomes and ROI for our partners to date. 

Whether you're seeking a 1-month, 2-month or season sponsorship, follow the flow below to become a partner before we run out of our remaining promotional slots. 

Click Here to learn more about collaborating on a custom campaign package. Ready to partner? Just complete this short Partner Enquiry Form and we'll be in touch.

Gold Membership

Want a premium listening experience that directly supports us to keep making the podcast? 

Join current members Michael, Pravati, Noel, Kathy, Andrew 1, Andrew 2, Chris, Nikki, Margaret, Ben, Misha, Sarah and Geoff and enjoy our range of member benefits: 

Premium dedicated podcast feed

Removal of all three ads per episode

Early access to all episodes

Full transcripts of all episodes

Brokered intros to all podcast guests

Ask me anything page access

To take up this great offer, just head to our Gold Member page today.

CREDITS

Music intro and outro on this podcast was written and performed by Keyo Rhodes, with Harrison McGregor on drums and percussion. Sound engineering and mastering by Lachlan McGregor.