The thin timber floorboards and sticky carpet were a thin shield from the noise at the pub downstairs. But a 17-year-old Dee Madigan was trying to drown it all out as she studied for her final high school exams. 

The room above a bar hardly qualified as optimum living quarters but moving back to the city on her own to get a good education was Dee’s best shot at getting into university. After years of ups and downs in her parents’ businesses, things had taken a turn for the worse, and Dee was determined not to let that get in her way. 

Little did she know how much worse things could get before they got better. Dee would live the equivalent of several lives before she became a regular on national TV, offering her opinions on her twin loves – advertising and politics.  

Now a political campaigner, author, advertising guru and Creative Director at Campaign Edge, in this episode of Curveball hear the moments in Dee Madigan’s life that really shaped this expert persuader. 

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Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Grace Pashley. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One day you can be striding into work in a suit worth thousands of dollars, and the next you can be at home in your pyjamas struggling to connect your laptop to the wifi in time for a job interview well below your pay grade.  

Tragedy, failure, loss – they’re all part of life’s ups and downs. Life happens to all of us, no matter how much success you’ve achieved, how fancy your job title is, or how much money you earn. 

But when the dust settles, it's these moments that make you. What you do when it’s all falling apart is how you show what you’re really made of.  

It’s the lessons Dee Madigan learned from a turbulent childhood, completing her studies living above a pub that propelled her into the engine room of federal politics. 

Or how Trent Dalton turned the most difficult moments of his dark childhood into a best-selling novel and Netflix series.  

Season 4 of Curveball is full of leaders who’ve learned valuable lessons at unexpected moments. 

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Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Grace Pashley. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever wondered how much you could grow your business, if only you could amplify your message? 

Now that 40% of Australians regularly listen to podcasts, it’s a great way to communicate to your clients and customers. 

Let Deadset Studios help you make a show! We’re a full-service production company and our team’s made many of the country’s most popular podcasts like: 

Australia’s most downloaded podcast Conversations Winner of New York Festivals bronze award Journo Webby award-winning Ladies we need to talk Silver winner at the Australian Podcast Awards Hooked, Hitched & Hung Up Silver winner at the Australian Podcast Awards Restitution 

And many more! Get in touch so we can help you with your podcast: Deadset Studios.  

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We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“She helped me completely dismantle a media personality I constructed and wasn’t happy with. It was a media personality I constructed to be a television presenter. To be sort of charming, maybe trying to be funny, trying to be a smartass here and there. But it was a struggle because it wasn’t who I really am.” 

Richard Fidler’s had more careers than most. He’s best-known as a host of the ABC’s most popular radio show and podcast Conversations.  

But he came to radio via a career as a TV presenter, a stint in the irreverent comedy trio The Doug Anthony Allstars, and now he’s an author of several best-selling history books. 

One day back in 2005 he was sitting in the ABC office when his producer came to him with an idea to turn his popular radio show into a podcast. There was a catch: No one had heard of a podcast. And the iPhone hadn’t been invented yet. But his producer insisted the podcast would one day be a juggernaut. That producer was Curveball host Kellie Riordan. 

Richard joins Kellie for a rare and wide-ranging discussion on why he once thought a nuclear holocaust would end his life, the moment he literally caught on fire, and how fatherhood changed his once snarky outlook on life. 

Richard’s new book is The Book of Roads and Kingdoms. 

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Curveball is the show where extraordinary people share the twists and turns of their rise, those curveball moments that have made them. It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legacy can be a bit of a loaded term when it comes to family businesses. If you’re taking over at the helm, how do you honour the legacy of those who came before you? Do you keep things as they were, or should you shake things up? 

Buckaroo Belts owner Tanya Van Der Water asked herself exactly these questions when her father fell ill in 2013. Unexpectedly, she was thrust into the CEO role in his place.  

Once upon a time, she wasn’t even interested in joining his leather-working company, let alone running it. She was a forthright woman of colour. How could she operate at construction sites and convince tradies she knew about toolbelts? 

Would a radical transformation of the business work? Could she really save the business while she had three kids under three, and the burden of alcoholism in the family? 

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Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with every episode by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s sweat flying everywhere at the Alice Springs YMCA as a young instructor cheers the class through their workout. Michelle Bridges is learning how to bring the heat, honing her craft as the motivator-in-chief for people looking to turn their lives around.  

Michelle had been teaching fitness classes and entering bodybuilding competitions while she was living in the desert with her then boyfriend. 

She was building a small yet loyal following - but she was a big fish in a small pond, the city was calling. 

By the time Michelle drove over the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the age of 26, she was on the path to becoming a trainer on TV’s The Biggest Loser, a best-selling author, and a pioneer of online fitness programs. 

But with the rise, also came the fall. Michelle opens up about her horror 2020, how it made her embrace her softer side and changed her life for the better. 

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 Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Grace Pashley and edited by Travis Vetier. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sun’s setting in the Sydney suburbs, but a young Brandon Jack’s still running his science experiment. Or rather, he’s still pretending to run his science experiment. In reality, he’s just kicking an Aussie Rules football around. But when you’re the son of an NRL legend, you have to come up with a good cover story to even go near other football codes. 

Brandon’s talent for side-stepping the truth about football continued into adulthood. Rather than speaking openly about his fears and doubts as a professional athlete, he told his superiors he intended to run a law firm before retiring from the game, hoping they’d decide on his behalf that he wasn’t committed to the team. 

Now, Brandon’s writing his own story, and in doing so, he’s casting light on the darker side of professional sport and the deeply masculine culture that surrounds it in Australia. 

He also opens up about his fractured relationship with his parents and why he’s just started to mend some bridges with them after years of estrangement. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Sometimes, life throws up moments that are unexpected. Things you could never plan for. Challenges you couldn’t have seen coming. The human experience is all about adapting. On Curveball you get the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. And get more wisdom and life lessons delivered to you directly with Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! 

Find out more about the show by visiting www.curveballshow.com

This was episode was produced by Liam Riordan with editing by Travis Vetier. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sun’s setting in the Sydney suburbs, but a young Brandon Jack’s still running his science experiment. Or rather, he’s still pretending to run his science experiment. In reality, he’s just kicking an Aussie Rules football around. But when you’re the son of an NRL legend, you have to come up with a good cover story to even go near other football codes. 

Brandon’s talent for side-stepping the truth about football continued into adulthood. Rather than speaking openly about his fears and doubts as a professional athlete, he told his superiors he intended to run a law firm before retiring from the game, hoping they’d decide on his behalf that he wasn’t committed to the team. 

Now, Brandon’s writing his own story, and in doing so, he’s casting light on the darker side of professional sport and the deeply masculine culture that surrounds it in Australia. 

He also opens up about his fractured relationship with his parents and why he’s just started to mend some bridges with them after years of estrangement. 

Grab a copy of Brandon's book, 28

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Sometimes, life throws up moments that are unexpected. Things you could never plan for. Challenges you couldn’t have seen coming. The human experience is all about adapting. On Curveball you get the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. And get more wisdom and life lessons delivered to you directly with Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! 

Find out more about the show by visiting www.curveballshow.com

This was episode was produced by Liam Riordan with editing by Travis Vetier. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We get it! It’s scary being your real self out there. Being vulnerable. Laying it all on the line when you’re feeling uncertain, not quite sure if you’ve got it right. 

We’ve noticed so many Curveball guests have had a moment where they could choose to be the all-knowing tough guy/gal, but instead decide to let their guard down. 

It might be emotionally risky, but how can you make vulnerability work for you in relationships, on a project, or even in the workplace? 

Oh, and Kellie and Curveball producer Grace Pashley get a little bit raw and share a few stories about the times they’ve worn a heart on their sleeve. 

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Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Know someone who’d make a stellar guest on Curveball? Please tell us more! Visit www.curveballshow.com and suggest a guest. 

You can stay up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. And make sure you’re subscribed to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! Packed full of those little life lessons that help you keep going when things get tricky! 

This episode was produced by Grace Pashley and Liam Riordan. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once upon a time, a young Kirstin Ferguson wanted to be Australia’s first female Prime Minister. And she figured the free university education and rigorous leadership training of the military would make a good first step.  

But – surprise! - the Royal Australian Air Force Academy of the 1990s wasn’t the most welcoming environment for an ambitious young woman. Kirstin had to adjust her behaviour in ways that would affect everything she did for the next few decades.  

After a stint in a law firm, and multiple roles on prestigious boards, Kirstin’s now focused on developing the next crop of leaders. Her new book is called Head & Heart: The Art of Modern Leadership. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios.  

It's the show that leans into life’s messy moments! Host Kellie Riordan takes you inside the someone’s curveball moment. They’ve been thrown a challenge, dealt a tough hand, the stakes are high. A decision could change the course of their life.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Do also sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And do you know someone extraordinary who’s faced a challenging time? Suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Think back to the toughest challenges you've ever faced - the longest grind, the lowest low... What would you do if, almost as soon as it ended, you were told you had to do it all again? 

For Kath Koschel, former New South Wales cricketer, this question isn’t hypothetical. She’d already faced loss of her fiancé and was overwhelmed with grief. And after months of rehab following a debilitating back injury, she wanted to get back on the pitch, but couldn’t. She still wasn’t able to lift her toes, which means she wasn’t able to bat. So her doctor suggested she give triathlons a go.   

So as if she hadn’t faced enough punishment yet, she fell headlong into training, eventually deciding that a normal triathlon wasn’t good enough. No, she was going to train for the ultrawoman event. WTF! 

But as she crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a morning training session, she was struck down by a passing car, and sent to surgery, yet again.  

How do you face down the most brutal of curveballs, when you barely survived the first time?  

Kath Koschel is the impressive force behind the not-for-profit organisation The Kindness Factory which has expanded to The Kindness Curriculum, available in many schools in Australia and beyond.

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. On Curveball you get the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. Host Kellie Riordan takes you inside the someone’s curveball moment. They’ve been thrown a challenge, dealt a tough hand, the stakes are high. A decision could change the course of their life.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Rachel Fountain and edited by Liam Riordan. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Kath Koschel steps behind the crease, she grips her bat just a little tighter than usual: she’s pushing through an annoying but minor back injury.  

The next thing she sees is the sky. She’s laying flat on her back. She can’t feel her legs. Turns out that back injury wasn’t so innocuous, and Kath’s on her way to the hospital.  

She doesn’t know it yet, but it’s not going to be her last operation, and it’s certainly not going to be the last curveball she faces. How does Kath, an athlete and cricket fanatic, put on her game face when she’s got months of rehab ahead for her?  

And when another unspeakable tragedy unfolds, how can she harness the kindness around her to carry her through? 

Kath Koschel is the unstoppable force behind The Kindness Factory which has expanded to The Kindness Curriculum, available in many schools in Australia and beyond. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Sometimes, life throws up moments that are unexpected. Things you could never plan for. Challenges you couldn’t have seen coming. The human experience is all about adapting. On Curveball you get the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on Instagram. And get more wisdom and life lessons delivered to you directly with Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Rachel Fountain and Liam Riordan. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“We’re building it for the people comfortable doing mobile banking, who are living on the edge of the future,” says fin-tech entrepreneur Dom Pym.

“All the things we do with Up are different than other banks. Because when you’re carrying your phone in your pocket, doing everything with your finger on your phone, or with your face or your voice, that user experience becomes so much more important than a web browser with a mouse and a keyboard. It just changed the whole game.”  

Some people spend their lives tinkering away, trying to invent new things. Bill Gates famously spent time pulling apart computers in his youth. Dom Pym did the same. With computers, but also with billycarts and cars. He and his mates even invented some James Bond-esque spy glasses! 

That sense of play and innovation saw him become one of Australia’s leading software developers by age 19, working across the globe for Fortune 500 companies.  

And after dabbling in multiple start-ups, from building a music management tool to launching an online grain market, he eventually also built Australia’s first mobile-only bank. 

But first there were legal disputes and near-death plane crashes to contend with. Oh, and the joys of banking regulation. 

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Curveball is about life’s messy moments! You get the lowdown on how people grow in extraordinary times. It’s a production of Deadset Studios.   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

But wait, there’s more! Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter because it’s chock full of wisdom from very, very smart people! And please do suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Grace Pashley and edited by Travis Vetier. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Athlete Jana Pittman has spent her life clearing obstacles that arise out of nowhere. 

Chasing down Olympics gold on the 400-metre hurdles track since she was a teenager, she’s overcome injury after injury, hounded by the media along the way. 

All for that spot on the top podium to evade her. 

That kind of determination isn’t uncommon among professional athletes in the heat of competition. But where does that energy go when the race is over?  

For Jana, it went into pursuing her childhood dream of becoming a doctor and a mother (to six!). And now even a star on TV’s SAS Australia and an army reservist. 

There’s no taking the easy road when you’re Jana Pittman.  

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Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messy moments! It’s a production of Deadset Studios.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to know more about how people thrive in challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! And suggest a Curveball guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Grace Pashley and edited by Carl Hitchmough. Executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Were we tempting fate hosting a show called Curveball? 

Because it feels a little like the universe wants us to have more first-hand experience of adversity. 

As 2022 began, host Kellie Riordan was champing at the bit to bring you some amazing new guests with stories of resilience.  

Then the Australian floods in February ruined the Curveball studio (and most of Kellie’s house!). 

So Kellie and her family had to pack up their lives and move out. We’d just got a temporary “studio” set up at Kellie’s new place when she was thrown a few more curveballs. Including one that landed her in hospital.... 

Curveball’s the show that leans into life’s messiest moments and so we’re leaning hard! Make sure you’re following Curveball in your podcast app, so you don’t miss those outstanding stories, and heaps more to come! 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Curveball is the show that leans into life’s messiest moments. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gaven Morris has put his doubts aside and stepped into a leadership role at the ABC, but his trials are far from over.  

While he’s trying to un-learn everything he was taught as a journalist in order to become a more open-minded, proactive leader, life starts to unravel around him.  

Family illnesses and a workplace tragedy that kills several of his colleagues shatter the foundations of Gaven’s work life.  

And looming large at all times is the rapidly changing media landscape. How do you define the ABC when the B isn’t in the name anymore? What does news look like in a post-broadcast world? And how do you lead for that type of radical disruption? 

In part 2, Gaven Morris has to find his centre again, all while trying to convince bastions of traditional media that the future isn’t as dark as it may seem.  

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their trickiest challenges and give you the tips they’ve learned the hard way. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want to discover more about leadership, productivity, and overcoming challenging times? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter. 

You can also suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Justin Rouillon.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

 We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gaven Morris is the man behind most of the news you consume on a daily basis. As the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Director of News, Gaven’s led many of the country’s top reporters and best-loved programs.  

But now he’s stepping away from this leadership role, and reflecting on his time in one of the most rapidly changing industries.  

Journalism isn’t the most logical path to leadership. When he was deciding whether or not to take a leadership role at the ABC, Gaven realised he was in a pretty tough spot: he’d become an expert in everything but how a great leader should operate. 

In part 1 of this candid interview, Gaven gives you a rare glimpse into the defining moments in his career: traumatic experiences, reporting from far-flung places, and the delayed effects of this on his mental health.   

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

 Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

 This episode was produced by Liam Riordan with sound design by Justin Rouillon.  

 The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

 We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The crowd is spilling out of a Bob Geldof event, but one wily ex-reporter has tapped into her performing arts know-how to get backstage. Armed with nothing but a business card and a tiny handwritten message, she’s trying to get her name to rockstar Bono and his new venture, PRODUCT (RED).  

It might sound ludicrous. And it kind of was. Greta Thomas was a marketing professional in Sydney, Australia. She had no connection to U2’s frontman Bono and she didn’t know anyone working on his PRODUCT (RED) campaign. But when Greta’s determined to make something happen, she doesn’t take the first no. “You don’t even take the tenth no. If you’re really passionate about something, there’s more than one way to get from A to B.” 

And the winding path is her speciality. A trained ballet dancer, Greta Thomas didn’t finish high school or take on under-graduate studies at university. And yet her career has taken her from dance, to journalism and PR, to marketing roles at eBay and the Sydney Opera House, and now to a role advising and mentoring innovation companies with her company Full Potential Labs.  

Greta and her business partner Claire Hatton host the podcast Don’t Stop Us Now. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders unpack their darkest moments and share tips on how to deal with challenging times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  And please do suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Justin Rouillon. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the ‘why’ is missing, often so is our motivation. 

Something I’ve noticed about people who bounce back from adversity, is they tend to have a strong sense of purpose – and if they don’t have one when that curveball hits, it sure prompts them to find it! 

Take Who Give a Crap founder Simon Griffiths – when his body gave out and exhaustion hit, his passion to make others’ lives better literally helped him get out of bed. 

Or Meggie Palmer – she lived through an unfair situation in her own work life, and it’s given her the motivation to help others fight for equal pay. And it’s driven her towards success in her own life. 

And Liz Broderick, whose purpose for justice was seeded when she was very young, developed her why by listening to thousands of women. That strong sense of fairness has sustained her throughout her whole career. 

When things are challenging, it’s useful to go right back to exactly why you’re doing a project or trying a new approach. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Education can change your life in a generation.” 

When RMIT University announced its newest Chancellor would be Richmond Football Club President Peggy O’Neal, those words from her mother might just have been on Peggy’s mind. 

From the tiny coal-mining town she grew up in, Peggy became the first member of her family to graduate university. Then the first woman hired by an establishment law firm. And then the first female president of the Richmond Tigers AFL club. 

Now Peggy will take her formidable leadership skills into higher education. 

(If you’ve never heard Peggy’s full interview on Curveball – what are you waiting for? Just scroll back in your feed and press play.) 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

You can also sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter which packs a leadership punch each week! 

Know a great leader who should be on Curveball? Drop us a line www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was edited by Liam Riordan. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

 We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The more you fail, the easier it gets. People get scared of failing. I know this is something that anyone entrepreneurial will say, but every time you lose all your money, it becomes easier. Because you know you can pick yourself up.” 

Declan Lee never chooses the easy path. These days he’s one of four owners of the famous Messina gelato chain, but he's had to pick himself up a few times already. 

As a music promoter, Declan once felt the full thrust of losing all his money when he booked what seemed to be a no brainer – electronic act Underworld – only to find a near-empty room when he arrived for the show. 

He lost money on a TV show that was ahead of its time – a pre-cursor to Ninja Warrior that saw athletes compete in gruelling physical challenges. 

And he’s also dabbled in physiotherapy, DJing, and restaurants. So what did it take to build an ice-cream empire and what lessons has he taken with him after so many flops? 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Liam Riordan and Rachel Fountain, with sound design by Justin Roullion.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Kate Vale was appointed Google Australia’s first employee, she didn’t have an office or a mobile phone. She found herself answering her home landline to do business! 

From humble beginnings she used her HR background to quickly build a team, and grew Google Australia to record revenues and eventually to IPO. 

Ever the digital pioneer since her days managing a dot com company before the crash, Kate Vale then headed up Spotify in Australia. 

Eventually she moved to California, the epicentre of start-up and digital culture. She’s now running a venture capital fund called Aliavia that’s focussed on supporting female founders who are often overlooked for investment. 

She takes you inside the famous Google hiring process and gives her take on what it takes to thrive while leading digital companies. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Remember when Michael Fox first joined us on Curveball? He’d clawed his way back from a bruising collapse of his first start-up Shoes of Prey to build a new company.  

Fable Foods creates a meat-alternative from shiitake mushrooms and Michael and his co-founders had convinced celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal to be part of their journey.  

But Covid had hit and Michael wasn’t sure his newly-established food manufacturing plant would survive the pandemic.   

Michael Fox is the ultimate optimist and since he last joined us on season 1 of Curveball, he’s secured more investment, scaled up his company, and now expanded into several fast food chains.   

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.   

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced Liam Riordan. Curveball’s executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olivia Humphrey has taken her company Kanopy from her spare bedroom in Perth to San Francisco... and turned down some pretty enticing investment offers along the way.  

She stuck to her guns, keeping her values front of mind at all times, and it paid off. I mean – it really paid off! Kanopy has sold for an eye-watering price. 

In part two of this revealing interview, Olivia Humphrey walks us through the sale of Kanopy to a private equity firm. It’s the little-told part of many business stories. It also lands Olivia back in Australia where she’s already working on a range of exciting investments and philanthropic projects.  

And if you haven’t heard part one, go and download it right now! Olivia Humphrey tells Curveball how she came up with the idea to streamline the way universities could secure rights for films and documentaries for students. Her journey building Kanopy from scratch is incredible and it’s one of Australia’s greatest start-up success stories. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders tell us how they thrive in challenging times. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter. 

And hey, do suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Grace Pashley and Liam Riordan, with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olivia Humphrey was having lunch in a Napa vineyard when a billionaire stepped in to help turn her genius start-up into a fully-fledged global streaming platform.  

A former Village Roadshow employee, Olivia came up with the idea to streamline the way universities could secure rights for films and documentaries for students. 

As streaming took off and Kanopy became a digital platform much like Netflix or Stan, Olivia took her Perth-based company to the US where she quickly stitched up libraries too. 

The billionaire backer gave her the confidence to scale Kanopy beyond her wildest dreams.  

But it’s what happened next that so few business owners discuss openly. Especially very successful founders. The sale. How exactly does that work? Who are the winners, what are the risks, and what should you look out for? 

Listen to both episodes to hear Olivia’s rise to start-up superstar. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get hot tips from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Grace Pashley and Liam Riordan, with sound design by Krissy Miltiadou. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meggie Palmer was one of Australia’s best TV journalists, when she learned she wasn’t being paid the same as her male colleagues.

She had a choice. Put up with it or speak up and risk it all. This enormous career gamble almost crushed her. Until she realised it could also be the making of her. 

Disillusioned with the power of traditional media, and galvanised by this first-hand experience with gender discrimination, Meggie turned to tech to send her message.

The founder of PepTalkHer reveals how she turned her personal fight for equality into a community, and then into a successful business. She also teaches you how to negotiate for yourself, and explains why a good negotiation should be treated like a marriage. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com 

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan with sound design by Justin Rouillon.

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine a life where the simple act of sitting sends your body into spasms of pain. 

Entrepreneur Simon Griffiths likes to optimise for success. But pushing far beyond his limits has come at a cost. And it’s a warning for so many leaders. 

The Who Gives a Crap CEO opens up for the first time about the lengths he went to cope with chronic pain and full physical collapse, including checking into a yoga hospital in India. 

His life would change with the realisation that gaining control of his mind was the first step to a fully functioning body. 

And somewhere in the middle of that mettle-testing crisis, Simon’s purpose was forged. 

He took a sharp left turn from what seemed like a predestined corporate career, into building profit-for-purpose companies. 

But he would still face plenty of trials of body, mind and endurance on the road to making toilet paper company Who Gives a Crap an outrageous success. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Rachel Fountain and Grace Pashley, with sound design by Justin Rouillon. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A funny thing happened during a Curveball production meeting recently. Our junior producer Liam mentioned that his Mum thinks he needs a mentor. Liam explained that he had some in Rachel and Kellie, who work together to oversee the team that brings you Curveball. 

But Kellie wasn’t sure she was a mentor to Liam. Sure, he’s given feedback. Sometimes even a pep talk. But is that the same as mentoring? 

Mentors, coaches, champions. They are all people you might cultivate in your career. But what’s the difference between them, when do you need them, and how can you get one if you do!? 

We decided to let you eavesdrop on our chat about mentors and champions and which leaders on Curveball swear by them. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter - it’s like having your own personal executive coach but you don’t have to pay for it! 

Find out more about the show by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A funny thing happened during a Curveball production meeting recently. Our junior producer Liam mentioned that his Mum thinks he needs a mentor. Liam explained that he had some in Rachel and Kellie, who work together to oversee the team that brings you Curveball. 

But Kellie wasn’t sure she was a mentor to Liam. Sure, he’s given feedback. Sometimes even a pep talk. But is that the same as mentoring? 

Mentors, coaches, champions. They are all people you might cultivate in your career. But what’s the difference between them, when do you need them, and how can you get one if you do!? 

We decided to let you eavesdrop on our chat about mentors and champions and which leaders on Curveball swear by them. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter - it’s like having your own personal executive coach but you don’t have to pay for it! 

Find out more about the show by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Giving in is not the same as giving up. Sometimes, despite your best intentions, things don’t just work out and it’s better to give in to the signs. 

So many leaders on Curveball have, at some point, found themselves in a tricky situation. And yes,  sometimes they’ve pulled through. 

But what about those times you just can’t pull a rabbit out of a hat? How do you know when it’s time to call time on your business or your dream? 

Running any company involves the fine art of juggling when to push beyond the limits, and when to call it quits. Top leaders share their stories of knowing when to fold them... just like As Kenny Rogers sang! 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? Sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter - it contains more wisdom than the old dude from the Karate Kid! 

Find out more about the show by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Liam Riordan. The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elizabeth Broderick has been fighting for equality since she was in utero. 

Growing up with a twin sister helped instil a burning sense of fairness in young Liz. She’d go on to become a trailblazing lawyer, Special Rapporteur to the United Nations, and Australia’s longest-serving Sex Discrimination Commissioner. 

Elizabeth Broderick is a leader who’s spent her whole career negotiating in hostile environments.  

She’s been across the table from the Trump administration on reproductive rights, battled for paid parental leave, fought against sexual harassment and discrimination, and been instrumental in changing attitudes to family violence. 

And through all that time negotiating in halls of power with important people, Liz Broderick has never lost her passion for justice, nor the unique understanding of the people for whom she fights. 

Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and how they keep going in the face of adversity. 

Keep up with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? For more life lessons from top leaders, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Grace Pashley with sound design by Kristina Miltiadou. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Sometimes there’s a monstrous demonic fire front that’s bearing down on your little town, and your little team... and the only thing that you can do to stay alive, is to quietly and quickly make an orderly exit via stage left.” 

 Wow. Let us set the scene for you here. Marine Hautemont and Rob Malicki sent Curveball that message as they clinked champagne glasses in a trailer park in remote northern Australia and toasted their decision to close the doors on their business. 

The business, AIM International, had gone from a $6 million turnover, to zero, virtually overnight. 

It might seem an odd thing to raise a glass to, but the pair are genuine. As they tell Curveball, winding up the business they loved gave them, and their two kids, the road-tripping freedom they would never otherwise have known. 

But once you’ve shut up shop, packed the kids in an RV and hit the road... what next for a couple of entrepreneurs? 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how the deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Liam Riordan, with sound design by Kristina Miltiadou. 

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Justin Dry lost his house not once, but twice, before he learned to trust his gut. 

With each loss, the robust Vinomofo founder has picked himself up off the cellar floor and come at it again from a new angle. 

Dry has aged wisely. He’s grown from the classic idea-machine entrepreneur, through record funding rounds and tough decisions, to responding to crises with exactly the right kind of genius to pull his premium wine delivery business through. 

Now that VinoMofo’s matured through “the difficult teenage years”, Dry’s full of ideas for the future. His new role as Chief Entrepreneur is perfectly paired with his enterprising spirit. 

So what’s next for the irreverent wine boss? And what can he teach you about come-backs after setbacks? 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and how to deal with those things that come out of nowhere. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more life lessons from delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Rachel Fountain and edited by Liam Riordan.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dwayne Good is no stranger to fighting for survival.  

Kicked out of home as a teen, and then struggling after the death of his mum, Dwayne drifted until he found himself on an idyllic holiday in Thailand. But it was 2004 and a killer tsunami was about to up-end his life in more ways than one. 

“The best way to summarize it is confusing. What the hell am I going to do? What have I just seen? What does it all mean? That goes through your head. I did suffer from post-traumatic stress,” he reveals. 

Dwayne Good is Executive Director and Founder of InTravel Group, a 100-percent Indigenous-owned business. He shares his story of working his way up the corporate ladder, to establishing his own company, and the journey of a joint venture with a corporate partner. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. Leaders reveal their darkest moments and share tips on how they deal with those things you just can’t see coming. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Want more from your leadership journey? To get more wisdom and life lessons from top leaders delivered to you directly, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter!  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced and edited by Grace Pashley, with sound design by Kristina Miltiadou.  

The executive producers are Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American lawyer Peggy O’Neal might lead a team of Tigers, but it’s rare to hear her roar. Although you might have heard an enthusiastic “whoop!” or three when her team won those Australian Football League grand finals!  

That unflappable pragmatism is something the president of Richmond Football Club learned growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, USA.  

Peggy has seen off leadership coups, helped break a 37-year-premiership drought for her beloved Richmond Tigers, and given her all to help pull her football team back from the brink of financial ruin to a fiscally healthy club. 

All the while, she’s been helping to build a community around her from the ground up.   

Peggy O’Neal is the quieter kind of leader whose process-driven results (ahem, three premiership flags in four years) leave a legacy as strong as those community foundations. 

You could put that down to her upbringing, or you could put it down to Peggy herself – a whip-smart, humble ‘doer’ - the opposite of the outspoken, opinionated football president archetype you usually see dominating the media. 

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Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. It’s the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

And if you need more, more, MORE leadership inspiration in your life, don’t dilly-dally, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! We cherry pick the choicest lessons for you and deliver them right into your inbox. 

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This was episode was produced by Rachel Fountain and Kellie Riordan. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Staring down a board coup when they’re baying for your scalp. Taking back control when you’ve sold a stake in your company. Trusting your vision when you’ve lost it all before.  

Curveball is back and the stakes have never been higher. 

Join host Kellie Riordan as she navigates her own start-up journey and learns from other leaders about how they thrive when the chips are down. 

Richmond Tigers president Peggy O’Neal. Vinomofo founder Justin Dry. Australia’s longest-serving Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick. These leaders have used smarts, hard work and resilience to make it through their own trials by fire. 

Make sure you follow Curveball in your podcast app, so you don’t miss an episode. 

Curveball is a production of Deadset Studios. 

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Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments. We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

And if you need more insightful leadership conversation and inspiration in your life, sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! We cherry pick the choicest lessons for you and deliver them right into your inbox. 

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

This episode was produced by Rachel Fountain, with sound design by Kristina Miltiadou.

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day and yet somehow titans of industry seem to cram more in and squeeze more out. 

How do they do it? How to entrepreneurs and leaders streamline their processes for maximum productivity? 

If you love Curveball, chances are you’ll enjoy How I Work, hosted by organisational psychologist Dr Amantha Imber. Each episode provides you with the trusted tips and hacks you need to get more out of your day, from mastering your overflowing inbox to managing your energy to go the distance.  

Amantha Imber joins Kellie Riordan for a chat about leadership, productivity, and the rituals the best in business swear by. 

You can find How I Work by searching for it in your podcast app, and find out more at https://www.amanthaimber.com/podcast

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Meanwhile, keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Find out more about the show at www.curveballshow.com 

And subscribe to the Curveball newsletter on LinkedIn for more inspiration and hacks from top leaders. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s no 101 at business school on making the right call when you’re under fire.   

But once you’ve assessed all the information and consulted the right people, you need to make the call. And even though it might not be a popular decision, if it’s the right one for your organisation, you need to see it through. 

Whether it’s making a decision to keep people safe in the face of media outrage, disciplining unruly employees who are also your friends, or being transparent with your team even though the outlook is grim, all the leaders in today’s episode stuck to their values. They decided to let history be the ultimate judge of their decisions. 

They’ll teach you how to make the tough calls, even when the heat is on. 

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On Curveball, we take you inside a company at a pivotal moment, and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times. This is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest times and most confronting situations. 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Find out more about the show at www.curveballshow.com 

Hang on, there’s more?! Yes! You can also subscribe to the Curveball newsletter on LinkedIn for more inspiration and hacks from top leaders. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Losing a parent, watching your kid suffer, or battling a serious illness yourself – the personal adversity many of the country’s top leaders have been through will surprise you. 

Just because you’re dodging curveballs in your work life, doesn’t mean you’re immune to crises in your personal life. 

But you know what? The Kate Morrises, Andrew Starks and Briony Scotts of the world dig deep and strategise their way through personal adversity the same way they would in their careers. 

And not only have they come out the other side stronger - in many cases, they’ve gained a perspective that’s changed the way they live and lead. 

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Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments. We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment, and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times.  

Did you know Curveball’s also now a LinkedIn newsletter. It's a weekly dose of the best advice from top leaders. Subscribing is totally free. 

You can keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

And who would you like to hear from on the show? Please suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Working 9 to 5 might be Dolly Parton’s way to make a living, but these days work schedules look riskier and less structured for most. 

Whether it’s starting a new company, fast-tracking your business, or taking the plunge into the unknown, we’ve been learning about bravery on Curveball.  

How do you move from that moment of fear and take a courageous step towards the unknown? 

Be brave! Go on, we dare you! 

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Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments. We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment, and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaders were once paid the big bucks to come up with a long-term vision, a strategy that could carry a company for years. 

Now? The most successful leaders are those who can question assumptions, challenge the status quo, and completely reinvent a strategy on the run. 

World leading organisational psychologist Adam Grant once trained as a magician. He wants you to be equipped to pull a rabbit out of hat when you need to!  

As a top TED speaker, best-selling author, and leading researcher working with the likes of the Pentagon and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Adam studies the best leaders in the world. 

He says knowing what you don’t know is the leadership quality du jour. How ready are you to think again? 

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Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments. We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment, and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Borders shut? Planes unable to land? Quarantine bubbles needed in record-time? Duuuuude! No worries! 

The very future of the world surf pro is on Andrew Stark’s shoulders. He needs to pull off a record number of events and land a charter plane full of international surfers in Australia, so it’s going to take every ounce of his leadership capability to pull this off. 

Can he do it? 

If you’ve listened to the first episode with World Surf League boss Andrew Stark, you’ll know he’s not the kind of leader who could ever let one rip sweep him off course. 

In this bonus episode, Andrew updates us on the “biggest curveball of his career” - and if you haven’t listened to the full-length episode, it’s in your feed right now. 

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Keep up to date by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Find out more about the show and suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com  or emailing hello@deadsetstudios.com 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With his wetsuit zippers blown open, his flotation vest filling fast with water, and his diaphragm heaving, Andrew Stark thought his time was up.  But a monster wave on one of Hawaii’s most feared breaks was no match for Stark, a leader who thrives when faced with a threatening swell. 

Whether it’s mounting world-renowned events at Bell’s Beach or Sunset, or convincing the world that surfing is professional sport, Stark rides every wave all the way to the shore. 

A tragic family event when Stark was young forged a connection with the ocean that carries him through every tough challenge: “Surfing saved me. I could have gone in any direction, but all I wanted to do was go to the beach.” 

So with the pandemic threatening the future of all pro surfing events, he’s more determined than ever to harness that passion into a successful recovery. 

And he tells you more about that in a bonus episode, available in your podcast feed now. 

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Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments.  We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment, and share tips on how to thrive in challenging times.  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by visiting www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Covid restrictions meant an immediate intermission for anyone working in live entertainment, Jeremy Fleming made a phone call no 40-something likes to make. He called his parents to say the shutdown spelt the end for his business and he’d be moving his family of four in with his parents. 

Staging company Stagekings lost millions in revenue overnight, when client after client called to cancel events.  

But ever the innovator, CEO Jeremy Fleming was determined the show must go on.  

With a warehouse full of semi-assembled sets and a country under house arrest, Jeremy saw an opportunity. Cue, IsoKing: flat-packed furniture built for lockdown. WFH? They’ve got desks! Play from home? Puzzle boards! Just at home, constantly, with no respite? Wine racks!  

This risky pivot has paid off, but the ride has been anything but smooth. Diving headfirst into a new business (in the middle of a pandemic) had set the scene for likely disaster. 

Luckily, Jeremy knows a thing or two about set design, and he’s sharing his toolkit with the rest of us.   

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Curveball gives you a glimpse inside a company at a pivotal moment. Leaders share their stories of thriving in challenging times.  

We love hearing your stories. How have you adapted on the run? What’s been your curveball moment? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram and you can also sign up to the Curveball newsletter on LinkedIn. 

Find out more about the show at www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a scene in Sex and the City where Sarah Jessica Parker gets to ring the famed opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange. Naturally, she’s wearing Jimmy Choos and a Chanel lipstick. 

Kate Morris dreamt that one day her company Adore Beauty would float on the stock exchange. She got there, but ringing the bell over Zoom from her lounge room? Well that wasn’t quite what she’d imagined. 

For years Morris slogged it out packing cosmetics in her garage. 

But with profits plateauing, Morris was advised to write a letter to herself from the future. “It was like turning all the lights back on.  Suddenly the whole path was illuminated for me”. 

A risky high-growth strategy landed the e-retailer Adore Beauty an Australian Stock Exchange float of a reputed $600+ million, inspiring thousands of women to invest in the share market for the first time. 

Kate’s willing to share the ride, warts and all. 

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Curveball is the podcast that takes you inside a company at a pivotal moment. Leaders share tips with you on how to thrive in challenging times.  

And we adore hearing your stories. What’s been your curveball moment? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram and you can also sign up to the Curveball newsletter on LinkedIn. 

Find out more about the show at www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Mother Cricket calls, Justin Langer answers. 

With Australian cricket in crisis, imploding amid the ‘sandpaper scandal’, Langer was offered a leadership role many considered a poisoned chalice, but the lure of rebuilding the sport he loved was too strong. 

His tough-love leadership style doesn’t always win him friends, but the former batsman is determined to see his vision through. 

Still, nothing quite prepares you for the pressure of a leadership role under this much scrutiny... and the next curveball would be a health scare of a huge magnitude. 

Langer credits mindset, meditation and a trusted network of mates and mentors with giving him the tenacity to turn things around. 

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Curveball’s the podcast that takes you inside a company or a leadership team at a pivotal moment. Leaders share tips with you on how to thrive in challenging times.  

And we love, love LOVE hearing your stories. How have you adapted on the run? What’s been your curveball moment? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram and you can also sign up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter! It's a weekly dose of the best advice leaders have that helps you with your own career. Subscribing is totally free. 

Make sure you leave us a review for the Curveball podcast in your podcasting app.  There’s more about Curveball at www.curveballshow.com or you can follow @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have you had days when you’ve wanted to shut yourself off on a deserted island, where you could happily work and eat coconuts and speak to no one? Hell yes! Good. It’s not just me then! 

But truly great leaders understand that without a solid team, without developing and investing in your people, it’s going to get pretty tough to achieve anything. (Also, there’d be no office cakes... and that would be VERY sad!) 

Managing people is one of the hardest parts of being a leader. But you know what the truly exceptional bosses say? It’s ALL about the people. They remember who was in the room on the bad days... and who was by their side to celebrate the exciting moments too. 

So before you buy that one-way solo ticket, we have some tips from top leaders who know how to build a team culture. 

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And did you know you can become part of a community of like-minded people just by signing up to Curveball’s LinkedIn newsletter? It's a weekly dose of the best advice leaders have that helps you with your own career. Subscribing is totally free and we'd love you to be part of the TEAM! 

Make sure you leave us a review for the Curveball podcast in your podcasting app. 

There’s more about Curveball at www.curveballshow.com or you can follow @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram.  

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“FAIL AND FAIL FAST” – it's the catch-cry currently echoing from Silicon Valley to entrepreneurial kids trying to make a buck with their latest dance routines on TikTok.

But as the great philosophers Chumbawamba sang, if you get knocked down, you can get back up again. How do you fail, but more importantly, recover?

Curveball’s the podcast where leaders tell you how they’ve dealt with huge challenges and crises – and you’d better believe these people have pretty impressive failure resumes!

But there’s owning your failures, and then there’s the really tricky part. Getting past them. Moving on. And maybe even getting back on the horse.

It’s time to learn from the leaders who’ve been through it all, how they bounced back and what they learned doing it.

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And if you haven’t yet signed up to Curveball - Australia’s first LinkedIn newsletter, then don’t beat yourself up! Just acknowledge your mistake, then sign up and learn from it! It's a weekly top up of the best advice and stories leaders have that will set you on the right path. Subscribing is totally free, so do it now for tasty inbox goodness.

Say g’day by leaving us a review for Curveball in your podcasting app, and if there’s a leader you think we could all learn from... get in touch! Hello@deadsetstudios.com

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. 

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a new year dawns, are you feeling ready to tackle the year head on? Want a little fresh perspective to help you get ahead? 

If there’s one thing that sets the greatest leaders above the pack, it’s the mindset they carry through challenging times. 

Curveball’s the podcast where you learn how to thrive when you’ve been thrown a curly one. But how exactly do you cultivate a positive mindset? How do you create that voice inside that tells you “keep going, you can do it!”?  

The masterful leaders – the top athletes, successful artists, and the sharpest business owners – will tell you it’s a discipline. It doesn’t happen by magic, but is does create a little magic if you stick with it. 

And guess what else? This sense of stoicism, the idea you can have courage even when facing obstacles – is an ancient philosophy that was first coined during, wait for it, a pandemic. Yup, really. For more on stoicism, I recommend both Ryan Holiday’s book The Obstacle is the Way and the Tim Ferriss podcast. 

We’re bringing you some short tips and hacks from exceptional leaders that will help frame your 2021. So hit download on this bite-sized episode for a quick dose of energy. It's basically a short black with a dash of inspo. 

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Wait, you say you want more? Guess what friends? Curveball is now the home of Australia’s first LinkedIn newsletter! I know, right? More wisdom than you can handle. It's a weekly top up of the best advice and stories leaders have that will help set you on the right path. Subscribing is totally free, so do it now for tasty inbox goodness. 

Make sure you leave us a review for the Curveball podcast in your fave podcasting app, and if there’s a leader you think we could all learn from... get in touch! Hello@deadsetstudios.com 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work. 

This episode was produced by the stoic Rachel Fountain. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pivot. Adapt. Resilience. There's a reason we've heard those words so often in 2020.

Curveball is the podcast that gives you an inside look into how top leaders cope with unexpected challenges. 

And as we settle up the books on a year that’s brought so much risk and uncertainty, those lessons on how to deal with change have never been more welcome! 

In this special festive season Curveball bonus episode, Smart Company Editor Eloise Keating tells you why her publication pivoted (there it is again) away from its usual ‘Smart 50’ awards and instead, singled out the country’s most resilient businesses for their annual accolades. 

And the adaptations have been incredible.  From stage-builders who now do a mean line in flat-pack home office furniture, to workplace clinicians who turned their skills to research.  A café which used all that shut-down time to help their community stay connected, and a lolly shop that realised people needed joyful Instagram stories just as much as sugar.  

Don't forget to subscribe to Curveball (for free!) in your favourite podcast app, so you don't miss a single hint or hack from our guests. Annnndddd Curveball also now has a LinkedIn newsletter so please sign up for useful tips and strategies the best in the biz use so you too can thrive like a MOFO in 2021! (We're generous like that).

We’d love to hear how you’ve adapted on the fly. Use your phone to record a voice memo and email your curveball moment to hello@deadsetstudios.com   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Find out more about the show, and even suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live and work. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Start-up life sounds glamorous. The thrill of chasing an idea that could land you some coin, securing serious dollars from venture capitalists, and that's before you get to the office ping-pong tables and free candy.

But behind the scenes, it's both thrilling and gut-wrenchingly scary. Entrepreneur Michael Fox took his first digital fashion start-up Shoes of Prey from humble beginnings in a lounge room to international acclaim. But when the company started tanking and it was burning through cash faster than it could scale, Michael and his business partner found themselves both dissolving their marriage and a global company at the same time.

Michael Fox tells Curveball how his initial failure with Shoes of Prey gave him the resilience he needed to shepherd his new plant-based meat company, Fable Foods, through some choppy waters amid a global pandemic. For this founder, COVID-19 wouldn't detract from this mission to create a vegetarian meat substitute. And with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal on board, anything's possible.

On Curveball, leaders take you inside a company at a pivotal moment and share their tips on how to thrive in difficult times. It's honest, raw, real, and full of wisdom from the boldest and brightest leaders. 

We’d love to hear how you’ve adapted on the fly. Use your phone to record a voice memo and email your curveball moment to hello@deadsetstudios.com   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Find out more about the show, and even suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com   

Sound design on this episode courtesy of Kyle Hopkins, of Canberra Podcast and Voice.

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When COVID-19 first hit Australia, many of us managed to hold it together quite well… until we were asked to sit down and explain year seven algebra.   

Dr Briony Scott, Principal of Wenona School in Sydney, knows all about the trials and tribulations of solving an unknown value.   

While Dr Scott was overseeing the closure of her school and helping her students, teachers and parents manage the move to online learning, she was also disseminating rapidly changing public health advice - and all under intense media scrutiny. 

Dr Scott tells us how she led her community of five thousand through the constantly evolving crisis.  

She also shares how her personal scare with illness shaped her outlook on life and how she’s supporting young people in a future that seems increasingly uncertain. 

Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments.  

We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment while they navigate huge challenges, and share tips with you on how to thrive in challenging times.  

We love hearing about your curveball moments. How have you adapted on the fly? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Find out more about the show, and even suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When COVID-19 first hit Australia, many of us managed to hold it together quite well… until we were asked to sit down and explain year seven algebra.   

Dr Briony Scott, Principal of Wenona School in Sydney, knows all about the trials and tribulations of solving an unknown value.   

While Dr Scott was overseeing the closure of her school and helping her students, teachers and parents manage the move to online learning, she was also disseminating rapidly changing public health advice - and all under intense media scrutiny. 

Dr Scott tells us how she led her community of five thousand through the constantly evolving crisis.  

She also shares how her personal scare with illness shaped her outlook on life and how she’s supporting young people in a future that seems increasingly uncertain. 

Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments.  

We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment while they navigate huge challenges, and share tips with you on how to thrive in challenging times.  

We love hearing about your curveball moments. How have you adapted on the fly? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com   

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Find out more about the show, and even suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com   

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just weeks out from Australia’s biggest live comedy event of the year, the entertainment industry fell victim to the greatest showstopper of the century: a global pandemic.  

Australia’s biggest comedy agent, Token Group and Guesswork Television boss Kevin Whyte tells you what it was like shifting comedy from stages to zoom screens in record time. 

But this isn’t the first time Kevin’s put it all on the line. His own Mum had to sign his first venue agreement, because Kevin was barely out of high school! 

And not long after, his company went belly up, though Kevin proudly boasts “no one turned up to the creditor’s meeting”. 

The entertainment titan tells Curveball what’s been going on behind the curtains, while he managed empty seats, stalled productions and out-of-work performers. But it’s all gold material for the next Netflix special. 

Curveball’s the show where leaders are honest about their trickiest times. We turn the spotlight on the brightest bosses as they navigate their biggest challenges, and share tips with you on how to survive. 

And do share your stories with us. How have you adapted on the run to make the most of a curveball thrown at you? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watching panicked consumers clear the supermarket shelves ignited an idea for Carolyn Creswell.  

If toilet paper was flying off the shelves in aisle eight, would muesli bars in aisle three be the next must-have item? 

The Carman’s founder made the decision to increase her stock holdings in the face of huge uncertainty. 

Will the risky decision pay dividends for the muesli mogul this time? 

Carolyn shares how she’s been batting away curveballs her whole life, including a major health scare and now running her company from home – under lockdown.  

Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments. 

We take you inside a company at a pivotal moment while the brightest bosses navigate their biggest challenges, and share tips with you on how to thrive in challenging times. 

We love hearing your stories. How have you adapted on the fly? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com  

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetstudios on instagram. Find out more about the show, and even suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com  

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this show was made. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How exactly does a CEO negotiate their exit from a company? Is it like getting a divorce... where it might be publicly amicable for the sake of the kids but really everyone’s secretly shirty with each other? 

Outgoing Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah joins host Kellie Riordan in her make-shift home studio to discuss how he handled the final curveball thrown at him as he was replaced by a former Qantas executive. 

In this exclusive BONUS episode recorded during his departure, we talk about the rough and tumble of corporate take-overs and the cost on those cut loose. 

What does Scurrah think of the direction Virgin Australia is headed under new leader Jayne Hrdlicka? 

Plus, with rumours swirling that he may be in contention for Australia Post’s top job, what’s next for Paul Scurrah?  

And do share your stories with us. How have you swerved and adapted on the run? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this show was made.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fasten your seatbelt and switch your phone to airplane mode, because host Kellie Riordan is taking you for a ride into Virgin Australia’s headquarters during the worst crisis in aviation history. 

CEO Paul Scurrah springs into action as COVID-19 hits, the international borders slam shut, and then days later, domestic flights are grounded too. 

The airline loses access to $6 billion in revenue almost overnight, prompting crisis meetings, staff redundancies and meetings with administrators. 

But just as he shepherds the company out of administration and to a new buyer... another huge curveball is en route for Paul Scurrah. Is he in for more turbulence? 

Curveball is the show where leaders are honest about their darkest moments. We give you a ringside seat as the brightest bosses navigate their biggest challenges, and share tips with you on how to thrive in challenging times. 

And do share your stories with us. How have you swerved and adapted on the run? Use your phone to record a voice memo and email it to hello@deadsetstudios.com 

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this show was made.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve all been thrown curveballs this year. But how do you pull yourself through the fear? How do you cope with things you didn’t see coming? 

Host Kellie Riordan goes in search of our boldest and bravest leaders to ask them how they've tackled the toughest moments of their careers — and lives. 

And she's not just asking for a friend... Kellie has been dealt a few curveballs this year too.

Keep up to date with Curveball by following @_deadsetstudios.com on Twitter and @deadsetsetstudios on Instagram. Find out more about the show or suggest a guest by going to www.curveballshow.com

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.