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This week I spoke with an inspiring creative engineer working in the renewables space in Australia. He’s got an interesting side project that sounded incredible, working to save lives in rural Africa. Andrew Dickson is a renewable energy project developer with 15 years of experience developing large scale wind and solar projects across Australia. He’s currently Project Manager for the Asian Renewable Energy Hub project, a very large scale wind and solar project in the Pilbara, Western Australia. The project is set to export energy to Indonesia and Singapore, to power mines and mineral processing in the Pilbara and to produce green hydrogen for local and export markets. Outside of his day job however, Andrew has a ‘side project’ which has led him to be part of an initiative several years in the making. Hot on the heels of a successful global project called TeamTrev, a zero-emission race around the world in 2010/2011, Andrew formed a new team upon receiving a call for help from Zimbabwe. The challenge: Could they develop an electric vehicle to transport pregnant women from remote villages to hospitals in northern Zimbabwe, to help reduce maternal mortality? The team took it on. Called the African Solar Taxi, it has evolved into a low mass, rugged electric vehicle to help address transport poverty and maternal mortality in northern Zimbabwe. When women choose to give birth in their villages, without proper medical care or sanitary hygienic conditions, medical complications during delivery can be disastrous. Many serious conditions can all result in the death of women or their babies. Just as importantly, unassisted births in villages are twice as likely to result in the transmission of HIV from an HIV-positive mother to her child. A key contributing factor to maternal mortality and morbidity in Zimbabwe is the lack of adequate, reliable and affordable transport services. So in comes the idea of the Solar Taxi. The African Solar Project “It really is developing a new form of transport that solves transport poverty that is not solved in other ways currently. “ Andrew and his team are in the process of finalising the prototype and the pilot to test the vehicle is on for early next year. Another brilliant start up collaboration one would hope will ultimately receive the required government and private backing it needs, seeing it addresses an urgent and real problem and will inevitably save lives. African Solar Taxi prototype 2018 and at the rear the famous TeamTrev electric vehicle The Asian Renewable Energy Hub (Pilbara) project ” It’s weaving the indigenous people much closer into the economic fabric of the Pilbara, which has been somewhat achieved with mining projects but there’s a really big difference with mining project and renewable energy projects. Simplistically renewable projects don’t take away the resource from the land, the resource is completely reversible at the end of the project, it doesn’t pollute. So it’s completely different. “ Both the Pilbara and African Solar projects blew me away in their own way. The positive impact the Pilbara project could have on the local indigenous community, for future job opportunities and also the export potential created is massive. It’s currently an 11,000 MW project, which would generate approximately 55 terra watt hours per year. Victoria alone consumes 40 terawatt hours of electricity per year, so it gives you an idea of the capacity of the project. Andrew’s Solar Taxi story is so uplifting. Using technology and teams working together to save lives where its needed most. Really inspiring and that it’s been a labour of love makes it even more incredible. We also spent time talking about the renewables space here in Australia generally. We talked power bills, job creation in the sector and the areas we need to focus on if we are going to take advantage of the exponential changes occurring in the space. I asked what he’d prioritise if he was made leader of the country.  “ ……take the handbrake off the pent up desire for innovation and really letting rip to make the most of Australia’s competitive advantage with renewable resources and also with development of technologies because there is so much economic and social potential for Australia that other countries can replicate. That’s what I’d do. I’d take the handbrake off and let rip.” Andrew highlighted that the installation of large scale solar PV is growing at 28 percent per year in Australia, doubling approximately every four years. Wind is growing at a similar rate, indicating clearly that we are exponentially shifting the way we source power. He spoke about what the current gaps are and what the key priorities are for the country and globally. ” Clearly our leaders are struggling around the concept of pricing carbon. Climate change exists because of the market distortion. We don’t pay for the externalities like the pollution that fossil fuels cause, and the water that coal fired power stations effectively use. Those things are effectively gifted to the fossil fuel generators. So most of the argy bargy has been struggling to put a price on something that has been free. Carbon. A fair few incumbent industries with a lot of political power are there, but the world is changing under their feet so fast that it’s a tidal wave that can’t be stopped. “ It’s brilliant to know there are professionals like Andrew working in the sector who are passionate about going that extra mile to volunteer their time, skills and network to projects like the African Solar Taxi, which will inevitably save lives in regional Africa. It’s clear that the pivot to renewables is opening up a massive opportunity in developed AND developing countries and will ultimately drive projects that could make a difference to people’s lives on the ground. I can’t wait to see how the solar taxi goes and wish Andrew and the team huge success for the trial early next year. So thanks for coming on the show Andrew and talking to us about the project in Zimbabwe and also for doing such a stellar job in helping to drive the conversation around the uptake of clean energy in Australia. I’m looking forward to watching the progress of the African Solar Taxi in Zimbabwe and of course, all the stories you’ll have to tell once it’s up and running so hoping to hear about them too. Enjoy the episode! Show notes Andrew Dickson – LinkedIn Asian Renewable Energy Hub Snowtown Windfarm African Solar Taxi TeamTrev Mobility for Africa Simon Holmes à Court The Clean Energy Council The Smart Energy Council All Energy The post A chat with Andrew Dickson – on the African Solar Taxi, renewables and saving lives appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had the opportunity to speak with Shantha Bloemen, Founder of an exciting new startup whose mission is set to transform the lives of small scale farmers in sub-saharan Africa. We talk about her love for Zimbabwe and the belief that the country is on the path to a stronger, brighter future.  Mobility for Africa is a social enterprise that aims to bring renewable community based transport solutions to rural women in Africa that are affordable, efficient and environmentally friendly. Seventy percent of Zimbabwe’s agriculture are small scale farm holders so if the upcoming pilot is a success, Mobility for Africa could be a real game changer as it makes sense it would be adopted by other countries within the region. Why will it be a game changer? It’s empowering rural women in Sub Saharan Africa with transport that can help them save time, better sell their goods at the market, take their children to the clinic and school, collect water, as well as improve their economic opportunities within the households and local communities. ” By building a model that reinforces and builds local distribution networks, seeks to change behavior and empower women, and works on a sustainability model that also creates shared economies, Mobility for Africa will create new opportunities and improve the quality of life for rural communities. “ We talk about Shantha’s background helping the world’s poorest. Having spent the last two decades working in international humanitarian and development assistance in Africa & Asia, Shantha is now able to put her experience into this venture, that if successful, will make a practical and concrete difference in women’s lives. In the past she’s been actively involved in getting media attention to child rights, global health and poverty. Shantha and her team are currently in the middle of raising seed funding for the first shipment of electric bikes to Zimbabwe. On a recent visit to China, Shantha finalized the first order of tricycles. The Chinese company they are sourcing the bikes from has been in operation since 2005, and has produced more than 300,000 three wheel electric vehicles.  The first container of 54 tricycle parts will be ready for shipment by the middle of November. So it’s all happening now. I have been following Shantha and the work she does for vulnerable communities in developing countries and was really keen to hear more about the new venture, what led her there and also gain a better understanding of what some of the critical issues faced by these communities are that are now able to be addressed using new technology combined with strategic local and global partnerships. It’s a crucial time for Mobility for Africa, Shantha has just been contacted by a donor since our chat, who promised matching funds for up to $12,500 so the startup is well on its way to achieving its target of $50,000. If you are interested in contacting Shantha or donating you can do so using this link or through her email and social media links below. I just love the social impact the success of this startup would foster across sub-saharan Africa, so I can’t wait to have her back to talk about just what the impact was on the ground. Enjoy the episode! Shownotes Shantha Twitter Mobility for Africa website Mobility for Africa – fundraising page Mobility for Africa Facebook Page South African Development Community unicef   The post Chat with Shantha Bloemen, Founder of Mobility for Africa, on renewables, social impact and gender equality appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had a chance to speak with Dr David Chong, a brilliant paediatric plastic surgeon at the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. David also works tirelessly in the charity space, including with Operation Smile and the Mercy Ships organisation.  David commenced his training in Perth then went to North America for three years to further his experience. Over time he’s become a expert in Cleft Lip and Palate plus Craniofacial Surgery, bringing not only his skill but a real care for his patients that’s unique and touching and one I’ve been following for a number of years. I was particularly keen to talk to David about the incredible work he’s been doing with the Mercy Ships. David regularly volunteers his time and expertise on the Mercy Ships, an organisation that brings life saving medical assistance to developing countries irrespective of their socio-economic status. David’s schedule takes him abroad regularly, so I was grateful to meet up, and was surprised to discover just how much time he dedicates to helping the world’s poor, why it’s a priority for him, what led him to do the work he does today, both at home and abroad. I loved hearing more about the people making a difference on the Mercy Ships. It’s such a tactical, progressive model to bring medical care to the world’s poorest. Because over fifty percent of the world’s population lives within 160km of the coast, the charity is able to sail a modern hospital ship with a crew of 400 volunteers directly to people who lack access to first-rate medical care. What struck me the most about our conversation was David’s humility and joy for life. He talked about his upbringing and the challenges he experienced growing up in Perth like the casual racism that was a part of his childhood. David feels he has a lot in common with his patients and says children shouldn’t be judged by what they look like but who they are . So part of his mission is to do what he can, having chosen the profession he has, is to assist as many children as possible who come to him for help. His is a beautiful life. “Why do we assume so much from the way someone looks? And the ability to restore harmony to the face with its resultant effect on the way that life is lived seemed an amazing gift to be able to give.” David has specialised in craniofacial surgery and seeing the before and after photos of patients on his Instagram feed is pretty awesome. Smiles beaming, and usually a story included, about how the surgery has been a game changer for the patient, and a blessing for David. He believes the work he does has given him the opportunity to be invited into an individual and family’s life forever. The stories are always heartwarming, and at a time when there seems to be so much bad news in the world, they are joy to follow. We talk about the value of doing what you love, life changing mentors and the miracles he experiences in his everyday life. It was so brilliant to sit down and find out more about what makes David tick, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Shownotes Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital Mercy Ships Dr Gary Parker Operation Smile Shenton College Dr Fiona Wood Gordon Baron Hay – paediatric surgeon Mark Edwards – cardiac surgeon Robert Larbelestier – cardiac surgeon   The post A chat with Dr David Chong Plastic Surgeon on Mercy Ships, mentors and giving back appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had a chance to speak with Adelle MacDonald, Owner and Co-founder of Botanic Baby, a cloth nappy service in offering an ecologically sustainable nappy delivery service in Melbourne Victoria. Now, i’d normally not speak to an owner of a nappy business on the show. However this one is different. This service is the only one providing a service like this in Melbourne, delivering clean cotton nappies/biodegradable nappies in the city. Melbourne has a population of five million people. And only one nappy service using a circular economic model, with only 200 clients? I found that fact alone staggering. We need to do more.  Sustainability Victoria report that up to four million disposable nappies are used each day in Australia and New Zealand, each nappy requiring approximately one cup of crude oil to make. 700kg of used disposable diapers go into the landfill per child annually and each nappy is estimated to take up to 500 years to break down. And even then, they only break down to microscopic plastic parts. Two billion, yes that’s right, two billion disposable nappies are being sent to landfill each and every year. Things have to change. At a time when retailers around Australia are charging for single-use plastic bags as customers increasingly voice concerns about excessive plastic packaging, particularly on fruit and vegetables  wouldn’t it make sense for the public and supermarkets to target nappies too? Its a huge issue, and one that I think needs more attention in Australia. Can you imagine a world where there is no longer single use disposable plastic nappies? I’d like to think we could get there. MacDonald talks about her business, the hilarity of testing product and the challenges and wins of driving a business model that is light years away from the current take-make-dispose extractive industrial model of our past. There’s a world of opportunity to rethink and redesign the way we make our products. We talk about the need to transition to “decoupling” economic activity from the consumption of our finite resources, which is destroying our environment, and designing waste out of the system. Botanic Baby have partnered with Eenie Designs, who have a patented nappy system that’s a world first and unlike any other ordinary nappies. Together I hope they are on the path to greater sustainability in the nappy ecosystem in Australia.  The Ellen MacCarthur Foundation work tirelessly to drive policy change and partnerships using a circular economic model: “Through a change in perspective we can re-design the way our economy works – designing products that can be ‘made to be made again’ and powering the system with renewable energy. We have the opportunity to create long-term resilience, generate new business and economic opportunities and provides environmental and societal benefits.” As an engineer working with DevOps teams, MacDonald is a champion of the no waste model, generating a new kind of business that I hope will flourish in the future.  What kind of work is out there for the future? There is a lot of work to do to transition to a new systemic shift in how we create and use products, and so I’m hoping we see more social and market leaders like MacDonald, who say enough is enough. So many reasons I loved having MacDonald on the show, so many threads of this conversation that could be covered but we ran out of time. If you want to get in contact with her, you can do so directly through Botanic Baby’s website, or luckily enough, she gave listeners her mobile to get in touch if they are interested in learning more. Thanks for listening, and enjoy the show. The post Conversation with Adelle MacDonald – Co-founder and Owner of Botanic Baby on doing nappies smarter appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had a chance to speak with Boyd Cohen, an author and urban strategist focused on the areas of urban innovation, sustainable development, entrepreneurship, smart cities and the Internet of Mobility. He’s lived everywhere, he’s published 3 books (Climate Capitalism, 2011; The Emergence of the Urban Entrepreneur, 2016; Post-capitalist Entrepreneurship, 2017) and speaks regularly in the smart city space globally.  Currently based in Barcelona, Boyd co-founded IoMob in 2017, a blockchain startup seeking to decentralize the mobility sector by providing an open protocol for the Internet of Mobility (IoM). It was super interesting drilling down on his current project, IoMob, a tech mobility startup combining open source and blockchain technology to aiming to decentralise mobility. They are talking with significant players in the mobility services sector and are due to beta test in global blockchain mega hub, Singapore, later this year. My biggest take away was the optimism Boyd has that entrepreneurs now have the tools and technology to address some of our intractable urban problems, through collaboration and smart partnerships between city administrators, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, commercial players and civic organisations. Great ideas come and go, but Cohen says if we can work to nail the execution of ideas, encouraged by city leadership, who are in a position to create a framework for entrepreneurs to work with them and other partners, including private, to solve issues such as waste, congestion and climate change, we will go a long way to securing a better future. We talk about the challenges faced by urbanisation, and how these challenges can be met by local entrepreneurs who are now able to tackle current issues by tapping into hubs like FAB Labs, which inhabit cities globally. Fab Labs provide widespread access to modern means for invention. They began as an outreach project from MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA), and has now morphed into a collaborative and global network. All Fab Labs share common tools and processes in order to build a global network which has become a distributed laboratory for research and invention. Machines available to use by any team accessing the Lab include 3-D Printers, laser cutters, milling, scanning and digital sewing machines. Cohen brought up several interesting projects where local entrepreneurs are working collaboratively both locally and globally to solve local problems. His own start up is testament to this, and if successful, will be a game changer in the urban mobility issue. If they pull it off I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from Cohen in the future. He is also the current Executive Director of the Blockchain Cities Alliance which launched in June 2018. He’s coming to Australia and New Zealand in early September to give a keynote at the Melbourne’s Blockchain Centre, the details of which are in the show notes below. Any one who ones to touch base with Boyd, please just connect with him on his social media handles below. Hope you enjoy the episode. Follow Boyd on Twitter Follow Boyd on LinkedIn Shownotes Boyd Cohen Smart City Wheel Fab Labs Centrality – NZ Blockchain Centre – Event Sept 3rd – Smart City Blockchain City 6-7.30 venue to be confirmed New Urban Mechanics The post Co-creating the future with cities – a chat with Boyd Cohen, urban strategist and mobility expert appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had fun speaking with Monica Kang, Founder and CEO of InnovatorsBox® based in Washington DC. For several years Monica has been a powerhouse of a creative educator, transforming today’s workforce through the power of creativity. She’s driven by the belief that everyone is innately creative and that creativity can be used to catalyze personal and professional change. Monica and her company work with some of the most innovative companies in the world, including Facebook, IBM, John’s Hopkins University, Booz Allen Hamilton and Georgetown University to name a few and her work has been awarded across numerous platforms including The White House, Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and Ashoka Changemakers. She also works as an adjunct professor at BAU International University where she teaches entrepreneurship and leadership. We talk about Monica’s upcoming book called “Rethink Creativity: How to Innovate, Inspire and Thrive at Work“ which has already received powerful endorsements from a number of senior leaders. It comes out this September and challenges the reader to access their creativity a little every day to help you transform. I can’t wait. At a time when innovation and strategy are the power metrics for future success, it’s great to drill down on just what some of the tools and activities are that you could apply to be more creative personally and professionally.  Gallup estimates that actively disengaged employees cost the US up to $605 billion each year in lost productivity. In 2016 87% of the workforce survey said they felt disengaged at work. In Australia the percentage is similar. I know myself feeling disengaged at work is a serious drain on my productivity and ability to come up with new ideas. The stats indicate It’s a problem of epic proportions so I was pleased to spend some time talking with Monica, a game changer in our transitioning, fast paced economy, who shared some powerful tips on tapping into your creative self and why it’s becoming more and more important to do it. I was astounded Monica had been a nuclear nonproliferation policy expert in the past, yes that’s right…… so I was intrigued how she flipped her career and moved towards helping professionals be more creative. She’s experienced how transformative the power of creativity can have in a life when we take the courage to be more creative each day. She will share just what she went through before she started InnovatorsBox®.  So much of what we talked about resonated with me, I really hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Laters! Show Notes: Monica’s contact: LinkedIn: Monica Kang Twitter: @monicahkang Rethink Creativity: How to Innovate, Inspire and Thrive at Work  InnovatorsBox® The post Creativity is the future of work and innovation with Monica Kang appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had the BEST time catching up with Genevieve Leveille, Founder and CEO of Agriledger.     Agriledger is a social impact startup creating crypto ledger and mobile technology solutions for agricultural providers globally. Genevieve is also Co-Chair of the UK’s Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLT) working group. She’s an ex-banker and identity management professional, she has been a major change agent throughout her career and as such has super useful insights on how DLT can solve current problems in both agriculture but throughout other industries. In our chat Genevieve talks about how important it is to get your head around the language of new technologies as a first step to learning more and to potentially be a dynamic player in the new economy, irrespective of the industry you’ve come from or what skills you have. AI, the Internet of Things, blockchain technology and a tokenised market will have a huge impact on our culture and economy, the way we interact and the way we transact. So we both talk about the value in learning as much as you can about it, to participate and also to invest. A couple of useful examples were discussed to explain how it will apply in our daily lives, and where there are live applications of it globally. It was really interesting to hear about new innovative models were being applied in the agri industry, ultimately improving the producers’ liquidity, thereby creating more resilient, sustainable businesses on the supply side and transparency and legitimacy for customers across the supply chain. What I loved about our conversation was the pragmatic way Genevieve explains the tech. It’s well reported that farmers can suffer dire outcomes due to the inflexibility of traditional financial/banking lending cycles. Potentially, through companies like Agriledger, farmers will be in a position to generate income through the creation of their own futures market providing great liquidity when they need it most. Having worked in the banking sector for many years, I found it really interesting to hear Genevieve’s take on the future of finance in the the economy, and explains why she feels they will still have a major role to play. And brokers too. We talk partnerships, the 4th industrial revolution, husbands who support us and so much more. Unfortunately my cat Alfie cut the conversation short, I’m really going to have to put the animals away….. such a distraction Hope you enjoy the show, and of course, let me know if you have interesting people you think I should interview in the tech series, am always up for meeting new people who are doing great things for a compassionate future!! And so is Cha Cha. Ciao for now! Show notes Contact details: Genevieve@0TenTic8.com Genevieve.leveille@me.com Twitter:     https://twitter.com/GinouInLondon LinkedIn:  https://uk.linkedin.com/in/genevieveleveille Telegram: @gleveille Distributed Ledger Technologies working group – UK x.509 Stellar Miss Blockchain Akasha Indream Provenance The post A Hacker, Hipster and Hustler in the blockchain space, Founder and CEO of Agriledger, Genevieve Leveille appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had a chance to chat with Jennifer Sertl, an internationally recognized influencer in social media. She is President and Founder of Agility3R, a leadership development company dedicated to strengthening strategic skills and helping leaders become more resilient and responsive and she’s a respected thought leader in the emerging field of corporate consciousness. Such a joy having her on the show. We talked about a few things that excited us and troubled us. Jennifer shared some insights that were big take aways for me. “Our issue today is not information overload….it is filter failure.” So true. “Life is a blood sport and truth telling is hard.” “You are not a node, you are a frequency.” I just love her leadership framework using your ‘Elite 18’: “Every single person has a leadership model. They just need to be asked their elite 18 are and from there create their leadership model – if they emulate who they admire they will actually act in a way conducive to progress, collaboration, and be their personal best.” It made so much sense – it really blew me away. Jennifer even worked on me during our chat. A value I hold dear is generosity – and it was so uplifting to drill down on what to do with that quality – exploring what journaling and expressing being generous every week could do to enhance my life, my relationships, my work and my ability to lead. Pretty inspiring and made me think of how much I could achieve if I started to apply this kind of practice in my life. Really cool. We talk about her own elite 18. She includes Elinor Ostrom in it who’s acclaimed work outlines brilliant frames for organizing commons. Jennifer’s ‘capacity model’ is brilliant too. She’s impeccable in how she uses her ‘wattage’. Honestly, this woman is on fire. So many people she mentioned in our chat, I am going to spend some time myself learning more about who they are and what makes them part of her story and world. It would be worth it. I love how she feels the work I’m doing is “the compassionate use of wisdom at scale.” Honestly, Jennifer needs to move into branding, she’s sharp and characterises so fast its breathtaking. We talk about the tokenised world, even down to Mark Pesce and his PAT token – a wild idea, but one that sounded feasible. Super interesting. She threw it out there that if David Bowie was still around she was sure he would have tokenised himself in much the same manner. And we all know how ahead of his time Bowie was. God I loved that man. Love her ‘reading model’ – she says choose books across all genres – business, philosophy, history, fiction/poetry – shake it up but make sure you read one book a month and stay diverse to keep interested and open. Sage advice. So loved having Jenn (yeah I’m feeling she’s a soul mate already) on the show, speaking to people like her restores my faith in humanity. She’s a good one, doing good things, Hope you enjoy the show! Show Notes Best way to connect with Jennifer is twitter Here’s a David Bowie post about tokenisation Blue Cross Blue Shield Koby Huberman – co-author of Strategy, Leadership and the Soul:Resilience, Responsiveness and Reflection for a Global Economy Michel Bowens – Founder of the Peer to Peer Foundation Mark Pesce – Personal Attention Token Elenor Olstrom – Eight Principles of the Commons Hayden O’Shaunessey author of Shift In Time – by Roger Ebert Eric Hoffer The post Life is a Blood Sport – Truth Telling is Hard with Jennifer Sertl – Author and Futurist appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Dr Nicole Lee. Dr Lee is an expert in alcohol and other drug treatment and policy. She is Director at Australia’s leading alcohol and other drug specialist consultancy, 360Edge, and Professor at the National Drug Research Institute. She currently serves on the Australian National Advisory Council on Alcohol and other Drugs. She has published more than 100 journal articles, guidelines, chapters and books on alcohol and other drug treatment, and is a regular contributor to The Conversation. Dr Lee has over 20 years experience in the both the treatment and policy space of drugs and shares with us where the status and conversation is globally around decriminalisation and regulation of drugs. When having our discussion it was interesting to talk about how strong the moral position has been driving policy in Australia – and we all know now the War on Drugs has been a monumental failure. We talk about what the future holds, and the pros and cons for decriminalisation, and Dr Lee runs through a process she believes will be the mechanism for change. Test cases. A solid way forward, and one where data is fully available. Famous stock analyst, author and podcaster, James Altucher, recently talked about where the new millionaires come from – in context several year’s ago he predicted a wave of crypto millionaires and he was bang on… Now Altucher predicts the NEXT round of millionaires – and says they will be cannabis millionaires. He sites a Canadian businessman who’s amassed a $115 million portfolio of pot stocks and another a New York asset manager who’s snapped up pot stocks and ballooned the fund he runs to $830 million. Don’t forget of course about PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel, with undisclosed millions invested in pot-based Privateer Holdings… There are so many reasons drugs, particularly cannabis, should become legal. Certainly in Australia, where I watch the debate with interest, the first stage should be decriminalisation in all states to free up the criminal justice system at the very least. What’s not discussed enough is the next stage – legalisation. The economic opportunity for growth, a greener economy and one that is creating a sustainable revenue stream for governments and business’ globally is enormous. The data also points towards the use of it providing greater health benefits than current pharmaceutical drugs for people suffering from various mental health disorders and other serious health issues which have driven the medical marijuana debate in Australia. Having written about the advantages of decriminalisation and legalisation of hemp and cannabis for medicinal, sustainability and economic reasons more than 20 years ago – I was perhaps more passionate than in other podcast conversations recently. What’s crystal clear is the data tells the story – and one would hope we strive for a data driven policies, that are apolitical, for a smarter more compassionate society. It’s a more human approach, and one would hope policies are framed with the context of being human as its north star. Lots of ideas to ponder. It was interesting to hear that Dr Lee has been encouraged and somewhat surprised at the speed the conversation is changing around the issue of drug legalisation in Australia and globally, so I’m keen to have her back on in a year to assess how far we’ve got, hoping our strong relationships with Canada, the US and New Zealand will have provided the guidance our partisan politicians need. Hope you enjoy the episode! Show Notes David Caldacott Matt Noffs Dr Alex Wodak Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation The Australian Greens Senator Di Natale Groovin in the Moo Monica Barrett Dr Nicole Lee 360 Edge The post The State of Play on Cannabis and Other Drugs with Dr Nicole Lee appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

Wow, what a crazy few weeks I’ve had. I recently found out I had cancer (BCC) and as the situation unfolded I was told I needed to go under the knife asap – so I did – not pretty – I haven’t been able to speak properly for a couple of weeks. Great for my family – I’m sure silence has never seemed quite so golden. Alas, no podcasts for the last 3 weeks so hope you all understand people, that sometimes, one’s health just has to take front seat at the theatre. Anyway. It’s been an interesting time to ponder about priorities. I’m all good now, but hey, it was a bit of a scare. And so I’ve been thinking heavily about my body, and health and well…… cancer and all those things that go through your mind when life’s not as fab as it could be. I love what I’m sharing on People My Dog Would Like and at the same time I thought I’d take the opportunity to pivot a little into the biotech and health space which I do think will have a significant impact on our lives in the future. So I’m doing a series of episodes that focus on health and the future, in all it’s forms, and how smart new companies are using tech to drive a food revolution that is good for people, communities and the planet. So this week, since managing to hold a conversation without sounding like flubber dubber, I had a chance to speak with Julian Mitchell, Co-Founder of Lifecykel, an Australian mushroom biotechnology company that he founded with a good friend, Ryan Creed, that is kicking serious goals in Australia and abroad. He’s continually exploring our natural world and I must say, he is spectacularly driven when it comes to his priorities – health and sustainability. Here’s Julian above, on the right, with his business partner, Ryan Creed. We talk about what led him into the ‘Shroom Revolution, the future of food, and all the cool things he and his partner and now morphing into doing – biomedical applications, clothing and growing sustainable communities. Julian is a strong believer that the future involves going back to nature for inspiration and combining this with the convergence of new technology will create transformational change for our health and our planet. I just love how a box to grow mushrooms can be delivered to your door and transform the way you are eating at home. Its all about low carbon footprint, high nutrition and well…… so much more. Something I really loved – I know I can be really basic at times – was the idea of mushroom box fundraising which could take the place of sugar in the old chocolate box fundraiser – we touched on how the business is looking into mushroom leather, and also kicking goals in building communities nationally with their shed program. He also shares with us what it was like to work with the English premier league in his past life and who he now looks to for inspiration in the tech and biotech spaces. Lifecykel’s business model is one that I believe will be a raging success, he shared their challenge just to keep up with current demand. Their plans are stellar – I have them in my sights and feel they’ll have a macro impact with their collaborative model which I hope drives behaviour change for many of us. Check out their website here, I hope it inspires you to get online and check out what they are doing in the revolution that is REAL food, and even take him up on Julian’s generous offer of 15% off of all mushroom products for listeners who tune in to the episode. The code is revealed towards the end, I tell you, its magic. I wasn’t going to say anything about the cancer scare, but I thought why not? It’s becoming so common, do people even stop these days and think about what is happening in their lives? i let the little mark on my face sit there for ages. So since the operation, It’s made me take a big step back and think twice about what I want to focus on, who I want to spend my time with and also want to give back when I know in my heart I’ve received so much. I’m not sweating the small stuff at the moment, and I hope in some ways, my little self-disclosure is enough to remind you all to go and check out that funny spot wherever it is, and look after yourselves. And once you’ve done that, I hope you take the time to listen to my upcoming shows where I’m going to go deep on stuff that matters to you – your health, physical and mental, and all the people, business’ and organisations that are taking incredible strides in making our future bright. So much information that is good for the body and for the soul in this current episode, did I also mention Julian is also just a really great human? It’s a turbo packed food revolution info session crammed into 45 minutes, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Show Notes Lifecykel National Mushroom Network David Wolfe Ecovative Amazon – I refuse to create a link for this one! Elon Musk Tesla Perfect Day Foods Sustainable textile industry If you have any questions, you know where to find me, either shoot me though an message on this site, or through twitter or on instagram – I’ve given Facebook a bit of a miss as I genuinely thought their privacy practices were shite. So…… another thing…… now that I’m pivoting into a health space,n if you’ve got anyone you’d really love on People My Dog Would Like let me know. Am ALWAYS up for cool people out there doing super cool things and sharing their message with my wonderful listeners. Thanks peeps! The post Riding the Mushroom Revolution with Lifecykel co-Founder Julian Mitchell appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had the chance to sit down and have a chat with Jan Owen, CEO of the Foundation for Young Australians. We talk the future of work, education, dogs, cats, and have a laugh. A remarkable woman, doing pioneering work with youth in Australia and globally. We talk about her lifelong passion for young people and their vast potential and creativity and her desire to tinker with the current education system and economy so we can pivot into a smarter, sustainable world with better social outcomes – a generative, compassionate and fulfilling world that young people want and need and ultimately what society needs too. FYA has the largest platform for young australian’s to advocate for their needs in the country. 150,000 members. We talk about her background in social enterprise and the future of work – how the it’s the WAY of learning that will change. She talks of the future and that there will be a new arrangement between employers, employees and educational institutions. Powerful stuff.  Loved hearing about the FYA program $20 Boss – in schools now – providing a new way of learning which is so needed – “You may do a digital platform one year, a service provision into the community in another year. You might do an online advocacy campaign the next year. You learn A LOT of skills. A school in Christmas Island set up 25 businesses in one term.” Seriously cool.  So whether its young people interested in social entrepreneurship to solve local problems (including naming a few bright sparks, although admittedly she said they are all pretty amazing) or young people setting up business through the $20 Boss program, FYA’s work and the platforms and programs they are building to support our next generation of learners, scientists and entrepreneurs are gaining huge momentum and will have an impact on education and young people’s relationship with work and how they engage with their learning.  She encourages our youth to get their degree or diploma, get into a ‘cluster’ they are interested in and start working a way through that. FYA’s research has found there’s up to 13 other jobs available in front of them that have the same skills and capabilities needed for the job they have gone into. A liberating thought. Jan Owen is relentlessly optimistic about our youth, but more than anything, deeply committed to work out what society can do to support, assist, and GET OUT OF THEIR WAY (regulation can you hear us?) –  to actually enable them to create the world THEY want to live in. Because all their thinking, all their smarts and all the skills and capabilities they have in spades will be for naught if we don’t support them by rethinking learning to create more opportunity for them to succeed.  And when they succeed, we all succeed.  We talk about so much, this is just a smattering of our chat. Enjoy! Show Notes Lifeline International Women’s Development Agency Inspire Foundation School for Social Entrepreneurs Social Ventures Australia CREATE Foundation Young Social Pioneers Lucinda Hartley UN – Habitat Advisory Board Chris Raine Hello Sunday Morning Jordan O’Reilly Hireup NDIS YLab The New Work Order Annita Roddick $20 Boss If you have any questions or want to touch base about someone you would like to hear as a guest on the show just contact me through twitter at @lizziemettam or via email on lizzie@lizziemettam.com. The post Brilliant Future of Work and Learning with Jan Owen – CEO of Foundation for Young Australians appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had the chance to speak with Dr Jemma Green, Co-Founder and Chair of Power Ledger, a Perth based blockchain energy trading company. It was really interesting to hear Jemma’s journey from Perth to London and back to Perth to ultimately form the company which I believe is a welcome disrupter to the energy ecosystem space. Power Ledger launched Australia’s first home grown Initial Coin Offering (a cryptocurrency IPO) where they raised $US27 million in funding in October last year. The funding is being used to make the Power Ledger platform globally accessible in their provision of a resilient, carbon free and sustainable Peer to Peer energy trading platform. It’s been getting a lot of attention from the likes of Sir Richard Branson who is the subject of a sweet anecdote she shares with us. Jemma is back again to Necker Island this year as Power Ledger is one of three finalists in the Richard Branson’s 2018 Extreme Tech Challenge. which Branson himself is judging. So far they’ve been busy with number of trials to test and validate the platform in Australia and are undergoing others globally. It’s latest deal with US non-profit Helpanswers will lead to hundreds of clean energy trading projects in US states including California, Texas, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including stretching to it’s capital, Washington DC. Both companies’ mission is about generating opportunities to make low carbon, low cost energy universally available. In Asia Power Ledger have signed up partnerships with Tech Mahendra to build microgrids in India and with a major state owned utility provider in Thailand which will lead to a significant uptake of clean energy trading in the Asia region. We talk about the rollercoaster ride that is the cryptocurrency market and the trend of social media companies banning their advertising, and the cryptocurrency and blockchain space in general. Jemma was a real gem to agree to being a guest on People My Dog Would Like, as she’s soon to have baby number two, so I was really grateful she took time out of her busy schedule and along with wishing her all the best for the birth, will be rooting for her in the upcoming competition. That woman has winner written all over her. I hope you can excuse the change in audio quality towards the end of the interview, we had a tech hiccup in our first recording so finished the conversation on an alternative recording channel the following day.   The post Conversation with Dr Jemma Green – Co-Founder and Chair of Power Ledger appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had the opportunity to post my conversation with Greg Bernarda, co-author of Value Proposition Design, where I would go so far as to say there is a copy of on every successful company’s desk. Greg now works with individuals, teams and organizations on strategy, creativity and innovation. His call is to work collaboratively to design a future that employees, customers, and communities can all recognize as their own. He has a very human approach to work, to business and to relationships. I loved what he had to say about the future of work, collective collaboration and being centred or grounded which is so important to him to be successful. Before setting up his own practice, Greg worked at the World Economic Forum from 2000 to 2008, engaging members into initiatives to address global and industry issues. He is a leading thought leader in design thinking theory, it was a pleasure to have him on and talk through his recent trip to Australia, his current ventures and the what he feels the future holds for us in the space we call work. Show notes World Economic Forum Programme Noé LiftGlobal Nick Grossman Eckhart Tollé The post Conversation with Greg Bernarda – Author, Design Thinking Leader appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week the world celebrates International Women’s Day and I wanted to use the opportunity to speak to a friend and associate who I admire and have wanted to have on for some time. Michel Hogan is an author, communicator and serious thinker who’s alternative perspective on life and big, sticky issues regularly gets my attention – she’s a great chick, having successfully run her own business since the age of 25. It was a real treat to have her as my guest and share some of her wisdom and also share a laugh. “The only things that are in your control are your thoughts and your actions, nothing else should disquiet you.” We talk about her professional life and the work she does with individuals and organisations, helping them deliver on the promises they make to their customers and clients and in doing so helps them build relationships lasting a lifetime. The stuff we both care about, authenticity, integrity and saying what you mean and doing what you say. Her lovely five practices each day are my favourite take away. We talk about what International Women’s Day means to her and her take on the worldwide campaign for equality which still has a long way to achieve its goals and what she sees organisations are doing in the space to #pressforprogress. Michel is a student of stoicism, a philosophy I also love and yet struggle to maintain. Or should I say practice. We talk about how this plays out in her life and how she draws on it to lead a more accepting, peaceful life. Enjoy the show! Show Notes Michel can be reached through her website, on twitter @michelhogan and here at LinkedIn – shoot her an message through any of these links. Between Making Money and World Peace Patagonia In Love and War Admiral Jim Stockdale Sybil Stockdale Epictetus Seneca Ryan Holiday Ego Is the Enemy The Obstacle is the Way The Daily Stoic Tim Ferris Jocko Willink Derek Sivers Sam Harris Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson Tara Brach The post Conversation with Michel Hogan – Author, Entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Think5678 appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had the chance to speak with Dr Jane Thomason, a global leader driving the application of  for positive social impact. Global Ambassador for the British Blockchain Association and CEO of ABT Associates, a global consultancy of “bold thinkers driving real-world impact”, Dr Thomason is working with the UN and other organisations to drive economic and social inclusion for the world’s most vulnerable.  Dr Thomason’s focus is on last mile populations and emerging economies. We talk about how the use of blockchain technology has the potential to create life changing micro economies in locations where people are not connected to the internet – which effectively will facilitate access to a global economy. She believes that the cryptocurrency conversation often gets in the way of more important societal conversations she would prefer to be having with policy makers globally. Too true. There’s a huge amount of education needed for people to understand the importance of new and emerging technologies and what we can achieve as a society with their acceptance and uptake. So we talk about education and the disruption to come. We talk about crypto philanthropy –  a new kind of impact investing – where the new wealthy wanting to invest ethically, wanting to see the world as a better place. We touch on the potential of a new societal structure – organised into decentralised autonomous communities – that are emerging using blockchain and tokens serving to connect people around a project or issue. It could bring on major social restructuring allowing people to move beyond the boundaries of our traditional sovereign state governments. Where people are aligned on values and beliefs. Projects that focus on mitigating climate change – it’s pretty inspiring. Dr Thomason is an advocate for women getting into STEM – in both schools, college and through working collaborations, and she shares the advice she wished she had when she had her own kids at school. It’s clear and education revolution needed and soon. I hope you enjoy the chat, she’s a remarkable woman, I can’t wait to have her back on the show to discuss her inspiring projects changing the lives of people who really need the help. Just brilliant. The post Conversation with Dr Jane Thomason – Global Blockchain Ambassador driving positive social impact appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had a chat with Adam Jacoby, Entrepreneur, Activist, Co-Founder and Chief Steward of the global democracy movement, MiVote. MiVote at its heart is a community decision making and voting platform where everybody has a say on the decisions that get made on your behalf in parliament. It’s bringing the will of the people back into politics. And you can do it from your phone. Adam and the MiVote team just returned from Davos, Switzerland, where they were met with keen interest by heads of state. This has led to the scheduling of follow up meetings with national leaders keen to work with the MiVote platform in their respective countries. Charlie Caruso has recently joined the team as MiVote’s Head of Global Growth, a reflection on the significant traction the movement is gaining globally. There’s a lot going on, and further announcements will be coming soon. Adam, like many of us, continues to remain concerned about the quality of leadership in Australia and the world – leadership that is meant to be guiding us on important decisions and broader challenges both here and globally. Money, status, ideology and power have corrupted our political system and our politicians. It’s time for a change. MiVote is a unique, smart and robust answer, or antidote, to this legacy system. Through the use of blockchain technology embedded in the MiVote platform, Adam and his Co-Founder, Hamish Hughes, have created a model and mechanism to drive greater transparency and legitimacy to drive better public engagement and participation which will change the face of democracy. ” Democracy is about the voice of the people and politics is about power. There’s too much politics in our democracy and nowhere near enough democracy in our politics. ” If you are interested in learning more about the organisation you can get in touch with them directly through MiVote’s website. They are about to announce the appointment of a CEO and are looking for people interested in getting involved in a movement about to take off globally. MiVote are searching for good candidates. If you are interested in becoming a candidate or advocating on their behalf Adam would love to hear from you. Get in touch with them! Adam’s twitter handle is @adamajacoby where you will also find him tweeting about everything from politics to sport, puppies and family.  A wonderful chat with an extraordinary individual, I hope you enjoy our chat. The post Conversation with Adam Jacoby – Co-Founder and Chief Steward of MiVote appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I had a chat with Alex Lubinsky, co-founder and CEO of Rentberry, a decentralized long-term rental platform that has been disrupting the rental industry since 2015. Rentberry’s platform has been a game changer through automating steps within the renting process, from signing contracts to paying rent online. The feedback from users of the service – now in 300 cities scattered throughout the United States – has been positive, saving both tenants and landlords time and money, while speeding up the legal contracts between parties. The biggest standout for me however is Rentberry’s application of blockchain and smart contracts technology offering tenants the ability to save thousands of dollars in rental security deposits, by using a crowdfunding mechanism which is due to start rolling out in March/April 2018. Rentberry CEO Alex Lubinsky says, “$500 billion dollars are frozen in rental security deposits. Rentberry is the first international solution to help quality renters unlock billions of dollars, while streamlining the process of finding apartments, paying rent, and everything in between.” Love the crowdsourced nature of funding tenants’ deposits returning significant return on investment for those willing to participate in the ecosystem. During our conversation we talked about their current ICO which is hoping to raise $30M and due to finish by February – to fund the investment required to grow the business. Their sights are high this year to expand to Australia and NZ, with other countries to follow soon after including the UK. They are receiving a huge amount of positive press and I’d imagine the sky is the limit for where this company will be headed. Last year they picked up a couple of global awards for their business model, and their partners and investors are the real deal. One worth watching, and participating in if you are so inclined. Hope you enjoy our chat, was an absolute pleasure having Alex on. Disclaimer – The author has personally participated in the Rentberry ICO and owns tokens. The post Conversation with Alex Lubinsky – Co-Founder and CEO of Rentberry appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I chatted with Toni Lane Casserly, Co-Founder of CoinTelegraph and more recently of the virtual blockchain nation movement, Culture.re. A fab conversation, I didn’t realise Toni was a singer so having her on next time with a cool tune in mind. We talked about blockchain technology, and about the challenges we face today that can be addressed through some of the fast moving startups and the crypto community that are turning the world around. One token at a time. Toni is an artrepreneur in the Digital Currency and Blockchain Industry. She is an empath, investor, artist, advisory board member, transformational evangelist and founder who has been affectionately entitled “The Joan of Arc of Blockchain” by her peers and various publications. When I asked if she thought we were in a bitcoin bubble, as is talked about ALL THE TIME IN CRYPTOLAND, she let me know pretty clearly, that bitcoin was not the bubble. Bitcoin is the pin. Really loved our conversation, so full of hope for the future, and love that women like Toni are kicking arse in the blockchain world. I hope you do to, and if you want to get in touch with Toni you can do with with the links here. And a big happy new year listeners, love that you are listening, hope you are learning and loving the pods and keeping it real. The post Conversation with Toni Lane Casserly – co-Founder CoinTelegraph and blockchain nation movement, Culture.re appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

This week I spoke with John Lyotier, co-founder of Left, and it’s recent offshoot, Rightmesh. The tagline for Left is We do things right. For Rightmesh, Changing the way the world connects. And they will. Without hooking into the internet. My conversation with John was a reminder to me that there are serious game changers out there in the tech start up space who will CHANGE THE WORLD. He chatted to me from their office in Bangladesh, where they employ a dedicated team of doctors, scientists, entrepreneurs, engineers and business strategists to solve one of the world’s biggest problems – ensuring the unbanked two billion people get access to an economy that they could not enter before now. They do this by engaging citizens into the mesh. Rightmesh is a decentralized mobile mesh for smart phones and IoT devices and their mission is to connect the next billion users. He’s got an incredible team working for them, specialists in working with mesh technology, and well….. I was so blown away by the sheer breadth of what could be achieved through the tech for the unbanked and world’s poor that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. If John is anything he’s a wonderful storyteller. He talks about how he met his co-founder Chris Jensen, and how the companies formed – one seemingly accidentally morphed into the beginning of the other. But there’s no coincidence really. He’s got a big heart and his northstar is doing good in the world. Getting things right. And the company and its culture epitomises just that. And lifting people in countries like Bangladesh and Cambodia out of poverty. And god damn it it looks like he’ll go a long way in getting there. We talk about how the tech works, the wonder of blockchain underpinning it and how it will have huge economic and social repercussions for those living in urban centres in developing countries. I hope you get a chance to have a listen. Can’t wait to watch where Rightmesh go. To infinity and beyond. Incredible. The post Conversation with John Lyotier – Co-Founder of Rightmesh and Left appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.

“Disrupt or Be Disrupted”   This week I had the opportunity to speak with Lance Rubin, Founder of Model Citizn and CFO of Banjo. He’s one of the best financial modellers out there, but what he talks about is strategy. Smart financial modelling for any business is strategic for the future of any business, whether its a sole operator or startup, through to an SME or even large organisation – to stay relevant…..to ensure you don’t get left behind. And let’s be honest, cashflow keeps that concept very real. So we talk about this a bit. But we talked at length about banks, and why the culture inside them make a tsunami moment for our economy inevitable. I wanted to get Lance on having had a conversation with him a few months ago about his time working for one of the big four banks in Australia, that we all know have a choking hold on the financial system here. I asked him what it was like to work in the system, what the mood was like in the bank, what the culture felt like, what made him leave and what he’s been doing since. It was illuminating. Needless to say it was refreshing to know there is hope for many in the sector who are looking at inevitable unemployment if they remain in the ‘system’: disrupt or be disrupted. It was great to hear how Lance turned what was a pretty tough situation to his benefit. You could do this too, some great tips, and a genuine guy keen to help others who are interested in moving into their own area of financial consulting, or indeed, a startup of some kind. Lance is from South Africa, he doesn’t pull punches, he’s a no-BS kinda guy. I liked my conversation with him a lot. He’s big on a generative mindset, staying open and positive, and jogging. Loves his LinkedIn time, where he gets to engage with his ever growing number of followers, and encourages any of you to reach out and connect if you want to have a chat about “where to from here”. You can reach him through any of the links in the above text and of course through me if you want an introduction. The post Conversation with Lance Rubin – Founder of Model Citizn and CFO of Banjo appeared first on Lizzie Mettam.