Tea with the Queen

Emma McQueen chats with a range of women in leadership and in business to explore the practicalities of how they feel energised by their work and their personal definitions of success.

Join Emma for a tea as she and her guests chat success, failure and optimism, sharing the actionable, results-focused tips and strategies that got them to where they are today.

Since the very first episode of Tea with the Queen, today’s guest has been the guru behind the podcast. Chris Ashmore has spent more than a decade producing spoken-word audio programs and today is one of Australia’s leading podcast producers. His work includes podcasts for Officeworks, the Australian Government, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Chartered Accountants Australia and NZ. That’s to name just a few! He’s also a judge at the Australian Podcast Awards and international Webby Awards. He explains to Emma McQueen what makes a good podcast and has lots of tips on how to do it right.

Chris Ashmore — https://chrisashmore.me/

For a copy of Emma’s book, ‘Go-getter: Raise your mojo, shift your mindset and thrive’. Click here

Dr Lucy Burns had struggled with her weight for most of her life. She has muscular dystrophy which impairs her mobility. She became overweight and insulin resistant, until she adopted a low-carb lifestyle. The results have been life-changing. She has teamed up with a fellow GP, to share their wisdom and provide programs for other women who have always battled their own weight. It’s called Real Life Medicine, and she discusses with Emma McQueen the journey she took to build her venture.

Real Life Medicine – https://www.rlmedicine.com

Kylie Broadfoot is a mindset coach and a mentor. Someone who empowers women business owners to live a life they love. Before Kylie founded her consultancy, KMB Coaching, she worked for many years as an occupational therapist, helping people with disability to return to the workforce or to study. Kylie’s got many lessons to share for those in business looking to get the most out of what they do.

KMB Coaching – https://www.kmbcoaching.com.au/

Originally from the UK, Laura Harris completed a Bachelors degree in Germany, then moved to New Zealand, where she founded a fashion label, and later was a key member of a tech start-up. These days she’s in Melbourne, where she’s started a new venture, Go Above & Beyond, a business which offers a unique and tailored corporate gifting service. She’s the quintessential entrepreneur and go-getter – someone herself who goes above and beyond!

Go Above & Beyond – https://www.goaboveandbeyond.com.au/

Debbie Wood has been a graphic designer and illustrator for 20 years. She’s worked at some major firms, including Arup and Axa. These days she runs her own outfit, Debbie Wood Creative. Debbie “performs” graphic recording – a way of capturing what’s said in a conference or presentation through illustrations in real time. Host of Tea with the Queen, Emma McQueen, often uses Debbie’s incredible talents to bring her own presentations to life.

Debbie Wood – https://debbiewood.com.au/

Renee Giarrusso personifies the go-getter spirit. For more than 22 years, Renee’s helped lift the collective mindset of some of Australia’s leading brands. She’s run 3000 programs and conducted more than 2,500 coaching sessions. Plus, she’s published three books, including her latest, ‘Gift Mindset: Unwrap the 12 gifts to lead and live a life of purpose, connection and contribution’. She talks to Emma McQueen about why the gift mindset is so important and what are some of the barriers which hold women back from achieving a gift mindset.

For a copy of Renee Giarrusso’s book, Gift Mindset, and free download goodies – https://www.giftmindset.com

Renee Giarrusso – https://reneegiarrusso.com

Div Pillay is the ultimate go-getter; she’s someone who’s had a remarkable journey personally and professionally. Migrating from South Africa almost more than 15 years ago, Div has built an incredible career in her new homeland. She’s a board member of STREAT, national chair of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee of AmCham, a judge at the Telstra Business Women’s Awards…and CEO of Mind Tribes, an organisation which helps build high-performing teams by embracing the diversity in their people. Such an inspiration!

MindTribes – https://mindtribes.com.au/

For a copy of Emma’s book, ‘Go-getter: Raise your mojo, shift your mindset and thrive’. Click here

When COVID-19 hit last year, Kelli Brown had already established her flower and bouquet business, Petal Provedore. The fact she had no physical store was just as well, as other retailers had to shut shop for a significant time when Melbourne went through a hard lockdown. Kelli tells host Emma McQueen how she left the corporate world and – with a leap of faith – launched her online business.

Petal Provedore – https://www.petalprovedore.com.au/

Sue Dafnias is not only a scientist, she’s also a strategic marketing and business development leader. Sue’s VP of Market Development & Strategy at Planet Innovation, a health-tech innovation and commercialisation company. She tells host Emma McQueen about her current role and gives insights for those looking to map out their own careers.

For a copy of Emma’s book, ‘Go-getter: Raise your mojo, shift your mindset and thrive’. Click here

Farah Mak is an Australian actress with roles in Neighbours, the ABC’s Utopia and the recent film, The Very Excellent Mr Dundee. She tells host Emma McQueen that her passion is self-worth. She’s founded the The Self-Worth Movement to empower women to discover their true worth and find their authentic voices.

The Self-Worth Movement – https://www.theselfworthmovement.com/

Until recently, Melissa Bugge was a leader in organisational change and strategic planning at World Vision Australia. Over the years Melissa’s held various leadership roles at the well-known not-for-profit. She explains to Emma McQueen how she handles responsibility, and who she looks up to as a leader.

Alison Jackson has been an audiologist ever since she completed her Masters of Audiological Studies from the University of Queensland in 2008. Always striving to develop herself professionally, Alison’s been committed to bettering herself as a leader and nurturing high-performance teams. Alison shares her career journey with Emma McQueen.

We all know by now how important social media is for business. But what exactly are the best online tools? What should you be posting? Does email marketing work? To answer those questions and more is social media expert and founder of Sam Says, Sam McFarlane. She explains to Emma McQueen all the ins and outs of online content management, and discusses her own journey as a business owner.

Check out Sam Says – https://www.samsays.com.au

Niamh O’Malley used to run an elite event-cleaning business. Among several lucrative international contracts, she was awarded the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010. Today, Niamh’s Director of Shared Services at Brotherhood of St Laurence. She shares her journey and lessons in leadership with Emma McQueen.

In her earlier years, Alison Drew-Forster was an industrial relations lawyer. That experience helped her gain valuable insights into the often-contentious goings-on inside the workplace. And, so began her fascination with corporate culture. Alison founded Workology Co in 2017 to advise businesses on how to build a great culture. As she tells host Emma McQueen, if employees love the place they work, then the benefits naturally flow on to the business’s bottom line.

Check out Workology Co. – https://workologyco.com.au

Bec Glover was Chief Financial Officer for four years at World Vision Australia. Today she’s moved on to an equally demanding role: she’s now a senior director at World Vision International. Bec discusses with Emma McQueen the current challenges for not-for-profit sector: it’s becoming more fragmented and raising money is getting harder.

Fifteen years ago, Fi Mims left the corporate world to follow her passion: photography. Each day she helps others in business look great on their websites, in social media and their marketing collateral. Fi calls herself a ‘Visual Content Strategist’. In other words, she helps business owners, thought leaders and career professionals look their absolute best in front of the camera.

Check out Fi Mims Photography – https://www.fimimsphotography.com.au/

Every day Sophie Kost helps homeowners with their interior design. As director and lead designer of My Beautiful Abode, Sophie gets a real kick out of educating people about modern trends and how to use the space in their homes to reflect their personalities. In this episode, she explains to Emma McQueen how she’s as busy as ever making homes beautiful and inviting spaces.

Check out My Beautiful Abode – https://www.mybeautifulabode.com.au/

In this episode: Julie Doyle has spent 20+ years building a successful business. She runs Cocoon Business Solutions – a recent rebrand, from what used to be called JEDs Bookkeeping. Julie’s faced her own challenges along the way, but the defining factor in her business’s longevity has been the value she places in the relationships with her staff and her clients.

Check out Cocoon Business Solutions – https://www.cocoonbusinesssolutions.com.au/

In this episode: Strengths enthusiast Melitta Hardenberg reckons focusing on the positive helps drive better performance and fosters a better team culture. And, she would know: she’s had a career in leadership, culture and organisational development at some of Australia’s leading companies. In this episode, she explains to Emma McQueen about her passion in developing better workplace cultures.

In this episode:  Who doesn’t want better self-esteem, a better mind-set and be able to perform better at work? It’s scientifically proven that dressing well can set you up – psychologically – to perform well. Nicole Vine is a personality stylist – she helps curate wardrobes that work…for women who work. She discusses with Emma McQueen some of the biggest challenges women face when it comes to creating their own style; and, she offers some tips on how to find your best look.

Check out Nicole Vine Personal Stylist – https://nicolevine.com.au/

In this episode: In March, COVID-19 sent huge shockwaves through the personal health and fitness industries. Karen Andrea felt the full brunt of the lockdown as she was forced to temporarily close her Viva Life Fitness studios in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs. Karen’s decision to quickly set up lessons online allowed the business to get through the other side.

Check out Viva Life Fitness – https://www.vivalifefitness.com.au/

In this episode: Buying a property is often the biggest purchase you’ll ever make. So how can you make sure you get the right deal and manage the stress levels at the same time? Lisa Stafford has the experience and insights to help buyers and sellers navigate the clandestine world of property. Lisa is a 25-year veteran in real estate and owner of her own successful business, AJ Stafford. She shares some of her buying and selling tips with Emma McQueen.

Check out AJ Stafford – https://www.ajstafford.com.au/

In this episode: To be a Chief Operating Officer of an organisation, you need to know a lot about a wide range of things. Also, you need the experience and the confidence to lead others who are experts in those areas. Jill Roche has built that knowledge from her career both in the corporate world and at not-for-profits. After 10 years with World Vision – a huge organisation – Jill took a sabbatical to be Chief Operating Officer at the much smaller Brave Foundation. Emma McQueen asks, why the change and how that fits with her career goals.

Check out Brave Foundation – https://bravefoundation.org.au/

In this episode: Clinical social worker and psychotherapist, Caroline Burrows has had to learn pretty quickly how to run a business and all those things that come with it, like cashflow, time management and leading a team of other professionals. Caroline is Director of Mindful Living, a counselling and psychology practice in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. It’s remarkable how level-headed she continues to be while running her own business and at the same time being committed to her own patients. Caroline is also an accredited EMDR trainer and consultant. If you haven’t heard of EMDR before, it’ll blow your socks off. She shares with Emma McQueen what motivates her and how she handles her own stress.
Check out Mindful Living – https://www.mindfulliving.com.au/

In this episode: Do you know how to communicate well? Often neglected, written communication is crucial for credibility and success in business. Holly Cardamone is a communication expert who helps business owners and leaders write effective and impactful copy. She has her own business, Blue51, a job she absolutely loves and the flexibility that comes with it. She chats with Emma about the fulfillment she gets from helping her clients, and the lessons she learnt from running a business for decades.

Check out Holly Cardamone’s Blue 51: https://www.blue51.com.au/

In this episode: Sonia Bilejic has had an incredible career in leadership positions at some of the most iconic brands, including head of marketing at Walt Disney Studios and head of marketing at Cricket Australia. Today, she’s Director of Marketing and Engagement at the Brotherhood of Saint Laurence. She’s also a lecturer at Swinburne University. In this episode, Emma McQueen chats with Sonia about what it means to be a leader and whether anyone can be one.

In this episode: What’s it like to run a business with your partner? How do you switch off when you get home? Can it strain the relationship? Bel Temby admits it can be challenging, but she and her husband, Mike, have discovered they each have certain skills which complement the work they do. Bel discusses with Emma the motivation behind Digital Services Lab, a digital agency servicing charities and the non-profit sector that she founded with Mike three years ago. Check out Digital Services Lab – https://digitalserviceslab.com.au/