• Conserving biodiversity within the Western Ghats of India
    Oct 13 2022

    [Introduction]

    In this week’s episode Jeff is joined by Vinod Chandramouli who is the co-founder of Mycelium Ecology - an organisation on a mission to develop community projects with the purpose of conserving biodiversity within the Western Ghats of India.


    Having been in the IT and cloud software spaces for close to 20 years, Mycelium is at the heart of who Vinod is having grown up around nature during his formative years.


    In saying that, his step away from this long career into the area of conservation is very much a leap of faith as a once experienced operational expert turns into a first-time builder where milestones, rather KPIs, provide the best measure for something as beautiful, and yet complex, as the natural world.


    ********


    [Timestamps]

    00:01:00 Birth of Mycelium Ecology 

    00:10:00 Conservation as the new startup frontier

    00:21:38 Mission of conserving, coexisting and evolving

    00:30:05 Taking a new leap of faith as a builder

    00:35:28 Living a minimalist lifestyle

    00:47:00 Beauty of the Western Ghats of India

    00:53:42 What Mycelium Ecology will look like in 50 years’ time


    ********


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    ********


    [Watch The Median Podcast]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmXAjpJOKgY


    ********


    [Listen to The Median Podcast]

    > https://linktr.ee/themedianpodcast

    > https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS1tZWRpYW4tcG9kY2FzdA

    > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-median-podcast/id1609340408

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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Family - Career - Self: What comes first?
    Oct 6 2022

    [Introduction]

    In this week’s episode I’m joined by Danny Thai, founder of Zecar, a data-driven one stop shop for all things electric cars and clean energy to help consumers make the switch. The conversation begins with how Zecar came to be before delving deeper on how Danny balances the three competing priorities of family, career and himself, in his life. To making sure he maximises his potential in order to make a change in this world to the opportunity cost of not being able to spend as much time as he can with his kids, this week’s episode encapsulates what we all think about as we try to forge a career path that does not leave behind our family and more importantly, ourself.


    ********


    [Timestamps]

    00:00:00 Vehicle to achieving a means to an end

    00:09:15 How Zecar came to life

    00:19:34 Staying organised with so many competing priorities

    00:28:50 Role of family and friends in an entrepreneur’s journey

    00:41:09 How kids fit into the balancing act

    00:51:55 Switching off to allow for ‘me’ time


    ********


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    ********


    [Watch The Median Podcast]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmXAjpJOKgY


    ********


    [Listen to The Median Podcast]

    > https://linktr.ee/themedianpodcast

    > https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS1tZWRpYW4tcG9kY2FzdA

    > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-median-podcast/id1609340408

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • A dyslexic kid from South Africa with nothing but a dream
    Sep 29 2022

    [Introduction]

    In episode #34 Jeff is joined by Jesse Oliveira who shares his immigration journey as a dyslexic kid growing up in South Africa. Now 28-years old, Jesse resides in Sydney where he has very much found his calling in software sales despite having studied law at the same university as Nelson Mandela. With his dyslexia causing him daily challenges, this has far from stopped Jesse from living by his values. His condition very much acts a reminder to keep pushing forward no matter what life throws at him.


    ********


    [Timestamps]

    00:02:40 A salesperson with dyslexia, using it as an advantage

    00:17:32 Fear of being average, kid from Africa with nothing but a dream

    00:35:35 Living by your values, learning and experiencing new things

    00:49:55 Handling the pressure as a salesperson, time management and value selling


    ********


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    ********


    [Watch The Median Podcast]

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    ********


    [Listen to The Median Podcast]

    > https://linktr.ee/themedianpodcast

    > https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS1tZWRpYW4tcG9kY2FzdA

    > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-median-podcast/id1609340408

    > https://open.spotify.com/show/7zA5GltN9UktcrVlqSeoLa

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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Going through the IVF journey
    Sep 22 2022

    [Introduction]

    In Australia 1 in 6 couples will struggle with infertility. In this week’s episode of The Median Podcast, I’m joined by Wenyi who shares her four plus year journey to conceive her first. In this very personal and intimate story, Wen sums it up best in saying that "You think that you caught this expressway to achieving what you want in a quicker way. But in reality, we (as in Wen and her husband) actually went on a roller coaster of emotions.”


    ********


    [Timestamps]

    00:01:23 Getting to the IVF journey, treatment through COVID, express way turned into a rollercoaster

    00:20:25 Public versus private hospital experience in Australia and China

    00:27:30 How to keep positive despite the heartache

    00:33:20 Route to surrogacy, large business in Ukraine 

    00:40:25 Lack of support, women delaying childbirth


    ********


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    ********


    [Watch The Median Podcast]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmXAjpJOKgY


    ********


    [Listen to The Median Podcast]

    > https://linktr.ee/themedianpodcast

    > https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS1tZWRpYW4tcG9kY2FzdA

    > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-median-podcast/id1609340408

    > https://open.spotify.com/show/7zA5GltN9UktcrVlqSeoLa

    > https://shows.acast.com/the-median-podcast


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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Achieving social justice, core tenets of an enduring business, 3Ps of value, vulnerability as a leader
    Sep 15 2022

    [Introduction]

    In this week’s episode of The Median Podcast, I’m joined by Yan Kruger who is the managing director of Growth Wave, a boutique business and HR advisory firm. Throughout his 15+ year journey, Yan has worked across the full remit of human capital and brings a unique blend of experience as a consultant as well as internal employee and leader. With that, Yan shares the four pillars to creating an enduring business, the values that define him and his business, the painful leadership lessons he has learnt in his career and how his upbringing has very much shaped his desire to achieving social justice where the ultimate reward is very much an emotional one.


    ********


    [Timestamps]

    00:01:18 Injustices in the world, a wanting to achieve social justice, achieving an emotional reward, influences when growing up - best friend and mum

    00:11:53 Applying core business principles in his consulting business - fair/equitable pay for workers, adopting a transparency ethos for customers and employees, profitability from day one and challenging the status quo, disrupting the business consulting space

    00:28:32 Values that define who he is - people, planet and profit, the importance of sustainability

    00:31:47 How fatherhood was a pivotal time in his career, burning the candle at both ends 

    00:35:25 We teach what we most need to learn, being vulnerable as a leader, leading a team in a hybrid work environment, mistakes as a leader, giving feedback in the workplace, the pitfalls of heuristics

    01:01:45 “A comet is coming - which camp are you in?”


    ********


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    ********


    [Watch The Median Podcast]

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmXAjpJOKgY


    ********


    [Listen to The Median Podcast]

    > https://linktr.ee/themedianpodcast

    > https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzL3RoZS1tZWRpYW4tcG9kY2FzdA

    > https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-median-podcast/id1609340408

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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Existential challenges of growing up, blueprint to life, importance of strong friendships
    Sep 8 2022

    Introduction

    Phil and I met over six years ago when we joined Freshworks during its early years. With that, this week’s episode of The Median Podcast is very much picking up where we left off all those years ago as we talk about the existential challenges of growing up, creating your own blueprint to life and the importance of having strong friendships as you navigate through life. Overall, this is very much a fun and casual conversation between two good friends that just so happens to be recorded.


    Timestamps

    00:01:45 Existential challenges of growing up, root of comparison, growing up with seven close friends, understanding your own blueprint to life

    00:23:54 Power of just giving it a go, having a support network that tells you how it is, criteria for good friendships

    00:39:00 Responsibility that comes with rearing children, just being good enough, the opportunity cost of chasing perfection, running your own race, being a kid again


    Follow me

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    Watch The Median Podcast

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    Listen to The Median Podcast

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    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 27 mins
  • Expat in Hong Kong, Berlin-Hong-Kong-Helsinki, working the remote life, job search serendipity
    Sep 1 2022

    Timestamps

    00:02:10 Expat life in Hong Kong during COVID, establishing friendships in a new country

    00:07:15 Berlin - Europe’s place for partying, the changing landscape

    00:09:42 A new life in Helsinki, Helsinki compared to Berlin, enjoying the city for what it is, Finnish culture, happiest nation in the world

    00:19:00 Continuing the remote working life, the joys of product management, hiring anyone in the world with the Horizons software platform

    00:38:00 Serendipity in job searching, being open to new opportunities, listening to your gut

    00:49:18 Why The Median Podcast, content moderation, role of critical thinking


    Follow me

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    Watch The Median Podcast

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    Listen to The Median Podcast

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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Once-bitten-twice-shy, experiencing new again, bond between father and son, navigating the next professional challenge
    Aug 25 2022

    Introduction

    Girsh and I met over 10 years ago when we’re at Thomson Reuters. Hence, today’s episode of The Median Podcast is very much a conversation between two good old friends. We talk about the importance of routines, not letting past experiences affect the experiences of today, the triumphs and challenges of fatherhood and where to next in search of the next professional challenge.


    Timestamps

    00:01:00 Getting back into the groove after a move, creating new and improved routines, moving in with someone and how the dynamics change in a positive way

    00:07:00 Fear of not being good in relationships, opportunity to learn and grow, and not to repeat the same mistakes, embarking on an experience as a first-timer again

    00:16:22 Using circuit-breakers and being self-aware to overcome negative emotions

    00:21:40 Being a single-father and the challenges of raising a child in today’s modern world, developing a relationship with your child, finding the balance between family and career

    00:42:33 Navigating the next professional challenge, creating the next impact, being a good man is good enough

    01:00:27 Mastering meditation, stopping the constant hum of life


    Follow me

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    Watch The Median Podcast

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    1 hr and 11 mins