Joey Klein is the author of the books 'The Inner Matrix' and 'Relationship Alchemy'. Joey grew up in pain, full of rage, unfulfilled, numbing himself with drugs and alcohol. It was a dark time - his relationships imploded, and he didn't care if he lived or died. Finally, he reached his breaking point and set himself on a quest to find the peace and the fulfilment he craved. He achieved this through an in-depth study of the world's ancient wisdoms: meditation, martial arts and spiritual traditions, along with the modern sciences: neurology, epigenetics, mindfulness, and psychology. The sheer breadth and depth of Joey's journey and his transformation make this a very compelling conversation.

Ainsley Melham has just finished playing the lead role in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway, for the second time. Born in Bathurst, west of Sydney, Ainsley studied at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) before scoring his first role in the children's musical group Hi-5, who were huge in Australia, Asia and the UAE. After 3 years with Hi-5 Ainsley departed to go back to his musical theatre roots. Shortly thereafter he won the title role in Disney Theatrical Company's Aladdin in Sydney, before taking that role to the bright lights of Broadway in 2019. He toured Australia in both Pippin (2020) and Wicked (2024) and in 2025 starred as Dwayne in Boop! The Musical on Broadway. Ainsley originated this role in the 2023 pre-Broadway run and continued with the production to Broadway last year. This is a wonderful story of hard work, a solid work ethic, dreams, grit, chasing a challenge, chasing the process, all the while remaining humble and grounded.

Dr Jim Loehr wrote a book that changed my mindset on performance. That book was 'The Power of Full Engagement'. Jim's philosophy is that managing energy, not time, is the key to enduring high performance as well as to health, happiness, and life balance. The Power of Full Engagement is a highly practical, scientifically based approach to managing your energy more skillfully, both on and off the job, by laying out the key training principles and providing a powerful, step-by-step program that will help you level up your energy and, thus, your performance. In recent months, I've been queried several times on the relationship between energy, health and wellness on ideas, creativity, leadership and performance, and this episode is the best reference I can give for that question.

People want to be seen, heard, valued, understood and appreciated. Jonathan B. Smith is a business strategist and Black Swan Negotiation Instructor with decades of experience. He has founded multiple companies over the years, and his work has helped companies achieve millions in revenue. His new book, 'Fight Less Win More', is gold - one of the most valuable books I have read recently. Daniel Pink, #1 NY Times bestseller, said: "Fight Less, Win More is a massively useful book for just about anyone who has to deal with the desires, foibles, and idiosyncrasies of other human beings." This conversation demonstrates the critical skill we can use in conversation to help people feel understood! ​

Diane Kahn is the Executive Director of  Humans of San Quentin (HoSQ), a humanitarian non-profit organisation that shares the stories of incarcerated people to humanise those behind bars and break down societal stereotypes, through letters, art, and poetry. Inspired by the Humans of New York project, the organisation was founded in 2020 by Diane, a former elementary school teacher, who began the project while teaching at San Quentin Rehabilitation Centre. San Quentin prison was founded in 1852, and it has served for much of its history as a symbol of the American penal system's harshest instincts, known for housing murderers, traffickers, and death row. Diane has an unstoppable dedication to helping victims and offenders heal and transform their lives, and this is a fascinating conversation about redemption.

​Gary Waldon is the author of 'Mastering the Art of Reinvention: Adapting to life, AI and the other big changes'. Reinvention is an intriguing topic. We go through times when we need to start afresh. Maybe our careers take a different turn, we move to new countries or cities, our relationships change, or our outlook on life evolves. Gary's book guides us on how to handle these unexpected shifts and move into our next chapter. Gary is someone who has faced significant change, including trauma, failures, hardships in business, and certainly in his personal life, through divorce and separations. Many of these challenges he caused himself, and he’s the first to put his hand up, own his shortfalls and take full ownership of his story. 

Jenn Donahue is a warrior. On the battlefield, in business, and in the fight against self-doubt. A retired U.S. Navy Commodore, she commanded thousands of troops across multiple deployments, including overseeing the construction of a bridge across the Euphrates River during the Iraq War and leading an 800-person battalion in Afghanistan. We discuss 'Becoming the Warrior', her book on learning to overcome the internal roadblocks that impede our success and how we can harness inner strength, silence our self-doubt, and live with and/or silence our internal voices. After decades of commanding teams and making high-stakes decisions, she brings fascinating insights to this conversation.

We began this season inspired by Greek mythology's 12 Labours of Hercules, where he faced the crossroads and chose between the seductive comfort of Kakia and the modern path of Arate. Logan Gelbrich, author of 'Going Right, A Logical Justification for Chasing Your Dreams', owns Deuce Gym in LA—an exceptional group of gyms that promote leadership and higher standards of performance through strength training, strongman, wellness, performance, and group fitness. Going Right serves as a powerful metaphor for growth, setting higher standards, making a mark, and standing out as uncommon. It is a philosophical journey, providing a logical reason to chase our dreams in the season ahead.

​The legendary Mike McCastle. Inspired by Greek mythology and the 12 labours of Hercules, Mike has achieved a world record by doing 5,804 pull-ups in a day, pulled a 5,000-pound truck across the Mojave Desert in summer, climbed a rope to the equivalent height of Mount Everest in a gym, broke a world record in an ice bath, and recently, the former US Navy SEAL pushed his body beyond every limit, covering more than 4 miles with walking lunges, breaking two world records in the process. We kick off season 7 with the Hercules theme, and as a way to help us realign and reset, this rewind with Mike is an opportunity to remind ourselves of his approach to life, recap his journey, and inspire you to tackle your own 12 labours in 2026.

​Dr. Paul Taylor is a psychophysiologist, host of the popular 'Hardiness' podcast, and the award-winning author of the book 'Death by Comfort'. Paul has also recently completed his PhD in applied psychology. In this conversation, we discuss his new book, 'The Hardiness Effect', and explore his research on how to boost our psychological and physiological hardiness and cognitive fitness. Paul is very evidence- and fact-based, blending academia with real-world experience, grounded in his background as a former Royal British Navy Air Crew Officer trained in anti-submarine warfare, helicopter search and rescue, and combat survival. His work also draws on the Stoics and many other great philosophers of the past.