The JRNY Podcast
Roadblocks, Risks and Resilience
Every guest gets asked the same three things: the roadblocks they hit, the risks they took, and where the resilience came from. What comes back is rarely a tidy business lesson. It is usually a person talking plainly about a hard stretch of their life and what it actually cost them.
29 conversations so far, recorded in Perth with founders, operators and people who have been tested. It gets filed under Australian business podcasts, and plenty of guests do run businesses, but the through line is always the person rather than the company.
Dani Tamati: A Mining Recruitment Agency Built With No Loans
Dani Tamati went out on her own in 2012, a month before the mining downturn hit, and built a Perth mining recruitment agency with no loans. Why she runs it on relationships, checks in on day one, seven and 30, and walks away from rate cuts.
Charlotte King: Growing a Promo Staffing Agency With No Ads
Charlotte King took over a Perth promo agency that had ticked along for 15 years and grew it by word of mouth alone. How brand activation staffing works, why half the jobs land a week out, and why she hires for personality.
Joel Pond: From Jail to a Seven Figure Clothing Brand
Five years in prison, an apprenticeship finished on the outside and 18 months of FIFO wages. Joel Pond on how he started a clothing brand with no business experience and is closing in on $1 million in sales this year.
Laura Wilkins: From Backpacker to Perth Saxophonist
A one way flight from Thailand, about £250 in the bank and nowhere to stay. Saxophonist Laura Wilkins on landing in Perth at 20, finding her way back to music and why fear is never a reason to hold back.
Michael Guerrini: How to Make a Short Film and Sell It
A recurring dream, a $5,000 budget and two days of shooting. Perth filmmaker Michael Guerrini on how to make a short film, hire a cinema for the premiere and sell it himself, one stage at a time.
Nadia Nesevski: From a Home Kitchen to Cookie Loaded
A loaded dessert she could not find anywhere in Perth, two years baking from home and a seven year lease signed at 19. Nadia Nesevski on growing Cookie Loaded from a home kitchen into a Mount Hawthorn shop.
Hayli Hooper: Nursing, Egg Freezing and Dating at 40
Working since 12, out of home at 15, and 33 eggs frozen after a $70 blood test showed her fertility had dropped off a cliff. Hayli Hooper on 23 years in adult entertainment, nursing and putting freedom first.
Lewis Offenburg: From a Fractured Spine to Trade Guru and NDIS Housing
Out of school at 14, running an electrical business at 15, and four and a half months in a neck brace at 17 after a football tackle nearly left him paraplegic. Lewis Offenburg on pivoting Trade Guru, paying for a $30,000 lesson and building NDIS homes.
Dan Bailey: 11 Years in the Army to Building Tradie HQ
Eleven years in the Army, an uncreased collar quoted back at a commanding officer, abseiling down Brookfield Place to hang the BHP sign, and a co-working space built for tradies. Dan Bailey on discipline, ADHD and learning to go easier on himself.
Leo Gonzalez: Barista to Sneaker Designer, New York to Perth
A stolen sketchbook on a New York basketball court, 17 months with Mayweather's team that went nowhere, and a colourblind designer building a sneaker label from Perth. Leo Gonzalez on never once wanting to quit.
Vee Venture: Moving Out at 13 to a Seven Figure Business
Fifteen women making a million dollars in ten weeks, a $30,000 scam that taught her to trust no one, and a home bought on six nights a week. Vee Venture on treating the club like a business.
Simone Sichel: The Real Cost of Opening a Cafe
Wages at 45 per cent, product at 30 and a power bill that doubled in five years. Simone Sichel opens the books on what a Perth cafe actually costs to run.
Wes Capper: 100 Fights and Building The Barn
Fighter and gym owner Wes Capper on 100 plus fights, the propeller hat, the mate who pushed him to open The Barn, fatherhood, and why he now jumps out of planes.
Jackson England: Pro Boxing and the Pursuit of Greatness
Pro boxer Jackson England on three generations of fighters, losing his first three amateur bouts, earning $1,300 across 13 pro fights, and the world title eliminator that could put him first in line.
Keoni Upton: 240 Volts and a Global Vision
Keoni Upton was 17 when 240 volts went through him on an apprenticeship job. At 20 he runs his own content business. On dyslexia, a stutter, and why he stopped waiting.
Jerry Fraser: 35 Years Sober and the Oyster King
Jerry Fraser, Perth's Oyster King, on the Boxing Day that ended his drinking for good, building WA's fresh oyster culture from nothing, and what a heart attack taught him at 70.
Chris Smoje: Why People Really Buy
Chris Smoje on why customer service is a culture and not a department, the mistakes businesses keep making, and how to turn service into long term loyalty.
Tyler Wood: Slipping Through the Cracks
Tyler Wood on how early life shapes the adult you become, and why property development should answer to the community it is built in, not just the balance sheet.
Trent Brisset: From Rock Bottom to 300% Growth
Trent Brisset on hitting rock bottom, starting again as a warehouse picker in the family business, and rebuilding it into a technology driven operation.
Gordon Patchett: Finding Purpose Through Transformation
Gordon Patchett on carrying grief for twenty years, the inner work that let him put it down, and finding real purpose through service rather than stability.
Tim Keogh: Building Trust and Crafting Culture
Tim Keogh on going from carpentry apprentice to luxury builder, why he shut his books during the boom, and the relationships and routine that hold it together.
Breaking Stereotypes: Darcy Lowe on Risk Taking
Darcy Lowe on backing herself with one suitcase and no safety net, finding her voice through kickboxing, and why speed trumps perfection.
From Suicide Ideation to Social Impact
Maurice Sauzier on hitting rock bottom at 50, the road back from suicide ideation and depression, and turning that experience into work that helps other men.
Risk, Growth and Building Signarama
Michael McHugh on building multiple sign businesses across Perth, the setbacks he pushed through, and what taking calculated risk in business really looks like.
Mining, Motherhood and Building Talent in Industry
Tegan Larkins on building a mining career from the ground up, leading teams in the Pilbara, and why mothers have an important role in shaping the industry's future.
Cancer, Boxing and Rebuilding Life
Shane Hasler on facing cancer in his twenties, losing a kidney, and using discipline and boxing to rebuild his life, his purpose and a new chapter in business.
Hold a Mirror Up: Imposter Syndrome to Edge
Leon Pascarl on the roadblocks that live in your own head, from imposter syndrome and perfectionism to honest reflection, and turning doubt into an edge.
Built on Integrity: The Distinguished Homes JRNY
Adrian and Freda Khalil on building Distinguished Homes through Western Australia's most volatile years, and choosing controlled growth, quality and trust over shortcuts.
Pizza Box Commitment: Build Through the Walls
Dave Clare and Levi Saunders join Paul to talk speed bumps, hurdles and the walls we build in our own heads, leading people over managing resources, and real resilience.