Laurent Notin - Unsticking the entrepreneur bottleneck
Laurent Notin is a coach to entrepreneurs helping them become un-stuck and to stop being the bottleneck in their business.
Laurent is a French national who left France at 23, spent 20 years in South-East Asia, before relocating to Finland in the summer of 2019. His professional background is in market research and advertising, where
he ran 7-figure businesses across 3 countries.
Throughout the years, and as a result of his own burnout, Laurent has developed a passion for coaching, mentoring, advising and training people. He is particularly focused on helping entrepreneurs get unstuck and recognising that often they are the bottle-neck getting in the way of success.
Socials:
Website: https://www.laurentnotin.com/
LinkedIn: Laurent Notin
Youtube: Laurent Notin
Insta: Laurent Notin @laurentnotin
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Mick Harrington - Leading change through music and politics
Mick Harrington is passionate about music, politics, family and community. After making his way to the grand final on The Voice, Mick launched his political career where he expects to make great change within his community.
Mick Harrington grew up amongst the picturesque farming communities of East Gippsland, Victoria where he has established himself as a successful small business owner and decorated musician.
Having worked in a variety of roles in the agricultural, retail, journalism and native timber industries, Mick is passionate about regional and remote Australia including the need for communities to access quality healthcare and affordable housing, alongside gainful employment and quality training.
While life has certainly changed for Mick in recent times, after gaining the admiration of the nation on TV show "The Voice", Mick is usually more comfortable working in hi-vis and boots than he is stepping on stage to perform for his fans.
A passionate voice for his rural community, Mick is strong believer in the need for improved rural and regional infrastructure and he strongly supports primary industries within Victoria.
Mick is regularly seen popping up at many community events offering his help to raise much needed funds and loves the passion for community that rural people express. He is also a volunteer and long time committee member at Lindenow South football netball club.
When he isn't on-stage or operating his business, Mick loves to watch his beloved Geelong Cats and spend time playing at the park with his daughters Bella, Katie and Niamh or exploring his local countryside.
Socials:
Insta: Mick Harrington @mickharringtonmusic
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Michael Bartura - Building Happy Habits
Michael Bartura is the founder of Happy Habits Coaching, and is committed to helping people find new ways to look at things, as well as lean in to brain neuroplasticity to make impactful and long-lasting change.
Michael Bartura has well over 30 years of experience in a variety of fields including education, international aid, manufacturing, training & development, business development and innovation. Over the years, he in as many as a dozen countries in Asia, Australia, North America, and Europe.
Michael has worked as a director, manager, business developer and consultant with organisations such as The Halo Trust and the IMC Group. He has spent 12 years as a therapist and 17 years as a facilitator, trainer and a coach. He has a master’s degree in management and taught classes on Leadership, Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence for the School of Life and now the Small Giants Academy.
In Australia, he founded Happy Habits Coaching using principles of Servant leadership and Positive Neuroplasticity - a mindfulness-based approach to increase our self-awareness of the brain’s tendency for negative biases and better deal with anxiety and fear. Together with his daughter, he established the Gatherer’s Leadership project to work with the next generation on models of leadership, entrepreneurship and advocacy for social goodwill.
He is committed to helping his clients better understand how their minds are limiting their growth and happiness, and how mental patterns that served us well in the Savannah are not well suited to modern times and get in the way of a life worth living. He listens deeply and asks questions with a mix of curiosity, empathy, and honesty.
Michael lives in the forest just outside Melbourne and is constantly amazed by how easily his children see through his pretensions. He is addicted to quotes from people much smarter and linguistically more adept than himself, and finds shopping for anything other than office equipment boring and tedious.
Socials:
Website: www.lifecoachingmelbourne.com.au
Website: www.happyhabits.com.au
LinkedIn: Michael Bartura
FB: Michael Bartura
Insta: Michael Bartura @positiveneuroplasticity
Mentions:
Lisa Miller (book) ‘The Awakened Brain’
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Dr Jen Pratt - Making a wish and saving lives
Dr. Jen Pratt is a pediatric physician who cares for children in the very same hospital where she was treated for cancer at the age of 11. During her treatment she was offered a wish by Make A Wish Foundation and decided to dedicate her life to giving back to kids in a similar situation.
Dr. Jen Pratt is a pediatric physician that is caring for children in the very same hospital where she was treated. Her story has come full circle, back to where her life was transformed. Dr. Pratt is now able to help improve the lives of other children battling critical illnesses with the gift of a wish referral and personally share in the transformation that comes with her patients’ wish experiences.
She attended medical school at Midwestern University in Chicago, IL and completed her pediatric residency training at the University of Minnesota. Her areas of interest include teaching medical students and residents, quality improvement work, and caring for medically complex children. Outside of the hospital, Jen enjoys golfing and exploring the outdoors with her family.
Make-A-Wish creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, operating in every community in the United States and in nearly 50 countries worldwide. Together with generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 24,000 volunteers across the U.S., Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most.
Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health. Since 1980, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 520,000 wishes worldwide; more than 350,000 wishes in the U.S. and its territories alone.
Socials:
Website: www.wish.org
Twitter - @MakeAWish
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/makeawish
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/makeawishamerica/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/makeawish
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Mike Fox - Making a big splash in film making
Mike Fox is a Multi award-winning Filmmaker, Director, Producer, Writer, Designer, Creative Professional, Actor, Voiceover, CEO & Entrepreneur. He is determined to make the world a better place through his projects and is well on the way.
Mike Fox | Multi award-winning Filmmaker, Director, Producer, Writer, Designer, Creative Professional, Actor, Voiceover, CEO & Entrepreneur.
Featured on front page newspapers, Mike Fox's ultimate goal is impacting lives to empower, inspire and encourage and give direction in some way. Along the journey, are many curvy and cool paths from comedy, to suspense and scary, to sci-fi, to emotional, to pure cinematic.
His professional work is known across the U.S. including receiving numerous accolades and awards, featured on multiple media outlets on television, publications and print. As well, Mike has been named Top Pioneer & Entrepreneur by K.I.S.H. Magazine, won numerous awards from the prestigious Delaware Press Association (DPA), Local Business Person of the year by Alignable two years in a row, and continues to speak and teach filmmaking, directing, creative design and business to educational outlets.
With an accumulative of over twenty plus years of Creative experience, from design, video production, audio production, filmmaking marketing, social media, photography and videography and much more, his momentum to make an impact only grows stronger. Alignable’s 2021 and 2022 Businessperson of the Year.
He’s also been an Official Film Festival Judge as well as currently being an actor, voiceover professional, CEO of Design business Splash Designworks, and produces Ambient EDM music as Dubblestep & Trillex. Now, with his feature film on Amazon Prime, Tubi TV, and IMDB TV (Freevie), he and his beautiful family continue their focus on producing filmmaking content through a newly formed business, Crystal Fox Films.
“Life isn’t about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself.” -George Bernard Shaw
Socials:
Website: Splash Designworks https://splashdw.com
Website: Crystal Fox Films https://crystalfoxfilms.com
LinkedIn: Mike Fox
Facebook: Splash Design Works
Instagram for Splash: @splashdesignworks
Instagram for Mike Fox
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Danni Brooke - Living an undercover double life
Danni Brooke lived the double life for over a decade as she unravelled some of the most dangerous people in the UK. She now runs a cybersecurity company and speaks all over the globe.
Former Metropolitan Police Officer, Danni Brooke AKA Undercover Mother is highly regarded as an investigation and intelligence expert across The Globe. Having worked on some of the most dangerous and high-profile cases, Danni has seen herself face to face with crimes involving guns, drugs and prostitution rings.
'My life was full of danger every day and I couldn’t tell my friends or family what I did for a living. My mum didn’t even know! There were definitely times I was in too deep but somehow I always got away with it.
I was living a double life and it felt normal.'
For over a decade Danni Brooke was one of the most effective female undercover cops in the UK, one of a very small number of women in the Met’s elite unit. She was so successful at taking down criminals she was seconded to forces around the country.
Whether she was infiltrating organised crime gangs or disrupting drug supply lines, Danni played the innocent Essex girl, fooling even the most suspicious villains, using her quick wits to keep her out of trouble. She loved the job but the pressures of her work, and trying to balance the long hours with being a mother, were to take a toll on her personal life.
In her honest, warm and gripping memoir, Danni also reveals why she left the police, how she found a new career (and love) on C4’s Hunted – and why the thrill of covert work still pulls her into private investigations.
Today Danni Brooke enjoys the quiet life with her two children at her home in Spain, where she also runs a cybersecurity company with partner and fellow TV hunter Ben Owen. She likes experimenting with Italian recipes, baking and watching true crime documentaries on Netflix. It is a world away from the high-risk life she lived for ten years as a covert police officer. Then she spent her days on the streets and her nights in dingy clubs and crack dens, helping to gather evidence to put hundreds of dangerous criminals behind bars.
Since leaving the force in 2013 she has built up a successful career as an investigator on C4’s Hunted, now in its 10th series. She has also participated in the ‘Celebrity Hunted’ programmes, appeared on ITV’s This Morning, taken part in the C5 series Troll Hunters and is due to star in a new C4 gameshow hosted by Ellie Taylor launching this Spring. Danni has also filmed a pilot with a Hollywood production company.
As one of the only female undercover cops operating at a senior level Danni has a unique insight into the workings of this specialist unit. And though her extraordinary bravery and quick-thinking earned her commendations, today she takes a more critical view of her police work.
‘My view on drugs has completely changed over the years,’ she says. ‘Though I’m proud of what I did, taking out some really nasty characters, I can see that drugs problem isn’t going to be solved unless there is some serious thinking at a governmental level.
Socials:
LinkedIn: Danni Brooke
Insta: DGB @dannigbrooke
Twitter @DanniGBrooke
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Mat Bowtell - Creating Free 3D Hands
Mat Bowtell founded Free 3D Hands after being his job in the car manufacturing industry came to a close. He now sends bionic hands and other assistive devices to people around the world completely free of charge.
Mat Bowtell is the founder and CEO of Free 3D Hands, an Australian charity who designs and 3D prints hands and assistive devices. The hands are provided for free, to children and adults all around the world and they even pay the postage! Mat freely shares his designs under an open-source licence so others can make and repair their own devices and to encourage further innovation.
Mat's goal is to significantly bring down the cost of assistive technology to help those who currently cannot access or afford it.
Located on Phillip Island, the small team have provided hundreds of devices all around the world. Their designs are also being made by volunteers in Italy, Thailand, France, South Africa, Egypt, USA, Poland and others.
They are currently developing a low cost, multi-grip bionic arm and are making exciting progress with the latest prototype. Their goal is to make the equivalent of a $60,000 bionic arm...for under $60 in parts!
To learn more about Free 3D Hands or to make a donation, head to their website at http://www.free3dhands.org
Socials:
Website: https://free3dhands.org/
FB: Free 3D Hands
Insta: Free 3D Hands @free3dhands
Mentions:
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Ben Tunks - Building a Little Village to bring equity to kids
Ben Tunks is the Student Wellbeing officer in a regional Primary School. After feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by the system’s failure to address inequity, Ben founded The Little Village Project to help families experiencing trauma and disadvantage so that the kids could engage in education and life.
Ben Tunks is a Youth Worker and Musician, and founder of the Little Village Project (LVP).
After working in the community service sector for many years, Ben made a change to the Department of Education & Training in 2017. There he came to see school staff as the real workers at the coal face of Youth Work, particularly when it came to children who have experienced trauma and those who live in out-of-home care.
Ben soon found himself in a Student Wellbeing role in a Primary School in Traralgon (Victoria, Australia), and in 2020 founded the LVP to support the work that his school were doing with some of the vulnerable children and families within the local community.
Since then, the LVP has spent over $22,000 on 150 interventions for 36 students/families. This includes therapeutic support such as counselling, psychology and speech pathology, funding for assessments, and providing some material needs for education such as clothing, shoes and glasses.
Socials:
Website: kindredspirits.org.au/tlvp
FB: Little Village Project https://www.facebook.com/thelittlevillageau
Mentions:
Gippsland Regional Executive Forum
Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund
Heather Baird podcast interview
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Kristi Maggio - Empowering young change makers
Kristi Maggio is the founder of Maggio Multicultural Academy and Maggio Multicultural Foundation, based in the Dominican Republic. She is also the author of “Follows and Likes Is This All That I’m Worth”, and her latest release “Young Changemakers”.
Kristi Maggio is dedicated to creating access to equal education and employment opportunities worldwide. For over 20 years, she watched many children fail and feel inadequate merely because they didn’t fit into the traditional way of learning. As a result, she chose to take action and founded a school that gives students the tools to create success in their life no matter who they are or where they come from. She is also the author of the book “Follows and Likes Is This All That I’m Worth”, and her latest release “Young Changemakers”.
After starting Maggio Multicultural Academy and Foundation, Kristi’s mission became clear, to impact the lives of 1 billion youth in the next 10 years by providing an educational program based on entrepreneurship and applied learning. She has often said and heard, “I wish I knew then what I know now!” So, why does the world continue educating young people in a passive way? Why is there a lack of access to education and employment in many countries? It has become Kristi’s obsession, to make a new ecosystem that stops generational poverty, by providing youth the skills they need to be competitive in this world, and upon graduation have the opportunity to either, receive employment, start their own business, or go on to higher education. For the first time ever, people can study and work from anywhere as long as they have a computer and a signal.
Kristi does not do hard work; she does “heart work,” because nothing is ever hard when it comes from the heart.
Maggio Multicultural Academy is a bilingual school in the Dominican Republic founded in 2016. Starting small with only 7 students, she bootstrapped the business and did mostly everything herself to grow, from accounting, curriculum, teacher training and marketing. To expand her vision, she needed to build credibility and transparency, so she started a radio show, a podcast, authored a book and started a 501c3 in the US and the Dominican Republic.
Socials:
Website: https://kristimaggio.com/
LinkedIn: Kristi Maggio
Follows and Likes Is This All That I'm Worth? (Book)
Maggio Multicultural Academy (Bilingual Hybrid School)
Maggio Multicultural Foundation
The Secret To Success… Isn’t So Secret (Podcast)
Social Media and Podcast Links
Mentions:
Evan Carmichael - Your One Word
Jonte Hall (Harlem Globetrotter)
Herb Lang (Harlem Globetrotter)
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Jordan Wylie - Conquering extreme adventures for a better world
Jordan Wylie is an award winning extreme adventurer, Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author, TV personality, Guinness world record holder, charity fundraiser, TEDx speaker and former soldier. He is also the United Kingdom national ambassador for Army Cadets.
Jordan Wylie is an international bestselling author, award winning adventurer and one of the stars of Channel 4’s BAFTA-nominated shows Hunted and Celebrity Hunted. He is also currently the United Kingdom’s national ambassador for the Army Cadet Force.
Jordan grew up on one of the largest council estates in the country in Blackpool, Lancashire. After a few brushes with the law at an early age, some harsh lessons learnt and having left school with no qualifications, Jordan talk the life-changing decision to join the British Army at 16 years old and has never looked back since.
Jordan has an exemplary military service record which saw him dedicate 10 years to Queen and country. He saw operational service in Northern Ireland and Iraq where he specialised in military intelligence, close reconnaissance and armoured warfare. Jordan spent much of his spare time as a soldier playing football and studying, he left the military proudly having represented the British Army as a player and coach and having obtained a foundation degree, Bachelors degree and Masters degree in the field of Security and Risk Management.
On leaving the Army, Jordan entered the world of Maritime Security, making headlines after armed Somali pirates boarded a ship that he was tasked with protecting. As the onboard security team leader, Jordan found himself in charge and forced to make critical decisions for the safety of his crew. It was this period of his life and unique experiences that led Jordan to write “Citadel: The True Story of One Man’s War Against the Pirates of Somalia”, which became a Sunday Times bestseller (general paperbacks) on publication.
Jordan has had a thirst for adventure and the great outdoors since he was a young boy but after having a mental breakdown in late 2015 with a diagnosis of severe depression and chronic anxiety, he has since dedicated himself to using the power of purpose and the spirit of adventure to have a positive impact in the world and the lives of others, especially the next generation.
Jordan is respected as a multi-discipline adventurer around the world and has set and broken several official world records whilst raising over one million pounds in the process for charitable and good causes including delivering a school from concept to completion and opening on the Horn of Africa.
Jordan is a proud patron, trustee, ambassador and volunteer of several charities. He is also the author of 4 books, two of which have been bestsellers in both the UK and US. Jordan is a regular commentator on Sky News and an accomplished keynote conference speaker.
Jordan lives by his own mantra of “Be The Difference That Makes A Difference”…
Socials:
Website: https://www.jordanwylie.org/
LinkedIn: Jordan Wylie
Insta: JORDAN WYLIE @mrjordanwylie
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Arianna Fox - Inspiring change as a girlpreneur
Arianna Fox is a girlpreneur, best-selling triple author, motivational speaker, actress, voiceover talent, and teen influencer. She is the founder of Big Ideas Kids Coaching, spreading her wisdom of “You Rock, Dream Big & You Got This!”
Known across the region as a little ball of joy and energy! Arianna Fox may come in a small package, but her ideas are as revolutionary as they are wide-reaching. For several years now, Arianna has devoted her life and much of her time to reaching out to others to spread messages of hope, inspiration, and self-confidence. Making a positive impact upon others and helping them rock their lives to maximum potential is part of this upcoming Kidpreneur’s goal for her interactions with kids, her fellow tweens, teens, adults, and all.
With her kid-tastic kapow speaking style and her ability to engage audiences of all ages, it’s easy to understand how Arianna has been able to raise her platform from her humble hometown in Delaware to a wide network online.
She is a National Award winner with the acclaimed NFPW (National Federation of Press Women), and Multi Award winner with the DPA (Delaware Press Association). She’s also a professional Voice-over actress & talent, performing for online commercial ads, web series and professional commercials.
In addition to this, Arianna has been interviewed and featured by many media outlets and is a regular contributor for award winning nationally published K.I.S.H. Magazine. An avid consumer of literature, Arianna first took pen to the page around the age of six and has been unstoppable ever since. Her first publication, a novel The Princess Chronicles: Not Your Average Princesses, was released in early 2017, teaching young children how to build their own character, confidence, and to create lasting friendships. Her new book, a young adult novel titled False Awakening, has been published and a hot item, including a knock-out book signing event at Barnes & Noble Bookstore in Newark, Delaware. Her latest book is ‘Sabre Black’.
A social media sensation, Arianna has consulted and taught professionals how to build their networks and platforms effectively. In her own family business, SPLASH DESIGNWORKS LLC, she proudly works as Jr. Marketing Director and has also taken on the title of ‘Social Samurai’. At her young age, she is instructing and teaching adults and professionals all about Social Media management. “I came to be taught, but didn’t expect to actually be learning so much from someone so young,” was one comment from an attendee from one of the Social Media Workshops that she and her parents conducted. Watch out world, because here she comes, spreading her wisdom of “You Rock, Dream Big & You Got This!”
She has been featured multiple times in and on News & Media outlets.
Socials:
Website: https://ariannafox.com/
LinkedIn: Arianna Fox
FB: Arianna Fox
Insta: Arianna Fox @afoxauthor
Youtube: Arianna Fox @AriannaFox
Mentions:
The Box in the Basement (Movie)
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Nikita Dhawan - Taking legal action to save Shankar the elephant
Nikita Dhawan is a high school student from New Delhi, and is also the founder of Youth For Animals. Their flagship campaign to release Shankar the elephant from the Delhi Zoo, has garnered over 200,000 signatures and has been presented for consideration to the Delhi High Court.
Nikita Dhawan is a high school student at the American Embassy School in New Delhi. She has always been passionate about animal rights and environmental conservation and is the founder of an animal welfare initiative called "Youth for Animals.”
Nikita is leading the organization’s flagship campaign #FreeShankarDelhiZoo to free Shankar, an African elephant languishing in the Delhi Zoo, from his life in solitary captivity. Nikita has filed a legal petition in the Delhi High Court for Shankar’s freedom and has received over 200,000 signatures for her online petition. The campaign has been covered extensively by Indian and International media, including BBC, ABC News, Newsweek, Financial Times, Hindustan Times, Times of India, Indian Express etc.
Nikita is a recipient of the prestigious Diana Award and the Youth Award from the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization (FIAPO). Nikita is also a Youth Ambassador for Born Free Foundation and Earthday org and a member of IUCN’s Commission on Education and Communication (CEC). Nikita is also a host for a UK based community radio station: All About Animals Radio.
Socials:
Website: Youth For Animals https://youthforanimals.org/
Insta: Youth For Animals (YFA) @youth_for_animals
LinkedIn: Nikita Dhawan https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikita-dhawan/
Petition to free Shankar #FreeShankarDelhiZoo
Mentions:
Animal Liberation - Peter Singer (Book)
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Elle James - Turning dreams into a silky slumberland
Elle James is the creator and owner of Elle James Makeup and Night Babe. After looking at silk bedding in a shop and not being able to afford it, Elle decided to create her own. She then thought there must be others out there who want the same, and Night Babe was born.
Growing up in a small rural town, Elle always had big city dreams. Her love of art, fashion and creating beautiful things lead her to a career as a makeup artist. Living in Gippsland and predominantly working in Melbourne may seem like a lot of unnecessary travel to many but to Elle it has given her the best of both worlds - fulfilled her love for all things hustle, bustle and great work opportunities in the city Vs empty beaches with her little loves and familiar happy faces around town.
It was also the perfect place to be when covid hit and like many businesses - the makeup world came to a halt. It made Elle stop and re evaluate her career, and also lead to Elle creating Night Babe - her product based e-commerce business where she sells her mulberry silk pillowcases.
She was able to use her beauty connections to help grow her name and get her product to the people. All Night Babe pillowcases are made from Elle’s family’s own soft furnishings studio in Seaspray, which she is extremely proud of.
Socials:
Website: https://nightbabe.com.au/
Insta: 100% Mulberry Silk Pillowcases @night__babe
FB: Night Babe @the.ultimate.beauty.sleep
Website: https://www.ellejames.com.au/
Insta: Elle James Makeup @ellejames_makeup
FB: Elle James Makeup Artist @ellejamesmakeupartist
Mentions:
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Kerryn Vaughan - Bonus episode - Extending love and hope on Christmas Eve
Bonus episode to acknowledge that we do so much better when we look at all the tiny positive moments that the year (and life) has blessed us with - things that are too easily overlooked.
This episode is reflection that we need to extend much more love, and instead of focusing on how hard 2022 has been, let’s focus on the moments of joy that blessed us throughout the year. We all had those moments, but it’s so easy to override them with the things that have caused stress.
Together we can make a huge difference to the world if we just invest more love, care, hope and joy, and spend time celebrating the small moments that have brought a smile, not only to our face, but to the faces of others. And celebrating the moments that have brought joy into our hearts.
Life is not all about great big achievements and conquering massive mountains. There’s huge benefit in all the little moments that join together to create this things we call life.
Let’s get better at acknowledging and cheering on the positive.
Much love to all xx
Billie Groom - Rehabilitating dogs who just want to be loved
Billie Groom is an expert in Canine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CCBT), and the creator of UPWARD Dogology. Her work over the past 30 years has led to multiple awards and recognition, and has saved thousands of dogs.
Billie Groom is the creator of UPWARD Dogology, as well as being a social entrepreneur, innovator, expert in Canine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CCBT), award winning author, podcast host, speaker, and animal welfare activist. Her work spans over three decades. She is featured in magazines, blogs, and on many podcasts and tv shows, including the LA Tribune, CTV, Roku TV, and Psychology Today Magazine.
Billie has received awards and accolades for her success in rehabilitating thousands of street dogs, community dogs, and dogs with unknown, or disadvantaged pasts, from Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Panama, Thailand, Spain (Galgos), and China, as well as dogs rescued from the Yulin Festival, dog fighting rings, meat markets, backyard breeders, and death-row. She is currently working (pro-bono) with dogs rescued from the Ukraine war. She also works with dogs who have no history of abuse or neglect to keep them out of the system and in good homes, and works tirelessly to create change to help animals in need.
Billie is a member of the Dog Writers Association of America, Comparative Cognition Society, and the Animal Behavior Society, is a graduate of University of Western Ontario, and is enrolled in the Graduate School of Leadership and Change at Antioch University. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada with her rescued dogs and cat who came to live with them.
Her mission is to continue to spread awareness on CCBT to decrease surrenders and euthanasia, increase adoptions, end harmful methods, and increase our understanding of adolescent and adopted dogs.
Socials:
Website: https://www.upwarddogology.com/
LinkedIn: Billie Groom
FB: Upward Dogology - Dog Behavior, Dog Training, Animal Welfare
Insta: UPWARD Dogology @upwarddogology
Twitter: UPWARD Dogology
Podcast: Dog Training DisrUPted
YouTube: Dog Cognition and Canine Behavior
LinkTree: Billie Groom - UPWARD Dogology
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James Clancy - Blending the pure perfection of Scarlet and Grace
James Clancy is the co-founder of Scarlet and Grace, a Gippsland business dedicated to providing a range of candles, diffuses, and other home and personal care products that are chemical free and made with only pure Australian ingredients.
James Clancy is the co-founder of Scarlet & Grace. Here’s the story…
The idea for Scarlet & Grace was born in 2016 on a Clancy family holiday on the South Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
Recalling our childhood home and the wonderful scents that always filled the air, we started lamenting the fact so many home fragrance products today were made overseas and often contained harmful chemicals.
Mum then posed the big question. "If you don’t think the products are safe, why don’t you do something about it?"
This ignited a conversation about creating a range of personal care products unlike anything else on the market. Products that were designed to delight the senses, that take you on a real sensory experience, and were made from 100% Australian ingredients.
The next two-years were spent developing fragrances and building an exclusive supply chain of pure, natural, and Australian produced materials.
We were relentless in our search and refused to compromise on quality. We had a clear vision. We wanted to create the safest, purest, and highest quality products available on the market.
We knew there was a lot of competitors in the market, but we believed strongly that people deserved access to products that were made using natural Australian ingredients at the core, that offered a superior fragrance throw, and greater value for money.
Refusing to compromise on the quality or source of our products we released our first products just in time for Christmas 2018.
Beginning with a modest range of candles and diffusers, the Scarlet & Grace range has rapidly grown to a diverse product offering including room sprays, hand-creams, body-lotions, washes, and accessories.
While sales weren’t huge that first Christmas, we got something a lot more valuable than sales. We got feedback. Now for the first time we had the chance to hear from the most important person. The customer. The feedback we received from our retail partners instantly told us we were on a winner.
Customers returned to the stores wanting to order more. They told the retailer they loved the scents, the fragrance throws and routinely reported it was the best product they had used.
This feedback validated everything we had been working so hard to create and soon the sales volumes would follow.
Since launching we have opened a new manufacturing and distribution centre in Sale, grown a network of hundreds of retail partners across Australia and New Zealand and in 2022 launched Scarlet & Grace across the UK and parts of Europe.
Our brand promise remains the same today as it did the day we conceived Scarlet and Grace. Anytime you buy a Scarlet and Grace product you can be confident it’s using the most natural, 100% Australian Made ingredients available.
As one of the only brands to have every ingredient scientifically tested and certified, we can guarantee the quality of everything we produce.
Driven by passion, the Clancy family continue to explore cutting-edge technology, new ingredient blends and fragrances, with the goal to further enhance the customer experience, elevate the sensory impact, and deliver unrivalled value and quality in every product we produce.
Socials:
Website: https://scarletandgrace.com.au/
Insta: Scarlet and Grace @scarletandgracearomas
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Erika McInerney - Helping small town businesses shine
Erika McInerney has spent the past 25 years in marketing, and after moving back to the Gippsland area in regional Victoria in 2011, she realised there was a deficit of digital marketing knowhow in the region. From this seed of an idea, Erika created Mac&Ernie social media and digital marketing training business.
Erika McInerney is a highly qualified marketer with over 25 years experience in the industry - seven of those in her own business Mac&Ernie. She founded Mac&Ernie to provide qualified and locally relevant training and development to individuals and businesses looking to increase their skills and confidence in marketing and social media.
After moving to Gippsland in 2011, Erika started working with small businesses and realised quickly that people in small towns and regional areas simply did not have access to relevant marketing or social media advice. They were 'winging it' or they were spending a lot of money on general tips from overseas 'gurus' for advice that just couldn't fit with an Australian audience, let alone a hyper-local one. Knowing that small businesses contribute hugely to the local economy, to tourism and to local pride, Erika has made it her business to help others shine online through her own training, and through mentoring within a number of national and state-funded programs.
Erika is passionate about authenticity and building genuine community, in what can be an unethical space. She seeks out opportunities to foster this through what she calls 'better social'. She has won awards for her contribution to her community and to business and she regularly hands out free advice via her social media and, more recently, via her new podcast 'small town business’.
Socials:
Website: www.macandernie.com.au
LinkedIn: Erika McInerney
FB: Mac&Ernie Social Media Training
Insta: Erika McInerney @mac_ernie
Small Town Business Podcast
Website: www.smalltownbusinesspodcast.au
FB: Small Town Business Podcast @smalltownbusinesspodcast
Insta: Small Town Business with Erika McInerney @smalltownbusiness_podcast
Podcast: Small Town Business Podcast
Mentions:
State of Social (Digital Marketing Conference)
Australian Small Business Champion Awards
Jetstreamer (podcast services)
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Kate Parker - Empowering girls to protect the oceans
Kate Parker is one the founder members of Daughters of the Deep and is Head of Operations for Oceania. Daughters of the Deep empower girls and young women around the world with skills and qualifications to enable them to protect the ocean and marine life in their local area.
Kate Parker is one the founder members of Daughters of the Deep and is Head of Operations for Oceania.
Kate is a qualified Dive Master and passionate diver, having been lucky enough to have dived in many locations around the world. This experience has opened her eyes to both the beauty in the oceans but also the extent to which human life has damaged our planet and the necessity to fight for the protection of our seas.
This inspired Kate to join Sea Shepherd and she regularly crews offshore defending marine environments. Kate also runs the Sea Shepherd Dive program in Australia/NZ with a goal to drive industry standards up to a more environmentally focused level.
Having seen first hand the under representation of women in many popular dive locations globally, Kate is honoured and excited to be part of a movement that combines both her core values regarding equal rights for women, and her passion in conservation diving.
In her spare time, Kate is also a member of the Coast Guard, as well as a full time speech pathologist.
Socials:
Daughters of the Deep
Website: https://daughtersofthedeep.org/
Insta: Daughters of the Deep @daughersofthedeepofficial
Sea Shepherd
Website: https://www.seashepherd.org.au/
Insta: Sea Shepherd @seahshepherd
Mentions:
Madagascar Research and Conservation Institute
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Jamie Brock - Rescuing animals and humans with coffee
Jamie Brock is the owner of Coffee Rescue, a business started out of a renovated ambulance to help a family member. After attending a Get Off The Bench workshop in 2019, Jamie realised she could combine her 2 loves of coffee and animals and create something really special.
In 2012, the Coffee Rescue journey started for Jamie Brock from an old ambulance converted into a food truck in Kalamazoo (Michigan), and has since grown into a brick-and-mortar coffee shop and coffee catering business in Portage, Michigan.
Coffee Rescue began operating as a way to provide income for a family member after going through a financial crisis, then slowly started building a stable customer base. Though the business no longer operates out of the original ambulance, it has expanded into a number of coffee food trucks, a mobile coffee catering company, a coffee shop and a drive-thru.
Alongside Jamie’s love for coffee, is her love for animals. In 2019, after attending a Get Off The Bench workshop in Michigan, Jamie realised she could combine the two.
In 2022, Coffee Rescue teamed up with Joe Gatto (known best from the hit television show "Impractical Jokers"), to create Gatto Pups Rescue Roast which is a Fair-Trade Organic, Ethically-Sourced light roast coffee blend from Ethiopia, Peru, Honduras and El Salvador. $1.00 from every bag of coffee sold is donated to The LovePup Foundation!
The LovePup Foundation is a non-profit animal rescue organization in Arizona that was founded by
104.7 Kiss FM's Johnjay Van Es in 2014. This foundation has rescued, placed, rehabilitated and reunited over 1000 dogs.
Jamie is now also partnering with a number of other charities, creating their own unique blend, and helping create a better world at the same time.
Socials:
Website: coffeerescue.net
FB: Coffee Rescue
Insta: Coffee Rescue @coffee_rescue1
Mentions:
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Doug Moczynski - Inspiring youth with inclusive adventures
Doug Moczynski is the founder of Gippsland Adventure Therapy, which supports youth with outdoor adventures that are inclusive, safe, fun and useful, to increase wellbeing and have a positive impact on their mental health.
Doug Moczynski started Gippsland Adventure Therapy because he has a burning passion for helping people access the outdoors and nature for increased mental health and wellbeing. He loves sharing experiences with others, and is at his personal best when he's engaged in something outdoors and can see the joy in peoples faces when they feel safe to try something new and challenging.
Doug has been working in the outdoor industry since 2003 where he’s had many roles spanning everything from camp counsellor in the USA to English teaching in China to snow skiing instructor and commercial outdoor adventure guide.
Over the past decade Doug has committed himself to working with youth in the out of home care sector where he has and continues to, work with children dealing with the challenges of developmental trauma.
Having completed a Graduate Certificate in developmental trauma, as well as a Diploma in Community Service work and outdoor recreation, Doug plans to round things off with a Diploma of Counselling.
No adventure is too small, and Doug’s priority is making it accessible to the participant’s level of comfort, but is very happy to make things more challenging for those who wish to push things further.
When Doug’s not running his business, he's out with his family connecting with the beauty of the outdoors in and around Gippsland.
Socials:
Website: https://www.gippslandadventuretherapy.com.au/
LinkedIn: Doug Moczynski
FB: Gippsland Adventure Therapy
Insta: Doug Moczynski @gippslandadventuretherapy
Mentions:
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