Episodes

Hey, thanks for tuning in today. Wow — what a wild couple of days here in Brisbane. After a massive hailstorm knocked out power for more than 24 hours, I escaped the 40-degree heat and hit the Gold Coast with my friend (and events legend) Sally Porteous to scope out venues for Con Con 2026 . This episode is part post-storm diary, part behind-the-scenes look at how I choose spaces that feel right. We visited five venues, sweating it out in 37-degree heat, and learned that photos and quotes don’t ...

When I released my Work Fame Substack on Friday, my phone rang—literally a minute after it went out. It was my friend Nicole, calling from a walk on the Gold Coast. She said, “Leanne, how do you create so much content and still seem to have a life?” It’s a good question. In this episode, I share my answer: how having a daily podcast has trained me to be an observer of life . When you publish something every day, you start paying closer attention—to the small things most people overlook. Like the...

I’m absolutely delighted to welcome back my friend, leadership strategist and radiant human, Neen James —author of Folding Time , Attention Pays , and her new book Exceptional Experiences . If you’ve ever seen Neen in action, you know she’s pure energy and light. She advises C-suite leaders across luxury and legacy brands (think Viacom, Four Seasons, even the FBI) and was recently appointed to the Board of the World Luxury Chamber of Commerce. In this conversation, we redefine luxury —not as “ex...

Today I’m diving into one of my favourite topics—building a facilitation and training business— with the brilliant Mark Garrett Hayes , founder of TrainingBusiness.com and host of the Training Business podcast. Mark’s career spans Disney, banking in Germany, and FinTech, and through it all he kept gravitating back to training. We unpack how he’s turned that calling into a business—without cheesy sales tactics. In this episode Why you don’t need to be the SME— you need to stand up (to stand out) ...

Hey, it’s Leanne — and this week, three ideas have been looping in my brain. They’ve all got a theme of growth, but not in the hustle-bro, “reinvent yourself completely” kind of way. More like—snap yourself out of autopilot, change your key, and stop overcomplicating life. Here’s what I riff on in this episode: 🎵 1. The Soundtrack of Doing Life Differently Sometimes, joy hides in the small key changes — like swapping a planned hike for an accidental half marathon under Brisbane’s blooming jacara...

This week, I’m on the road—somewhere between Brisbane and the Sunny Coast—so I’m bringing you a short, reflective episode inspired by my friend (and fellow podcaster) Andy Storch . Andy sent me a couple of brilliant voice notes responding to last week’s episode on Exposure —and they were too good not to share. In true “Work Fame” fashion, we riff on how exposure and proximity shape our growth, creativity, and courage to try new things. Andy talks about: How seeing other entrepreneurs move abroad...

Today’s episode comes from a great question I received from my friend Jonas Rajanto over in Finland. Jonas asked: “Hey Leanne, I know you’ve used and lauded Descript over the years. Can you say why Descript would be better than Loom with its AI features? The overlap is that both transcribe and you can edit the video by editing the transcription. I’m thinking about starting to do more video.” So in this episode, I share: 💻 What Descript actually is (my editing studio and content lab) 🎥 What Loom ...

Hey, thanks for tuning in today! I’m just a couple of weeks out from heading to Nepal, and while most people would be focused purely on that, my brain’s already leaping ahead to what’s next . Here’s the thing — I love setting the next goal before I finish the current one. It’s like booking your next holiday before your current one ends. It gives you something to look forward to, something that keeps you energized when you come back. So today’s episode is all about why you need to commit before y...

Hey friends — I’m still buzzing from this morning’s runner’s high ! I set out for a three-hour walk around Brisbane to soak in the jacarandas — those gorgeous purple blooms that light up the city — and somehow ended up walk-running a half marathon. Pure joy, no pressure, just great music and sunshine. Somewhere along the river, Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer came on, and it hit me: that key change near the end is everything. You know the one — it lifts, it unites the crowd, it makes you feel like...

I first met Ben Crothers at an asset-management conference in Sydney earlier this year. While I was running a session, he was at the back of the room doing his thing — graphically recording everything we covered. Afterward, we started chatting, and the conversation was so good that I knew I had to bring him onto the podcast. Ben’s been a facilitator for over 15 years and a designer for even longer . Through his consultancy, Bright Pilots , he’s helped teams from organisations like Atlassian, Wes...

On the Weekend Rewind I’m joined by Martin Probst from Profound Leadership —author, career coach, professional mentor, and (brilliantly cheeky) Chief Education Officer . We first connected at the Institute for Learning Professionals Awards Night in Brisbane, where he was a finalist for Learning Professional of the Year. If not for those awards, our paths might not have crossed—and I’m so glad they did. In this conversation, we explore Martin’s fascinating journey from chef → trainer → facilitato...

Hey, thanks for tuning in today. I’m talking about exposure — and not the kind you get warned about when it comes to sunburn or dodgy business deals. You can read the article here. Exposure is a word that gets a bit of a bad rap. It can mean risk, vulnerability, or danger — “limit your exposure to the sun,” “you’ve been exposed to a virus,” etc. But there’s also this beautiful, positive flip side to it — when exposure means access, visibility, learning, and growth. I’ve been working with a clien...

Earlier this week, I ran a workshop and had one of those “note to self” moments. The host started reading out my bio—the one I’d sent ages ago—and as she was midway through, I was silently cringing. You know that feeling when something sounds a little too polished, a little too “LinkedIn Leanne”? That was me. Thankfully, I’d thrown in a random line at the end: “Leanne is severely scared of undercooked chicken and is a proud left-hander.” That one sentence saved me. Everyone laughed. We bonded ov...

I was in Victoria yesterday with a group of education leaders talking about leadership capability — and a side conversation popped up that I had to bring here. One of the leaders mentioned how hard it’s been to attract mentors to their new program, even though people are informally mentoring all the time. And honestly, I get it — the word “mentoring” comes with a lot of baggage. Just like Michael Bungay Stanier says about “coaching,” people have preconceived ideas about what a mentor should be: ...

I recorded this one from the most epic balcony ever — seriously, it’s bigger than my entire hotel room. I’m in Melbourne at The Langham, overlooking the Yarra and Federation Square, soaking in the sunshine. In today’s episode, I talk about my Oura Ring — the little wearable that’s teaching me big lessons about recovery, readiness, and stress. Here’s what I cover: 💤 What the Oura Ring actually does — readiness, heart rate variability, stress, and recovery scores. 📉 How my readiness score plummete...

Last week, I shared that I was heading off to my 25-year high school reunion — so in this episode, I report back on how it went (spoiler: no one really changes!) and share a story that came out of a conversation that night that’s been sitting with me all week. I caught up with my friends Saji and Tim, we were talking about our old classmate, former Brisbane Roar captain Matt McKay, and how — while he might not have been the most naturally gifted player — he became one of the most successful. Why...

Today I’m sharing a conversation I had on Charles Hsuan's Candid Conversations podcast. We riff on designing rave-worthy workshops, curating content (instead of drowning in it), and how one bold reach-out can completely change your career. You’ll also hear why I plan kids’ birthday parties like an engineer (thanks, Dad), how my PNG family taught me the value of unstructured connection (thanks, Mum), and the three levers that quietly book you five more workshops from every one you deliver. What w...

In this episode, Leanne Hughes engages in a captivating conversation with Douglas Ferguson, the founder of Voltage Control facilitation academy. Watch the interview on YouTube . They dive into various topics, including the art of facilitation, the concept of Integrated Autonomy, and the potential impact of AI on the field. Douglas shares insights from his experience in software development, his passion for music, and his deep understanding of facilitation. About our guest: Douglas Ferguson: Doug...

Yesterday, my best friend — my fearless four-legged buddy, Milo — crossed the Rainbow Bridge. If you’ve followed me for a while, you’ll know Milo was always by my side: sitting under my desk while I worked, joining me for countless coffee runs, and barking during livestreams just to remind me who was really in charge. He was the calm (and sometimes neurotic!) constant in my every day. In this episode, I read aloud the article I wrote for Work Fame about saying goodbye to him — and I share a few ...

In today’s episode, I share a gem of a quote that came from Fiona Kruger (thanks Fiona!) — one her manager used to repeat almost daily: “The first draft is the hardest.” Simple, powerful, and so true. I unpack how that idea plays out across everything from corporate projects to book writing — and why accepting that the first draft will always be hard takes the pressure off. It’s not supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to exist. You’ll hear me riff on: 💡 Why getting the first draft out is 90% o...

In today’s off-the-cuff travel chat, I’m diving into something I’ve been obsessing over lately: carry-on luggage . After my trusty old suitcase zip finally gave up on my flight home from Melbourne, I went down a deep rabbit hole comparing July, Antler, and a surprising dark horse — Kathmandu . I share: ✈️ Why I’m done with hard shell suitcases (and the Mumbai hotel porter who convinced me years ago). 💼 How much suitcase weight really matters when your carry-on limit is only 7–10kg. 🧳 Why I chose...

This weekend marks a pretty wild milestone — it’s my 25-year high school reunion. Yep, class of 2000. I can’t quite believe it’s been that long. I talk about what’s different this time around (spoiler: it’s being held at the actual school ), what I noticed at our 10-year reunion (how everyone was still so themselves), and why I think personal development is really about unpeeling layers rather than completely transforming who we are. I also explore the social dynamics of reunions: how a simple F...

Hey friends, happy Monday (or Sunday, depending on when you’re tuning in)! I’ve just wrapped up a three-hour hike — the first of three workouts today — part of my prep for Everest Base Camp next month. My performance coach Kyle is ramping things up: morning hike, midday jog, and a weighted vest walk tonight before I settle in for the Broncos’ grand final. It’s all about simulating what it’s like to move, rest, and then get moving again — just like trekking days in Nepal. Over brunch yesterday wi...

This week I’m diving into team development and team dynamics with Phil Brown from High 5 Adventure. Remember those high-ropes days where the best part was the debrief? Same. Phil is the guy who designs those experiences—and, more importantly, the reflections that turn “fun” into behaviour change. We jam on what happens after you graduate from being a first-time facilitator: Where’s the career progression? How do we explain “facilitation” to people outside our bubble? And how do we design activit...