Future Fit Leadership
Welcome to Future Fit Leadership a podcast for emerging and experienced leaders to learn, grow and become future fit! There has been a global shift in how we lead people. Traditional models are being challenged, and our workplaces are now dynamic. In this podcast you will hear and connect with leaders, CEO’s and change makers who will challenge the status quo and share their future ready strategies to unlock your growth. No matter where you are on your leadership journey this podcast will give you practical ideas and tools to help you think outside the square and become a change maker in your industry. Future Fit leadership is your place for bite sized learning, for time poor executives. Contact Sadhana Smiles via email: sadhanasmiles@realchange.com.au Or connect on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasmiles/
Episodes
At 21 years of age, Hugo Toovey discovered a small lump. Like many young men, he ignored it.
What followed was a life-changing cancer diagnosis, months of chemotherapy, major surgery, and a lesson that would ultimately shape the rest of his life: never ignore the signs when something doesn't feel right.
In this powerful Men's Health Week conversation, Hugo shares his journey through not one but two cancer diagnoses before the age o...
What happens when the workplace that is meant to support you becomes the very thing that breaks you?
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Jane Phipps, author of The Heart-Centered Leader, to explore a topic that affects more people than we often realise: toxic workplace cu...
Leaders as Creators, Not Controllers
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Matt Hart, founder of Better Ideas Faster, innovation strategist, and creative thinker who has worked with some of the world's most recognised brands across media, technology, education, and entertainment.
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In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Kirsten Taylor Martin from Grant Thornton to unpack one of the biggest leadership and economic shifts facing Australian business today.
Over the next 20 years, more than $3.5 trillion is expected to transition from one generation to the next in family businesses. But as Kirsten explains, succession is not just a financial process. It’s emotional, deeply personal, and f...
Mark Jones shares the moment his life changed in Aisle 10 at Bunnings.
What started as a routine weekend errand quickly became a frightening wake-up call. A panic attack brought on by years of pressure, stress, exhaustion, and a belief that he simply had to keep going.
But this conversation is about much more than burnout.
What does it take to lead with impact when the world won’t stop changing?
Holly Ransom (author of The Leading Edge) shares how to lead with courage and mattering while navigating constant change. Learn practical habits and decision steps for leading from the edge, building influence, and creating future-ready teams.
Key ta...
Host Sadhana Smiles talks with Robyn Djelassi about fractional leadership and what it means for businesses navigating growth, change or reset. Learn how fractional people leadership balances human-centred and commercial priorities, why fundamentals like clarity and accountability still matter, and who can benefit from fractional executives. Ideal for leaders updating people strategies during cha...
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Emmy Sobieski, a former fund manager who ran the number one fund in the world and now coaches high performers on how to build real, lasting wealth.
Her career is anything but linear. It is shaped by sharp decisions, missed opportunities, sustained pressure, and a growing clarity about what actually matters...
What does leadership look like when there’s nothing left in the tank?
In this episode, I sit down with Peter Baines following one of the most physically and emotionally demanding challenges of his life - running 1,400 kilometres across Thailand over 26 days to mark twenty years since the Boxing Day tsunami.
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I’m joined by Christina Howard, a former Fortune 100 HR leader and founder of Intently, to explore what it really means to lead with intention.
Christina’s career spans large corporate environments, executive leadership, and coaching senior leaders through complexity and...
What happens when the career you worked so hard to build no longer fits?
In this episode, I speak with Dr Taryn Fletcher, a former school superintendent who led 18 schools and dozens of leaders before making a significant shift into entrepreneurship and leadership coaching.
From an early age, Taryn understood what it meant to ha...
What makes a message land?
In this episode, I sit down with Carmen Sederino, founder of Illuminated Story, to explore why storytelling is one of the most underused leadership skills today.
Carmen brings a rare perspective. With a background in performing arts and nearly two decades in corp...
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with James Chisholm, co-founder of Peeplcoach, for a conversation that goes well beyond traditional leadership advice.
James shares his journey from leading in a global corporate environment to experiencing a mental health breakdown that forced him to step back and reassess e...
What does leadership look like in a world where robots inspect our infrastructure, AI shapes our healthcare, and automation transforms entire industries?
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Dr Sue Keay, one of Australia’s leading voices in robotics, AI ethics and the future of work. Sue began her car...
Domestic violence is not a fringe issue. It is not a private matter. And it is not someone else’s problem.
In this episode, I sit down with family lawyer Cassandra Kalpaxis for a direct and deeply confronting conversation about domestic and family violence in Australia. Cassandra shares that in her practice, around 95 percent of her cases now involve domest...
In this solo episode of Future Fit Leadership, Sadhana Smiles steps into the conversation herself.
In this special International Women’s Day episode of Future Fit Leadership, Sadhana Smiles offers a candid reflection on the 2026 theme B...
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I sit down with Phillip Heath, Head of Barker College, to explore what it truly means to lead a school community in a rapidly changing world.
With more than three decades in education, Phillip shares his vision for future-ready learning — one that goes beyond academic results to s...
What does it really take to succeed as a CEO today and what does it take to leave a legacy that lasts?
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I’m joined by the brilliant Kate Mason, a trusted advisor to CEOs, boards, and executive teams across some of the most complex organisatio...
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I’m joined by educator, speaker and author Bethan Winn for a timely and thoughtful conversation about critical thinking in an age shaped by AI, speed and constant information overload.
Bethan’s journey began in a small Welsh town, grounded in language, community and curiosit...
More than half of Australian workers say they are quietly cracking. Not burning out. Not falling apart in obvious ways. Just holding it together on the outside while something frays on the inside.
In this episode of Future Fit Leadership, I’m joined by Dr Michelle McQuaid, senior fellow at the University of Melbourne and founder of The Change Lab, to unpack...
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