Engaging Conversations | Inspiring Dialogue, Empowering Communities
Welcome to Engaging Conversations, the podcast that connects you with the pulse of our local communities. Hosted by Leon Goltsman, Founder of Ecolibrium Headquarters (EcoHQ), each episode invites you on an inspiring journey into the stories that shape and uplift our neighbourhoods. From visionary leaders and industry experts to everyday heroes making a difference, Engaging Conversations offers an exclusive look into our society’s diverse and dynamic fabric. This podcast is your gateway to broadening your perspective, building meaningful connections, and being inspired. Please note that the views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the host or EcoHQ. The discussions in this podcast are for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered professional, financial, medical, or legal advice. Listeners are encouraged to seek independent professional advice before making any decisions based on the content of this podcast. Tune in, join the conversation, and discover the people, places, and purpose driving positive change.
Episodes
Silence can be the most painful part of IVF, especially when the people around you care but freeze because they do not know what to say. We’re joined by Kaitlin Graham, author of We Wished Upon The Stars, and Astrid Hacking from Hearts and Hands Community Development, to talk honestly about infertility, stigma, and the support that actually lands. With more than 40 years between their IVF experiences, they rev...
A child can be full of talent and still never discover it if nobody opens the door. That idea sits at the heart of our conversation with Katia Kullengren, founder of Ballet Without Borders, a charity bringing ballet and performing arts to children who might otherwise never step into a studio. Katia shares what it was like arriving in Australia as a young immigrant, living below the poverty line, and realising that &...
A decommissioned firefighter helmet sits on a counter and, quietly, it helps a child rebuild their life. That is the kind of practical hope we talk about with our guest, Scott Hanley, a station officer with Fire and Rescue New South Wales and one of the driving forces behind Beat the Burn, a community-led fundraising movement supporting paediatric burn care.
Scott takes us back to 2006, when a small group of ...
What changes when you’re told your time may be running out?
For George Parry, the answer wasn’t to retreat from life. It was to live more deliberately.
In this deeply personal episode of Engaging Conversations, George reflects on a life shaped by extraordinary business success, devastating setbacks, alcoholism and recovery, faith, love, resilience and, now, the reality of serious illness.
George speaks cand...
Tomorrow isn't guaranteed, and when you truly accept that, the way you live begins to change.
This special Prelude to Engaging Conversations offers a rare glimpse into the conversation before the conversation.
Before the microphones were switched on, George Parry and Leon Goltsman found themselves reflecting on life, purpose and legacy. What began as a casual discussion quickly became something much deeper, capturing ...
A normal morning. A coffee on the way to work. Then a headache hits like a lightning strike, and everything changes.
Steven Forward survives a double brain aneurysm after being given just a 2% chance of survival. He spends 12 days in intensive care, loses 18 days of memory, and begins a recovery journey that continues long after leaving the hospital.
In this powerful episode of Engaging Conversations, Steven shares wh...
A charity can do everything right and still find itself fighting for survival.
For our 50th episode of Engaging Conversations, it felt only fitting to return to where it all began with Maria Martin, Founder and CEO of Survivors R Us, joined by General Manager Scott Martin.
When Maria first appeared on the program, Survivors R Us was already making a difference in the lives of people facing domestic violence, homelessn...
A single moment of violence can leave a community frozen in grief, but it can also expose something quietly powerful: the people who choose to show up. This episode, we are joined by Rabbi Yossi Friedman, known across Australia as Rabbi On Demand, to talk about what he witnessed after the Bondi tragedy and what it teaches us about humanity, social cohesion, and the everyday choices that keep multicultural communitie...
Forensic accounting is often seen as a last-resort service, something you turn to when things have already gone wrong. But as this conversation reveals, that mindset can come at a cost.
In this episode, I sit down with Kirrilly Waring from Hall Chadwick, a forensic accountant with over 30 years of experience, to unpack what the work really looks like in practice. From business valuations and shareholder disputes thro...
Domestic and family violence doesn’t announce itself with a single dramatic moment. It often arrives quietly through coercive control, financial abuse, gaslighting, and isolation, until someone’s confidence and sense of choice begins to erode. That’s why we sat down with Katie Viviers, CEO of St Vincent’s Open Support, and Karen Devins, who leads their domestic and family violence program, to...
Real support is not just a service delivered. It’s the moment someone feels safe enough to smile, speak, try, and belong. I’m joined by Lisa Mossman, CEO and founder of Lady Bumblebee Disability Services, to unpack what genuine empowerment looks like in disability support and why the small, human details matter more than most people realise.
We talk about the values behind “be confiden...
The scariest part about suicide risk is how often it hides in plain sight. People expect clear warning signs, but what shows up more often are small changes: someone goes quiet, stops turning up, withdraws from what they love, or feels like a burden. We sit with that reality and focus on what actually helps, not perfect words, just a real connection.
I’m joined by Simone Stanley (Plan Tracker) to ground...
Waves don’t just shape shorelines; they shape people. From the heart of the Bondi Pavilion, we sit down with surf pioneer Brenda Miley to explore how a borrowed van, a teacher’s eye, and a stubborn belief in visibility for women turned Let’s Go Surfing into a community pillar across Bondi, Maroubra, Byron Bay, and Ballina. Brenda opens up about those first uncertain years, the leap from car park co...
What if the habits that win America’s Cup races are the same ones that power safer, long‑range drones? We sit down with engineer and founder Dario Valenza of Carbonix to trace a line from elite yacht design to fixed‑wing VTOL aircraft that are redefining aerial data capture across pipelines, power lines, mines and coastlines.
Dario unpacks the performance mindset forged in sport: clarity under pressure, ruthles...
What if success starts with generosity, not the other way around? We sit down with entrepreneur and mentor Shane Muller to explore how people-first leadership builds cultures that last, grows B and C players into A players, and turns good ideas into systems with real human impact. From coding a payroll program at ten to building a “cloud” company in 1999, Shane shows how reframing problems around service...
What happens when rehabilitation is guided by evidence, clarity, and care — rather than assumption or delay?
In this episode of Engaging Conversations, Leon Goltsman is joined by Dr Faisal Sheikh from Nepean Advanced Rehab & Allied Health Centre to explore a rehabilitation model that centres on dignity, transparency, and measurable outcomes.
Drawing on Faisal’s background in public health, governance, ...
Start with the truth: some seasons don’t end with easy optimism. We chose to pause after the Bondi tragedy, to listen rather than rush to fill the air. That decision reshaped our compass for a new year. We return with a clearer purpose, conversations that strengthen communities, lift values-based leadership, and trade hot takes for human connection.
Across 18 months and more than 50 interviews, we&rsquo...
A flood zone you didn’t check. An insurance premium you didn’t price. A lender policy you didn’t read until auction day. We sat down by Lake Macquarie with buyer’s advocate Deb Worthington to map a safer path through the property maze and to spark a bigger conversation about community, trust, and time.
Deb restarted her career at 58 after decades in hospitality and mortgage broking, gu...
The background laughter wasn’t noise; it was the cue. Recorded in Paddington, surrounded by young people finding their voice. Sitting down with technologist and board member Zina Kaye to dig into a simple truth: curiosity becomes courage when you ship small experiments and listen hard.
Zina takes us from the gritty origins of early compression tech to present-day AI, banking, and sustainability projects...
What if plan management felt human, transparent, and genuinely helpful from day one? We sat down with Simone Stanley from Plan Tracker to explore how a people-first approach can transform the NDIS from a maze into a map. Simone’s story begins at home, shaped by a family journey through surgeries, mobility challenges, and the quiet strength of carers. That experience drives a simple mission: empower participant...
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