Humans of Purpose

In this episode, Jan Owen reflects on her journey - from setting up illegal drop-in centres in Brisbane to pioneering Australia's first lived experience advocacy organisations. She unpacks how philanthropy evolved from government funding to innovative impact investing, revealing surprising shifts in funding models that continue to influence social change. You'll discover why informal community networks are as vital today as ever, a...

To premiere Season 2 of the Humans of Purpose Podcast, Mel sits down with Josh Ross from Humanitix. Josh Ross walked away from a hedge fund partnership at 26, turned down a lucrative career, and co-founded one of Australia's most radical companies with his best friend. Humanitix is an online event ticketing platform with one extraordinary difference:...

My guest this week is Rachel Ball, CEO of the Reichstein Foundation, where she works at the forefront of social, economic, and environmental justice through collaborative philanthropy and systems-level change.

Rachel’s path into this work was shaped early. Growing up in Sydney in a family grounded in education, and later experiencing global inequality firsthand during a Rotary exchange in Brazil, she developed a deep commitme...

My guest this week is Amanda Cahill, CEO of The Next Economy, where she works with regional communities across Australia to support a rapid, responsible, and fair transition away from fossil fuels.

Amanda has spent more than 15 years working at the intersection of community, climate, and economic development. Her work focuses on helping regions navigate complex change, ensuring that as industries shift, people and communities are n...

This week Melanie Greblo and Colleague Bella Borello,

Two purpose-driven leaders at Humans of Purpose, working at the intersection of storytelling, marketing, and social impact.

In this episode, Melanie and Bella step into a different format, a shared conversation rather than a traditional interview exploring what it really means for organisations to communicate purpose in a way that is honest, credible, and impactful.

Best known f...

My guest this week is Charlie Syme — a marketing strategist, founder of Pigface Marketing, and chair of the Common Ground Project, working at the intersection of marketing, creativity, and social impact.

Charlie’s work is grounded in a simple but powerful idea: marketing should be a force for good. Through Pigface Marketing, they partner with purpose-driven organisations, B Corps, and social enterprises to help them con...

My guest this week is Meghal Shah — CEO of Action on Poverty, an Australian international development organisation focused on tackling global poverty through innovative, scalable solutions.

Meghal brings an unusual perspective to the social sector. Originally trained as a chartered accountant, he began his career in the corporate world at PwC and Commonwealth Bank before making a bold pivot into purpose-driven work. His hypot...

My guest this week is Bruce Maynard — a leading voice in regenerative agriculture and landscape restoration in Australia, known for pushing beyond “doing less harm” and into farming systems that actively rebuild nature while still producing food. Bruce shares how his journey into regenerative practice wasn’t just an idealistic shift, it was forged through pressure. In the late 1980s, severe economic hardshi...

My guests this week are Professor Paul Lacaze and Jane Tiller - two leading voices shaping the future of public health genetics in Australia.

Professor Lacaze is a Professor of Genetics and part of the team behind DNA Screen, a major initiative exploring how preventive DNA testing could help identify people at high genetic risk of cancer and heart disease while they’re still young and healthy. Jane Tiller is a lawyer and...

My guest this week is Elizabeth Tyler - co-founder and CEO of good.film, a visionary platform using film and television as a catalyst for connection, empathy, and meaningful conversation in an increasingly fragmented world. Through good.film, she works at the intersection of storytelling, social impact, and community-centred engagement, helping audiences discover movies and shows that resonate with their values and spark real-world...

My guest this week is Jon Yeo - a highly respected speaker coach, communication expert, and founder of Brightstar Consulting & Coaching, where he works at the intersection of strategic communication, influence, and leadership development. Jon’s work focuses on helping individuals, leaders, and organisations craft messages that resonate, build trust, and foster deeper engagement in both in-person and virtual settings.

Best...

My guests this week are Damon Gameau, Hannah Diviney, Doug Cronin, and Hani Abdile - together, they explore storytelling as a force for cultural change, unpacking who gets to speak, whose voices are amplified, and how stories shape the futures we imagine.

Damon Gameau is an actor and filmmaker known for his work mobilising audiences around climate, regeneration, and systems change. He reflects on why data alone cannot shift culture...

My guest this week is Dr Darren Morton - a leading health and wellbeing expert, academic, and founder of The Lift Project, where he works at the intersection of evidence-based science, mental health, and human flourishing. Darren’s work focuses on helping individuals, leaders, and organisations build resilience, energy, and sustainable wellbeing in an increasingly demanding world.

Best known for his research and teaching in l...

My guest this week is Kurt Gruber - Co-founder and Managing Director of Worldview Foundation and WV Technologies, where he leads a social enterprise creating meaningful employment opportunities for Indigenous youth while tackling e-waste and environmental sustainability. Kurt’s work transforms discarded technology into valuable resources, providing pathways to skills, jobs, and empowerment for young Australians.

In this conve...

My guest this week is Kylea Tink - CEO of Foodbank Australia, former Independent MP, social impact leader, and one of the country’s most determined advocates for ending food insecurity. Kylea’s work goes far beyond food relief, it shines a light on the structural inequities that push Australians into hunger in the first place.

She’s best known for her leadership across politics, nonprofits and community mobilisati...

My guest this week is Michael Stuart - Impact & Data Manager at Social Traders, and one of the leading voices pushing Australia’s social enterprise sector toward a more evidence-driven future.

Michael has spent more than a decade helping organisations make sense of their data, and today, he oversees how Social Traders captures, measures, and interprets impact across hundreds of enterprises. His work sits at the intersecti...

My guest this week is Kurt Avery - Founder & President of Sawyer, a global impact organisation transforming access to clean water. Kurt’s work isn’t just about providing solutions; it’s about rethinking what’s possible in humanitarian aid and public health.

He’s best known for pioneering water filtration technology that can last up to 10 years, helping entire villages gain safe, reliable drinking w...

My guest this week is Sarah Clarke - Group GM, Sustainability at Mirvac, where she leads the award-winning ESG strategy This Changes Everything. Sarah also serves as Deputy Chair of Cladding Safety Victoria and formerly chaired Homes Victoria’s $5b+ social housing investment -driving impact across climate, equity, and governance.

In this conversation, we explore how Sarah embeds purpose and sustainability at scale, why ESG is...

My guest this week is Cat Longshaw - Co-founder and CEO at Trace, one of Australia’s fastest-growing climate tech companies helping businesses measure, reduce and report their carbon emissions.

Cat has built trace into a trusted partner for organisations navigating the rising expectations - and increasing requirements - around climate accountability. Her work sits at the intersection of technology, behaviour change and busine...