FIRST MOVERS with Yas London

Yas London

First Movers with Yas London is a podcast for women exploring #technology, #leadership, and #society, and the ideas and forces shaping our future. Through candid conversations with people challenging outdated systems and shaping the environments around them, Yas uncovers the tensions, truths, and possibilities hiding in plain sight. Because what we make visible shapes what others believe is possible. Watch, listen, subscribe — and become a #firstmover

  1. 4 hrs ago

    Speaking Up Has A Cost. So Does Staying Silent - with Jo Tarnawsky

    Jo Tarnawsky ran one of the most powerful offices in Australian politics: Chief of Staff to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, after twenty years as a diplomat in postings from Iraq to Zimbabwe to India. Then she raised a bullying complaint. Within weeks she was locked out of her own office. Five months later she stood in front of the cameras and asked for an apology. When it didn't come, she sued the Deputy Prime Minister, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, and the Commonwealth, reaching a confidential settlement in one of the most significant workplace cases in recent Australian political history. We talk about what it actually costs to speak up inside a system built on discretion and power, why women are statistically more likely than men to face consequences for raising concerns, what moral injury really means, and what she tells the women who message her at midnight asking what they should do. Please note: No adverse finding was made against any party in this matter, and the settlement is confidential. Connect with Yas London: Website: www.yasminlondon.com Instagram: @_yaslondon_ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmin-london/ Connect with Jo Tarnawsky: Website and resources https://www.jotarnawsky.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-t-94568417a/ Want more strategies to become a First Mover? My book, First Movers: Courageous Leadership for a Human Future in the AI Era out September 2026. Reference material:Kintsugi Heroes: https://www.kintsugiheroes.com.au/Future Females Australia: https://futurefemalesaustralia.com.au/ Set the Standard report (Kate Jenkins, Australian Human Rights Commission): https://humanrights.gov.au/resource-hub/human-rights/set-standard-2021

  2. 3 Aug

    Wired to Fail: How the Digital Workplace Was Built Against You with Dr Kristy Goodwin

    You’re optimising with AI. You're hitting your KPIs. You look like you're killing it. But behind the scenes it’s a different story. Dr Kristy Goodwin calls it the success tax - and in this episode, she makes the case that high-performing women in the digital world are paying it with their health, their relationships, and their biology. Every. Single. Day. Kristy is one of Australia's leading researchers on performance, technology, and the brain. She's the expert behind the concept of digital presenteeism, and the Focus Quotient - and she's had her own code-red burnout moment that changed everything she thought she knew about how we work. In this conversation, Yas and Kristy go deep on: → Why we have a Palaeolithic brain trying to run 2026 software - and what that mismatch is actually costing us → The success tax: what high-performing women are paying to stay in the game (and why the bill always arrives at the worst time) → Why meditation, sleep hygiene, and wellness apps aren't working - and what to do instead → AI, cognitive debt, and why your brain might be quietly atrophying while you bot-sit → What deep work actually requires (and why leaders are getting it wrong) Plus: Kristy's code-red hospital story. The CEO who made $25M from a surf session. And the line that will stop you mid-scroll: "success was never supposed to feel like burnout in a designer blazer." This is not a conversation about self-care. It's a conversation about the system - and what it's going to take to change it. Follow Yas on Instagram @_yaslondon_ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yasmin-london/ Website: yasminlondon.com Email: hello@yasminlondon.com Follow Dr Kristy Goodwin on Instagram: @drkristy  Subscribe to the First Movers Podcast on this channel so you never miss an episode #burnout #highperformance #womenleadership #successtax #digitalwellbeing #productivity #AI #womenwhowork #firstmoverspodcast #kristygoodwin #podcast

  3. 14 July

    Raised Ready: The Hidden Cost of Being the Girl Everyone Could Count On

    I was hosting a leadership conference. Senior women. CEOs, founders, executives. Ruth Limkin asked one question -"How many of you are the eldest child?" - and 85% of the room put their hands up. That's not a quirky data point. That's a pattern worth pulling apart. This episode is about the conditioning that shapes high-achieving women long before they ever step into a boardroom. The identity that gets built around reliability. And the specific ways that wiring — combined with the demands of career, family, and everything in between — becomes a very direct route to running on empty. I get into the signs (including the ones that hide behind achievement), the systems that exploited those traits, and practical steps that don't involve vague advice about self-care. The Banyans Healthcare: thebanyans.com.auRuth Limkin / The Banyans research on professional burnout and alcohol use trendsResearch on birth order and leadership (eldest child studies)Research: 90% of female CEOs played competitive sport Connect with Yas London: Website: yasminlondon.com Instagram: @yaslondon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmin-london/

  4. 29 June

    Abuse With a Glow Up: How Everyday Technology Has Become the New Weapon of Control

    ⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode contains references to domestic abuse, coercive control, and family violence. What if the most dangerous weapon in a domestic abuser's hands isn't a fist — but your bank account? In this episode, Yas London sits down with Catherine Fitzpatrick, CEO of Flequity Ventures and Australia's leading expert on financial abuse and technology-facilitated domestic violence. Catherine spent nearly a decade as a senior bank executive before uncovering a disturbing pattern: everyday products — bank accounts, insurance policies, smart devices, utility bills — being weaponised as tools of coercive control. In this conversation, you'll learn: — How bank transfer descriptions are being used as weapons of harassment and surveillance — Why 51% of Australians will experience technology-facilitated abuse in their lifetime — What Safety By Design means — and why most companies still aren't doing it — How AI is both the problem and the solution in financial abuse detection — What you can do right now, whether you're a business leader or an individual If something feels off in your relationship with money or technology, this episode will give you language, clarity, and a clear next step. Catherine Fitzpatrick | Flequity Ventures: https://flequity.au Learn about Design to Disrupt: https://designedtodisrupt.au Respect & Protect Campaign (check if your company has signed up): https://respectandprotect.au/ 1800RESPECT (National domestic violence support line): 1800 737 732 | www.1800respect.org.au Connect with Yas London: Website: yasminlondon.com Instagram: @_yaslondon_ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yasminlondon "What we make visible shapes what others believe is possible."

  5. 16 June

    The Price of Being Visible Online

    What do online abuse, the boardroom, and elite sport have in common — when it comes to women? The same system, playing out in different venues. And in this episode I'm making the case for exactly what that system is, what it costs, and why the organisations that say they want more women at the top are often the last ones to see it happening on their watch. The pipeline isn't broken. It's being blocked. First Movers: Courageous Leadership for a Human Future in the AI Era — out August 2026. Connect with Yas London: Website: www.yasminlondon.com  Instagram: @_yaslondon_  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yasmin-london/ UN Women: Making Every Woman and Girl Safe in the Digital World (2024)UNESCO: Online Violence Against Women Journalists reportInter-Parliamentary Union: Sexism, Harassment and Violence Against Women in Parliaments in the World (2025)eSafety Commissioner Australia: Women in Leadership and Online Abuse reportDeakin University: Online Abuse of Australian Elite Sportswomen (2024)IOC / World Athletics: Paris 2024 Online Safety ProgrammeSafe Work Australia: Guide to the Code of Practice — Managing Psychosocial Hazards at Work

  6. 1 June

    The $36 Billion Variable: What Body Image Is Really Costing Women at Work with Taryn Brumfitt

    What if the single biggest invisible barrier to women's performance at work has nothing to do with strategy, leadership, or culture? Taryn Brumfitt - 2023 Australian of the Year, founder of the Embrace Collective, and one of the world's leading voices on body image - calls it the hidden variable in performance. And it's costing Australian businesses $36 billion a year. In this episode, Yas London and Taryn go deep on why body image belongs in every workplace conversation - and what leaders, teams, and individuals can do right now to change it. You'll hear why women are turning off their cameras in meetings and what it's really costing them, the surprising link between height, salary and workplace bias, the simple Do-Ra! framework for taming self-doubt and backing yourself, and why every single one of Taryn's greatest career achievements - Harvard, the White House, 200 million people across 190 countries - happened only after she learned to embrace her body. If you've ever held back in a meeting, stayed quiet when you should have spoken up, or turned your camera off because of how you felt about yourself - this one's for you. Subscribe so you never miss a First Mover: https://www.youtube.com/@FirstMoversCo Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/1yb04I1... https://podcasts.apple.com/zm/podcast... Embrace Collective: theembracehub.com Embrace Kids film:https://theembracehub.com/see-the-film/ Embrace at Work: https://www.bodyimagemovement.com/embracework/ Connect with Taryn Brumfitt: Instagram: @tarynbrumfitt Connect with Yas London: Website: yasminlondon.com Instagram: @_yaslondon_ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/yasminlondon "What we make visible shapes what others believe is possible."

  7. 6 Apr

    When Capability Becomes a Cage: The Psychology of High-Functioning Women

    When Capability Becomes a Cage:The Psychology of High-Functioning Women Why sustainable success starts beneath the surface In this episode of the First Movers podcast, Cassie Roma and Yasmin London sit down with clinical psychologist Rajna Bogdanovic to unpack the truth about high-functioning women in leadership and the hidden toll of chronic stress, over-functioning, and hyper-independence. Throughout this conversation we learn to hold a very modern paradox: the same traits that make women exceptional leaders, reliable teammates, and high performers… are often the very traits that drive chronic stress, emotional suppression, and burnout. We explore what high functioning actually means through a clinical lens, and why so many women are operating at full capacity externally while quietly depleting internally. This isn’t a conversation about doing less. It’s about understanding what’s really driving how you show up, and whether it’s helping you thrive… or just helping you cope. What We Cover The clinical definition of high functioning and why it’s often misunderstood The difference between sustainable performance and survival mode How hyper-independence and over-functioning are formed (and why they’re so hard to unlearn) The hidden impact of chronic stress and allostatic load on the brain and body Why high-performing women are more vulnerable to burnout than they appear The role of neurodiversity in performance, pressure, and self-regulation Early warning signs your “capability” is tipping into cost Practical ways to build psychological safety, regulate your nervous system, and lead with sustainability

    When Capability Becomes a Cage: The Psychology of High-Functioning Women

  8. 23 Mar

    Unmasking the Influence Economy: How Super Influencers and Self-Help Gurus Shape Society and Identity at Scale

    What happens when influence stops being content… and starts becoming culture? In this episode of First Movers, Yasmin London and Cassie Roma peel back the algorithm (and the big business of influence) to explore the rise of the super influencer — the creators shaping how we think, who we trust, and who we believe we should become. From the $250B creator economy to the tiny fraction of voices dominating global attention, this conversation dives into how influence is no longer just social media — it’s media empires, belief systems, and identity blueprints. We unpack the psychology of parasocial relationships (why strangers online can feel like trusted friends), and take a closer look at the darker edges of influence — including insights from Louis Theroux’s exploration of the manosphere, where young men are being targeted with “alpha male” narratives that distort power, relationships, and masculinity. But this isn’t a fear story It’s a discernment story. Because in a world of loud opinions and curated certainty, the real power lies in knowing how to think — not just what to think. ✨ Borrow the spark, don’t copy the fire. ✨  This episode is an invitation to stay curious, question what you consume, and build an identity that is chosen — not decided by an algorithm. KEY TAKE-AWAYS: The rise of the creator economy and “super influencers” How influence has evolved into ideology, community, and commerce The psychology behind parasocial relationships The impact of the manosphere on young men and gender narratives How misinformation spreads (and why it sticks) Tools for critical thinking and media literacy Reclaiming identity in a world telling you who to be Influence today isn’t just attention — it’s power A small percentage of creators hold outsized cultural control Parasocial trust can blur the line between guidance and manipulation Young people are particularly vulnerable to identity-shaping content Media literacy is no longer optional — it’s a life skill You don’t need to copy someone else’s path to be powerful

    Unmasking the Influence Economy: How Super Influencers and Self-Help Gurus Shape Society and Identity at Scale
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About

First Movers with Yas London is a podcast for women exploring #technology, #leadership, and #society, and the ideas and forces shaping our future. Through candid conversations with people challenging outdated systems and shaping the environments around them, Yas uncovers the tensions, truths, and possibilities hiding in plain sight. Because what we make visible shapes what others believe is possible. Watch, listen, subscribe — and become a #firstmover

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