Unleashing Brilliance

Janine Garner

If you've been following this podcast from the beginning, we will have explored together the stories and insights of incredible individuals who have reached that magical tipping point of moving from striving to being in flow. Over a hundred episodes have featured interviews with inspiring business owners, philanthropists, thought leaders and game changers. The wisdom shared by these amazing guests became the foundation for my third bestselling book, Be Brilliant. However, along this journey, something interesting happened. Many of you have reached out and asked for more. More of my story, more of my business journey and more of what I have learnt. Surprisingly, there has also been a demand for more solo episodes. Although it’s much easier to put the spotlight on someone else, I’ve decided to take the advice of a wise individual who once told me to "do it scared." So here I am, doing it scared, with a simple intention to serve you by sharing what I have learnt. Buckle up, my friends. It’s going to be a wild ride as I share the messy, beautiful journey of how I got where I am. Here's to doing it scared. Here’s to the unexpected. And here's to unleashing the brilliance within each and every single one of us.

  1. May 12

    The Art of Influence – Unlocking Your Voice for Impact

    The Art of Influence – Unlocking Your Voice for Impact Discover how high achievers can craft their messages with authenticity, precision, and influence. Remona Moodley shares her journey from engineer to world-class speaker, emphasising that influence is rooted in authentic packaging and confident delivery. In this episode: Remona's non-linear journey from engineering to Miss World to executive coachingThe common challenge high achievers face: translating expertise into influenceThe importance of packaging insights compellingly for maximum impactLessons learned from pageants about confidence, presence, and storytellingThe significance of authentic self-expression in influencing othersThe pitfalls of overreliance on AI and superficial self-presentationPractical strategies for preparing speeches and delivering with confidenceThe "valley of doom" phenomenon in speech prep and how to overcome itThe analogy of the artist vs. handyman in high achievers' approach to problem-solvingRamona’s passion for empowering smart, insightful individuals to amplify their voices Timestamps: 00:00 - Introduction: Unlocking influence through voice and impact 00:12 - Remona's inspiring journey across diverse fields 01:22 - The common thread: belief in possibility and love for learning 02:43 - The importance of continuous learning and curiosity 03:33 - Creating opportunities by taking initiative 04:14 - Why high achievers struggle with influence 04:50 - Remona’s childhood influence and the desire for influence 06:25 - The role of packaging insights effectively 07:40 - Lessons from pageants: presence, conviction, delivery 09:48 - The passion behind Remona’s work and why influence matters 10:30 - The challenge of smart people undervaluing their message 11:56 - Understanding "package" vs. "packaging" 13:16 - The importance of concise, structured communication in today's world 14:50 - Mistakes in packaging and standing out in a noisy environment 16:00 - The overreliance on AI and maintaining human connection 17:06 - The concept of executive presence beyond superficial traits 19:10 - The importance of authentic, confident delivery and preparation 20:18 - The "valley of doom" in speech prep and overcoming overthinking 21:15 - Anchoring messages in the body for authentic delivery 22:27 - Remona’s experience in a global speaking competition 23:08 - Practicing beyond comfort zones to build confidence 24:52 - Shifting focus from self to service, letting go of ego 25:25 - Building influence begins with self-relationship 27:11 - From artist to handyman: a reframe for high achievers’ approach to problem-solving 29:22 - Remona’s driving motivation: empowering problem solvers to unlock solutions 30:47 - Final thoughts: Why not you? The power of possibility Resources & Links: Remona Moodley’s Website Connect with Remona: LinkedIn

    34 min
  2. Mar 17

    From Invisible to Unstoppable: Menopause, Midlife & the Leadership Edge with Karen Stein

    What if the stage of life most women are quietly suffering through is actually their leadership superpower? In this episode, Janine sits down with Karen Stein — executive coach, keynote speaker, author of Be Your Own Leadership Coach, and certified Menopause Champion — for an honest, commercial, and deeply needed conversation about menopause in the workplace. With over 500 million women of menopausal age currently in the workforce, and 80% experiencing symptoms that affect how they think, feel, and function, Karen argues this is not a personal issue to leave at the office door. It's a leadership issue — and a business one. In this episode, you'll discover: Why the most urgent thing leaders need to bring right now is calmness, hope, and possibility — especially in a world of complexity and uncertaintyThe philosophy behind Karen's book Be Your Own Leadership Coach — and why she wrote it so that anyone (regardless of access or budget) can carry coaching strategies in their "virtual backpack" every dayWhat it really means to lead with kindness — and why mattering is more powerful than belongingThe truth about midlife cognition — why your fifties are actually your cognitive peak (despite what advertising tells you)Karen's "Mad About Menopause" framework — covering mindset, community, and education — and how she's bringing men into this conversation tooHer group coaching program Peri Pathways and the remarkable confidence shifts she's witnessed in participantsThe powerful reframe: your lived experience is not a liability — it's your positioning, your wisdom, and your competitive edgePractical advice for any woman quietly navigating this stage of life: how to move from feeling invisible and fearful to feeling connected, clear, and confident Resources mentioned: 📖 Be Your Own Leadership Coach by Karen SteinKaren's group coaching program: Peri Pathways Karen is a Menopause Champion, and Certified Menopause and Executive Coach, focused on normalising menopause at work. She is passionate about being "M.A.D" about menopause to make a difference in the workplace. Karen supports organisations to address a critical, often overlooked life stage impacting wellbeing, leadership, engagement and retention. She draws on her depth of leadership experience formerly as a partner of 24 years at Deloitte, and her Masters in Coaching Psychology to help leaders and teams build menopause-aware, inclusive and sustainable workplaces. Most importantly, she supports those working through perimenopause and menopause to thrive through their careers as their best or better selves. Karen does so through her MenoMindset Executive Coaching program, her PeriPathways Group Coaching Program and her MAD about Menopause keynotes and workshops. Links : https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-stein-coaching/ www.karensteincoaching.com karensteincoaching@gmail.com Special offer $100 discount on all of my menopause related programs (coaching, keynotes and workshops) until 30 June 2026 by mentioning "Janine Garner" when making a booking. Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind

    39 min
  3. 11/12/2025

    Intuition as Your Edge: Smarter Leadership with Chandu Bickford

    Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram or email: support@janinegarner.com.au  Spreadsheets tell you what is, but intuition whispers what's next. And that whisper is worth more than any data point you'll ever analyse. Most leaders ignore their built-in strategy engine because we've been taught to trust everything except ourselves. We outsource our knowing to consultants, frameworks and endless analysis when the answer is often sitting right there in that gut feeling we keep dismissing. The real rebel move? Stop outsourcing your knowing and turn that gut flicker, that shower thought, that 3 AM wake-up moment into one precise step you can defend in the boardroom. My guest today is the incredible Chandu Bickford, who helps leaders, individuals and organisations navigate pressure with clarity. We're diving into how to make intuition practical, why it matters now more than ever and how using intuition instead of anxiety leads to better decisions and transformational outcomes. Chandu shares her own journey with intuition that began 30 years ago with a life-altering nudge to go to Africa, completely impractical at the time, but a move that became a transformative adventure in teaching her to trust that quiet inner voice. We explore how the noise of the modern world drowns out intuitive whispers, leaving us reactive instead of intentional and why creating moments of quiet is essential for clarity. Chandu talks about her time living in a remote Tanzanian village, where she learnt invaluable lessons about leadership, resilience and adaptability that she now shares with leaders tired of running on empty and ready to lead from a place of clarity. Chandu encourages a simple practice: pause, breathe deeply and ask yourself "What would I love?" This question, posed in tranquillity, can unlock incredible insights you didn't even know were there. We invite you to explore this intuitive path and let your intuition be the hidden advantage in your leadership toolkit, because life's best decisions are often the ones whispered by that inner compass we've been trained to ignore. LINKS: Connect with Chandu: Website: https://chandubickford.com/  Instagram: @chandubickford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chandu-bickford-9b85a6141/  Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine The Focus Finder Assessment Website |  Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind

    42 min
  4. 11/05/2025

    Being Ghosted? How To Turn Silence into Momentum

    Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram or email: support@janinegarner.com.au  Let’s talk about that all-too-familiar business gut punch: you send a killer proposal, wait for the “yes” and get nothing but radio silence. Ghosting. It’s frustrating, it’s awkward and it can leave you questioning your value. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to slash your prices or chase after people who aren’t ready. You just need a smarter way to turn that silence into your next opportunity. The GHOST Framework: Your Comeback PlanIn this episode, I share how to respond when you get ghosted without losing your cool or your confidence. Meet the GHOST framework: G: Give the Magic Pill H: Humanise the Follow Up O: Offer a Quick Win S: Set Decision Gates T: Take Back Your Power Silence Isn’t Rejection—It’s Data Ghosting isn’t a verdict on your worth. It’s just information. By showing up with clarity, boundaries and a focus on real outcomes, you can turn that silence into stronger client relationships. Remember, you are not here to chase and convince people to work with you. You are in the business of partnership.  Here’s your challenge for this week: reach out to someone who’s gone quiet with a “Yes, No, or Not Now” message. Celebrate any response because clarity is always a win. And if this episode hits home, share it with someone who needs a boost. You’ve got the skills to turn silence into your next big success.  LINKS: Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine The Focus Finder Assessment Website |  Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind

    25 min
  5. 10/29/2025

    How to Tell Brilliant Stories in a World Obsessed with AI with Gabrielle Dolan

    Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram or email: support@janinegarner.com.au  Every conversation these days seems to revolve around Artificial Intelligence: chatbots, deep fakes and whether robots will take over our jobs (or even our souls!). Yet amidst the technical cacophony, there's a crucial narrative that's often missed: the timeless art of storytelling. How do we cut through the chaos to make meaningful connections when the personal is getting overshadowed by the automated? I sit down with Gabrielle Dolan, storytelling expert, bestselling author, and dear friend, to explore her newest book Story Intelligence and discuss mastering the craft of authentic storytelling amidst the buzz of AI. Gabrielle passionately argues that while AI can mimic and generate content, it cannot replace the uniqueness of our lived experiences, personal voices and those charming quirks that define us. We explore how AI should be viewed as a creative ally rather than a replacement, helping us find and refine stories without overshadowing our authentic voice. The aim isn't bland uniformity but leveraging AI to amplify our personal truths, especially for entrepreneurs, CEOs and anyone looking to foster deeper connections. The world is rife with distrust across government, organisations, and media, which means authentic storytelling is more crucial than ever. Gabrielle's work reaffirms that our stories are our most powerful assets for building trust and influence, offering realness in a world of manufactured content. LINKS: Connect with Gabrielle Book: Story Intelligence: The Craft of Authentic Storytelling, Made Smarter with AI Website: https://gabrielledolan.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielledolan/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielledolan.1/  Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine The Focus Finder Assessment Website |  Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind

    38 min
  6. 10/15/2025

    Red Brick Thinking: How to make space, find focus & move forward

    Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram or email: support@janinegarner.com.au  Drowning in obligations, tasks and responsibilities that multiply faster than you can clear them? We've been taught to solve problems by adding more - more effort, more resources, more systems. But what if the answer is actually subtraction?  I recently sat down with Donna McGeorge, keynote speaker and bestselling author obsessed with helping people reclaim time and space for what really matters. She's written 15 books (five of them bestsellers), her ideas have appeared in Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Fast Company, and she's known for cutting through corporate waffle with sharp truths and practical frameworks. We discussed her latest book Red Brick Thinking and what she shared completely shifted how I think about problem-solving. Donna shares her famous Lego bridge exercise that reveals why we're approaching problems all wrong, and introduces the concept of "addition bias", the tendency that's keeping us overwhelmed despite our best efforts. She explains why creating space doesn't mean doing more, and what we need to let go of instead. We explore the three types of red bricks weighing us down in business and life, and how identifying them creates room for what actually matters. Donna walks through the shift from asking "What can we add?" to a question that changes everything about how you prioritise and make decisions. If you're consumed by busyness, this conversation is your permission slip to stop adding and start subtracting. The space you create might just reveal the opportunities you've been missing. LINKS: Connect with Donna: Website: https://donnamcgeorge.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnamcgeorge/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dmcgeorge/ Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine The Focus Finder Assessment Website |  Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind

    36 min
  7. 10/08/2025

    What HYROX Taught Me About Business: The 5-Minute Shift That Changed Everything

    Submit your Question: Spotify - click the button below. All other platforms - send me a DM on Instagram or email: support@janinegarner.com.au  Picture this: 8:00 AM on a Saturday, I'm standing in eye-popping hot pink gear about to tackle the HYROX fitness challenge for the second time with my daughter Taya. But this isn't a fitness story. It's about what happened when we finished five minutes faster than our first attempt, and what that taught me about business. The lesson hit me somewhere between the rowing station and the sled push: we didn't get faster by completely changing our approach. We got faster by refining what already worked. Today we’re exploring why brilliant business owners keep questioning their direction despite smashing results, and why we're obsessed with reinventing the wheel instead of doubling down on what's working. I see this constantly with the women I coach: clients are thrilled, revenue is growing, yet they're still questioning whether they should pivot. Not because something's broken, but because consistency feels too simple. Your business breakthrough isn't hiding in some brand-new strategy you haven't discovered yet. The question is: are you ready to commit to what's already working, or are you going to keep chasing the next shiny object? Your five-minute shift is waiting. LINKS: Connect with Janine: Elevate with Janine The Focus Finder Assessment Website |  Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube Mentioned in this episode: Apply to our Elevate Mastermind Elevate Mastermind

    18 min
4.5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

If you've been following this podcast from the beginning, we will have explored together the stories and insights of incredible individuals who have reached that magical tipping point of moving from striving to being in flow. Over a hundred episodes have featured interviews with inspiring business owners, philanthropists, thought leaders and game changers. The wisdom shared by these amazing guests became the foundation for my third bestselling book, Be Brilliant. However, along this journey, something interesting happened. Many of you have reached out and asked for more. More of my story, more of my business journey and more of what I have learnt. Surprisingly, there has also been a demand for more solo episodes. Although it’s much easier to put the spotlight on someone else, I’ve decided to take the advice of a wise individual who once told me to "do it scared." So here I am, doing it scared, with a simple intention to serve you by sharing what I have learnt. Buckle up, my friends. It’s going to be a wild ride as I share the messy, beautiful journey of how I got where I am. Here's to doing it scared. Here’s to the unexpected. And here's to unleashing the brilliance within each and every single one of us.

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