Pak Chat

Blake Thorn
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Pak Chat is a weekly long-form podcast hosted by Blake Thorn. Blake is a Top 20 mortgage broker nationally and co-director of Auspak Home Loans, family-owned in Sydney since 1998. Each episode, Blake sits down with people who have actually built something in Australian property, business, sport and performance. Real lessons, honest conversations, and the complex made simple. If you work for yourself or want to build something of your own, Pak Chat is for you. New episodes weekly.

  1. Sep 18

    #23 - Tim Veron: From zero to $1 million in revenue in 90 days

    Tim Veron looked fit until a blood test showed prediabetes. That shock pulled him into continuous glucose monitoring, then into building Vively, the Sydney metabolic health platform behind CGMs, deep blood work, and a membership health team. Tim Veron is Founder and CEO of Vively. In this Episode: How oats and an oat milk latte sent his glucose on a rollercoaster, and how months of changes moved him out of the pre-diabetes rangeWhat Vively’s CGM program actually is: about two weeks on the arm, meal photos, and context from sleep, exercise, stress and moreThe baseline health check: over 70 markers across ten areas, aimed at optimal ranges rather than sick-or-notBuying Natural Therapy Pages in 2020, vendor finance on a business losing about $1 million a year, and no personal income for the first couple of yearsLaunching Vively’s CGM offer, about 20,000 on the waitlist, and zero to about $1 million in revenue within 2 to 3 monthsWhy he says the real bottleneck is decision making, how AI supports practitioners, and how he thinks about GLP-1s inside a holistic planCHAPTERS0:00 Welcome: Tim Veron, Vively1:40 Fit, triathlons, then prediabetes3:05 Oats, oat milk lattes, glucose spikes5:08 Making CGM usable beyond diabetes6:21 How the Vively CGM program works9:07 Sushi surprises and behaviour change9:54 Baseline health check: 70+ markers15:36 Insurers, Bupa, and prevention17:37 Pre-primary care outside the clinic19:41 Over 95% with a marker out of range21:46 Acquiring Natural Therapy Pages25:28 Zero to $1 million in 2 to 3 months27:22 20,000 on the waitlist, then education30:53 $99 membership and your health team34:35 AI, decision making, real bottleneck39:04 Vendor finance on a loss-making buy42:10 No income for two years49:24 Co-founder Michael: roles and debate53:24 Worried well, normal is not optimal57:03 GLP-1s and holistic care1:00:41 You cannot manage what you do not measure1:01:50 How to start with Vively CONNECT WITH TIM VERONWebsite: https://www.vively.com.auInstagram (Tim): https://www.instagram.com/timveron_LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-veron PAK CHATYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pakchatpodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1LW0IWTos5kf3cbVTHZimiApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1811229763Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pakchatpodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pakchatpodcast #pakchat #timveron #vively #healthtech #metabolichealth #cgm #founder #sydney #preventativehealth #glucosemonitoring

  2. Sep 1

    #22 - Oliver Williams: He walked away from nearly a million in commission to build Sunday Salt

    Oliver Williams hit rock bottom on his apartment floor, got sober, and left Sydney real estate to build Sunday Salt. Blake frames the early real-estate run as nearly $1 million in commission in the first year and a half. He talks through fruit baskets in Double Bay, six months without a deal, and a first stock order that jumped from $45,000 to upwards of $200,000. Oliver Williams is Founder, Sunday Salt. In the episode we unpack: How a Bathurst kid with zero leverage chased Gavin Rubinstein with monthly fruit baskets, 5 a.m. gym photos, and streets learned off by heartSix months of hell on the phones, a first deal, then a volume of calls he calls unreasonable not to succeedWaking up on the floor, getting sober, and betting the house on maple-syrup gels with no steviaWhy he would rather the business flop publicly than not do it, and why Australian CPG is a hard raise next to techGels live about six weeks at taping, powder electrolytes still coming, Australia first, then the States CHAPTERS 0:00 Trailer 0:46 Welcome: Olly Williams, Sunday Salt 2:48 Average student, Double Bay, chasing Gavin 4:45 Fruit baskets, 5 a.m. gym, streets off by heart 8:35 The call, six months of hell, first deal 10:08 Volume of calls, Sunday 10 till 412:19 Year three, opening Hunters Hill 13:11 Ego, going off the rails 14:27 Rock bottom, hospital, sober 16:40 Why Sunday Salt 18:29 No stevia, Celtic salt, maple gels 21:41 Launch, email list, 45k to 200k 24:16 Betting the house, fail publicly 26:24 Community, run clubs, premium product 29:18 Mistakes: marketing basics, Canva, copy 33:35 Building in public 37:49 4 to 9 impressions, 40,000 to make a sale 39:45 70-hour weeks and raising capital 46:52 Why raise, CPG versus tech 52:47 Australia first, then the States 56:03 What's in the gels 1:00:38 Sunday Salt, where to find him CONNECT WITH OLIVER Sunday Salt: https://www.sundaysalt.com.au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ollywynnwilliams Sunday Salt Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundaysaltau LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-williams-688432241 PAK CHATYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pakchatpodcast Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1LW0IWTos5kf3cbVTHZimi Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1811229763 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pakchatpodcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pakchatpodcast #pakchat #sundaysalt #oliverwilliams #founder #sydney #realestate #buildinpublic

  3. Aug 24

    #21 - Bree Brown: When You Sell an Agency, You Sell the Rent Roll

    Bree Brown is a New Business Partner at The Agency Surry Hills, talking Sydney property management and leasing while sales have slowed. She prices stock from $600 to $4,500 a week, and walks through why a $3,000 listing that sits two weeks can cost $6,000, why the tenancy ledger beats a glowing reference, and how she personally signed 144 new managements last financial year. The half of real estate that actually holds the value is the property managers behind the rent roll. Bree: https://theagency.com.au/team/bree-brownInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/breebrown_theagency/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bree-brown-0ab0ab168Watch: https://www.youtube.com/@pakchatpodcast

  4. Jul 13

    #20 - Ashton Proctor: Why the People Using AI Will Win, and How to Get Ahead Before the Window Closes

    Australia is at least five years behind America on AI, and Ashton Proctor says that gap is the single biggest opportunity for Australian business owners right now. Ashton, co-founder of Intraflow AI, left his final year of college basketball in San Francisco, deep in Silicon Valley, to build an AI company with his brother. Eighteen months later, Intraflow has built AI agent systems inside more than 100 different industries, from sole traders to 150-person teams. In this episode, Blake and Ashton break down what AI agents actually are, why most businesses get them completely wrong, and what the next five years genuinely look like for anyone building in Australia. He explains the leaking bucket problem, why pouring AI lead generation on top of broken operations destroys your return, and what a business that has done it correctly actually looks like from the inside. He also covers the difference between ChatGPT, Claude and a real agent system, why it was never AI taking jobs but the people using AI, and the vibe coding trap that 80 per cent of people never get past. If you run a business or you are building one, listen to this before you spend another dollar on AI. CHAPTERS (00:00) Intro (00:00) The people using AI win, not AI itself (00:00) ChatGPT vs Claude vs a real AI agent (00:00) The leaking bucket: what to fix before you scale (00:00) It is not AI taking jobs, it is the people using AI (00:00) Vibe coding and the dopamine trap (00:00) Australia is 5 years behind America (00:00) The biggest entrepreneurial moment in history GUEST Ashton Proctor, co-founder of Intraflow AI Website: https://www.intraflow.com.au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intraflow.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonintraflowai/ PAK CHAT Long-form conversations with self-employed operators and founders. New episode every week. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pakchatpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pakchatpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pakchatpodcast Hosted by Blake Thorn.

  5. Jun 23

    #19 - Mark Lang: How to Train Flow State on Demand and Measure It on a Brain Scan

    Flow state isn't a lucky accident. It's a measurable brain state, and Mark Lang can show you the data. Mark spent 25 years leading senior teams in media, tech and AI before he built Executive NeuroPerformance. It came out of a question that follows pretty much every founder I talk to: how do you actually perform at your peak under real pressure, and then recover fast enough to get up and do it again the next day? His answer is a mix of meditation, breathwork and clinical-grade EEG to train flow on demand. Here's the thing that got me. We all track our revenue, our pipeline, our numbers. Almost nobody tracks the one asset that produces all of it, which is your own mind. Mark calls it your operating state, and the wild part is he can actually measure it on a brain scan. This one's a video episode too, so you'll see me strap on the EEG headset and try it live. A few things we get into: - Why most good operators already have the skills, and what's really capping their performance - The paradox of sales: the one thing you obsess over is usually the one thing you can't control - How flow state is trainable and measurable, not some mythical thing only elite athletes get - What 20 minutes of the right protocol can do, and how it locks you in for two to four hours - Why recovering fast matters as much as performing, and how it lets you actually show up at home - How your state is contagious, and the flow-on effect it has on your team and your family - What an EEG actually measures, including something called alpha peak frequency, basically your brain's operating speed Chapters: 00:00:00 Introduction: flow state, and the man who can measure it 00:02:00 25 years in high-pressure sales, and the question that started it 00:04:00 The gap most operators miss: skills are nailed, operating state isn't 00:06:00 A top performer doing $250M a year, and getting back to peak under pressure 00:09:00 What "operating state" actually means 00:10:00 The paradox of sales: control the inputs, not the outcome 00:13:00 Measuring the mind: surveys, EEG and the data 00:18:00 Flow state demystified: why the zone is trainable 00:21:00 Bliss chemistry, and why breathwork is the accelerator 00:24:00 20 minutes in, locked in for hours, and getting home present 00:27:00 Why your operating state is contagious 00:31:00 What you can start doing, and Mark's background 00:36:00 Live demo: the EEG headset and brain operating speed 00:42:00 Ancient techniques meet modern tech, and what's next 00:48:00 Keeping it simple, and where to find Mark About Mark Mark Lang is the founder of Executive NeuroPerformance. He spent 25 years leading senior teams in media, tech and AI before moving into performance neuroscience. He's a qualified Vedic (Transcendental) meditation teacher and breathwork instructor, has been meditating for over a decade, and has taught it for eight years. These days he trains executives, founders and operators to reach flow state on demand using meditation, breathwork and clinical-grade EEG. You'll find him at executiveneuroperformance.com.au and on LinkedIn. About Pak Chat Pak Chat is hosted by Blake Thorn, Director of Auspak Home Loans. Long-form conversations with founders and operators building something real across business, property and growth. New episodes weekly. Watch the full video on Spotify or YouTube, including the EEG demo, or listen on Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Pak Chat so you don't miss the next one.

  6. Jun 7

    #18 - Baber Zaka, GM Third Party Banking: What CBA Really Thinks About Brokers

    Mortgage broker market share is pushing 80 per cent in Australia. But the Commonwealth Bank executive who runs the broker channel rarely sits down and says, on the record, what the bank is actually thinking. CBA's Baber Zaka just did. As General Manager of Third Party Banking at Commonwealth Bank, Baber holds one of the most influential roles in the entire Australian mortgage industry, he controls how CBA, the country's largest lender, works with its broker network. And in this conversation, he's candid in a way bank executives almost never are. Blake and Baber go deep on where broking is actually headed: the consolidation coming for a 22,000-broker industry, the value-proposition shift most brokers haven't prepared for, the truth about broker vs. branch channel conflict, and what CBA is building behind the scenes for 2026 and beyond. If you're a broker, this is a rare chance to hear what the other side of the desk is planning. If you're not, it's a masterclass in reading an industry before it changes. What you'll learn: Why the traditional broker value proposition is about to shift and what replaces it when the back end of a loan becomes a five-minute processCBA's real position on broker vs. branch channel conflict, straight from the sourceThe 22,000-broker stat (and the 22 per cent who are inactive): why consolidation is coming, and what it means for youWhat CBA's platinum tier actually looks like from the insideWhy process consistency - not rate - is what CBA believes winsHow a philosophy student became a Morgan Stanley banker, then GM at Australia's biggest bankCareer advice: why you should apply for the things you don't feel qualified forChapters:00:00:00 Introduction and Baber's background00:00:52 From philosophy degree to investment banking00:02:06 The Virgin Money deal: one analyst, 6,000-person acquisition00:07:17 Leadership lessons from the hard years00:13:27 Why CBA's process consistency wins00:26:25 Channel conflict: broker vs. branch, the real picture00:34:17 Broker consolidation: 22,000 brokers, 22 per cent inactive00:35:07 The future value proposition of a broker00:48:49 CBA's strategy for 2026 and beyond00:53:20 Career advice: find what you actually enjoy Subscribe for new episodes every week: [Pak Chat YouTube link]Listen on the go: Spotify [link], Apple Podcasts [link]Watch next: [related Pak Chat episode] About Baber ZakaBaber Zaka is General Manager of Third Party Banking at Commonwealth Bank, where he leads the broker channel for Australia's largest lender. A graduate of the London School of Economics (Economics and Philosophy), he spent two decades in finance across Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada and Virgin Money before joining CBA, where he held senior roles including Chief Operating Officer of third-party banking. Connect with Baber on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baber-zaka-b059339/ About Pak ChatPak Chat is hosted by Blake Thorn, Director of Auspak Home Loans - long-form conversations with the founders, agents and operators who've built something. New episodes weekly. If you work in or around the mortgage industry, follow Pak Chat and send this one to a broker who needs to hear it.

  7. Jun 1

    #17 - Clay Brodie: 15 Years, Top 1%, and the Next Chapter at WHITEFOX

    Clay Brodie spent 15 years becoming one of the most recognised real estate agents in New South Wales , straight years in Ray White's Chairman's Elite, the top 1% of Australia's biggest network, and director of an office that placed top 10 in the country. Now he's putting all of it behind his boldest move yet: building a new office at WHITEFOX Sydney. At 35, Clay is starting the next chapter from a position of real strength, 15 years of hard-won experience, a personal brand that's outlasted every business card he's printed, and the clarity that comes from doing the work on himself, not just his business. In this conversation, Blake and Clay go deep on what it actually takes to build a long, durable career in sales, not the scripts or the tactics, but the foundation underneath them. They get into why consistency is the only real strategy, why a personal brand compounds for decades, and what it looks like to back yourself completely on something new. What you'll learn: Why your personal brand will always outlast the agency on your business card and how Clay built his before it was obviousWhat 15 years of consistency actually compounds into, and why almost no one stays long enough to find outThe Brodie corner: how he built brand awareness before anyone else had a strategyHow investing in your health and mindset becomes the foundation for your best workWhy the biggest opportunities tend to find you when you're building from a clear, grounded placeWhat's structurally different about WHITEFOX, and why its model changes how agents grow and earnWhat Clay is building in Paddington over the next 12 to 24 monthsAdvice for anyone starting out, or backing themselves on something newChapters: 00:00:00 Introduction and Clay's connection to the Thorns 00:01:39 From rugby to real estate by accident 00:03:42 First years: grinding the phones and building a network 00:08:54 The Brodie corner at East Rugby 00:11:59 Consistency as the foundation of a 15-year career 00:13:42 Building a personal brand before it was obvious 00:16:18 From agent to director: what changes when you lead people 00:20:12 Pressure, mistakes, and learning from both 00:22:59 Mentoring others: what he shares from his own journey 00:24:10 The six-month reset: health, mindset, and a fresh start 00:27:16 How Clay sells now vs. how he sold at 20 00:30:24 Authenticity in sales: connecting before pitching 00:32:30 Recognising when the lifestyle stops serving you 00:34:19 The move to WHITEFOX after 15 years 00:37:43 Ray White vs. WHITEFOX: what's actually different 00:40:31 The collaborative structure that changes how teams earn 00:43:16 Building in Paddington and the next 12–24 months 00:48:22 Passion, legacy, and what he wants his daughters to see 00:50:32 Advice for anyone starting out or backing themselves on something new 00:54:05 How to reach Clay and what's next About Clay Brodie Clay Brodie is Associate Director at WHITEFOX Sydney. A former professional rugby union player who entered real estate in 2009, Clay built a 15-year career at Ray White - top 1% of the network, running an office that consistently placed top 10 nationwide. Find Clay on Instagram @thebrodiegroup and at whitefoxrealestate.com.au.

  8. May 25

    #16 - Adrian Bo: $4 Billion in Property, 6,000 Auctions, and the One Trait That Predicts Sales Success

    37 years. $4 billion in property sold. 6,000 auctions called. 27 consecutive years of 100+ transactions. Adrian Bo is one of the most credentialled sales operators in Australia and the coach behind the top agents at McGrath, Ray White, and beyond. He sits down with Blake Thorn on Pak Chat for one of the most direct conversations on selling, process and team-building you'll hear this year. What you'll learn: The accidental pivot from stockbroking to property — and what 35 years of reading rooms actually teaches youHow the internet rewired real estate in real time, and Adrian's honest read on what AI does to the industry nextThe single trait every top performer Adrian has coached shares — it isn't product knowledge, and most agents have it backwardsWhy affability and rapport out-earn technical expertise in almost every client conversationThe surgeon analogy he uses to teach team leaders what to keep, what to delegate, and what to stop doing todayProcess as a competitive advantage — the pilot's checklist mindset behind every listing he winsWhy most client relationships are dead before the first proper meeting — and the structured "expectation meeting" that fixes itPractical advice for self-employed operators in their 20s and 30s on health, process and closing

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About

Pak Chat is a weekly long-form podcast hosted by Blake Thorn. Blake is a Top 20 mortgage broker nationally and co-director of Auspak Home Loans, family-owned in Sydney since 1998. Each episode, Blake sits down with people who have actually built something in Australian property, business, sport and performance. Real lessons, honest conversations, and the complex made simple. If you work for yourself or want to build something of your own, Pak Chat is for you. New episodes weekly.

Information

  • Creator
    Blake Thorn
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Blake Thorn
  • Show Website
    Pak Chat