Marvellous Women: The Podcast

Dr Samantha Rush

Marvellous Women: The Podcast is all about sharing the stories of Marvellous Women for us all to learn from. Through interviews, experiences and case studies, your host Dr Samantha Rush showcases the lives of Marvellous Women. The Marvellous Women come from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, including sports, music, business, arts and many more. Want a dose of daily (or even hourly) inspiration? See our website, where you can get your own set of Marvellous Women Cards.

  1. Ep 50 - Giving the signals that get you the outcomes you need with Lauren Hancock

    May 25

    Ep 50 - Giving the signals that get you the outcomes you need with Lauren Hancock

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Lauren Hancock shares her insights about the psychology behind human behaviour, the universal need to be seen and heard, the power of taking up space with intention, creating meaningful human connection, and redefining success through community, balance, and purpose. Lauren Hancock is an experienced Psychologist with a diverse background, having worked across a range of industries, including healthcare, resources, local government, education, and non-profit sectors. Throughout her career, she has provided interventions to individuals and groups across Australia and internationally, supporting leaders and organisations in navigating complex people challenges.   Originally trained as a therapist, Lauren has worked in organisational development since 2010, providing programs on leadership and mental health. She brings extensive experience in designing and leading residential leadership programs, having served as Program Director for several multi-day retreats. Her work is grounded in evidence-based methodologies, empowering participants to gain deeper insights into human behaviour and apply these insights to drive meaningful change within their organisations.   Lauren is also Adjunct Faculty for the Executive Education arm of two leading Australian Business Schools. Her excellence in program facilitation was recognised in 2024, when she received a teaching award for achieving the highest overall participant satisfaction.   As a coach, Lauren works with leaders to develop both intrapersonal and interpersonal skills critical for effective leadership. She believes that self-awareness and the capacity to manage mental health factors are essential to successful leadership. She works with executives and senior leaders, supporting them through career transitions, promotions, and organisational change. A number of her coaching clients have worked with her over several years as they advance in their careers. She is also an experienced team coach, focussing on enhancing team dynamics and performance. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #LaurenHancock

    35 min
  2. Ep 49 - Don’t speak to be heard, speak to be remembered with Sally Prosser

    May 11

    Ep 49 - Don’t speak to be heard, speak to be remembered with Sally Prosser

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Sally Prosser shares her insights on the power of voice and storytelling, the role of community and femininity in empowerment, overcoming self-criticism, and why authenticity is essential in meaningful communication. Sally Prosser is a voice and communication expert, keynote speaker, TEDx speaker, and host of the podcast That Voice Podcast. Through her signature concept of the “voiceprint,” Sally helps leaders, professionals, and teams speak with confidence, authority, and lasting impact. A former radio and TV reporter turned media spokesperson, she has coached everyone from executives to Olympians and built a global audience of nearly half a million across social media. Sally is also the author of Voiceprint and was awarded Young Entrepreneur of the Year for PR & Media QLD in 2020. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #SallyProsser

    32 min
  3. Ep 48: Looking beyond the surface for real impact with Mei Ong

    Apr 15

    Ep 48: Looking beyond the surface for real impact with Mei Ong

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Mei Ong explores how recognizing patterns can shape the way we live and learn. She shares her perspective on teaching music beyond just notes and keys, highlights the powerful role of mindset in the learning process, and advocates for a more holistic approach to education. About Mei Ong: Mei Ong is a marketing analyst turned aspiring data scientist who sees patterns everywhere—from sales anomalies that predict revenue risks to the neural pathways that unlock a child's musical potential. During the week, she develops machine learning tools that help businesses make smarter decisions. On weekends, she coaches young musicians aged 6-16 through Irume Coaching, where she applies neuroplasticity principles to build confidence, resilience, and focus—one piano key at a time. Currently pursuing her transition into data science and AI engineering, Mei is passionate about the intersection of human potential and artificial intelligence. Whether she's training algorithms or training young minds, her approach is the same: find the patterns, build on strengths, and transform challenges into opportunities for growth. Based in Sydney, Mei brings analytical rigor to creative pursuits and creative thinking to technical problems—proving that the skills that help machines learn can also help humans flourish. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #MeiOng

    42 min
  4. Ep 47 - What gives you the good vibes and what gives you the ick with Professor Nicole Hartley

    Mar 4

    Ep 47 - What gives you the good vibes and what gives you the ick with Professor Nicole Hartley

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Professor Nicole Hartley offers thoughtful insights on the power of service and connection, building confidence beyond comfort, growing through uncertainty, and cultivating spaces where knowledge can flourish. About Professor Nicole Hartley: Nicole Hartley is the MBA Director at The University of Queensland. She is also a leading service technology researcher with the UQ Business School. Her extensive research and teaching expertise areas include services technology, virtualised services, marketing strategy, customer-brand relationships, new media, communication, consumer-making behaviour, and consumer psychology. Nicole’s current research agenda focuses upon exploring customer perceptions of the advent of technology and various forms of disruption in the delivery of services. This research is currently focused within the education, tourism and health industries. Further to this, Nicole works closely with companies within the Brisbane technology start-up and social enterprise scene to advise on marketing advertising strategies to launch new-to-market technology-based products and services both nationally and globally. Nicole is a PhD graduate of The University of Sydney and has worked at leading universities through out Australia. Her work has been widely published in leading global journals and presented at international conferences and symposia. Prior to her academic career, Nicole was employed as Marketing Manager/Director for various corporations within the tourism/hospitality, education, and communication industries both in Australia and in London. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #NicoleHartley

    28 min
  5. Ep 46 - Make the best out of the situation you’re in with Polly Parker

    Jan 21

    Ep 46 - Make the best out of the situation you’re in with Polly Parker

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Polly Parker shares her insights on integrating discipline and empathy, the balance of kindness and drive and the importance of self-knowledge in leadership. Professor Emerita Polly Parker is a distinguished academic with an international reputation in career management and leadership development. She holds a PhD from theUniversity of Auckland, and her work is enriched by an unusually interdisciplinary background that spans counselling practice and international gymnastics (New Zealand and the UK). This blend of experience brings a distinctive perspective on leadership, learning, and human potential to her academic career. Polly’s research focuses strongly on peer coaching, demonstrating how coaching among equals can accelerate career learning, leadership growth, and personal development. She is also deeply invested in the intersection of career development and leadership, arguing that the two are inseparably linked through meaning-making, identity formation, and learning from lived experience. She has made significant contributions to higher education as both a researcher and an educator. As Director she led theUQ MBA program from outside the global top 100 to a ranking of 14th worldwide, earning an Australian Award for University Teaching in recognition of this achievement. Her scholarship is widely published, including as lead author of Peer Coaching at Work, winner of the Axiom Business Book Award, along with numerous articles in leading international journals. At the University of Queensland, Polly served as Associate Dean (Academic) in the Faculty of Business, Economics & Law and played a major role in institution-wide initiatives, particularly in women’s leadership development. For more than a decade, she co-led UQ’s Career Progression for Women program, helping strengthen leadership capability among academic women and championing reflective, innovative, and peer-based learning practices. She is also the originator and co-developer of theIntelligent Career Card Sort™, now translated into multiple languages and used globally. Recognised by UQ as Professor Emerita, Polly remains actively engaged in coaching and leadership development, with a continuing commitment to supporting women in academia. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #PollyParker

    32 min
  6. Ep 45 - Finding lessons in the dailyness with Merle Singer

    12/10/2025

    Ep 45 - Finding lessons in the dailyness with Merle Singer

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Merle Singer shares her insights about exploring identity and values, finding the soul in daily life, grounding in turbulent times and navigating internal criticism. Merle has 25 years of senior leadership roles in the technology sector across multi-disciplines.  Her experience spans corporate marketing, leadership development, culture & reputation, corporate social responsibility and global environmental sustainability.  She holds a BA Honours and Masters in Psychology as well as being a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.     Merle is accredited in Myers Briggs Type Inventory, Hogan Assessment Inventories and Barrett’s Cultural Transformation Tools and is also a qualified yoga instructor.    Merle has run her own business for over a decade where her focus is on Leadership Development and Cultural Transformation with clients that include large multi-nationals and tech start-ups.   Her pro bono portfolio includes coaching emerging female leaders at Oz Harvest and a regular participant to aqMentor Walks.   With a deep love of Jungian archetypes, she hasrecently completed a Research Project through Deakin University’s Business School exploring how a volatile world is changing the leadership narratives of women, both seasoned professionals and early-career millennials in corporate Australia and the USA.  In addition, she was a funded researcher with the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (CAPT) in their update of the Pearson Marr Archetype Indicator.     Merle now uses contemporary archetypes and has recently completed the development of a suite of solutions, Epitome Leadership, all underpinned with a simple and practical set of four feminine archetypes which brings a unique language of understanding to women in leadership. #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #MerleSinger

    32 min
  7. Ep 44 - What's inside your bubble with Sabina Janstrom

    11/27/2025

    Ep 44 - What's inside your bubble with Sabina Janstrom

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Sabina Janstrom reveals the surprising joy in beekeeping, the art of balancing when to step in and when to observe, and why patience, priorities, and purpose matter more than ever. Tune in for a grounded, thoughtful conversation about finding what truly counts. She is an experienced Technology Leader with a strong passion for the end-user experience, effective project and portfolio management, and successful solution delivery. With many years of senior management and executive experience, she also brings hands-on capability in delivering technology projects across continents and organisations. She thrives on improving how software is designed and delivered to maximise employee benefit—and equally, on shaping business processes that make technology intuitive, efficient, and easy to use. Her focus is always on reducing the time teams lose to inadequate systems. She believes that to overcome “bad IT,” organisations need clear strategy and direction, a rigorous ICT investment process, and excellence in project delivery. She ensures that the organisations she supports avoid wasting money on inferior technology and avoid relying on quick-fix software to solve deeper people or process challenges. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #SabinaJanstrom

    33 min
  8. Ep 43 - Leave a sparkle everywhere you go with Urmi Hossain

    11/12/2025

    Ep 43 - Leave a sparkle everywhere you go with Urmi Hossain

    In this episode of Marvellous Women: The Podcast, Urmi Hossain opens up about her mission to empower women, the creative drive behind purpose, lessons from experimentation, and the importance of care, wellness, and staying true to your values when making big decisions. Urmi Hossain is a woman who wears many hats. She is a self-published author, speaker, blogger, podcast host, polyglot, mentor, and holder of both the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and CAIA (Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst) designations. Urmi works in the financial services industry in Canada, where she currently resides. Her first book, Discovering Your Identity: A Rebirth from Interracial Struggle, reflects her journey as a third-culture kid navigating questions of belonging, culture, and self-worth. Urmi is the host of Stories Beyond Borders, a podcast that amplifies diverse voices and explores stories of identity, migration, language, and what “home” really means. Passionate about women’s empowerment, she serves as the Co-Chair of Women in Leadership’s Montreal Chapter. She is also a strong advocate for continuous learning and personal growth. One of her greatest passions is public speaking — she has been an active Toastmasters member since 2019, having served as both VP of Education and Club President. In her spare time, Urmi enjoys reading thrillers and mystery novels and staying active through boxing, HIIT workouts, and running. #MarvellousWomen #MarvellousWomenCards #MarvellousWomenThePodcast #podcast #UrmiHossain

    35 min
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About

Marvellous Women: The Podcast is all about sharing the stories of Marvellous Women for us all to learn from. Through interviews, experiences and case studies, your host Dr Samantha Rush showcases the lives of Marvellous Women. The Marvellous Women come from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, including sports, music, business, arts and many more. Want a dose of daily (or even hourly) inspiration? See our website, where you can get your own set of Marvellous Women Cards.

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