The Mastering Podcast

The Mastering Team
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In a world obsessed with instant gratification and overnight success, Mastering… offers a refreshing antidote. We go beyond the surface-level stories and delve into the nitty-gritty of what it truly takes to master a craft. Mastering is a podcast that delves into the secrets of mastery by interviewing experts at the top of their game. Each episode features an in-depth conversation with a master from a different field, from artists and athletes to entrepreneurs and scientists. We'll explore their journeys, their mindsets, and the unique skills and strategies they've developed to achieve excellence. 

  1. 2d ago

    Mastering the Modern World Part 2 | The Future of Health, AI and Human Connection with Dr Vu Tran and Gopi Sara

    If you’ve ever promised yourself you’d get on top of your health, then got beaten by time, friction, and old habits, this conversation is for you. Our hosts Don Sanka and Magnus Olson are back in the studio with Dr Vu Tran and Gopi Sara to connect the dots between modern life, dopamine, and why so many of us “cope” with food, alcohol, and rituals that feel harmless until they stack up over years. One line keeps landing hard: the opposite of addiction is connection, and when connection drops, compensatory behaviours rise. We get practical about why Australia’s healthcare system is built to react to problems rather than help you optimise your healthspan. Vu explains how doctors are trained to start with a presenting complaint, why “pathology” and “diagnostic imaging” language shapes a disease-first mindset, and why consumers are now driving the shift towards preventive health, longevity, and health optimisation. We also talk through alcohol culture, habit loops, anxiety as a lack of control, and how replacing routines matters more than white-knuckling restriction. Then we go deep on full-body MRI screening through OneMRI: what the scan includes (from the head to mid-thigh), why it’s not a replacement for gold-standard tests like colonoscopy, the real downside of incidental findings, and why ethical consent and proper results walkthroughs matter. We finish with where AI in healthcare could have the biggest impact over the next five years, and the simplest health advice most people still ignore: steps, water, and fibre. Subscribe for more conversations on health, technology, and the future of work, then share this with someone who keeps saying they’ll “start next week” and leave us a review with the one habit you’re ready to change. Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    1h 14m

  2. Jun 8

    Mastering the Modern World: Risk, Resilience, and Startups with Dr. Vu Tran & Gopi Sara

    A family fleeing into the night with gold sewn into clothing is not just a dramatic story; it is a masterclass in conviction. This week, our hosts Magnus Olson and Don Sanka Small sit down with Dr Vu Tran and Gopi Sara to unpack how migrant and refugee journeys shape a builder’s mindset and why the real edge is not “predicting the future” but acting on what is right in front of you. If you care about Australian entrepreneurship, startup culture, leadership, and building resilient teams, this conversation gets straight to the bone. We dig into selection bias and risk, the difference between having a view and putting chips on the table, and the daily discipline of execution. Along the way, we talk about pressure-creating solutions, how early wins build self-belief, and why marginal improvements are often a trap when you could be aiming for compounding outcomes. There is also a surprisingly practical detour into a Snoo baby-cradle rental side hustle that turns into a bigger lesson about time, scale, and playing big. The heart of the episode is values and relationships. We get honest about autonomy, flexibility, purpose, mental health, and learning to stop sweating the small stuff so you can focus on the macro problems that actually matter. We also explore why working with friends can be a superpower in the early stages: trust speeds everything up, reduces unknowns, and helps build the kind of culture you still want around the campfire years later. If you got something from this chat, subscribe, share it with a mate, and leave us a review. What value or rule are you using to choose the people you build with? Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    1h 2m

  3. Jun 7 ·  Bonus

    Vibe Coding, AI Agents, and the End of Traditional Admin with Lucas Meadowcroft & Dean Cavanagh

    Australia’s being sold a shiny AI future, but most businesses are still stuck between a headline and a half-built software project. Our hosts Magnus Olson and Don Sanka are joined by Lucas Meadowcroft and Dean Cavanagh, co-founders of Brisbane-based AI innovation consultancy Crofti, to talk about the part almost nobody markets: the work before anything gets built. That’s where construction and manufacturing leaders either get crystal clear on outcomes or waste months chasing “better reporting” that never answers the real question.  We dig into why construction productivity has barely budged, why mindset matters more than tools, and why so many digital transformation programmes fail in the wild. Lucas and Dean break down the five whys framework, how discovery and design expose what’s actually happening in the trenches, and how to translate executive intent into something measurable and usable. We also talk vibe coding, AI adoption in Australia, and what changes when staff can build internal tools with plain language while experts focus on quality, consistency, exceptions and governance.  From quoting and estimating to timesheets, scheduling and on-site admin, we explore where AI automation delivers quick wins right now, and where privacy, compliance and industrial relations slow adoption. We finish with what’s overhyped, why robotics is underestimated, and what agentic AI means when multiple agents work together to deliver outcomes. Subscribe, share, and leave us a review, and tell us what you’d automate first in your business. Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    1h 17m

  4. May 26

    Beyond Exams | Mastering Education with Mat Jacobson

    Exams, rankings, research prestige… none of that matters when you graduate and still don’t know how to do the work. We take a hard look at why higher education keeps producing capable people who feel unprepared on day one, and why the system often rewards publishing papers more than building practical skills. This week, our hosts, Magnus Olsen, Don Sanka Small and Will Tuffley are joined by Mat Jacobson, founder of Ducere Global Business School and the Kennedy University of Leadership, who has worked with presidents, prime ministers, Nobel Prize winners, and Fortune 500 leaders. Mat breaks down what universities were originally designed to do, why students think they’re buying one thing while institutions deliver another, and how applied learning changes the outcome. We talk MBAs, the real value of credentials as a market signal, and why medicine gets it right by integrating practice all the way through. Then we get tactical: if you remove exams, what replaces them? Matt explains a project-based assessment model where each subject ties to the student’s actual workplace, turning assignments into real outputs instead of fictional case studies. We also look ahead at AI in education, including how leaders should think beyond cost-cutting, how to teach ethical use, and what risks sit around bias, integrity, and student IP. If you want practical business education, work-integrated learning, or a clearer view of the future of higher education in Australia and beyond, this one will spark ideas. Subscribe, share it with a mate, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway or your toughest question about how universities should work. Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    54 min

  5. May 11

    Boards To Books: Governance, Property And Crime Fiction with Peter Robertson

    Peter Robertson has lived more than one professional life. He has moved from mathematics and technology into property development, governance, sport, entertainment and crime fiction. In this episode of The Mastering Podcast, Peter joins Magnus, Don and Will to unpack what it takes to build across industries, lead at board level, think about Brisbane’s future, and create stories that keep readers turning the page. The conversation explores Peter’s work in property and entertainment, his perspective as a Director of Tennis Australia, Brisbane’s opportunity leading into 2032, and the surprising overlap between governance, sport, business and writing crime novels. This is a conversation about curiosity, reinvention, decision-making and the discipline of mastering more than one craft. Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    1h 1m

  6. Mar 22

    Don't Think Just Run! Mastering Speed with Matty Scott and Rajeev Balakrishnan

    Australia’s track and field resurgence is real, and it’s being built from the ground up, one training group at a time. This week, our host Magnus Olsen and Australian Masters Athlete Don Sanka Small are joined by Rajiv, an Olympian-turned-elite coach, and Maddie Scott, a former top junior sprinter who moved into coaching after injuries, to talk about what actually develops speed, resilience, and long-term athletes in track and field. We get into the nuts and bolts of athlete development: why multi-sport juniors often thrive, why so many athletes disappear between 18 and 22, and what coaches can do to keep people training when results don’t arrive on schedule. Rajiv breaks down how NCAA scholarships work in the US collegiate system and why that pathway is tempting, while we also ask the bigger question for Australian athletics leading into Brisbane 2032: how do we keep talent here and keep it progressing? We also go practical on performance. We talk sprint coaching with and without tech, the right way to use data, and the support pieces that can make or break a season: sports nutrition, strength and conditioning, recovery, and reducing injury risk when athletes juggle school, work, and other sports. Then we dive into hurdles coaching, mindset under pressure, and the growing pull of masters athletics as a genuine lifelong sport with community, purpose, and competition. If you’re coaching, competing, or thinking about coming back to the track, you’ll get plenty to take away. Subscribe for more, share this with a mate who loves sport, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    1h 6m

  7. Feb 14

    Breaststroke, Red Snakes, And Real Estate: Abbey Harkin on Mastering Performance, Pressure & Perspective

    What does it take to miss your Olympic dream by a tenth of a second and still choose to sprint toward the next start line? In this episode of the Mastering Podcast, host Magnus Olsen and co-hosts Lucas Meadowcroft and Don Sanka sit down with Australian swimming powerhouse Abbey Harkin for a raw, energising conversation about heartbreak, healing, and the decision to double down on the future. Abbey opens up about the Paris trials, the three-day whirlwind as her partner headed to the Games, and the messy honesty of wanting to quit before choosing to rebuild. She takes us inside the strange logic of breaststroke, why trying harder can make you slower, how trust in timing beats frantic turnover, and how data kept her honest when nerves spiked. We dig into the electrifying difference a relay makes, from anchoring pressure to team culture, and why Australia’s depth can make a national relay spot tougher than an Olympic final. If you’re interested in resilience, elite performance, technical mastery, or crafting a life that holds more than one dream, you’ll feel the fire in this one. Subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review to support more conversations like this, and tell us: what setback made you stronger? Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    1h 1m

  8. Jan 21

    Mastering Resilience - Rise After Impact with Michael Dobbie-Bridges

    In this episode of The Mastering Podcast, we sit down with Michael Dobbie, a Paralympian, leader, and advocate whose story defines the true meaning of resilience and reinvention. In 2001, a motorcycle accident changed Michael’s life in an instant. Yet, just three days later, he made a promise to his parents that he would become a Paralympian. Seven years later, he was representing Australia in Wheelchair Tennis at the Beijing 2008 Games. Join hosts Magnus Olson, Don Sanka, and Elia Hill as they explore Michael's journey from the darkest lows of rehabilitation to the heights of elite competition. We discuss the mental toughness required to rebuild a life, his transition from Tennis to AFL (and now Pickleball!), and his crucial work in governance as we look toward the Brisbane 2032 Games. Michael also shares powerful insights on why employment is the most critical frontier for disability inclusion and how we can all contribute to a more accessible world. In this episode, you will learn: The mindset Michael used to overcome a life-changing accident.Behind-the-scenes stories from the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.The evolution of Parasport technology and inclusion.Why the Brisbane 2032 Games are a massive opportunity for Australia.The importance of employment in giving people purpose and connection.Resources Mentioned: Book Recommendation: Atomic Habits Movie Recommendation: The Mighty Ducks Trilogy If you care about resilience, parasport, high performance, and the future of inclusive sport, this chat offers real-world detail and hope. Subscribe, share with a friend passionate about sport, and leave a review telling us the one barrier you’d remove first to make sport truly open. Send us Fan Mail Want more? Find us on You Tube, Instagram, X, and TikTok where we share bonus content and engage with our listeners.  Don’t forget to subscribe, share, and leave a review! Your support helps us bring more inspiring stories to life. ❤️

    58 min
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About

In a world obsessed with instant gratification and overnight success, Mastering… offers a refreshing antidote. We go beyond the surface-level stories and delve into the nitty-gritty of what it truly takes to master a craft. Mastering is a podcast that delves into the secrets of mastery by interviewing experts at the top of their game. Each episode features an in-depth conversation with a master from a different field, from artists and athletes to entrepreneurs and scientists. We'll explore their journeys, their mindsets, and the unique skills and strategies they've developed to achieve excellence. 

Information

  • Creator
    The Mastering Team
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    22
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Mastering Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Mastering Podcast

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