Hatched- Idea to Impact

Jenna and Dustin
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Hatched is a podcast hosted by Dustin McMahon and Jenna Devenport, exploring the journeys behind successful businesses, careers and ideas. Each episode features honest conversations with entrepreneurs, industry professionals and community leaders who share the experiences that shaped their path. From the early stages of an idea through to the challenges of building and growing a business, Hatched looks at what it really takes to turn ambition into impact. Through practical insights, personal stories and real-world lessons, the podcast aims to provide inspiration and perspective for anyone building something of their own. Hosted by the team behind The Finance Nest, the conversations draw on a wide network of professionals across finance, property, construction, sport and business. New episodes feature discussions with builders, real estate professionals, business owners and leaders who are making a difference in their industries and communities.

Episodes

  1. 2d ago

    If Not Me, Why Not? Leadership, Growth & Backing Yourself | Erin Manhood

    What changes when you stop asking “Why me?” and start asking “If not me, why not?” In this episode of Hatched: Idea to Impact, Dustin and Jenna sit down with Erin Manhood, State Leader for LMG, for a conversation about leadership, self-belief, culture, business growth and the people who help shape us along the way. Erin’s career certainly wasn’t mapped out from the beginning. Growing up in Hackham West, she left school without a clear idea of what she wanted to do, started studying to become a paralegal, then changed direction completely and moved to America to work as an au pair. When she returned to Adelaide, Erin knew one thing — if she could get her foot in the door of a business, she could work her way up. What followed was a career spanning 14 years at Flexi, senior leadership roles at Prospa and ultimately a move into the mortgage broking industry with LMG. But one of the most interesting parts of Erin’s story is that, for much of that journey, she didn't necessarily see herself as the leader others saw in her. Erin opens up about self-limiting beliefs, imposter syndrome and spending years seeing herself as the perfect 2IC rather than the person at the front. She shares how being surrounded by people who believed in her helped change that mindset and allowed her to step into increasingly senior leadership roles.  Pasted text The conversation then turns to what great leadership actually looks like. Erin explains why understanding someone else's definition of success has to come before trying to help them achieve it. For one business owner, success might mean building an empire. For another, it could simply mean creating better work-life balance.  Pasted text Dustin, Jenna and Erin also unpack the importance of culture, collaboration and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you — and why successful businesses don't necessarily need the leader to have every answer. They discuss the changing mortgage broking industry, the move towards larger and more supported businesses, creating career pathways for the next generation and why not everyone needs — or wants — to become a business owner.  Pasted text In this episode: • Growing up in Hackham West • Moving to America without having life figured out • Breaking into business and working your way up • The self-limiting beliefs that held Erin back • Moving from 2IC to senior leadership • Why purpose matters when choosing where you work • Dealing with imposter syndrome • Understanding what success means to different people • Building high-performing teams without losing culture • Why collaboration can be more powerful than competition • Creating genuine partnerships with business owners • The changing mortgage broking industry • Why not everyone needs to own a business • Creating career pathways for talented people • The leaders and thinkers who have influenced Erin • And the question Erin wishes she'd asked herself much earlier: “If not me, why not?” It’s an open, funny and insightful conversation about backing yourself, surrounding yourself with the right people and becoming the leader you may not have realised you were capable of being. 🎧 Listen now to Hatched: Idea to Impact.

  2. Sep 24

    Meet the Team: Denholm Ashton From England to the Outback & Mortgage Broking

    From semi-professional football in England to an isolated sheep station in the Australian outback — Denholm Ashton certainly didn't take the conventional path into mortgage broking. In this Meet the Team episode of Hatched: Idea to Impact, Dustin and Jenna sit down with Finance Nest broker Denholm Ashton to find out a little more about the personality behind one of the louder voices in the office. Denholm grew up north of London as one of seven children, following his professional-footballer father into the game and eventually playing in the MK Dons academy system. Then in 2019, he decided to completely change direction. Denholm moved to Australia, spent nine months working on a remote sheep station near Coober Pedy — inadvertently avoiding much of the COVID lockdown experience — met the woman who would become his wife, built a new life in South Australia and eventually found his way into mortgage broking.  But behind the jokes and larger-than-life personality is a story that explains a lot about the broker Denholm has become. Growing up in a large family that experienced genuine financial hardship gave Denholm an understanding of what money stress can look like behind closed doors. Today, that experience influences how he approaches his clients — listening first, understanding the person behind the numbers and looking beyond simply finding them a cheaper interest rate.   We also unpack Denholm's approach to building relationships and referral networks, his involvement in sporting and community organisations, why word of mouth has been so important to building his business, and the lessons he's learnt about what makes a genuine partnership work.  And, naturally, there's plenty of football, food, family, questionable jokes and even a little Tesla talk along the way. In this episode: • Growing up as one of seven children in England  • Playing football through the MK Dons academy system  • Why Denholm decided to move to Australia  • Spending nine months on a remote South Australian sheep station  • Meeting his wife and deciding to make Australia home  • Going from car sales to mortgage broking  • Why putting yourself in uncomfortable situations builds confidence  • Building genuine relationships rather than transactional ones  • How childhood financial hardship shaped Denholm's approach to helping clients  • Building a business through referrals and word of mouth  • Supporting sporting clubs and community organisations  • The people who've influenced Denholm personally and professionally  • Fatherhood, family and another baby on the way  • And why sometimes the best career plan is simply being willing to have a go It's a funny, open and at times surprisingly personal conversation about family, relationships, resilience and finding your place a long way from where you started. 🎧 Listen now to Hatched: Idea to Impact.

  3. Sep 4

    Inside Elite Leadership: From Willunga to Arsenal & the World's Best | Matt Wadewitz

    What can business owners learn from some of the world’s best coaches, CEOs and leaders? Quite a lot, as it turns out. In this episode of Hatched: Idea to Impact, Dustin and Jenna sit down with Matt Wadewitz, founder of Aleda Connect, whose journey started in Willunga and has taken him inside some of the world’s most successful sporting and business organisations. Matt grew up playing football in Adelaide’s south and was drafted into the AFL in 1992 — only to break his tibia and fibula the day before he was due to leave. With his sporting ambitions suddenly derailed, Matt redirected that drive into education, becoming a teacher and eventually developing a passion for understanding how great leaders actually help other people improve.  That curiosity eventually became a business. Today, Matt brings together and works alongside extraordinary leaders from around the world, with connections spanning Arsenal, the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, LA Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and leaders across business, the arts and social enterprise.  And the conversation gets fascinating when Matt takes us behind the scenes. He shares what it’s like observing Mikel Arteta’s extraordinary intensity at Arsenal, why the best leaders are incredibly curious, and why telling someone what they’re doing wrong isn’t necessarily the best way to make them better.  We also bring the conversation much closer to home. Dustin and Jenna discuss their own transition from being mortgage brokers to becoming leaders of a growing team. Jenna opens up about her goal of making herself “irrelevant” to the day-to-day operation of the business — and the realisation that she’d pushed that message a little too hard. What Jenna saw as empowering the team was being interpreted by some as her not wanting to be there. It became an important moment of self-reflection about communication, leadership and taking your people on the journey as your own role changes.  That leads into one of the biggest questions for any business owner: If you were hit by a bus tomorrow, could your business still run? Matt explains why making yourself less critical to the day-to-day operation isn’t about checking out — it’s about developing people, creating something scalable and empowering others to take ownership. As Matt puts it, if what you’re doing isn’t teachable, it isn’t scalable.  In this episode: • Having an AFL dream disappear overnight and finding a new direction  • Going from teacher to entrepreneur  • How Aleda Connect was born  • What Matt has learnt from some of the world’s best leaders  • Behind the scenes with Mikel Arteta and Arsenal  • Why curiosity is one of the most powerful leadership traits  • Giving feedback without simply telling people what they’ve done wrong  • Self-awareness, communication and collaboration  • Dustin and Jenna’s transition from brokers to leaders  • Jenna’s experience of trying to make herself “irrelevant” in the business  • Why your business shouldn’t depend entirely on you  • Building a team capable of taking greater ownership  • Leadership without micromanagement  • What genuinely separates great leaders from everyone else Whether you’re leading two people, twenty people or an elite sporting organisation, this conversation is packed with lessons you can take straight back to your own team. 🎧 Listen now to Hatched: Idea to Impact.

  4. Aug 22

    Hatched-: Jacob Barter | Building Noori, Trust Your Idea, Find Your Niche & Back Yourself

    What happens when curiosity, a love of wine and a heap of ideas come together in the right place at the right time? In this episode of Hatched: Idea to Impact, Dustin and Jenna sit down with Jacob Barter, the man behind Noori in Port Noarlunga, for a refreshingly open conversation about building a hospitality business from the ground up. Jacob's path to Noori has been anything but conventional. From growing up around Port Noarlunga, completing a roofing apprenticeship and studying architecture, to living overseas and discovering a passion for bartending, wine and hospitality — every part of the journey has helped shape what Noori has become. We talk about why the best businesses don't need to appeal to everyone, the importance of finding your niche and why Jacob has learnt to stop worrying about the people who don't understand his ideas and focus on the ones who do. Jacob also opens up about the less glamorous side of entrepreneurship — burnout, ADHD, imposter syndrome, profitability, the fear that success could disappear, learning to delegate and one of the toughest challenges of all: becoming a leader while still wanting your team to actually like you. There's plenty of wine along the way, too. We explore the influence of the local wine community, the people who have inspired Jacob, why Noori champions producers who may not have a big voice of their own, and why he believes there's never been a more interesting time for Australian wine. And then there's the future. Wine writing? Judging? Another venue? Jacob certainly isn't short of ideas. In this episode: • How Noori came to life in Port Noarlunga • Finding your niche instead of trying to please everyone • Why great products don't always get the recognition they deserve • Turning ADHD and a constant stream of ideas into an advantage • Burnout, self-doubt and learning to trust yourself • Profitability versus creating an experience people love • Learning to delegate and step away from your "baby" • The realities of managing and leading a team • Jacob's passion for local wine • Why surrounding yourself with the right people matters • The challenges facing Australia's wine industry • And whether another Jacob Barter venue could be coming to Adelaide's south This is a conversation about backing your ideas, embracing what makes your business different and creating something that genuinely belongs to its community. 🎧 Listen now to Hatched: Idea to Impact.

  5. Aug 8

    Hatched- Meet the Team: Ritesh Sharma – Family, Resilience & Building a New Life

    This episode of Hatched: Idea to Impact is a little different — for the first time, we're turning the microphones towards one of our own. Dustin and Jenna sit down with The Finance Nest broker, Ritesh Sharma to discover the story behind the person they work alongside every day. And it's quite a story. Growing up in India, Ritesh became accustomed to starting again from an early age, regularly moving cities and schools because of his father's work. Then, while completing Year 12, his father unexpectedly passed away. As the eldest child, Ritesh put aside his dream of joining the Army and began working to help support his family. That decision started a career he never expected. From joining the State Bank of India as a teller and progressing to branch manager, to working in insurance and eventually overseeing multiple Toyota dealership locations, Ritesh built a career around something he once thought he'd never pursue — finance and business. Then he started again. Ritesh and his family moved to Adelaide in 2017, leaving behind an established career, family connections and everything familiar to build a new life in Australia. Eventually, he made another big decision: walking away from the security of a regular salary to back himself as a mortgage broker. In this conversation, Ritesh opens up about the uncertainty of finding that first client, building a network from nothing, overcoming cultural barriers and why his experience at Toyota taught him one of the philosophies he still carries today: Trust the process. We also talk about family, Liverpool, cricket, his involvement with Indian Professionals in Australia, supporting new migrants, and why his wife remains the greatest influence in his life. In this episode: • Leaving behind a childhood dream to support his family • Going from bank teller to branch manager in India • What working for Toyota taught him about process and continuous improvement • Why Ritesh and his family chose Adelaide • Starting again professionally in a completely new country • The reality of building a mortgage broking business without an established network • Overcoming cultural barriers and learning to back yourself • The importance of Australia's Indian community in his journey • Why helping new migrants has become so important to him • His ambition to eventually mentor the next generation of brokers • And why his wife is still his greatest inspiration It's a conversation about family, resilience, community and having the courage to start again — even when you've already worked incredibly hard to get where you are. 🎧 Listen now to Hatched: Idea to Impact.

  6. Jul 21

    Hatched Episode 5- Sam Neville | Building a Brand by Being Authentically You

    Episode DescriptionHow do you build a successful business without pretending to be someone you're not? In the very first guest episode of Hatched – Idea to Impact, Dustin McMahon and Jenna Devenport sit down with Sam Neville, founder of I Am Lending, to explore her journey from aspiring PE teacher to one of Australia's most recognisable mortgage brokers on social media. Sam shares how authenticity became the foundation of her personal brand, why taking calculated risks changed the direction of her career, and how building a business around your values attracts the right clients. Together they discuss:  Finding the courage to leave the security of a franchise model  Building a business that reflects your personality  Growing through TikTok and social media  Creating an inclusive client experience  Hiring the right people and building culture  Work-life balance as a business owner and parent  The importance of mentors and backing yourself Whether you're building a business, growing your personal brand or simply looking for inspiration, this episode is packed with practical lessons and honest conversation.

  7. Jun 29

    Hatched Episode 4- Rye Smith Claude: Why Business Owners Can't Afford to Wait

    AI is changing business faster than any technology we've seen before—but are most businesses actually ready? In Episode 4 of Hatched: Idea to Impact, Dustin and Jenna sit down with AI strategist, entrepreneur and Claude Ambassador Rye Smith to cut through the hype and explore what artificial intelligence really means for Australian businesses. From building websites at just 12 years old to becoming one of Australia's Claude Ambassadors, Rye shares his entrepreneurial journey, the lessons learned from navigating COVID, and why AI isn't about replacing people—it's about giving them their time back. Together, they unpack the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI, how small businesses can compete with larger organisations, why Australia is still in the early stages of adoption, and the practical steps every business owner should be taking today. In this episode: • How Rye landed one of only three Claude Ambassador roles in Australia • Why AI is about empowering people—not replacing them • The biggest opportunities business owners are missing • Lessons from building, selling and rebuilding businesses • Recovering from COVID and starting again • How AI is giving businesses their most valuable asset back—time • Where AI is heading over the next few years Whether you're excited by AI or still sceptical, this conversation will challenge the way you think about technology and give you practical insights you can apply to your business today.

  8. Jun 3

    Hatched Episode 3- The Power of Asking for Help: Leadership, Wellbeing & Finding Your Purpose

    What happens when life completely changes your direction? In this episode of Hatched, Dustin and Jenna sit down with wellbeing expert, academic, speaker, and founder Dr Tiffany de Sousa Machado for a deeply personal conversation about loss, resilience, purpose, and what it really means to live well. After the sudden loss of her mother, Tiffany made a life-changing decision to walk away from a successful media career and return to university at 30 to pursue the path she'd always dreamed of. What followed was a journey through personal illness, postnatal depression, entrepreneurship, leadership, and ultimately finding purpose through helping others. This isn't just a conversation about wellbeing. It's about navigating adversity, learning from failure, asking for help, and building a life aligned with your values. In this episode: ✅ Why Tiffany left a successful career to start over at 30 ✅ The personal challenges that shaped her life's work ✅ Lessons from building and closing The Village Foundation ✅ The importance of community and asking for help ✅ Balancing business, motherhood, and wellbeing ✅ Why gratitude is more powerful than most people realise ✅ What success really looks like beyond money and achievement This episode is filled with practical wisdom, honest reflections, and powerful reminders about what truly matters. If you've ever felt overwhelmed, stuck, or questioned whether you're on the right path, this conversation is for you.

  9. Apr 9

    Hatched- Episode 2- Talking Quality with Richard Finalyson!

    30 Years in Business: What It Really Takes to Last | Richard Finlayson What does it actually take to build and sustain a business for over 30 years? In this episode, we sit down with Richard Finlayson, Director of Quality Group, to unpack a journey that spans continents, industries, and decades of change. From growing up in global hospitality environments to leading one of Australia’s long-standing training organisations, Richard shares the real story behind longevity in business. We cover the highs, the setbacks, and the moments that tested everything—from navigating COVID in a face-to-face training industry, to making tough calls on failed ventures, and adapting to a rapidly changing landscape driven by AI and shifting markets. But beyond the business, this is a conversation about people—mentorship, leadership, and the impact of helping others build better futures. 💡 In this episode: The reality of running a business for 30+ yearsLessons from failure (and what most people get wrong)How COVID reshaped training and hospitalityThe role of AI in modern businessWhy great businesses always find a wayThe importance of people, culture, and leadershipThis is a raw and insightful conversation with someone who’s seen it all—and kept going.

  10. Mar 9

    Hatched- Episode 1- All about the Grind!

    In the first episode of Hatched – Idea to Impact, Dustin McMahon and Jenna Devenport sit down at La Crème Café to talk about their journey into business and the path that led to the creation of The Finance Nest. This conversation explores where it all started – from early career experiences and the industries they worked in, through to the decision to build a business together. Dustin and Jenna share the realities of the grind involved in starting something from scratch, the lessons learned along the way, and the people and opportunities that helped shape their journey. Along the way they discuss a number of businesses, communities and sporting organisations that have been part of their story, including RAW Structures, LMG, Lockleys Football Club, Southern Knights Soccer Club, and SA Panthers FC. Recorded in a relaxed setting at La Crème Café, this episode sets the foundation for the Hatched podcast and gives listeners an insight into the people behind The Finance Nest.

  • 10 Episodes

About

Hatched is a podcast hosted by Dustin McMahon and Jenna Devenport, exploring the journeys behind successful businesses, careers and ideas. Each episode features honest conversations with entrepreneurs, industry professionals and community leaders who share the experiences that shaped their path. From the early stages of an idea through to the challenges of building and growing a business, Hatched looks at what it really takes to turn ambition into impact. Through practical insights, personal stories and real-world lessons, the podcast aims to provide inspiration and perspective for anyone building something of their own. Hosted by the team behind The Finance Nest, the conversations draw on a wide network of professionals across finance, property, construction, sport and business. New episodes feature discussions with builders, real estate professionals, business owners and leaders who are making a difference in their industries and communities.

Information

  • Creator
    Jenna and Dustin
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Hatched- Idea to Impact
  • Show Website
    Hatched- Idea to Impact