Optimal Conversations
Learning to talk is natural, but let's face it, finding the right words can be tough. We either stumble and risk losing respect, or stay silent and lose self respect. Enter the Optimal Conversations Podcast. Here, we explore effective communication through life changing stories and simple techniques for great conversations.
We discuss what works and what doesn't, so you’re never lost for words again. I'm Mary Wong, founder of Optimal Life Solutions, and over the past 20 years, I've been helping people become better leaders and communicators. Join our podcast for some solo insights and incredible guest conversations and together we'll make communication a breeze.
Episodes
25 episodes
Ep 24 - Renee Bailey - Leading in Health
After 15 years in corporate leadership roles, Renee's life changes saw her leading as an entrepreneur. We follow her journey of change, as she relates how personal challenges guided her transition into her current business. We also discuss heal...
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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47:20
Ep 23 Ryll Ganter - Where it all goes Wrong
Author of "The Coffee Table book for Mature Dating", Rylll shares her first-hand experience of where her dates went wrong in her search (and discovery) of the greatest love of her life. Join us as we discuss many subjects, including th...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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49:51
Ep 22 - Shevonne Joyce - Part 2 - Neurodivergence in Leadership
In this second part of two podcasts, Shevonne discusses the myth of perfection and the art of apology and shares her very personal journey through complete incapacitation and her ongoing recovery. This is an inspiring and uplifting...
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44:03
Ep 21 - Shevonne Joyce part 1 - Neurodivergence in Leadership
She is passionate, a driver, creative but also analytical, and an astute problem solver. Meet Shevonne Joyce, a dynamic and neurodivergent leader featured in Harvard Business Review who is still happy to admit to stunning vocal faux pas!Par...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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50:14
Ep#20 - Michael Shanahan - living with Corpus Collosum Disorder
Imagine having a scan as a teenager and discovering you are missing a significant part of your brain - the 'superhighway' that connects the left and right sides. That's what Michael experienced. It plays out in his life and in the lives of othe...
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51:50
Ep#19 - Jodi Gagne - From Roller Coaster to Self-Loyalty
When Jodi meets women who have so much adrenaline going on that they are constantly in fight or flight, she is reminded of her former life as a wedding planner - a life where everything has to happen promptly and perfectly.That was befo...
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52:29
Ep#18 - Liz Fleming - Navigating Grants for Business Growth
Have you ever wondered how other businesses seem to find the cash for large projects or equipment?Or perhaps you have already realised that there is a grant that could help you but hold back because of the daunting task of applying....
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31:56
EP 17 - Jane Shakespeare - Her Philanthropic journey with Figtree Children
A trip to Sierra Leonne as part of her studies changed Jane's perspective on life. She decided to make a difference when she saw how little people there had. This led to her starting her own charity, the Figtree Children. Supported by ...
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51:24
EP16 - Ana Salido - Looking after Yourself as you Lead the Way
Ana talks about how looking after ourselves is pivotal to successful leadership.With a background in organisational psychology and later on in personal development and coaching, Ana has spent years supporting women in navigating the uni...
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27:56
EP15 – Natasha Fountas – The Conversations we Have with Ourselves
Natasha shares her journey from a young woman who hid herself away to an emancipated woman enjoying her freedom. Her experience has given Natasha a unique perspective on the world of self-talk. She says our conversations with ourselves are cruc...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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31:30
Ep 14 - Vicki Bennet - Creativity, self care and more!
Take a walk in the world of prolific author and mentor Vicki Bennet. She talks about all things creativity, self-care, and emotional regulation, sharing her expertise from over 35 years of corporate training.
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43:25
EP#13 – Angela DePalma – On Resilience, Healing, and Transformation
Her life started with a tumultuous childhood in an abusive household with a Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde father and an unshrinkable, high-functioning mother who hid the abuse. Now, she has turned it all around.Angela has lived the journey of t...
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59:29
Ep#12 - Narelle Gatti – Why Accessibility Matters for All of Us.
As a mother of three young children, Narelle found herself falling over things and went to see her optometrist to discover she was facing permanent blindness. That hasn’t stopped her from living her life to the fullest, and she is o...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:16:52
Ep#11 - Luke Irwin - Too Small to be a Target? Think again!
Cybercriminals are mind-blowingly cunning and don’t care how much they hurt you!If you have a business or organisation of any size (yes, even if you are the tiniest business on the planet) you cannot afford to miss this conversation with...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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54:49
Ep#10 - Patty Beecham - Let's talk about writing a memoir
Patty Beecham's life is filled with fascinating adventures. From the daughter of a priest in a country town to a roving breakfast reporter on 612-4QR, traveling via time as a funeral photographer and retiring between two cities., with so much m...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:02:34
Ep#9 Karyn Takahashi - Life's Twists and Turns and Making a Positive Difference for People with Stomas
In this episode, we talk with Karyn Takahashi. After living in Japan and taking her fashion onto Fashion Week runways around the world, Karyn returned home just prior to her Mother's devastating cancer diagnosis. We talk about all kinds of ...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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58:56
Ep#8 Kris Cotter - On Thriving after Surviving Domestic Abuse
After surviving an abusive marriage, Kris studied full-time and gained her master's degree, all whilst being a single mother to five children.Be inspired and educated by her journey as she explains why she didn't 'just leave' the marria...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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42:58
Ep#7 Kathryn Chapman - My Father was one of the Stolen Generation
In this episode, Kathryn Chapman shares the story of her father and how that is woven into her business life from her perspective as a child of an Aboriginal man who was taken as an infant from his family and how this shaped his life, his child...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:03:53
Ep#6 Richard Lowe - Communicating Through a Lens
Richard is a ghostwriter and was incredibly shy, holding back from social functions as a younger man. After the devastating loss of his wife through illness, he decided to change and started working as a photographer at Renaissance Fairs, becom...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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57:50
Ep#5 Leanne Butterworth - The Transformative Force - Healthy Empathy.
Leanne Butterworth shares her heartfelt journey to discovering the profound concept of healthy empathy, showing how it goes beyond feelings to become a transformative force.In her work, Leanne guides diverse audiences—police, teachers, c...
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59:43
Ep#4 Let's talk about Gender with Rudi Landmann
A captivating conversation on gender diversity and embracing a world beyond the binary. Join Mary and her inspiring guest Rudi, a former high school English teacher, as we explore the evolving use of pronouns, and break down the wal...
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50:45
Ep#3 Melonie Taylor - Learning to Receive
From palliative care nurse to Chief Energy Officer, Melonie's journey has been one in which she had to learn to value herself with a focus on allowing herself to receive, not just to give to others.Through her own experience of burnout, anx...
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47:17
Ep#1 Welcome to Optimal Conversations - Mary Wong
The very first episode - and it's all just me saying hello... I was told it was what I should do...and while I am usually not someone who does as they are told, I thought as 'they' know more about this than I do, I probably should follow their ...
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22:53
EP#2:Ripples of Change from Talking with a Stranger | Tommy Nyawir
When Tommy Nyawir was just 14 years old, he said 'hello' to a stranger. That conversation changed the course of his life. The ripple effect of that conversation is now changing the lives of many more people around him in Kibera Slum in Kenya. <...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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56:22