In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Nick Jaffe about focus, responsibility, and designing a life that is both enjoyable and exacting.

Drawing on Nick’s experiences as a freelance photographer, filmmaker, sailor, overlander, craftsman, writer, builder, entrepreneur, surfer, and dad, this conversation explores hyper-focus, tolerance for discomfort, and how life changes with responsibility for others.

This is an honest conversation about agency, endurance, and choosing how to live well.

This episode explores

• Hyper-focus and decisive execution
• Designing life for freedom and readiness
• Responsibility as a clarifier
• Risk, endurance, and tolerance for discomfort
• Activism, privacy, and moral seriousness
• Building work and products that last

Guest links

• Nick Jaffe: https://www.nickjaffe.com.au
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nick_jaffe
• YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@NickJaffe
• Kohutt™ - Nick's Australian-made goods label https://kohutt.com.au
• Kohutt Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kohutt.workshop
• "The Years of Thunder" by Nick Jaffe https://www.nickjaffe.com.au/book

Chapters

02:20 Hyper-focus, full commitment, and getting things done
06:20 The best life experience: children
08:04 Designing an interesting life
15:34 Flow, Federation Square, privacy, and partnerships
19:10 Privacy, apps, and AI agents
23:00 Wild surfing, remote Tasmania, and secret lagoon barrels
34:00 Readiness, opportunity, fool-hardiness, and being lucky
38:04 Circumnavigation, big ambitions, and containerised efficiency
42:00 Establishing Kohutt™ and building heirloom, outdoor gear

Explore further

Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes.

Credits

Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Melbourne, 25 January, 2026
Produced at the Travancore, Violet Town, Tullamarine and Peregian offices, 1 - 15 February, 2026
Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au

In this episode, Sam Bell speaks with Peter Spence about accessing natural genius through joy, presence, and expansive ways of thinking.

Pete reflects on decades of work across elite sport, coaching, arts, and leadership, drawing insights from cricket, ballet, and Cirque du Soleil. Together, they explore how inner focus, openness, and joy support sustained performance, meaningful collaboration, and more fulfilling ways of living and working.

This episode explores

• Joy and satisfaction as foundations for performance
• How high performers access “no thought” states
• Self-organisation, spontaneity, & non-linear thinking
• Coaching as listening, facilitation, & restraint
• Moving beyond mechanical toward quantum perspectives
• Self-organisation as a core human capacity

Guest links:

• Peter Spence: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-spence-6021016/

• Shawn Green: The Way of Baseball (stillness and “no thought”)

• Dr Amy Saltzman: mindfulness in sport, medicine, and education

• Graham Winter: hleadership, sport psychology, and Olympic work https://www.grahamwinterpsychology.com

• Debbie Muir: coaching, leadership, and Great Traits
https://medium.com/@debbiemuir/about

• Meg Wheatley: Soul-grounded Leadership and systems thinking https://margaretwheatley.com/

• Kalvinder Shields: economics, leadership, and meditation
https://meditationaustralia.org.au/about-us/ma-council-and-patrons/

• Dr Elise Bialylew – Mindful in May https://www.mindfulinmay.org/

• Chris Laszlo https://www.sustainablevaluepartners.com

Books:

• The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 mph by Shawn Green & Gordon McAlpine https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Way-of-Baseball/Shawn-Green/9781439191200

• A Still Quiet Place for Athletes by Dr Amy Saltzman https://stillquietplace.com/product/a-still-quiet-place-for-athletes-mindfulness-skills-for-achieving-peak-performance-and-finding-flow-in-sports-and-life/

• Quantum Leadership: New Consciousness in Business by Tsao & Laszlo https://www.sup.org/books/business/quantum-leadership

• Works by Danah Zohar on quantum thinking

Chapters:
02:17 High performance across arts, sport, business
07:15 Cricket in Australia alongside ballet and rugby
11:22 Innovation in elite sport, openness, and fulfilling lives
20:00 AI, directorship, mindful technology, and Graham Winter
27:00 Joy as a foundation for satisfaction and achievement
35:00 AIS, VIS, and Cirque du Soleil performance models
48:20 Mindfulness and recognising individual talent

Explore further:
Book a Lab: https://naturalgenius.com.au
Learn more about Sam: https://samanthabell.com.au
Subscribe to hear future episodes.

Credits:
Hosted by Samantha (Sam) Bell in Melbourne, 16 January, 2026
Produced at the Travancore and Violet Town offices, 26 January - 6 February, 2026
Natural Genius Podcast https://naturalgenius.com.au