What do elite athletes, instant coffee, and transparent leadership have in common?

In the Season 1 finale of The Executive Espresso, Verge Das Neves sits down with Anna Livingston, former Chief People Officer at Tennis Australia and now senior people leader at AIA, for a raw and refreshingly honest conversation about what really drives high-performing teams.

Topics covered:

- Building trust in the workplace through radical transparency

- Why “walking the floor” still matters in modern leadership

- Lessons from elite sports and corporate change

- How to hire for character (not just credentials)

- Managing energy as an introverted leader

This episode is a warm, real-world reflection on leadership, culture, and human connection.

This marks the end of Season 1. Thank you for listening, watching, sharing, and supporting the show.

Season 2 returns in late 2025 with new guests, deeper insights, and a few surprises.

__________________

Who should watch this:

HR leaders, executives, aspiring people managers, and anyone tired of leadership “fluff” and hungry for authenticity.

📌 Don’t forget to:👍 Like💬 Comment: What was your favourite insight from Anna?

🔔 Subscribe for new episodes coming in Season 2

📣 Share with a colleague who’s navigating change

—🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your leadership fuel.

#LeadershipPodcast #ExecutiveEspresso #AnnaLivingston #AuthenticLeadership #TrustInTeams #ExecutiveSearch #CPO #SeasonFinale #CoffeeAndLeadership #EspressoLeadership

In this episode of The Executive Espresso, Sean Curtain, Executive Director of People and Culture at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, shares leadership strategies from inside one of Australia’s top healthcare institutions.

With a career spanning Alfred Health, AIA Australia, and the University of Melbourne, Sean brings deep cross-sector HR expertise to the table. He discusses leading high-performing teams, managing staff wellbeing in emotionally intense environments, and transitioning from corporate HR to public healthcare.

Key topics include:

• People and culture strategy in healthcare

• Leadership during complexity and crisis

• Building high-trust workplace culture

• Mental health and staff wellbeing programs

• Lessons from feedback, career growth, and emotional intelligence

Whether you're a healthcare executive, HR leader, or people-first CEO, this conversation offers practical, real-world leadership insights.

☕ Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your leadership inspiration.

Ruby Yadav didn’t follow the traditional path to the top - and she didn’t pretend to fit in once she got there either.

From studying zoology to becoming CEO of Mercer, Ruby shares her unfiltered journey through executive leadership, risk, and resilience. She opens up about the pressure of being a migrant woman of colour in the C-suite, the career-defining moments that nearly derailed her, and why choosing kindness is a radical leadership strategy.

If you’re navigating leadership in complex, high-stakes environments - this one’s for you.

In this episode:

• Why being the “unconventional choice” is often the most powerful position

• The balance between telling the truth and being heard

• What to do when integrity comes at a cost

• Building safe, high-trust teams in environments that aren’t always safe

• Mentorship, blind spots, and calling BS with love

Ruby’s message? Be good at what you do. Be kind to others. And don’t forget to be kind to yourself too.

—

Subscribe to The Executive Espresso for more short, sharp, caffeinated conversations with Australia’s top leaders.

#Leadership #ExecutiveWomen #Kindness #CorporateCulture #Authenticity #RubyYadav #TheExecutiveEspresso