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Clinton Ang embodies the rare third-generation business leader who expands rather than spends the family legacy. As Managing Director and Chairman of Cornerstone Wines, he has transformed a traditional company founded in 1938 into a dynamic enterprise operating across 28 countries from China to the Maldives.

When Clinton joined the family business in 1997, he faced what might have broken lesser leaders – the Asian financial crisis, his father's stroke, lost distribution partnerships, and a company with 35 staff (half being family members) watching revenue plummet by 70-80%. Rather than retreating, Clinton saw opportunity in creating wines specifically designed for Asian palates and cuisine. This vision of adaptability became his north star.

The COVID pandemic showcased Clinton's contrarian leadership brilliance. While others slashed costs and staff, Clinton doubled down on B2C sales, hiring more personnel and transforming warehouse space into retail operations. This bold move resulted in astonishing 350-400% growth in direct consumer sales during the pandemic, fundamentally rebalancing the business from 90% B2B/10% B2C to an even 50/50 split today.

Technology drives Clinton's scaling strategy. Since 2016, his philosophy has been to "work himself out of a job" by embedding his business intelligence into automated systems and processes. Every Wednesday, a dedicated team focuses solely on technological advancement of the business. This automation has allowed growth without proportional increases in complexity or staffing.

Family values permeate Clinton's leadership approach. Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable, with all decisions evaluated against what serves future generations, not just immediate profits. He's even created a detailed blueprint for succession within his will – acknowledging that many family businesses fail because previous generations didn't adequately prepare for transition.

For next-generation leaders stepping into family businesses, Clinton offers wisdom earned through experience: be prepared to work constantly, operate with transparency, avoid entitlement, and recognise your role as steward rather than owner. Most importantly, passion must drive you – if you don't love what you're doing, bring in professionals and lead from the Board level.

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Kate Waterfall-Hill brings a refreshing perspective to leadership that challenges conventional wisdom; boardrooms don't have to be boring. With her viral character "Linda the Bad Manager" amassing over 150 million views, Kate has found a powerful way to highlight poor leadership practices through humor while offering practical alternatives.

The conversation takes us through Kate's fascinating journey from boutique marketing agency managing director to business consultant to leadership coach. Her creation of Linda - the embodiment of everything a manager shouldn't do serves as both comic relief and serious education for leaders everywhere. "The videos have garnered millions of views because the mistakes are so easy to make," Kate explains, "I've made the mistakes Linda makes."

What truly sets Kate apart is her belief in kindness as a leadership superpower. Whilst many view leadership as requiring toughness and authority, Kate shares compelling examples of how empathy produces superior outcomes. One story involves a managing partner at a law firm who, instead of asserting dominance over a dismissive colleague, approached the situation with curiosity and empathy - resulting in a productive working relationship rather than continued conflict.

The podcast delves into the crucial transition from individual contributor to manager to leader. "What got you here won't get you there," Kate emphasises, explaining that great leaders enable others to shine rather than trying to be the smartest person in the room. This shift requires intentional effort and often external support "Top CEOs have coaches for a reason."

Kate's insights on resilience are equally powerful, describing it not merely as "toughing it out" but knowing when to reset, creating space between meetings for reflection, and recognising when to ask for help. Her pre-crastinator approach - taking immediate action rather than waiting for perfection - offers valuable advice for anyone feeling stuck.

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S01-E08-CLIP02

What happens when a woman abandoned at birth refuses to let trauma define her destiny? Ivona Guzowska's extraordinary journey from orphaned child to world champion boxer, parliamentarian, equestrian, and spiritual guide reveals the transformative power of rejecting victimhood.

Growing up with an alcoholic adoptive father in a challenging environment, Ivona developed remarkable self-reliance at an early age. "I had to be focused on myself because no one else was," she shares with disarming honesty. This early necessity became the foundation for extraordinary discipline and resilience that would propel her to multiple world championships in both boxing and kickboxing.

As one of Poland's first professional female boxers in the late 1990s, Ivona broke new ground in a male-dominated sport despite earning just a fraction of what today's champions receive. She reveals her "4F rule" for success - Fun, Fitness, Focus, and Fight - explaining how maintaining calm focus amid chaos became her superpower in and out of the ring.

Perhaps most fascinating is Ivona's evolution after sports. Her two terms in the Polish Parliament led to significant reforms in child protective services and orphanage systems. Later, she pursued show jumping to fulfill a childhood dream before ultimately questioning the ethics of the sport despite her love for horses.

The most profound transformation came when Ivona finally recognized the connection between her childhood abandonment and lifelong drive to prove her worth. "In every cell of my body was written: you don't deserve life, you don't deserve love." Yet through this painful recognition came her greatest breakthrough - discovering her own completeness and inherent worthiness.

Today, Ivona helps others release their emotional "armour" through workshops and personal coaching. Her message is simultaneously simple and revolutionary: "We are complete. We have all the tools we need to fix our problems." By taking 100% responsibility for our lives and abandoning the victim role, we access tremendous power.

Ready to discover the champion within yourself? Listen now and learn how inviting all of life - even the difficult parts - can reveal the courage behind every fear and the joy behind every sadness.

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