The Experts powered by Media Stable

An educator that is one of us You might have heard me before at a #MeetTheMedia say I am not a great fan of working with academics partly because I don’t think they are great fans communicating via media to the general public. This education expert is one of my favourite not only because he delivers, he knows what media is looking for and he has that personality that you want to go and have a beer with after work. Even if he does barrack for Richmond FC. A regular on Channel 10’s The Project, the key talkback programs around the country and now an avid OP-ED writer for major newspapers around the country and particularly his home state of Victoria; Adam has certainly established himself as both a thought leader and the commentator of all things education. A former teacher, principal and now owner of an education consultancy called Real Schools Adam is recognised nationally by his peers and media alike as the GO-TO. His anecdotes, his stories, his ability to connect with the hosts of the programs. His never-ending content engine continues to turn. Always ready to have an opinion backed with evidence and facts and can get quite deep on issues that he is passionate about. His delivery to camera and a radio interview is very natural and unique. Adam has the ability to talk like both the principal, the teacher and the parent and it isn’t wrapped up in academic vernacular that neither the audience or journalist can understand. He has even a twang in his accent of ‘good bloke’ in him that even if you disagreed with what he had to say you’d really like him. It’s a good thing that he does make more sense than most when it comes to education. He is respected for his contribution by his peers but more importantly the media and its audience welcomes what he has to say as he clearly outlines the issues with commentary and solutions. An expert that I very much enjoy to watch and hear from. If you are a student of professional development in the space of media there is no greater lesson that the one given by Adam Voigt.

Accountants have the unfortunate stereotype of being humourless and boring… Well, there is nothing boring about Accountant Michelle Maynard who is nailing it in the media on all matters of money advice and analysis. Hers is a voice and a face that you will be familiar with if you live in Perth as she regularly appears on 6PR and Nine News as their go-to expert. Michelle’s leap into media started after she attended a #MeetTheMedia event and made quite an impression on several journalists she met, including Oliver Peterson from 6PR, who had Michelle on his program that very week. She hasn’t looked back from then and is getting regular media engagements across all forms of media in WA. Michelle was not a natural media talent and has worked on her delivery and media presence, to now present as confident and poised. Her appetite to do media is huge and she will say “yes” every time, which makes her very media friendly. This episode of The Experts podcast is a special one for an one in professional services who are looking to make an impact in media. You will struggle to find a better example of dedication, persistence and quality than the one Michelle Maynard sets.

This revised series of The Experts podcast has been met with great interest not only from the experts we interview but also the media that we have featured. This is a “stop and prop” moment where Lanna and I get a chance to look back at what we have learned, what has inspired us and what we all can do to perform better in the media. A lot of people have commented that the podcast is a good mix of education, fun, banter and discovery. That is exactly the flavour we were looking to create when Lana raised the idea of rejuvenating the podcast. We genuinely love delivering this podcast because we also learn something new each time. It does help when we have had such great talent, such as Professor Gary Martin, Samantha Jackson, Meg Coffey, Oliver Peterson, Tim Collins, Evan Broadway, Dr Katherine Iscoe, Louanne Ward, Jenna Clarke and Aaron McDonald. These people are all at the top of their game and the most inspiring theme from this series was that they themselves are continuing to learn, to improve and to master their craft. I think you are going to enjoy hearing from the next ten experts and media as they breakdown some of the elements that have helped them succeed. If there is an expert or someone from the media that you would like to hear from then please reach out to us at [email protected] and we will make that happen. Last but not least; thank you to the listeners of The Experts podcast. We really do value the time you have invested in us and again thank you for the wonderful feedback. Best, Nic and Lanna

The media loves talking to lawyers and even more so in these times of Covid-19 when we’re all becoming familiar with Latin terms like ‘force majeure’. It is a time of uncertainty and lawyers and the legal sector are trusted allies when businesses are going through significant disruption. Aaron McDonald is the head of Pragma Legal and reveals what it means as a legal practitioner to be seen and heard in the media. For Aaron, it makes sense to invest both time and resources to amplify his expertise. One short interview on breakfast radio resulted in three calls and two significant contracts for the firm, after he was heard on the wireless. He says each media engagement is a ‘media asset’ that is designed to keep you front of mind and can be relevant to an audience you are looking to influence. This chat with Aaron helps to break down some of the stigma attached to lawyers and the legal sector, which can only be countered by getting out from behind the desk and representing as a strong advocate for his industry.

The energy that Jenna Clarke brings to The Experts Podcast is no different to the energy that she applies to her craft in her day job as the Assistant Editor of The West Australian. Jenna is prolific in media across radio and television and even hosts her own daily current affairs podcast, an innovative pivot by The West. What you will notice with this spirited and talented journalist is that while she is very competitive, she’s also very liberal with her admiration and respect for other media and journalists, which is so refreshing to hear. The unanimous sense you’ll get from listening to this podcast is that there’s never been a greater need for quality journalism and news than today. The increase in audience numbers are reflecting this, and the deficiencies in social media as a trusted source, have been further exposed as we navigate our way through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Love can make you do silly things… like starting an Experts podcast singing 1978’s John Paul Young hit ‘Love is in the Air’. That’s right we are talking love, relationships and dating. The media loves talking relationships, dating, intimacy, attraction, body language and communication because there is just so much to cover. And dating and relationships expert Louanne Ward, who has 30 years’ experience helping people find their soul mate, is surely one of Australia’s most well qualified and engaging experts in these areas. In this podcast we discuss how technology has changed the way we find our partners and how it’s impacted relationships. We discover why the coffee date is no good, how to read body language and we even get into how COVID-19 has hit the dating world. Then we also dive a little deeper into what motivates Louanne and discover the ‘why’ behind what she does. You will get a lot from listening to Louanne’s story as both a relationship expert and a media commentator. If this podcast was a date, you could say the conversation was great and we made a connection!

In this Experts podcast we focus on the C word and it isn’t Coronavirus or COVID-19. It’s Confidence we’re talking about. We all need a little bit of Confidence Expert Dr Katherine Iscoe in our lives at the moment, especially as we’re surrounded by a such a confronting chain of events which are enough to shake-up even the most positive of people. The words of advice that come from Dr Kat are very relevant in these times. What I really enjoy about Dr Kat is her quirkiness and sense of humour. They are an essential part of her character, and combined with a razor sharp mind, you sense that her own confidence is drawn from these characteristics. Media has given Dr Kat credibility. Even an appearance on Studio 10 resulted in an invitation to be a participant on stage at a major medical conference. This edition of the Experts podcast is a must listen if you know Dr Kat and more importantly, if you don’t know her, you need to listen now. She doesn’t hold back and we wouldn’t want her to either. Enjoy!

A passion for, and love of the media is what drives Evan Broadway, GM of radio station 6IX. When re-launching the Experts Podcast, we wanted to interview not only experts who’d made their mark in the media but also from the media themselves. Media is full of wonderful front-line people across print, online, radio and television but there are also very talented people in support and behind the scenes. Evan Broadway is one of them. Evan’s enthusiasm for his work is contagious. This is an amusing and informative chat with someone who treats his media career as more than just a job. He he’s been in the industry from an early age and recently launched his own podcast Broadway Broadcast where he interviews the people who’ve mentored him and inspired him on his media journey.

I’m am not sure that there’s a topic that the media and we as consumers are more fascinated by than aviation. As an industry it has it all – excitement, romance, leisure, safety, business and it’s the great connector of people and cultures. Qualified aviation experts are in short supply and we often get media requests for experts in this field. Tim Collins isn’t a journalist or an employee of an airline. He is a pilot of 40 years and is now an aviation consultant to the industry. One of Tim’s talents is that he can tell a story or analyse a situation from his first-hand, real life perspective, calling on his own aviation skills and knowledge. His other talent is the ability to make the complex, easy to understand. In our chat he’s discusses his career and reveals that he had the responsibility of flying a very well-known Prime Minister around during an election campaign. Tim advice for being an expert is to not sit back, but to put yourself out there. Its good advice. You can find Tim www.upstream-aviation.com

The first of the media interviews in this series of The Experts podcast is with 6PR Perth Live’s host Oliver Peterson. Oliver is a new breed of talk radio broadcasters and is the youngest metro talk radio host in the country. He also has broad experience in TV and print, but his passion for radio eclipses the others. In this interview Oly, gives us an insight into how he chooses which stories to cover and how he covers them. He’s looking for stories that can start a conversation or that can provide a fresh angle on the news of the day. He always puts his audience first, and believes local stories that reflect what’s happening in people’s lives have the most impact. Oly’s main piece of advice for any expert is to be on topic! Start with your expertise, showcase it and put in your best performance. You can catch Oliver each weekday on Perth Live from 3pm to 6pm on Radio 6PR.

A lot of social media experts don’t get it right according to Meg Coffey and we agree. Many are just not doing their research or interpreting trends correctly. We dive a little deeply into the strategy behind working with social media. In Meg's opinion, all comes to audience and what they want. Very like the strategy of traditional media. Meg has never been shy to present an opinion or take a position. Why she does it is a great lesson for any budding expert. As Meg gets older she is very comfortable within herself and is not afraid to rock the boat. She says, "You don’t have to like me you just have to work with me”. This confidence and this strategy is one that works very well for her personal and business brand. We also get to catch up on the latest from State of Social, Meg's event that is quickly gaining a reputation as the leading digital conference in the Asia Pacific region. This is a really fascinating chat with one of Australia’s best social media commentators. You can find Meg here: https://coffeyandtea.com/

Sam Jackson is a health coach who has for the last twelve months, been producing some of the most outstanding health related media content in Australia. None greater than her "Lose the Dad Bod” special series which featured on Seven’s Sunrise program over several months. The reason we wanted Sam back on The Experts Podcast is that she embodies the energy and drive that every expert should be aspiring to harness, and use in their own media journey. Sam arrived for the interview, fresh after completing late night radio and a media engagement on national TV where the cross was at 4.30am in the morning. You would never have known it, because Sam always brings her ‘A Game’. You can find Sam www.samanthjackson.coach

When choosing a guest to kick-off our new series of The Experts Podcast, we couldn't go past Professor Gary Martin from AIM WA. Gary is someone that many experts and leaders of business look up to. It is very rare that you get a leader of industry and business that not only gets what media does for his personal and business brand but also knows how to produce and self-publish content. Gary is prolific across all media and he gives an insight how he does it, what it takes and what he gets from it. Lanna and Nic really enjoyed having a chat with the man that is known nationally as the go-to "workplace culture expert", a tagline that works very well for his personal brand but more importantly for the brand that he leads, The Australian Institute of Management WA. You can find Gary on Linkedin here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/professorgarymartin Follow us: Instagram @theexperts_podcast