What happens when an entrepreneur who thinks he’s “bullet-proof” discovers he isn’t?

Nathan Baws has spent more than four decades building businesses, launching more than 19 ventures and working across industries from health and property to hospitality. He’s also an international bestselling author and took his Perth-based food business, Tommy Sugo, to Shark Tank.

In this episode of Authentic Advantage, Nathan joins host Anna Shepherd to talk about the wins, the failures and the lessons that changed the way he does business.

From losing heavily on restaurant expansion to learning how to test ideas before investing big, Nathan shares why failure can be one of the fastest ways to grow — if you’re willing to learn from it.

Nathan also shares why he believes the rise of AI could make genuine relationships more commercially valuable, not less.

This episode is for entrepreneurs, founders and business owners who want to grow smarter, learn from failure and build something sustainable without losing themselves along the way.

In this episode of Authentic Advantage, Anna sits down with Christina Gerakiteys — transformation and innovation specialist, author, speaker and futurist — for a powerful conversation about failure, possibility, leadership and what it really means to put humanity first in business.

Christina shares why failure is not the opposite of success, but often the pathway to progress. From childhood perfectionism to organisational culture, she explores how our earliest stories about failure shape the way we lead, innovate and take risks.

Together, Anna and Christina unpack moonshot thinking, optimism as an innovation strategy, psychological safety, the role of kindness and compassion in leadership, and why businesses need to create space for experimentation if they want to truly move forward.

They also dive into technology, AI and the future of work — including why Christina prefers to think of AI as “augmented intelligence” and how technology can be used to expand human capacity rather than replace it.

At the heart of the conversation is a bigger question: in a world becoming more artificial, automated and uncertain, how do we stay truthful, human and authentic?

This episode is for business owners, leaders, creators and anyone who wants to think bigger, lead better and build a more meaningful future.

In this episode of Authentic Advantage, Anna Shepherd sits down with Elysium ‘Glam’ Nguyen, founder of Global Marketing Institute, for a conversation about marketing, authenticity, business growth, leadership, and why great ideas need the right support to become reality.

Glam’s entrepreneurial journey started early — from registering her first business at 15, to building a design agency as a teenager in Vietnam, to eventually founding Global Marketing Institute during one of the most disruptive periods in modern business.

In this conversation, Glam shares how marketing became the bridge between creativity and business, why authenticity matters even more in the age of AI, and what it really takes to build something that people trust, believe in, and connect with.

Anna and Glam also explore what it means to go all in on a business, how to scale authenticity beyond the founder, why kindness is a powerful leadership principle, and how business can become a platform for helping others realise what they are truly capable of.

This episode is for entrepreneurs, marketers, founders, business owners, creators, and anyone trying to build a brand that feels human, purposeful, and commercially strong.

In this episode, we cover:
– Starting a business at 15
– Why great ideas need great support
– Authenticity in the age of AI
– The difference between working hard and working smart
– Building Global Marketing Institute
– Scaling a business without losing yourself
– Why kindness matters in leadership
– How to build trust through marketing
– The responsibility that comes with helping people succeed