What F1 Teams Know About Performance That Most CEOs Don't – with Olly Bridge

If you're building a business, you don't need more motivation. You need better inputs.

This week I sit down with Olly Bridge, one of Australia's leading experts in sustainable human performance. Olly started as a sports scientist working with Formula One drivers and Olympic gymnasts. He went on to lead high-performing teams at BMW and Medibank and served as COO of an ASX and NASDAQ-listed health tech company. Today he runs Build a Bridge, which he founded in 2013, and is a Principal at Essentio Health, helping leaders perform at their peak without paying for it with their health.

His core idea is simple. High performance usually isn't limited by talent. It's limited by energy.

We get into:

• How small daily performance habits compound into major long-term impact
• What elite sport teaches leaders about recovery, energy and consistency
• Why recovery isn't something you "get to" on the weekend
• How executives can design performance systems that last, without costing them their health or their relationships
• The "corporate athlete" mindset, and why the same science that drives Olympians and F1 teams applies in the boardroom

My goal for every episode: you leave with at least one idea you can use straight away, and one question that makes you rethink how you're running your business.

Connect with Olly Bridge

• Build a Bridge: https://www.ollybridge.com
• Essentio Health: https://essentiohealth.com
• LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/ollybridge
• Essentio Health on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/company/essentiohealth
• Book a free discovery session: https://www.ollybridge.com/book-online
• Keynotes: https://www.ollybridge.com/buildabridge-keynotes
• Team workshops: https://www.ollybridge.com/buildabridge-workshops
• Essentio Health Program: https://www.ollybridge.com/buildabridge-testing
• Health & wellbeing strategy: https://www.ollybridge.com/buildabridge-strategy
• Blog: https://www.ollybridge.com/blog

About the show

The Australian Business Show is hosted by Nick Stehr. Every two weeks, Nick sits down with Australian founders and business leaders to unpack what really drives growth: the decisions people don't post about, the costly mistakes nobody sees, and the frameworks that hold up under pressure.

Connect with Nick: https://nickstehr.com

If this episode gave you something useful, follow the show and share it with one leader who needs to hear it.

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🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.

How to Build a Business Empire Through Acquisitions - with Adam Coffey

What does it take to buy 58 companies, engineer $2.5 billion in CEO exits, and turn small founder-led businesses into 9-figure sales? Adam Coffey has done it - and on this episode of the Australian Business Show, he hands over the playbook.

Host Nick Stehr sits down with Adam Coffey: former US Army sergeant, GE turnaround leader in the Jack Welch era, four-time number-one bestselling author (The Private Equity Playbook, The Exit Strategy Playbook, Empire Builder), and the strategist behind $500M+ in entrepreneurial exits in just the last two years.

This is not theory. Adam breaks down exactly how he took one client from under $2M in EBITDA to $12M in three years, and how a $125M platform sold for $550M in 27 months through multiple arbitrage. If you own a business, plan to buy one, or are eyeing an exit, this is your masterclass.

In this episode:

• Why "only buy good companies run by good people" beats hunting for cheap fixer-uppers every time
• The multiple arbitrage engine: buy small at 5X, sell big at 12-14X, and why simply getting bigger creates the wealth
• Points of failure: why buying three companies beats buying twelve to hit the same target
• The due diligence gap most founders miss - operational risk, founder dependency, and customer concentration
• The one-month holiday test: do you own a business, or just a job?
• Adam's framework for picking a winning industry: needs over wants, recurring over project revenue, low capex over high free cash flow
• How to structure a deal at a 2:1 debt coverage ratio - and get the bank to yes with as little as a $5,000 deposit
• Why the best exits are planned from day one, and how to reverse-engineer the journey to your number
• The founder-transition trap: earn-outs, red flags, and how Adam widens his buy box for the smaller Australian and NZ market

Whether you are a first-time acquirer or building a roll-up, Adam's blueprint shows you how to stack the deck, limit your risk, and build to a real exit.

Connect with Adam Coffey on LinkedIn or at chairmangroup.us. Grab his books on Amazon.

"Don't be a dreamer. Be a doer." - Adam Coffey

Follow Adam here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamecoffey

Thanks for tuning in to The Australian Business Show!
If you found value in this episode, hit subscribe so we can keep the conversations going — and share it with someone who’d enjoy it.

🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.

Welcome to Season 3, Episode 1 of The Australian Business Show.

Change fails when it gets forced from the outside.

In this episode, we sit down with Billy Ray Taylor (LinkedXL) to unpack a leadership principle every entrepreneur needs when standards are high, the pace is fast, and your team has to come with you:

Be hard on the standard so you can lead easy on the people.

Billy shares the story and meaning behind his unforgettable analogy:
“When an egg cracks from the inside, life begins. When an egg cracks from the outside, life ends.”
It’s a simple metaphor for real change leadership: create internal ownership, not external pressure.

What you’ll take away from this conversation:

• How to raise standards without crushing morale
• How to get buy-in instead of compliance
• The leadership moves that make change stick in entrepreneurial teams
• How to engage people so execution becomes consistent, not chaotic
• How to lead with empathy without lowering the bar

Connect with Billy Ray Taylor and learn more here:

• LinkedIn: Billy Ray Taylor
• LinkedXL: About LinkedXL
• Skool of Business Execution: Skool of Execution
• Billy Rays Book 'The Winning Link' - The Winning Link: A Proven Process to Define, Align, and Execute Strategy at Every Level (Audio Download): Billy Ray Taylor, Scott R. Pollak, Echo Point Books & Media, LLC: Amazon.com.au: Books

If this episode helps you lead better, subscribe on your favorite platform and share it with a founder who’s navigating change right now.

Thanks for tuning in to The Australian Business Show!
If you found value in this episode, hit subscribe so we can keep the conversations going — and share it with someone who’d enjoy it.

🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.

Could we be looking at dementia all wrong?

Join Liz Ferentinos and Wah Chin Boon on The Australian Business Show as they discuss a groundbreaking discovery that reframes dementia — not as an irreversible disease, but as a deficiency that may start years before symptoms appear.

This episode dives into the science, the accidental discovery, and how it challenges decades of conventional thinking. Explore the links with childhood dementia and autism research, the hurdles of funding breakthrough science, and what this could mean for millions of people worldwide.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify and subscribe to stay updated.

Watch the complete episode on YouTube, and join the discussion by sharing your thoughts or leaving a review!

🌐 Follow Liz Ferentinos and Wah Chin Boon on their socials to stay updated on their latest work and projects:

Liz Ferentinos

Wah Chin Boon

#DementiaResearch #MedicalBreakthrough #ScienceInnovation #ChildhoodDementia #AutismResearch #HealthcareInnovation #Neuroscience #theaustralianbusinessshow

Thanks for tuning in to The Australian Business Show!
If you found value in this episode, hit subscribe so we can keep the conversations going — and share it with someone who’d enjoy it.

🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.

How do you build, scale, and sell billion-dollar startups — and survive the failures along the way? 💡

In this episode of The Australian Business Show, Nick Stehr sits down with Andrew Nash — serial entrepreneur, venture partner, and co-founder of multiple startups — to unpack decades of real-world entrepreneurship from bare-knuckle startups and billion-dollar exits to hard-earned lessons on failure, risk, and resilience.

This conversation explores:
• The realities of building and selling companies
• Cultural differences between Australia and the US when it comes to failure
• Why curiosity, empathy, and adaptability are critical leadership skills
• The role of AI and innovation ecosystems — and what Australia must do to compete globally
• Practical advice for the next generation of founders on building teams, managing pressure, and playing the long game

Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, startup founder, or business leader, this conversation offers practical insights, stories, and guidance for navigating the realities of building and scaling a business.

🎥 Watch the full episode on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/reXLhxWjPyw


🔗 Follow Andrew Nash on LinkedIn for more insights into startups, leadership, and innovation.


#entrepreneurship #StartupLessons #AndrewNash #BillionDollarExits #StartupAdvice #BusinessGrowth #FailureLessons #Innovation #theaustralianbusinessshow

Thanks for tuning in to The Australian Business Show!
If you found value in this episode, hit subscribe so we can keep the conversations going — and share it with someone who’d enjoy it.

🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.

Most founders think scaling is about strategy, processes, and working harder.
But in this episode, founder psychologist and global business leader Justine Campbell explains why many of the real challenges are internal: identity, self-leadership, values, ego, and the psychology of uncertainty.

Drawing on her experience living and working in eight countries, including a decade with BMW Japan, Justine shares insights on rhythm, confidence, culture, psychological safety, support systems, and the mindset patterns she sees in founders navigating growth.

Nick and Justine discuss why some founders shift and adapt while others hit ceilings.
They explore the rise of female founders, the limits of the traditional male-written business playbook, and how culture, AI, and the fast pace of modern life influence leadership today.

If you’re a founder, leader, or someone interested in the psychology behind growth, this conversation offers perspectives that may be useful to bring clarity to what actually drives scale and what quietly gets in the way.

Connect with Justine on social media:
https://justinecampbell.com.au/
Instagram: justine_campbell
LinkedIn: Justine Campbell

#FounderMindset #ScalingBusiness #FemaleFounders #LeadershipPsychology #BusinessGrowth #SelfLeadership #EntrepreneurMindset #MindsetMatters #theaustralianbusinessshow #BusinessStrategy #GrowthMindset

Thanks for tuning in to The Australian Business Show!
If you found value in this episode, hit subscribe so we can keep the conversations going — and share it with someone who’d enjoy it.

🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.

Discover how Sylvia Arotin turned adversity into opportunity and built a global impact through Montessori education. From overcoming severe health challenges to pioneering a system that empowers children, Sylvia shares her journey of purpose, leadership, and social impact. Learn practical insights on raising confident, self-motivated children, fostering intrinsic growth, and creating meaningful change in education.

Ideal for educators, parents, entrepreneurs, and anyone passionate about nurturing the next generation.

Listen now on YouTube & Spotify!

#Montessori #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ChildDevelopment #EducationLeadership #SocialImpact #Entrepreneurship #ParentingTips #TheAustralianBusinessShow

Thanks for tuning in to The Australian Business Show!
If you found value in this episode, hit subscribe so we can keep the conversations going — and share it with someone who’d enjoy it.

🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.

In this episode of The Australian Business Show, host Nick Stehr sits down with Brett and Nev, co-founders of Fin-X Wealth, to unpack their journey from corporate finance and global trading desks to building one of Australia’s most values-driven independent wealth management firms.

They share how years in the trenches at UBS, Credit Suisse, and ABN Amro shaped their approach to trust, integrity, and long-term investing — and why they left the security of major institutions to create something of their own under an independent licence.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or business owner, this conversation offers rare insight into building a business founded on trust, expertise, and the courage to do things differently.


#TheAustralianBusinessShow #BusinessPodcast #Entrepreneurship #WealthManagement
#AustralianBusiness

Thanks for tuning in to The Australian Business Show!
If you found value in this episode, hit subscribe so we can keep the conversations going — and share it with someone who’d enjoy it.

🎥 Want the full conversation? Watch the full episode on YouTube, and check out our other episodes for more in-depth discussions with experts across business, science, and innovation.