Seize the Yay

One of life’s greatest story arcs is when you grow up fangirling someone famous then actually get to tell them later in life when you become mates - bonus points if they're as lovely as you'd hoped and Dan MacPherson is exactly that. If you’re part of the demographic of people who listen to this show, chances are you’ve also seen, heard and watched Dan's evolution through television, film, theatre presenting and everything in between. Transitioning seamlessly from the end of high school into a coveted role on Neighbours, you could say Dan has been an Australian icon for nearly three decades now. You may not now, however, that it all came about by accident when he was scouted literally on the side of the road at a triathlon but his enthusiasm for seizing such unexpected opportunities has helped him build a career that's not only remarkably successful, but incredibly varied continually reinventing himself while staying true to the craft. I am so grateful he gave us some of his very precious time back in Melbourne especially on the day his latest project premieres on Stan, so you can all see (if you haven’t already) the culmination of everything he’s done so far into a role you’ve never seen him in before. As someone who had never learnt to fight, you might think it unlikely Dan would take the lead in the new Stan Original film, Beast, as former MMA champion Patton James alongside Russell Crowe and fighting an opponent who is LEGITIMATELY an actual MMA champion... But you don’t know Dan - he made it his goal to be so convincing that people would think he was a fighter taught to act and not an actor taught to fight and he did exactly that. I loved every minute of this episode - he is SO easy to chat to but also shares such deep, valuable reflections along the way and I’ll let you hear the rest directly from him. Ladies and Gentleman, this is Dan MacPherson for Seize The Yay. Watch BEAST on Stan. Follow Dan here.

What happens when your entire identity is built on being the best in the world? For Jana Pittman, one of Australia's most famous athletes, the singular goal of Olympic gold was repeatedly torn away by devastating injuries and gut-wrenching losses. You might think her biggest pivot was swapping the running track for the bobsled, becoming one of the very few athletes in history to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. But that wasn't it. Her real pivot was walking away entirely from being an elite athlete to become a doctor - all while raising six children. In this episode of Pivot Club, Sarah Davidson speaks with Jana about this massive career change. They unpack how you cope with failure when your mindset is "silver is the first loser", and how you go from being one of the best in the world to a complete beginner back at the bottom of the ladder, surrounded by people half your age. Jana shares the unfiltered story about how this profound pivot emerged from a period of intense personal and professional struggle - through divorce, miscarriages, failed exams and the financial lows of moving back into her own garage to make ends meet. Join us for a raw lesson in resilience, a look into the unseen "messy middle," and a powerful reminder that your lowest moments can be the fuel for your greatest chapter yet. THE END BITS: Want more from Sarah Davidson? Check out her podcast Seize The Yay. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Jana Pittman Host: Sarah Davidson Executive Producer: Courtney Ammenhauser Senior Producer: Sally Best Want more Pivot Club? Listen here: This show was brought to you in partnership with Charles Sturt University. Australia's largest and most experienced online uni. Take the next step. Search Charles Sturt University online. Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I spoke in last week’s introduction about the parasocial relationships we often have with the people we follow and today’s guest is another amazing human I’d been Internet besties with for a while before we met. When we did finally cross paths through a Business Chicks event - the foundation of so many great relationships - it was like the podcast universe of Sarahs folding in on itself and felt like we’d known each other for years. Many of you will already recognise Sarah Grynberg’s unmistakably soothing voice and thought provoking questions from her own leading podcast, A Life of Greatness, sparking meaningful conversations around purpose, connection, and what truly makes a life well lived - you can see why we get along so well! But what you may not know is the rich tapestry of life experiences that led her here — from the world of commercial radio to spiritual seeking, personal transformation, and sitting down with some of the world’s most profound thinkers and leaders in their fields - from Deepak Chopra to Matthew McConaughey and beyond! Sarah has made it her mission to decode greatness — not the flashy, performative kind, but the deep, soul-nourishing greatness that comes from alignment, vulnerability, and courage and has also channeled her wisdom into a fabulous book, Living a Life of Greatness that came out just this year. In today’s episode, we turn the mic back on her and peel back the layers of what lights her up, what challenges she’s faced on her path, and how she navigates the inner world while showing up so fully in the outer one. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Follow Sarah here LINKS + Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There would be very few Australians who haven’t encountered The Daily Aus at one point or another, consuming the latest headlines from around the world in unmistakably bright colours and a no-nonsense vernacular. Since 2017, TDA has been disrupting the media landscape by repackaging leading news stories in a digestible, engaging way for younger, traditionally news-avoidant audiences. What you may not know, however, is that a) it all began between two complete strangers, b) was all designed and executed at that initial blind coffee catch up and c) with both of them working outside of journalism and the media at the time. After years of following both her work and her pathYAY behind the scenes, I’m thrilled to have one of those co-founders, Zara Seidler, with us today. You all know I love a pivot-filled pathYAY and Zara's is one for the ages going from early leanings towards education to climbing the ladder in government and politics before somewhat stumbling into this dream career. You’ll hear how she built a side hustle with a stranger into a media monster with a few fun side stories about managing risk, underestimation and failed rebrands and ALL still before the age of 30 years old. We also touch on the loss of her father to suicide when she was just 16 years old, a defining moment both for Zara and her family including her brother Zac - a clinical psychologist, researcher and Global Director of Men's Health at Movember - who you have also heard on the show. She is extraordinary in many ways, eloquent beyond her years and a joy to chat with - I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Follow Zara hereFollow The Daily Aus here LINKS + Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I’ve had a string of special recordings lately with guests I’ve been lucky to know through multiple chapters of their pathYAYS and today’s is absolutely one of those. But this is even more momentous not only because Seize the Yay was our guest’s first ever podcast back in 2019, but because her return comes literally days after some HUGE announcements and this chat was the first time she could speak about it. Michelle Battersby is one of the smartest women I know and some of you may remember that when we last spoke she was aggressively growing Bumble in the Australian market. A year after that, she co-founded the trailblazing creator-led platform, Sunroom, allowing women and non-binary individuals to monetise their content. Just last week, after scaling that business to over 20,000 creators, she was finally able to announce that she has sold Sunroom to Fanfix, the category leader in creator monetisation. And just days ago, she shared that she will be stepping into the role of President of Peanut, the gamechanging social networking app for pregnancy and motherhood. …which is so perfectly aligned because, yes, another development since our last episode was the birth of her first son Alfie… followed 8 months later with the somewhat surprising news that her second is also on the way! So, at the time of this recording Michelle had just exited her business, accepted her dream job and all while 30 weeks pregnant so what an INCREDIBLE time to catch up with her and get her real time thoughts. She has always been one of my favourite people to bump heads with but ESPECIALLY since becoming parents - I hope you enjoy as much as I did. LINKS + Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You have all definitely heard of the incredible Steph Claire Smith or Steph Miller and, if you’ve been listening to the show for a while, you’ll have heard her on this show not once... nor twice... but THREE times with this episode. I’ve always said having a podcast is such a beautiful way to capture who a person is at a point in time and then, if we do remain in each other’s lives, to look back on past chapters together and that’s definitely the case with us. We first recorded back in December 2018 when Steph had JUST got engaged then caught up four years later in October 2022 when she had just had Harvey. So, it feels like a very special and logical progression to have her on the show now that I’ve joined her in motherhood and she’s just made the big jump from 1 to 2 with Billie arriving just a few months ago. Even more special was the fact that we recorded during her stay at Homb Postpartum, a sanctuary for postpartum parents and bubs that was transformative for me almost a year ago now. Having been in each others DMs A LOT since Teddy was born sharing lots of highs, lows and mess of motherhood, this chat is one that could have gone for hours and that I’m so excited to share. You’ll already know Steph is the co-founder of KIC and the app has been such a godsend for me trying to move my body postpartum from wherever I am. She’s very kindly given us a code too which you'll see below. We didn’t really have a theme or agenda, it just felt like a lovely chat between mates in the trenches and I hope you guys enjoy as much as I did. Use the code SEIZETHEYAY for one month free when you sign up to Kic on a monthly subscription at www.kicapp.com! Available for new and returning users only. Expires November 30th, 2025. LINKS Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah Join our Facebook community here Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over our seven years so far of seizing the yay, I’ve found myself repeatedly blown away by some of the rooms it has led me into and some of the incredible people I’ve been lucky to meet. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine one of those rooms would be a SCIF at the headquarters of our national security service, ASIO, or that one of those people would be a real life spy. For the uninitiated, a SCIF is a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility and if you’ve followed me for even the briefest of time it won’t surprise you that I’m already familiar with all the acronyms. ALL of the content I consume involves espionage or secret operations, so you will understand why I consider this week’s episode a career and life highlight and this week’s guest a very favourite. I am able to share that our guest is a current Senior Intelligence Officer and she has been permitted to shed some light on the incredible work she does... but her exact title, name and real voice remain obfuscated for reasons, and I can’t believe I get to say this, of national security. In fact, the identity of every individual who works at ASIO is a secret except for the Director General and the three Deputy Directors-General. As we discuss, the very definition of ASIO’s success is preventing anything for us to know about and revealing exactly how they do that to any of us would also reveal it to potential enemies (so if you get frustrated at what our guest can’t share, know it’s for extremely good reason). While you may have ideas about spycraft from Hollywood and agencies like the CIA or MI6, there still isn’t much out there about our homegrown spies, which makes it even more exciting to get this incredibly rare insight into what life is like on the inside. I’ll also add there are a few instances where our speech may seem chopped or edits may seem messy, but you’ll of course understand that you can never know why. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Visit ASIO's website here LINKS + Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all know I rarely find myself struggling with words, but certain guests and their stories simply defy adequate description. I was lucky enough to interview Grace Tame at an event back in 2022 where her bravery and eloquence moved a room full of excitable adults to still, silent awe. Getting to chat with her again and share that with you all this week feels like such a great privilege and again found me quite lost for words. Grace, on the other hand, speaks with such clarity and composure even on her unfathomable experiences of trauma and pain. As a survivor of child sexual abuse both at the age of six and 15, she has become a powerful advocate for legal reform, reduction of stigma and primary prevention of sexual violence against children.Add some complex layers including anorexia, domestic violence, late diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder and having it all laid bare before the whole nation becoming Australian of the Year at just 26 while still processing it all in real time... and there you have a journey unimaginable to most of us. And yet, Grace’s capacity not only to continue her advocacy with the Grace Tame Foundation, but to find pockets of joy, hope and love is perhaps what blows me away the most.I won’t attempt to say more as it continues to feel inadequate, but I am grateful not only to help continue raising awareness of complex issues like grooming and consent but also to share some parts of Grace you don’t hear as much about elsewhere. You know that’s what I love most about this show and being a survivor of child sexual abuse is simply not the totality of Grace Tame. She is funny, quirky, reflective and hopeful - an ultramarathon runner, artist, author, bookworm and dedicated friend. Despite a pathway in which she was given no choice and where finding her yay could not be the main focus - unlike many of our guests - she somehow finds it anyway. I hope you enjoy as much as I did. Follow Grace here.Visit the Grace Tame Foundation here.If this conversation raises any emotional distress for you, please reach out to someone, or call Lifeline for 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services on 13 11 14.LINKS+ Announcements on Insta at @spoonful_of_sarah+ Join our Facebook community here+ Subscribe to not miss out on the next instalment of YAY! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.