Podcast · 2021–2022
Graduate
Theory
Graduate Theory began in 2021, as I started my own career and searched for a better map from university into work. Across 52 episodes and 20,000+ YouTube views, the first season explored how graduates, founders and senior leaders built fulfilling careers. This archive brings together the interviews, episode notes and newsletters from that season.
Featured episode
The End
The final episode of Graduate Theory's first season: lessons learned, favourite memories and advice for graduates.
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- #52 The End The final episode of Graduate Theory's first season: lessons learned, favourite memories and advice for graduates.
- #51 Nan Meka | On Choosing a Startup That's Right for You Nan Meka explains what to look for when joining a startup, why fundraising size can mislead and why early-career learning beats compensation.
- #50 Graduate Theory Compilation - Part Two Part two of the Graduate Theory compilation, collecting career advice from episodes 26–47.
- #49 Graduate Theory Compilation - Part One A compilation of career advice from the first 25 Graduate Theory guests.
- #48 On Achieving Work-Life Balance A deep dive into work-life balance: setting sustainable boundaries, finding harmony and choosing the balance that works for you.
- #47 Dave Lourdes | On Becoming The Best You Can Be Dave Lourdes shares lessons on confidence, consistency, achievement and turning what you learn into action.
- #46 Mykel Dixon | On Rediscovering Your Creativity Mykel Dixon explains how to rediscover creativity, move through self-consciousness and make experimentation part of everyday work.
- #45 Brendan Humphreys | On Developing Your Engineering Career Canva engineering leader Brendan Humphreys on technical growth, collaboration and developing a durable engineering career.
- #44 Lisa Leong | On Moments of Truth and Pattern Discovery Lisa Leong shares lessons on moments of truth, everyday experimentation and discovering the patterns that energise you.
- #43 Caleb Maru | On African Startups and the Power of Accountability Caleb Maru explores the opportunity in African startups and how accountability can turn ambitious goals into action.
- #42 On Creating a Lifestyle Career Plan A framework for designing a lifestyle-first career plan and making intentional choices about work, money and relationships.
- #41 Gabriel Guedes | On Tales Of Spontaneity And The Perils Of Optionality Gabriel Guedes reflects on spontaneity, optionality and leaving a high-performance consulting career to build a startup.
- #40 Elaha Gurgani | On Exploring Curiosity and Building Your Tribe Elaha Gurgani shares how curiosity, community and putting your work into the world can open unexpected opportunities.
- #39 Elizabeth Knight | On Defining Yourself and Your Mission Elizabeth Knight discusses defining your identity, finding your mission and creating work that matters to you.
- #38 Juliana Owen | On Building Your Career in the Australian Job Market Juliana Owen shares how international graduates can build confidence, communicate their value and find work in Australia.
- #37 On The Best Of Graduate Theory A collection of the best lessons and moments from the first 36 episodes of Graduate Theory.
- #36 Max Marchione | On Independent Thought And The Value Of Courage Max Marchione discusses independent thought, intellectual honesty and the courage required to choose your own path.
- #35 Cheran Ketheesuran | On The Journey To Banking and Consulting Graduate Roles Cheran Ketheesuran shares his journey into competitive banking and consulting graduate roles and how others can prepare.
- #34 Robby Wade | On the Importance of Perspective Robby Wade shares lessons on perspective from a career spanning Australian banking, crypto and a Silicon Valley startup.
- #33 Jack Boxer | On Waking Up and Chasing Your Dreams Jack Boxer shares how a life-changing wake-up call led him to pursue entrepreneurship and start chasing his dreams.
- #32 On Why You Shouldn't Follow Your Passion Why passion often follows skill, autonomy and meaningful work—and why blindly following it can be poor career advice.
- #31 Gene Rice | On The Journey from Grad to Grown-up Gene Rice shares lessons from helping young adults make the transition from uncertain graduates to confident professionals.
- #30 Yaniv Bernstein | On Engineering The Perfect Work Culture Yaniv Bernstein explains how engineers and leaders can build high-performance teams without sacrificing a healthy work culture.
- #29 On Negotiating Your Financial Future with Lacey Filipich Lacey Filipich shares the foundations of financial independence, negotiating your pay and choosing the right boss.
- #28 On the Specialist vs Generalist Dilemma A practical look at the specialist-versus-generalist dilemma and why broad experience can create stronger long-term careers.
- #27 On Finding and Thriving in Your Dream Graduate Role with Kerry Callenbach What graduates can do differently to stand out, build rapport and thrive throughout competitive recruitment processes.
- #26 On Making a Career in Venture Capital with Abhi Maran Abhi Maran shares what it takes to work in venture capital and how young people can build credibility in the industry.
- #25 The Quarter Century Review with James Fricker A review of the first 25 Graduate Theory episodes and the recurring lessons on initiative, productivity, relationships and career decisions.
- #24 On Avoiding Career Traps and Burnout with Mel Kettle Mel Kettle shares what she wishes she knew before burning out and how to avoid career traps that can damage your health.
- #23 On Building a Remote Career in Web3 with Josh Reyes Josh Reyes shares lessons from building a remote career in Web3, choosing healthy work cultures and developing trust across distributed teams.
- #22 On Finding Your Mission with Josh Farr Josh Farr shares practical ideas for finding your mission, understanding the sweet spot of your strengths and building a meaningful career.
- #21 On Resume Writing and Authenticity with Nimarta Verma Nimarta Verma explains how graduates can write clearer resumes and cover letters without losing their personality or authenticity.
- #20 On Time Management and Leadership with Adam Geha EG CEO Adam Geha shares a rigorous approach to time management, personal effectiveness and leading people with care.
- #19 On Designing a Successful Side Hustle with Penny Talalak Penny Talalak shares a practical approach to designing a side hustle around your skills, interests and available time.
- #18 On Asymmetric Risks and the Power of Asking with Warwick Donaldson Warwick Donaldson explains asymmetric risk, the value of asking and how stronger relationships create unexpected opportunities.
- #17 On the Importance of Taking Action with Aaron Ngan Aaron Ngan explains how to turn ideas into action by finding the smallest useful next step and sharing what you are working on.
- #16 On Building a Long-Term and Sustainable Career with Michael Gill Veteran Australian lawyer Michael Gill shares lessons on keeping an open mind and building a meaningful, sustainable career.
- #15 On Startups, Corporate and the Importance of Personal Branding with Dan Brockwell Dan Brockwell compares startup and corporate careers and explains how graduates can build a credible personal brand.
- #14 On Our Connection to Nature and Leadership with Ingrid Messner Ingrid Messner is a leadership expert with over twenty-five years’ experience and a passion for creating positive change for people and the planet.
- #13 On Moving Interstate, SWE Interviews and Traits of Great Consultants Three graduates share lessons on moving interstate, software engineering interviews and the traits that distinguish great consultants.
- #12 On Books and the Importance of Range with Adam Ashton Adam Ashton is an account manager and co-host of the What You Will Learn podcast, which shares lessons from books and author interviews.
- #11 On The Graduate Experience and Careers with Haynes D'Souza Haynes is a Finance Manager at Airwallex. He has worked at Goldman Sachs JBWere and PwC, where he worked in Silicon Valley on billion-dollar deals like the Uber IPO and Airbnb transactions.
- #10 On Graduate Theory James is the host of Graduate Theory. He studied Maths and Finance at the University of Adelaide before moving to Melbourne in 2021.
- #9 On Mentoring and Mental Health Aiden studied IT and finished his degree in 2016, previously worked at Apple and PwC and now works as a Technical Trainer at Microsoft. He is passionate about mental health.
- #8 On Purpose-Driven Business and Transdisciplinarity with Co-Founder and CEO, Andrew Akib Andrew is the Co-Founder and CEO of Maslow, a voice-enabled rehabilitation assistant for young people living with paralysis.
- #7 On Purpose and High Performance with Former MD Goldman Sachs, Lidia Ranieri Former Goldman Sachs managing director Lidia Ranieri on purpose, recovery, relationships and making sustainable career decisions.
- #6 On Personal Productivity and Growth with Founding Director - Capability Unlimited, Ishan Galapathy Operational excellence expert Ishan Galapathy on habit tracking, reducing friction and finding meaning through the course of a career.
- #5 On Listening with Author and Speaker, Oscar Trimboli Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker.
- #4 On University and Initiative with Co-Founder of Espresso Displays, Scott McKeon Scott McKeon reflects on university, overseas exchange and the importance of taking initiative early in your career.
- #3 On Patterns and Letting Go with Behavioural Scientist, Darren Fleming Behavioural scientist Darren Fleming on imposter syndrome, public speaking and breaking the patterns that keep us stuck.
- #2 On Career Progression and Leadership with Former SATAC CEO, Wendy Teasdale-Smith Former SATAC CEO Wendy Teasdale-Smith on career progression, initiative and what real leadership responsibility looks like.
- #1 On Networking with Founder and Author, Joe Wehbe Joe Wehbe on building genuine professional relationships, creating value for others and the lessons behind 18 and Lost.
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