Dear 21 Year Old Me - life lessons from leaders

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Podcast by Jeremy Irvine

Dear 21 Year Old Me - life lessons from leaders

Anchored by their 21st birthday and reflecting on their aspirations, our guest discusses how their perspectives on life and leadership have been framed, what critical life and leadership lessons they’ve learned, and what they would say today to their 21-year-old self.
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Latest episodes

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23 October 2025

E14: Heidi Farren

In this episode of Dear 21-Year-Old Me, with guest Heidi Farren

  • We go back in time to 2014 when Heidi turned 21.
  • Heidi reflects on her career in the tourism industry and how at seven years of age, she knew she wanted to run a business
  • We talk about how she got into tourism and created Altitude Tours
  • What did COVID 19 mean for Heidi's business and what it was like in a tourism region ?
  • We discuss how to "personalise the ordinary and systemise the extraordinary."
  • Heidi talks about building a business and embedding a customer-centric culture
  • We ask Heidi her go-to-places in Queenstown
  • We ask Heidi what she'd say to her 21-year-old self, and what Heidi at 21 would say to herself now.

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'Security guards monitor chocolate milk', stuff.co.nz, 22 October 2014

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01:35:07

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26 September 2025

E13: Ros Cardinal

In this episode of Dear 21-Year-Old Me, with guest Ros Cardinal

  • We go back in time to 1989 when Ros turned 21.
  • Ros reflects on her career in the federal public service and how she moved to running her own firm
  • We talk about a critical piece of feedback and what changed Ros's leadership mindset
  • What does AI and its impact mean for leaders?
  • We discuss being your best true self and what that means for leaders and their teams
  • We ask Ros her favourite and least favourite organisational phrases (during which we reference TV show Utopia - the character's name we talk about was Beverley, played by Rebecca Massey)
  • We ask Ros what she'd say to her 21-year-old self, and what Ros at 21 would say to herself now.

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If you like this podcast, please leave a review on your favourite podcast app

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00:00

01:23:04

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23 July 2025

E12: Andrew Klein, MC, speaker, trainer

In this episode of Dear 21-Year-Old Me, with guest Andrew Klein

  • We go back in time to 1986 when Andrew turned 21.
  • Andrew reflects on his early career and what made him change career direction
  • We talk about the Sydney Olympics and Andrew's involvement
  • Why is 'Survivor' a TV show Andrew loves?!
  • We discuss being genuine and the importance of honesty in challenging situations
  • We ask Andrew what he'd say to his 21-year-old self, and what Andrew at 21 would say to himself now.

Links

If you like this podcast, please leave a review on your favourite podcast app

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Tell a friend about the show!

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01:34:11

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28 March 2024

E11: Sarah Makris, career success coach

Send us a text In this episode of Dear 21-Year-Old Me, with guest Sarah Makris We go back in time to 1997 when our guest, Sarah Makris, turned 21. Sarah reflects on her career journey, her drive, and determination. We discuss understanding your brand and the importance of simple, clear communication. Sarah steps back and looks at the contrasts between corporate life and running your own small business. We discuss how Sarah learns from others and the traits of being a good leader. We ask ...

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01:14:22

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17 March 2024

E10: John Bucchino, composer, songwriter, performer

Send us a text In this episode of Dear 21-Year-Old Me, with guest John Bucchino We go back in time to 1972 when our guest, John Bucchino, turned 21, and look at his trip back to the East Coast from California. John reflects on his earliest musical influences and how he began songwriting. We talk about how John's composing evolved, and the importance of humility and being true to himself. John reflects on a critical lesson with an executive and what led to a key track in a Disney movie. Jo...

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02:12:38

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22 February 2024

E9: Garry Pearson OAM, teacher, association CEO, mentor

Send us a text In this episode of Dear 21-Year-Old Me, with guest Garry Pearson OAM We go back in time to 1973 when our guest, Garry Pearson, turned 21, and look at what was happening in the world, and closer to home back then. Garry reflects on his experiences commencing as a teacher and then moving into executive roles. We talk about how Garry's leadership style has evolved, and the importance of humility. Garry reflects on a critical early lesson learned. Garry talks about the im...

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01:12:36

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