Small Steps Living: The Podcast

Everyone's talking about AI replacing jobs, but what's actually happening out there for real people in real workplaces? In this episode, I'm chatting with career coach Nikki Smith, who works with people at career crossroads every single day.And here's the thing - the conversation went in directions I totally wasn't expecting! We dive into why burnout is still lingering post-COVID, how portfolio careers are becoming the new normal, and why your "people strengths" might actually be your superpower in an AI-dominated world. Plus, Nikki shares the absolute game-changer approach she's teaching her teenage daughters about work that none of us learnt at school!If you're feeling exhausted at the thought of learning yet another new technology, frustrated with return-to-office mandates, or secretly wondering if it's time to explore something completely different - this conversation is for you. It's practical, hopeful, and refreshingly honest about the messiness of

This is a reading of my Substack Series exploring why I felt I lost my voice the past few years. The feedback I received from these posts spurred me into action to create a new program called Back to You in Midlife and is for any woman who has lost a part of herself through this stage and wants to take a moment and reconnect with herself and what matters to her now and create more of what she wants (amongst the chaos!). We start November 10 - join hereContinue your conversation with Lisa on Substack Know someone who would love this episode? Share it with them here (um, and a hefty handful of stars would be greatly appreciated!)

This is a reading of my Substack Series exploring why I felt I lost my voice the past few years. The feedback I received from these posts spurred me into action to create a new program called Back to You in Midlife and is for any woman who has lost a part of herself through this stage and wants to take a moment and reconnect with herself and what matters to her now and create more of what she wants (amongst the chaos!). We start November 10 - join hereContinue your conversation with Lisa on Substack Know someone who would love this episode? Share it with them here (um, and a hefty handful of stars would be greatly appreciated!)

This is a reading of my Substack Series exploring why I felt I lost my voice the past few years. The feedback I received from these posts spurred me into action to create a new program called Back to You in Midlife and is for any woman who has lost a part of herself through this stage and wants to take a moment and reconnect with herself and what matters to her now and create more of what she wants (amongst the chaos!). We start November 10 - join hereContinue your conversation with Lisa on Substack Know someone who would love this episode? Share it with them here (um, and a hefty handful of stars would be greatly appreciated!)

This is a reading of my Substack Series exploring why I felt I lost my voice the past few years. The feedback I received from these posts spurred me into action to create a new program called Back to You in Midlife and is for any woman who has lost a part of herself through this stage and wants to take a moment and reconnect with herself and what matters to her now and create more of what she wants (amongst the chaos!). We start November 10 - join hereContinue your conversation with Lisa on Substack Know someone who would love this episode? Share it with them here (um, and a hefty handful of stars would be greatly appreciated!)

This is a reading of my Substack Series exploring why I felt I lost my voice the past few years. The feedback I received from these posts spurred me into action to create a new program called Back to You in Midlife and is for any woman who has lost a part of herself through this stage and wants to take a moment and reconnect with herself and what matters to her now and create more of what she wants (amongst the chaos!). We start November 10 - join hereContinue your conversation with Lisa on Substack Know someone who would love this episode? Share it with them here (um, and a hefty handful of stars would be greatly appreciated!)

How do you engage with big issues like AI and climate change when you're just trying to keep everyone fed and functional? In this conversation with philosopher Dr. Simon Longstaff, Executive Director of The Ethics Centre, I got answers that actually helped.Simon makes ethics accessible and practical. He gave me permission to let go of trying to be ethically perfect (spoiler: it's impossible) and reminded me that small gestures - falling "just a little bit on the right side" over and over - can shift the world on its axis.We talked about navigating "right vs right" dilemmas, what makes us distinctively human that AI can't replace, what skills our kids actually need, and why breaking patterns of "unthinking custom and practice" matters more than we realise. You're going to love this conversation.Key Quotes:"The real threat to us engaging in the world is not that we are powerless, but rather that we believe ourselves to be.""Ethical perfection is n

You know that feeling when you're scrolling through social media and everything starts to look... the same? AI-generated captions, templated posts, marketing formulas that feel about as authentic as a plastic rose? Yeah, me too. And it's exactly why I'm on my soapbox today about something I'm ridiculously passionate about: the absolute game-changing power of storytelling.In this Lisa Bytes episode, I'm sharing why story isn't just nice-to-have content filler - it's the secret weapon that cuts through all the noise, especially in this age of AI everything. Plus, I'm getting real about my own journey from trying to outsource my voice (spoiler: epic fail) to discovering that being authentically me is actually what people want to hear.What You'll Learn:Why AI content is making everyone sound like robots - and how real stories are your antidoteThe moment I realised my audience could smell outsourced content from a mile awayHow I found the golden thread for this entire p

Sometimes the most important conversations happen in the most unexpected places. In this episode, I'm sharing insights from a recent Ethics Center membership gathering that left me thinking about the massive shifts happening right under our noses - and why it's so important to be having conversations about them now. From the collapse of trust in our post-reality world to the looming job disruption that's closer than we think, this episode dives into the uncomfortable truths about where we're heading. But don't worry - I'm not going full doomsday on you! This is about keeping our eyes wide open while still choosing joy, connection, and intention in how we navigate what's coming.What You'll Learn (From My Geeky Ethics Center Adventures!):Why there's a direct link between trust in society and prosperity (and what happens when that trust breaks down)The difference between "post-truth" and "post-reality" - and why it matters more than you thinkHow to

What happens when the skill you've spent decades perfecting becomes obsolete overnight? In this refreshingly honest conversation, I sit down with my long-time mate Karly Nimmo - a voiceover agency owner who's watching her entire industry disappear thanks to AI.This isn't your typical "AI is scary" conversation. It's a real-world look at what's happening RIGHT NOW to creative professionals, and what it means for all of us as we navigate this unprecedented shift in how we work and live.What We Discuss:Why Karly's voiceover agency went from thriving to almost non-existent in just a few yearsHow AI is already infiltrating our lives in ways we don't even realise (spoiler: 60% of Instagram content isn't human-created)The generational divide: why Gen X faces unique challenges in this AI revolutionWhat happens when your ChatGPT becomes an echo chamber of your own thoughtsWhy the question: "Does it matter if it's real?" should be a major talking point ri

Sometimes the most important conversations are the ones we avoid having. In this deeply personal Lisa Bytes episode, I'm sharing something that's been weighing on my heart - the collective grief we're all moving through right now, and why learning to acknowledge and process it might be one of the most important skills we can develop for what's ahead.After living through Melbourne's world-record lockdowns and my own journey with grief after Nick's death, I've started to recognise that familiar ache when I think about climate disruption, AI's rapid advance, and how fundamentally our world is changing. We're experiencing loss in real time - and we need to talk about it.What You'll Learn:Why Melbourne's post-COVID experience taught me about collective griefHow personal grief gave me a lens for understanding what we're all feeling right nowWhy that unsettled feeling about AI and climate change might actually be grief in disguiseThe difference between cryi

Ever feel like the world is falling apart but you're still worried about what to make for dinner? There's actually a term for that, and it might just blow your mind. In this Lisa Bytes episode, I'm sharing a concept that helped me understand not just my own past behavior, but what feels like our entire collective experience right now. Spoiler alert: we're all doing it, and once you see it, you can't unsee it.What You'll Discover:The term "hyper-normalisation" and why it explains SO much about modern lifeHow I normalised dysfunction in my own marriage (and why we all do this)Why you can scroll from climate disaster news to celebrity gossip without your brain explodingWhat Soviet Russia can teach us about living with broken systemsThe weird disconnect between "everything is falling apart" and "let me plan next week's meals"Why that conversation with the finance dad at basketball left me feeling so disorientedConnect With Lisa:Join the conversation

When my son came home from school and told me the smartest kids in his class were discussing future careers had decided (smartly!) on being carpenters because "AI can't build houses yet," I knew we needed to talk about what this unique time means for our boys. So I sat down with Mikey Ellis - a friend whose work is crucially important - especially now. He curates men's circles and has a deep understanding and passion for working with our boys'. We dive into the big questions: Should we be worried? What do our boys actually need? And how do we raise them into their amazingness during one of the most uncertain times in human history?This is an insightful and enlightening conversation - it's about understanding the unique challenges our boys face and the incredible opportunities ahead of them. Because here's the thing: they're going to be building the new world, and we get to help shape what kind of men they become.What You'll Learn :Why we can't talk about boys

Recently I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. A super smart business owner friend shared her success with AI-generated professional photos - they looked incredible, saved her thousands of dollars, and solved a massive problem that so many of us face. Hundreds of people wanted to know how she did it. Of course! It's expensive, time-consuming and a big fat cringe-fest for many of us to get professional headshots taken. Problem = solved. BUT it also got me thinking about what happens when we remove all the uncomfortable growth moments from our lives. Sometimes the hard stuff is where the magic happens - even when it feels like absolute torture at the time.Key Moments:[00:19] Introduction to this new style of episode[02:31] Friend's AI photo success story and why it's a brilliant breakthrough for business owners[06:11] The question that's been bugging me about it.[08:05] My first professional photo shoot disaster (complete with puffy eyes and panic letter)[12:18] What we lose when we

This conversation completely reframed how I think about the future. Lynn Casey is a futurist who works with companies like Mattel, Meta, YouTube, and Target, and she just got back from Stanford where she heard something from Gen Z students that blew my mind.Instead of feeling overwhelmed by all the change happening around us, I walked away from this chat genuinely excited about what's coming next. Lynn helped me see that while we're panicking about problems, there's an entire generation stepping up who aren't trying to fix what's broken - they're building something entirely new.Key Moments:[06:10] The Gen Z mindset shift that changed everything: "We're not here to solve prior generations' problems - this is our world to build"[25:22] Why young people are making queuing cool again and demanding real-life experiences[43:39] The two essential skills for navigating our future (spoiler: you probably already have them)[56:43] The surprising resurgence of human-made

In this episode, I'm addressing the elephant in the room: the uncertainty many of us feel about the massive changes happening in our world right now. This isn't about scaring anyone (promise!), but about finding ways to stay anchored when everything feels like it's shifting. From conversations with my teenage son about which careers might still exist in the future, to what I learned about staying grounded during my husband's recovery journey, I'm sharing my concept of a "daily prayer" - not in the religious sense, but as a grounding ritual that tethers us to what's real in a world that feels increasingly chaotic.What You'll Learn (In My Usual Straight-Talking Way!):Why feeling untethered and a bit freaked out right now is completely normalHow I developed my first "daily prayer" during my husband's recovery in 2017The surprising conversation my 15-year-old had about AI and future jobsWhy our current uncertainty isn't something to fight against, b

Until last year, I thought AI was just fake images and robots! But I saw it starting to infiltrate my industry and took a stand against fakery. But then after a confronting dinner party conversation, I realised I needed to catch up FAST. In this episode, I'm taking you along on my journey of discovery as I break down the AI basics in plain English - no tech speak, I promise! Think of this as your "I don't want to sound clueless at dinner parties" guide to what's happening with AI right now. And trust me, it's WAY more fascinating (and slightly terrifying) than I ever imagined!What You'll Learn (In Fun, Non-Techy Language!):The Turing Test (or: "Wait, am I talking to a person or a robot right now?!")What the heck an LLM actually is (spoiler: it's the magic behind ChatGPT predicting what to say next)Why AI is biased (hint: it learned from the internet, which is... yikes)The "singularity" that tech folks are obsessed with (and why it matters to regular

Have you noticed how everyone seems to be talking about emergency preparedness lately? In this episode, I'm sharing what happened when I discovered the EU is recommending citizens keep three days of supplies on hand - and what that made me realize about my own (lack of) practical life skills! From my adventures in building veggie planter boxes despite not knowing the difference between nails and screws, to confronting my identity as a "non-handy" person, I'm taking you along on my journey of empowerment through learning basic survival skills. This isn't about panic - it's about building resilience in uncertain times.What You'll Learn (In Regular Human Language!):Why the EU is suddenly telling citizens to keep emergency supplies readyWhat a "cyber pandemic" actually means (and why the World Economic Forum says it's inevitable)My embarrassing confession about how little I know about basic household repairsHow learning to grow vegetables became my gateway to prac

In this first episode of the new season, I'm sharing why THIS conversation matters right NOW - this strange intersection of climate disruption and technological revolution we're all living through.From my days as a high school debater to creating sustainability TV shows to now navigating single motherhood, I've always been drawn to the big conversations. And right now? We're facing some of the biggest shifts of our lifetime.I take you through my journey of freaking out about our climate reality and the AI revolution to finding a more empowered approach. The truth? I'm choosing to lead with love, live creatively, and stay REAL amidst all this change.As women, we've known things were off - through our overwhelm, our kids' struggles, our health challenges, the impossibility of "doing it all" in a system designed for men. Now it's time to bring our voices to the table.I'm not an expert in climate science or AI. I'm just someone fascinated by change, tryi

In this episode, I share a mind-blowing conversation with an Uber driver that perfectly captures why we need to be talking about these massive changes happening in our world RIGHT NOW.This super-informed guy could talk for days about geopolitics and the "inevitable" collapse of civilisations, but completely dismissed climate change as a separate issue. Classic! But here's the thing - these massive disruptive forces aren't happening in isolation.The train has left the station on both climate change and AI, and most of us haven't even realised we missed boarding.Climate activists have shifted from "we can stop this!" to "how do we adapt?" after we hit that dreaded 1.5 degrees of warming last year. Meanwhile, AI is advancing at that "hockey stick curve" rate - slow progress for decades, and now suddenly BOOM - straight up exponential growth that's changing everything.What happens when 75% of certain white-collar jobs simply vanish within months? When we