Shows
Nordic InsightsMulti-talented chef and foodie |Kati Turkia, Founder, NordiChef KatiEps 31. I think one of the best things about Australia is the food. My guest Kati Turkia agrees with me on this. Kati is a young, super talented chef based in Sydney. Her love for food started while learning to cook with the seasonal ingredients from her Grandmother’s garden in Finland. In spite of her young age, Kati has gained great experience in working with multicultural cuisines in Finland, Spain and, over the past 9 years, in various restaurants in Sydney. We discuss her journey from Finnish kitchens to Australia and her experiences wor...2021-12-3134 minNordic InsightsCan Australia benefit from adapting Nordic policies? |Professor Andrew Scott, Nordic Policy Centre, the Australian InstituteEps 30 I was delighted to learn that there is a Nordic Policy Centre in Australia. (How did I miss this?) It is a think tank formed by the Canberra-based Australia Institute. It investigates the effective, progressive social and economic policies of the Nordic countries and how they might work in Australia. My guest is the Inaugural Convenor of the Nordic Policy Centre, Professor Andrew Scott, who has been investigating Nordic policies (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) for over 10 years. We discuss the aims of the Centre and his new book, The Nordic E...2021-09-3043 minNordic InsightsMulti-talented artist and leader |Satu Vänskä, the Principal Violin of the Australian Chamber OrchestraEPS 29 My guest is multi-talented Satu Vänskä, a fellow Finn, and the Principal Violin of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Her destiny was decided when she started playing the violin at the age of 3 while living in Japan. Her talent was recognised early on while she was studying violin in Finland and Germany. She was named ‘Young Soloist of the Year’ by Sinfonia Lahti in Finland in 1998 and a few years later she was a prize winner of the ‘Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben’ in Germany. She studied and worked in Europe with world-leading classical music orchestras and musici...2021-08-0358 minNordic InsightsHow COVID inspired a pivot from travel to recycling second-hand fashion|Minna Monaghan & Satu Raunola-SpencerEps 27 Sydneysiders, check out our sponsor VENLA Resell+Relove, a second-hand fashion store with a NORDIC twist, located in Mosman and Bondi Junction (opening July). VENLA rent-a-rack store is a place where you can give a new life to your quality fashion clothes and accessories and find new loves. Join the VENLA community to help reduce fashion waste. Your wallet and the Earth will thank you. Check out venla.com.au for more details. My guest is my friend, fellow Finn and business partner of 4 years, Minna Monaghan. We discuss how COVID made us pivot f...2021-06-2329 minNordic InsightsPandora's box - insights of a multi-award winning business leader|Karin Adcock, Business Owner of Winmark WinesSydneysiders, check out our Sponsor VENLA Resell + Relove, a second hand fashion store with a NORDIC twist, located in Mosman (Sydney). VENLA rent-a-rack store is a place where you can give a new life to your quality fashion clothes and accessories and find new loves. Join the VENLA team to help reduce fashion waste. Your wallet and the Earth will thank you. Check out for venla.com.au more details. My guest Karin Adcock trained as a school teacher in Denmark. However, life took her in a very different direction. She ended up in Australia and has b...2021-04-0650 minNordic InsightsHow to prevent and/or cure diabetes|Dr. Miina Öhman, Scientist, Longevity Scout, SingaporeEps 26 Diabetes has a long history in my family. It has made me curious to learn more about it and to research recent encouraging developments. I came across Dr Miina Ohman, a Singapore based Finn who has a strong desire to prevent and/or cure chronic diseases, including diabetes. We discuss her successful career in clinical healthcare and her strong track record in academic research working environments in Europe, North America and Asia. Miina also talks about how you develop prediabetes and diabetes, including what happens in our bodies when we become insulin resistant. She al...2021-03-0253 min
SBS FinnishSatu Raunola and Minna Monaghan - Satu Raunola ja Minna MonaghanSatu and Minna have moved from the travel industry to something totally different as an answer to the challenge presented by the Corona virus pandemic - Satu ja Minna ovat siirtyneet matkailusta aivan uudelle alalle vastauksena koronapandemian asettamalle haasteelle.2021-02-0308 min
SBS Finnish - SBS FinnishSatu Raunola and Minna Monaghan - Satu Raunola ja Minna MonaghanSatu and Minna have moved from the travel industry to something totally different as an answer to the challenge presented by the Corona virus pandemic - Satu ja Minna ovat siirtyneet matkailusta aivan uudelle alalle vastauksena koronapandemian asettamalle haasteelle.2021-02-0308 minNordic InsightsBuilding bridges between Nordic start-ups and South-East Asia|Sami Jääskeläinen, Community Director, Nordic Innovation House, SingaporeEps 25 Singapore based Finn Sami Jääskeläinen runs Nordic Innovation House, a community platform for accelerating Nordic start-ups in the Singapore and South-East Asia region. Sami’s colourful career included being a professional chef in Helsinki and later moving into advertising as a team lead for iconic global brands such as Nokia and Finlandia Vodka. Sami now has a successful career as a Nordic start-up Community Director in Singapore. This has included running partnerships for Slush, the super successful start-up event based in Finland. We discuss Sami’s experience of cultural differences working a...2020-12-3128 minNordic InsightsBringing Danish flair to Australia|Michael T Hansen, MD Nilfisk PacificEpisode 24 It is surprising to hear that there are over 600 Danish brands in Australia. How has little Denmark, with 5.5 M people, achieved this success? There is a very special relationship between these two countries, thanks to Jorn Utzon's design of the Sydney Opera House and Tasmanian born HRH Crown Princess Mary. However, it doesn't explain why Australians have embraced Danish products so wholeheartedly. My guest, Michael T Hansen, the former Trade Commissioner of Denmark, talks about how the 2008/9 global financial crisis offered an opportunity for Danish companies in Australia when the rest of the world...2020-12-0838 minNordic InsightsSolving problems that help people live better lives|Ari Tulla, Serial Entrepreneur, CEO, Board Member, DadEps 23 Silicon Valley based entrepreneur Ari Tulla made a big jump from Finnish Nokia and the gaming industry to the healthcare industry in the USA. In 2011 he co-founded BetterDoctor, a comprehensive doctor data engine that powers the healthcare market to help people to navigate the complicated US healthcare system. He also had personal reasons as he wanted to find better healthcare for his own family. Ari ran BetterDoctor for over 10 years, after which time it was very successfully acquired by Quest Analytics and Ari became CEO in 2018. We discuss Ari’s journey from a teen tech gig in N...2020-11-2549 minNordic InsightsCreate your happiness in a Swedish way|Kajsa Humphreys, Health and Wellness Coach, The Swedish SolutionEps 22 Nordics are well known to be some of the happiest peoples in the world. What do they do to make themselves happy? Kajsa Humphreys is a Sydney based Swedish Health and Fitness coach and a mum of 2 children. Her business, The Swedish Solution, helps women implement simple step by step lifestyle changes to increase their feeling of health and well-being - and of course happiness. Her business was born after she was feeling unhealthy and unhappy about her own life. She made some dramatic changes and decided to quit her successful corporate job and leave her...2020-11-1731 minNordic InsightsGood food, health and sustainability with a Danish touch for Noosa Cafes |Nilla Tomkins, Executive Chef & Founder VanillafoodsEps 21 In this episode we talk about delicious and healthy food with a slight Nordic flavour in its philosophy. Danish chef Nilla Tomkins, the founder of Vanillafood, runs two cafes in Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast in Australia. Nilla’s philosophy is all about good food, health and the environment. She says VanillaFood’s style is flavour first but always with health in mind. Nilla talks about how her interest in food started on the family farm in the medieval town of Ribe in Denmark. Her successful journey as an entrepreneur is focused on creating a sust...2020-11-1121 minNordic InsightsNAME OF THE DAY CELEBRATIONS AND NORDIC ANSWERS TO HALLOWEEN | NORDIC ODDITIES AND OTHER TRADITIONSEPS 20 In Finland and Sweden, people not only celebrate their birthdays each year, but their name days as well. The tradition of assigning names to specific dates stretches back to medieval times. As the importance of name days changed over the centuries, so did the various traditions associated with it. Nowadays, it’s mainly coffee-and-cake celebrations in workplaces, day care and schools. Finland’s indigenous Sámi people also have their own name day calendar. There is also an Orthodox name day calendar that recognises the days of saints that are observed by the sm...2020-10-2906 minNordic InsightsFrom South Africa to Finland |Megs Järvinen, Strategic Brand BuilderEps 19 South African born former Sydneysider Megs Järvinen fell in love with Finland and decided to move there with her Finnish husband and their little son. They now live in Kuopio, a small town with 120K inhabitants. It is located in the lake region in the eastern part of Finland, around 400km from Helsinki. Twelve months on, what has her experience been like when it comes to everyday life, adjusting to dramatic four seasons and the Finnish way of life? Megs talks about her new work life culture as a brand strategist in a loc...2020-10-2132 minNordic InsightsBuilding an award winning niche market destination |Christina Guggenberger, Co-Founder at StockholmLGBTEps 18 How do you build an award winning travel destination for a niche segment? My guest Christina Guggenberger, the Co-Founder of StockholmLGBT, has 25+ years experience in creating successful award winning marketing campaigns for the city of Stockholm. We discuss her successful career progression and what have been the winning strategies for Stockholm to make it one of the most diverse and inclusive destinations in the world for the LGBT community. You will learn from Christina How to build an award winning niche destination marketing campaign How to build strong partnerships in destination ma...2020-10-1434 minNordic InsightsWinners and losers - predictions and recommendations for the future of travel | Futurist Johnny Thorsen|PART 2Episode 17 PART 2 In part two of my conversation with the futurist Johnny Thorsen, we discuss the state of travel in the “new normal”. What are the new green and technological developments in travel that will have a significant role in the future? How will travel provide value in the future? What are the changes we will see in aviation, corporate travel, meetings & events and leisure sectors? How will the behaviour of travellers change in the future? Johnny also talks about his Nordic values and the role the Nordic countries can have in travel. He gives advice to travel...2020-10-0629 minNordic InsightsHow to become a futurist ? | A Global travel technology evangelist and futurist Johnny Thorsen|PART 1Eps 17 It would be fabulous if you could predict the future, don't you agree? My guest Johnny Thorsen is a Global travel technology evangelist and futurist in the corporate travel and mobile world. He is a Dane and fellow Nordic based in California. Johnny has had an extremely impressive career within the travel, procurement and mobile world after living and working in 5 different countries in EMEA, APAC and now USA. He has been named twice as one of the 25 most influential people in the travel industry by Business Travel News (BTN). Firstly in 2010 as CEO and co-founder of...2020-09-2922 minNordic InsightsInnovative collaboration - Tassie winery with Iconic Nordic brand redefines luxury |Rowena Curlewis, CEO, DenominationEps 16 It's not often that you discover a product that totally delights and in fact over-delivers. I recently found an Australian made super premium sparkling wine by Heemskerk winery in Tasmania that has the most elegant Georg Jensen bottle and stopper. After doing my research, I discovered the team behind it. My guest today is Rowena Curlewis, Co-Founder of Denomination, a Sydney based multi-award winning design agency. Rowena and Margaret Nolan, Creative Director, came up with the idea to collaborate with the Danish iconic brand Georg Jensen. Their challenge was how to make Heemskerk super premium sparkling win...2020-09-2229 minNordic InsightsAgainst all odds - Two Brits unite travel industry voices for Nordic tourism|Paul Wagner & Andy Fairburn, Founders - Nordic Tourism CollectiveEps 15 Two charming London based Brits, Paul Wagner and Andy Fairburn, have a long track record in working with Nordic travel and tourism. Their interest and passion for the Nordic Region inspired them, in early 2019, to establish the Nordic Tourism Collective (NTC). It is a collaborative tourism membership network connecting Nordic travel and tourism suppliers with international buyers worldwide. The aim of the NTC is to have a united voice in the region on key tourism issues such as sustainability and over-tourism. How have they managed to get the Nordic travel industry in all 5 Nordic co...2020-09-1544 minNordic InsightsBuilding good leaders that change the world |Hans Peter Siefen Co-Founder & Chairman at Nordic Business ForumEpisode 14 Nordic Business Forum (NBForum), co-founded by Hans Peter Siefen, is the most sought after business leadership event series in the Nordic Countries. NBForum has featured world-class speakers such as Barack Obama, Al Gore, Simon Sinek, Sir Alex Fergusson, Seth Godin, Steve Wozniak, Gary Vaynerchuk, Randi Zuckerberg, Sir Richard Branson and the late Jack Welsh, just to name a few. One of the secrets behind their success is to exceed the customer expectations, says Hans-Peter. We discuss what makes these world leaders unique and what have been some of the learnings from them that have been implemented i...2020-09-0242 minNordic Insights5 Nordic ways to break up your Groundhog Day routineIf you feel your weeks are like from the Groundhog Day movie, you need disruptions to your routine! In this episode you will learn 5 Nordic inspired disruptions to spice up your week. 1st disruption is for your Mindset - scream your heart out. You can now record your scream and it will be released in Iceland’s beautiful, wide-open spaces. Get ready to scream at Looks like you need Iceland. 2nd disruption is for your Meals. If you are fed up with your cooking and baking go to IKEA and buy the ready made Swedish meatballs and lingonberry ja...2020-08-2608 minNordic InsightsFrom designing guitars for Ben Harper to Nordic Fatherhood | Hans Jahr, Norwegian Designer and CarpenterEps 12 Melbourne based Norwegian “Maker of Things”, Hans-Jørgen Jahr, was so inspired by multi-Grammy awarded musician Ben Harper that he decided to start designing guitars. He didn't know then that Ben Harper would be his first customer. This very talented and soft spoken Nordic designer, carpenter and photographer draws his inspirations from Bauhaus and Nordic designers. Hans talks about his time in the Norwegian army as a pacifist and about his love for outdoors and extreme sports, including ski jumping, snow- and skateboarding. Hans is a very dedicated father and stepfather. We discuss what it is li...2020-08-1836 minNordic InsightsHow to turn retrenchment into a success story in 6 minutes | Watchmaker Susan Galvin, Founder, Galvin Watch CompanyEps. 11 Getting retrenched during COVID-19 can be truly devastating, especially when it happens during your maternity leave. This happened to my guest Susan Galvin, who was retrenched in March this year. Instead of becoming paralysed by the challenge she decided to start her own company and design her own watch brand by using kick-starter funding. Susan talks about her journey to becoming a watchmaker in Finland and her experience in the male orientated luxury watch industry. She has over 10 years experience working as level 5 Omega watchmaker for prestigious global companies such as LVMH, in the UK and A...2020-08-1227 minNordic InsightsFour Nordic concepts to help you through Covid-19Our lives have changed dramatically - maybe forever. We have had to adjust to many changes due to Covid. Satu is introducing four fairly well known Nordic concepts that could be helpful for creating a calmer mindset for these turbulent times. You will learn: About SISU which is a certain inner strength that Finns have that creates an action-oriented mindset. How anyone can develop SISU into your own life About LAGOM which is a Swedish lifestyle philosophy based on having “Not too much, not too little. Just right.” How you can live better with less an...2020-08-0610 minNordic InsightsChampioning Nordic gender equality in the global corporate world | Norwegian Silje Barningham, Head of HR & Co-Founder of AnorakkiEpisode 9 Nordics have long been international champions of gender equality. The Nordic Region regularly produces outstanding female Presidents, Prime Ministers and business leaders. On average almost three in every four working-age Nordic women are in paid employment, according to the OECD (2018). However, to be a young female Nordic leader championing gender equality in a very male dominated corporate culture is not an easy task. My guest, Norwegian Silje Barningham, is a very successful HR professional at Jacobs who has been making ‘pro-equality’ waves in the corporate world throughout her career. We discuss the attribu...2020-07-3038 minNordic Insights4 Nordic business and leadership survival hacks during COVIDEpisode 8 I am reflecting on my interviews to this point. What have been some of the inspirational business and leadership survival strategies used by my Nordic and Nordic-inspired business and corporate leader guests during COVID-19? Listen in and get insights how four Nordic and Nordic-inspired business leaders tackle their challenges Scandinavian travel specialist Tietse Stelma. Tietse is the CEO of 50 Degrees North, which specialises in tours in the Nordic Region. He has built up 50 Degrees North to be one of the most successful global travel operators specialising in the Nordic Region, with over 40 staff. Whe...2020-07-1623 minNordic InsightsDreaming big, creating opportunities and making it happen - even during the tough times | Anders Lindström, Director of Communications, Norwegian Air, North AmericaEpisode 7 What is it like to live in NYC as a Nordic in the middle of COVID and Black Lives Matter demonstrations, working for an airline industry that has just been paralysed? It sounds very challenging. However, Director of Communications for North America for Norwegian Air, Swedish born Anders Lindström has turned these challenges into an opportunity. In March 2020 he initiated the non-profit “Project Wingman USA”, mobilising hundreds of airline crew to provide care for COVID hospital healthcare workers in NYC hospitals. Anders talks about his experience running the project as well as various other award winni...2020-07-0834 minNordic InsightsTransitioning from a high-flyer in the corporate world to running a start-up | Tommi Nordstrom - Start-up Founder, Pupsy.com.auEpisode 6 How do you transform your life from a highly successful corporate career in Europe to ending up on the beach in Australia and running a start-up? My guest, Finnish-born Tommi Nordstrom, has done this very successfully. He co-founded Pupsy, an online platform for all things that matter to dog-owners. He shares his idea to launch Pupsy as a way to help dog owners find, book and review dog friendly places and services. Tommi talks about how his Finnishness has sometimes seemed odd to other cultures and how it has helped him to get through the start-up c...2020-07-0134 minNordic InsightsTeresia Fors - Nordic Cross-Cultural Corporate LeadershipEpisode 5 What does the ‘Nordic Everyman's Right’ to roam freely in nature have to do with corporate leadership and managing teams? According to Swedish corporate super achiever Teresia Fors, everything. Meet Teresia, who got her first Board membership at 15. Since then she has had a remarkably successful career as an accomplished Managing Director, CEO and Board Member across many industries in Sweden and in Australia. We talk about her Nordic management style and her way of implementing cultural and structural change across corporate business environments, with such companies as Viking Cruises and Volvo Group. You will...2020-06-2437 minNordic InsightsPart 2 Dr Marianne Juntunen | Pioneering sustainable science education in FinlandEpisode 4 - PART 2 I am continuing my conversation with Dr Marianne Juntunen, who is a STEM teacher based in Lapland. She talks about her daily life as a teacher in Finland and the teaching methods currently used in Finnish schools. The world class Finnish education has also its challenges. How to service those students who have learning difficulties as well as those who are very talented. Marianne also introduces the practical guide which she developed to Finnish schools to help teachers to plan their teaching from the perspective of sustainable development. D...2020-06-1817 minNordic InsightsAcclaimed science teacher Dr Marianne Juntunen pioneering sustainable science education in FinlandEpisode 4 - PART 1 One of my favourite subjects is the Finnish education system, which is recognised to be world class. One of the secrets of the success of Finnish education is the teachers. They are very highly educated and well respected. It is said that it is easier to get into university to study law or medicine than teaching in Finland. How do you become a teacher in Finland and what is the teacher’s world like? I am very excited to talk with Dr Marianne Juntunen, who is a STEM teacher based in Lapland. She...2020-06-1621 minNordic InsightsNordic Inspired Libby Helinski, Owner Pappa Sven lifestyle businessLibby Helsinki, Owner of Pappa Sven lifestyle business |Bringing all things Nordic to Australia | My guest is a Nordic Inspired Aussie Libby Helinski, an HR professional who after living a year in Skellefteå the north of Sweden decided to change her career path and start her own business. She got so inspired by the Nordic lifestyle (including eating reindeer hearts and watching ice-hockey) that after arriving back in Australia she established the Pappa Sven business. Her Nordic lifestyle business includes a retail shop, online business, Pappa Sven community events and 2 airbnb’s in Newcastle, 2 h driv...2020-06-0935 minNordic InsightsNordic Travel Specialist Tiese Stelma, CEO, Fifty Degrees NorthEpisode 2 brought to you by https://www.vloggi.com/ My guest today is Nordic and Scandinavian travel specialist Tietse Stelma. Tietse is the CEO of 50 Degrees North, which specialises in tours in the Nordic Region. With 30 years in the travel industry, Tietse has spent most of his life travelling around the Nordic Region and knows the area like the back of his hand. Tietse has built up 50 Degrees North to be one of the most successful global travel operators specialising in the Nordic Region with over 40 staff. (Pre Covid-19) Tietse shares...2020-06-0134 minNordic InsightsIntroducing Nordic Insights podcastEpisode 1 I often get questions about Finland and other Nordic countries. How come the Finns and other Nordics are the happiest people in the world? Why is it that Nordic countries rank at the top of the world when it comes to education, innovation, press freedom, sustainability, design, healthcare, quality of life and more. There are so many areas where Nordic countries are on top. Why is it? Nordic Insights podcast introduces high-achieving Nordics (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) and Nordic-inspired people with niche expertise in business, lifestyle, travel, education, innovation, and more. We b...2020-05-2807 min