Lisa O’Neill is a best-selling author and award-winning keynote speaker and author whose high-energy presentations have lit up conferences from New Zealand to Los Angeles. Known for turning ‘energy’ into a practical business resource, she’s a fixture on the Australian–NZ circuit and increasingly booked for international events.

00:31 Inro

02:11 Raised on Self-Belief: Childhood Lessons That Last

03:20 High Standards and Self-Mastery: Lisa’s Life Blueprint

04:59 Neurodivergence, School Hacks, and Playing the System

06:03 Why Wanting Is Power: Rediscover What You Really Want

08:23 How to Protect and Replenish Your Energy Every Day

09:30 Lisa’s Energy Code: Get It, Guard It, Give It

13:00 Burnout Recovery: Where to Start If You Feel Drained

15:30 What Season Are You In? How Life Phases Impact Focus

17:07 Time Management with ADHD: Hour-by-Hour Focus

18:31 The True Cost of Attention: Why Audience Presence Matters

19:25 How to tailor presentations to your audience’s real problems

22:35 Lisa as a Mother: Learning Through Parenting Adults

26:38 Finding Joy in Pets, Vintage Markets, and Creativity

28:51 Why Dressing Up Increases Confidence and Joy

30:54 Styling with Stripes: Body Acceptance and Bold Choices

33:30 From Fashion to Speaking: How Styling Fuels Confidence

35:50 Why Emotional Energy Drains Us (and How to Clear It)

39:46 Humor and Irreverence: Lisa’s Secret On and Off Stage

41:35 When Ego Gets in the Way: Lessons from the Stage

43:43 Blunt Mentoring: The Power of Honest Disruption

45:48 Disruption Is the Shortcut to Growth

48:15 Energy: The Book That Will Rewire Your Daily Life

50:22 Final Advice: Do One Thing Today That Boosts Your Energy

Follow Lisa:

https://www.lisaoneill.co.nz/

Follow me:

linkin.bio/minaamso

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Apple podcast:https://shorturl.at/OxCT1

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

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#betheceoofyourlife #energymanagementforentrepreneurs #resetafterburnout

#burnoutrecoveryforbusinessowners #businesswithenergy #mindsetshiftsforhighperformer #stoppeoplepleasing #maincharacterenergy #scaleyourbusinesswithoutburnout #structureyourweekforenergy #balancebusinessandlife #entrepreneurburnouttips #emotionalenergymastery #intentionallivingforwomen #energyhacksforentrepreneurs #leadershipstrategies2025

Samantha Nichols is the Sales Director of a specialist medical equipment company called Sheffmed NZ, an exclusive first-time interview with this family-run business, going behind the scenes to find out their quiet success.Sheffmed NZ is a medical and surgical equipment company that just celebrated 25 years, a quarter of a century! Their business story has never been told on screen and it's pretty inspiring!00:00 - Intro02:04 - How Samantha Started in Accounting and Sales05:15 - Challenges of Running a Close Family Business08:30 - Why Versatility Matters in Small Business Success11:12 - How to Deliver Outstanding Customer Service in a Niche Market14:50 - Importance of Quality Products in Building Brand Trust18:27 - The Role of Marketing Strategy in Business Growth21:33 - How Education Shapes Entrepreneurial Thinking24:46 - Managing Sales and Operations as a Female Business Leader28:05 - How to Negotiate Better in Family-Owned Businesses31:20 - Dealing with Tariffs and Trade Barriers in Local Markets35:02 - Samantha’s Advice for Women Entering Family Business38:40 - Lessons Learned from Generational Business Ownership42:18 - Future Business Goals and Expanding Market Reach45:55 - How to Build Strong Business Relationships in New Zealand49:34 - Final Thoughts on Business Resilience and Vision52:20 - Thank You and Outro from Samantha NichollsEpisode Sponsor:www.podcastguest.co.nzFollow Samanthahttps://sheffmed.co.nz/Follow me: linkin.bio/minaamsoWatch:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8ieDujoPF0

Debra Chantry-Taylor is one of only three certified EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) implementers in New Zealand and part of a global network serving over 220,000 businesses in 80 countries. With more than 20 years of experience, Debra has guided leadership teams to:

• Increase annual revenue by an average of 25% within 12 months

• Reduce unproductive meeting time by 20% in the first 90 days

• Resolve complex stakeholder conflicts—such as an 11-shareholder meeting—in under two hours.

In this podcast episode, Debra breaks down the six core EOS components that create clarity, accountability, and sustainable growth.

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Timestamps

00:00 – Intro

02:03 – Why the perfect meeting TikTok video went viral

03:01 – Achieving a perfect 10-out-of-10 meeting score every time

04:50 – Addressing the elephant in the room in multi-shareholder meetings

06:26 – Why entrepreneurs feel stuck even with a clear vision

07:11 – How to articulate and share your business vision with the team

07:55 – Turning business overwhelm into genuine time freedom

10:24 – How clarity becomes the turning point for near-collapse companies

11:39 – Global EOS adoption statistics and New Zealand implementer overview

14:30 – Essential EOS framework: six components to scale sustainably

15:56 – Defining your vision using the Vision Traction Organiser tool

17:21 – Getting the right people in the right seats with GWC criteria

19:18 – Building a weekly scorecard for data-driven performance tracking

28:14 – Using the Issues Solving Track to uncover and solve root causes

34:01 – Simplifying core processes for scalable and trainable operations

37:49 – Balancing visionary leadership with effective process management

40:23 – Avoiding family-time regrets: Deborah Chantry Taylor’s personal why

43:02 – Lessons from entrepreneurial failures: mergers and event space pivots

47:23 – How EOS implementation boosted client revenue by 23 % and profit by 53 %

49:49 – Why bringing in the right person early accelerates business growth

52:15 – Where to find Deborah Chantry Taylor’s coaching and EOS resources

Follow Debra

https://debrachanrytaylor.com

https://bbbl.pub/OrgCheckUp

Follow Mina

https://linkin.bio/minaamso

Watch

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast

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Sam Stubbs is a former investment banker, now rebel architect of one of New Zealand's boldest financial revolutions. Co-founded Simplicity, a nonprofit KiwiSaver fund managing $8.25 billion NZD, aiming to fund $12 billion to build thousands of homes in the next decade.

Follow Sam Stubbs:

https://simplicity.kiwi

Follow Me:

linkin.bio/minaamso

Watch more episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast

Listen on:

Apple podcast – https://shorturl.at/UkJ8v

Spotify – https://shorturl.at/YW7bX

Mistakes are lessons in business, so what did some of the brightest minds in business learn from their mistakes?

I've sat down with so many business leaders, entrepreneurs and founders, and never have I heard the impact these mistakes have made on me before.

This episode is a collection of our most impactful moments on Notes From The Executives' recent episodes which I thought deserved a second look.

I picked moments from my interview with the examples of Josh Comrie and Dominic Sutton that I personally felt you should watch, revealing the most brutal mistakes they made in their businesses and careers. So you don't make them yourself.

You might have watched the full episodes before, but it's different and insightful when you only pick one part of the story and bring those founders and CEOs together.

This is a different episode but I know you will love it.

Episode Sponsor - Podcast Guest: www.podcast.co.nz

If you're thinking of becoming a guest on the show or fine tune your guesting skills, download this Ebook Guide on how to Become a Memorable Podcast Guest. www.podcast.co.nz

Follow me:

https://www.instagram.com/notesfromtheexecutivepodcast/

Timestamp

00:00 Intro

00:28 Dominic Sutton SaaS Founder – Bouncing back lessons from mistakes

07:38 Wyndi Tagi We Mana CEO (Business advice and Accounting) – Lessons learned in past years

15:56 Bayleys Auckland CEO Lloyd Budd – On leadership lessons and managing teams

19:25 Josh Comrie – Lessons from driving his team too hard

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Td4gcK1h7Lc

Episode Sponsor - Podcast Guest: www.podcast.co.nz

If you're thinking of becoming a guest on the show or fine tune your guesting skills, download this Ebook Guide on how to Become a Memorable Podcast Guest. www.podcast.co.nz

Steve Merchant is a veterinarian-turned entrepreneur, co-founder of Pet Doctors (a roll-up of 30+ clinics generating NZD $30–40 million in revenue), founder of a nationwide vet nurse academy and the IndieVets, and now CEO of ClinicWise, an AI-powered “digital vet nurse” platform live in nine countries.

Episode Sponsor ▶️ www.podcastguest.co.nz

Watch On YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@NotesFromTheExecutivePodcast

Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

02:15 Why you need to listen to the episode till the end

3:30 The start of Steve Merchants Journey

05:00 Decision making in business - buying my first practice

09:15 How Steve Merchant launched Pet Doctors

11:35 The best decision Steve Merchant has made in Pet Doctors

12:55 The worst decision Steve Merchant has made in Pet Doctors

17:15 The trend Steve Merchant spotted that made him millions

26:40 How Steve Merchant marketed Pet Doctors to scale

37:55 A real bad mistake and what it taught Steve Merchant

43:35 How many pet doctor clinics were there in total?

45:30 How do you spend time on your business to grow it?

47:55 The value of NZ Pet Doctors before it was sold?

48:30 How to spot an opportunity that makes an extra $5000 a year in 5min

54:00 How to stay competitive as a brand to buy into through brand awareness

56:12 AI agent startup - AI vet nurse agent nz

01:09:57 What does the future hold with AI agents

Follow Steve: @stevemerchantFollow me: linkin.bio/minaamso

Episode Sponsor ▶️ www.podcastguest.co.nz

vet practice management software, best veterinary chatbot, ai appointment scheduling software, automate vet clinic bookings, digital vet customer service, veterinary software solutions, how to automate pet clinic, online vet triage tool, ai pet care platform, vet clinic automation tools

This episode is a collection of our most impactful moments on Notes From The Executive. I picked moments that I personally felt you should watch, revealing the most brutal mistakes some of my guests have made in their businesses. So you don't make them yourself.

Episode Sponsor - Podcast Guest:If you're thinking of becoming a guest on the show or fine tune your guesting skills, download this Ebook Guide on how to Become a Memorable Podcast Guest.

Follow Me:

https://www.instagram.com/notesfromtheexecutivepodcast/

Time Stamps● Dominic Sutton – Mistakes

00:30 What are the biggest mistakes you made?

02:00 What I learnt from a $1.2m dollars business mistake

03:30 How different would Dominic do to avoid this mistake

04:30 How he got out of this mess

05:56 Biggest business owners make

07:00 Could any 28 year old start a business and not fail?

10:00 What do you need to grow your business and scale? (how to scale)

● Wyndi Tagi – Mistakes

13:00 How to scale a business

15:00 The mistake she made hiring the wrong person

● Josh Comrie – Worst decisions

25:00 The worst decisions Josh Comrie made

29:00 Behind the mistake, the anatomy of what Josh did that made that mistake

32:55 The lessons learned from this mistake

● Lloyd Budd – Mistakes

35:07 Early business mistakes and ambition overload

Explore the most brutal business mistakes on Notes From The Executive, featuring Dominic Sutton’s $1.2 million loss, Wyndi Tagi’s hiring misstep, and Josh Comrie and Lloyd Budd’s worst decisions—and discover how they recovered. Packed with actionable entrepreneurial lessons, scaling strategies and tips to avoid common business pitfalls, this episode is essential for startup founders, small business owners and anyone seeking real-world insights on how to scale your business, dodge costly errors and achieve sustainable growth.