Giant Thinkers Podcast

Welcome to episode #93. Today’s guest is heavily in the tennis world and whether you’re a tennis fan or not, this gentleman needs little introduction. He is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of the Mouratoglou Academy and CEO of UTS (Ultimate Tennis Showdown), which is a revolutionary tennis league aiming to modernise the tennis industry. Our guest today is one of the most recognised figures in tennis, with 10 Grand Slam titles, 2 Gold Medals, and 31 coaching singles titles. He is known for his innovative and disruptive vision. Having started his tennis academy in 1996. He’s been coaching and mentoring for more than 25 years, including legends such as Serena Wiliams and rising stars like Stefanos Tsitsipas and Coco Gauff.   He’s also consulted for the largest sport media on the planet, published his own books, founded a foundation supporting the future stars of tennis, even featured in a Netflix documentary titled ‘The Playbook’, and opened tennis centres in the world’s most stunning locations. Affectionately

Welcome to episode #92. I’ve really enjoyed releasing these weekly solo episodes throughout this January 2022 in the hope of providing some practical strategic direction and actionable tactics. The start of any year can sometimes be overwhelming, especially with the expectations we set on ourselves, one way to manage this is to zoom out with a far broader perspective than our current view point. Which is why this particular episode is so special. I’ll be sharing how to use creativity as a tool to make massive impact.   If we aren’t connected yet on Instagram, I invite you to follow me on my handle @TheGiantThinker as I share daily posts and stories on helping decision-makers, business owners and leaders get unstuck lightning fast through human-centred design methodologies, creative strategies and personal experiences. Send me a DM I’d love to hear from you! You can find me on my handle @TheGiantThinker. Alright, let’s get dive in!     More on Ram Castillo can be found via the links below: https://ram

Welcome to episode #91. I hope you’ve been enjoying this mini-series of weekly solo episodes from me. Audio-keynotes throughout this January 2022 to give you practical strategic direction and actionable tactics. In this particular episode I’ll be sharing how to use the law of singularity to increase effectiveness in your health, wealth and business.   If we aren’t connected yet on Instagram, I invite you to follow me on my handle @TheGiantThinker as I share daily posts and stories on helping decision-makers, business owners and leaders get unstuck lightning fast through human-centred design methodologies, creative strategies and personal experiences. Send me a DM I’d love to hear from you! You can find me on my handle @TheGiantThinker. Alright, let’s get dive in!     More on Ram Castillo can be found via the links below: https://ramcastillo.com https://www.instagram.com/thegiantthinker https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-castillo-39a39923 https://twitter.com/thegiantthinker https://www.clubhouse.com/

Welcome to episode #90. I hope your 2022 is off to a productive and purposeful start. In this particular episode I’ll be sharing how to use design thinking as a problem solving tool.   If we aren’t connected yet on Instagram, I invite you to follow me on my handle @TheGiantThinker as I share daily posts and stories on helping decision-makers, business owners and leaders get unstuck lightning fast through human-centred design methodologies, creative strategies and personal experiences. Send me a DM I’d love to hear from you! You can find me on my handle @TheGiantThinker. Alright, let’s get dive in!     More on Ram Castillo can be found via the links below: https://ramcastillo.com https://www.instagram.com/thegiantthinker https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-castillo-39a39923 https://twitter.com/thegiantthinker https://www.clubhouse.com/@thegiantthinker Subscribe to The Giant Thinkers Podcast on iTunes.     Want to know the all-in-one web dev platform specifically for businesses, entrepreneurs and c

Welcome to episode #89. Of course, happy new year wherever in the world you're listening! I wanted to release a few solo episodes to kick off 2022. In this particular episode I’ll be sharing how to get unstuck in 4 steps.   If we aren’t connected yet on Instagram, I invite you to follow me on my handle @TheGiantThinker as I share daily posts and stories on helping decision-makers, business owners and leaders get unstuck lightning fast through human-centred design methodologies, creative strategies and personal experiences. Send me a DM I’d love to hear from you! You can find me on my handle @TheGiantThinker. Alright, let’s get dive in!     More on Ram Castillo can be found via the links below: https://ramcastillo.com https://www.instagram.com/thegiantthinker https://www.linkedin.com/in/ram-castillo-39a39923 https://twitter.com/thegiantthinker https://www.clubhouse.com/@thegiantthinker Subscribe to The Giant Thinkers Podcast on iTunes.     Want to know the all-in-one web dev platform specifica

This is episode #88 – today’s guest is the former Global Senior Vice-President of Design and Marketing at Fossil Group. Fossil Group offers its products under its proprietary brands, such as Fossil, Skagen, Misfit, Michele, Relic, and Zodiac; and under the licensed brands, that include Armani Exchange, Diesel, DKNY, Emporio Armani, Kate Spade New York, Michael Kors, Puma, Tory Burch, Skechers and BMW. Now here’s an incredible fact, he was actually the first full-time designer hired for Fossil Group in 1987 and continued on for a whopping 30 years.   During his 30-year tenure, the company grew from $5M to $3B in sales. At its apex, he managed a multi-disciplined, creative team of 108, that included capabilities for all brand communications, marketing packaging design, photography, pre-press and web authoring for 4 owned brands and 13 licensed brands.   Some of the topics we spoke about include: His secret to longevity Energy drainers and energy givers What makes a brand special and different Non-nego

Welcome to episode #87 – today’s guest is is widely recognised for her role as a Dragon and Venture Capitalist for 13 seasons on the multi-award-winning TV series, Dragons' Den. She is the General Partner of District Ventures Capital, a $100M venture capital fund focused on helping market, fund and grow entrepreneurs and their companies, in the food and health space. She’s launched, operated and managed businesses for 35 years. Her strategies and business savviness are highly sought after, and she has helped businesses succeed from early stage startups, to multi billion corporations. She’s also a three-time best-selling author and accomplished public speaker.     To make mention of some of her recognition, voted Canada’s Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame, the Pinnacle Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence, as well as PROFIT and Chatelaine’s Top 100 Women Business Owners. She’s a Marketing Hall of Legends inductee and a proud recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award. She’s even served as

Welcome to episode #86 – today’s guest is an Emmy award-winning designer, director, CEO and Chief Strategist of Blind and the founder of The Futur — an online education platform with the mission of teaching 1 billion people how to make a living doing what they love.   He currently serves as the chairman of the board for the SPJA, and as an advisor to Saleshood. He has also served as: advisory board member for AIGA/LA, Emmys Motion & Title Design Peer Group, Otis Board of Governors, Santa Monica College and Woodbury University. He’s given talks and conducted workshops on a range of subjects, including: Sales, Negotiations, Value Based Pricing, Mindset, Branding, Graphic & Motion Design, Social Media Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Business Management, and Client Relations.   Some of the topics we spoke about include: How to bring your personal brand to life How to validate a feasible and viable idea – and a potential audience Objection handling Building confidence as a public speaker and speaki

Welcome to episode #85 – today’s guest is an Australian brand designer and branding icon, responsible for the development of many of Australia's leading identities including Qantas, Woolworths, Virgin Australia, Rebel, Taronga Zoo, Caltex, P&O Cruises, Foxtel and hundreds more. In 1982, he pioneered the concept of combining brand, brand strategy and product development.     Some of the topics we spoke about include: What life was like as a designer in the Netherlands in the 70s before bouncing to NZ then migrating to Sydney, Australia How he scored his first client which was Qantas His biggest learnings after reimagining, repositioning and redesigning some of the world’s most iconic brands And the harsh reality of being a leader, a business owner and a designer that’s always striving for better.   So if you’re someone that’s interested in lifting the hood and hearing the heart, mind and wisdom of an Australian branding and identity pioneer, then this episode is for you. Now a quick note, if w

Giants, this is episode #84 – today’s guest is an Australian Comedian, Writer, TV and movie Actor – and Dancing With The Stars Australia – 2020 winner. Winning the mirrorball trophy and $50,000 for her charity, the Safe Steps Family Violence and Support Centre. She is in fact the first Comedian I've interviewed on the show. And has brought so much joy and laughter to millions of households.   She won the Best Supporting Actress at the AACTA awards (The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) for her role as Dolly Faraday in the acclaimed ABC1 drama ‘The Beautiful Lie’. She’s also starred in the award-winning TV series ‘Laid’, Logie Award winning drama ‘Offspring’ and in all five seasons of Working Dog's show ‘Utopia’, for which she won another AACTA Award for Best Performance in a Television Comedy in 2015. Comedy audiences would also know her from her appearances on Spicks and Specks, The Project and is a regular on the hilarious show; ‘Have You Been Paying Attention?’ one of my favourites. In

Hey Giants, welcome to episode #83. If this is the first time you’re tuning in, thank you so very much for being here! This podcast explores the decision-making of people who have been exposed and have proven experience at a world-class level of specialisation. It is my deep belief that Giant living requires giant thinking and if you resonate with that, you might enjoy the portfolio of guests we’ve had on the show, from Kelly Slater, to multiple Shark Tank Investors, to Gold Medalist Olympians, to Musicians, Designers, Creatives, Founders and leaders of all types – for organisations such as Nike, Deloitte, VISA, Squarespace, Wordpress, CreativeLive, Vaynermedia and even The White House.   Now for those that have been a long-time, dedicated listener, firstly, I’d like to apologise for the radio-silence. I took a year off the podcast ‘grid’. Straight up. Without any announcement, I just needed a break. Which, in hindsight, I definitely could have managed, communicated and planned better. But this ... ‘time’

Welcome to episode #82 if this is the first time you’re tuning in, thank you so very much for being here, my name is Ram Castillo and this podcast explores the decision-making of people who have been exposed and are experienced in a particular expertise or specialisation. It is my deep belief that Giant living requires giant thinking and if you resonate with that, you might enjoy the portfolio of guests we’ve had on the show, from Kelly Slater, to Shark Tank Investors, to Olympians, to Musicians, to Designers / Creatives and leaders of all types. Now, today’s guest is a food technologist and the Co-founder & Managing Director of Twisted Healthy Treats. A company that started back in 2009. Twisted are obsessed with creating Australia's best tasting frozen desserts that are actually good for you.   All their products are made from natural ingredients and are all Australian made and 100% Aussie owned. Her background is in large scale Project Management within the Financial Services industry, but always

Hey Giants, welcome to episode #81. Especially if this is the first time you’re tuning in – I appreciate you giving this show a listen. We have two guests today in one interview, it’s a double whammy! They are both co-hosts of a business podcast titled Biz Buds …   One of them is the Founder and CEO at Design Cuts, the highest-rated online marketplace for designers. Design Cuts helps their community of 550,000 members save money off the best digital resources to help their regular creative projects. He is also a podcaster of two shows (the other besides Biz Buds is titled The Honest Designers Show – and he loves mentoring fellow creatives to help them master their marketing.  The other guest is an award-winning creative director, designer, and agency veteran. In 2002, he founded the creative agency Riser, which provided design and development services for clients including Disney, Google, Warner Bros., Fox, NBC, ABC, National Geographic and many other high-profile brands. He sold his agency in 2015 and n

Giants, this is episode #80. Our guest today is a very successful Entrepreneur, specialising in the education space, having started and run 9 businesses, one of which is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. His primary business is Success Resources. It’s the world's largest education seminar company. With over $1billion in sales through his businesses, he is considered an expert in the touring space having run more than 1400 events in the last 17 years. Hosting thought leaders such as Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, Grant Cardone, Jay Shetty, Robert Kiyosaki of Rich Dad Poor Dad, Sir Richard Branson and many more.     Success Resources have staged and marketed world class events in the fields of management and leadership, sales and marketing, personal development and wealth creation to over 10 million participants in regions including: Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, UK, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Italy, India, US and Canada.    Some of the topics we spoke about includ

Giants, welcome to episode #79. Our guest today is at the forefront of making coaching an everyday leadership behaviour. He’s the author of The Coaching Habit ... the best-selling coaching book of this century with over 700,000 copies sold and over 1,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. His new book, The Advice Trap, focuses on what it takes to stay curious a little bit longer and tame your Advice Monster. In 2019, he was named the #1 thought leader in coaching, and was shortlisted for the coaching prize by Thinkers50, the “Oscars of management”. He is also the founder of Box of Crayons; a learning and development company that helps organisations transform from advice driven to curiosity-led.   Some of the topics we spoke about include: How to shift from advice-driven to curiosity-led The importance of staying in a state of ‘unknowingness’ just a little bit longer How to tame our ‘Advice Monster’ How people can influence their organisations culture And his recommended ‘what’ based questions (there’s a b

Hello Giants, this is episode number #78. I have been on a little hiatus, took a personal break and intentionally slowed down to reflect and re-assess – on what was most important to me at this time, weighing up priorities, exploring where I wanted to make the most impact. These are thoughts that once you unpack, can turn into a 1000 person party in your head. If you’ve ever asked yourself the question “where might my time and energy make the most impact and difference in the world?” it can be incredibly confronting – however, when you create the space … when you truly switch off and go inwards, when you dance and sit in that discomfort, meaningful dialogue does emerge. Pair that with insights, support and guidance from trusted peers, mentors and loved ones, greater clarity is within reach. Speaking of fear, overcoming the uncomfortable, being brave and courageous, today’s guest is known for her presence in Artistic Cycling.   As of releasing this episode, she’s currently 25 going on 26 years old. She w

Giants welcome to episode #77 — a special, second solo Q&A episode with yours truly to kick start 2020. Questions submitted by you the listeners. I’ve curated the top 7 based on the most similar questions asked, and also the ones I felt would be the most widely useful or applicable.   To help you skip to the answer most relevant to you, as I know many of you are time poor, I’ll list all the questions out below.   The seven questions I’ve answered in order are: Q1. Brittany: Do you truly believe in the industry of graphic design that it’s all about who you know not what you know? Q2. Carlos: How do you manage different personalities in a design team successfully, the good and the bad? Q3. Jessica: How to overcome anxiety in a creative process when you start to develop your business or when you talk to clients, and to be confident in whatever you are doing? Q4. Joy Phala: Social media marketing related … I use LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to market my services ... and I’ll usually post

Giants, this is episode #76! Today’s guest is an enormous inspiration. She’s the Founder and Creative Director of kikki.K, the award winning, global Swedish design and stationery business that offers stylish gifts, seasonal collections, stationery (of course) and functional organising tools – all to inspire and empower people to live their best life. Currently, kikki.K has 102 stores, they are stocked in another 250, and sold online in over 147 countries worldwide..     Needless to say the growth of this brand is staggeringly impressive. What makes it so, is how kikki.K all started. Our guest wrote on a piece of paper – all her dreams at 3am one morning when she couldn’t sleep, she was 22 years old. That was the seed. And in this episode we uncover the entire origin story, which is a testament to the power of staying true to our own dreams. Speaking of, since she emigrated to Australia from Sweden a couple of decades ago, it’s been her ambition to spread the power of dreaming big to the masses. So much so

Hello Giants, Ram here. This is episode #75! I’m so excited to introduce to you a creative thought leader who I’ve not only admired for the past decade, but is someone I’ve learned a lot from in the space of living bravely and creating boldly. He is a Designer, Author and Teacher, his philosophy is to “begin before your ready”. It’s helped him work for global brands like Adobe, MailChimp, Time, Moet & Chandon and The City of New York. To him, braveness is the key to creativity – and we unpack a lot of that in the interview.   His work has been exhibited twice at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is represented in permanent museum collections worldwide including the Louvre in Paris. Awards to his name include an Emmy, a gold and silver medal from the Art Directors Club, and a Grand Prix from the Brno Biennale. It’s now his mission to teach people like you and I how to illuminate our individual gifts in order to find clarity and purpose. Some of the topics we spoke about include: What to do w

Giants, this is episode #74! We’ve got a good friend of mine on the show. He and I live halfway across the world from each other. He’s based in New York, I’m in Sydney. We did this interview in LA. I’d describe him as an incredibly dedicated, super talented young gun. Currently aged 25, he’s already been a Creative for Gary Vaynerchuk, for Gary’s personal brand and numerous VaynerMedia projects. He worked side-by-side with Gary for over 3 years – specialising in videography, editing, art direction and design.     This year however, he received acceptance into the highly sought-after 2019 Adobe Creative Residency program. It’s an enormously rare opportunity. Allowing him to spend a year, full-time on a personal creative project, while sharing his experience and process with the entire global creative community. We unpack his journey to date, which is a testament to the power of going all in on your passion. Including how he landed his dream job with Gary, his humble beginnings, and what he’s up to now. S