with Julia Gillard AC

The VOAV Podcast: Episode 21 – Politics of Opportunity with Julia Gillard

There’s a difference between getting told “you can do it” and actually getting the mental image of yourself in that place. The mindset required to achieve elite levels of high performance, isn’t for the faint hearted. It was just 10 years ago that Heston took the then Prime Minister Julia Gillard over to Afghanistan and today in a slightly different circumstance – they sit down together again on the VOAV Podcast and bring a refreshing conversation of authenticity, nostalgia and opportunity.

This podcast was recorded on Friday August 13th 2021. Two days before the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan and the scenes we have since seen in Kabul.

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They Discuss:

• When Heston met Julia
• When your purpose isn’t for the faint hearted
• Growing in confidence
• The mindset of the elite
• Sense of self and creating boundaries
• Dealing with transition in self isolation
• Focusing on what really matters
• Mental Health
• Authentic Leadership, support networks and key lessons learnt

Episode Shownotes:

“You can get the measure of someone, not so much by how they conduct themselves around the powerful but how they conduct themselves around ordinary people” 

– Julia Gillard

• 1:30: Who is Julia Gillard through her lens
• 2:30: When Heston first met Julia – 10 years ago.
• 6:01: “I don’t like the get caught up in medals and coins but the key part for me is that they carry stories”
• 6:50: Witnessing Julia Gillard in leadership, displayed an example of her true and authentic self.
• 7:30: “You can get the measure of someone, not so much by how they conduct themselves around the powerful but how they conduct themselves around ordinary people” 
• 10:29: The choice to go into politics – whilst she wishes it was one dramatic story, it wasn’t it was one step after another.
  • “If you’d be faint hearted, you wouldn’t have kept going” 
• 13:30 Growing in your own confidence 
• 14:20: “There’s a difference between getting told “you can do it” and then getting a mental image of yourself in that place” 
• 15:24: The mindset that gets you to the elite level
• 20:00: Leadership training in politics – is there any? 
• 24:00 Where there is happiness for someone there will be disappointment for someone else and you aren’t given any Training on how to manage that.
• 25:30: Looking after self whilst on the way to elite levels such as prime minister – Creating boundaries.
• 25.38 – Mental fitness sense
• 26.40 – The dialogue since 1990’s in mental health has exploded 
  • Nurture family and friends – support base 
  • Sleep – rest & recovery 
  • Decompression – personal time, physical fitness, joy 
• 28:45: Holistic health and wellness
• 31:48: Transitioning out of being prime minister – I put myself into isolation.
• 36:00: Your body catches up with you when you slow down 
• 39:15: Identity shifts 
• 41:00: Socialisation men and women
• 51:00: The benefits of seeing the bigger picture 
• 52:00: What is your current purpose and causes
• Politics of opportunity 
• 54:00: Support Network changes & transitions
• 58:15: Key takeaways and what you would tell young leaders 
  • Be clear about your own sense of purpose 
  • Clarity around what’s driving you
  • Sense of self, strengths/weaknesses
  • Don’t sweat the small stuff
• 1:00:12: Build the muscle of what matters
• 1:07:00: Mental Health and impact of community

About Julia Gillard

Julia Gillard AC, has served Australia in a variety of key political appointments including as the 27th Prime Minister of Australia from 2010 – 2013. Julia currently serves as the Chair of Beyond Blue, one of Australia’s leading mental health awareness bodies; is Chair of the global funding body for education in developing countries, the Global Partnership for Education; and is the inaugural Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at Kings College London. Julia was recently appointed as the Chair of Wellcome, the global charitable foundation which supports science to solve urgent health challenges.

Find out more at: Beyond Blue