Naomi Simson is the founder of Red Balloon and co-founder of the Big Red Group.

In this conversation, Naomi breaks down how she built a business that now delivers an experience every 16 seconds to small businesses across Australia and New Zealand. 

Simson also delivers her unfiltered assessment of the recent federal budget, arguing that too many changes implemented too quickly will cripple business confidence during an already challenging period of technological disruption.

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All content and media by Project 100 is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.

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Professor Matthew Kiernan is CEO of Neura Australia and one of the nation's leading neurologists tackling the growing dementia crisis.

Kiernan explores why dementia is now Australia's number one cause of death, the modifiable risk factors that could prevent 45% of cases, and the groundbreaking monoclonal antibody treatments now available for Alzheimer's disease.

Kiernan explains how the Western Pacific region carries 60% of the world's dementia burden and why researchers are racing to develop blood biomarkers that could detect brain diseases decades before symptoms appear. We also get into:
• Why dementia has overtaken heart disease as Australia's leading killer
• The role of vascular health in brain function and cognitive decline
• Blood biomarkers coming within five years for early detection
• Monoclonal antibody treatments for Alzheimer's now available in Australia
• The connection between contact sports, head injuries and neurodegeneration
• How GLP-1 medications are showing promise for brain health
• Sleep's critical role in clearing toxic proteins from the brain

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Leith van Onselen is one of Australia's most credible economists and a straight-talking critic of government policy.

 In this episode, we dissect the Albanese government's latest budget and its real impact on inflation, housing affordability, and living standards. Leith explains why this isn't tax reform but simply a tax grab, how immigration policy is driving the housing crisis, and why Australia's productivity growth ranks among the worst in the OECD. We explore the disconnect between headline GDP figures and per capita reality, the expansion of the government-funded sector, and what this means for future generations.

We get into:

• Why the budget won't help with inflation or interest rates
• How immigration policy is crush-loading housing and infrastructure
• The productivity crisis dragging down living standards
• Government sector expansion crowding out private enterprise
• Capital gains tax changes that could kill startup innovation
• Bracket creep silently increasing everyone's tax burden
• The 30% minimum CGT targeting self-funded retirees

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Cooper Cronk is one of rugby league's most cerebral players and a four-time premiership winner who transformed from a modest rugby union schoolboy into one of the game's greatest halfbacks.

In this conversation, Cronk reveals the mental frameworks that drove his success, from Craig Bellamy's obsession with fundamentals at Melbourne Storm to his legendary 2018 grand final performance with a broken scapula. He discusses the coffee test that Bellamy uses for recruitment, how the spine positions require high football IQ, and why great players have time others don't. Cronk also opens up about his worst career moment in the 2016 grand final and how it taught him the lesson that secured his next three premierships.

• Craig Bellamy's leadership philosophy and the coffee test for recruitment
• Playing the 2018 grand final with a broken shoulder blade
• The 2016 grand final disaster that changed his entire approach
• Why Melbourne Storm's spine trio dominated for over a decade  
• Cameron Smith's unparalleled football intelligence
• The fundamentals that separate elite performers from the rest
• His transition into financial services and property investment

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Chris Richardson is one of Australia’s most quoted economists and the founder of Rich Insight, bringing decades of expertise from his time at Deloitte Access Economics to decode complex fiscal policy. 

Chris and I might not agree on every aspect of this budget, but that is what makes this conversation worth having. 

In this analysis of Australia’s latest budget, Richardson reveals why our living standards have barely grown over the past decade while other OECD nations have surged ahead by 17%. He dissects the real economic effects of the budget on inflation, interest rates, and the Reserve Bank’s delicate balancing act. Richardson also exposes the “off-budget” spending that keeps billions in government expenditure hidden from public scrutiny and explains why housing affordability will not be solved by capital gains tax changes alone.

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Ellyse Perry is arguably Australia's greatest dual-sport athlete, the only person to have represented Australia in both cricket and football at an international level.

In this conversation, she reveals the mental framework behind scoring a Test double century, why she finds deeper meaning in team sport than individual achievement, and how a competitive childhood on Sydney's North Shore set the foundation for everything that followed.

Perry also discusses the evolution of her training across two decades at the top, the growth of women's cricket, and the almost meditative headspace she finds batting in the nets - a window into how one of Australia's most enduring athletes thinks about performance, longevity, and what the game gives back.

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In this conversation, political strategist and pollster Kos Samaras explains how Australia’s political landscape is fragmenting beyond recognition. 

He reveals why traditional Liberal and Labor voters are abandoning both major parties, how disillusioned Australians are turning to One Nation and the Greens, and why the country is heading toward a more divided political future.

From the collapse of manufacturing in regional Australia to the psychological impact of Melbourne’s lockdowns, Samaras breaks down the economic, cultural and generational forces reshaping Australian democracy. He also explores why younger Australians are losing faith in the system, why many no longer believe they can afford children or home ownership, and how social media algorithms are accelerating political polarisation across the country. 

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Dr Katherine Bennell-Pegg is the first astronaut to be trained under the Australian flag and a critical voice in the nation's emerging space ambitions.

From her headquarters at the Australian Space Agency in Adelaide, Katherine reveals how Australia is playing an essential role in the Artemis moon programme and why space exploration delivers genuine economic returns.

She discusses the rigorous process of becoming an astronaut, the real risks involved in space travel, and how her engineering background shaped her journey from designing space stations to potentially living in them. The conversation explores everything from toilet malfunctions on Artemis missions to the radiation challenges facing future Mars explorers.

We also talk about...

• Australia's $7 return for every $1 invested in space programmes
• The five major hazards astronauts face in space 
• How Australian technology supported Artemis 2's critical moon mission
• The reality of radiation exposure and medical risks for astronauts
• Why the International Space Station has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
• Australia's role in the global space race versus international collaboration
• The technological hurdles preventing humans from reaching Mars

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Chris Joye is one of the most influential voices in Australian finance — a fund manager, economist, public policy thinker, and weekly Australian Financial Review columnist.

In this conversation, Joye delivers his starkest warnings yet about Australia's economic future. He explains why the Reserve Bank's humiliating policy reversals have set us up for a multi-year recession, how record immigration and government spending have created an inflation crisis , and why we're heading for the worst property downturn since 1991. Joye also dissects Trump's economic revolution in America and reveals why Australia risks becoming "Asia's Ibiza" unless we fundamentally change course.

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Mark Wales is a former SAS soldier who served multiple deployments in Afghanistan, including intense combat operations that tested the limits of human endurance.

In this profound conversation, Wales opens up about the psychological realities of combat, the bonds forged between soldiers under fire, and the complex moral terrain of modern warfare. He discusses the transition from military to civilian life, the systemic failures that prolonged the Afghanistan conflict, and his perspective on the controversial Ben Roberts-Smith case. Wales offers unflinching insights into fear management, the brotherhood of arms, and what ANZAC Day truly means to those who've served.

• The psychological impact of combat and managing fear under fire
• How military training prepares soldiers for high-stress combat situations
• The unique bonds formed between soldiers in the theatre
• Chain of command structure and leadership in combat zones
• Australia's handling of veteran affairs compared to other nations
• The systemic issues that prolonged the Afghanistan conflict
• Perspective on the Ben Roberts-Smith case and war crimes prosecutions

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James Glissan is a criminal defence lawyer who has stood on both sides of the courtroom as a former police officer and prosecutor, giving him unique insight into how Australia's justice system actually works.

In this conversation, we examine the controversial Ben Roberts-Smith case and what it reveals about prosecutorial decisions, media influence, and the fundamental challenges facing our legal system. Glissan breaks down the critical differences between civil and criminal standards of proof, the complexities of war crimes prosecution, and why this case represents a significant test for Australia's justice system.

We also explore broader issues around democratic participation, government transparency, and why so many Australians feel disconnected from the systems meant to serve them.

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