Experience

An Extraordinary Life Podcast
• Australia
• Education
• 1 - 100 Employee
• Co-Founder

  • Jun 2022 - Present


AHA Entertainment Australia

• Australia
• Professional Training and Coaching

• Co-Founder

  • Jan 2015 - Present

  ahaentertainment.com.au LEADERSHIP AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT COACHING AND EVENTS THAT CHALLENGE THE MIND AND INSPIRE THE SOUL EXECUTIVE COACHING IN LEADERSHIP AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT In the article “Lessons from the Geese” written by Dr Robert McNeish in 1972, he states that birds flying in V formation can travel 71% further than birds flying alone, due to the “uplift” created by the preceding birds. The main take-home message from this analogy is that people can achieve more in a group that shares a common direction than they would be able to alone. The role of coaching is to offer you support in achieving your goals, allowing you to achieve more than what you might be able to alone. It is a dedicated space where together we can explore your goals and the kind of life you want to be living, look at the research for insights into what options may be most useful, and actively experiment to find out what approaches work best for you. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in a free coaching session to learn more. WORKSHOPS/SEMINARS Looking for something different and memorable in your leadership and personal development events and courses? AHA Entertainment specialises in corporate and personal development training featuring Queensland’s finest performance coaches and musicians to challenge the mind and inspire the soul. Why music? For change to be effective… you must want to change. Such motivation is fuelled by emotion, not just logic. In our events, we present the latest information from the field of positive psychology, but heightened with an emotional narrative using a range of popular music from Buble to Broadway and modern pop anthems. It is an experience you won’t quickly forget. Feel free to contact me to see our show reel, and learn more about what we can do for your organisation. "Wow!!! What can I say? This session was excellent and absolutely blew everyone at my table away. It was one of my most favourite presentations ever!" Show less



New Dawn Technologies

• South Africa
• IT Services and IT Consulting
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-founder

  • Jan 2015 - Present

  New Dawn Technologies is a high-tech software company aiming to help revolutionise education through the use of artificial intelligence. Currently around 63% of students are disengaged at school, meaning that they withdrawal either physically or mentally before they have mastered the skills that are required to flourish in later life. My current role at New Dawn is in the development of a new e-learning platform called "iKnow" aimed at making education fun, effective (i.e. based on neuroscientific principles of learning) and accessible to all. We all have an innate desire to learn, master our environments and be the best we can be. Children and adults constantly learn through self-directed exploration, experimentation and play. This is why we watch television, read newspapers, check facebook, and interact with others - the brain loves to learn. Unfortunately the current school system is based around archaic principles of learning that are not well-aligned with how the brain naturally learns. As a result, many children are left behind and are not living up to their full potential. IKnow is hopefully a step in the right direction, augmenting the current educational system with personalised e-learning modules where students can explore and progress at their own pace in a fun, safe and social environment. This is a long-term project that will continually grow, integrating the latest advances in technology (such as AI, telecommunications and gamification) with the insights gained from the scientific community around effective learning, motivation and self-actualisation. Show less


TEDxSouthBank
• Non-profit Organization Management
• speaker

  • 2016 - 2016


The Graduate School of Business - QUT

• Corporate Educator

  • Jan 2012 - Dec 2014

  For 3 years I worked as a corporate educator in the Graduate School of Business, specialising in leadership and high-performance team development, designing and delivering workshops for their EMBA and corporate programs. The position required me to review the relevant literature in psychology, neuroscience, leadership and management, and translate it into practical advice that could be embedded in the workplace or in other areas of people's lives. This work covered a diverse range of topics from stress-reduction and meditation, through to active listening, conflict-resolution, values, and individual and team motivation. Show less



The Science of Happiness

• Online Audio and Video Media

• Founder

  • Jun 2011 - Feb 2012

  The aim of this consultancy group was to train corporate groups in positive psychology - the science of human flourishing. Corporate clients included Queensland Health (as part of their resilience training program), Financial Technology, and the Urban Development Institute of Australia. The aim of this consultancy group was to train corporate groups in positive psychology - the science of human flourishing. Corporate clients included Queensland Health (as part of their resilience training program), Financial Technology, and the Urban Development Institute of Australia.



The University of Queensland

• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Research Fellow

  • Jul 2008 - Jul 2011

  For 3 years I led the Fluid Analogies Research Group at the University of Queensland. This group was fully funded by entrepreneur Sean Howard (the founder of OzEmail and PC magazine), and was aimed at computationally modelling the processes underlying human learning, problem solving, reasoning and creativity. This research also explored the neurological mechanisms underlying intrinsic motivation (i.e. pleasure), and how they lead to the emergence of competence. Over time the focus of this research shifted into the area of eLearning, exploring ways that we could use our systems to create interactive learning platforms. Our main prototype, iKnow, was a finalist in the University of Queensland's commercialisation competition, Trailblazer. Show less



School of Psychology, the University of Queensland

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow

  • Jan 2005 - Dec 2008

  In this position, I worked for the Key Centre for Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Psychology. Our group worked closely with Airservices Australia in creating computer simulations for air-traffic controller behaviour, to predict how much mental workload a controller would be under given a particular situation and sector configuration. I was personally involved in developing computational models of air traffic controller problem solving, as well as writing airspace simulations. During this time I also supervised students in a diverse range of projects involving such topics as motivation, problem-solving and personality. Show less



Key Centre for Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Psychology, the University of Queensland

• Research Assistant / Programmer / Trainer

  • Jan 2002 - Dec 2004

  This work involved programming (algorithms and interfaces in Java) for Leximancer – a commercial text mining package. This package aids the understanding of large corpora of text, automatically extracting the main concepts and how they are related, and visually depicting them on an interactive map. I was also responsible for writing the training material and delivering workshops across Australia. This work involved programming (algorithms and interfaces in Java) for Leximancer – a commercial text mining package. This package aids the understanding of large corpora of text, automatically extracting the main concepts and how they are related, and visually depicting them on an interactive map. I was also responsible for writing the training material and delivering workshops across Australia.

• Programmer

  • Jan 2003 - Dec 2003

  This position required me to implement an online interactive treatment program for anxiety (the Online Anxiety Prevention Program), consisting of psychoeducation, relaxation training, interoceptive exposure, cognitive restructuring and relapse prevention. Step-by-step instructions were provided for various exercises and users could track how often they practiced these exercises using an online daily practice schedule. This position required me to implement an online interactive treatment program for anxiety (the Online Anxiety Prevention Program), consisting of psychoeducation, relaxation training, interoceptive exposure, cognitive restructuring and relapse prevention. Step-by-step instructions were provided for various exercises and users could track how often they practiced these exercises using an online daily practice schedule.



School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, the University of Queensland

• • Jan 2001 - Dec 2002

  In this position I taught cognitive modelling to students, spanning a range of psychological phenomena (from memory and problem-solving, through to visual processing and learning). This position involved researching and writing the training and tutorial material from scratch, as well as working as a lecturer and tutor. Some of this work was turned into a workshop for the general community called “An Introduction to Cognitive Modelling using Matlab” that generated income for my research group. During this time I was also:* Head Tutor for COMP1500 (Java Programming) at the University of Queensland* Workshop presenter for “Data Mining using Clementine” – a data mining package developed by SPSS. Show less

• • Jan 1997 - Dec 2001

  In this position I played a varied role over the years, ranging from promotion of the Cognitive Science program (through public speaking and the development of interactive displays and online materials), through to the implementation of computational simulations in such areas as human memory, natural language processing and evolution.

• Research Assistant / Programmer

  • Jan 1994 - Dec 1999

  Over this time period, I played a varied role in helping design experiments, generate stimuli, creating testing software, and aiding analysis mainly in the field of human memory research for Professor Michael Humphreys. Over this time period, I played a varied role in helping design experiments, generate stimuli, creating testing software, and aiding analysis mainly in the field of human memory research for Professor Michael Humphreys.