Future People

Sascha Kurz spent 25 years in civil engineering before she backed herself enough to start Infrastructure Project Solutions with no plan, no funding, and no guarantees.
In this episode, Sacha talks about what it actually cost to build IPS from nothing - the cash flow scares, the weight of 30 families depending on her decisions, and the moment she realised she was heading for burnout. She talks about leaving two companies because she was overlooked, and why she eventually stopped waiting for someone to give her the opportunity.
She also shares the thinking behind the Golden Triangle - the framework that taught IPS to say no to the wrong work - and what it really meant to merge a business she built from scratch into a PE-backed group of 250 people.
This is a conversation about self-belief, the loneliness of leadership, and what it means to build something that genuinely changes people's lives.
 
Links from the Episode:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sascha-kurz-898a72b3/
https://www.ipsorg.com.au/
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway AdvisoryDan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

Adam Hall started AH Fencing with his best mate, $3,000, and zero business knowledge. Seven years later, the company turns over $20 million with 55 staff across Brisbane and Melbourne, growing at 50% year on year, and expanding into Sydney.
But this conversation is not really about fencing. It is about what happens when a young tradie realises that the biggest constraint on his business is himself.
Adam talks openly about losing money in the early years after the ATO garnished their accounts, the breaking point that forced him to confront his own leadership, and why hiring a men's health and leadership coach transformed not just his business but how he shows up as a person, a partner, and a father.
We get into the culture engine behind AH Fencing, including their four core values (Own It, Find a Way, Lead from the Front, Never Settle), why they were built as verbs not nouns, and how one staff member now teaches them to his sons at home.
Adam also shares his approach to social media, why real content cuts through the AI noise on LinkedIn and Instagram, and how posting consistently has attracted staff, clients, suppliers, and opportunities he never expected.
If you are a trades business owner, a founder scaling beyond yourself, or someone trying to figure out how to lead people well while still working on your own stuff, this one is worth your time
 
Links from the Episode:
linkedin.com/in/adam-hall-ahfencing
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway Advisory
Daniel Moussa is the Founder and Managing Director of Thirdway Advisory, a retained executive search firm specialising in mission critical leadership hires for founder-led, privately owned, and scaling organisations across Australia. With a career spanning the UK, Middle East, and Asia, Daniel partners with businesses where one hire can change the trajectory of the company, regardless of sector. Future People is where he sits down with founders, leaders, and operators to talk about their own journey to leadership and the future of leadership
 
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

What happens when relentless high performance goes unchecked?
In this powerful episode of Future People, Dan sits down with Kent Bray to unpack the hidden cost of elite sport, City trading floors, and the constant pressure to win.
Kent’s journey is extraordinary. From elite rugby in Australia and the UK, to the intensity of the London trading floor at Citibank, his drive for excellence pushed him to the very top. But it also pushed him into addiction, isolation, and near collapse.
Together, Dan and Kent explore:
The psychology of high performance and why it can quietly turn destructive
The loss of identity athletes and leaders face when the game ends
Why resilience without self-awareness becomes dangerous
How addiction creeps in as a coping mechanism, not a character flaw
The realities of life on a trading floor when millions are won or lost in hours
Rebuilding identity, purpose, and leadership after hitting rock bottom
Now working as a counsellor, Kent brings rare honesty and lived experience to conversations many leaders avoid. This episode is essential listening for executives, founders, former athletes, and anyone operating under sustained pressure.
If you have ever felt driven, depleted, or trapped by success, this conversation will resonate.
 
Links from the Episode:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kent-bray-2199301a0/
https://kentbraycounselling.co.uk/
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway Advisory Dan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

Paul Doherty is the Founder and Managing Director of PD Project Delivery, a Brisbane-based civil engineering and project management business now running roughly 20 projects across Australia with a team of around 50 people.
In this conversation, Paul goes past the highlight reel and talks about what scaling actually demands. The identity shift from engineer on site to leader of a business. The discomfort of delegation when your name is on the line. The cashflow pressure that makes you look successful on paper while feeling broke in real life. And the quiet cost of growth, including relationships that fade as you stop being “one of the boys”.
We also get into the leadership principles Paul keeps coming back to: turn up, give a damn, be respectful, and stay accountable. Why “being able to take a punch” does not mean you should take every punch. How a simple coffee machine changed the culture and trajectory of a remote project. And why Paul believes relationships and trust are the real engine behind repeat work and hiring great people.
If you are building a business, leading teams in high-pressure environments, or trying to grow without losing yourself, this one will land.
 
Links from the Episode:
linkedin.com/in/paul-doherty-69501249
pdprojectdelivery.com
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway Advisory Dan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

Ben Allen is the CEO of Pinnacle Training, a business that helps more than 120,000 Australians every year go home safe, skilled, and confident.
In this conversation, Ben breaks down the leadership shift that took him from early sales roles into the CEO seat, and the moment he realised results were not enough if he was not taking people with him. We talk about self-awareness as a competitive advantage, why journaling and reflection keep leaders honest, and how to make decisions when you know criticism is guaranteed.
Ben also shares how he’s built a culture of real accountability without drifting into micromanagement, why feedback needs to be closer to “elite sport” than annual performance reviews, and his contrarian take on HR, not as a department to offload problems to, but as a responsibility leaders must own.
If you care about high standards, servant leadership, and building a team that can run the business without you being the busiest person in the room, this one will land.
 
Links from the Episode:
linkedin.com/in/ben-allen-64b32934
https://www.pinnaclesafety.com.au/
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway Advisory Dan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

Family-owned businesses face a unique challenge as they grow. The legacy, the relationships and the history are strengths, but they also make senior hiring more complex than most leaders admit. 
The importance of preparation, alignment and culture mapping before you go to market
What good succession planning and market entry look like from a people perspective
How leaders can build long-term relationships with talent and search partners, not just run one-off processes
It is a practical, honest conversation about setting executives up for success in complex, family-owned environments and using people strategy as a lever for growth rather than an afterthought.
Links from the Episode:
linkedin.com/in/michaelfieldcom
https://www.evettfield.com/
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway AdvisoryDan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

In this powerful episode of Future People, Dan sits down with leadership adviser Byron Rienstra, who has spent more than 25 years working alongside CEOs, boards and founders across Asia and Australia. Together they dive into the uncomfortable, essential questions most leadership books avoid: the difference between management and leadership, why high IQ is often overrated, and why so many “successful” leaders quietly avoid the truth.
Byron shares brutal, career-defining lessons, including the global remuneration committee “disaster” that blew up in his face and changed the way he leads forever. He unpacks why promoting the smartest technician often fails, how ego and status make senior leaders less open to feedback over time, and why the real work of leadership is sense making, courage and creating followership, not being the hero with all the answers.
 
 
 
Links from the Episode:
linkedin.com/in/byron-rienstra
bpartnersgroup.com
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway Advisory Dan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

In this episode of Future People, Dan sits down with Tamara Somers, the global head of Sustainability & Impact at Xero - one of the most influential roles shaping how millions of small businesses navigate sustainability, compliance, and climate action.
Fresh off a whirlwind trip to the UK, Tamara dives into the realities of doing sustainability work at scale: the trade-offs, the pragmatism, and why progress matters more than perfection. She unpacks the growing pressure on SMEs to provide sustainability data, how Xero is helping simplify carbon accounting through its partnership with Someday, and why AI is both a massive accelerator and a misunderstood target of criticism.
Links from the Episode:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/somerstamara/
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway Advisory Dan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

Every organisation has an employer brand - whether they realise it or not.But how many actually own it, live it, and use it to attract the right people?
In this episode of Future People, Dan sits down with Mark Puncher, Founder & CEO of Employer Branding Australia, to unpack what employer branding really means beyond glossy campaigns and polished job ads.
Mark brings more than two decades of experience helping organisations tell their story honestly - building brands that are as real on the inside as they look on the outside. Together they explore:
Why your employer brand isn’t a marketing exercise - it’s leadership in action
The three essentials of powerful employer branding: proposition, strategy, and storytelling
How authenticity and imperfection drive connection (and why scripted videos kill it)
The CEO’s role in shaping culture and reputation
The “magnet, compass, and blade” test every brand should pass
And what the age of AI means for human storytelling and trust
If you lead people, hire people, or care about culture - this one’s for you.
 
Links from the Episode:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markpuncher/
https://www.employerbrandingaustralia.com/
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway Advisory Dan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss

Dan sits down with former professional rugby coach and leadership advisor Neil Tunnah to explore what it really takes to build teams that perform at the highest level. From the hidden dangers of “performance restriction” to the overlooked role of culture carriers, Neil shares hard-won lessons from sport and business. His framework of Connection, Clarity, and Consistency offers leaders a practical path to creating environments where people thrive and results follow.
 
Links from the Episode:
https://www.theperformancechain.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-tunnah-0a2071122/
This episode was brought to you by:
Thirdway Advisory www.thirdwayadvisory.com.au
 
About the Hosts
Host: Daniel Moussa - Founder, Thirdway AdvisoryDan Moussa is the founder of Thirdway Advisory and one of Australia’s most connected talent advisors across real estate development, critical infrastructure, and sustainability. He hosts Future People, where leaders share how they are redefining value, legacy, and the future of work.
Connect on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/daniel-moussa-1307a522
 
Please contact us if you:
Want to come on board as a show sponsor
Are interested in joining the show as a co-host
Have feedback or suggestions on how to make the show better
Produced by The Podcast Boss