In Episode 022 of Powering Your Career, David Smith sits down with Amalie Smith for a candid and insightful conversation on leadership, career growth, and navigating the realities of Australia’s rapidly evolving energy sector.

As the industry continues to accelerate through large-scale transformation, the expectations placed on professionals are shifting. Technical capability alone is no longer enough. Organisations are looking for individuals who can adapt quickly, think clearly under pressure, and step confidently into new challenges.

Amalie shares her career journey and reflects on the experiences that have shaped her approach to leadership and growth. From navigating uncertainty to building confidence in high-performance environments, this episode explores what it truly takes to back yourself and continue progressing in a complex and demanding industry.

This conversation goes beyond surface-level career advice. It focuses on mindset, decision-making, and the practical realities of stepping into bigger roles, managing expectations, and leading through change.

Whether you are early in your career, progressing into leadership, or already leading teams, the themes in this episode are highly relevant in today’s market.

In this episode, we explore:

• Building confidence and backing yourself in your career
• Navigating career progression in a fast-moving sector
• Leadership lessons from real-world experience
• Managing pressure, expectations, and uncertainty
• The importance of resilience, adaptability, and mindset
• Creating meaningful impact in complex environments

Powering Your Career is a podcast featuring real conversations with leaders across Australia’s energy sector, sharing practical insights, career stories, and lessons learned along the way.

In this episode of Powering Your Career, David Smith sits down with Mike Duffy, CEO at Elexia Communications, to unpack one of the most misunderstood capabilities in leadership, communication.

With a career spanning journalism, television, government advisory and senior roles across the energy sector, Mike brings a unique perspective on how leaders and organisations position themselves in an increasingly complex and scrutinised environment.

This episode dives into:

• What real thought leadership actually means and why most leaders miss the mark
• The biggest mistakes executives make when building their personal brand
• Why “safe” messaging doesn’t cut through
• How storytelling shapes public perception and drives change
• Why energy companies struggle to differentiate themselves
• The importance of simple, human communication in complex industries
• How poor community engagement is slowing down projects
• Why leaders need to show up, not just delegate communication
• The growing importance of EVP and employer branding in a competitive talent market

This is a must-listen for executives, leaders, and professionals across energy, infrastructure and corporate environments looking to sharpen how they communicate, influence and lead.

If you want to stand out, cut through the noise, and build a leadership profile that actually matters, this episode will challenge how you think about communication.

In Episode 020 of Powering Your Career, David Smith sits down with Sally Torgoman, CEO of Ascera Energy, to unpack a career shaped by curiosity, courage and continuous learning.

From starting in electrical engineering to adding law, moving across corporate development and stepping into CEO leadership, Sally’s journey is a powerful example of backing yourself and evolving with the industry.

In this episode, we cover:

⚡ Why following what you enjoy is often the best career strategy
⚡ The value of curiosity and learning quickly across different roles
⚡ Why engineering and law together create a powerful leadership skillset
⚡ The importance of mentors and backing yourself, even when others disagree
⚡ Navigating imposter syndrome and stepping into executive leadership
⚡ How to build high-performing teams through collaboration, not hierarchy
⚡ The biggest challenges in the energy transition and where we need to improve productivity
⚡ Why communication is not just about speaking, but listening and understanding
⚡ Balancing career, leadership, family and personal wellbeing

Sally also shares her perspective on culture, leadership, and the responsibility leaders have to create environments where people can thrive.

This is a must-listen for anyone building a career in energy, leadership or navigating their next move.

🎧 Listen now and subscribe for more conversations with leaders shaping Australia’s energy transition.

#PoweringYourCareer #EnergyLeadership #CareersInEnergy #Leadership #EnergyTransition

In this episode of Powering Your Career, David Smith is joined by Mitch Wallis, founder of Heart On My Sleeve and one of Australia’s leading voices on mental health, psychology, and human performance.

This episode takes a different lens on leadership, focusing on the capability that will define the future of work, connection.

As the energy sector faces unprecedented pressure and transformation, the ability to lead people, not just projects, has never been more critical.

Mitch shares his personal journey from Microsoft to a global mental health movement, and the moment that changed everything.

In this conversation, we cover:

• The difference between mental health and mental illness
• Why regulation, not happiness, is the real goal
• The two core skills every human needs, resilience and connection
• Why most leaders get communication wrong
• The biggest mistakes people make in difficult conversations
• How to build genuine connection in teams, not surface-level check-ins
• Why technical experts often struggle when stepping into leadership
• The future of leadership in an AI-driven world
• The power of saying “I’m not okay”

This is a must-listen for leaders, managers, and professionals across energy, infrastructure, and high-performance environments.

If you want to build stronger teams, have better conversations, and lead with impact, this episode will challenge how you think about leadership.

Episode 018 | Rakhesh Martyn | Founder & CEO of Hachiko

In this episode of Powering Your Career, Dave sits down with Rakhesh Martyn, engineer, startup founder and former stand up comedian turned energy tech CEO.

Born in Sri Lanka and trained in the UK, Rakhesh shares his journey from chemical engineering into Australia’s energy sector, and the leap into building a venture backed startup from scratch.

This is a candid conversation about risk, rejection, reinvention and the mindset required to lead in the energy transition.

They cover:

⚡ The sliding door moment that changed his life at university
⚡ Moving from engineering into renewables and energy software
⚡ Spotting a market gap and founding Hachiko
⚡ Surviving more than 90 investor rejections before raising capital
⚡ Why most people should not start a business
⚡ What stand up comedy taught him about pitching and leadership
⚡ The fragmentation in Australia’s energy market
⚡ Burnout, therapy and building real self awareness as a founder

Honest, sharp and practical.

If you are navigating the energy industry or thinking about building something of your own, this episode is worth your time.

🎙️ Episode 017 – Guy Chalkley Returns

In this special returning guest episode of Powering Your Career, David Smith sits down again with Guy Chalkley, outgoing CEO of Endeavour Energy, for an honest conversation about leadership, timing, succession and what comes next.

After six years leading one of Australia’s largest electricity distribution networks, Guy shares why now was the right time to step away from the CEO role and what a good handover really looks like.

This conversation goes far beyond career milestones. It explores:

⚡ The difference between being a boss and being a leader
⚡ Why attitude often beats aptitude
⚡ Knowing when it’s time to move on
⚡ Building culture people genuinely feel, not just talk about
⚡ The reality of board roles and governance
⚡ What the Australian energy sector must get right in the years ahead

One of the most powerful reflections from the episode:

“Attitude has taken me further than aptitude. Listening more than talking. Humility and honesty over big ego.”

For leaders, aspiring executives, board directors, and anyone navigating the energy transition, this is a conversation grounded in real experience.

If you’re thinking about succession, career longevity, executive leadership or the future of Australia’s energy ecosystem, this one is worth your time.

🎧 Episode 017 is live now.

Episode 016 | Werther Esposito, CEO of Potentia Energy

In this episode of Powering Your Career, host David Smith sits down with Werther Esposito, CEO of Potentia Energy, to explore a career shaped by global experience, bold decisions, and building energy businesses from the ground up.

From growing up in a small town in Italy to working with the United Nations, leading energy developments across Africa, Europe, and Australia, Werther shares the defining moments that shaped his leadership journey. We talk about saying yes to opportunity, navigating different cultures, and why energy sits at the centre of geopolitics, economic growth, and the global transition to net zero.

In this conversation, we cover:

⚡ From international relations and diplomacy to leading major energy platforms
⚡ Building and scaling energy businesses across three continents
⚡ What it takes to launch and grow teams in new markets
⚡ Leadership lessons learned from sport, culture, and global experience
⚡ The realities of Australia’s energy transition and where it is heading
⚡ Why storage, transmission, and social licence will define the next decade
⚡ Mental health, balance, and performing in high-pressure leadership roles

A thoughtful, global perspective on leadership, resilience, and the role energy leaders will play in shaping the future.

🎙️ Powering Your Career is the Enertia Talent podcast spotlighting the people driving Australia’s energy transition.

Episode 016 out now!

In Part 2, Dave continues the conversation with David Griffin, CEO of 5B, diving deeper into leadership, resilience, and the future of the energy transition.

David shares how he builds high-performing teams in complex, high-pressure environments, the role of intelligence and psychometric testing, and what it takes to lead highly technical teams with clarity and trust.

We cover:

⚡ What makes a high-performing team in energy and infrastructure
⚡ Using psychometric testing to build diversity of thought
⚡ Leading technical experts without being the technical expert
⚡ Managing pressure, resilience, and mental wellbeing as a CEO
⚡ Why ex-military talent transitions so well into corporate careers
⚡ The policy, network, and innovation challenges shaping the next phase of the energy transition

🎧 Episode – Part 2 out now!