I have lectured and tutored in the Discipline of Politics and Faculty of Arts at The University of Adelaide since 2002 (at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels). My areas of expertise and interest include Effective Communication, Applied Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Operations Research, Functional Neurology, Civil-Military Relations, Counter Terrorism, Philosophies of Violence, Stoicism, and Existentialism.
I have convened courses ranging from Applied Thinking and Complex Problem Solving to Strategic Culture and International Security. I have guest lectured on Post 9/11 Security, European Security, The History of Terrorism, Antonio Gramsci, Civil-Military Relations, Security Sector Reform, and The Politics of Leadership.
I have supervised theses on Counter Insurgency, Counter Terrorism, ASIO, Drone Warfare, Joint Special Operations Command, Intervention in Failed States, and European Integration.
I have provided Applied Thinking and Complex Problem Solving training to the public sector (including the Australian Bureau of Statistics), the Australian Department of Defence (including Special Operations Command), and private organisations since 2014. There is a massive, multi-disciplinary body of skills for analysing and solving problems in high-stress and high-consequence environments that I have learned to use, combine, and teach, which I can train you and your team to use.
In 2018 I was proud and humbled to win a Student-Led Teaching Award at The University of Adelaide. Empowering my students has always given me joy and winning the award gave me extra motivation to work out new ways to increase people’s performance and communication skills.
I am a regular commentator on Australian National Security, Regional Security, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 2020 I have discussed Modern Monetary Theory and Sovereign Capability on both local and national radio stations. I have been a contributor to SAGE International Australia since it was founded in 2008 and have been the co-host of SAGE’s Strategikon podcast since its inception in 2016. In July 2019 I became Senior Analyst at SAGE and co-authored SAGE’s SPGP report on the future of the Indo-Pacific for the Australian Department of Defence (November 2020).
I have co-hosted my own podcast, Blind Insights, with Tim Whiffen since December 2018. Blind Insights consistently rates in the top one percent of podcasts in the Society and Culture Category.
I started working as a Business Development Specialist for Speakeasy Marketing Inc. in September 2021. This role has enabled me to combine what I have learned as a Human Performance consultant, what I have learned about High Reliability Organisations, and what I am learning in my Master of Media in Strategic Communication to add value across Speakeasy Marketing Inc.’s business units.
In June 2022, I started working as a Marketing Strategist at Talked About Marketing in Adelaide. Along with my ongoing work with Speakeasy Marketing Inc., this role represents the culmination of my pivot into the professional world of Communication and Marketing.
I attended my first meeting as a member of the Client Advisory Committee of the Royal Society for the Blind, South Australia, in August 2022. I am pleased to give back to the RSB, where I learned to use screen reading software and an iPhone with VoiceOver turned on.
On 22 December, 2022, I received a letter from the University of Adelaide confirming that I had completed my Master of Media in Strategic Communication. Returning to study was sometimes a strange experience, but I am so glad that I went and learned all of the skills and knowledge that were a part of my degree. Assisting clients to communicate their ideas and passions makes me very happy, and I couldn’t have got to the point of working with Speakeasy Marketing Inc. and Talked About Marketing without returning to study.