Lead Good turns its focus to employment, asking a question at the heart of youth crime reform: can a job change a life?
In this episode of Lead Good, Lewis Martin and Judo are joined by Sally Curtin, CEO of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Mike Schneider, CEO of Bunnings Australia, bringing together lived experience and business leadership to explore the role employers can play in redirecting young people away from crime.
The episode unpacks the barriers between a reformed offender and a fresh start, chief among them the criminal history check, which too often ends a conversation before it begins. Both guests challenge business to look beyond the record toward the person, arguing that context and advocacy can change hiring decisions in ways paperwork alone never could.
Judo reflects on navigating the workforce post-incarceration and on the seven young people he mentors, none of whom have reoffended. His lived experience connects personal transformation to systemic change.
The conversation also covers prison preparation for employment, the power of workplace peer groups, entrepreneurship pathways for young people with records, and what genuine rehabilitation looks like when business, government, and community align.
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Lead Good is produced by Good One Creative with support from Youth Activating Youth.
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