Diving Deep With Sam Fricker

Tropfest returns this Sunday in Centennial Park and will be livestreamed globally on YouTube. In this special episode of Diving Deep, I sit down with Tropfest founder John Polson to unpack how hebuilt the world’s largest short film festival from scratch and turned it into a cultural movement. Forover 30 years, Tropfest has been a launchpad for emerging filmmakers and actors long before theybecame household names. John shares what he looks for in raw talent, how he recognisesmomentum before it’s obvious, and why backing creators early matters more than ever. We talkcreativity, risk, judging art, spotting future stars, and what it takes to build something that lasts.Tropfest is back this Sunday. Watch it live on YouTube.

On Diving Deep today I sit down with Mat Steinwede, one of Australia’s most successful real estate agents and thinkers on performance and life transformation.Mat openly shares his early years of addiction, homelessness and brushes with the law. He talks about hitting rock bottom, the moment he chose to turn his life around, and the relentless work ethic that saw him walk the streets door-knocking every day to build his first real estate career. We dig into how he rebuilt his life, became the number one agent in the McGrath network and a leader on the Central Coast with more than two decades in the business, and how he applies the same discipline that helped him escape addiction to his sales methods and mindset work. Mat also shares insights on resilience and how he stays disciplined in business and life, and what success really looks like when you’ve clawed your way back from nothing. A raw, honest discussion about accountability, transformation, performance systems and what it means to create a life worth living.

In this episode of Diving Deep, I sit down with Charlie Viola, Executive Chair and Founding Partner of Viola Private Wealth.Charlie has spent more than two decades at the top end of wealth management, advising high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutions. He has personally managed billions of dollars in assets and played a key role in scaling one of Australia’s leading private wealth businesses from the ground up.We go deep into:What it actually takes to manage large amounts of money responsiblyLong-term thinking, discipline, and risk in investingFinancial literacy and why education matters more than shortcutsBuilding trust with clients at the highest levelLeadership lessons from business, sport, and lifeCharlie’s passion for motorsport and racing cars, and how that mindset overlaps with investingThis conversation is about far more than money. It is about decision-making under pressure, consistency over decades, and how high performers think across completely different worlds.If you are interested in wealth, business, performance, or learning from someone who has operated at the very top of their field for years, this episode is for you.

Today on Diving Deep I sit down with Lisa P. Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy & Social Initiatives and the former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Obama.We dive into Apple’s biggest sustainability moves: cutting plastics, reducing carbon emissions, transforming their global supply chain, and the company’s push to make every device carbon-neutral by 2030. Lisa explains how Apple is scaling renewable energy, why sustainability is driving business growth, and what it really takes to shift a company of Apple’s size.She also reflects on leading the EPA, working with President Obama, and the leadership lessons she’s carried into Apple.If you care about the future of tech, climate innovation, and how the world’s biggest companies are changing, this is a powerful conversation.

On this episode of Diving Deep with Sam Fricker, I’m joined by Rob Williamson, Managing Director (and former COO) of Alpha HPA, an Australian company pushing the frontier in ultra-high-purity alumina production.We dive deep into how Rob’s team is powering the next wave of innovation supercomputers, microchips, electric vehicle batteries, and more by creating a material that helps those systems run cooler, safer, and more efficiently.I absolutely loved this conversation. It’s inspiring to see game changing tech being developed right here in Australia home talent stepping up, solving real-world challenges, and helping push the world forward through better, more sustainable materials.

On this episode of Diving Deep with Sam Fricker, I’m joined by my good mate Kal Glanznig. An ocean advocate, youth leader, and one of the youngest councillors in Australia.Kal’s been leading change since high school, from putting solar panels on his campus to creating the doco Rising Up and starting projects like Plastic Free Cronulla and Blue Minds. He’s proof that you don’t need to wait for permission to make a difference.We dive into what it really takes to step up, create change, and stay driven when the world feels too big to fix. It’s an awesome chat about purpose, passion, and just getting things done.

In this episode, I sit down with Hugo Toovey, Major in the Australian Army, two-time cancer survivor, and founder of 25 STAY ALIVE.In his 20s, Hugo faced and survived two different cancers. Instead of letting it define him, he turned it into a mission: creating 25 STAY ALIVE, a charity focused on prevention, early detection, and breaking the stigma around physical and mental health.We talk about: • Surviving cancer twice and what it taught him • Lessons in resilience from the Army • Why men need to take health seriously • How 25 STAY ALIVE is saving livesAn inspiring and powerful conversation you won’t forget.

Experience The Raw Side of a Polished Star. On this episode of Diving Deep with Sam Fricker, Aussie music icon Guy Sebastian sits down with Olympic athlete and content creator Sam Fricker for a conversation that goes beyond the spotlight.We dive into Guy’s brand new album ‘100 Times Around the Sun’, the story behind his first global smash hit ‘Battle Scars’ (which Sam was obsessed with growing up), and open up about the personal side of his journey fame, pressure, and keeping a clear head through it all.You’ve seen the polished Guy on TV and on stage. This is something different. A raw, honest, and real chat you won’t see anywhere else.