The Mucky Middle

Daniel Flynn never imagined he'd spend nearly two decades proving that consumerism could fund the end of extreme poverty. What began as a naive 19-year-old's idea-redirecting bottled water profits to clean water projects-evolved into Thank You, a social enterprise that has given $90.3 million to those in need and counting. In this episode of the Mucky Middle, Daniel shares the brutal reality of what happened after the viral helicopters and supermarket victories faded. Learn how the "mucky middle" nearly broke the company-from the New Zealand nappy launch that saw competitors crush their market share, to the burnout that sidelined his wife and co-founder Rachel, to the consultant who told him, "You can't be a 200% company" (and why he was right). Daniel reveals his methodology for navigating the seven-year pivot from manufacturer to brand licensor, his philosophy that "control is the enemy of growth," and how he maintains radical optimism when the marathon becomes a triathlon with hurdles. We also explore why true human creativity is more valuable than ever in the AI age, and what it takes to hold onto naive faith when every business instinct says to quit.

Goterra founder and CEO Olympia Yarger believes waste shouldn’t be wasted. Once a would-be sheep and cattle farmer, Olympia now wrangles maggots instead of livestock - turning food waste into high-protein animal feed and fertiliser, and helping farmers cut their reliance on imports. In this episode of The Mucky Middle, Olympia shares how she’s scaling insect-powered waste management across Australia, why solving the “proximity problem” is key to real climate impact, and what it takes to steer a first-of-its-kind business through the messy middle ground between vision and commercial success.

Dr Anna El Tahchy is on a mission to change what we eat—without changing the joy of eating. As co-founder of deep-tech startup Nourish Ingredients, Anna is using precision fermentation to replicate the animal fats that make food taste amazing—minus the animal. In this episode of The Mucky Middle, Anna unpacks how Nourish grew from a research project at CSIRO to a global flavour innovator partnering with Fonterra, expanding across Asia, the US, and beyond. She talks scaling science into startups, why purpose fuels her commercial drive, and the real mucky middle of navigating regulatory red tape and market timing. We also dig into the big stuff: gender equity in food tech, parenting on the entrepreneurial frontline, and whether the future of flavour might taste like something we’ve never known before.

Andy Miller isn’t just brewing beer—he’s brewing a cultural shift. As co-founder and CEO of Heaps Normal, he’s helping Australians drink less without making them feel like outcasts for saying no to booze. In this episode of The Mucky Middle, Andy talks about starting the business with mates during lockdown, crafting a brand that made non-alcoholic beer feel “heaps normal,” and why moving fast and trusting your gut sometimes beats market research. He also opens up about the hard stuff: navigating the messy middle of scaling a purpose-led brand, balancing parenthood with business, and why he's now choosing hikes with the kids over late-night strategy docs. Plus: mindful drinking, California expansion, new product lines, and what he’d tell his younger self (spoiler: just start).

Saxon Wright, the visionary entrepreneur behind Pablo & Rusty's coffee and Huskee reusable cups, believes business can be a powerful force for environmental change. Once drawn to the outdoors and influenced by his sister's conservation work, Saxon now channels his scientific background and business acumen into creating circular solutions for our single-use crisis. In this episode of the Mucky Middle, Saxon shares his journey from experimenting with coffee roasting science to transforming discarded coffee husks into beautiful, functional cups. Learn how his latest venture, "Borrow by Husky," aims to revolutionize reusable cup adoption through a scalable borrowing system that could eliminate billions of single-use cups annually. Saxon reveals his methodology for maintaining creative energy through intentional reflection time, his philosophy of "only do what only you can do," and how he balances long-term environmental dreams with practical business realities.

From starting and selling a cleaning business in his teens, Kane followed his entrepreneurial nous into the finance sector with a unique perspective gained from his time as a paramedic. This experience revealed the results of a broken system and inspired him to tackle the challenge of transforming the finance world. His mission? To create Financial Equality For Humanity. In this episode, Kane speaks about co-founding and building Maslow, his answer to financial inequality.

After initially setting his sights on a career in law, Michael found himself immersed in the world of finance and technology—which unexpectedly led to co-founding Uluu. Partnering with co-founder Julia, Michael leverages his background to spearhead the creation of biodegradable seaweed-based plastics that aim to revolutionise sustainability in the industry.

After accidently falling into a marketing career, Jonathan Williams soon found himself working for tech giants PayPal, Google and Hubspot — eventually leading him to a new life in Australia. After Covid completely disrupted the travel industry, Jonathan was approached by Polestar to take the premium EV brand to the next level.

In Episode 14, Nick chats to Leigh Barnes, Chief Customer Officer at Intrepid — an Australian B Corp that focuses on sustainable travel and authentic experiences for all. He and Nick talk about how climate change is a crucial factor in travel and tourism, how experiences are more valuable than things, and how the loneliness epidemic is shaping destinations around the world.

Phil is a Partner at Main Sequence a venture capital firm founded by Australia’s national science agency – CSIRO. There he invests in deep tech founders who are building unimaginable new companies with a strong connection to research. There he has invested in Cauldron, Eden Brew, Samsara Eco, Uluu, v2food, Nourish Ingredients, EVERY Company, RapidAIM, Coviu and Q-CTRL. Before this he was the founder of Australia’s first incubator and venture studio, Pollenizer, where Phil played an instrumental role in developing the startup ecosystem across Asia Pacific and advised some of the world’s biggest organisations on practical ways to deliver new growth and the cultural change that is required to get there.