Let's Just Start Podcast with Laura Racky and Christian Cunningham

We tried something new with this one.

Five fast questions, no prep, no structure, just straight answers and seeing where it goes.

The Five This Week

The decision that almost sent our careers in a completely different direction

What people get wrong about being a good leader

The best advice we’ve been given (and whether we followed it)

What we’d tell our 25-year-old selves now

A belief we used to hold strongly that we’ve completely changed our minds on

Decisions that completely changed direction, advice that stuck (and advice that didn’t), what we'd tell our younger self, and a couple of beliefs we’ve had to completely rethink over time.

There’s a mix of serious and not serious at all.

We’ll see if this format works. If it does, we’ll do it again.

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com
Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast
Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast
Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast
Laura Insta: @laura.racky
Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky
Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy
Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt
Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co

Some tricky topics in this episode.

The Bias You're Proudest Of Is the One Holding You Back
We all walk around with filters we've built over a lifetime and most of us would fight to keep them. Christian and Laura unpack why the biases that feel like wisdom are often the ones doing the most damage, and how becoming conscious of them (not eliminating them) is what actually changes everything.

Why Smart People Can't See Their Own Blind Spots
The more analytical you are, the better you are at defending your bias, and why the sharpest people in the room are often the most blind.

Everything Is Possible (When You Stop Looking Through the Keyhole)
If you can only view the world through one small opening, you're missing everything around it. Awareness, not perfection, is the whole game.

The Uncomfortable Truth About Micromanagement Nobody Wants to Hear
Nobody wants to be told that the micromanagement they're complaining about might be their fault. But that's exactly what gets said in this episode.

You Set the Standard by What You Tolerate — Including in Your Own Head
The patterns you keep repeating, the judgments you keep making, the conversations you keep having, they're all data. This episode digs into what those patterns are actually telling you, and why the one thing most worth fixing is the thing most people spend a lifetime avoiding.

Court of UNPOPULAR Opinion
Micromanagement may not be what you think, insecurity is the one thing to fix, and partisan politics is boring.

In short:

​Why objectivity is not as common as people think
​How bias shapes your decisions
​Real examples of blind spots in everyday situations
​Why people defend their own thinking
​When your patterns start working against you
​A different way to approach conversations
​Court Of UNPOPULAR Opinion

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com
Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast
Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast
Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast
Laura Insta: @laura.racky
Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky
Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy
Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt
Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co

This episode looks at real world situations that many people face at the same time, even if they rarely talk about them openly.

How do you deal with a boss or company with a bad reputation (while protecting your own)?
How do you tackle overwhelm when the to do list gets so big that it crushes you under it?
How do we deal with career, parenting, and ageing parents - often all in the same season?

Very tricky questions and we dealt with them as honestly as we could.

We also launched a new segment, the Court of UNPOPULAR opinion.

1. Spouses should or shouldn't track each other's locations?
2. The workplace is no place for birthday cakes?
3. Holidays are overrated?

Stick around for the verdict.

In Short:

What do you do when the environment around you is not ideal, your workload builds beyond what feels manageable, and life outside of work is demanding more of your time and energy?

The conversation focuses on how to think clearly in these moments. From managing your own position in a complex workplace, to regaining control when everything feels urgent, to making deliberate choices when life becomes full, this episode is about responding with intention rather than reacting to pressure.

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com
Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast
Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast
Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast
Laura Insta: @laura.racky
Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky
Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy
Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt
Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co

This episode moves through the tension many people are feeling right now. Costs are rising, confidence is falling, and the economic environment has shifted.

We discuss the end of cheap money and how that has changed behaviour across individuals, businesses, and governments. From there, the conversation turns to why everyday life feels more expensive, and what is actually happening beneath the surface.

We then shift to the role of mindset, personal responsibility, and how we can change everything. This is how we acknowledge reality without being defined by it, and finding a way to move with purpose even when conditions are not ideal.

We finish with 5 Ways We Accidently Damage Our Reputations, lessons from the great Tom Cruise, and Laura's pettiness.

In short:

​What the end of cheap money means for behaviour and decision making
​Survey results from NAB and ANZ on consumer sentiment, lowest in history of recording
​Why prices feel (and likely are) permanently higher
​How expectations built in the past no longer match current conditions
​The role of mindset in changing our entire lives
​How Women 'should' respond to being treated badly
​Practical ways to focus on what can still be controlled, with gratitude
​5 ways we accidently damage our reputations
​Lessons from Tom Cruise

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com
Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast
Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast
Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast
Laura Insta: @laura.racky
Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky
Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy
Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt
Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co

Ep 54 - A LOT in here on family, negotiation, deal making, first quarter scorecard, and Christian CORNERED on fatherhood.

We start with an honest discussion about fatherhood, what it means, how it changes priorities, and the realities that often go unspoken.

We also go deep on Laura working through her negotiation structure and how negotiation actually works in the real world. We are basing this on real-world experience and try to make it as useful as possible.

We also lament the choices for many young families in Australia.

In short:

​How we think about family, time, and priorities more clearly
​The difference between responsibility and presence
​Why modern life is changing decisions around having children
​How to predict where a negotiation will land
​Why understanding people matters more than strategy
​The importance of mapping stakeholders and incentives
​How to expand deals beyond price
​Why patience and timing are critical in negotiation
​How to navigate ego, pressure, and hidden agendas

Find us here:

Digital Resources: Therackycunninghamcollective.com
Instagram: @letsjuststartpodcast
Tiktok: @letsjuststartpodcast
Youtube: @LetsJustStartPodcast
Laura Insta: @laura.racky
Laura Tiktok: @lauraracky
Christian Insta: @leaderbiltacademy
Christian Tiktok: @leaderbilt
Leadership training and coaching: Leaderbilt.co