The Oddi Poddi

The following is a conversation with Tom Hawley, the founder and director of Azura Financial, one of Australia’s leading mortgage brokerages.

Beyond finance, Tom has built a strong public profile through social media and, more recently, national television, where he shares his views on economics, politics, taxation, housing policy and the Australian property market.

In this episode, we discuss tax reform, housing affordability, government spending, and what it really takes to build a business at scale. It’s a thoughtful and candid conversation about money, markets, ambition, and why Tom believes Australia needs to do more to support the private sector.

This episode kicks off a new series, The Quarterly with Team AO, where the team comes together to share what's actually working for them and what's not.

This conversation is with Jack Parry and Jasmine Angelsey - two agents who are among the most skilled and technical in the country - off the back of a huge month: 17 sales in May 2026.

It's a very different conversation to the one we had recently with Shannan Whitney and Charles Touma, who spoke about how quickly and how much the market had shifted; this one's about how Team AO is navigating it, covering the pricing conversations, the buyer psychology, and the communication that builds trust with both vendors and buyers.

Whether you're an agent or just a passionate property person, this one's for you.

Charles Touma has spent more than 25 years building a successful career in real estate. In this episode, we explore ADHD, addiction, identity, self-sabotage, discipline, and the inner work required to rebuild yourself from the inside out. A raw and honest conversation about success, struggle, and becoming the person your future requires.

Shannan Whitney and Charlie Touma are two of the biggest names in Sydney real estate. I brought them both to the table for one reason - to have an honest conversation about the transition happening in the Sydney property market right now.

We get into how to price a property in a declining market, what real trust looks like between an agent and a vendor, and why positivity without honesty is doing more damage than people realise.

It's a frank, experienced, and at times uncomfortable conversation.

Alexander Phillips is the number one real estate agent in Australia and has been for over a decade. He joins me on the podcast to talk about what it actually takes to operate at that level - the preparation, the process, and the relentless drive that most people never see behind the results.

We get into what's happening in the property market right now, why he thinks this is one of the hardest markets in 20 years, and how he manages the pressure of carrying 44 listings without losing his mind.

But we also go deeper than real estate. Alex talks about what success has cost him personally and why circuit breakers aren't optional at his level.

He's someone who has redefined what's possible in this industry, and he's refreshingly honest about the gap between how it looks from the outside and what it actually takes to sustain it.