For Love & Money

EPISODE SUMMARY
Dr Dionne Payn went to a retreat for new headshots. She left with the idea for Women4Homes. 
Her mission is to inspire one million women to each invest $5,000 by 2030 to end homelessness, while becoming financially empowered along the way. Women over 55 are the fastest-growing group facing homelessness. We talk about Dionne’s path into property, the pandemic-era conversation that opened her eyes to what these women are facing, and the reaction she got when she pitched solar and batteries for a low-income home to a philanthropic organisation.
We also look at the Women4Homes model: beautiful, affordable and dignified co-living homes with private micro apartments and shared spaces, and an investment structure open from $5,000 that targets above-market returns. Dionne explains the win-win for residents and investors, why she chose a for-profit approach that can scale, and how a change to the capital gains tax discount reshaped her original plan. At the time of recording, her first home was fully funded, with more than 25 investors.
Her dream for 2030 is a world map lighting up, country by country, with places that have ended homelessness.
ABOUT DR DIONNE PAYN
Dionne Payn is the founder of Women4Homes, a company whose mission is to inspire one million women to invest $5,000 to end homelessness by 2030, whilst being financially empowered along the way.
Women4Homes has created a model for beautiful, affordable and dignified co-living homes where older women can thrive, with private rooms, ensuites and kitchenettes, and communal spaces that create connection.
Dionne has over 10 years in the property industry, has developed affordable housing projects, has facilitated funding for ethical property developments and has helped over 40 investors achieve double-digit returns through property. She is also the host of the Financially Empowered Women podcast and author of the #1 Amazon best-selling book E.T.H.I.C.A.L Property Investing.
IN THIS EPISODE
Why Dionne says there is a role for love in business, and why Women4Homes took nine months to take shape
Growing up in the UK as the child of immigrant parents, and the themes of equality and service that run through her life
The turning point: a project of 14 one-bedroom townhouses that showed her being of service and making money can go hand in hand
A phone call with an older woman on the age pension, who had to choose between her rent and the supplements that kept her healthy
How time out of the workforce, caring roles, divorce and the way superannuation compounds help explain why women over 55 face housing insecurity
The retreat she attended for the headshots, the cards about resistance, and the idea that arrived in a flash during a tea ceremony
Why she holds the minimum investment at $5,000 when others suggested going after bigger investors
How a change to the capital gains tax discount, and advice that a retail fund needed $50 million or more, led her from a tenants-in-common plan to a licensed fund manager that raises money home by home
The win-win: dignified, affordable homes for residents, a co-living model designed to be cash flow positive for investors, and a revenue model that lets Women4Homes scale
Why she believes a self-sustaining model matters, and how it differs from a donation-funded one
What a Women4Homes home looks like: private micro apartments with an ensuite, kitchenette and courtyard, plus shared spaces designed to ease loneliness
The women who have already invested, and what happens when a group of women come together to do something
Dionne’s dream for 2030
THE WOMEN4HOMES MODEL AT A GLANCE
Residents: pay rent for a private micro apartment with its own ensuite, kitchenette, room and courtyard, plus a shared kitchen, laundry, dining room and outdoor space. Dionne says her current financial model shows rent of $340 or $350 a week, which is affordable at an income of around $60,000. She is clear this is not social housing.
Investors: invest from $5,000, home by home, through a funds manager that holds an Australian Financial Services Licence. Dionne says Women4Homes is targeting above-market returns.
Women4Homes: earns a percentage on each property it puts forward. Dionne says this covers marketing, the team and the coordination between all parties.
First home: at the time of recording, Dionne said the first home was 100% funded, with more than 25 investors.
This episode is general information only and is not financial advice.
LINKS AND RESOURCES
Women4Homes https://women4homes.com/
Women4Homes links: linker./eewomen4homes
Financially Empowered Women podcast: financiallyempoweredwomen.podbean.com
Book: E.T.H.I.C.A.L Property Investing by Dr Dionne Payn
UPCOMING EVENT
Dionne is hosting a one-day workshop in February, bringing together financial empowerment, how to address housing insecurity for women, and what happens when women come together. The date is to be confirmed. Join at women4homes.com for updates.
WORK WITH CAROLYN
Keynote speaking: carolynbutlermadden.com
Purpose consulting and facilitation: thecauseeffect.com.au

Disability inclusion, inclusive design and what marketing looks like when it starts with the people it's for.
Most of us never think about how we find the right card in our wallet. For people who are blind or have low vision, it can mean asking someone else to rifle through it for them. Julie Nestor's team at Mastercard fixed that with a notch in the side of the card.
That small, practical idea runs through this whole conversation. Julie leads marketing and communications for Mastercard across Asia Pacific, and she treats inclusion as a design challenge, not a slogan. Her team has made a feature film with no pictures, menus that describe how a dish will look, feel and taste, and a coalition of Singapore businesses ready to welcome autistic people and their families. Each one was built with the community it's meant to serve.
We also talk about love. Julie's first instinct on my opening question was to say no. But as she considered it she changed her mind. Days before we recorded, she was named Disability:IN's 2026 Executive Sponsor of the Year for Asia Pacific, and we talk about what that means too.
WHAT WE COVER
Why Julie's first instinct to the question "is there a role for love in business?" was to answer no, and what changed her mind
Love as care translated into action, and why leadership may be one of its purest expressions
Two early influences: a mentor who showed that warmth and results can sit together, and a campaign that put profit and purpose in the same room
The Touch Card: how a notch in the side of a card solved a real problem, and the feature film with no pictures that explained it
From Acceptance Matters to Time for Acceptance: moving from awareness to action across Singapore
Sensory Notes: menus that describe how food will taste, feel and look, shaped by 35 autistic community members
The Inclusion Hub: how Julie recruits businesses to join, without a dedicated team to do it
Why designing with a community, not for it, changes the work
Making the commercial case for inclusion: brand equity, earned media and trust
Why memorable, human experiences matter more as AI automates more of marketing
Being open at work about her son, and what happened when others followed
Keeping the work bigger than one person's agenda
Julie's five-year hope: inclusion as a norm, not a project
ABOUT JULIE NESTOR
Julie Nestor is Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Asia Pacific at Mastercard. She leads the Integrated Marketing and Communications team, which shapes the company's reputation and brings its brand promise to life for banks, financial institutions, governments, merchants and consumers.
Julie's marketing approach centres on inclusivity, and she believes marketers can drive social impact alongside business results. Her programs include the Cannes Lion-winning Touch, Australia's first pictureless feature-length film made for the blind and low vision community, Touch Cards, the Wheelchair Ballkid pilot program with Tennis Australia, Acceptance Matters and Time for Acceptance in Singapore, and the Inclusion Hub and Sensory Notes in Australia.
Originally from Sydney, Julie has a 25-year career leading marketing teams across Asia Pacific in financial services, technology and hospitality, including 13 years at American Express, and roles at Hilton, eBay and Manulife. She is based in Singapore, is a member of Mastercard's Asia Pacific Leadership Team and Global Marketing and Communications Leadership Team, and co-executive sponsor of the Asia Pacific ADAPT business resource group, which aims to make Mastercard an employer of choice for people with disability. In 2026 she was named Disability:IN's Executive Sponsor of the Year for Asia Pacific.
CONNECT WITH JULIE
Julie Nestor on LinkedIn
RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED
Mastercard website
Inclusion Matters (Mastercard Australia)
Touch, Australia's first pictureless feature film
Touch Card
Wheelchair Ballkid pilot program
Hidden Disabilities and St Andrew's Autism Centre, Singapore
WORK WITH CAROLYN
Looking for a keynote speaker who brings purpose-driven leadership to life? Visit https://www.carolynbutlermadden.com/
Ready to embed purpose into your business strategy? Visit https://www.thecauseeffect.com.au/
 

EPISODE OVERVIEW
Dr Julie Paine spent years as an equity research analyst at Morgan Stanley, reading balance sheets and sizing up senior leadership, before retraining as a Chartered Psychologist. Over the course of twenty years of practice she noticed that the roots of most adult anxiety trace back to childhood — and started to wonder what it would take to reach children before those patterns set in.
The result is Django the Dachshund, Stories From a Very Small Dog — a children's book series narrated by Julie's own miniature dachshund, built to give children a way to understand and hold their worries rather than be consumed by them. The first title, Joss and the Lucky Boots, follows a young girl facing a huge challenge at school, almost overwhelmed by worry, until Django helps her see it differently.
In this conversation, Julie unpacks the psychology behind the books — including attentional plasticity and the idea that children can build real agency over anxiety — and shares what she's learned taking Django directly into schools, plus the story behind the Django Worry Dog, a small companion toy built on the same principle as Guatemalan worry dolls.
IN THIS EPISODE
The two career pivots that took Julie from equity research to psychology to children's author
Why the birth of her second child was the real turning point away from investment banking
The moment in session that led Julie to want to reach children before anxiety takes hold
What attentional plasticity is, and how it gives children agency over worry
Why Django had to be the narrator, not Julie — and what that meant for how the books are written
How Julie is taking the books directly into schools as her primary route to market
The story behind the Django Worry Dog, and why it's a companion to the books rather than a separate product
What's next for the Django series, and Julie's hopes for where the mission can go
ABOUT DR JULIE PAINE
Dr Julie Paine is a highly experienced Chartered Psychologist and former Equity Research Analyst for US bank, Morgan Stanley. Educated at University College London and City University London. She holds Doctorate, Masters and Undergraduate degrees in Psychology.
Following twenty years working in mental health, Julie decided to repurpose her knowledge and extensive experience and package it in a way that might appeal to young children, educators and parents, to help build childhood resilience againstanxiety. A condition she identifies as blighting the lives of many adult patients. And so, Django the Dachshund, the loveable lead character and narrator, in a new series of children’s books was born. Based on Julie’s own and much-cherished miniature dachshund dog. The books aim to do so much more than simply tell a story, targeting young readers aged 6 to 9 years. They are not medicalised or lead footed. Instead they deliver adventure and enjoyment first and mental health learning as a natural by-product, through warm, uplifting text and enchanting illustrations.
Joss and the Lucky Boots is the first of four books to be published in the series about a young girl who faces a huge sporting challenge at school and is almost consumed with worry and doubt, until Django encourages her to think a little differently and win the day.
LINKS & RESOURCES
Django the Dachshund — djangothedachshund.com
Instagram — @storiesfromdjango
Email: info@djangothedachshund.com
Buy the book:
Amazon
Amazon Australia
Amazon UK
Illustrations by Nicola Metcalfe.
For enquiries about bulk order discounts, contact info@djangothedachschund.com
 
WORK WITH CAROLYN
Carolyn Butler-Madden helps purpose-driven leaders turn conviction into both impact and commercial advantage.
Keynote speaking — carolynbutlermadden.com
Consulting — thecauseeffect.com.au

EPISODE OVERVIEW
What does it actually take to turn purpose into a performance lever? Not a values statement. Not a CSR budget. A genuine, measurable driver of revenue, retention and growth.
Philippa Durant is Country Manager for Expedia Australia and New Zealand, one of Australia's Top 50 CMOs, and a marketer with over two decades of experience building brands at Coca-Cola, Virgin and Expedia Group. For her Executive MBA capstone at the University of Sydney Business School, she conducted 40 in-depth interviews with CEOs, CMOs and purpose consultants across Australia. What she found reframes the entire conversation.
Purpose, it turns out, isn't just something you feel. It's something you measure. And when it's embedded in strategy, people and customer experience simultaneously — not in one or two, but in all three — the performance impact is significant.
WHAT WE COVER
Why love might just be good for business — and why the numbers matter more than the feeling
Philippa's career journey from Coca-Cola and Virgin to Expedia, and what drew her toward purpose-driven leadership
The Brands with Heart framework — and the four-segment matrix that shows where your organisation sits on the purpose journey
Why a purpose statement means nothing — and what actually brings you to the starting line
The three pillars that must be aligned for purpose to drive performance: strategy, people and customer
What Intrepid Travel does that most organisations don't — and why they want the whole industry to go on the journey with them
The surprising link between solid purpose integration and solid business process
How embedding purpose in product cost — not CSR cost — makes it impossible to strip out
The $211–243 billion cost of disengagement to the Australian economy — and what that means for the P&L
Why younger generations may be better equipped for this work than those of us who came to it later
Philippa's dream for the travel industry — and her next phase of research
PHILIPPA'S BRANDS WITH HEART FRAMEWORK
Based on 40 qualitative interviews with CEOs, CMOs and purpose consultants across Australia, Philippa's capstone research identifies three pillars that must work together for purpose to function as a genuine growth lever:
Strategy — purpose must be embedded in the organisation's strategic direction
People — purpose must be lived throughout the organisation, not siloed in HR or a single team
Customer — purpose must be woven into the customer journey and experience
Her four-segment matrix maps where organisations typically sit:
Purpose as Positioning — purpose lives in marketing only
Performative Purpose — purpose sits outside the organisation as CSR, disconnected from strategy
Purpose in Pockets — purpose is driven by one or two exceptional leaders but hasn't been negotiated across the executive
Purpose Driving Performance — purpose is integrated across all three pillars and functions as a genuine growth lever
RELATED EPISODES
Episode 2 Geoff Manchester on Intrepid's Profit with Purpose Journey 
Episode 69 An Intrepid Special: Cultural Immersion in Australia's Red Centre Part I and Part 2
Episode 99 Sara King, Intrepid Travel: Creating Positive Change Through the Joy of Travel
Episode 42 Kelly Beater, Head of Felix Mobile on the Power of a BHAG
GET INVOLVED IN PHILIPPA'S RESEARCH
Philippa is now entering a new phase of research, focused specifically on the travel industry. She is looking for:
Participants for qualitative interviews (leaders in the travel industry)
Respondents for a broader quantitative survey (open to all organisations)
Examples and case studies of purpose-driven performance to feature in the research
ABOUT PHILIPPA
Philippa Durant is an award-winning marketing executive who combines world-class brand expertise with purpose-driven leadership to deliver exceptional business results while creating positive societal impact. 
With over two decades of experience leading marketing teams at global powerhouses including Coca-Cola, Virgin and Expedia Group, Philippa has consistently delivered breakthrough campaigns and substantial revenue growth.Recently completing her Executive MBA at Sydney University Business School with capstone research on "How purpose drives organisational performance" Business," Philippa has developed the "Brands with Heart" framework based on in-depth Australian research that demonstrates how purpose-driven organisations not only achieve superior financial performance but also create meaningful value for society.As one of Australia's Top 50 CMOs and past Chair of APAC Diversity & Inclusion Council at Expedia Group, she has proven that when brands authentically embrace purpose—from championing diversity and inclusion to driving community recovery initiatives—they unlock both unprecedented business growth and lasting positive change, making her the ideal leader for organisations seeking to thrive commercially while making a genuine difference in the world.  
CONNECT WITH PHILIPPA
Philippa on LinkedIn
WORK WITH CAROLYN
Keynote Speaking: carolynbutlermadden.com
Purpose-Led Business Consulting: thecauseeffect.com.au

EPISODE SUMMARY
Amanda di Medici is the founder of Yenom, an independent financial wellbeing business helping employers address the hidden cost of financial stress in the workplace. After careers spanning technology, mortgage broking, financial counselling and adult education, Amanda built Yenom to reach a group she calls the "working poor": people who have jobs, but not enough left over to actually get ahead, and who fall outside every government-funded support service because they don't hold a Centrelink card.
In this conversation, Amanda shares the personal turning point that led her to build Yenom, why she has deliberately built the business to be commission-free and product-free, and how financial stress is fast becoming recognised as a genuine psychosocial risk inside Australian workplaces. She also explains the story behind the name Yenom, and previews the financial wellbeing app she is launching in August 2026.
IN THIS EPISODE
Amanda's early lesson in money management, and the friend's offhand comment that changed how she thought about saving
Her path from law, finance and adult education into mortgage broking, and what she saw there that she couldn't unsee
Why she calls her audience the "working poor," and who falls into that gap between paying the bills and being supported
The personal catalyst, turning 50 and losing her sister, that pushed her to build Yenom
Why Yenom is built to be 100% independent, with no AFSL, no products sold, and no commissions
The story behind the name Yenom, and the brief she gave her branding team: "know thyself"
What she's seeing in the mining sector, including apprentices earning six-figure salaries who are bankrupt within five years
How financial stress is emerging as a workplace psychosocial risk, and its link to AI-driven job uncertainty
The financial wellbeing app launching in August, and how it fits alongside Yenom's corporate and workshop offerings
Amanda's dream for Yenom: her app in a hundred thousand pockets, and a foundation that funds financial literacy long after she's gone
ABOUT AMANDA DI MEDICI
Amanda di Medici has an educational background in Law, Finance and Adult Education, along with over thirty years' experience across tech and community services. While exploring a self-employment opportunity in finance broking, Amanda saw first-hand the need for comprehensive, basic financial education among the many people she met each day, from those seeking zero-deposit home loans, to those caught in "rent to buy" schemes, to those with no realistic path to credit at all.
That experience led her into roles with the Brotherhood of St Lawrence and TAFE NSW, where she built the grounding in structure, support and outcomes behind effective financial literacy education. Twenty years on, Amanda founded Yenom, an independent financial wellbeing business that meets people where they are: at work. Yenom combines workplace financial wellbeing programs with a gamified mobile app, and its defining principle is independence. Yenom does not sell or recommend financial products, and does not sell or market using client data. Its sole objective is personal financial understanding and increased wellbeing.
Amanda is also a sponsor of the Women in Mining Network and works closely with the mining and heavy industry sectors.
CONNECT
Amanda di Medici on LinkedIn
Yenom
Join the Yenom Beta
Help Build the Yenom App
WORK WITH CAROLYN
Carolyn Butler-Madden helps purpose-driven leaders build magnetic brands, galvanise their people, and become trusted changemakers.
Keynote speaking — carolynbutlermadden.com
Consulting with The Cause Effect — thecauseeffect.com.au

ABOUT THIS EPISODE
What does it actually take to run a purpose-driven business? Not talk about it — actually do it? Abdullah Ramay, CEO of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters, has a clear answer: start with great coffee. Purpose is an AND statement, not an OR statement. And if the product isn't excellent first, purpose can't carry it.In this conversation, Abdullah shares his unconventional journey from Pakistan to Canada to Sydney — and how a part-time accounting role at a small Sydney roastery changed everything. He talks about what it means to steward a purpose-led business built by someone else, why the Australian cafe industry is facing a crisis hiding in plain sight, and what he believes is possible when the next generation of leaders stops treating profit and purpose as a trade-off.On the day we recorded, Pablo & Rusty's had just released their 2025 Impact Report — five years of public accountability in action. The ambitions inside it are audacious for a business of their size. This conversation brings those ambitions to life.
WHAT WE COVER
Why love is necessary but not sufficient — and what else purpose-driven leaders needAbdullah's journey from Pakistan to Canada to Sydney, and the part-time job that changed his plans
The GFC, Sarbanes-Oxley, and the seeds of a values-led career
Why Pablo & Rusty's describes itself as a coffee company first
The 2030 goals: $1 million to 1% for the Planet, a regenerative blend, and Science Based Net Zero
How P&R builds shared goals — and why vigorous disagreement is part of the process
The coffee value gap: why Australian espresso prices are roughly 40% below the OECD average and what's at stake for cafe culture
Why being busy is not the same as being profitable
Profit and purpose as AND statements — not OR
ABOUT ABDULLAH RAMAY
Abdullah Ramay is the CEO of Pablo & Rusty's Coffee Roasters, a B Corp certified, Carbon Neutral Organisation and 1% for the Planet member based in Sydney. He is a recognised industry leader and advocate for the specialty coffee industry, particularly around sustainable cafe economics and the coffee value gap. Beyond his executive role, Abdullah serves as a non-executive director of the Westmead Hospital Foundation and as a board member of ARCA (Australian Restaurant and Cafe Association). He advises early-stage startups and mentors emerging leaders across business, technology, and purpose-driven leadership.
RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED
Connect with Abdullah on Linkedin
Pablo & Rusty's website
Pablo & Rusty's 2025 Impact Report
Abdullah's LinkedIn article — Lessons in Purpose
Let My People Go Surfing — Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni
1% for the Planet
Episode 66 — Saxon Wright, Founder, Pablo & Rusty's
WORK WITH CAROLYN
Carolyn Butler-Madden works with leaders and organisations on how purpose becomes a powerful driver of trust, performance, and resilience. She speaks at leadership conferences and company events about how purpose shows up where it matters most — in leadership, culture, and strategy — helping organisations grow with clarity and confidence in a changing world.
Keynote speaking: Carolyn Butler-Madden
Consulting: The Cause Effect