1st june 2026

Episodes Release: 1st June & 3rd June 2026

Some people see the world's hardest moments and look away. Others see them and ask: what can I do?

Joanne Kennard asked the second question. And the answer changed lives.

In this two-part conversation on Leading Our Own Way, I sit down with one of the most quietly extraordinary people I have ever had the honour of interviewing. Joanne is an adventurer, entrepreneur, author of Think Different, Make Money, and co-author of Sir Marco Robinson's Start Over Movement. She grew up in small-town New Zealand. She crossed countries, rebuilt careers, and refused at every turn to stay small. But it was a single moment of witnessing real suffering that became the defining chapter of her story.

During her travels, Joanne witnessed the devastating hardships faced by people in third-world countries who had no safe, sustainable way to cook. The danger. The smoke. The sheer physical toll of it. Most people see something like that and feel the weight of it for a moment. Then they move on. Joanne didn't move on. She went away and invented a solution.

The Easy Oven is a life-saving, sustainable cooking solution born from that single refusal to look away. What started as one idea has created ripple effects across communities, disaster relief efforts, and environmental sustainability on a global scale. One person. One idea. Real lives changed. That is not a tagline. That is the truth of what Joanne has built.

But her story doesn't begin and end with the Easy Oven.

In Part 2 of our conversation, we go deeper into the journey that shaped her before the invention, and the mindset that continues to carry her forward. From growing up in small-town New Zealand to building global ventures including Start Wild, Joanne is living proof that where you start has absolutely nothing to do with where you are capable of going.

We talk about what it really takes to leave the box behind entirely and never look back. The resilience required when people tell you to go back. The boldness to keep building when the path ahead isn't clear. The refusal to let fear speak louder than purpose. And the courage to turn big ideas into real-world impact, not just in theory but in communities, in homes, in lives.

Joanne is also a co-author alongside Sir Marco Robinson in the Start Over Movement, and after this conversation, you will understand exactly why these two remarkable people found each other. Sir Marco himself joins us in Episode 101, so make sure you add that one to your list too.

This conversation will leave you sitting with a question I genuinely have not been able to shake since we recorded it.

What adventure are you refusing to go on because fear is speaking louder than purpose?

Whether you are an aspiring changemaker, an entrepreneur, or simply someone who believes that one person can make a real 

and lasting difference in this world, this episode was made for you.

Joanne's story is proof that they absolutely can.

Both parts are available now. Hit play and let her journey move you.

This is what leading your own way looks like. Raw. Real. Unfiltered.

Spotify, Apple Podcasts & YouTube

Full episodes Monday, Tuesday (Tuesday Truths) & Wednesday this week at 4:00AM AEST

Tuesday Truths: Now drop with some of the guests important parts from the full episode - Tuesday 4:00AM AEST

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Email: Andrew@leadingourownway.com