The Fink Tank

There's money in funny

19 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

I expressed my exasperation to Col’s 6-year-old son Deakin. His response was so funny it completely dissolved the tension.Being funny is a great qua...

The Great Esky Heist

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

When I was 15, I stole an esky full of drinks from a random campsite. Not exactly the heist of the century, but it felt huge in the context of my teen...

Get better problems

05 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

I came home to human poo in the driveway. Our fridge broke the same day.Life will always have problems. Are they actually problems though?In this Fink...

Short changed

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

I rented an e-bike and shot myself in the foot.By making life “easier” I accidentally made it less rewarding.If you run a business, it’s quite l...

Transient profundity

19 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Did it hurt?When you read something so profound it left you reeling. A book that laid your soul bare. An article that prised open your brain. A quote ...

Seasons End

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Col’s four year old daughter Darwin rode a pedal bike for the first time last week. If it weren’t for the Fink Tank, I would have missed it.In our...

Dead Dad Club

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a member of the Dead Parent Club, today’s Fink Tank is for you.Our dad Tony died 27 years ago. On his anniversary yesterday we honoured ...

No news is good news

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People warned us about going to the United States. With alarming news at saturation point, we had doubts ourselves. Here’s what happened:Everything ...

November rain

27 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re hurtling toward Christmas in a hectic hot mess, here’s the good news:That’s fine. It’s what November is for.If things are STILL chao...

Driving me crazy

20 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cars are singularly amazing, and a collective pain in the arse.In this (mercifully short) Fink Tank rant, Col and I bemoan the loss of amenity in citi...

Brilliant... and boring

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is it just us, or is everyone else already bored with AI generated stuff?The explosion of prompt-generated videos WITH OUR OWN FACES in fantastical sc...

Invisible problems

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Without vision correction, I truly cannot see how many finger’s you’re holding up. I can barely see how many fingers I’M holding up.But I almost...

A brush with Hollywood

30 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My Airbnb roommate was a Hollywood movie star. I had no idea. I was at the Toronto Greek Film Festival for Ange & The Boss, and the organiser sai...

Explanation or excuse?

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hands up all our favourite “I think I might have ADHD” people This week’s Fink Tank kicks off with Col “diagnosing” both of us, before compa...

Flawed apples

16 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever meet someone’s family and think, ah, that explains everything?Mum, Col, and his eldest son Deakin came to visit us in Wellington. Our collectiv...

Disc golf

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever noticed that the less you care about something, the easier it is?Everyone wants to grow. Almost universally, we want to improve and upskill, we w...

Choice architecture

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do I want to eat more Twisties?If they’re within arms reach, apparently yes. But actually, no. We’re on the way to pick up a planishing hammer (bo...

Be better

18 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have you tried just… being better?Col’s recent poll revealed what many of us already know. Most people admit they’re bad at marketing and sales....

The bald truth

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Who cares most about my expanding bald patch?Me. Nobody else gives a shit.Except it’s kinda news to me. Some recent video footage really tells it li...

Exposure Therapy

04 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, that’s custom lycra at Burning Man 2012.PLOT TWIST at 90 seconds. And yes, there’s a genuinely useful business lesson hiding in there.In this...

Spirit Score

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If my over-45s football league refereed themselves, every second match would end in a fist fight.But in Ultimate Frisbee, that’s literally the rule....

A drubbing

21 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our mate Luke’s son Henry lost footy 62-1.It was also... a good close game. What??Sometimes the scoreboard tells one story, but the game tells anoth...

Insufficiency is Not Enough

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This is not a story about grit or perseverance.It’s about how the tiniest, dumbest mistake can unravel our best-laid plans.Col trained for ten years...

Unicycle

07 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here’s how a $32 second-hand unicycle changed Col’s life.
For 15 years, Col did what so many of us do:* Sat at the desk.* Felt guilty for not be...

Reunion

31 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you go to high school reunions?My recent Eltham College reunion surprised me in the best way.I LOVED it. I wasn’t popular at school. I had a coup...

Visible mess

23 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How nervous would you feel if you had to spin the webcam around and show us the rest of your house? And your life? If you’re hiding the mess, the qu...

Two fish in the sea

17 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There might only be two fish in the sea.This is good news if you’re one of the fish.Leadership coach Belinda Thomas told me she felt like she was sw...

Olympics anonymous

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

KP’s been to SEVEN OLYMPIC GAMES as a performance psychologist. I had no idea until yesterday. That is RIDICULOUS.For the first couple of years I kn...

Sample Size Matters

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One 2003 ski trip. 50 mates. Plenty of dickheadery. And a warning about forming strong opinions from weak evidence.In this episode of The Fink Tank, C...

Hobby horse

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People are weird. Our lives of abundance have meant we often feel compelled to satisfy ourselves in illogical ways with our hobbies. Col is three she...

Frozen bananas

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Some childhood beliefs leave quietly. Others wait until you’re an adult to slap you in the face.The moments of realisation tend to stick in the mind...

Workshop suitcase

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Your workshop isn’t a suitcase. Stop overpacking it.You’re trying to provide value. So you cram in every model, every framework, every brain nugge...

Compound interest

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It started with our shit original band and stupid holiday videos. Now it’s keynotes, coaching, and feature films.Compound interest isn’t just abou...

Mistaken identity

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Eight years ago, I deleted an entire keynote I’d just filmed for Tracey Ezard.Not a file. Not a clip.The whole keynote. Gone. Like a magician, but s...

Outside the environment

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Day one: everything clicks. You’re in the zone.Day two: same task, same brain… suddenly you suck?Even experts like Adam Voigt and Kirsty Lush can ...

Deceptive simplicity

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ever watched someone speak, lead, or perform and thought, “Wait… that’s it? I could do that!”Except of course, you couldn’t.This episode of ...

Me myself and I

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I sat down and gave myself a good hard talking to.Literally. On the Fink Tank matching chairs. In Budapest!My voice sometimes comes out of someone els...

Question everything

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Most people do the wrong prep for public speaking.Here’s a better approach 👇 1. Already have 5 different appearances in front of a thousand peop...

Practiced laziness

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“Now you know why I keep saying the same old shit” Colin Hay, writer of Land Down Under and other global hits, isn’t just a great songwriter. H...

Autocratic Democratic Anarchistic Meritocracy

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What would be the best leadership style in the universe of Dr Seuss?Col suggests an Autocratic Democratic Anarchistic Meritocracy.To be fair, he start...

I'll "just" do it myself

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

I’ll “just” do it myself.I’ll “just” pay someone else do it.All of us have uttered those phrases, unaware of the horror that awaits.It’s...

Pithy

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re good, it’s okay to be repetitive. If you’re good, it’s okay to be repetitive. When Lisa O'Neill starts telling a fresh audience ...

The second arrow

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Mum’s request was objectively stupid.There was barely a problem to solve, and the “solution” added pointless extra faffing.Regardless, Col and I...

Dead Dad Club

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard to prove something to a dead person.Col tried for a long time.When making the Fink Tank we don’t discuss our topics in advance. One of...

Be interesting, do interesting

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Have I wasted tens of thousand of dollars? Yes ..and no.I love all my fancy expensive camera gear, and the multi-camera setup we usually use for The F...

Bloody Hopeless

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1980s dad bought a home video camera that weighed about 12 kilograms.It was made up of three different units tethered together with cables the ...

Ruining parrots lives

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First there’s the buzz and excitement of a new community. You “find your people” and the world is full of possibility. Amazing things happen. Th...

Whats the point?

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re both hypocrites. You probably are too. We’re doing exactly what we’re advising against, by recording something we said we weren’t captur...

Seasons change

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Wrapping up season 2 of the Fink Tank!

World class? More like world arse

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you aspire to be “world class”? Col thinks you should. I think that’s bollocks.Please enjoy some friendly sibling fireworks on what “world ...

Don’t shave that yak!

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re probably all guilty of shaving a yak when we’ve lost sight of our original goal. If you want to see THE classic example, skip to the last m...

Baby Licence

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

New rule: you have to have three kids before you're allowed to have kids!Today's Fink Tank starts with an admission from Col that despite havi...

A face for radio

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lehmo repeated himself SIX TIMES in 12 minutes. Here’s why that was great.Lehmo and Sam Lane had me and Tony as guests on their show Summer Grandsta...

Hungry Hungry Algos

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dermot Crowley once posted a blog which got exactly zero likes or responses.Months later, it started a conversation that landed a huge contract.Someon...

The Australia crest

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Col is playing for a medal at the Ultimate Frisbee World Championships!!He JUST sent a message to the Fink Family group chat, they won their quarter f...

I forgot my pants. Again.

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I realised, too late, that I forgot my pants. The Solicitor General of New Zealand was expecting me in five minutes. I stood outside the Crown Law bu...

I made a film!

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our film premiere was a wild success!! Over a THOUSAND people packed the Astor in Melbourne, sold out for the first time in five years. For our film!...

You can't be what you can't see

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A couple of weeks ago, I took Col’s kids to KidZania in Tokyo (while Col was home in Australia!) KidZania is a place where kids get their own bank a...

Am I wrong??

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a few months about a decade ago, Col was insufferable. He was always “right”. He dominated most conversations and was constantly trying to imp...

The dog and the trainer

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Often, my fingers remember how to play a song my brain has forgotten. If I forget a section of a tune, the best way to remember is to start playing it...

Don't be the best, be the favourite

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Col’s family is bottle feeding four sheep, and one of them is the clear favourite. When Col finds himself deciding which sheep he wants to hang out ...

Sibling shithousery

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Col and my relationship was once very fractured. Now it’s one of the most rewarding in our lives. What happened? Repairing relationships is a criti...

13 cigarettes to go

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After many failed attempts over several years, Col finally quit smoking with 13 durries to go.  Smoking killed our dad, but that wasn't enough to...

The money don't lie

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I’m often baffled by how my money behaves. I can be convinced I want to spend money on something, which I can afford, which will make my life better...

Presenter Voice

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our older brother Michael once addressed our full school assembly, and spoke in a false baritone so comical Col can’t think about it without squeali...

Tick it off

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Col has been clearing his to-do list by ticking things off without actually doing them. 🙌 🎉  And then celebrating like he has. What a strategy....

You can’t polish a turd

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Well, you can, but people will probably still regard it as such. It‘s more important that what you present to the world feels real. Especially on a ...

Some lines a day

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's this interesting—almost universal—characteristic of human life, whereby we are constantly disappointed by what we're able to achie...

Identity tightarse

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

My brother Col is a tightarse. So am I, actually, because our parents were tightarses and these apples haven't fallen far from the tree. Our dad w...

Am I the arsehole?

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Am I the arsehole? It's sometimes difficult to tell. I remember times I reacted with indignant anger, fuming at how I'd been treated. How DARE...

What have the Romans ever done for us??

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this Friday Fink Tank Col takes aim at people who whinge about tax. More specifically, he invites us to think of tax not as something being taken a...

Conventionally attractive

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

See? This doesn't make any sense! Yet... Conventions exist for a reason, and you should break them only very rarely, and only very deliberately. ...

Holding hands

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

I held hands at a concert with a blind man named Andrew. What happened next was hilarious. Should I feel bad about that clickbait headline? Probably,...

Mixed Media

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you’d like to hear Col’s ocker go-kart bogan accent circa 2009, head to 4:05. George Bernard Shaw said “The single biggest problem in communi...

If everything is practice, nothing is wasted

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you want to be a great communicator, consider this motto: “If everything is practice, nothing is wasted.” In this episode we delve into Jehan C...

Energy

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lisa O'Neill says your energy introduces you before you do. Col says people buy your energy before they buy your services. Last night, The Fink Ta...

Getting the Clap

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us give applause far more often than we receive it. This lack of practice, combined with a lifetime of humility conditioning, means when we DO...

Perfectionism is not good enough

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You just spent five hours agonising over the fine details of <your thing> but your audience are incapable of noticing the difference, even if th...

Forking chopsticks

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Is growing your business a good thing? Are knives more deserving of the name chopsticks? Col recalls our teenage mockery of chopsticks. How could in...

Which one do you suck at?

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The question is not whether you suck at one of these things. The question is "which one do you suck at?" 1. Getting started 2. Getting finis...

Get to the chopper

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tiritiri Matangi Island: Come for the endangered Takahē, stay for the emergency medivac helicopter! After a peaceful day exploring the island and it&...

Vanity metrics

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vanity metrics aren’t a problem. Vanity is. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to increase visibility and reach. Just don’t be icky or out of a...

The success of failure

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As kids, we destroyed several hundred dollars worth of light globes while playing hacky sack in the hallway throughout our childhood. The fact that ou...

Deadstock

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We record the Fink Tank on Col’s farm. They have lots of animals. Sometimes they die.  As someone fairly new to farming, Col still finds this prett...

Thanks a lot universe, why are we like this??

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly everyone is prone to dips in self-belief. Those who aren't are surely lying. Oscillations in confidence can be crippling. When starting a n...

Do a shoey

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When he was fifteen years old, Formula 1 driver Daniel Riccardo learnt a *teeeny* bit about how to drive from Col, who ran a go-kart company at the ti...

Like, totally

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week's Fink Tank is all killer, no filler! Err... sorry, I've just been handed a note. Apparently that’s, um, like, incorrect.  Turn...

Vigilante justice

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The statute of limitations has expired, so I confess that on 4 February 2017 I beat up a motivational speaker in the Sofitel ballroom in Sydney. I wa...

Powdering our noses

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ready for some Friday morning schadenfreude? After a triumphant first day's skiing in Japan, Col and me crash back down to earth, literally and fi...

Don't fight the universe

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Fink Tank on tour, from the Hakuba ski fields of Japan! 🇯🇵⛷️🗻 Fighting the universe is a tough gig. It’s much bigger than you, and ...

Good Willpower Hunting

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Making The Fink Tank has taught us comedic lessons about willpower, frameworks, and accountability.  It took MONTHS to get the Fink Tank up and runni...

A reason, a season, a lifetime

14 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Podcasts come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. I *think* that’s how the saying goes?? After 6 months and 25 episodes, that’...

Why you shouldn't listen to this episode

07 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How much of the content you consume was produced in the past 24 hours? Probably a lot. What are the chances that consuming something produced IN THE ...

Oh no, J dog!

30 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Could reading kids books make you a better presenter? Oh YES, J Dog!! Often the WAY you talk matters more than the words you’re saying. Whether you’...

Popping and locking

23 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When is it a good idea to be a bit of a goose? 🦆 Bloopers and unguarded moments can build connection and trust. But they often feel risky. Vulnera...

Total Puppy Syndrome

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ARE YOU GUILTY OF THIS EGREGIOUS CRIME? Okay that was a bit dramatic. Downplaying your experience, preparation and hard work might not, at time of wri...

Your human logo

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Are you memorable, or forgettably bland?  You probably turn the volume down on interesting parts of yourself for fear of being unprofessional.  That...

Don’t be original, be relevant

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Maisie the miniature horse says: Don’t be original, be relevant. Col scythes through today’s Fink Tank with this great sentiment. Striving for ori...

The thing you care about doesn't actually matter that much

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The episode where Col and I are judgemental prats. If you have a particular interest or expertise, there's a good chance you think it's more i...

Asking for money

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Asking for money is important.  The best street performers practise how they ask for money, because they’ve learnt the quality of their show doesn’...