Guest: Phil Blackmore | Host: Natalie Khoo
Phil Blackmore once convinced a pharmaceuticals company to hire a seven-foot method actor in a custom Bigfoot suit to shake up their marketing. Now, as Creative Director at Create Health, Phil’s on a mission to close the trust gap between Gen Z healthcare professionals and pharma. In this episode, we chat about why young people don’t trust the industry, how pharma’s excessively corporate communications are pushing people away, and how his three Cs help him find the sweet spot for effective healthcare communication.
For Leo Patterson-Ross, housing became a mental health issue the day he met a palliative care patient who had nowhere safe to go home to. Now leading the Tenants Union NSW, Leo talks about the psychological toll of insecure housing, what it takes for a small team to serve over a million renting households, and how clear, accessible content can support people in crisis.
As CEO of Lifeline, Luke Lindsay oversees thousands of crisis calls every day—and is constantly asking how we can step in sooner. In this episode, he unpacks why people in distress are turning online for support, how language can reduce stigma or deepen it, and why co-designing communications with people who have lived experience is critical to saving lives.
During COVID, David Hoy put on PPE and joined his frontline teams on the wards. Now a Portfolio Executive at Amplar Health, he reflects on his journey from hospital orderly to senior leader, and why great communication has more to do with listening than knowing every answer. David shares how he stays calm under pressure, how patient stories strengthen business cases, and how collaboration leads to better outcomes for patients and staff alike.
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