P.O.W.E.R Property Ownership Wealth and Everything Related

Hosted by Melissa Ashcroft

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Oct 2026

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P.O.W.E.R Property Ownership Wealth and Everything Related podcast, hosted by Melissa Ashcroft. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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34 recent

November 6, 202646 min

EPISODE 25: MEET TONY CORDATO, FOUNDER OF CORDATO PARTNERS, ON BUILDING PROPERTY PORTFOLIOS & BUILDING BUSINESS

Tony Cordato founded Cordato Partners in 1996 and has spent nearly three decades advising property owners, investors and business owners. He’s also been a property investor the whole time, with a residential and commercial portfolio of his own - which, as he tells Melissa Ashcroft, is why he knows where the red flags hide in a contract or a strata report. AAA Financial Group has worked alongside Tony for many years, and this conversation covers the ground where law and lending meet. Tony takes Melissa back to starting the firm, and to his first investment property, bought in Newcastle with a schoolfriend. The lesson he drew from it has stayed with him since: buy where the rent actually covers the repayments. From there they get into gearing, and why the return on a property and the return on your own money are two very different things. They also cover why Tony favours houses over strata units, how much weight to put on depreciation and tax benefits, and his view on what separates people who build wealth through property from people who don’t. The back half is vendor finance, the area Tony is best known for. Rent to own, payment by instalments, carry-back loans, delayed settlements - structures most buyers and sellers have never considered, and that can make a transaction work when conventional finance doesn’t quite fit. Tony explains what they are, where the bank sits in them, and when they shouldn’t be used at all. A practical conversation for anyone buying, structuring or lending against property. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

October 2, 202632 min

EPISODE 24: MEET STEPH FARAH, THIRD GENERATION REAL ESTATE AGENT, ON FAMILY BUSINESS, LEADERSHIP & SHOWING UP IN A TOUGH MARKET

Stephanie Farah grew up in a family of real estate agents and wanted nothing to do with it. She studied event management, spent her mid-twenties selling corporate hospitality for the NRL, and only gave real estate a go when her mum told her to stop resisting it. She planned to give it three months. Twelve years on, she's a partner in the family business. In this episode of the P.O.W.E.R. Podcast, Steph and Melissa Ashcroft compare notes on building a career inside a multi-generational family business - including fathers who made them earn it rather than handing anything over, and why becoming partner earlier this year was a real decision rather than a formality. Steph is clear-eyed about what she actually wants from the business, and why running the whole thing isn't it. They also get into what's happening in the market right now. Steph is candid about an investor market that has dried up, the brief surge of activity before the SMSF changes took effect in August, and why a downturn is usually six to eight weeks old before the media catches up. She explains why she's wary of auction clearance rates as a measure of value, how she arms vendors with every possible scenario rather than telling them what to do, and why she's seeing people buy before selling when she'd rather they didn't. It isn't all doom and gloom. Steph talks through the emotionally driven sales still happening, including a one-bedroom apartment that sold for half a million above the previous record for its type, and what it takes to get the right buyers competing in a room. The conversation closes on leadership, being one of relatively few women in the industry, and why Steph treats that as an advantage rather than an obstacle. She shares the routine she relies on to start the day in the right frame of mind, and the principle underneath it: she can't control the market, what's listed down the road, or what the media says about any of it - so she focuses on what she can. A conversation about backing yourself, knowing what you're good at, and staying steady when conditions turn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

September 8, 202640 min

EPISODE 23: MEET JODIE IMAM, CO-FOUNDER OF TRACTOR VENTURES, ON BUILDING BUSINESSES & BACKING FOUNDERS

Jodie Imam and Melissa Ashcroft first worked together at Leona Edmiston. In the years since, Jodie founded a number of businesses of her own before meeting her now business partner and co-founding Tractor Ventures. Tractor provides debt funding to growing businesses across Australia and New Zealand - more than $150 million disbursed across 280-plus companies, from SMEs and ecommerce brands through to VC-backed startups. It sits deliberately between what a bank will do and what a VC will do. In this episode of the P.O.W.E.R. Podcast, Jodie and Melissa talk about how she got there: seeing a gap in the market and deciding to build the solution herself, why debt is often a better path than equity for a business already generating revenue, and what she's learned about leadership along the way. They also get into backing female founders, how Tractor Ventures makes a four-day work week actually work, and where the opportunities sit over the next five years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 21, 202633 min

EPISODE 22: MEET CHRIS WILSON, FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BOUTIQUE PLANNING COMPANY WILLOWTREE

Town planning is one of the most misunderstood yet powerful levers in property development. Behind every subdivision, every development application, sits a planning strategy that most developers, investors and landowners never really see — until something goes wrong, or a site's full potential gets left on the table. In this episode, Melissa Ashcroft is joined by Chris Wilson from Willowtree, a specialist town planning consultancy working across town planning, strategic advisory, and stakeholder communications. Willowtree has advised on more than $30 billion in development value across sectors including residential, commercial, health and aged care, data centres, and industrial and logistics — helping clients move from concept to consent with more clarity and less guesswork. Chris and Melissa unpack why planning strategy matters earlier than most people think, what actually sits behind a successful approval, and how developers, investors and landowners can work with a planner to unlock a site's real potential from the outset. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

August 5, 202614 min

EPISODE 21: SMSF SPECIAL WITH DALE WALSH, ALTURA FUNDING SMSF SPECIALIST

Dale Walsh is Head of Mortgage Management at Altura Funding, a non-bank lender specialising in out-of-the-box lending — including SMSF — for borrowers who need tailored solutions. From 10 August 2026, self-managed super funds can no longer use a Limited Recourse Borrowing Arrangement (LRBA) to purchase a residential investment property. In this special episode of the P.O.W.E.R. Podcast, Dale joins Melissa Ashcroft to unpack what the changes mean — and all of the options that still remain. Dale breaks down: → What's changing from 10 August 2026, and what isn't → Why commercial property remains open to SMSF lending — an option many trustees overlook → How existing LRBAs, including refinancing, are fully grandfathered → What SMSF trustees should be asking before their next move If you're weighing up your SMSF's next step, or are keen to find out more about how this could work for you as a future wealth creation tool, reach out to Dale at Altura Funding to talk through your options. www.alturafunding.com.au dale@alturafunding.com.au 0436 674 536 Dale Walsh LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dale-w-818262108/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

July 29, 202643 min

EPISODE 20: MEET JULIE OCKERBY, AWARD WINNING DESIGNER & SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR

Julie Ockerby made the leap from nursing to design, and that experience still shapes how she works today. Now an award-winning designer and serial entrepreneur specialising in aged care, healthcare and boutique hotel design, Julie has built a career around human-centric, experiential spaces — and around leading on her own terms. In this episode, Melissa Ashcroft speaks with Julie about the career shift that changed everything, the leadership lessons that came with building multiple businesses, and what it's taken to lead in an industry where women haven't always been well represented at the top. They speak openly about what it actually takes to make a bold career shift, the lessons that experience left her with, and how it's shaped the way she leads, mentors and designs today. Julie also delivers arguably the strongest Q&A round we've had on the podcast so far, so make sure you listen to the end for that! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 29, 202639 min

EPISODE 19: MEET MELISSA GIELNIK, 20 YEARS IN BROKING AND STILL PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT SHE DOES

The property market is shifting, the budget has dropped, and women in the industry are still working against a confidence gap that has nothing to do with their capability. This week we're joined by Melissa Gielnik — Owner, Managing Director and Senior Mortgage Broker of Smart Lending in Melbourne, and a female thought leader with over two decades of experience in the mortgage broking industry. The two Melissas get into the confidence gap that women in the industry so often face despite their expertise, the real impact of the recent federal budget on first home buyers and property investors, what it's actually like to build and run your own brokerage, and why the Melbourne market is still navigating its own set of post-COVID pressures. Honest, relatable and packed with insight — this one is well worth a listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 4, 202638 min

EPISODE 18: MEET JAMES ROSS, ASSET FINANCE EXPERT

Asset finance is one of the most practical funding tools available to SMEs — but it’s often misunderstood or overlooked when businesses are planning their next move. In this episode of the P.O.W.E.R. Podcast, Melissa Ashcroft is joined by James Ross from Jayar Finance , an asset finance specialist with more than 20 years’ experience across the industry. James breaks down where asset finance fits in the real world, why structure matters just as much as pricing, and how businesses can fund vehicles, equipment, technology and other operational assets while protecting cashflow and keeping flexibility where it counts. They also talk about the lessons James has learned over two decades in business — what holds up through cycles, what strong lending relationships look like, and how to keep decisions grounded when conditions change. The conversation also touches on Compass Finance Australia and Compass Aggregation — a broker business built to support specialist asset finance brokers operating in the SME market, with a unique lender panel across bank, non-bank and specialist cashflow lenders. The focus is on helping broker members grow while keeping the end customer’s business growth front and centre. A valuable listen for business owners, operators and brokers who want a clearer view of how asset finance can support business momentum without unnecessary pressure on cashflow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

April 2, 202633 min

EPISODE 17: MEET ANDY HARRIS, FOUNDER & OWNER OF MOTUS TRANSPORT

Motus Transport founder Andy Harris joins P.O.W.E.R. for an honest conversation about building and scaling a modern transport and distribution business - from the early days when the entire team consisted of himself and his wife, to leading a growing operation delivery from Huskisson on the NSW South Coast to Hervey Bay in QLD. Andy and Melissa talk about what it takes to stay nimble in a challenging climate (including rising costs and fuel pressures), how to keep service standards high as you grow, and why strong culture is more than a buzzword. They also explore the parallels between a high-performing sporting team and a high-performing workplace - leadership, accountability, and showing up for the group when it counts. A great listen for business owners, operators, and anyone interested in how sustainable growth is built in the real world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

March 4, 202649 min

EPISODE 16: MEET LUCY KOUGH, CREATOR OF SUPERANNUATION PLATFORM 'TAP THE GAP'

Women retire with around 28% less super on average - and that gap doesn’t close on its own. In this episode of the P.O.W.E.R. Podcast, Melissa Ashcroft sits down with Lucy Kough, the creator and founder of start up Tap the Gap, a platform designed to help women build wealth for retirement through incremental behaviour: small, consistent contributions that add up over time. With International Women’s Day this Sunday, 8 March, the conversation is especially timely. This year’s IWD campaign theme, "Give To Gain,” fits the Tap the Gap mission perfectly - giving yourself a simple system that helps you take control and gain long-term financial independence. Lucy runs through how Tap the Gap works in real life: * how you can link a card/account once and keep spending as normal * how “round-ups” and micro-contributions can flow into super without feeling overwhelming * how the platform uses open banking (and what that means for security and consent) * why confidence and financial literacy often come from small wins, not big leaps * what it looks like to start taking ownership of your wealth, even if you’re time-poor, part-time, on leave, or just trying to get back on track This isn’t about perfection or drastic changes. It’s about making super feel visible, manageable, and part of everyday life by giving women more power through knowledge, simple systems, and consistent action. If you'd like to learn more about Tap the Gap, make sure you attend their upcoming event on 19 March, link to get your tickets below. Make sure you're subscribed here for more conversations across property, business, wealth, leadership, and the real-world habits that shape outcomes. Find out more about Lucy Kough here: https://au.linkedin.com/in/lucy-kough-70203389 Tap the Gap: https://www.tapthegap.com.au/ Less, Actually event: https://luma.com/4vn5qzwp Frollo - Open Banking platform: https://frollo.com.au/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.