AFR100 Women of Influence 2018 Alumni, Breakfast Radio host, Founder of the Victorian Dance Festival
Kate Meade - AFR100 Women of Influence 2018 Alumni, Breakfast Radio host, Founder of the Victorian Dance Festival
Kate is the host of ACE Radio's morning breakfast show, The Morning Rush and the founder of the Victorian Dance Festival. Kate was named in the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence in 2018.
Kate also hosts Women of Influence, a podcast on a mission to find and share the stories of incredible women.
Verbatim from the transcripts — each quote links to the moment.
“What's the worst thing that could possibly happen?”
“So I always say, tell me what the rules are. Yeah. You know, so I can play the game because then you can bend them.”
“So I balloon bombed one of the stations, so I sent 1,000 balloons in just with a card that said, top of the mind, you know, like top of the mind.”
“I had $69,000 worth of bills in front of me.”
“I would absolutely have sold a kidney if I needed to.”
“You've got to send it. You've got to send it within that hour before doubt kicks in or for whatever reason someone says no.”
“I go, I like to think of 11. Aim for 11, right? Aim for 11.”
What should you do when you make a mistake on air?
Own up to the mistake almost the second it happens — 'rip the bandaid off' straight away rather than letting it linger.
How do you overcome fear of asking for something?
Ask anyway — the worst outcome is usually just a 'no', not disaster; get comfortable with rejection early so it doesn't stop you moving forward.
How do you convince a boss or manager to say yes to a creative idea?
Stack the pitch by pre-answering every likely objection — cost, local sales strategy, logistics, partnerships — before you raise the idea, and secure the most influential gatekeeper's buy-in first so decision-makers can't easily say no.
When is the right time to send a pitch or ask?
Send it within the hour, before self-doubt or hesitation has a chance to kick in.
Kate Meade credits her mother, a country dairy farmer, with sending her and her brother to approach strangers in Melbourne to ask for directions from a young age, building comfort with asking and risk of rejection.
After playing backyard cricket with her kids and joking about never being athletes, Kate Meade emailed her GM and co-host with the idea of playing on the MCG; within two weeks she'd secured approval to let everyday regional Victorians live out the dream.
Kate Meade pitched a trip to cover the Royal Wedding to her sceptical co-host John, who agreed to support it only if she could get a yes from their CEO; they called the CEO together from her kitchen table and secured approval.
Kate Meade describes sending 1,000 balloons with a 'top of the mind' card, followed later by a cake and then crayfish and beer, to the two local stations she wanted to work for, while studying journalism and production to close her skills gaps.
Kate Meade recalls sitting at home in Peterborough with $69,000 worth of bills for the Melbourne Town Hall dance festival event, resolving to sell more tickets and sponsorships every day, saying she'd have sold a kidney if needed.
Drawn from the episode transcripts.
She spent roughly a year sending attention-grabbing stunts to her two local target stations — 1,000 balloons with a 'top of the mind' card, a cake, and crayfish and beer — while enrolling in a Master's of Media and Communications and additional production courses to close her skills gaps, eventually earning a job through persistence and upskilling.
From episode 471→She 'stacks' the pitch by pre-answering every likely objection — cost, sales strategy, logistics, partnerships — before raising the idea, and secures buy-in from the most influential gatekeeper first (her co-host John), using the MCG backyard cricket pitch as an example of an idea that got a yes within two weeks.
From episode 471→After being named in the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence list, she noticed that many of the women's remarkable stories were untold, so she pitched Ace Radio to use their equipment and support to launch a podcast dedicated to celebrating women's achievements, known and unknown.
From episode 471→Mentioned on 2 episodes Katewasn’t on.
Every episode featuring Kate Meade on The Daily Talk Show.
