Bizcast: Donna McGeorge on her book, “Red Brick Thinking”, in conversation with Subhanjan Sarkar

Donna McGeorge is a speaker, bestselling author and productivity provocateur who has spent her career helping people and organisations stop drowning in complexity and start focusing on what really matters. Donna McGeorge Donna’s journey is as eclectic as it is impactful. She began her career managing theatre and concert tours across the UK, where she learned the art of engaging audiences, telling compelling stories and keeping the show moving no matter what. From there, she shifted to the corporate stage, leading organisational development for global giants like Ford in Shanghai. It was here she saw first-hand how leaders and teams overload themselves with unnecessary effort, systems and processes that do little more than drain energy. Today, Donna works with organisations around the world, with a trademark blend of no-nonsense practicality and good humour. She has a knack for making complex ideas feel not only simple but also irresistibly doable. She is the author of more than a dozen books, including her acclaimed It’s About Time series, the bestselling ChatGPT Revolution, and her latest work, “Red Brick Thinking”.  Donna’s insights have been featured on Channel 9’s Today show, Channel 7’s Sunrise, and in respected publications including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, Smart Company, The Age and Boss Magazine. Clients who trust Donna with their people include L’Oréal, Unilever, Jetstar, Ernst & Young, Seek, Xero, and the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.  Red Brick Thinking “Red Brick Thinking” emerged serendipitously from her LEGO bridge workshop, where participants instinctively added a brick to fix an uneven structure instead of removing one. This revealed a deep “addition bias”—the reflex to solve problems by adding more. The red brick became a metaphor for questioning that instinct and asking: what could we remove instead, to solve problems? The author positions Red Brick Thinking as a mindset manifesto rather than a traditional how-to guide, organising the book into emotional, structural, and cultural “red bricks”. Each chapter invites readers to examine hidden habits shaped by consumerism, inherited scarcity, and workplace norms, and to rethink how subtracting entrenched behaviours can solve problems, restore energy and balance through intentional living. Donna believes that subtraction is at one level simple to contemplate, but perhaps harder to execute, especially with “big red bricks” embedded in identity, systems, and relationships. She recommends starting with small removals to build momentum, creating space for transformational change. Ultimately, the movement aims to help people reclaim time and meaning—making decisions today that their future selves will thank them for. Run time – 00:51:02 mins. Links for Subhanjan  [email protected]  https://www.linkedin.com/in/subhanjansarkar Links for Donna McGeorge: [email protected] www.donnamcgeorge.com Donna McGeorge – LinkedIn Red Brick Thinking Book The One-Day Refund Book Connect with Donna McGeorge LinkedIn