Djaran Murray-Jackson: Woolworths to Treaty Negotiations — Leadership, Empathy & Finding Your Path
How do you go from managing a supermarket department to negotiating a historic statewide Treaty? Djaran Murray-Jackson, Member of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria, shares his unexpected journey into political leadership. He opens up about the real-world skills he brought from Woolworths into community engagement, the confronting experience of racism that shaped his resilience, and how learning "tactical empathy" transformed his approach to high-stakes negotiations.
This episode is a powerful reminder that there is no single path to leadership. Djaran discusses the importance of staying grounded and connected to community, the challenges of balancing family life with public service, and the profound responsibility of carrying forward his family’s legacy of activism into a new era of diplomacy and treaty-making.
Bridged By Words is the podcast where aspiring leaders connect with experienced politicians, gaining the lessons and inspiration they need for their own path. Watch full interviews on YouTube or listen on Spotify.
What You’ll Learn:
How to identify and transfer your existing skills from any job into a political or leadership role.
Why empathy is a strategic tool in negotiation and how to use "tactical empathy" to understand opposing viewpoints.
The importance of staying connected to your community and principles to avoid losing sight of why you started.
How to persist through immense challenges by focusing on putting "one foot in front of the other."
Ways to navigate the personal sacrifices and family pressures that come with a life in the public eye.
