Ashley Hayden, a Melbourne-based commercial growth and marketing leader who also runs a small wine business as a creative outlet. Ashley defines influence primarily as the perception you create in others, emphasizing that what really matters is how people receive and interpret your words, actions, and positioning. He links influence closely to trust, connection, and storytelling, arguing that everyone is in sales because we are constantly selling ideas, ourselves, or our work, whether we realize it or not. Ashley highlights the power of creative storytelling to build relationships in both business and personal life, and stresses that genuine influence also depends on being an excellent listener—using our “two ears and one mouth” in the right proportion. Throughout, he and Anton use examples like movies, wine, and workshops to illustrate how recommendations and stories shape others’ perceptions and decisions.