Episode 65

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Published on:

27th Oct 2025

Dr. Katherine Hunt: The Ethical Growth Framework and the Psychology of Purpose-Driven Profit

In this episode of The Wisdom Of... Show, host Simon Bowen speaks with Dr. Katherine Hunt,  global leader in financial services ethics and founder of Ardentura Consulting. Katherine shares profound insights on why ethical frameworks drive growth faster than marketing budgets, how psychology explains why some businesses naturally attract talent and clients, and the customized decision-making systems that help companies double revenue while doubling profit. Discover why compliance and ethics are completely different animals, how to turn values into scalable systems, and the frameworks Fortune 500 companies pay millions to understand.

Ready to master the systematic approach to building ethical frameworks? Join Simon's exclusive masterclass on The Models Method: https://thesimonbowen.com/masterclass

Episode Breakdown

00:00 Introduction and Katherine's journey from academic to ethics practitioner

08:15 Why ethics is "purely social" and what that means for growth

16:42 The fundamental difference between compliance and ethical frameworks

24:28 How Katherine's psychology background revealed the hidden drivers of referrals

32:15 The customized ethical decision-making framework methodology

40:36 Why staff retention is about purpose alignment, not compensation

48:52 Client psychology principles that create automatic referrals

56:18 How ethical frameworks multiply everything else you're doing well

64:07 The AI multiplier effect and why ethical clarity matters more now

72:44 Building ethical frameworks that scale from startup to enterprise

About Dr. Katherine Hunt

Dr. Katherine Hunt is the founder and Managing Director of Ardentura Consulting and has been the global leader in financial services ethics for 11 years. She combines expertise in ethics with psychology to lead global growth projects with real-world impact. As Australia's most engaging speaker on ethics, Katherine has spoken in 15+ countries and has coached businesses since 2007.

Katherine holds a PhD in Law and Economics, a Bachelor of Psychological Science, a Bachelor of Commerce in Financial Planning, and First Class Honours in Finance. She is an award-winning financial planner, a former tenured academic at Griffith University (8 years), author of two ethics textbooks, and a published researcher with 130+ citations across 20+ research papers.

Katherine's focus is on helping practices achieve ethical growth through customized decision-making frameworks, combining two decades of business experience with academic rigor. Her clients consistently achieve doubled revenue, doubled profit, better staff retention, and stronger brand visibility through systematic ethical approaches.

Connect with Dr. Katherine Hunt:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drkatherinehunt/

Twitter: https://x.com/katherinehunt

Website: https://www.ardentura.com/

About Simon Bowen

Simon has spent over two decades working with influential leaders across complex industries. His focus is on elevating thinking in organizations, recognizing that success is directly proportional to the quality of thinking and ideas within a business. Simon leads the renaissance of thinking through his work with global leaders and organizations.

Connect with Simon

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonbowen-mm/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialsimonbowen/

Website: https://thesimonbowen.com/

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About the Podcast

The Wisdom Of... with Simon Bowen
The Wisdom Of... with Simon Bowen delves into the intricate issues of our time.

Join Simon as he converses with the world's leading thinkers, entrepreneurs, and visionaries to uncover how they tackle complex problems, ignite innovation, and navigate significant projects.

This podcast brings a Renaissance of Wisdom to your week, offering insights into leadership, ethics, global challenges, and cutting-edge ideas.

Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the decisions shaping our world and learn from the minds driving change.

Get in touch and learn more at: https://thesimonbowen.com/show/

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Simon Bowen