Dialogue does not just happen. In a competitive environment such as Medicine, students must feel safe to share issues. My openness to learning from colleagues from around the world allowed me to implement one recipe for success, a practice shared at a 2019 conference whereby each staff member and student take their turn, individually or in small groups, to bake a cake for the whole group to enjoy during a teaching session. Though simple, this activity has successfully built strong relationships and encouraged interaction in our small group teaching activities. By breaking down barriers between staff and students this, and other activities I have instigated (see below), have increased open dialogue, building the vibrant learning community identified as key in the UNSW Health 25 strategy. This lets students feel safe to identify weaker skills. For example, discussions over cake with my year 1 students showed me they required more practical experience to grasp some academic concepts. I therefore designed and delivered tutorials on academic writing and good academic practice to complement the lecture delivery from Sydney. These academic ‘soft’ skills, often overlooked by both students and staff, are assessed in every single course in both individual and group assignments, so I felt spending time on these skills in the program’s early stages would pay dividends. In 2020 I was invited to deliver the same academic skills lectures to the whole Year 1 cohort - a win for students and all stemming from Cake!