Don't Stop Us Now! Podcast

Job interviews can certainly be intimidating and nerve-wracking, yet how we use that finite window of time that can really make a huge difference to our careers and sometimes even our lives. Whether it’s your dream job at stake or one you’re not so sure about, make no mistake, you owe it to yourself to perform to the best of your ability. And this week’s ‘How To’ episode explains why. The people we work with around the world regularly ask us for advice and support going through their interview process. So we decided it’s time to share some of our tried and tested tips and frameworks, as well as share special ‘insider’ contacts and content, with you now as well in this episode.  Not only will we walk through our key interview tips, you’ll also hear invaluable insider advice from leading Russell Reynolds executive search consultant and Managing Director in Australia, Nick Fletcher. Plus we also bring you Caitriona Staunton who’s Improbable’s Director for People Ops, responsible for recr

Our guest this week is one of the most positive, resilient and talented people we know. International award winning and globally acclaimed drone photographer, Sarah Jenkins is not your average drone pilot. Once fit and healthy, Sarah has been confined to a wheelchair for more than 6 years now and, as a result of her muscular dystrophy, she’s unable to hold and use a normal camera or even the camera on an iphone. During Covid, confined to the house and looking for something to do, Sarah and her daughter Lucy decided to try drone photography as Sarah knew that she could operate the toggles that control a drone and rest the remote control in her lap. The rest, as they say, is history.In this episode you’ll learn how:Sarah stays positive despite having lost so many physical capabilities Her attitude to learning her craft as she goesDespite being invited to enter global awards and having other international recognition she still suffers from imposter syndrome; andSarah’s advice to others w

We’re excited to bring you our first show for 2023. Our guest today is a topical choice given the recent surprise announcement by New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, that she was stepping down. Topical because we’re speaking with another female political trailblazer.The Honourable Nicola Roxon was elected to Australia’s Federal Parliament at the age of just 31. She became Australia’s Health Minister for 4 years and then the country’s first Attorney General. After 15 years in politics she decided it was time for a change and she now has a portfolio of board roles as director and Chair. In this episode you’ll hear: How a High Court Judge joked Nicola may cause a constitutional crisis when, as a young Associate, Nicola shared her plans for her next career stepHow Nicola handled and navigated the cut and (sometimes brutal) thrust of politics without taking things personallyAbout the world leading health initiative she introduced that’s been copied around the world and received special

Our guest this week made such a big impression on us and listeners when she was on the show more than 4 years ago that we’re really excited to welcome her back for our last episode of the year. Navyn Salem is Founder and CEO of a non-profit social enterprise called Edesia. Navyn founded Edesia more than ten years ago to help end global malnutrition and set about building a factory in Rhode Island in the USA to produce lifesaving nutritional products for humanitarian agencies. Edesia has already reached over 17 million children in 62 countries. An email Navyn sent this past week really caught our attention. Despite outlining the unprecedented food crisis happening around the world, it also was filled with hope and a historic path forward. Right now, governments have granted more funds to support the many millions facing hunger. Historically the world has the opportunity to move from helping 25% of the world’s malnourished to reaching and supporting 50%. Currently 3 million children under 5 die e

Our guest on the show today pivoted away from a long standing career in the music industry to found a venture focused on the visual arts. Dot Bustello is founder and CEO of a business called Loupe, which streams and sells art from around the world and in doing so helps make all those black TV screens in our daily lives way more interesting and appealing. Not only that, Loupe is ranked number one lifestyle app in 73 countries on Apple TV. Dot founded Loupe seven years ago after spending nearly ten years at Apple as well as being a music producer. Never one to believe in having a conventional career, in this episode you’ll hear Dot explain: How she came up with the idea for Loupe and why she couldn’t believe it hadn’t already been doneThe key thing she learnt after nearly a decade working at AppleWhy she thinks NFTs (non fungible tokens) are so revolutionary Dot’s firm belief that we all have more control over what we do in our careers than most people think; and The number 1

Our guest on the podcast this week is Professor Selena Bartlett, an Australian neuroscientist who’s life’s work is all about understanding how our brains work.Selena has held senior roles with leading research institutes in the US and Australia and she’s currently leading pioneering research into addiction and obesity at the Queensland University of Technology. What drew us to Selena’s story is not only her passion to understand how our brains work but also her mission to educate us non-neuroscientists about the things we can do to improve our brain’s health and even completely change our lives.In this episode you’ll hear:The very personal reason Selena switched her career path away from pharmacy towards neuroscience as a young womanSelena’s fascinating explanation of what causes mental illnesses such as schizophreniaHow she overcame her sugar addiction when she realised the impact it has on the brain Some radically simple things we can all do to improve our brain’s health; andWhy Selena thinks beco

Our episode this week features the first Chief Financial Officer we’ve had on the show, however Madeline Ling is not your ‘ordinary’ CFO. We don’t think we’ve met a CFO who values diversity and building relationships the way Madeline does, not to mention the articulate and creative way she speaks about the stories the numbers can tell her. Madeline has held multiple CFO roles throughout her 20-plus year career to date which has seen her work far and wide, including in the U.S., China, Mexico, Europe, and Thailand. A tech-company veteran, these days she is CFO of US-based Boomi, a fast-growing global SaaS company, focussed on easy software integration, now owned by two blue chip private equity firms.Before taking on CFO roles, Madeline spent twelve years consulting including the Boston Consulting Group where she was a Principal. She also has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.In this episode you’ll hear:What Madeline learnt as an impressionable teenager when she moved to the US not spea

Our episode this week follows hard on the heels of some personally challenging anniversaries. We share how, even after the s++ttiest news possible, Claire has moved forward and thrived, thanks to some very specific mindset choices. She shares those choices and we talk about what’s become her north star in terms of how she views work and life. You’ll also hear from our special guest Heidi Hackemer, now Executive Director of the innovation and future focused Oatly Climate Culture Lab in New York. Prior to her starting her time with Oatly, Heidi had had an ‘annus horribilis’ where her world fell apart. She shares her key lesson from that time and also what she did and does to get out of tough times. You’ll also hear:About four key building blocks to become more resilientHow your thoughts have a MASSIVE influence on your quality of lifeA simple exercise you can do to improve how you look at life, andWhy being kind to yourself is absolutely essential to build resilienceNow if you’re thinking th

Our episode this week is packed with great advice and stories thanks to our guest, social entrepreneur Lisa Saunders.Less than three years ago, Lisa and her partner Adrian decided they had to do something to stop so many household goods from being sent to landfill. Specifically, they made a life changing decision to prevent as many electronic appliances and tech products as they could from being thrown away. As a result, ‘Arnie’s Recon’ was born. It’s a completely free service that takes your old electronics (think phones, computers, fridges, cables etc.)  and ensures they’re recycled and not sent to landfill. Plus, as you’ll hear, this startup has already created more than 80 different products and spawned others around them to start complementary businesses. CEO Lisa’s stories of adapting to start-up life after a career in leadership development and coaching, and particularly getting used to literally getting her hands dirty in her day job are really fascinating.  Plus you’ll hear:H

Our guest on the show today is a successful entrepreneur who has leveraged the power of social media to grow her one-time side hustle into a multi million dollar business. Chi Mai, was born and raised in Hanoi in Vietnam. She came to Australia to study and it was in Melbourne some years later that her career took an unexpected turn. Instead of the corporate career she’d always imagined, she ended up with no experience and barely in her 20’s, starting a jewelry business.In just two short years since its founding in 2018, Chi’s business, called S-kin Studio Jewelry, was taking off. In this episode you’ll learn: The marketing strategy that changed everything and created an explosion in the growth of Chi’s business How and when Chi decided to let go of her day job and devote herself full time to S-kin StudioWhat she’s learnt as an introvert so she can successfully lead and delegate to her team of 9 staff; How having a baby has changed her work habits; and What success looks like

This week’s episode covers surely one of the most topical subjects right now: how to deliver or be part of successful change at work. If the Pandemic wasn’t enough, digital disruption and changing economic and geo-political conditions are certainly ensuring that virtually every business we know of is running a change project of some sort. That’s especially true for one of our listeners who got in touch and asked us for any tips or advice we could give her to support a big change project in her workplace.  So we decided what better time to explore this important topic and figure out if there’s a ‘secret sauce’ to successful change? And if there is, what is it? You’ll want to listen in because we have the answers to both questions for you in this episode. We also hear priceless advice from seasoned change expert, Carole Ashford, who’s spent years helping big corporates implement successful major change projects. Carol also has a Masters of Change and numerous other change qualifications.In t

It all began with a provocative question from Claire and it ended with Greta spending last week learning to surf in Bali!Now if you know anything about surfing then you’ll be laughing right now because you’ll know there’s only so much you can learn in a week! Back in podcast HQ, complete with a few bruises and very sore arms (paddling and pop ups are hard people!!), it got us thinking about the lessons and crazy wipeouts that so many new learning experiences can entail. We also asked ourselves, “what is the best way to learn a new work or hobby-related skill?” Thanks to Greta’s thrills and spills on the water, a very patient instructor, and some research we have some answers.So in this episode come to Bali with us and hear what surfing taught us about learning, including:Why knowing how you want to learn something can make all the differenceHow homework can be both helpful and sometimes very unhelpful The genius tactic Greta’s surfing instructor used, and  What she did to transform h

Leaning into your strengths is perhaps the most powerful thing you can do as an individual to progress your career AND enjoy it more. And if it’s that important we figured we should have a conversation about this! So we did! :-) In this week’s episode, Claire and Greta have a lot of fun talking about everything you need to know to own your strengths, thrive and feel more fulfilled.We cover:Why leaning into your strengths has so many payoffsHow you discover what your key strengths really areHow to think about applying them in to your day to day work and life, andHear real life stories of people who’ve made changes and are now thriving all due to insights about their strengths.Wherever you’re at in your career, we can all benefit from pausing and asking ourselves “how much am I using my strengths this week?” Join us now :)  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today you are coming on tour with us to a newly opened, state of the art immersive technologies research centre at Portsmouth University in England. The CCIXR, or Centre for Creative and Immersive Extended Reality, is the UK’s first facility where the latest in special effects, gaming and virtual reality technologies are all brought together. Come with us as we learn all about this cutting edge facility from the Centre’s Business Director, Pippa Bostock and Specialist Technician and Producer, Hattie Ball. As you’ll hear, the Centre is at the forefront of how technologies are converging to make all kinds of experiences that much more realistic - from films and theatre, to museum visits, as well as incredible training simulations for industry and the armed forces. (Think virtual reality on steroids.) In this episode we start with Pippa taking us through the big picture including the metaverse,  and then we’re going to dive a little deeper and speak with Hattie who walks us through a rea

We’re back from our much needed holiday and super excited about our guest this week. She’s a technology veteran who’s just made the leap, after a long career with big global tech brands, to run a climate tech startup in Singapore. Maya Hari spent over 15 years in the digital media, mobile and e-commerce industries, working in the US and in Asia Pacific with companies such as Google, Samsung and Microsoft. She also led Twitter’s operations in Asia Pacific.Now she’s taken up the reins as CEO of a startup called Terrascope with a mandate to scale the young venture. She’s had three months in her new role and is excited about how it fits both her professional and her personal purpose.You can tell Maya is a deep thinker and we love how she talks about: How she made the decision to leave big corporates to join a startupHow she assesses when it’s right to make a career transitionWhat she learnt from her most challenging career experience,And we just loved a habit of hers that she calls ‘Serendipity Reading’

This week we have a treat in store for you: an Australian entrepreneur who’s literally bringing nature indoors with her creation of a whole new segment using Australian native botanicals for products such as handwash, cleaning products, and dog shampoo. Founder of Bondi Wash, Belinda Everingham, launched her business in 2013. Today, the premium Bondi Wash range is sold and known around the world for its quality, chemical-free formulations and beautiful scents. Curiously, what Belinda’s doing now with her business is light years away from how her career started as a management consultant. In this episode you’ll learn:How serendipity helped Belinda scale her overseas presence not long after launchingWhat happened when Belinda had to go into battle with a US giant trying to stop her using her brand nameThe one thing she believes is critical for success in businessAnd why, when starting Bondi Wash, Belinda threw her rigorous and structured management consultant training out the window.We think you’

We can hardly believe it but Don’t Stop Us Now! is officially 4 years old! It was quite a different world back when we launched in 2018. Covid wasn’t a ‘thing’, working from home was often seen as a privilege, and organisations never would have believed they could ‘convert’ to digital and remote operations as easily and rapidly as they did.We’ve had a ball going back through the 146 episodes of the past four years to bring you this special episode featuring wonderful highlights and memories. We also identified a few key incredibly helpful themes that keep cropping up with our inspiring, pioneering and innovative female leaders (83 so far and counting). You’ll also hear about the one moment Claire will NEVER repeat again as well as the moments that filled us with wonder and awe. Plus, learn how you could win a $100 Amazon gift card. So come on a highlights-filled journey with us now. . . preferably whilst eating cake and supping champagne!  :-) LinksOur How to Manage Your Inner Cr

Our guest this week is a truly pioneering woman in so many fields. For instance, if you live in Australia today, then many of the rights you may take for granted came about thanks, at least in part, to the determined and courageous stand of feminist pioneer, businesswoman and writer, Wendy McCarthy. From campaigning tirelessly for women’s rights, to smashing the glass ceiling time after time, Wendy, now in her 80s, has done it all including just publishing a book: ‘Don’t Be Too Polite Girls’. Unsurprisingly, she’s been described as a national treasure. Starting out as a teacher, Wendy has evolved over the decades to be an executive, a founder and company director. Across all these endeavours, she has worked for change in education, family planning, human rights, public health, conservation and the Arts to list a few.In this episode you’ll hear the formidable Wendy share:How one profound lesson as a young girl has shaped her life How she’s learnt to take risks and not be intimidatedHow trying to

This week’s guest was named IT Woman of the Year for the APAC region in 2020 and despite her illustrious and super busy career in senior regional leadership roles at Google, Twitter and Cloudflare, Aliza Knox also managed to find time to mentor many women along the way. As a result of all her rich experience, Aliza has just published a book on the 6 essential mindshifts you need to rise and thrive at work. The book is called Don’t Quit Your Day Job. These days, Aliza serves as a non executive director on Boards in multiple countries and is a senior advisor to her old consulting firm, Boston Consulting Group. We were fascinated to catch up with Aliza to learn more about her own career lessons as well as the 6 key mindshifts she’s identified in her book. We think you’ll be fascinated too. Hear unique advice and stories including: Why a bad job situation led to Aliza moving countriesWhy reflecting on your career options at any point in time is so valuable What job dating isAnd, whic

It’s not everyday you come across a global marketing leader who trained as an engineer and computer scientist! But that’s true for our visionary guest this week, Lucinda Barlow. Lucinda is Senior Director, Head of Marketing for Asia Pacific for Uber. Before joining Uber two years ago, Lucinda was global Marketing Director for YouTube, with its 2 billion daily users.With more than 20 years of experience working in Internet and mobile in Asia, the US and UK, Lucinda has some incredible and varied experience coupled with a true passion for championing creativity. In this episode you’ll hear how:How Lucinda changed her life, and her job, after receiving some wise advice from fashion designer and icon Diane von FurstenbergHow she thinks about making big career transition decisionsWhy she believes failure should be celebrated moreAnd how Lucinda brings creativity out in her teams. Enjoy this episode with the incredibly passionate and creative Lucinda Barlow. P.S. A reminder that our mini episode