Women Talk Work

Mikaela Jade is the founder and Managing Director of Indigital. Indigital is a startup company is focused on bringing Indigenous cultural sites to life for visitors to Country using a non-internet based augmented reality application called "Digital Rangers"​ to tell stories digitally. One of the primary motivations for starting Indigital was Mik’s desire to empower Indigenous people, particularly women, to develop business opportunities based around the digital economy.

Mik is a Cabrogal woman from Sydney with a background in Environmental Biology, Science Innovation & Human Centred Design. She started her career as a park ranger in Queensland, and has worked in park management, environmental program and policy, and public sector innovation roles in state and federal governments.

In this chat we talk about what lead Mik to start Indigital, the challenges of being a startup founder, the journey Mik went through to discover her own Aboriginal heritage, the best & worst career advice she’s ever received, and how her role as a mother and partner has impacted her work.

Follow Mik on Twitter @jade_mikaela

Show notes and links are available at http://womentalkwork.com/episode7

Season 1 of Women Talk Work is supported by a YWCA Canberra Great Ydeas grant.

Sarah Moran is a self-described ‘passionate super nerd’. Sarah started her career in a ‘dream role’ doing working experience on Triple J’s breakfast show with Adam Spencer and Wil Anderson, before going on to study journalism at QUT. Sarah is an early adopter of new technology and worked in a range of digital communications and marketing roles including Virgin Blue (now Virgin Australia), Tourism Queensland and Tourism Victoria. She currently works as Communications Manager at QUT Creative Enterprise.

She’s also a founder of Girl Geek Academy - organising workshops, courses, hackathons and makerfests, all designed to encourage women to develop technology skills.

Our chat covers how place has influenced Sarah’s career (and vice versa), the role of side projects, job titles, finding your tribe or ‘scenius’, and her approach to career planning.

Connect with Sarah on Twitter @sarahmoran

Show notes and links are available at http://womentalkwork.com/episode6

Season 1 of Women Talk Work is supported by a YWCA Canberra Great Ydea grant.

Have you ever felt like an imposter? Like it was only a matter of time before other people realised that you had no idea what you were doing and exposed you for the fraud you are?

Imposter syndrome is a fairly broad term for a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist even in face of information that indicates that the opposite is true. And it turns out that once you start talking about it, you discover that ‘imposter syndrome’ is actually incredibly common - particularly amongst high-achieving women.

Joining me to discuss imposter syndrome is Jacqueline Jago, a Canberra-based Executive Coach who left a career in the public service to start her own coaching consultancy 18 months ago.

We chat about our own experiences of imposter syndrome and what we each do to avoid being controlled by the voices of self-doubt. Our conversation also covers other topics including gratitude and generosity and living and working authentically.

Show Notes

• Anais Nin quote - “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom”
• From “The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver - “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
• Women’s Inspiration Circles Meetup (Canberra)
• My post on being an imposter which I shared at the Feminartsy Story Share on Motherhood earlier this year
• Imposter Syndrome - How Jane Austen Tamed the Tiger
• Stop Worrying and Love Your Imposter Syndrome
• The Guest House by Rumi
• Suzuki Roshi - "In [meditation] leave your front door and back door open. Let thoughts come and go. Just don't serve them tea."
• Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED talk on your elusive creative genius
• Dana Theus
• Eve Ensler’s TED talk on finding happiness in body & soul.
• CanberraWomenLawyers Lean In Circle
• ‘Step into the sunlight’ by Richard Glover
• Brene Brown

For more episodes and further information about Women Talk Work visit http://womentalkwork.com.

Season 1 of Women Talk Work is supported by a YWCA Canberra Great Ydea grant.

Joanne Mills is a professional golfer who spent 17 years on the tour between 1993 and 2010. Jo is passionate about encouraging more women into the game and mentoring and supporting young players. She is now based at the Canberra International Golf Centre and also serves on the board of Australian Ladies Professional Golf.

In this chat we talk about how Joanne got her start playing golf, what the life of the professional golfer is really like, and how Jo has transitioned to work and life after the professional tour.

More episodes and information at www.womentalkwork.com

Season 1 of Women Talk Work is supported by a YWCA Canberra Great Ydeas grant.

Vivien Mitchell is a designer and owner of Solar Bare, a unique Australian fashion label that produces luxury sun protective swimwear featuring prints inspired by marine life.

Nearly seven years ago, sitting on a beach on Stradbroke Island, Vivien Mitchell had a vision for a design for a beautiful, unique, fashionable range of rash vests. In early 2015, she finally realised that vision with the launch of the fashion label Solar Bare.

Despite having no prior small business or fashion design experience Solar Bare has attracted a lot of interest - being included in Canberra’s FashFest opening night and also as only one of seven startup companies in the 2015 Griffin Accelerator program. In this chat we talk about Viv’s journey from that beach on Stradbroke Island to startup entrepreneur and what she’s learned along the way. Like many women, Viv wears several hats, including mum to 5 kids. She’s a thoughtful, warm and engaging woman and in this chat she provides a very honest reflection of her recent experiences of work.

For more episodes and further information about Women Talk Work visit www.womentalkwork.com.

Season 1 of Women Talk Work is supported by a YWCA Canberra Great Ydea grant.

In this episode, recorded during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I talk to McGrath Foundation Breast Care Nurse, Kerryn Ernst. Kerryn is the only McGrath Breast Care Nurse whose job is solely to support women (and a few men) with stage-four breast cancer - the incurable type, where people present with secondary cancer in places such as the bones, lung, liver or brain.

Having not experienced cancer myself, nor having had to support someone close to me through the ins and outs of cancer treatment I was curious to find out about what Kerryn’s role actually involves and where it fits within the myriad of health practitioners and support providers involved with a patient’s cancer treatment.

From reading some media articles about Kerryn before the interview, it was really clear to me what a significant, positive impact Kerryn has on the women she cares for as well as their families, so one of the things we also talk about is how she is able to remain so positive about a role in which death and dying is a constant part.

For more episodes and further information about Women Talk Work visit http://womentalkwork.com.

Season 1 of Women Talk Work is supported by a YWCA Canberra Great Ydea grant.

Fiona is a Canberra-based image consultant. Her business, Style Liberation, works with individuals and groups to help people to achieve a look that suits their position, personality and lifestyle.

In this conversation we talk about Fiona’s process for working with individual clients, including her ruthless wardrobe makeovers. We also chat about Fiona’s journey from corporate accountant to image consultant and small-business owner, and how being a mum impacts on the choices she’s made in her work. We also talk a little about Fiona’s youngest son Max, who has Cerebral Palsy, and in particular how Max has and continues to influence Fiona’s thinking about body image and overcoming fear and self doubt.

For more episodes and further information about Women Talk Work visit http://womentalkwork.com.

Season 1 of Women Talk Work is supported by a YWCA Canberra Great Ydea grant.