Calling Operator with Laura Nicol

Ep 57. Leading Across Different Stages & Contexts—Laura Warden

Mon, 8 Dec 2025 17:00:00 +0000

After 19 conversations with some of the sharpest operators around, I’m closing the year** with someone who rewired how I think about building process: Laura Warden.

Your job as an operator is to make things work. So you do. You patch. You duct-tape. You make something 10% better, then 15%, then 20%. Over time, you get excellent at optimising a system that (maybe) shouldn’t exist in the first place. Laura brought me back to the idea of constructing or reconstructing from first principles: “If you could build this optimally from day one, would it look like this?”

She’s operated across different scales and contexts—running recruitment and talent at Hays, managing ~500 people at Google, and now supporting dozens of companies as Head of Operations at Folklore Ventures.

We touch on her journey and:

How dyslexia shaped her superpowers
Scaling hurdles: moving too fast without process, founder span-of-control failure, and insufficient communication
Why leadership teams need to feel visible (and Google’s multi-modal comms example)
The management triangle: Empathy + Business outcomes + Clear direction
Why your job isn’t to be the hero—it’s to build an environment where heroes can emerge
Your network as an external brain (and why it needs to be small and value-driven)
Rising above the weeds: asking, “What have I missed? What’s going to derail this or make it less impactful?”
Hiring observations: companies hiring a generalist operator first, then building specialist teams around them
Laura's motto: "Sh*t happens. Accept it. Then figure out how you pick yourself, your team, and the organisation up from that.

**P.S. Catch my solo episode, "What the Year Taught Me", on December 23, before we tuck into the cauli' cheese and Christmas cheer.

Mentioned in this episode:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons.

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Ep 56. The Multi-Domain Operator with Kai Crow

Kai Crow, Ruby Kolesky, Kyle Bolster, Laura Nicol — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 22:11:13 +0000

Every great founder has a small Avengers team turning vision into operational reality. This episode shines a light on someone running marketing, customer and revenue operations while acting as the CEO’s trusted right-hand.

Inside:

15+ years' CRM, ops, and scaling insights from a multi-functional perspective—from Sonar6 (acquired by Cornerstone), AskNicely, Plexure (formerly VMob) and Joyous
Leaving memorable marks that show character and care
Balancing startup freedom with enterprise rigour as Ask Nicely’s first employee
Why Joyous turned off the tap on traditional marketing—and what broke
Knowing when to keep systems simple vs. adding complexity
The CEO partnership model that makes Ruby (Joyous' CEO) say: “I wouldn’t be here without him”
When to leverage AI and when to stay firmly human
Spotting whether you’re building or maintaining, and when you’ve outgrown your role

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 55. Anna Prell on Building Forage, Being Acquired and Building Again

Anna Prell, Laura Nicol, Katie Noonan, Tom Brunskill — Mon, 6 Oct 2025 19:30:45 +0000

Laura Nicol dials into Anna Prell, VP Operations at Ivo.

Anna reminds us why being an operator is a) so damn exciting and b) the ultimate leadership testing ground:

"In a startup, you can be your own version of a founder. You’re the founder of whatever it is you’re in charge of. You keep testing, learning, and scaling until it works."

Inside this conversation:

Moving to the US in 2020—and operating inside ANZ companies state-side
Shifting from Chief of Staff to leading a function (Ops > Customer Success)
Learning how to manage people
EAB acquiring Forage—Anna’s role in the story
Finding a home in EAB post-acquisition
The operator-founder partnership. Pure MAGIC
Building again at Ivo as VP Ops
How she found the “right fit”
Building the infrastructure that helps teams scale

Want to connect with Anna? Find her on LinkedIn.

Also mentioned:

Pre-interview chats:

Katie Noonan (Listen to Katie's Calling Operator episode)
Tom Brunskill

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 54. Betting On People with Mahesh Muralidhar

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 20:23:22 +0000

Laura Nicol dials into Mahesh Muralidhar.

From day one, Mahesh has been obsessed with making a difference. He was early in Sydney’s startup scene in the 2010s post-MBA—first chasing his own idea, then finding impact (and peace) in helping others build.

What followed? A career that reads like three lifetimes in one.

Inside:

The romantic, messy-beautiful beginnings of Sydney’s startup scene.
That nagging fear you’ve “missed the boat” in tech. Spoiler: the boat’s still boarding.
The through-line of his career: founder > operator > investor > political candidate.
Building customer intuition and products people love.
Betting on people. Building trust. Understanding incentives. Getting obsessed with winning.
Spotting great talent—and coaching them like a pro sports manager.
Mahesh's founder story at Ureferjobs (a job referral marketplace)—why it didn’t land and the fateful “choosing Canva” moment.
Operating inside early Canva, Airtasker, and Simply Wall St (from Head of People Ops to VP to COO).
Phase One: why he’s convinced New Zealand founders can build world-changing companies with the right “been there, done that” support.
The current chapter: “I want to make New Zealand a significantly happier place".

Also mentioned:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 53. Savannah Black on Range, Hypergrowth & ADHD

Mon, 8 Sep 2025 21:49:29 +0000

Laura Nicol dials into Savannah Black.

For Savannah, being a startup operator is about making the company work in the real world. All the forward planning, mission, and vision stuff is important. That’s the on-paper part. But being an operator is about making it actually work. You can see it in action at Crypto Tax Calculator: four roles, three promotions, each adding new layers of context. Today, she’s Chief of Staff to CEO Shane Brunette at Crypto Tax Calculator.

We get into:

Savannah's late ADHD diagnosis
Working with energy management cycles, hyperfocus windows and stimulation requirements
What broke (and what didn’t) during Crypto Tax Calculator's hypergrowth from 20 to 60 people
The Maker vs Manager schedule that protects deep work (remote-first culture)
Why chaos isn't something we need to fix: "It's where innovation comes from"
"Narrate everything": Learning how to avoid communication breakdowns at scale
Her prioritisation stack: "[Eisenhower Matrix] I will ignore what's urgent till the cows come home"

Also mentioned:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 52. Operational Leadership with Alexey Mitko

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:07:53 +0000

Laura Nicol dials into Alexey Mitko. Alexey’s career has been all about operational leadership. Finance, HR, legal — he’s held the keys to the gritty, foundational work that lets startups scale without falling apart.

He puts it simply:
“When the startup community has been so generous in teaching me how to see the world differently as a 20-something, it’s my obligation — as an almost 40-year-old (don’t forget to stretch, people) — to do the same. If I can pass it on, use my skills, and maybe get rewarded along the way? That sounds pretty good to me.”

Inside:

I tapped into Alexey’s communities to crowdsource the questions we all wanted answered. How he operates, what he’s learned, and why he believes in being part of the “supporting cast” that helps others shine.
Helping founders survive the weird, wonderful, and maddening ride of going from nothing to something
Why one year in a startup can feel like three years of career growth
From Interactive Accounting in Sydney’s Tank Stream Labs → Canva (back when it was just 20 people in Surry Hills) → Koala (where he built his “early-stage scaffolding” system) → Eucalyptus (his first founder seat)
The three things that defined Eucalyptus’ early success: a battle-tested ops team, exceptional early hires, and a dash of luck
Finding (and owning) the stage you’re most useful in
How to think about ESOP as an employee. How founders think about ESOP as an employer.

Also mentioned:

Read this before you accept an equity offer at a startup: Alexey’s guide to employee share schemes in Australia, drawing on lessons from designing Canva, Koala & Eucalyptus’ ESOPs.

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 51. Falling in Love with Startups and Running—Phoebe Pincus

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 19:01:59 +0000

Laura Nicol dials into Phoebe Pincus, COO at Startmate and Co-Founder at Cheeky Run Club.

We cover a lot. Learning to lead when you've never had female leadership role models. Being the opposite of a perfectionist. Her career journey from psychology student to general manager to chief of staff to COO. We also get into starting Cheeky Run Club, balancing passion projects with big jobs, and finding your “bumper rails". If Cheeky Run Club brought you here, hello cheeky friends!

Inside:

The Good Weekend Quiz: A pandemic-born family ritual that still lives on today.
Becoming a leader others want to follow: Phoebe’s aha moment? A halftime pep talk at social touch rugby. “I’ve seen you give half-time pep talks at social touch… you just need to find a way to do it that feels authentic to you.”
Designing COO-CEO partnerships and her role managing internal operations and external fundraising
Transitioning from Chief of Staff to COO. Differences. Common ground. Practical to-dos.
“How do you set goals?” One of the most-asked questions in Chief of Staff circles.
Life rules and systems: “Always Swim,” prioritising what you know you should be doing, and the shadow theory of values.
Representing running the Cheeky way: joyful, social, best thing for your mental health. Plus why even non-runners turn up for the women's health content.
The Cheeky outlet: “this is my thing, it feels like an extension of us”

Want to connect with Phoebe? Find her on LinkedIn.

Also mentioned:

Maisy Bennett
Michael Batko
Jason Fang
Cheeky Run Club: Spotify, Apple, Instagram, Cheeky’s Substack
Anna Coldham
How to fall in love with running with Phoebe & Anna from Cheeky Run Club (KICPOD)
How to fall in love with running (Cheeky Run Club)

Pre-interview chats:

Bronte McHenry (Listen to Bronte's Calling Operator episode)
Kelly Spoerk

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 50. Emer McCann on Building People Functions & Scaling Orgs

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 19:13:44 +0000

Laura Nicol dials into Emer McCann, Head of People & Chief of Staff at Simply Wall St.

Emer scaled Deputy’s people and culture through hypergrowth (70 to 350 employees) before joining Simply Wall St as employee #15 to build from zero. She’s the quiet force behind the chaos. The puppeteer, the glue, the phrasebook for hard conversations.

Inside this conversation:

Irishness, “Notions” and confidence. How cultural conditioning shapes self-advocacy.
When to hire your first people lead (or fractional exec)—and what happens if you wait too long.
The capacity reality of becoming a new mum while building companies: “I can’t do what I used to do. What’s next is understanding my capacity—and not overpromising.”
From solo people operator to team of eight: When Deputy hired its first Chief People Officer, Emer’s one-person people function turned into an eight-person team. “I didn’t know any different—I just thought, oh, this is normal, this is what a startup is. But no, that’s not what a startup is.”
Rebuilding from zero at Simply Wall St: Taking lessons from a wild scale journey—and starting again.
Gap-filling as a career philosophy: Spot the strategic holes no one else sees—and fill those boots.
Why Emer spends time in “small little huddles,” mapping what matters to each person before the big meeting.
Signs of people pleasing yourself into burnout: “You do everything—but don’t do anything really well.”
Her winning formula: First-principles thinking. Solving for what matters. Tying it all back to the business metrics.

Want to connect with Emer? Find her on LinkedIn.

Also mentioned:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 49. Liani Strauss on Keeping Tracksuit on Track

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Laura Nicol connects with Liani Strauss, Chief of Staff at Tracksuit.

Liani’s background in industrial engineering gave her structure. Startups gave her speed. Today, she works at the intersection of strategy, systems, and people—helping shape how Tracksuit scales from the inside out.

Inside the conversation:

Early days of BizOps at Tracksuit: “We were the bridge—setting up scaffolding for new functions, then stepping back so specialists could help them fly.”
Evolving from "make it work" to "make it scale". How a Zapier x Google Sheets x DocuSign piece of art turned into a multi-jurisdictional global ESOP system.
Why Chief of Staff effectiveness hinges on intentional relationship design. Liani's experience building deep trust with CEO and co-founder Connor Archbold
Movement unplugged. Her go-to for staying grounded
A lesson in acceptance... a Blue Crush story
Why continuing to invest in relationships is her theme of her year
Getting creative under pressure (especially when the fridge is empty)
Her quiet superpower: regulating emotional temperature in high-stakes moments—something others spotted in her long before she named it in herself.

Want to connect with Liani? Find her on LinkedIn.

Also mentioned:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 48. Paul Redfern on Growth, Scale and Staying Human

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 22:02:00 +0000

Laura Nicol connects with Paul Redfern, Chief Operating Officer at Big Picture Medical. He’s someone who’s spent most of his career toggling between product and operations, and getting pretty good at living in the grey. And becoming “reasonably okay-ish” in a whole bunch of different worlds.

This episode is all about a tension every operator knows too well: the never-ending juggle between growth and scale. Serving today’s customers while building for tomorrow. Every decision has a cost. The real skill is knowing which ones are actually worth it.

Inside this conversation:

The journey from Bank of Queensland, Tyro, Brighte and now Big Picture Medical
What scaling a global healthtech startup looks like behind the scenes
The Red Line Framework for sustainable leadership and life moments
How to grow up as a company (we’re talking communication maturity for scaling orgs)
Context switching and energy management as a new parent-leader
Why the chaos never really ends. It just shapeshifts
Treating operations like a product and how that changes what you optimise for
[Relationships] The power of weekly Notion check-ins. A quick gut-check on what’s happening, where you need flex, and how you’re showing up for each other
What it feels like to have an imaginary infinite battery
A tiny mental trick: asking “Will this move me closer to my goals this week?” And sometimes “Will this move me closer to my goals, full stop?”
For every operator out there, pausing to rethink your own operating system and patterns is a real level-up moment

Want to connect with Paul? Find him on LinkedIn.

Also mentioned:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 47. The Water Cooler Chat with Gaby Howard & Laura Nicol

Gaby Howard, Laura Nicol, Notion, Paloma Newton — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 18:00:00 +0000

Laura Nicol connects with today's co-host: the wonderful Gaby Howard, Head of Growth and Operations at Carted.

Gaby’s no stranger to the podcast—she first appeared on Ep 23. Gaby Howard on Navigating the Shift from Founder to Operator in Tech: Insights from Carted and Flaunter, where the wonderful Paloma interviewed her about her journey from founder to operator. (If you’re here for her backstory, head there first—we’re not retelling it today.)

This episode is something different: a pulse check. A water-cooler moment. The kind of chat Gaby and I usually have off-mic—only this time, we hit record.

If the noise of the internet lately feels like a never-ending hamster wheel, you’re not alone. In this chat, we cover:

A mid-year temperature check from two operators
Honest reflections on how we’re feeling in our operator roles
A pulse check on what’s happening out there: Insights surfaced from operators at our first-ever community meetup (Calling Operator x Notion coffee)
Questions like: Am I ahead? Behind? Keeping up?
Plus a few laughs as we find our rhythm as co-hosts (I left in the bossy host blooper 🙃)

Huge thanks to Gaby for jumping into the co-host seat. We hope this chat feels like the water-cooler moment you didn’t know you needed.

Want to connect with Gaby? Find her on LinkedIn.

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 46. Operators and Burnout with Laura Nicol—Solo Reflections

Tue, 3 Jun 2025 09:22:26 +0000

Today, I’m turning the mic inward for my first-ever solo episode of Calling Operator. I’m Laura Nicol, your host and Chief of Staff at Co Ventures—and in this conversation, we’re talking burnout. The kind that creeps up. The kind that hits hard. The kind that startup operators know all too well. It comes up on the pod all the time—for a reason.

I'm calling it my #buildinpublic reflection on this topic from the operator’s seat. I chat through:

The aha moment: Being a great operator starts with self-work
My journey from an epilepsy diagnosis to today
Physical health, mental health and wellbeing
Burnout
Giving yourself permission to step off the treadmill
Trying to prevent it
Building an environment that catches it more often

Shoutout to past guests whose wisdom shows up throughout (check out their full eps here):

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 45. Scale and Soul: Anitta Krishan on Leading People and Culture Transformation at trivago, Grab, TikTok & Hoogly AI

Anitta Krishan, Laura Nicol, Mohit Midha, Mili Kale, Maya Kale, Hamza Khan — Mon, 19 May 2025 21:57:11 +0000

Laura Nicol connects with Anitta Krishan, Chief Culture Officer at Hoogly AI. We begin with a breath—a literal nervous system–balancing pause—followed by people-first perspectives from a former Trivago, Grab, and TikTok executive now shaping the future of work through an AI-powered Culture OS.

Inside the episode:

Operating mindfully: breathing, sleeping, deep sighing, and listening to your body’s signals
The future of work, where humans serve as culture architects and AI steps in as orchestrator
Joining Trivago at 200 employees and scaling through IPO to 1,600
Leading people and culture transformation at Grab during a chapter of hypergrowth and reinvention
Scaling TikTok globally from 1,000 to 50,000 employees, navigating geopolitical tensions and cultural nuance at warp speed
The black ops moment: how the TikTok India ban shaped her legacy as a people-first operator
Why “your calendar reflects your values”—and the case for auditing it weekly
Building from the ground floor inside an AI-native company
Advice for rising operators: “Stop waiting for permission and titles. Just influence.”

Want to connect with Anitta? Find her on LinkedIn.

Check out Hoogly AI for your org.

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 44. Scaling Hnry with Karan Anand—Inside the Chief Strategy Officer Role, His Operating Philosophy, Abductive Logic

Tue, 6 May 2025 21:05:24 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Karan Anand, Chief Strategy Officer & Managing Director, Australia at Hnry.

We trace his journey from 13 years in consulting to becoming Hnry’s first hire in Australia, exploring what it really means to lead without ego, think in systems, and be a force multiplier for founders.

Inside the episode:

His experience as a new dad
Building generational community projects, including the creation of the Young Seek Professionals Network
The co-pilot model of the Chief Strategy Officer—and how to support founders while staying anchored to long-term goals
What it meant to be the first hire in Australia for Hnry—and how to scale without a playbook
Why being in rooms you're “not ready for” is often where you learn the most—and how to hold your ground when you get there
The startup superpowers management consulting teaches: structured problem solving, corporate technique, and navigating directional tension
Breaking a company into 26 first-principles components to build a three-year strategy—and reaching a consensus on direction
Building Hnry’s "Sole Trader Pulse" data play—and turning underrepresented customer voices into strategic advantage
Moving between inductive and abductive logic when data is sparse but decisions can’t wait
The traits Karan looks for in strategy operators at early-stage startups
His operating philosophy: Helping people become their best in service of the business
Why systems thinking is a survival skill in fast-scaling companies

Connect with Karan Anand on LinkedIn.

Learn more about Hnry.

Other operators mentioned in the episode:

Brandon Palmer, Head of Marketing @ Hnry
Sandeep Chandra, Strategy @ Atlassian
Albert Patajo, Chief of Staff @ Nexl
Harry Hamilton, Product @ Tracksuit, Co-Founder @ Fuzzy

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 43. Sophie McKay on Launching Tech Brands Across Asia-Pacific—Qualtrics to Notion

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 19:12:57 +0000

**Join us at our first-ever podcast meetup in Sydney. Info below**

Today, I'm connecting with Sophie Mckay, Head of Marketing, Asia Pacific and Japan at Notion.

Sophie’s career has been all about scaling tech brands across the Asia-Pacific region (APAC). Before joining Notion six months ago, she spent almost a decade at Qualtrics—starting as the first marketing hire in APAC and growing the team to 17, launching across six regions. In her words: “Every country or region we went into felt like a startup within a startup.”

Now, she’s crafting Notion’s brand story and building her dream marketing team for APAC.

In this episode, we dial into:

Balancing a high-growth tech career with life as a mum to two young boys (3 and 5) and a pilot husband who’s often in the sky. Sophie shares how she makes it work.
Could Sydney become “Silicon Sands”? Sophie weighs in.
Why she loves launching companies across APAC—and the three-part strategy that sets her up for success every time.
Notion's Australian takeover: A front-row seat to Sophie's "launch moment" (and why community love is everything).
Her first 30 days at Notion: How she left onboarding in San Francisco with a fully approved marketing plan, ready to roll the moment she landed back in Sydney.
Leading cross-cultural teams and appreciating the nuances of a region's go-to-market motion.
Building things from scratch: The signals that tell you it’s time to scale or pivot
Hiring philosophy: Why you should always recruit someone who "scares you" (and why Sophie spent 18 months finding a first marketing hire).
Finding Nemo wisdom: "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming" (and remember you're not saving lives).
Joy as a metric: "Startups are full on. Just make sure you’re always having a really good laugh every single day. If you're not, change up what you're doing."
Operator shoutout: Carrie Ball, Talent Acquisition Lead APAC at Rippling. "What really stands out is how she brings a human element to the recruitment process. Her posts are hilarious—and honestly, I think she’d be such a fun guest to have on the podcast to talk about building teams from scratch across APAC."

Thanks to Kelly Souders and Kirsty Poynter for helping shape this interview and for your time on the pre-interview chats.

Connect with Sophie:

Resources mentioned in the ep:

Notion {Notion is the all-in-one workspace for teams to share knowledge, manage projects, take notes, and more}
Hello, Australia! By Andrew McCarthy
How OpenAI turns shared knowledge into faster workflows with Notion

**📆 JOIN US: Calling Operator x Notion coffee | Apr 29, 10am**

Some of the best conversations happen off-mic. That’s why I’ve teamed up with Notion to bring the Calling Operator community together in Sydney.

The deets:
🌞 First-ever pod meetup in our most-listened city >> Sydney
🌞 Tues, Apr 29 at 10am (Surry Hills location)
🌞 Past podcast guests are coming—swap stories, ask questions
🌞 RSVP here

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

Never miss an episode:

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Ep 42. Culture Drivers with Olivia Panzic—Leading Marketing Communications and Building High-Performing Teams at TikTok ANZ

Mon, 7 Apr 2025 19:25:46 +0000

**Join us at our first-ever podcast meetup in Sydney. Info below**

Today, I'm connecting with Olivia (Liv) Panzic, Head of Marketing Communications at TikTok ANZ. A core part of Liv’s belief system? Look after people. And it shows. Her colleagues and mentors describe her leadership at TikTok as “people-centric,” “human-first,” and “transformative for those around her.” This conversation covers three big themes: creating thumb-stopping content, being brave, and leading from the heart.

In this episode, we cover:

Why everything is better after a good night’s sleep (thanks, Mum).
Community as strategy—not just support, but a growth engine.
How a failed startup led her to TikTok—proof that the algorithm of life sometimes gets it right.
Her first three years at TikTok ANZ—moving to Sydney, stepping into leadership, and building a marcomms strategy that clicks.
A reminder that growth is layered: internal, external, and relational.
Want to break into startups? Ditch the “pick me” mindset—find your match (tips inside).
Leading inside a global company and bringing local context to celebrate culture drivers.
Creating space for your team to grow and go viral in their own way.
Why talking out loud to AI tools like ChatGPT changes the game for storytelling, advertising, and attention. Looking ahead to reaching people through voice.
Staying humble: “You’re never too big for a small job.”
Operator shoutout: How Elly Strang and the team at Tracksuit rewrote the playbook on early-stage B2B comms and content. Why their customers say: “Hey, I want this company to win as much as I love their product.”

Connect with Liv:

Connect With Liv on LinkedIn

Others Mentioned in the Episode:

Huge thanks to Hayley Saddleton and Shani Kugenthiran for the pre-interview chats. You're so right. Liv. Is. Magic.

📆 JOIN US: Calling Operator x Notion coffee | Apr 29, 10am

Some of the best conversations happen off-mic. That’s why I’ve teamed up with Notion to bring the Calling Operator community together in Sydney.

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

Never miss an episode:

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Ep 41. Rach Matters on Turning OCD Anxiety into Her Superpower and Scaling to Senior Program Manager at Linktree

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 21:40:52 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Rach Matters, Senior Program Manager at Linktree. Rach’s sweet spot is joining fast-growing organizations with a blank job description, and she’s had the privilege of learning company building through EA-exec partnerships with Linktree’s Alex Zaccaria and seasoned entrepreneur Janey Martino.

In this episode, we cover:

Why worrying is like a rocking chair—it keeps you busy but gets you nowhere
Scaling herself alongside one of Australia’s biggest tech success stories
Supporting leaders through hypergrowth and high-stakes moments
The EA-executive relationship and the magic of high-trust partnerships
Creating calm in chaos (while secretly thriving in it)
Why waiting back isn’t Rach’s style
Understanding the individual needs of your leadership team (it’s not one-size-fits-all)
Strategic restraint—bringing deep knowledge of the leadership team into operations and learning to 10x things without adding process friction
Taking pieces of wisdom from each leader you work with
Low-key Sundays and the power of rest

Connect with Rach on LinkedIn here.

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 40. Shipra Mahindra: From Software Engineer to Canva’s First PM and Product Leader at Octopus Deploy

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:19:00 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Shipra Mahindra, Principal Product Manager at Octopus Deploy. Let’s just say—Shipra’s peers can’t stop raving about her. She made her mark as the first product manager at Canva, working closely with co-founder Mel Perkins and the early mobile team. Shipra takes us through the highs, lows, and many celebrations that came with launching and scaling Canva’s first mobile app. She shares how she found her rhythm as a product manager and the lessons she's learned, both as a human and a product leader, during rapid growth at Canva, Xero, Creatively Squared, and now at Octopus Deploy. And when she’s not leading product, she’s showing how New Zealand can be an incubator for world-leading, world-class companies as a Partner at Phase One Ventures.

Connect with Shipra Mahindra.

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Ep 39. Harry Uffindell on Scaling Partly, The ONE Thing and Lessons from the Climb

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:01:32 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Harry Uffindell, Chief People Officer at Partly. Harry’s worn just about every startup hat—founder, growth, bizops, revops, people, culture—you name it. But he ultimately found his calling in the people space. Now, he’s scaling Partly, hiring the world’s top 1% talent, and building a culture where people stay excited about their work a decade in.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

Scaling Partly from its first non-technical hire to ~100 employees—and the lessons behind making it the best startup to work for.
Building a company culture that lasts—where 10 years in, you’re still buzzing to show up.
Co-founding and selling MeatMail (a food subscription startup) with David Booth—the zero-to-one story.
“This is a pretty good V1”. What Tim Ryan (Atomic8) taught Harry about quality work and scaling startups globally.
Tilt to Airbnb: From first APAC hire to Country Manager, scaling Tilt, and what it takes to land a global “boots on the ground” role.
A bad-reception phone call that changed everything. How Airbnb’s acquisition of Tilt set Harry on a path to making ANZ Airbnb’s most penetrated market worldwide before the IPO.
Focus as a superpower. Mastering the art of focus is the most impactful skill an operator can develop.
Learning from the best. How Patti McCord, Reed Hastings (Netflix), and the Collison Brothers (Stripe) are shaping Harry’s playbook as a world-class Chief People Officer.
Angel investing 101. His advice for operators making their first bets.

Find Harry Uffindell:

Harry Uffindell’s Northstars and Frameworks:

Books:

Delivering Happiness (people and culture)
No Rules Rules (Netflix culture)
The Hard Thing About Hard Things (gritty leadership)
Amp It Up (high-performance culture)
Powerful by Patty McCord (freedom + responsibility)
Radical Candor (feedback and relationships)
Great by Choice (10x leadership)
How to Win Friends and Influence People

Podcasts:

Acquired, a16z, Founders, The Tim Ferriss Show, Crucible Moments, 20VC.

Frameworks:

The Quarterly Rhythm That Fuels Growth and High-Performing Teams (includes duplicatable resources/Notion pages)
The One Thing (goal-setting)
Eisenhower Matrix (urgent/important prioritization)
Radical Candor (caring personally + challenging directly).

Operators—Future leader/vision:

Patti McCord and Reed Hastings from Netflix (culture)
Patrick Collison and The Collison Brothers (execution)

Ones to Watch:

Pene Barton (CEO at Crimson Global Academy)
Kirsti Grant (Chief People Experience Officer at Auror)
Jamie Beaton (CEO and co-founder Crimson Education)

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Dave Booth (Founder in Residence at Blackbird)
Mike Duboe (General Partner, Greylock Partners)
Levi Fawcett (CEO at Partly)
Tim Ryan (Co-Founder & CEO at Atomic8)
Andrew Huynh (GTM Strategy Lead, New Products at Culture Amp)
Dan Brockwell (Co-founder and head of program at Earlywork)

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 38. Alice Hehman on Being a Glue Person—From Facebook to Quip to Glue Club

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:37:07 +0000

Connecting with Alice Hehman, a "SWAT team" startup leader who’s built recruiting and operations playbooks for some of Silicon Valley’s biggest names. An under-the-radar operator, you need to know. Alice knows what it takes to scale operations across borders, from leading domestic recruitment for Facebook to moving to Sydney to build regional teams across Asia–Pacific. Following great people led her to Bret Taylor's startup Quip (a competitor to Google Docs), where she ran business operations, including the USD $750M Salesforce deal and post-merger integration into the Salesforce ecosystem. We get real on keeping your head on straight through hypergrowth and focussing on what we can control through these big business transitions. These days, she's teamed up with Molly Graham (if you haven't read Lessons on Substack, you should) at Glue Club, helping startup leaders be better—and feel better—at work. We discuss what makes a great operational leader, why "glue people" are the backbone of scaling companies and US lessons to shortcut operators in Australia and New Zealand.

Find Alice Hehman:

Alice Hehman’s Northstars and Frameworks:

Operators—Ones to Watch:

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

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Ep 37. Emma Seymour’s CFO Journey at Deputy—How Rebalancing Led to Profitability and Unicorn Status

Mon, 9 Dec 2024 19:19:45 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Emma Seymour, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Deputy. Emma is no stranger to navigating big transitions—whether steering a company through acquisitions, adapting through CEO leadership changes, driving profitable growth in uncertain post-pandemic times, or achieving unicorn status. Known for her "throw the ball to me" mindset, I hope Emma's story reminds all of our female-identifying listeners of the power of stepping up before you feel ready.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

Her CFO leadership journey: From public practice to JobAdder to Deputy, where she became the youngest female CFO of an Australian tech unicorn
Emma’s reflections on becoming a first-time mum while managing a "big job"
Deputy's rise to profitability and unicorn status (for market context, Deputy is the 15th Australian-founded tech company to achieve this milestone)
How Deputy’s 80% female leadership team drives business outcomes, enriches company culture, and brings them closer to the customer
Clocking in every day to help customers build a better world for shift workers
Why you should always "throw the ball to me"
Alternative strategies for raising capital at different stages of growth
What’s next for the future of the CFO role in tech.

Find Emma Seymour:

Emma Seymour’s Northstars and Frameworks:

Goal setting: Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)

ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:

Mel Perkins (CEO and Co-founder at Canva)

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Silvija Martincevic (CEO at Deputy)

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 36. Annie Liao on Designing a Dream Career and Building a Training Campus for 1 Million AI Builders by 2026

Tue, 26 Nov 2024 02:06:21 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Annie Liao, founder and CEO of Build Club. What began as a weekend AI project among friends has now evolved into APAC’s largest AI learning platform. Fresh off closing her pre-seed round and going all-in on Build Club, Annie shares what’s next for her and her team. In today’s episode, we discuss: Annie’s early career journey as a data scientist, consultant, venture capitalist, community builder, operator, and startup founder—and the lessons she gained from each transition; A nod to her recent crowning as a Forbes Australia 30 Under 30 honoree; Scaling the impact of why Build Club started: to empower everyone to build their dreams into reality; Build Club’s internal AI strategy and approach to building; Why providing clarity is the most valuable role a founder can play; Taking a leap of faith to build custom GPTs (a beginner's guide); How to upskill your workforce in AI; The rise of AI workforce manager roles—plus why operators are uniquely suited for this shift. And, of course, I ask the “stupid” questions to help us all accelerate our AI learning journey.

Find Annie Liao:

LinkedIn
X
Art
Build Club events
Join Build Club’s waitlist: www.buildclub.ai

Annie Liao’s Northstars and Frameworks:

ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:

Mitchell Hughes (Co-founder at NextGen Ventures)
Clinton Lui (Build Club)

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Julia Wells (Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney)
Daniel Vassilev (Co-founder at Relevance AI)
Jacky Koh (Co-founder at Relevance AI)
Tom McKenzie (CTO at Build Club)
Jessy Wu (Founder at Encour)

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 35. Deena Metz on Building a Customer Success Function at Flagship—From Digital Health to Retail Tech

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Deena Metz, Head of Customer Success at Flagship. For Deena, being at the nexus of a company is where she thrives, so she’s placed herself at the heart of an early-stage startup: customer success (CS). She’s one of 12 employees, building alongside Simon Molnar to establish Flagship as the backbone of retail operations in Australia, the US, and beyond. In today’s episode, we discuss: Deena’s childhood dream of playing soccer for the Matildas; How an internship in New York launched her career in digital health at ANDHealth+ and Perx Health; Joining Flagship as the first female on the team, and her approach to building the company's post-sales function and customer experience; Why CS is a team sport, and how sales, post-sales, and product teams need to be “Batman to each other’s Batman”; Partnering with retail brands to raise the bar in visual merchandising and bring more data to brick-and-mortar stores; And the refreshing reminder: “we’re not saving lives”.

Find Deena Metz:

Deena Metz’s Northstars and Frameworks:

Gabriel Baker (Co-Founder at Mosh)
Rachel Kelly (Ex-EVP, APAC and Global Instore at Afterpay)
Steph Leathers (Managing Director ANZ at GHD)
Alex Brogan, Faster Than Normal Newsletter
Wes Kao's Newsletter
Atlas (Zendesk alternative for customer support)

ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:

Zoe Champtaloup (Director of Operations and General Counsel at Perx Health)
Jackie Rotman (Director, Strategy at OakNorth)

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Simon Molnar (founder at Flagship)
Scott Taylor (Co-founder and CEO at Perx Health)
Hugo Rourke (Co-founder and COO at Perx Health)
Marcel Ninio (Retail Innovation and Partnerships at Flagship)

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 34. From Clinical Medicine to Product: Dr Jackie Rabec’s Journey to Heidi Health and Google

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Jackie Rabec, Product Manager at Google. Jackie’s product leadership story is all about transitions—from corners of the globe to non-linear career paths and reframing impact beyond just our work. In our conversation, we discuss: The importance of “doing your homework”; Growing up in South Africa and following her mother’s path into medicine; Definitive decision-making versus directional decision-making and how it guided her transition from medicine to tech and product; Visualising your career as a pond of lily pads; Her journey from being the first PM at Heidi Health to a non-health tech product role at Google; Moving from the balcony to the dance floor and back again as a product leader; Lessons from transitioning from a 40-person startup to a global corporation; How to avoid overcomplicating product by indexing on three things; Her vision to improve healthcare access and delivery in low-income countries and under-resourced communities in countries like Africa.

Find Dr Jackie Rabec:

Dr Jackie’s Northstars and Frameworks:

The Balcony and the Dance Floor
Lenny’s podcast
Tim Ferriss
Kirsten Mann (Chief Product Officer at Prospection)
Peter Cronin (Founder and Director at Prospection)
Paul Redfern (Chief Product Officer at Big Picture Medical)
Dr. Thomas Kelly (CEO and Co-Founder at Heidi Health)
Waleed Mussa (CFO and Co-Founder at Heidi Health)
Yu Liu (CTO and Co-Founder at Heidi Health)
Trung Ton (Partner at Foundry Health)

ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:

So good we named him twice: Paul Redfern (Chief Product Officer at Big Picture Medical)
Eliza Hillary (Senior UX Designer at RACV)

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 33. George Hatzis on Product Design: Journey from Startups to Scale-Ups and Fractional Impact for Early-Stage Teams

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 20:18:33 +0000

I'm connecting with George Hatzis, a fractional product designer for early-stage startup teams. From his early curiosity about design and product at Ignition to redesigning a personal loan application admin at Wisr and building and scaling a multi-brand design system for healthcare products at Eucalyptus, he's no stranger to the twists and turns of startups and scale-ups. In this episode, we cover practical design and MVP design systems—what they are and how to apply them in fast-moving, scrappy environments; taking the independent product design route and his “Mary Poppins-style” approach to fractional work; his journey (so far) building a migration tech product alongside Niamh and Damian at Matilda; leading design teams and making a conscious transition from an individual contributor to a manager; AI as a “companion piece” for designers; the right time for startups to bring in their first product designer; and advice for product designers pitching themselves to early-stage startups. Plus, slowing everything down for life's simple moments, watching 100 movies a year (and reviewing them on Letterboxd), and the magic of acknowledging trade-offs.

Find George Hatzis:

LinkedIn
Portfolio
Letterboxd: film reviews by George Hatzis
Checklist Design: a side project by George Hatzis

George’s Northstar People and Principles :

James Nau (VP of Product at Airtasker)
Olivia King (Independent Creative Director)
- Olivia King’s portfolio
[Op-ed] AI as a trend and how designers can work with it (written by Sebastiaan de With)

ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:

Kayla Medica (Fractional Product Marketer/CMO)
- Mehdeeka by Kayla Medica (a weekly Substack newsletter covering various areas of B2B and SaaS marketing aimed at small teams)
Nick Hough (Director of Product at Jasper)

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Guy Pearson (CEO at Ignition)
Dane Thomas (Co-founder & Chief Product Officer at Ignition)
Niamh Mooney (Co-founder at Matilda)
Damian Png (Co-founder at Matilda)

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 32. Coaching with Maxine Minter: How to Be the Best on the Field as a High-Impact, High-Performing Startup Operator

Co Ventures, Laura Nicol, Co Lab, Maxine Minter — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 20:24:18 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Maxine Minter, executive coach, founder of Co Lab, and General Partner of Co Ventures. Coaching and mentoring leapfrogging someone’s career trajectory has been a key theme percolating our recent episodes, SO… recognising that having a coach is a privilege and perhaps more uncommon at the operator level in the ANZ ecosystem; this is a SPECIAL EPISODE to help open source some tips and tricks. For context, executive coaching helps you close the gap between where you are now and where you want to be as a leader. In this episode, Laura talks to Maxine Minter about her work coaching founders, CEOs, and COOs and how to become an exceptional, high-impact, high-performing startup operator. You’ll walk away as the CEO of your career with many tactical tools and exercises to help you run high-performing teams (or influence up, down and sideways).

Find Maxine Minter on:

Maxine's Northstars:

The Johari Window Model (a framework for understanding conscious and unconscious bias that can help increase self-awareness and our understanding of others. It is the creation of two psychologists, Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham)
Emotional by Leonard Mlodinow (advances in psychology and neuroscience have proven that emotions are as critical to our well being as thinking)

How to Find an Executive Coach:

Co Lab (At Co Lab, we work with world-class operational and leadership coaches who have all previously been in c-suite roles at fast-growth companies, venture partners at leading VCs or academics at the world’s best universities, or a combination of all three. To find the right match, we start by working with you to develop your goals and create a profile to match you with suitable coaches based on your goals. The matching process is free for the clients going through it.)

Disclaimer:

Laura and Maxine work at Co Lab

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

Never miss an episode:

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Ep 31. Growth Enzyme Mindset: Taylor Fox-Smith on Academia, Channel Partnerships and Building Community at Airwallex

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 21:07:00 +0000

Today, I'm connecting with Taylor Fox-Smith, Head of Community Partnerships at Airwallex. In this episode, we explore Taylor's formative years and Montessori education and dive into her latest project: building the community function at fintech unicorn Airwallex, a cross-border payments company. We also unpack her lessons from scaling channel partnerships across various stages and verticals (PropTech and ClimateTech), her journey of finding a deep sense of self amidst the ebbs and flows of startups, and her mission to become a growth enzyme for founders.

Find Taylor Fox-Smith on:

Taylor’s Northstar:

Her Dad, Gavin Fox-Smith

ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:

Emily Casey, Founder & Director at What the Health
Annie Liao, Chief of Staff at Relevance AI and Founder of Build Club

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Jethro Cohen (Investor at Square Peg)
Ben Hanley (Product at Trace)
Mina Radhakrishnan (Co-Founder/ex-CEO at :Different)
Andrew (Soro) Sorokovsky (VP Sales/BD @ Immutable)
Elizabeth Broderick (Founder and Convenor at Champions of Change Coalition)

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 30. Emily Robinson on Scaling with Purpose: From Leading People and Culture at Linktree to Driving Growth as GM at Kic

Mon, 2 Sep 2024 23:46:20 +0000

Emily's an incredible people and operations leader who is passionate about doing things differently. Her latest project is Kic, a fitness app quashing diet culture—founded by Laura Henshaw and Steph Claire Smith. In this episode, we explore her journey from corporate to startup land; leading inside a unicorn to a bootstrapped company with year-on-year growth. There were so many, but highlights include: Balancing anxiety and mental health around leadership and the techniques that have defined Emily. Scaling from employee #90 at Linktree to leading a 20-person people and culture team through rapid growth. Reshaping Kic's strategy from product-led to a community and content-led fitness empire. Why community-led brands will win and how to embed a community-first mindset into your company planning. How mentors and coaches can 10x your personal and career growth.

Find Emily Robinson on:

Emily’s Northstars and frameworks:

ANZ operators—ones to watch:

Maxine Minter, General Partner at Co Ventures, Founder and Advisor at Co Lab
Mikayla Hopkins, Head of Marketing at Tracksuit

Other folks mentioned in the episode:

Laura Henshaw (CEO and co-founder at Kic)
Steph Claire Smith (Chief Community Officer and co-founder at Kic)
Isa Notermans (Chief People Officer)
Anth Zaccaria (Co-founder of Linktree)
Alex Zaccaria (CEO and co-founder of Linktree)
Jessica Trumble (CEO & Founder at We Are Charlotte)
Michael Stocks (Head of Marketing, Asia Pacific at Squarespace)
Do I want Kids? Miniseries with Laura Henshaw
Co Lab (Matching high-growth founders with executive coaches)
Simon Sinek

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

Never miss an episode:

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Ep 29. Building Scar Tissue: Albert Patajo’s Path from Venture Capital to Fatherhood and Scaling Nexl Beyond Series A

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 22:39:02 +0000

In this episode, we explore Albert’s journey from growing up as an immigrant in Australia to becoming a startup leader and new dad to his daughter, Ava. Albert is a true fundraising nerd, and watching him level up on his way to Victory Road is a joy. We dive into how he built conviction to leave venture capital and step into a leadership role at Nexl—a vertical SaaS company that provides collaboration, relationship management, and CRM software to B2B law firms (think Pearson Hardman vibes!). Albert also shares lessons from his operator journey—from building scar tissue through experience to understanding why the best teams excel at capital allocation to mastering the metrics that drive relentless focus and success in scaling startups.

Find Albert Patajo:

Albert’s Northstars and Frameworks:

ChatGPT Prompt:
- “You are OperatorGPT, you are an expert portfolio value creation for Series A and later companies. You’ve been asked to solve [X issue in detail] to achieve [Y outcome]. The trade-offs you need to consider are that [A people in company or relevant role, B budget,C timeframes). The company’s values are [X,Y,Z values]. Draft a project plan that steps through a potential solution to solve the problem and achieve this outcome taking into account the trade-offs and ensures alignment to the company’s values.
Building your Employee Handbook as you scale: The Gitlab Handbook (Open source)
Bullet Proof Problem Solving (Book)
Scaling people (Book)
Situation, Complication and Question (Framework)
Simple framework for Board and Executive communication:
- What we know: The information we know to be true and what we’re relying on.
- What we don’t know: The information we need to validate or find evidence for that will help inform our decisions.
- When we’ll know: The experiments/fact-finding analysis we’ll run to find evidence or validate the information we don’t know and the timeframe to do this.
The Glue Club by Molly Graham (Cohort-based operator community)

ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:

Annie Liao, Chief of Staff at Relevance AI and Founder of Build Club
Jessy Wu, Founder at Encour, Ex Partner at Afterwork

Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:

Philipp Thurner (CEO & Founder, Nexl)
Niki Scevak (Co-founder and Partner at Blackbird)
Allen Zhu (Investor at EVP)
HBR’s The Case for a Chief of Staff article
Angad Soin (Ex Deloitte, now Xero)
John Henderson (General Partner at Airtree)
Michael Batko (CEO at Startmate )

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

Never miss an episode:

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Ep 28. From Rowing to an All-Women-Founded Exit: Maddi Ingham’s Playbook for Building Unstoppable Chief of Staff Partnerships and Mastering M&A

Mon, 5 Aug 2024 23:00:19 +0000

In this episode, I dial into a conversation with Maddi Ingham, 2x Chief of Staff, now working in stealth on her next venture. Maddi's career is a testament to her commitment to creating a better world for people and the planet. We explore her journey from management consulting to her catch-all role in Verve Super’s acquisition—a remarkable all-women-founded exit celebrated as “the business story we need” by Women’s Agenda. We dive into her experiences solving complex early-stage problems, the role of trust in navigating M&A processes during leadership team parental leave, and the impact of executive partnerships. Maddi also shares her thoughts on gender equality, her operator insights gained from CliftonStrengths, and the importance of building a supportive community of peers.

Episode note:

When discussing the gender pay gap, Maddi uses binary language (e.g., “man” and “woman”). We recognise that this isn’t always the reality for some parents.

Find Maddi:

Maddi Ingham

Maddi's Northstars and frameworks:

Why the acquisition of all-women-founded Verve Super is a story worth telling
The Open Org’s Open Source Policies (…and a Rolodex of publicly sourced policies)
Future Group's Open Source Policies
Moving your Super to an ethical superannuation fund
Startmate programs:
- Women's Fellowship
- Ladymates
Gender Pay Gap
Airtree’s Open Source VC
The role of the Chief of Staff
CliftonStrengths
- The CliftonStrengths skills assessment
  - Woo theme (One of Maddi’s top five strengths)
  - Communication theme (One of Maddi’s top five strengths)
  - Positivity theme (One of Maddi’s top five strengths)
  - Activator theme (One of Maddi’s top five strengths)
- The CliftonStrengths Podcast

ANZ operators—ones to watch:

Other folks mentioned in the episode:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

Never miss an episode:

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Ep 27. Mikayla Hopkins on Building a World-Class Marketing Function and Brand at Tracksuit—Journey from Beer to Beauty to B2B SaaS

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Mikayla builds brands people can't stop talking about. Her latest project is Tracksuit, recognised in The Generalist's Future 50 list as one of the world's highest potential startups. We dive into her career journey from beer to beauty to B2B SaaS; the bumpy (but amazing) road of marketing leadership to $15 million ARR at Tracksuit; the challenges of rapid growth; her experience serving in her first startup board seat; and the role brand will play in the world automated by AI. Plus, some real talk on finding your identity beyond work, fighting for your seat at the table and the power of kindness.

Find Mikayla:

Mikayla's Northstars and frameworks:

Kieran Flanagan - Hubspot
- He co-hosts the Marketing Against the Grain podcast
Emily Kramer - B2B SaaS advisor (pay for her Substack)
- She writes the MKT1 newsletter (Mik recommends subscribing)

ANZ operators—ones to watch:

Harry Flett - Head of Product @ Tracksuit
Matthew Rossi - Founder @ Oodle | ex Eucalyptus, Canva
Jo Blundell - Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer @ Aglow | ex Timely

Other folks mentioned in the episode:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 26. A new era, Handing over Calling Operator to Laura Nicol, from front row with Anna Wintour to Chief Of Staff at Co Ventures

Laura Nicol — Mon, 8 Jul 2024 22:08:10 +0000

Episode summary:

This week, we’re thrilled to introduce Laura Nicol, the new host of the Calling Operator podcast! In this special transition episode, we get to know Laura and her incredible journey—from the front rows of London Fashion Week beside Anna Wintour and Vivienne Westwood to the picturesque Queenstown, New Zealand, where she was among the first employees at First Table, and finally, her role as Chief of Staff to Maxine Minter at Co Ventures.

Laura shares her insights on thinking driven by repeatable motions, learning resilience from athletes, and the unique perspective of the CoS role. She also provides an amazing list of resources that have shaped her career.

Join us as we explore Laura's story, her plans for the podcast's future, and how she’s ready to supercharge Calling Operator beyond our wildest dreams. Tune in for an episode filled with personal stories, inspiring discussions, and exciting new beginnings.

Find Laura:

Laura's Northstars and frameworks:

Lenny’s Podcast
Jessica Livingston’s The Social Radar podcast
Maxine Minter and Cheryl Mack's First Cheque podcast
Stephen Bartlett’s Dairy of a CEO
MKT1 newsletter: B2B startup marketing guides, frameworks, advice & opinions from ex-marketing exec Emily Kramer
Lessons from Molly Graham
First Round’s '1 Review'
Airtree's Open Source VC
The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins

Other mentions:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

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Ep 25. Shilpa Mohan's journey from award winning interior designer to head of ops at ProcurePro and finding confidence through changes

Laura Nicol — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 22:00:00 +0000

Episode summary:

This week, we sat down with Shilpa Mohan, Head of Operations at ProcurePro. We explore themes of confidence, career transitions, and true self-belief beyond external validation. Shilpa shares her inspiring vision for diversity in startups, highlighting the positive changes happening in the ecosystem. Tune in for personal stories, insightful discussions, and thought-provoking ideas on building a better future in tech.

Shilpa's resources:

Guy Raz: How I built this podcast
Acquired podcast
Scaling people: tactics for management & company building, Claire Hughes Johnson

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

Never miss an episode:

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Ep 24. Georgia Marshall on Building community, co-living across the world and small changes for big impact

Laura Nicol — Wed, 12 Jun 2024 19:00:00 +0000

Episode summary:

This week, Georgia Marshall takes us through her journey from Fishburners to founding Humans for Good and Flock. Georgia shares her experiences building communities, running pitch nights, and developing Flock, a database of diverse communities. Discover how she creates meaningful connections and leverages no-code tools. Perfect for anyone interested in community building and the future of co-living. Tune in for practical insights and inspiration.

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Ep 23. Jared Bergman's Journey to Vow — From Bionic Eyes to Blowing Up the Bioreactor (Not Literally, Yet)

Laura Nicol — Mon, 13 May 2024 22:00:00 +0000

Dive into Jared Bergman's journey on this week's episode, where he shares his transition from developing bionic eyes at university to pushing the boundaries of biotech at Vow. Discover the thrilling world of engineering innovative solutions for sustainable food production. This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the intersection of technology and sustainability—where science meets the dinner table. Join us to explore how Jared's work at Vow is shaping the future of food. Guest ideas? Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn. A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons. Never miss an episode: Subscribe on your favourite platform: - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - (Other) CallingOperator.com

Ep 23. Gaby Howard on Navigating the Shift from Founder to Operator in Tech: Insights from Carted and Flaunter

Laura Nicol — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 22:00:00 +0000

This week, we delve into Gaby's journey from founding Flaunter to spearheading operations and growth at Carted. Gaby takes us through her unique journey back to an operational role after experiencing the highs and lows of being a founder herself, the shifts in mindset and approach required when moving from leading your business to amplifying someone else's vision. Guest ideas? Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn. A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons. Never miss an episode: Subscribe on your favourite platform: - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - (Other) CallingOperator.com

Ep 22. Polina Nesterova on Pioneering Meaningful Change in Health Tech with Neurode, Inventia Life Sciences, and HealthMatch

Laura Nicol — Mon, 1 Apr 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Resources mentioned:

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Ep 21. Emma Earley From Unconventional Paths to Remarkable Outcomes: Defying Norms & Embracing Inclusive Leadership at Remarkable

Laura Nicol — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Resources mentioned:

Fair Play by Eve Rodsky

Emotional Agility by Dr. Susan David

Guest ideas?

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Ep 20. Deanna Hood on Becoming a technical leader in Health Tech robotics at Vexev and Inventia, Embracing Learning as a Skill and Shattering STEM Stereotypes.

Laura Nicol — Mon, 4 Mar 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Find Deanna here:

TikTok / @deanna.stem

Instagram @deanna.stem

https://dhood.io/

Resources mentioned:

Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking

Brave not Perfect: Fear less, Fail more and Live Bolder

https://www.meetup.com/ <--- The power of connections

Guest ideas?

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Ep 19. Sam Garven from dreaming of living in the forrest studying gorilla's to people leadership at ZipCo, Kinde + more

Laura Nicol — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 02:50:52 +0000

You can find Sam here on Linkedin

Resources mentioned:

WGEA report: Gender Pay Gap
Fair Work amendments 2024
Josh Bersin Podcast

Guest ideas?

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Ep 18. Holly Brooks - From Childhood in Doha to Overcoming Early Career Hurdles, Achieving Her Dream Job at Startmate

Laura Nicol — Mon, 5 Feb 2024 21:00:00 +0000

Resources mentioned in this episode:

MKT1 Newsletter

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk M.D.

Guest ideas?

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Ep 17. Nicole Meaker on studying Engineering in adulthood, figuring out what you actually find interesting and working at Marqo as a Product Manager

Laura Nicol — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 03:22:54 +0000

Listen to this interview with Nicole Meaker and dive into...

Unexpected Paths Lead to Rewarding Careers: Nicole's journey into tech was unplanned. Despite an initial lack of interest in math and science, her diverse experiences, including working in bars and a call centre, led her to discover a passion for technology. A reminder to never forget the importance of exploring and being open to unexpected career paths.

Continuous Learning and Adaptability: Nicole emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, as seen in her decision to study engineering in her twenties and her varied roles in IT. Listen to hear about how adaptability helps growth in an ever-evolving tech industry.

Challenges for Women in Tech: Nicole's experience reflects the challenges women face in tech, including being often the only woman in a team and encountering gender-based barriers and harassment. Her journey underscores the need for and is part of the solution for greater diversity and inclusion in the tech sector.

Balancing Parenting and Career in Tech: While admitting she is very tired, we explore concepts of flexibility and Nicole shares how she believes she's become a better operator, and parent thanks to her career.

Listen to the full episode and please send any feedback either email me at palomabnewton@gmail.com or ping me directly here on Linkedin

Also get in touch if you or someone you know would be a great guest on the pod! ☎️

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Ep 16. Alex Crawshaw from boarding school to a grad job at Deloitte and then finally landing a dream role at Halter

Laura Nicol — Sun, 10 Sep 2023 22:00:00 +0000

Alex Crawshaw is a finance manager and chartered accountant at Halter, a New Zealand AgTech startup on a mission to enable farmers to run more productive and sustainable farms. Alex grew up in NZ and went to boarding school (with her now founder, Craig Piggott!) before university which ended up with her landing a grad job at Deloitte. We chat through Alex's journey, passion for her role at Halter and tips for anyone thinking of making the transition from corporate, to a startup environment. Guest ideas? Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn. A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons. Never miss an episode: Subscribe on your favourite platform: - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - (Other) CallingOperator.com

Ep 15. Dr Izzy Bigio from six years at med-school, to two years as a Doctor and then a massive personal rebrand before landing at Blackbird as a community partner

Laura Nicol — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:00:00 +0000

** Apologies for the radio silence! I have moved interstate, had some tough family news and am also at a new job - this episode is an absolute banger to come back to, so please enjoy 🙏 ** This week I sat down with Dr Izzy Bigio, Blackbirds Aotearoa-based Platform manager and my first colleague to come on calling operator. Izzy takes us through her journey to start-ups, after being fixated on med school as a teen, spending six years studying medicine, spending two years (during a pandemic) as a doctor only to have a bit of a life-altering realisation: she doesn't want to be a doctor, and perhaps the narratives she's fed herself her whole life... maybe they're not true? Thrown in with some practical tips on what to do when you find yourself in a new role that might feel like a completely different way of existing. Listen on for some laughs and life lessons. Guest ideas? Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn. A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons. Never miss an episode: Subscribe on your favourite platform: - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - (Other) CallingOperator.com

Ep 14. Gemma Clancy & Will Richards, creators of the Overnight Success newsletter talk about building something from nothing

Laura Nicol — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +0000

Interesting in Overnight Success? find them here

Resources mentioned:

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

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Ep 13. Monica Masaoka from Airwallex on pushing against the conventional path, going from retail at Mecca to Zip co and finding her place in RevOps at Airwallex

Laura Nicol — Mon, 12 Jun 2023 21:30:00 +0000

Resources mentioned:

Scaling People, Claire Highs Johnson
Rosalyn Santa Elena, RevOps influencer
RecOps Impact Newsletter, Jeff Ignacio
Pavillion University

Guest ideas?

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Ep 12. Royina Bakshi from Nutromics on turning adversity into a superpower and finding the perfect spot in a MedTech hardware start-up

Laura Nicol — Mon, 8 May 2023 23:07:54 +0000

Resources mentioned:

Guest ideas?

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Ep 11. Carrie Gray from Atlassian on being a humming bird person and using her experience to cross pollinate the world

Laura Nicol — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 20:22:08 +0000

Resources mentioned in this episode:

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Ep 10. Garry Williams on a non-linear pathway into tech, loving life at Tractor Ventures and hard life stories

Laura Nicol — Mon, 6 Mar 2023 21:00:00 +0000

**Content warning at the bottom of this section**

** Please note that this episode touches on grief and murder and may be distressing for some listeners. If you or someone you know is experiencing grief, please visit the below resources and remember to take care of yourself.

https://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Griefline 1300 845 745

Lifeline 131 114

Headspace 1800 650 890

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Ep 9. Estelle Berton on landing at Eucalyptus, the power of peer learning and removing 'sorry' from your vocabulary

Laura Nicol — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 21:00:00 +0000

Resources mentioned:

Guest ideas?

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Ep 8. Bronte McHenry, Storyteller, Ex-Startmate, Ex-SmartCompany 5 Life lessons & 20+ resources wrapped in a beautiful story

Laura Nicol — Tue, 31 Jan 2023 08:16:09 +0000

Podcasts:

Lenny’s podcast

Future of storytelling
Unseen Unkown

The future of everything

Newsletters:

Why is this interesting

The irrational labs newsletter

Guest ideas?

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Ep 7. Lance Hodgson, from semi-professional soccer to VP of marketing at Sitemate. It's all about intentionality, and consistency.

Laura Nicol — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 21:00:00 +0000

Lance Hodgson had a decision to make, go on to try and become a professional soccer player OR move to California and study marketing. It's pretty fair to say he made a great decision. Now, VP of Marketing at Sitemate, one of Australia's next big rocket ships. We caught up on his journey, tips on how to supercharge your career and an interesting note about not being identity-driven. Guest ideas? Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn. A note from your host, Laura: My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons. Never miss an episode: Subscribe on your favourite platform: - Spotify - Apple Podcasts - (Other) CallingOperator.com

Ep 6. Sophia Witherington on scaling the Startmate fellowship through push back, Product management at Canva (and cleaning the fryer at KFC)

Laura Nicol — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 10:00:13 +0000

Resources mentioned:

Angela Duckworth - Grit
Lenny's Newsletter

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS

1:39 - Sophia, from Scotland to Sydney
2:45 - Cleaning deep fryers at KFC
4:50 - Swapped my non-slip shoes for high heels
7:40 - A rant about typecasting
10:43 - An accidental share house with a founder
12:59 - One small step into Start-ups (part-time)
16:24 - One big step for the ecosystem (Startmate interview)
20:11 - 'It's a paid program, and now it's fully remote'
21:35 - How to scale and keep the magic
33:07 - Enter Lauren Caplin (and the glory days)
34:30 - Making it mainstream
39:07 - How Sophia operates
41:33 - Product management at Canva
54:43 - Biggest learnings and advice
48:23 - Who's an incredible Aussie operator
51:23 - Read broadly
52:33 - Sophia's vision for the future

Guest ideas?

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Ep 5. Jessica Telford on vulnerability as a superpower, what customer success actually is and the world of Culture Amp

Laura Nicol — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 06:15:30 +0000

0:29 - Jessica Telford, upbringing and background
4:40 - Moving to London and landing the wrong job
8:15 - First interview at a tech startup, setting in motion the next decade
10:15 - The early days of customer success
13:02- Learning to be vulnerable at work
14:29 - It's cool to fail; there is so much learning
16:43 - All about Culture Amp
22:22 - Reframing redundancy and lessons for others
26:48 - What makes a good customer success person in tech?
32:56 - Putting your learning and development first
34:33 - Leaning into what is hard
40:32 - the importance of asking for feedback
48:22 - How to deal with imposter syndrome
56:03 - Jess's vision for the future of customer success

Guest ideas?

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Ep 4. Katie Noonan from being a Lawyer to democratising access to learning with Forage.

Laura Nicol — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 03:05:00 +0000

In this episode, we cover:

(01:09) Katie's background, strong opinioned child to Law grad

(02:32) Moving to the NT to work with indigenous communities

(04:51) Taking a job at Indigenous Business Australia and discovering pitching and partnerships

(08:06) Joining Startmate women's fellowship as due diligence on the ecosystem

(10:11) Outreach hesitation and the first meeting with Forage's founder, Tom Brunskill

(15:08) All about Forage's mission and work

(19:01) Navigating ambiguity, being comfortable with pivoting and getting comfortable that some things don't work out.

(23:34) Jumping around a lot but approaching every job from the mindset of a CEO

(26:23) Pitching a new role within a business.

(31:34) Opportunities that come out of growth and moving to the US

(33:35) How Katie operates

(38:16) Being impressed by Startmates women's fellowship and the willingness to give back.

(40:13) The power of narrative (over non-fiction writing)

(41:03) How surfing is a metaphor for start-ups, riding the wave and being humbled (and how she's dealing with a lack of surfing in NYC!)

(43:43) Katie's vision for the future, both personally and for Forage.

Guest ideas?

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Ep 3. Daphne Shen from LiDAR to Lyka and how having a service-oriented attitude can take you anywhere.

Laura Nicol — Tue, 1 Nov 2022 02:33:53 +0000

Episode timestamps:

4m - Hackathon, Daphne co-founds a VR solution for learning Japanese
14m - Volunteering at Blackbirds sunrise and dipping into the ecosystem
17m - Joining Baraja and becoming Chief of Staff to the CTO of a LiDAR hardware start-up
27m - LiDAR to Lyka, self-driving cars to pet wellness
32m - Over-coming imposter syndrome
39m - Practical resources for staying organised

Resources mentioned:

Shirts of Startups: the human stories of inspiring founders
The bullet journal method
Right Click resource list
Afterwork readings
Blackbird resources

Guest ideas?

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Ep 2. Daragh Kan, from falling into hospitality at 13 to becoming the first product hire at Mr. Yum

Laura Nicol — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 01:00:00 +0000

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Marty Cagan, INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

Lenny Rachitsky ‘what is product management

Getting things done, David Allan

Stolen focus, why you can’t pay attention, Johann Hari

Guest ideas?

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Ep 1. Harry Hamilton on moving from the big 4 to product management at Safety Culture, to coaching product at Minnow.

Laura Nicol — Tue, 4 Oct 2022 06:14:37 +0000

I sat down with Harry Hamilton to talk through his journey from management consultancy into the early days of SafetyCulture and how his superpower of breaking down complex problems has led him to founding Minnow, a course for aspiring product managers.

Learn more about Minnow Learn here
Learn more about SafetyCulture here

Guest ideas?

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