Candid Conversations: Recent Episodes
Women In Progress
A podcast for those who want to hear real talk about real work issues hosted by Jackie Chung, Shirley Lee and Wendy Banos. It's a safe space exploring relevant and common work-related topics and taboos, discuss challenges and wins in and out of the workplace and ultimately show that everyone's definition of career success is different... and that is absolutely fine! We will share stories from people who are a part of the Women in Progress community and dive deep into the lessons and opportunities to grow. We believe the only definition of career success is the one defined by you, so whether we debate topics amongst ourselves or bring in guests to share experiences, explore their reflections and learnings from their career to date; there is something for everyone. So, grab your airpods and join in the conversation!
Life and love lessons from a teacher and metalcore drummer Sitting down to talk to Tessa and Daniel Furnari is like watching the ending of a rom-com, the laughter and banter in the cheeky flow of conversation is underscored by deep love and respect for each other that has been built on shared values and experiences. What is it like to be married to the lead drummer of Polaris? What do you do to support your partner when Covid 19 shut down classrooms and live venues alike? How do you navigate financial goals when one person is on a salary income whilst the other depends on an array of income streams that are not consistent? What is it like when your partner spends a significant portion of time on the road touring and teachers spend 14 hour days preparing for class? All these questions and more answered in our next episode with this lovely couple who shared earnestly with us and left us with so much confidence in embracing all unconventional careers and match ups in life and love! Asktheduo UX designer and mobile banker by day, Podcast hosts by night Sam Duong and Amelia Lee have been together for over a decade and when you talk to them, it’s very obvious there is a strong friendship and partnership in love and business that underpins their success. Both in full time roles, busy social calendars, they also manage to run the amazing asktheduo podcast exploring relationships and building a better mindset through learnings about different perspectives from those around them. What is it like to live and work together? Who is the more organised one between the two of them when it comes to housework and finances? How do you navigate different communication styles in a relationship as a couple and then as business partners? This dynamic duo were an absolute joy to talk to and we are excited for you to get to know these individuals on the episode!
We are back with Part II to delve deeper into the personal finances habits and principles of our finance gurus Queenie and Pablo. They share how they have built their net wealth from scratch and the lengths they went to to save and invest, before paying themselves from their business income. What does financial freedom look like to our couple and why budgeting is a key learning that even the best recommend to keep track throughout time regardless of how much you earn and stage in your career. Queenie and Pablo share some advice on how to tackle the household chores as well as how gratitude and perspective have been key in challenging moments they have faced in career and in life.
Queenie Tan and her partner Pablo Bizzini share insights into their incredible journey as licensed personal finance content creators, amassing an impressive 400,000 followers across their social media platforms on @investwithqueenie. Queenie started from humble beginnings earning minimum wage and has built her own net wealth to 6 figures in a few short years which we get to hear a bit about how that journey begun. Not only do the pair share many practical money-saving strategies and investment wisdom and they also talk about how they balance household responsibilities, offering a glimpse into the art of harmonising personal and professional aspects of life. What is most unique about this couple is how they set clear boundaries between their roles as business partners and life partners. From navigating the day-to-day challenges to crafting a path to wealth through earning, saving, and investing, Queenie and Pablo transparently lay out their experiences, leaving us inspired to tackle finances and boundary setting ourselves!
Welcome back to the subsequent segment of Steph and Gian's episode. We learn how Steph, the ingenious architect, orchestrates her creative endeavors between the hours of 10 pm and 2 am, fashioning lunches as she finds momentum with her creatives designs. Conversely, Gian assumes the mantle of orchestrating evening meals, ensuring domestic order as the day concludes.Building upon their empathy for each other, the couple's adeptness in this realm becomes more evident. The crucible of The Block has profoundly emphasised their appreciation for each other's distinctive attributes and competencies.They also earnestly share insights into the realm of their finances. The rollercoaster of business income are navigated by Steph, juxtaposed against Gian's more predictable financial stability through his tenure at a finance-oriented startup.However, our narrative remains incomplete without delving into their aspirational trajectories and pursuit for calculated risk-taking. Their experiences, from The Block's challenges to the zenith of their vocational pursuits, exemplify their chase for fulfillment. Tune in as we continue to explore the rich tapestry of Steph and Gian's journey.
Get ready for an episode filled with love, dedication, and a blueprint for success as we chat with Steph and Gian, the dynamic duo who stole hearts as contestants on The Block's exhilarating 19th season. These high school sweethearts of 14 years have not only mastered the art of building a lasting relationship but have also constructed thriving careers – Steph as an architect and Gian in the fast-paced world of finance startups.Tune in as they share how their grandparents' work ethic laid the foundation for their achievements, and how they've skillfully "stayed in their own lanes" while supporting each other's career paths. With The Block's challenges pushing them to collaborate in new ways, they've not only cemented their bond but also saw Steph's architectural dreams reach new heights, thanks to the show's propelling impact.So, grab your hard hats and join us for an episode that's bound to nail the essence of teamwork, dedication, and constructing a life filled with love and success. Don't miss this chance to build your own inspiration from Steph and Gian's incredible journey!
Join us for the highly anticipated second installment of "The Power of Partners" episode, where we dive even deeper into the dynamics that make strong relationships thrive in the context of career. Our guests Steven Banos and Alex Tran continue to unpack the secrets behind maintaining a powerful partnership when it comes to finances, the balancing act of household labour and leave us with some wisdom on how best to support your partner's career and personal growth. We can't wait to for you to hear this enlightening and empowering conversation!
In this banter filled and revealing episode of "Candid Conversations" we welcome two very special guests - Wendy's husband, Steve, and Jackie's partner, Alex. Join us as we dive into the intimate and often unseen aspects of Wendy and Jackie's lives, exploring the impact Steve and Alex have had on their career journeys, decisions, and core values. We explore the dynamics of their careers, the challenges they've faced, and the lessons they've learned together. Does one partner earn more than the other? How do they manage differing work hours and commitments? Stay tuned for Part 2, where we continue to explore how the couples tackles finance and household dynamics - you won't want to miss it!
In this episode, we sit down with Jenny Tian, a former digital consultant at Deloitte who took a leap of faith and ventured into the world of stand-up comedy. Along the way, TikTok accelerated Jenny's limelight in her comedy career, propelling her to newfound fame and success. However, Jenny also faced her fair share of challenges, including not being chosen within the industry or reaching expected milestones and levels of success. Undeterred, she pivoted online, utilising social media platforms to allow her audience to discover her unique brand of comedy. Jenny's background in marketing played a significant role in overcoming the challenges of selling her own brand. She learned valuable lessons about understanding her target audience, sharpening her point of difference in such a competitive field. Her marketing expertise has helped her strategically position herself and effectively connect with her audience, establishing a strong and loyal fan base. Diversifying income became a key aspect of Jenny's resilience, and she reveals the significance of having a solid plan when deciding to embark on something different. She passionately highlights the need to rely on multiple sources of income, sharing invaluable insights into financial stability within the entertainment industry. Join us as we delve into Jenny Tian's remarkable career transition, filled with laughter, perseverance, and the unwavering pursuit of her dreams. Discover the empowering lessons she learned about chasing one's passion, defying industry expectations, and how her marketing background has sharpened her point of difference in the competitive world of comedy.
Elisabeth Goh is a woman of many talents and passions who oozes eloquence, integrity and good humour beyond her years and wears many hats on any given day; a photographer, mentor, NSW Rural Fire Service Firefighter and a strong advocate for mental health and diversity across many well known charities including Headspace and KYDS Youth Development Service. On top of that she has loved her full time jobs over the years that have given her varied experiences in politics, government and consulting anchored in helping and bettering the lives of fellow human beings. What we found in our heart-warming and honest chat with Elisabeth is that the biggest transformation in her career was not just in her roles in moving from government to consulting but one of the most courageous moments was coming out publicly this year as bisexual at Sydney's Mardi Gras. Elisabeth's passion to live with intention guided by her strong self awareness of her deeply held values was a great reminder for us to prioritise what is important in your career and life using the 80/20 rule, the joy of serving the community and creating safe spaces for others as well as learning how to have "human" conversations with those who may not share similar values or support the LGBTQI+ community.
Beatrice Huang has not looked back since changing industries 3 times in the last 6 years, embracing all the lessons learned at each cross-road in her career so far. She embodies grace and honesty about her career changes from investment banker to corporate property strategist and now studying a masters in organisational psychology whilst working part-time at AccessEAP. Through all of the change, risk-taking, confusion and in her own ways "emotional rollercoaster" that has been pivoting into different industries, Beatrice's desire to find a career that aligns with her desire for a sustainable work life balance and with her genuine passion to understand human connection and dynamics is inspiring. She shares so many practical tips and a "how to guide" in changing industries that will help anyone who is curious about dipping their toe in an industry that is different to where you are today. This chat with Beatrice left us empowered, encouraged and filled with courage to take a calculated and well researched risk that aligns with your values and vision for your life without comparing your journey to others.Instagram
They say the biggest changes in life often come at once and it was no different for our first guest in S2 of Candid Conversations: Transitions, Matt Papasavva. Matt has moved through the ranks in the media industry across client and agency side. He took the road less travelled and a leap of faith leaving the world of established media agencies and moved to This Is Flow - an independent digital media agency that had humble beginning with a headcount of 2. Now Managing Director at This Is Flow, it has worked out for Matt and the team taking home the AdNews Media Agency of the Year a few weeks ago! Along the way, he has also become a new dad, taking on another major change that has provided great perspective in his working life and what he hopes to see for the future of the media landscape. Often referred to as "the happiest man in media", his candour and humble nature had us laughing and nodding along as he shared his secrets and challenges in making the leap as an individual contributor to manager and then finally to the leadership team.
in a world where it is often sprouted that climbing up the corporate ladder defines career “success”, horizontal or lateral moves are not talked about enough or get the recognition they deserve. There's often a misconception that someone who moves sideways or remains in their current role for a long period of time, is not progressing and therefore “pleateauing” or “stagnating”. In our latest discussion, we talk about why this may not be the case and why a promotion might not be the best decision for every individual.
Have you always wondered what your colleague is making and if your salary stacks up? Wonder no more! As of December 7th 2022, the Australian government passed the bill to remove pay secrecy clauses in employment contracts via the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022 (Cth) (Act). This means it is a workplace right for employees to disclose (or not disclose) information regarding their renumeration and terms and conditions of employment required to calculate their renumeration without any penalty e.g. getting dismissed. This applies to all new employment contracts entered into after December 7th. Those with contracts before Dec 7th will need to have their contract varied for the new legislation to apply. We discuss what it mean for us as employees and does it really help shift the taboo topic of money amongst colleagues and friends?
When December 1 rolls around each year, it evokes a sense of disbelief the year is coming to a close, gratitude for the moments that have lit up the year, reflection for the roadblocks and challenges that have kept us up at night and anticipation for the new year that is just around the corner. At WIP, we have gone through all these emotions as we close out our first 8 months on the podcast airwaves with a conversation on our favourite learnings from our guests on Candid Conversations, our own reflections for our work journeys and what we hope to bring into the new year to bring our best selves to work. We hope you enjoy the discussion as much as we did and it reminds you to celebrate all the wins you've had this year in your work and embrace the learnings you've made to have your best year yet in 2023!
Since high school, Carmen Lin had a strong desire to become a lawyer but it wasn't until she started law school and paired with a degree in science, did she pursue the possibility of other avenues. She quickly realised the time and effort she put into law was not filling her cup and an internship experience confirmed law was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life When she paused law and focused on completing her honours degree and dove into her research thesis, it opened her eyes to what was possible in psychology and accelerated her path towards being a forensic psychologist. Armed with a masters, Carmen’s self awareness and passion for making an impact on the community is so clear in our conversation with her and her current role as the psychologist at a Youth Justice Centre. We admire her for her boundary setting between her work and personal life and took away a toolkit on engaging in difficult mental health conversations with family and friends. We are so excited to share this episode with so many gems and insights that are applicable to any industry in improving emotional intelligence and self awareness.
For this who don't know Shirley Lee, a lawyer at a large conglomerate and an avid supporter of giving back to the community, it would be easy to think she followed a linear path into law from university and her pro bono work was part of her day job. In our inspiring conversation with Shirley, her hard work and intentional decision making in her career began at the age of 12 when she started working at her parents’ restaurant. Translating legal contracts before most know what the legal system entails, her fierce desire to protect them from being taken advantage of has been a consistent theme in how she approaches her work and her non-work time: volunteering with her local legal centre and being a mentor with Dress for Success, a global social enterprise helping incarcerated women are a few of the things she does to pay it forward. In our Candid Conversation, we explore the importance of value alignment and identifying your purpose which has earmarked all of Shirley's success in her career so far and she doesn't shy away from discussing the impact of familial pressure, particularly expectations in Asian culture, perfectionism and juggling her multiple passions on top of her role as an in-house lawyer. We hope you walk away feeling as energised as we did in our conversation with Shirley, a champion who heroes the needs of others and genuinely help those around her.
A new term, "quiet quitting" has emerged in recent weeks to describe an increasingly common phenomenon of setting boundaries and deciding you won't be doing tasks outside of your job description and prescribed working hours. The antithesis of subscribing to the hustle culture, quiet quitters continue to fulfil their primary responsibilities, and chooses to do only the bare minimum rather than go above and beyond. In this episode, Jackie, Shirley and Wendy provide a highlights reel around the positives and negatives of quiet quitting and discuss some of the key views on quiet quitting!
If you don't know her by name, you will have likely heard her voice on Australia's largest radio station, broadcasting the important soundbites of the news cycle on KIIS and WSFM for the commute to and from work. Natalie Sekulovska, a journalist and news presenter always had her sights set on working in broadcast media. Even though she studied law and media at university, she was never distracted and was fuelled by her love and passion for theatre, speech and drama into telling a story with her versatility of her voice. What you might not know about working in radio is that the hours are not your typical 9-5 and we were so engrossed in learning more from Nat about her typical day as well as understanding the different roles she has dabbled in including being a producer and freelance writer for well-known publications like SBS The Feed. We learnt so much about what it is like to forge your own path when the path is not carved out for you, intentional networking and the importance of finding balance. We are so thrilled to share this episode with you and hope you learn as much as we did in this insightful and heartwarming conversation with Natalie.
Jackie Chung grew up in Sydney, following what seemed the typical trajectory of a child born to hard working immigrant parents: study hard, go to university and find a stable job. What was different for this Australian Born Chinese, however, was that she exceled at English at school and thrived when on the stage performing speech and drama. Story-telling, persuading and captivating an audience were two things she loved fueled by a curious business mind all throughout high school. These skills translated quite naturally into a career as a brand marketer where she has had varied experiences across FMCG and pharmaceuticals in large and small organisations, embracing a values led approach in all her roles and decision making. Whilst her career has seemed quite linear on the surface, it is the choices and challenges she has faced that inspire us to think outside the box when it comes to negotiating pay, finding your authentic voice even when your culture tells you otherwise and staying true to your values has allowed her to find fulfilment in her path.
Justine Felton has had a truly values led career with over 20 years experience in social impact in the UK and Australia. Inspired by her father, she wanted to make a lasting impact in the world. Starting in the not-for-profit sector, Justine has since had a wealth of experience across public and private sectors, including as a director in social impact at PwC and now as the Sustainability Group Manager at Stockland. Justine is a true leader in the sustainability sector, she has a rich passion for her work and has caused ripples in the industry when she brought the Corporate Responsibility Index to Australia, which involved influencing 25 companies to participate in the inaugural index and publically report their results. We loved talking to Justine about the importance of being kind to yourself throughout your career, her experiences transitioning from a manager into a leader, how imposter syndrome affects everyone, even when you're a veteran in your field and balancing work with raising three children. We left our candid conversation with Justine feeling inspired by her passion, wisdom and authenticity.
Kayla Lawrie's career journey is far from ordinary, marked from the start when she rejected the traditional school to university pathway to pursue her passion for dance. An injury early on changed her career trajectory and she found herself in Sydney working her magic at the Apple Genius Bar. If you asked Kayla 10 years ago if she imagined she would be in the UK advocating for women in tech at PwC and in her ambassador role at #IamRemarkable and Together In Tech, she would have said no. Kayla's strong work ethic, passion for giving back to those who come after her and sharp self awareness is admirable and earned her many accolades including Techwomen100 women in 2020. We could have talked to Kayla for hours about the gender pay gap, the importance of celebrating differences in team and normalising being vocal about your achievements as a female. We are so excited to share our candid conversation with her as she imparts her wisdom and own experience with imposter syndrome as a young, female in tech and how she continues to navigate the challenges in her field.
Wendy grew up as a Sydneysider with a strong passion for travel and found herself experiencing the sights and sounds of New York, Munich and Canberra. She started working as a paralegal at the ripe age of 15 on humanitarian law cases and from there, an intern at the United Nations headquarters, a policy officer in federal government, a manager at EY and has most recently started a role in stakeholder engagement in NSW government. She often is referred to as a chameleon, jumping through a broad range of roles requiring a varied range of skills without the need to specialise. What struck us in our candid conversation with Wendy was her confidence in navigating the unknown despite not having a “North Star” to guide her career path. We learnt how pivoting, side stepping and even taking a pause at different points in her career to ensure her values and lifestyle were always a priority has helped her define her own career success. We are so thrilled to share Wendy’s journey, a true representation of going with the flow and carving out your path with a holistic view of life and not just career in isolation.
You might know Nicole as the founder of health tech start up Kin Fertility, making waves in Australia as the first subscription pill service that has changed the lives of so many women. What you might not know is that she was also a consultant at McKinsey, dabbled in venture capital at Reinventure and found her feet as an analyst in investment banking at UBS. We were so engrossed in our conversation with Nicole and the lessons she shared navigating her atypical career and what it means to craft a path of your own; from grappling with parental pressures, cultural expectations and managing burnout to “following her nose” and pivoting towards things in her life that bring her joy, we are so excited to capture the wisdom and laughs of our candid conversation with Nicole Liu.
In our inaugural episode, Jackie, Shirley and Wendy discuss Candid Conversations and share the story behind why they started Women In Progress, the mission, our long-term goals and what they are most excited about!