Lady Startup

Sometimes, a pivot isn’t triggered by a failure.Sometimes, it happens because you keep looking for a way to make the world a little bit fairer. Anne Aly was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to Australia when she was just two years old. Her parents worked hard in factory jobs to give their family a foothold here - and those early experiences of displacement, resilience and possibility stayed with her. By her late twenties, Anne was a single working mother raising two young boys in Perth on the minimum wage. She knew what it meant to juggle life’s demands with no safety net - and she used that as fuel to keep pushing forward.  She went back to study - and then studied some more, earning a Master’s and a PhD focused on countering violent extremism. From there, Anne became a globally recognised expert in her field - advising the United Nations, publishing hundreds of academic works, and even being the only Australian invited to speak at President Obama’s White House summit on coun

Sometimes, a pivot isn't triggered by a failure. Sometimes, it happens when you’re winning. You can have the perfect life on paper - the apartment by the beach, the successful business, the long-term relationship - and still feel a quiet, persistent exhaustion. It’s that slow build of burnout that whispers: you are running 100 k’s an hour in the wrong direction. But what happens when you finally brave that change, only to face a hurdle you never saw coming? Jo Yates began her career studying analogue photography in the UK, right on the edge of the digital revolution. As the industry shifted beneath her feet, she was forced to re-educate herself - pivoting from photography into video production, then into large-scale event and marketing production here in Australia.  But alongside her creative career, Jo had a quiet safety-net hustle: flipping properties. What started as a way to create financial security slowly grew into something much bigger - until it became impossible to ignore. Then

What happens when the "dream job" you hustled so hard to get...suddenly disappears? You're trapped in the story of who you think you should be, convinced you only fit into one box. When life tears up the script, that loss of identity can be paralysing. But what if that ending is actually the best thing that ever happened to you? What if the thing you’re doing as a "side hobby" is actually an empire waiting to be built? Tori Clapham is the powerhouse founder behind the boutique fitness brand, Peaches Pilates. Today, she oversees an empire with ten studios, an app used in 54 countries, and over $4 million in annual revenue. But the path there wasn't a straight line. Tori began as a performing arts student, moving from Far North Queensland to NYC and eventually landing a coveted creative role at MTV. Everything changed when she was made redundant. Left with a $10,000 cheque and a major life decision, Tori looked back at the casual Pilates sessions she ran for colleagues during lunch breaks and realize

What happens when a six-month holiday turns into a 14-year life chapter? You pack a bag for a gap year in the snow and accidentally stumble into a whole new world - a career, a husband, a mortgage, and three children. On paper, it’s the fairytale expat dream. But eventually, the adventure stops feeling like freedom and starts feeling like distance. Georgia Louise was living that dream as a ski patroller in Canada. However, when the global pandemic hit, her perception of being "a flight away" changed to feeling "a world away". That was the moment of the pivot: The realisation that to move forward, she had to go back to where she started - but as a completely different person. In this episode of Pivot Club, Sarah Davidson talks to Georgia about the decision to pack up over a decade of life into seven suitcases to chase a dream she’d been ignoring for years: To become a nurse. Georgia opens up about the "messy middle" of relocating a family of five to regional New South Wales with no credit rating, n

What happens when you need a gap year from real life? When you’ve worked hard, climbed the corporate ladder and saved every penny to buy your first apartment in the big city, only to find yourself in a trap? Tim Abbott was living the quintessential city life. By 28, he had cracked the Sydney property market, secured a stable corporate career, and built a thriving side hustle making memes for over 100,000 Instagram followers. But behind the scenes, a shocking $11,500 quarterly strata bill and the crushing weight of the cost-of-living crisis brought him to breaking point. Tim realised he was "cosplaying adulthood" in a life he couldn't afford and didn't enjoy. So, he engineered what he calls a "Financial Gap Year." In this episode of Pivot Club, Sarah Davidson speaks with Tim about his decision to trade his laptop for a tractor. Tim explains how he quit his job in digital marketing, rented out his apartment, and moved to a rural farm in Queensland to work on a timber plantation. Now, living in a caravan a

What happens when you have the ‘perfect’ corporate job at a top-tier firm with a clear path to partnership, but deep down, you feel a pull towards something else? For Alex Marks, the founder of New York’s cult-favourite ‘Sushi Counter’, that pull wasn’t just a distraction - it was the catalyst for trading a high-flying legal career for a world of total uncertainty. Before she was serving thousands of rolls a day, Alex was a successful M&A lawyer at the top-tier firm Herbert Smith Freehills. She loved the late nights, the adrenaline, and the "in the trenches" camaraderie. But a dream transfer to New York became the catalyst for her pivot when she faced an immediate culture clash. Realising the US corporate world was an "individual sport" she didn't want to play, Alex was faced with a choice: Stay in a job that wasn't a fit, or risk it all. She chose risk. Pouring her entire $100,000 USD life savings into an idea, she quit her job and, a week later, signed a lease for a t

What happens when you're not just climbing the ladder, but standing at the very top? For Lize Ratliff, that meant achieving her dream job as Head of Podcasts at Mamamia, after 10 years hustling to get there. Lize’s journey is a masterclass in pure tenacity. She started at 19 as an intern from a small country town, so determined to work for Mia Freedman that she "literally didn't leave”. Over the next decade, she climbed the ladder through nine different titles - from intern to Mia's EA, to the first-ever producer of No Filter - eventually becoming the woman running the entire 29-show operation. For Lize, the birth of her first child was the catalyst for an enormous change. Realising the demands of the job were incompatible with the life she wanted as a mother, she and her husband came to a terrifying realisation: they needed to ‘blow up their life.’ In a move that left many stunned, they both quit their high-profile Sydney jobs, moved to Newcastle, and Lize enrolled in a Master's

What happens when you decide to take the leap with a dream you’ve been sitting on for years? For Lyndi Cohen, that dream meant pivoting into an industry she knew nothing about, long after she’d built her own successful empire.  Lyndi’s first journey began after a decade-long battle with binge eating, leading her to build an anti-diet media brand from the ground up. She shortly evolved into who we now know as ‘The Nude Nutritionist’, becoming a renowned TV expert, author and app founder, helping thousands heal their relationships with food and body image.  But one niggling idea wouldn’t go away...And now, Lyndi is making her most dramatic pivot of all. Leaping from the world of nutrition and landing herself straight into her very own fashion debut: launching a swimwear brand, Fearless.  In this episode of Pivot Club, Sarah Davidson speaks with Lyndi about this massive industry leap. They unpack the "messy middle" of her entire career: graduating with no job pr

What happens when your entire identity is built on being the best in the world? For Jana Pittman, one of Australia's most famous athletes, the singular goal of Olympic gold was repeatedly torn away by devastating injuries and gut-wrenching losses. You might think her biggest pivot was swapping the running track for the bobsled, becoming one of the very few athletes in history to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. But that wasn't it. Her real pivot was walking away entirely from being an elite athlete to become a doctor - all while raising six children. In this episode of Pivot Club, Sarah Davidson speaks with Jana about this massive career change. They unpack how you cope with failure when your mindset is "silver is the first loser", and how you go from being one of the best in the world to a complete beginner back at the bottom of the ladder, surrounded by people half your age. Jana shares the unfiltered story about how this profound pivot emerged from a period of intense personal and profe

INTRODUCING Pivot Club: What happens when you achieve the biggest dream of your life at 16? After national treasure Jessica Watson sailed around the world solo at 16, she had to figure out what to do next. The world expected more adventure, more record-breaking, something bigger and more dramatic. But, her first pivot was one no one saw coming: she went back to school, went to uni, got an MBA and built a career as a management consultant. After being homeschooled, study was a daunting prospect, but Jess didn’t let fear get in the way of making change. But that’s not the only pivot this conversation is about. Years after her voyage, Jess faced a challenge far greater than any storm at sea: the sudden, catastrophic loss of her long-term partner, Cam. That, she says, was her real pivot. In this episode of Pivot Club, Sarah Davidson speaks with Jess to find out how she navigated both of these life-altering changes. They discuss handling the crushing weight of expectation, building an identity sep

There's one moment that can completely transform your career trajectory, the job interview. Yet most of us approach it with outdated advice, generic answers, and crossed fingers. We rock up thinking we can wing it, hoping they won't ask about our biggest weakness and secretly panicking about whether we've done enough research. Meanwhile, there's always that one candidate who seems to have it all figured out, asking thoughtful questions and making genuine connections. What's their secret? The truth is, interviewing is a skill that can be mastered. And when you get it right, it opens doors you never thought possible. This week on BIZ, we're breaking down how to turn interview anxiety into interview advantage. Whether you're re-entering the workforce, changing careers, or climbing the ladder, this is your roadmap to interview success. Here's what we're covering: • The strategic research that sets you apart before you even walk through the door • Four powerful questions that demonstrate you're seri

Let's be honest...waiting until you feel "ready" to make a career move is like waiting for the perfect weather to start exercising. It's never going to happen, and meanwhile, everyone else is getting ahead. This week, we're diving deep into why learning isn't just nice-to-have anymore - it's career insurance. Our guest Andrea Clark has spent her career helping people adapt fast, and she doesn't believe in waiting until you're ready to grow. From recognizing when that "mutual value exchange" with your employer has run its course, to spotting signals of change before they become obvious to everyone else. We explore why Andrea invested $3,000 in an AI course back in 2017 (spoiler: it paid off massively) and tackle the biggest blocker to career growth - thinking you need to feel 100% confident before taking action. What you'll learn: • The "mutual value exchange" test to know when it's time to move on • How to spot signals of change 5 years before your industry • Micro-learning strategies for

Do you feel guilty for taking breaks? Put work ahead of your relationships? Ignore your health in the name of productivity? You might be stuck in workaholic mode without even realising it!  Meet your new BIZ hosts: Lisa Lie (former Head of People & Culture who worked herself into burnout twice in one year) and Em Vernem (Associate Editor at Mamamia who discovered that giving 80% at work prevents the burnout that comes from constantly operating at 100%). They've been trapped in the cycle, escaped it, and now they're exposing the workaholic trap that's keeping high-achievers burning out—even when they love what they do. You'll learn:  The signs you're already caught in the cycle Where workaholic tendencies actually come from (hint: it's not what you think) How the workaholic trap sabotages your daily life without you noticing Why that promotion might be making everything worse PLUS we take the University of Bergen’s 7-point Workaholism Test (finally, a way to tell the difference betw

Going from mate to manager can get weird, fast. One day you're in the group chat laughing with your colleagues, the next day they might be laughing at you behind your back. This week, we're tackling one of the trickiest workplace transitions: becoming the boss of your former teammates. We dig into why this shift feels so bloody awkward (spoiler: it's not just you), how to navigate the immediate identity crisis when suddenly nobody wants to gossip with you anymore, and the art of setting expectations without turning into a micromanager overnight. Plus, we reveal the coaching trick that gets people to solve their own problems, why letting your team do "B plus work" is actually good leadership, and when to recognise that management might not be for you - and that's completely okay. What you'll learn: The Reset Conversation: How to acknowledge the shift without making it weird The B Plus Work Philosophy: Why perfectionist managers fail their teams The Question Technique: The coaching trick that creates ownership

Ever suggest something new at work only to hear "that's just how we do things here" and watch the energy completely deflate? Yeah, we've all been there. This week, we're chatting with Wade Kingsley about breaking free from status quo thinking and actually getting your ideas heard without being shut down or laughed at (been there too). Wade breaks down why most workplaces are set up to reward playing it safe, how to identify whether you're a Dreamer, Doer, or Doubter on your team, and the genius strategy of testing ideas in kitchen conversations before you pitch them to the boss. Plus, we dive into why creativity isn't about having the most artistic job - it's about getting curious and asking "but what if we tried this instead?" when everyone else just accepts the way things are. What you'll learn: The Three Creative Types and why your team needs all of them (spoiler: it's not just about the big idea people) Why you should never pitch your brilliant idea to the boss first - and who to talk to instead The 'Fiv

Forget everything you think you know about career success, this is the secret playbook of one of Hollywood's most influential female executives. In this special episode, Em sits down with Sarah Harden, the Australian powerhouse who co-founded and was the ex-CEO of Reese Witherspoon's $100 million media empire, Hello Sunshine. Sarah reveals the exact strategic moves that transformed her from a politics grad into a leader who built a company responsible for hits like Big Little Lies and The Morning Show. Her philosophy? You have to "stretch and take yourself out of your comfort zone—there is incredible learning and growth in that." This is your practical blueprint for accelerated career growth. What you'll learn:  The Accelerator Move: The specific career decision that turbocharges growth (and why most women skip it). Doubt vs. Curiosity: How to strategically swap out self-doubt for a curious mindset when evaluating opportunities. The Fastest Path: Why stepping into discomfort is the non-n

Ever found yourself scrolling LinkedIn at 2 am wondering if you should completely change careers?The average Australian will have 5-6 career changes in their lifetime - so if you're considering it, you're not alone! Career pivots can feel equal parts exciting and terrifying. In this episode, we get into the real stuff: how to know if it's time to make a move, what to do when you're not sure where to start, and why "transferable skills" are more than just a LinkedIn buzzword. From personal stories to practical advice, we cover the trade-offs and key questions to ask yourself before making the leap. Our BIZ hosts are Lisa Lie - a former Head of People & Culture and Organisational Coach - and Mamamia’s Em Vernem. Learna is Lisa’s microlearning app for practical people skills at work. Expert-led lessons to build confidence, solve challenges, and work smarter - in under 7 minutes. Get it on Apple or Google Play.Sign up to the BIZ newsletter here That's a wrap on the BIZ season - thanks for lis

Feedback the word that makes most of us want to hide under our desks. Whether you're asking for it or giving it, feedback conversations can feel bloody awkward. But here's the thing: we all know we need it to grow. This week on BIZ, leadership coach Lauren Humphrey, co-founder of The Mentable chats how to tackle the feedback minefield. We're exploring why feedback feels so intense (even when we ask for it), the difference between feedback and feelings, and how to build feedback into your work relationships without making it weird. From the psychology behind why we resist feedback to practical scripts for giving it to your boss or peers, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you master one of the most important workplace skills. What you'll learn:  The SARA model - why we all go through shock, anxiety, resistance, and acceptance when receiving feedback How to tell the difference between feedback and conflict Real scripts for giving feedback to peers, bosses, and team members How to b

Lying on your resume when everyone else seems to be getting ahead? Struggling with reference dilemmas when your boss left on bad terms? Or maybe you've accidentally discovered your company's secret layoff plans and don't know whether to warn your colleagues? This week, we're diving into resume ethics, reference nightmares, and the ultimate workplace moral dilemma in our season finale. What you'll learn: • Resume Ethics Reality Check: Why changing your job title from "Marketing Intern" to "Marketing Coordinator" crosses the line from embellishment to lying, plus how to showcase expanded responsibilities without fabricating your actual role • Reference Dilemma Solutions: Navigating tricky reference situations when bosses leave badly, whether you can use junior colleagues as references, and how to politely decline being someone's reference when they weren't great at their job • The Ultimate Workplace Bombshell: What to do when you accidentally discover massive layoffs are coming while your colleag

Being a team manager isn't just about hitting targets - it's about helping your team grow and getting them ready for what's coming next. And right now, the skill that matters most is coaching! Let's be honest - most new managers feel like they're drowning. Everything's coming at them, everyone's coming at them, and they're stuck in that old-school "delegate and instruct" mode that leaves everyone frustrated. But here's the thing: coaching isn't some mystical two-hour journey exploration. It can be a five-minute conversation with four simple questions. This week, we break down why coaching is the unlock that transforms you from a micromanager into someone who actually develops their team. They're sharing the practical, no-nonsense approach that builds trust, develops independence, and helps you step back without stepping away. What you'll learn: • Why coaching beats the old "tell people what to do" management style every time • The difference between coaching, mentoring, and managing (and when to use