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