Calling Operator with Laura Nicol

Gary Williams discusses his non-linear pathway into tech, imposter syndrome, and the importance of finding the right job fit. They also explore the world of sex tech, psychedelics in the tech industry, and the stigmatization of drugs. The hosts reflect on their podcasting experience and their goal of supporting unknown founders.

Estelle Berton, an Operations Manager at Eucalyptus, discusses transitioning from big corporations to startups, the importance of upskilling and learning from peers, navigating communication styles, the link between mental health and physical triggers, the importance of self-care, and her journey into DJing through peer-to-peer learning.

Podcasts:Lenny’s podcast Future of storytelling Unseen UnkownThe future of everything Planet Money Newsletters: Overnight success Lennys newsletter Not borning Why is this interesting The irrational labs newsletter 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:SpotifyApple Podcasts(Other) CallingOperator.com

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

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 founder12:59 - 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 magic33:07 - 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 advice48:23 - Who's an incredible Aussie operator 51:23 - Read broadly 52:33 - Sophia's vision for the future   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:SpotifyApple Podcasts(Other) CallingOperator.com

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 learning16:43 - All about Culture Amp 22:22 - Reframing redundancy and lessons for others26:48 - What makes a good customer success person in tech?32:56 - Putting your learning and development first 34:33 - Leaning into what is hard40:32 - 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?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:SpotifyApple Podcasts(Other) CallingOperator.com

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?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:SpotifyApple Podcasts(Other) CallingOperator.com

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 organisedResources mentioned: Shirts of Startups: the human stories of inspiring founders The bullet journal method Right Click resource listAfterwork readingsBlackbird resources  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:SpotifyApple Podcasts(Other) CallingOperator.com

Daragh Kan, a Senior Product Manager at Mr. Yum, shares their journey from working in the hospitality industry at a young age to becoming the first product hire at Mr. Yum. They discuss the benefits and challenges of their background, gathering customer feedback, problem solving and prioritization, transitioning from being a founder to working in an organization, and learning from others in product management.

Harry Hamilton, Founder of Minnow, discusses his journey from management consultancy to product management at SafetyCulture. Topics include building pathways for professional growth in product-led companies, the role of a product manager in a startup environment, the skill of facilitating conversations, and resources for product managers.