You are a leader in your field. What advice would you give to young women seeking opportunities in creative agencies?

The first thing to say is we need you! We really do. I was fortunate to have a couple of great female role models during the time I was “coming of age” in the industry but at that time it was not the norm. Now that it’s 2024 you’d like to believe that times have changed but there are systemic issues, behaviours and rules that still need to be rewritten. And these are not just issues around gender, but also ageism. We need great female role models who are committed to being active in the creative community, reshaping it, and being a part of it for the long haul.

I am really against this new trend of the ‘lazy girl job” because it has been often connected with creative agencies and I think it’s worth mentioning because working in a creative field is not always easy. The work can be challenging, the hours can be long, and the pay is not always commensurate with the effort – there certainly are easier ways to make a buck! If you’re deciding to be part of this community, it’s probably because – like me – you simply can’t imagine doing anything else. You have to be passionate, you have to be purposeful in what you’re trying to achieve, and you have to be fearless in that pursuit. Given what I mentioned about ageism, if you want to have a career in a creative agency in your mid-forties and beyond, then you’re really going to need to work hard to find ways to remain relevant and at the top of your game.

If you’re adding the complexity of also wanting to be a mother while working in the creative industry there are pluses and minuses to that specific to our industry. My advice to the women I have mentored is that you want to get far enough on your career journey to have earned the leverage to set the terms of your engagement when you return to work. Junior roles tend to be more reactive and full time while senior roles have more intense pressures and responsibilities, but you manage your own time, you’re less reactive to urgent demands, and able to prioritise what’s important. On top of that, if you’re proven yourself to be truly valuable to the company you can usually negotiate to reshape your role in a way that ticks all your boxes.

You are a mother, work full-time and handle the ever-competing priorities of family life and work. We won’t ask you how you do it all, but instead, what do you do to avoid burnt out and find spaces to keep on growing personally and professionally?

The truth is, it can be hard and there have been times when I have felt like all the signs were there that I should just put my career in cruise control. But as I said before, I have the audacity to believe I can be a great mum, and great at my work, and deep down my purpose is to help pave the way for other women in the creative industries to achieve that too.

The key for me is focusing on the long game and not getting too swept up in my own narrative about how tired I am, or what bad luck it is that the kids are sick (again), or that the meeting got moved during school pick up and now I must apologise for leaving early (which is so unfair!), and so on. It’s important to have perspective that these years are relatively short-lived in the context of a whole career and your child’s whole life – and to remember what you’re doing it for.

On a more practical level, it’s critical to have boundaries both with your work and your family – set the expectation for what you are willing to give and what you need in return. The times when I’ve tried to “do it all” have been a spectacular failure. Get as much support around you as can – and if you don’t have that available through family, get as much as you can afford. It’s an investment into your health, your career, and your relationships.

The last thing I’ll add is the importance of exercise. Before having kids, I was incredibly active and competed in triathlons. Nowadays I must be realistic about what’s possible. My alarm is set for 5am every weekday and I go for a power walk or run, which is when I either listen to podcasts for learning and inspiration, zone out and think about a work challenge, or I simply prime myself for the day. This practice is the most important part of my workday because it’s the chance to really focus and get clear space away from all the noise. Anyone who works in the creative space will know that your best ideas never come to you when you’re sitting at your laptop!

We have to ask: what Stella Prize nominated book have you read recently?

I am an insatiable reader and typically have three kinds of books on the go at all times; a book on parenting, a business or psychology book and a work of literary fiction. At the moment this includes The Whole Brain Child by Daniel Siegel, Not Now, Not Ever by Julia Gillard, and most excitingly 2024 Stella Prize winner Praiseworthy by Alexis Wright. On top of this I’ve had a copy of 2022 Stella Prize Winner Drop Bear by Evelyn Araluen on my nightstand for the last six months at least, and I treasure it dearly. I adore poetry and this book is one that I’ll often come back to and ruminate over in moments of quiet reflection. The thing that I appreciate most about the Stella Prize list is the courageousness of the authors in creating work that is so personal, so original, and so daring. For me a mark of great fiction is one that has moved me or stirred something within me by the end of the first page, if not the first paragraph. It’s a feeling that I cherish and something I know I’m guaranteed to get from the incredible women and non-binary writers who are celebrated as part of the Stella Prize.