Holding Space for Unicorns

Coming to you today with a different kind of episode, a collaboration with another kick arse woman in technology, Hannah Young- who also recently started her own podcast called POV: You’re in Tech Starting out in the world of technology as a marketing coordinator, Hannah made the switch to sales when working for a small tech startup, despite saying she’d never work in sales! And she hasn’t looked back since. Starting out as an AE, before moving into an outbound BDR role at Aircall, she has spent time generating leads and pipeline, and then managing the sales cycle from beginning to end during her time at Liven. Han is an ambassador for Earlywork, an Australian startup helping individuals prepare for jobs in the world of tech- and freelances helping organisations and individuals with powerful visual decks. So excited to get cracking with this latest episode- we hope you enjoy! You can connect with Han on LinkedIn, and I've also included a link to her fabulous podcast in the notes above. About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children and a sales professional, who is about to begin a new chapter in her sales career (all to be revealed after Easter!). Her tech career spans 13 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies. Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach or participate in a silent disco there, and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ and at ⁠⁠⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠⁠⁠ on Instagram.

Ten episodes already! Not sure how that happened, but I have loved every minute of putting this podcast together. And I’m doing something a little different to kick off the new year and to stay true to the purpose of this podcast. I want to use this podcast as a platform for kick-arse women in technology to share their triumphs and challenges, their career journeys, their words of wisdom and what truly inspires them in work and life. But I also feel inspired at times to use my voice in the hope that it might be able to spark a little flame inside someone else, or support them in their own journey. This week’s episode is a mini one, and the topic is something that’s very close to my heart. A reflection on the lessons I’ve learned, and will be taking with me into 2024, as a working mother. It’s not a conversation this week, but a solo episode (getting me a little out of my comfort zone! I’m here for it!) Whilst sharing of my personal experience is largely focused on my profession, it’s not unique to technology sales whatsoever. I share in the hope that even one person will feel seen, and confident to take some different approaches in the new year as a working parent, or indeed when they return to work from parental leave. Did this resonate? Would you like to hear more solo episodes on different topics in the future. All feedback is welcome! About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children and a sales professional. Her tech career spans 13 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies. Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach or participate in a silent disco there, and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on ⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ and at ⁠⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠⁠ on Instagram.

On the latest episode of Holding Space for Unicorns, I have the great pleasure in chatting with Lisa Collins. Lisa is such a wonderful conversationalist and time just passed so quickly during our recording! Lisa is a Director of Experience Platforms at Accenture, where she works alongside executives who are reinventing their marketing, commerce, loyalty, sales and service capabilities in order to drive innovation and profitable business growth. Lisa has lived and worked across five continents, and has experience from some of the largest SaaS vendors globally, including Adobe and Oracle. Lisa is an industry commentator and speaker on topics spanning digital innovation, transformation and marketing. Some of the topics that got us excited were: The power of storytelling, in work, play and our every day lives Embracing generative AI, as it will allow us to dig deeper than ever before as creative individuals Great hacks for networking to make you feel less awkward, and connect on a different level with new people The privilege and responsibility we have in being women in tech at a time when things are really changing for women and The importance of delivering positive feedback to our mentors and the people who we look up to (and not just assume they get it all the time. You just never know when your kind words can make someone’s day, and we need to do more of this!) I’m so grateful to Lisa for spending time with me on the podcast today, and I’m sure you’ll agree it’s a real treat to listen to her insights. Her enthusiasm is infectious! You can connect with Lisa on LinkedIn here. About your host, Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children and sales account executive for Finnish marketing analytics unicorn, ⁠Supermetrics⁠. Her tech career spans 13 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies. Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach or participate in a silent disco there, and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and at ⁠@holdingspaceforunicorns⁠ on Instagram.

Megha Bhattacharya caught my attention from the moment she spoke on a mutual Zoom call. Her sense of humour, her ambition and her personal power are all qualities I admire. Originally hailing from India and now calling Amsterdam home, Megha has the attributes of a life long learner and has a fascinating story to share. Currently serving as a Senior Solutions Engineer at HubSpot, Megha continues to work with clients across Benelux & Nordics helping them drive growth using innovative technologies. Her passion for leveraging technology to empower businesses and enhance customer experiences has been evident throughout her career. Throughout our conversation we talk about: Keeping the cheerleaders In your life close to you Our mutual desire to empower others to eradicate self doubt, to share their opinions and step into the career they want and deserve The impact of practising improvisation, on a career in solution selling (a fantastic skill for life!) And of course, a multitude of other topics as two women who are called to leave the industry better than when they entered it. We hope you enjoy Episode 6 of Holding Space for Unicorns with the remarkable Megha. About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children and sales account executive for Finnish marketing analytics unicorn, Supermetrics. Her tech career spans 13 years across channel and direct sales, working for Australian and Global organisations where she has grown and thrived. Alicia loves working in high growth organisations in scaling teams, and helping customers solve their business challenges with best in class technologies. Prior to working in technology sales, Alicia graduated with a Master of Music from Monash University, performed with Victorian Opera in their chorus and taught Vocal Studies at several independent schools in Melbourne. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on LinkedIn and at @holdingspaceforunicorns on Instagram. About Megha Bhattacharya Megha's journey spans continents, as she grew up near Mumbai, India, and then ventured to Singapore at the age of 18 to pursue her studies. With a background in computer engineering, Megha embarked on a remarkable career path that has seen her excel in various customer-facing roles within the tech industry. From her early days with startups in Singapore to her experience working with renowned companies like Tableau and OutSystems, Megha's expertise and versatility have been honed through diverse experiences. Megha's international exposure extends beyond Singapore, as she has also worked in Dubai and most recently made the move to the enchanting city of Amsterdam. This global perspective has undeniably shaped her approach to living life to the fullest and has enriched her ability to connect with individuals and businesses from various cultural backgrounds. Currently serving as a Senior Solutions Engineer at HubSpot, Megha continues to work with clients across Benelux & Nordics helping them drive growth using technologies like HubSpot. Her passion for leveraging technology to empower businesses and enhance customer experiences has been evident throughout her career.

“Go for it, just follow your instincts”- words of advice from my inspirational guest on today’s podcast, Pearl Tang. Pearl's family is from Hong Kong, but she has spent her life in Melbourne, a city that has her heart (though Pearl is an enthusiastic traveller, and loves exploring and immersing herself in new cultures) A business transformation executive who has over 20 years of experience under her belt, Pearl is passionate about building and creating, working with her customers to enable them to build products that their customers will love. Pearl has worked with some of the largest enterprises across Asia Pacific, having been employed by one of the big 4 for much of her career. She is currently at AWS as a Senior Innovation Advisory Consultant. We discuss: -Pearl’s career journey and her passion for customer innovation -The importance of curiosity. Always be asking questions -Her excitement about the endless possibilities for technology, including the use of AI in industries like Healthcare, where it can make a huge difference to practicioner productivity but more importantly, patient care -The engagement of a mentor for a different stage or your career or life. This conversation was one of my favourites to date, and I hope you find Pearl’s contributions as valuable as I did. Additional resources provided by Pearl Smith College 2023 Commencement Speech by Girls Who Code Founder, Reshma Saujani- Because Imposter Syndrome isn't a syndrome at all, it's a scheme Financial services organisations implementing cloud training programs for women to upskill https://www.afr.com/technology/why-500-women-from-nab-signed-up-to-a-new-tech-program-20230131-p5cgpr https://www.techbusinessnews.com.au/news/700-women-at-suncorp-group-skill-up-through-amazon-web-services-cloud-training-program/ About Pearl Tang Pearl is a business executive with 20 years’ experience and has worked across business and tech. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) / Bachelor of Info Systems. She joined the Big 4 when she graduated and worked mainly in Management Consulting across large business transformation programs, usually as a Program Director or Program Manager. She’s now at Amazon Web Services (AWS) where she is focused on new product development and innovation. Her day job is all about helping customers figure out what new products or services to build that their customers will love; and then helping them get to build. She is a foodie, avid traveler and cyclist – getting outdoors whenever she gets the chance. You can connect with Pearl on Linkedin About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children and sales account executive for Finnish marketing analytics unicorn, Supermetrics. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on LinkedIn and at @holdingspaceforunicorns on Instagram

If a friend spoke to you the way you sometimes spoke to yourself, would you be their friend? And does it really matter what people think of you? It’s my great honour to welcome Denise Carson as my first guest, on Episode 2 of “Holding Space for Unicorns”. Denise is a senior sales leader, her most recent role being Regional Sales Director at Mulesoft (Salesforce). Hear about Denise's sales journey- from starting out in the family business in Ireland selling baby goods, to leading a dynamic team of sales executives in large enterprise organisations, and how her steadfast belief in herself and the value she brings to the table have led her to where she is today- a well respected leader, coach and ally for LGBTQIA+ and Neurodivergent communities. I’m so grateful to Denise for not only sharing her story with us; but for being part of my own journey in finding my voice. More About Denise Carson For more than 20 years I have worked in sales leadership across 2 continents. I absolutely love what I do and get my work joy from building high performing teams and helping people to grow and develop to achieve their potential. I am a firm believer in investing in people to deliver the objectives of the business. This is foundational to my leadership, and is how I have always tried to inspire people and cultivate trust. I also feel that having passion for what you do and really having fun while doing it are essential to a fulfilling successful career. Coaching and mentoring are exceptionally important to me. I am a certified coach and I spend a lot of my time in this area, which I find really fascinating and highly rewarding. I feel really strongly about diversity, equity and inclusion and for the last 2 years have been co chair of Salesforce’s LGBTQ+ equality group, Outforce, which is focussed on continually lifting the inclusivity bar in the workplace and in our community. Trans and non-binary rights are right up there for me and Intersectionality, is a huge factor in the DE&I work I do. I try to bring more focus to indigenous equity, inclusion of neuro-diverse people in the workplace as well as working with womens’ networks and trying to help women to advance in the still highly patriarchal IT industry. Outside of this, I am a mad, keen gardener and also a yoga student and teacher. I have taught at a yoga school on Sydney’s North Shore since 2007. Yoga has been my salvation, physically, mentally and emotionally and I am so grateful to the universe for helping me find my mat in this lifetime! Connect with Denise on LinkedIn Books Denise Recommends The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier The Myth of Normal by Dr Gabor Maté Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown About Alicia Payne Alicia is a mother of two young children and sales account executive for Finnish marketing analytics unicorn, Supermetrics. Connection is one of her greatest values and her passion is empowering others to find their voice through the sharing of stories, hence the creation of this podcast. When not working, mothering or interviewing inspiring women, Alicia loves to read, travel, walk along her local beach and head to the theatre. Connect with Alicia on LinkedIn and at @holdingspaceforunicorns on Instagram