Pivot Club

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 countering violent extremism.  But academia was never where her story stopped. In 2016, Anne took another monumental pivot - into politics. She was elected as the Federal Member for Cowan, becoming the first Muslim woman in the Australian Parliament, and then a minister in federal government, shaping policy on multicultural affairs, small business and international development.  Along the way, she has championed issues close to her heart - from community safety to meaningful support for domestic and family violence survivors, turning her own life experience into public purpose. In this episode, Anne talks about how she navigated seismic life shifts with grit, compassion, and that same drive to make space for voices too often overlooked - and how she keeps pivoting even when the stakes are high. THE END BITS: Want more from Sarah Davidson? Check out her podcast Seize The Yay. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au  Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Anne Aly  Host: Sarah Davidson Executive Producer: Courtney Ammenhauser Senior Producer: Sally Best This show was brought to you in partnership with Charles Sturt University. Australia's largest and most experienced online uni. Take the next step. Search Charles Sturt University online. Complete our short survey about education for for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8467038/Ch Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 realized her "hobby" was actually her calling. She took a massive gamble, using her redundancy pay and travel savings to sign a lease on a tiny "shoebox" studio in Bondi. In this empowering episode of Pivot Club, Sarah and Tori cover the grit of DIY renovations, the risks involved when her husband quit his corporate job to join the team, and how their lo-fi workout videos accidentally prepared them for a global pandemic. They also dig into the "mini-pivot" of motherhood and how to build a business that serves your life, rather than the other way around. Get ready to learn why your biggest setbacks are often the things that propel you the most. THE END BITS: Want more from Sarah Davidson? Check out her podcast Seize The Yay. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au  Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Tori Clapham  Host: Sarah Davidson Executive Producer: Courtney Ammenhauser Senior Producer: Sally Best Audio Producer: Thom Lion  This show was brought to you in partnership with Charles Sturt University. Australia's largest and most experienced online uni. Take the next step. Search Charles Sturt University online. Complete our short survey about education for for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8467038/Ch Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 and cutting his expenses by 90%, he is on a mission to regain his financial freedom with a massive goal in mind: To save $100,000 in just 12 months. We unpack the "ego death" of leaving a "cool" city identity for high-vis and manual labour, the unexpected joy found in a simple existence, and how to tell the difference between what society wants for you and what you actually want for yourself. Join us for an honest and hilarious conversation about taking back control of your own timeline. THE END BITS: Want more from Sarah Davidson? Check out her podcast Seize The Yay. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au  Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review. CREDITS: Guest: Tim Abbott Host: Sarah Davidson Executive Producer: Courtney Ammenhauser Senior Producer: Sally Best Audio Producer: Thom Lion  This show was brought to you in partnership with Charles Sturt University. Australia's largest and most experienced online uni. Take the next step. Search Charles Sturt University online. Complete our short survey about education for for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8467038/Ch Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 degree to pursue a completely new career: As a high school English teacher. This is a raw and candid look at what it means to walk away from the top. We cover the creative job application that got her hired, the moment she crashed her boss's car (and kept her job), and the overwhelming "what have I done?" feeling that hits after you trade a high-prestige career for a student ID. Get ready to learn why sometimes, you have to "just jump.” THE END BITS: Want more from Sarah Davidson? Check out her podcast Seize The Yay. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au  Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.   CREDITS: Guest: Lize Ratliff Host: Sarah Davidson Executive Producer: Courtney Ammenhauser Senior Producer: Sally Best This show was brought to you in partnership with Charles Sturt University. Australia's largest and most experienced online uni. Take the next step. Search Charles Sturt University online. Complete our short survey about education for for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8467038/Ch Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 professional struggle - through divorce, miscarriages, failed exams and the financial lows of moving back into her own garage to make ends meet. Join us for a raw lesson in resilience, a look into the unseen "messy middle," and a powerful reminder that your lowest moments can be the fuel for your greatest chapter yet.   THE END BITS: Want more from Sarah Davidson? Check out her podcast Seize The Yay. Discover more Mamamia podcasts here. Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au  Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP. Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.   CREDITS: Guest: Jana Pittman Host: Sarah Davidson Executive Producer: Courtney Ammenhauser Senior Producer: Sally Best This show was brought to you in partnership with Charles Sturt University. Australia's largest and most experienced online uni. Take the next step. Search Charles Sturt University online. Complete our short survey about education for for a chance to win a $1,000 gift voucher in our quarterly draw! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8467038/Ch Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Pivot Club, where we sit down with people who've spent years building their lives… and then one day completely changed direction.  Whether it's celebrities who walked away from fame to study their true passion at university, corporate leaders who took up comedy and "fell up", or your neighbour who left teaching to world to start a food truck – we're here to uncover the real stories behind life's biggest pivots. How did they know it was time? What was the scariest part? And most importantly, what can YOU learn from their leap of faith?  Each week host Sarah Davidson, who herself pivoted from lawyer to hugely successful entrepreneur and author, has intimate, and at times hilarious conversations with both household names and everyday heroes who took the plunge! This is all about the messy, honest truth of reinventing yourself, because sometimes the best life is the one you never planned.  Pivot Club, dropping every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts.  This show is brought to you in partnership with Charles Sturt University. Australia's largest and most experienced online uni. Take the next step. Search Charles Sturt University online.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.