Category: Human Resources

The TrackSuit Economy with Emma Heuston


by Helen Butler

The TrackSuit Economy

In this conversation we chew the fat with the delightful Emma Heuston, author of The Tracksuit Economy:How to work productively AND effectively from home. Emma is also a Practice Leader (Partner equivalent) with NewLaw firm, LegalVision. Emma manages a team while working part time (4 days a week over 5 days) and remotely (in the beautiful Ballina in northern NSW).  Join us as we chat all things flexibility, remote working, managing teams remotely, finding flexibility that works for you, side hustles and more. 

AND of course you know you want the book too – you can search Tracksuit Economy on ibooks or find it on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Tracksuit-Economy-work-productively-effectively-ebook/dp/B07D3ZRGQW 

Finally, if you would like to connect with Emma on social media for more tips and tricks of remote and flexible work, here are the details:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/thetracksuiteconomy

Instagram: @the_tracksuit_economy

Adele & Tash: The CEO & HR Manager who make flexibility work!


by Helen Butler

This PodCast was such a delight to be a part of and we could have kept chatting for hours (hmm, yes okay we like to chew the fat).  We were so grateful to have Natasha Besliev, CEO of Bonnier Publishing Australia, and Adele Coultas, HR Manager of Bonnier Publishing Australia.

Their stories of flexible work, the dreaded term “work life balance” and how they’ve implemented a cultural change from presenteeism/standard office hours, to output driven is one that is inspiring.  These ladies just clicked when they first met, are both career women, mums, professionals who put their heart and soul it seems into everything they do.

This is a realistic look at teamwork, and an honest, pragmatic and true account of how to get flexibility right in the workplace.  It hasn’t been without hiccups, or opponents but it is being adopted very well.  This Podcast will give you a feel for what an interesting and successful company these two amazing woman are enjoying being apart of.

We find these ladies inspiring, thoughtful, considerate in their approach to people and delivering business outcomes with sensitivity, precision and care.  A huge Thank You to Tash and Adele for your valuable time.  Enjoy!

Carolyn & Priscilla – Absolutely Fabulous in their own way!


by Helen Butler

ab-fab

It’s a Friday lunchtime.  We could be at the gym, we could be reading a book, we could be running around crazy, performing any number of juggling acts, like most days, oh yes, and we could be at work…  but instead we are  drinking champagne, eating delicious food from The Mabel, and chewing the fat on flexibility. 

The fact that we each have the flexibility to do so is worth celebrating, but for single mums, Carolyn and Priscilla, flexibility is not a luxury but a necessity.    

Carolyn and Priscilla join us to chew the fat on the flexibility it takes to raise a child on your own – from deciding how many days to work once the kids are at school, to learning how to stop and smell the roses (roses?), to being able to ask for help, to feeling like you are not alone… and then there’s the conversation about … oh, that’s right, we had pressed stop by then thank goodness!  There was a limit on the warts and all… just!

Carolyn and Priscilla are both human resource champions.  They have both managed  and developed their careers whilst raising their children, sought out the flexibility they needed, and very much kept their sense of humour throughout.  They shared with us openly and candidly their challenges, what they wish they had known and what they do to make the juggle work for them.  We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.  Thanks Carolyn and Priscilla for your generosity, openness and for the ripsnorter laughs. 

img_8658

Thanks to the Mabel for a great lunch.

Holiday Queen


by Helen Butler

Laini

Laini Shaw is the Holiday Queen.  And I’m jealous.  She has managed to intrinsically manouvre a HR career and massive chunks of time off to enjoy her passion of travel.

How? What? Why? How? Blink, gulp, how on earth did this HR Professional manage to challenge the status quo, re-align her entrenched professional ethos of 4 weeks annual leave per year and move to a more holistic, laid back, balanced lifestyle.

Well, her gorgeous bloke had something to do with it.  A Mr “Challenge the Status Quo” kind of guy who adores the pants of Laini and gives her passion room to roam and her head space to think.

Laini is fabulous.  She talks us through her background and how she came to breakthrough her thinking of enjoying life more, embracing her passion and loving life more and more, enjoying and thriving in her career and taking stock on what’s important.  Laini lights up my world when I’m around her, I hope she lights up your life for 40 minutes or so and you can enjoy her story.

Laini hopes her chat with Helen will inspire others to think outside the box of 9-5 and do things that make their heart sing – including travel…take that trip!!!

You can check Laini out on Facebook or Instagram – The Occasional Israeli.  

Enjoy x

Finding Your Balance


by Helen Butler

Balance-scales

It’s a pleasure to bring you the altogether fabulous Jo Stevens.  Jo is someone who is ridiculously talented, hard working, courageous, smart, delightful and effortlessly classy.

I have had the pleasure of knowing Jo for over 8 years now and she helped me pass the dreaded Performance Management Class at Uni – I’m forever grateful Jo!  

Jo and her gorgeous partner Jamie, have a little guy Alfie and some ups and downs along the way which Jo talks about which will break your heart.  We want to acknowledge and thank Jo for sharing her heartfelt story with us, her candour, raw honesty, yet gentle and exploratory way of embracing life, hurdles and all that she shared was truly humbling for me.

Her approach to flexibility, pursuing life and passions and sharing the family load is gorgeous.  She’s considered, smart, breathtakingly refreshing in her pursuit of life.

I take my hat of to you Jo Stevens, you amazing Lady.  Knowing you professionally was an honour, but to have a journey with you into some of your most sacred world and for sharing it with us, was truly special, I sincerely thank you.

Ladies and Gents, the amazing Jo Stevens.

The Whole Package


by Helen Butler

CarPool Karoeke

What do you get when you put a Car Karaoke Queen who is a HR Guru together with a Travel Queen & highly intelligent CPA/IT/Business Transformation Specialist ….. you got it, The Whole Package.  We are delighted to introduce to you Sharna Peters and Deanna Spowart, the newest and brightest combination to hit one of Australia’s well known organisations right between the eye balls, in a totally awesome way.  The Job-Share Dynamos!

Deanna & Sharna are Job Share Partners in their workplace and they talk us through the dicy, amazing, often sizzling world of Job-Share.  The insights, laughs, intelligence, thought and results that these ladies bring to the table will give you goose bumps.  This is a warts and all look at how they’ve manufactured the path of Job-Share within an organisation that absolutely raves about all things flexibility, and they are pioneers in their space.  They very much remind us of our PodCast “My Work Wife” and we hope you enjoy the effervescence of these two, and you learn and glean tips of how much hard work they have put into making their Job-Share work, and work well.

 If you hang around at the end, there’s a little surprise for you, something you might be able to sing along to …. and that’s all we’ll say!

The Incredibles


by Helen Butler

"titleTreatment":"{[870,959],[487,350]}", "crop":"{[0,0],[0,0]}"

OK, so juggling isn’t your forte, ours either, but we’ve found a family that juggles a full life – working professional parents, 5 kids, 4 families, 1 very gorgeous dog, 15 acres, sporting events, school drop off and pick up and manage to be so happy.  They talk about the kids being the barometer of their family.  They have family meetings, regularly.  No subject is off limits.  This is a family of incredible care and communication skills, and we are profoundly grateful to Steve & Liv Zan for letting us have a privileged sneak peak into their beautiful, caring and organised lives, that for most of us ordinary folk would turn into some sort of chaos, but for them, works like a well oiled machine.  But it wasn’t without hard work, dedication and a solidarity of leading by example by Steve & Liv.  There’s some lessons here that were hard fought, not without trial and error but delightfully the universe has rewarded their hard work and commitment to provide a strong, stable, reliable and comfortable home and work life for all of them, all 8 of them (dog included of course!).

So what was the secret for them.  Steve is a Change Manager and has applied those principles from the workplace into his family life.  Communication, Consultation, regular Family Meetings and a clear and unwavering support of each other.  Liv is absolutely gorgeous and nurturing in her role of keeping the Zan Ship full steam ahead and pursuing her career.  She speaks delightfully about the joys of study, being a Mum and entering the workforce and finding her confidence and balance.

We were so privileged to get an insight to the workings of a blended family who clearly have a focus on providing strong, considered, nurture and love to their lives and the lives of their gorgeous kids.  A true privilege to hear their story, and we truly think they are the incredibles.

The Monks’ Word ….


by Helen Butler

The delightful, talented, clever Andy Monk joins us to discuss his views on flexibility.

WARNING: He has an infectious laugh, with gorgeous dimples (seems to be a Monk Family thing) a brain that is amazing and a down to earth good bloke persona.  He’s clever, manages several business, is the Chair of Australian Organic, an Adjunct Associate Professor, has two gorgeous kids who he is the primary carer for, what can we say, he’s an all around good guy!

This episode is punctuated by no vino sadly, but we gladly scoffed cups of tea, apple slice, custard tarts, lamingtons, cheese and crackers – an interesting combination!

His views are refreshing, we talk about how to challenge the work status quo, blokes crashing the morning coffee after the school drop-off, the importance of networking, the mindset of flexibility and who are the hardest, most productive and effective employees?

The Husbands


by Helen Butler

We are delighted to bring you the gorgeous Ric & Jac’s on this PodCast.  Helen met Ric at Uni, and Ric turned into being Helen’s saviour – he has some qualities that we admired: amazing composure, tact, empathy and business smarts, there was alot to like about this dedicated and smart HR Practitioner.

With friendship truly cemented we have had the pleasure of meeting Ric’s gorgeous Husband, Jac whom cemented their love affair with a blissful wedding in Paris.  It was wonderful to hear their views on flexibility in life, work and play!

We hope you enjoy.

My Work Wife


by Helen Butler

Jane & Jo have joined us for this special edition and talk about their work journey through working full-time, having a family, maternity leave, returning to work and finally their magnificent job-share arrangement.

It is a cracking interview of really inspiring and dedicated women who have carved a wonderful and rewarding path for themselves.  We recorded this lovely interview over a vino or two, please excuse the background noise.

Enjoy!