Making Waves

For the final of Making Waves, I sit down with Hillary Wild- Hirons, Director of Growth Strategy at Black Swan Data. Hillary has worked in sales for Euromonitor, Attest, and is now at Black Swan Data, and throughout her impressive career, travel has played a hug part. She has lived in Hawaii, Australia, Spain, Costa Rica, US, and now the UK. We speak about what she has learnt from travelling and how it has affected her as a leader and colleague. In this conversation we also discuss: Burnout The importance of having life experiences and travelling Non-linear career paths Imposter syndrome Thank you Hillary for being so raw, open and honest. It's so refreshing to hear powerful women speak about these topics that every woman faces. Conversations like this make us women realise it's okay to feel imposter syndrome, burnout, and lost in your career, but it's how you manage it that makes the difference. Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Hillary Wild-Hirons * Websites: Wiser: www.wearewiser.com EVRYTHNG: https://www.blackswan.com/

Judy Moon is not only a “chief plate spinner and supermom” according to her LinkedIn, but she is also the Vice President of Sales at Global fashion tech company EVRYTHNG. Throughout her career Judy has worked for Time Inc focusing on Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly and Time Magazine, she has worked as a Producer in the Films industry and most recently transitioned into the world of tech. Born and raised in South Korea, Judy was raised in a culture where women didn't have much of a voice, and so she made it her mission to be heard and to make an impact. Madeline K Albright once said “It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent.” In this episode we speak about resilience, reentering the workforce again after raising two kids and how to control the controllables. Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Judy Moon * Websites: Wiser: www.wearewiser.com EVRYTHNG: www.evrythng.com/

Paris Petgrave, Founder & CEO of We Love Work and Investment company Rare Seed Capital joins me to speak about the importance of employee feedback and why prevention is always better than strategic responses. We Love Work is a data intelligence platform that helps companies build happier, more inclusive places to work. In this episode, Paris shares her career journey from acting to entrepreneurship, lessons she has learnt along the way, the importance of financial wellbeing and how she turned her passion for people into a successful business model. Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Paris Petgrave * Websites: Wiser: www.wearewiser.com We Love Work: https://www.welovework.com/

Daryn Edgar, CEO at LYTT joins us for Episode 3 to speak about the importance of owning your differences, taking risks in your career, and seeing your career as an end game. Daryn has had an impressive career working in the tech, energy, and consulting industries. Some of her notable roles include Director at PWC, Vice President of Strategic Alliances at SAP and she is now the CEO at tech company LYTT. To add to this she has been Recognised by Computer Weekly's Most Influential Women in UK IT and the Women in Technology Awards. In this episode we speak about: Her experience of coming to the UK with no job or travel plan, just a plane ticket and 2 nights of accommodation. How to use your differences as a strength instead of seeing it as a barrier. Why it's important to trust your gut and leave a job if you don't feel happy. Why she never saw each job as an end game, but her whole career as an end game. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Daryn Edgar * Websites: Wiser: www.wearewiser.com LYTT: https://www.lytt.com/

Carlota Berruezo, Chief of Staff to the Senior VP of Revenue in EMEA at Global tech company, Bazaarvoice joins us for Episode 2 to discuss how team sports make you a better leader. Carlota started her career in the sporting world playing handball for the top Spanish Women's division and the under 18s national team. After her parents made it clear that handball wouldn't pay the bills, she took the unlikely jump into the world of Tech. Having over 15 years of experience in the SaaS industry, Carlota has worked at Vocus, Innovative Systems, and Bazaarvoice, and has led over 13 direct reports spread across Munich, Amsterdam, Paris, London, and Austin. In this episode, we discuss the transferable skills between team sports and the world of business, the difference between being a great leader and manager, and why Millenials should understand there's no such thing as an overnight success. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Carlota Berruezo * Websites: Wiser: https://wearewiser.com/ Bazaarvoice: https://www.bazaarvoice.com/

Simonne LeBlanc, previous Global Head of HR at Ethoca, LexisNexis, and Thomson Reuters joins us for Episode 1, Season 2 to discuss how we put the people back into business. Having spent 30 years in HR Simonne doesn't like to say that she works in HR, but instead is a business partner who focuses on the people function. This is a mentality that she encourages her team to have through her vulnerable, supportive, and transparent leadership approach. In this episode, we discuss how to be a vulnerable leader, the importance of trusting your gut and how to be unapologetically female. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Simonne LeBlanc * Websites: Wiser: https://wearewiser.com/

This week I am joined by Leadership coach, COO and Founder of Jiminny, Shelley Lavery. Throughout her just shy of 8 year career at Reward Gateway, Shelley ran her own teams in London, Birmingham, New York, Boston, and Australia and if that didn't make her busy enough, she was also in charge of global sales. 2 years ago, her husband Tom, business partner James and herself set up their own company Jiminny which is a SaaS platform transforming the way sales teams work, with their mission statement being “be the best version of you.” In this episode, not only do we hear how Shelley grew from being an actress to the COO & Founder of a successful tech company, but we also discuss the importance of discomfort and failure. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Shelley Lavery * LinkedIn accounts: Izzy Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-bishop-7bb525120 Shelley Lavery: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelley-lavery-463bab32/ Wiser: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearewiser/ Jiminny: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jiminny/

Do you bring your whole self to work? As women, we feel the pressure to put on that ‘corporate face' and not show our true emotions. In this episode Deborah Homewood discusses how showing emotion should not be seen as being weak, we are all human and we shouldn't be afraid to show our full selves. This week we sit down with Deborah who has spent over 20 years working in the telecoms sector for companies such as Telstra, Motorola and Pacnet. After working in this industry for her whole career, she made the bold decision to change industries and is now the Managing Director at MAX solutions. We discuss why she made that industry jump, what she has learnt from career setbacks, and how she has vowed to be a better leader. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Deborah Homewood * LinkedIn accounts: Izzy Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-bishop-7bb525120 Deborah Homewood: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-homewood-a059b110/ Wiser: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearewiser/ MAX Solutions: https://www.linkedin.com/company/max-solutions-pty-ltd/

What do you do when a pandemic renders your business impossible? This week I sat down with Lu Li, who started her career as a consultant for McKinsey & Co, before moving to Proctor & Gamble. She has also published a book called Dear Female Founder and is now the CEO and founder of Blooming Founders. In this episode, Lu discusses how she had to do a complete 180 with her events company for female entrepreneurs to continue her ambition of being her own boss in a rapidly changing landscape. Lu gives great advice on how to adapt in this current climate, and how to not be afraid of listening to your inner voice if a job doesn't feel right. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Lu Li * LinkedIn accounts: Izzy Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-bishop-7bb525120 Lu Li: https://www.linkedin.com/in/houseofli/ Wiser: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearewiser/ Blooming Founders: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bloomingfounders/

Is it possible to have a successful career and a family? Catherine McGrath embodies the modern-day working woman, as she juggles her high powered job with having two young children. Currently, the Vice President of Client Success at the global tech company, Wrike, Catherine previously worked at Flywire, Travelex, Western Union, and AIB Merchant Services. In this episode, Catherine shares her story of how she went from recruitment to a VP Client Success role. She also shares her advice on how to be a working mother, and what companies can do to make their lives easier. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Catherine McGrath * LinkedIn accounts: Izzy Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-bishop-7bb525120 Catherine McGrath: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-mcgrath-050b355/ Wiser: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearewiser/ Wrike: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrike/

Patricia Keating is the Executive Director at Tech Manchester, which helps early-stage tech companies break into the scene. She is also a public speaker and the host of the hugely successful podcast Fast Forward. Having started her career in recruitment, Patricia has learnt so many lessons throughout her incredible journey to success. In this episode we discuss the things she has learnt through being made redundant, starting her own company, the winding up of said company and how to not be afraid of failure. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Patricia Keating * LinkedIn accounts: Izzy Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-bishop-7bb525120 Patricia Keating: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciakeating36/ Wiser: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearewiser/ Tech Manchester: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techmanchester/

At the age of 27, Imogen Aaronson has already achieved a lot. Starting her career in the broadcasting industry, she took the unlikely jump into the world of tech, being the first hire for the recruitment app company, Syft and the brand director at AI fashion tech company, Catches. Since then, Imogen has created her own consultancy company, aptly named IMO-GINE. In this episode we discuss what it means to be successful, young and female. We talk about the challenges Imogen has faced throughout her career so far and the lessons she's learned. Imogen says that “all progress takes place outside the comfort zone,” so hopefully this episode will give you the drive to breach your comfort zone. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Imogen Aaronson * LinkedIn accounts: Izzy Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-bishop-7bb525120 Imogen Aaronson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imogen-aaronson-7465b2a8/ Wiser: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearewiser/ Making Waves: https://www.linkedin.com/company/making-waves-podcast

Louisa Gregory has been in the tech and telecommunications industry for nearly 27 years. She has been working for powerhouse companies such as Colt Technology Services, Pacnet, and is now the CEO of new tech non-profit organisation CBAN. In this episode, we speak about diversity and inclusion, ‘squiggly careers' and how to move forward if you've been made redundant. Louisa is an incredible person with so much knowledge and advice to share, and with her personal purpose being ‘Inspire to Action', I'm sure this episode will get you inspired to take on your next challenge. * Host: Izzy Bishop Guest: Louisa Gregory * LinkedIn accounts: Izzy Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/izzy-bishop-7bb525120 Louisa Gregory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisagregory/ Wiser: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wearewiser/ Making Waves: https://www.linkedin.com/company/making-waves-podcast