Why law? Did you have an idea of what you wanted your career to look like when you first began studying at UC?
I thought of studying law as like earning a key – it would unlock doors that would otherwise remain closed. This may sound naïve but I also felt like I could actually help people and it was a privilege to study to then have an impact. It took time to grow into that potential, but I feel like I am able to do this as an ‘impact driven’ lawyer.
With over 20 years experience practising law, what do you credit with keeping you interested and motivated in your work?
In this job, our team is often supporting 'for purpose' clients who want to make a real tangible difference in the world. Helping be a catalyst so they can achieve their dreams is very empowering for us.
Can you tell us about the journey with Seeds? Why did you start the podcast?
I kept meeting people who were doing amazing things but we never heard their stories. Let’s be honest, most media are after the negative. Now with 377 interviews, I enjoy giving these people a platform to share good with the world. As they go for an hour or so, we also really get to know them rather than just being superficial ‘what do you do’ type of conversations. It has also led to other things, like organising an online conference which had 100 speakers and 29 sessions that almost 500 attended called the Seeds Impact Conference.
Is there a conversation you’ve had on Seeds that has stuck with you?
I interviewed someone who was dying of cancer and after his funeral his son said "thank you for recording our father’s voice and life – we now have something to share with the grandchildren he will never meet”. That really summed up why recording stories of impact is so vital. If you have an older relative, sit down with your phone, turn on voice record and ask them about their life!
You have released a couple of books already but you’ve recently added another string to your bow in writing a picture book called The Apple Tree! What was that process like?
It’s a ‘picture book for adults’ and I love that we can all be creative, no matter what our ‘title’ so it was a joy to collaborate with an artist, designer, editor and even a composer. We all were there at the launch and I read the story while Matthew Goldsworthy the composer played the piece he had written to match the theme of the story: that what we each do matters, even if we cannot see the results right away. That reading with the music is online at the site for the book too.
What advice would you give your younger self at the start of your career?
Curiosity is the essential ingredient in the people I find most interesting. When choosing what to do or study sometimes I have asked “how can I become the type of person, that I would like to meet?”. It is a nice filter to challenge yourself to learn a language or try things out. Even challenging things are opportunities that give you keys that unlock what would otherwise be shut.
Finally, what experiences or memories from your time at UC that you look back on most fondly?
I remember the first day walking on campus and thinking about what the future might hold – that uncertainty, but seeing potential if you embrace the experiences. I loved the diversity of people, subjects and challenges to my thinking – as well as the Law my BA in History/Political Science taught me lots too. I think the podcast and work I do today is like recording something of ‘contemporary history’ and I love to think I can help to impact thinking about future legal structures that enshrine impact better as well.
