Career Stories

This week's guest is Dinda Timperon, Head of Cybersecurity Engineering at one of Australia's largest wealth management organisations, and founder of Perth Women's Circle, a community of over 10,000 women focused on growth and development.Dinda's career spans the Royal Australian Air Force, aerospace engineering, flight test, a stint writing stage plays, and now leading national teams in financial services cybersecurity. She built Perth Women's Circle from a sunrise beach gathering of five women in 2023 to a movement with over a thousand women at live events, all alongside a demanding full-time role and raising two boys.In this episode:How Dinda went from joining the Royal Australian Air Force at 17, with no clear career plan, to becoming an aerospace engineer and leading aircraft maintenance and flight test programs.What it was like to step into leadership at 21 as an aircraft maintenance officer, managing a team of experienced technicians twice her age, and how that shaped her approach to leadership.Why she left the Air Force after a solid career and spent a few years writing stage plays, and what that transition taught her about identity and following your instincts.How she made the move into cybersecurity and financial services, and what it takes to transfer skills across very different industriesHow Perth Women's Circle was born from a simple personal need for connection, and what it took to grow it from five women at a beach to a community of over 10,000.How Dinda thinks about juggling a national leadership role, community building, coaching, and parenting, and why she frames it less as balance and more as presence.What success means to Dinda now compared to her early career, and why she believes ambition should not be a word women feel they have to apologise for.How growing up between eight schools, and watching her Indonesian mother lead on building sites, gave Dinda an early and quiet confidence that she could do whatever she wanted.Dinda's insight on success: “True success expands your life. If something feels restrictive, it's not actually true success. It needs to be something that adds to your life.”All opinions are the guest's own.New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.We'd love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

This week's guest is Dr Mia Carbon, Deputy Director General of Biosecurity and Emergency Management for Western Australia — or, as she describes it, part of the team responsible for protecting one of the world's most unique environments. From training as a vet and working in rural Victoria and the UK, to a pivotal move into public policy, to leading one of WA's most complex government roles, Mia's career has been shaped by curiosity, values, and a willingness to make hard calls at every stage.In this episode:What biosecurity really means for Western Australia — and why the state's scale makes it unlike anywhere else in the worldThe ethical turning point that led her away from clinical veterinary workStepping into a senior executive role on the day three government departments were being merged into oneWhy she withdrew from a senior role at finalist stage — and what she learned from itHow attending nine schools growing up shaped her adaptability and resilienceHow being a parent has influenced the decisions she's made throughout her careerHer approach to leadership and navigating complexity in the public sectorMia's insight on leadership: "In any leadership role, as you go up, you can do less. You absolutely cannot get it all done yourself. The skill as a leader is being able to bring all of those different threads together and knowing how to get them to work together to achieve what you need to achieve."The proverb Mia lives by: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.We'd love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

This week's guest is Steve Price, General Manager of Financial Services at David Jones — the world's oldest department store. Having spent his career across banking, SaaS and retail in both the UK and Australia, Steve has specialised in building innovative products and customer experiences, from launching one of the UK's first internet banking services in the late 90s, to bringing Apple Pay to Australia, to embedding financial services inside accounting software for small businesses.In this episode:What a General Manager of Financial Services actually does — in a retail contextHow David Jones thinks about loyalty, rewards and making customers feel specialWhy Steve took voluntary redundancy after 15 years with one organisation — and why he's glad he didWhat the move from a big bank to a small one really teaches you — and why he made that choice deliberatelyHow to navigate your career using principles rather than a planThe value of deliberately moving across industries before it's done to youSteve and Luella's different take on moving countries — and why it isn't always sunshine and rosesWhy he puts family ahead of career — and what work-life prioritisation really means to himThe career exercise that helped him identify his strengthsResources mentioned:The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People — Stephen CoveyGood to Great — Jim CollinsMore detailed show notes with links to information discussed by guests can be found here.New epiosodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.We'd love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

This week's episode is our first monthly career advice conversation, where Dr Luella Forbes and co-host Michelle Gander — Associate Professor and specialist in Career Development — reflect on the themes and insights from this month's guest interviews with Mehdi Langroudi and Kelly Shay.In this episode:What purpose actually means at work — and why the research uses different language than the business world doesThe difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation — and why it matters more than a corner officeThe data behind purpose-driven work: why high intrinsic motivation is linked to lower burnout, higher engagement and greater resilience to changeWhy younger generations are demanding meaningful work — and why mid-career professionals are asking the same questionsHow leaders can connect their team members to purpose, even in highly structured or resource-constrained environmentsThis month's listener question: imposter syndrome — how to back yourself when everyone else already believes in youThe difference between imposter syndrome and a lack of confidence (they're not the same thing)Book recommendation: Feelgood Productivity by Ali Abdaal — how to do more of what matters to youA note on how to evaluate career advice: what to look for when deciding whose voice to trustFor access to the sources discussed in this episode please refer to the blog here.This week's book recommendation:Feel-Good Productivity — Ali Abdaal  All opinions are the hosts' own. New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.We'd love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

This week's guest is Kelly Shay, Retirement and Retention Leader at Mercer Australia — someone who has spent her career working to improve outcomes for people who can't always speak for themselves. From student politics at Murdoch University, to organising aged care and disability workers in Australia and the US, to superannuation — Kelly's career has been anything but conventional, and entirely on purpose.In this episode:What a retirement and retention leader actually does — and why it matters for the million Mercer members she servesThe gender superannuation gap: why women retire with less, and what the industry is doing about itWhat the union movement taught her about doing more with less — and why those skills translated so well to financial servicesHow she organised disability care workers from $4 an hour to a living wage — and why she's still proud of itThe pivot from union organising to superannuation, and how a board role at Hesta opened the doorHow to know when it's time to move on: Kelly's test for when she's reached her impact ceilingWhat "commercial with a heart" means in practice — and why she holds both objectives equallyHer work as a board member of FREE, a family and domestic violence service in MelbourneKelly's career advice:  Clear is kind (Brené Brown), does this spark joy?, and the power of "both and"Resources mentioned:Brené Brown’s work, including Dare to Lead“Man in the Arena” — Theodore Roosevelt (referenced by Brené Brown)All opinions are the guest’s own. New episodes every Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts each week, plus a monthly discussion on what we’ve learned.We’d love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes, or send questions you'd like Luella and Michelle to answer, at stories@the-career-library.com.Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes with work‑related advice from Luella, Michelle and our expert guests, plus a monthly newsletter with tools and guidance from the advice episode.Help others discover the show by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.  Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

This week's guest is Mehdi Langroudi, Executive Director of Network Operations for Main Roads Western Australia — or, in his son's words, "the guy who fixes traffic"! With a global career spanning Scotland, London, Dubai, Qatar and now Perth, Mehdi shares how he accidentally fell into traffic engineering, what he's learned about leading diverse technical teams, and why career choices don't need to be over-engineered.In this episode:What a traffic operations leader actually does (and why his team includes people from the gaming industry)How predictive data modelling is helping his team get ahead of congestion before it happensThe differences between working in the UK, the Middle East and AustraliaHow to know when it's time to move countries — or jobsWhat he looks for when hiring, and why attitude beats technical skill every timeHis thoughts on work-life balance, wellbeing and what career fulfilment actually looks likeMehdi's career advice: "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept."Resources mentioned:Feel Better, Live More — the wellbeing podcast hosted by Dr Rangan Chatterjee All opinions are the guest's own.New episodes on a Wednesday, with interviews with leaders or experts every week and a monthly discussion on what we've heard in the last week of the month.We'd love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance from this week's advice episode. Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

Introducing Career Stories, the podcast that shares other people's career stories to help you with yours.New episodes on a Wednesday, where Dr Luella Forbes interviews leaders, entrepreneurs or experts about their career story, and in the last week of the month, a discussion with Associate Professor Michelle Gander on what we've learned from those conversations.We'd love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance to help you with your career and leadership.Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.

Introducing Career Stories, the podcast that shares other people's career stories to help you with yours.New episodes on a Wednesday, where Dr Luella Forbes interviews leaders, entrepreneurs or experts on their career story, and in the last week of the month, a discussion with Associate Professor Michelle Gander on what we've learned from those conversations.We'd love to hear from you.  Share your thoughts on recent episodes or questions you would like Luella and Michelle to answer to stories@the-career-library.com. Support this podcast by becoming a member and get access to bonus episodes containing work related advice from Luella, Michelle and expert guests as well as a monthly newsletter with access to tools and guidance to help you with your career and leadership.Help other people find this podcast by subscribing in your podcast app and leaving a review.Career Stories is brought to you by The Career Library.