Today, I’m turning the mic inward for my first-ever solo episode of Calling Operator. I’m Laura Nicol, your host and Chief of Staff at Co Ventures—and in this conversation, we’re talking burnout. The kind that creeps up. The kind that hits hard. The kind that startup operators know all too well. It comes up on the pod all the time—for a reason. 

I'm calling it my #buildinpublic reflection on this topic from the operator’s seat. I chat through: 

• The aha moment: Being a great operator starts with self-work
• My journey from an epilepsy diagnosis to today
• Physical health, mental health and wellbeing
• Burnout
• Giving yourself permission to step off the treadmill
• Trying to prevent it
• Building an environment that catches it more often

Shoutout to past guests whose wisdom shows up throughout (check out their full eps here):

• Ep 42. Olivia Panzic at TikTok ANZ
• Ep 45. Anitta Krishan at Hoogly AI
• Ep 38. Alice Hehman at Glue Club
• Ep 39. Harry Uffindell at Partly
• Ep 32. Maxine Minter at Co Ventures
• Ep 30. Emily Robinson at Kic

Guest ideas?

Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.

A note from your host, Laura:

My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons.

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