Unpaused The Podcast

Ex Asian Spice Girl (yes, this band really existed) turned founder of feted interior design firm SIREN, Mia Feasey has a dazzling Unpaused story to tell. Arriving in Australia from the UK with no friends, no contacts and just £1000  in her pocket, Feasey worked 6 jobs, joining the local lacrosse team when loneliness began to tell. Little did she know how that single step would open career doors and enlarge her world. Fast forward to today - Mia won the Women in Design Award in 2020 and leads a dynamic team of mostly women in offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Singapore, designing workspaces for the likes of Google, Uber and KPMG. She champions the working mother and is very candid about how she managed her growing empire with two babies in the early days. On top of all this, she has a message for her industry that it's not ok to trash the last fit-out without a backward glance to the environmental consequences. In a world of lookalikes, Mia is the modern professional woman with a head and heart beating to

Judy speaks to retired Australian Family Court Justice, Michelle May. Michelle’s is a story with a great twist. She grew up in Brisbane, raised by a professional working mother, unusual for those times, who was a role model and trusted advisor to Michelle.  Michelle recently retired from the bench after a 40-year career - firstly at the Family Court Bar, later as a Queens Counsel in that jurisdiction. At 40 she accepted an appointment as a judge in the Trial Division of the Court and finally stepped up to its Court of Appeal. It was certainly a distinguished career but took a dramatic turn when at 35, she gave birth of triplet daughters – thus the pause.  Michelle knows more than most, having directly observed in the divorce courts what women sometimes do in their personal lives which ultimately has the effect of sabotaging their careers or their lives more generally. // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineers: Lana Kristensen and Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant:

Judy chats with marketing expert Souad Christina Saied, about embarking on a new career, her journalling process which has amassed a stack of invaluable data about herself  (not only personally but professionally too) and her experience of racism and discrimination and what she's doing about it. Souad’s journaling habit, the signature exercise of  her practice as a budding life coach, has enabled her to assemble a mountain of self-revelatory intelligence; putting paid to the notion that your memory is your best navigator on the path to self knowledge. Writing every Friday, and reflecting on the ups and downs of the week just past, soon manifested bright threads of valuable intel, unique to her, and so useful for working out next steps.  ⁠ ⁠// Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineers: Lana Kristensen and Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Judy chats with Jane Bridge, Founder of Boardroom Partners. This is the Board intel everyone needs to hear but rarely accesses. For years, Jane ran Boardroom Partners, a board recruitment and advisory firm in Sydney. As a result, she is ideally placed to bear witness to the pitfalls and perils facing the board novice. If you’re considering a shift to a board role, or just wondering how the arcane world of board appointments works, then this is one interview you don't want to miss. It’s full of the wisdom that comes from years of conversations with Chairs and directors in thorny situations, and reassuring common sense, combined. // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineers: Lana Kristensen and Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

'Sheryl Sandberg was right: the single most important career decision a woman makes is her choice of life partner. Brooks ignites that conversation for a new generation.' JAMILA RIZVI on The First Move by Emily Brooks  Emily Brooks, author of The First Move (a book about the awakening of the young dating feminist) puts her case for a woman working out her own wants and needs before taking a leap into the world of love, or, equally as I see it in the context of unpausing , into the world of work. Clever, inspiring, practical: Think before you leap.  // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineers: Lana Kristensen and Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Famous today as a human rights giant, feminist pathfinder and role model, few have had to overcome the glaring life pauses that Eleanor Roosevelt experienced, to achieve so much. ⁠ Yet most of the active steps she took to "unpause", especially in the critical period after her child-bearing years had come to an end, and her marriage was imperilled, are there to see.  ⁠ ⁠This is the second of two bonus episodes of Unpaused, in which I chart the early life of Eleanor Roosevelt and her awakening as one of the most influential voices of the 20th century. ⁠ // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Lana Kristensen // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Famous today as a human rights giant, feminist pathfinder and role model, few have had to overcome the glaring life pauses that Eleanor Roosevelt experienced, to achieve so much. ⁠ Yet most of the active steps she took to "unpause", especially in the critical period after her child-bearing years had come to an end, and her marriage was imperilled, are there to see.  ⁠ ⁠In this first of two bonus episodes of Unpaused, I chart the early life of Eleanor Roosevelt and her awakening as one of the most influential voices of the 20th century. ⁠ // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Lana Kristensen // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

After 30 years in business, Parisian Marie Daâge is a model of the truly modern woman. Her eponymous brand of exquisite hand painted dinner porcelain, has endured turndowns, lockdowns and the inevitable ups-and-downs of the economic cycle. Thirty years on, the brand and business prosper: Marie launched her first dedicated store and studio on Paris’ Left Bank in January 2020 and, on the easing of restrictions, has reopened her doors. ⁠ ⁠Somehow, Marie also found the time and wherewithal to raise six children while her business evolved. Five of the six joined their parents at their country retreat north of Paris for the lockdown, where Marie revealed something of the way the family lived and occupied their home via the medium of an iPhone and IGTV.⁠ It's a wonderful tale of generosity and wisdom. // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Lana Kristensen // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Maggie Beer is defined  by many things, not least of which her culinary ambassadorship of the Barossa Valley. Rather than being defined by her age however, she is instead defined by her grit and longevity in an industry that churns through the gifted and talented more than most. While Maggie acknowledges her periods of burnout, she has come back to be bigger and more influential than ever before. I call it playing the long game. At 75, she is both wise and, even in lockdown, hard at work in her home kitchen in Nuriootpa, on IGTV . We are lucky to have her.  // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Lana Kristensen // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

When the working world feels like it's shrinking, it's time to start enlarging your foothold. This week we change direction to give some practical help on how to make your network come to life with small habitual steps you take from your own desk. No gatekeepers to hold you back, no permission needed. Molly Beck and Carly Valancy tell all.⁠ // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Former Editor in Chief of T: The New York Times Style Magazine, Deborah Needleman shares her enchantment with the world of the composed and handmade on Unpaused. It's a timely reflection of how time was once measured: when a basket, woven by hand, was the diary of a person's day. ⁠ // Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Lana Kristensen // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

A recap by Judy and Leonie who were both struck by how Fran Kelly and Gillian Nasato seemed to have found exactly the role they were born to do. We've put our thoughts about these two extraordinary women on record in a conversation about what we loved and learned from their two interviews. It's a quick recap of what we thought were the highlights, in our own words, in our own way. We hope you like it. Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

As 2IC of one of Australia's largest hospitals, Gillian Nasato knows a thing or two about adapting on the job to a massive health crisis. She draws on lessons learned at her mother's knee and 30 years of operational experience across multiple medical disciplines, to make sure that hospital staff on the frontline of the COVID 19 pandemic feel safe doing their job. A voice we need to hear more from in this strange and anxious time.⁠ Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Easter is to a baker what Christmas is to a pig farmer... it's peak time. The joy of baking, even in a lockdown,  permeates every word of this interview with Nadine Ingram, owner and creator of Flour and Stone, Sydney's beloved petite bakery and salon. Nadine's astute quick-step from purveyor of countertop treats to a takeaway queen of cake, pastry and homespun groceries is evidence that even in difficult times, those who have a Plan B well thought through can keep their business going and create a lot of joy along the way. And that's before she starts talking about what she's cooking. A real Easter treat for the news-weary listener..⁠. Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Fran Kelly, host of ABC RN’s flagship Breakfast program, opens up with Judy about the positives of finding a rhythm, in the maelstrom of news that COVID 19 has brought… If you’re feeling overwhelmed and dispirited by the news, this is a how-to, from one of Australia’s leading media professionals, on coping,  regrouping, and even celebrating a few unexpected wins…⁠ Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net

Struggling to structure your day? Finding the hours bleeding into one another and that your productive time is shrinking? Judy talks to Leonie about who she turns to for advice on making time for the million and one things you want to make time for every day.⁠ Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net ⁠ ⁠

You may remember book publisher Julie Gibbs, in Season 1 of the podcast; in fact, she was our very first guest. ⁠Today, we revisit Julie's story, as her pause comes to an end and her new role, as Head Consultant of the Australian Culinary Archive project, is formalised and acclaimed. ⁠Julie's steadfastness to her professional circle, and her regard for the culinary culture of Australia, which she brought so artfully to print for so long, has now brought her full circle. It proves the merit of her advice to us last year... "to maintain your connections, force yourself to get your hair done and put on a dress, even when you least feel like it..." In fact, it was her presence at a serendipitous event that bore no relation to her formal career, that opened a door to this new opportunity. We couldn't be more pleased for her. ⁠ Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Jason Millhouse // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron // Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net ⁠ ⁠

The pandemic has brought Unpaused into the here and now. So today, and in coming weeks Unpaused is changing direction temporarily, to help you focus on the many ways of getting your house in order. With hours to fill at home, there’s good work to be done that will stand you in great stead when the world returns to some sort of normal.  ⁠ ⁠Listen too for practical ways to uplift the spirits and distract you from the relentless cycle of news; good books, great YouTube videos and other creative efforts to help you refocus the way you see the world, for the better.⁠ ⁠Today, a conversation between Judy and Unpaused’s producer, Leonie Marsh on creating structure for the working day at home, impressions of New York and a favourite book that's the perfect read for right now.⁠ //  Hosted by Judy Stewart // Produced by Leonie Marsh // Sound Engineer: Lana Kristensen // Research Assistant: Claudia Cameron //  Instagram: @_unpaused // Website: www.unpaused.net ⁠

Judy looks back over Season 2; summarising all the gems in each episode in one easy listen. ⁣ Make sure you have a pencil and paper to hand! 

In this episode you will hear Part 2 of Ruth Ribeaucourt's magical tale.  www.unpaused.net | Instagram: @_unpaused