On our final episode of season two we talk to Danielle Moylan, who has had a wide ranging career spanning the music industry, foreign service with Australia’s Foreign, humanitarian response in Afghanistan and Syria, and now as a cafe owner and cook in London at Grove Lane Deli, Camberwell.

It’s a biggie, covering letting go of ambition, interrogating why we strive - do we truly want it or because we've been told to, being a quality not a control freak, and above all not waiting to know everything before jumping in. 

As usual, we hit Danielle up with the important Qs: 

Last meal:  fried chicken - the good stuff

Currently reading:  Recipe books in desperate search for new ideas - Australian Women’s Weekly Cake Book - a classic, and Andy Baraghani 

Currently watching:  The Crown

Listening to:  BBC news podcast, Beyoncé’s latest masterpieces 

Favourite unwind:  have a bath - hot water immersion

What advice would Danielle give to someone who's wondering about the next step in their career?

You're way more capable and better than what you think you are. And you don't need to know everything to try something. A lot of people feel like they need to fully understand everything. But you can, at any career point, jump into something and learn as you go. Don't wait until you feel like you know everything because you probably never will. And then you realize once you get into that field that nobody knows anything anyway. 

But most importantly, my advice, especially to young women I work with, is that they're so bright, they've got so much going for them. The world really is their oyster.I think that is something that's worth reminding ourselves every single step of our career.

A little about your co-hosts:

Anita Dullard is studying a MSc Climate and Energy Policy, taking time out from media advocacy; Avigail Shai is a diplomatic and policy adviser, and former diplomat – they met working in the international humanitarian sector, stayed for the chat and hilarity.

And don't forget to join our 9 to 5 community on IG, FB and TW, and don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review!

Today on the podcast we talk to Lucy Earle, who is Director (interim), Human Settlements at the International Institute for Environment and Development. We talk taking risks, how treating new hires badly backfires and the unmitigated pleasure of travelling alone for work. 

Lucy’s work focuses on the intersections of urbanisation, urban poverty and humanitarian crises, in particular forced displacement in urban areas. Prior to joining IIED, Lucy was an urban advisor at the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and was seconded to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to support a programme on improving humanitarian response to urban crises. PhD in development studies from the LSE.

As usual, we hit Lucy up with the important Qs: 

Last meal:  something Middle Eastern

Currently reading: The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel

Currently watching: Industry on BBC, Call My Agent, Emily in Paris
Currently listening to:  a Mahler or Bruckner symphonies if the office is pumping

Favourite unwind:  Swimming and travelling alone for work

What advice would Lucy give to someone who's wondering about the next step in their career?

Get a coach. The questions made me think about work and the answers were really eye opening. It’s really helpful to get someone to ask you the difficult questions and give you homework to do things differently. So if you can afford it, or if you can get your work to pay, get a coach.

A little about your co-hosts:

Anita Dullard is studying a MSc Climate and Energy Policy, taking time out from media advocacy; Avigail Shai is a diplomatic and policy adviser, and former diplomat – they met working in the international humanitarian sector, stayed for the chat and hilarity.

Today on the podcast we talk to Ika Nurain Mudzar who is a communications specialist and fiction writer by night. She’s also a sculptor and we find out where in the day she manages that while also talking about the pros and cons of workplaces as ‘families’, taking leaps of faith and the surprising outcomes you can have when you trust your worth (or trust other people who keep telling you to trust yourself) 

Ika has 15 years experience as a communications expert working across many different sectors including the oil and gas industry, publishing sector, international humanitarian emergencies, and accountancy. Her fiction has been published internationally in several pro and semi-pro rated markets. 

As usual, we hit Ika up with the important Qs: 

Last meal: Her mum’s risolas  

Currently reading: Joe Abercrombie fantasy novelist

Currently watching: BoJack Horseman

Listening to: Low fi music, classical playlist, gaming soundtracks, and 9 to 5 with Avi and Anita! Check out the episode with Victoria Cavanagh which inspired Ika's negotiating success.

Favourite unwind: the gym three or four times a week; writing if she’s in the mood or sculpting - create something with her hands: “I think it's such a good balance to work with your hands rather than staring at the computer screen all day.”

What advice would Ika give to someone who's wondering about the next step in their career?

Find a weekend or a time where you can be quiet with your thoughts and detach from the craziness of work, the craziness of your day-to-day, to just listen to your gut and see where that is going. Find that one voice in your head that keeps on repeating that particular thing that resonates with you.

A little about your co-hosts:

Anita Dullard is studying a MSc Climate and Energy Policy, taking time out from media advocacy; Avigail Shai is a diplomatic and policy adviser, and former diplomat – they met working in the international humanitarian sector, stayed for the chat and hilarity.

And don't forget to join our 9 to 5 community on IG, FB and TW, and don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review!